Teaching with Comic Books

http://www.teachforever.com/2011/10/using-comic-books-graphic-novels-in.html


Great resources and an interesting idea. Fun, original, and purposeful. Several comprehension strategies. Need SMART board to open materials.

Comparing and Contrasting- Candy

This is a project that can be used after comparing and contrasting has been taught. Assessment.

Students will each be given bite-sized a milky-way candy bar and a three musketeers candy bar. I will instruct them to not open them until we discuss the packaging, comparing and contrasting the two, recording their answers on chart paper. After we are done, students will open each candy bar and again, we will discuss and record any similarities and differences. Finally, I will ask them to pull each candy bar apart and look at the inside of each candy bar, recording again our comparisons. After I've tortured them long enough, they will be allowed to eat the candy bar.

Tomorrow's homework will be to write a five paragraph essay comparing and contrasting. It will not be due until Friday. Their introductory paragraph will be to tell the reader what the essay will cover. Paragraph 2 will cover our discussion of the wrappers of each bar. Paragraph 3 will discuss the outside of each candy bar. Paragraph 4 will cover their observations on the inside of each bar. Finally, the closing paragraph will be a brief critique on which bar they would recommend and why using information from paragraphs 2, 3, and 4. I am considering this their practice essay, leading up to Thursday and Friday's big event.

Thursday and Friday we are going to watch "Charlie and Chocolate Factory," the old (Gene Wilder)and new(Johnny Depp) version. Prior to watching the movies on Thursday, we will discuss any difficulties students may have had beginning their essays. On Friday, I will collect their essay, look them over on the week-end and hand them back on Monday. During that time, I will have copies of those students who I feel did the best and we will talk about why these essays were the strongest.

Thanks-http://middle-school-teacher.blogspot.com/2007/11/lesson-plan-share-killing-two-birds.html

"Grinchy Adjectives"

http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/search/label/Anchor%20Charts

I told them they were going to get to watch the Grinch movie (original) and they had to come up with a list of adjectives to describe him (when he was being bad). Then we did another blogland, Pinterest inspired anchor chart from Mrs. Carroll at The First Grade Parade:

They did a pretty good job coming up with adjectives for our old buddy the Grinch and had a blast! Then they wrote a paper on: Their day with the Grinch. Can't wait to read them all!!! They made covers for their papers and we made them books:)

And finally, one last idea from Go Fourth! With Mrs. Owens. I printed the lyrics of the Grinch song and we found the similes and metaphors. We chose the old famous words:
You're as cuddly as a cactus and you're as charming as an eel, which they drew and they were adorable:

I kinda pulled this all together at the last minute so didn't have enough time to get green candy canes....ours had green stripes so that counts right??

Plus, Minus, Stays the same

Materials- 100s chart, place markers, and cards with numbers on them, paper and pencil.

* teaches students about adding ten to numbers, minus and adding ten, looking for patterns when adding and subtracting tens

two players

students make two piles with the cards.

one child flips the card over that is on top of the two stacks of cards to create a two digit number.

Student then finds the number on the 100s chart and decides to either keep it the same, add or subtact 10.

The student then places a marker on the chart and it is the next persons turn.

The object of the game is get 5 markers in a row.

I stole my neighbor's recycling!

The first lesson my 3rd grader does for inferring is to...

Tell her students she has a problem. She has these new neighbors, but she hasn't met them yet. They must have moved in at night, because one day the house was for sale and the next thing she saw it was sold, but she never saw them moving. She keeps seeing their lights go on and off, but no one ever leaves the house... and it is driving her nuts so she stole their recycling this morning.

She then proceeds to pull out a recycling bag, and tells the kids she needs their help figuring out what kind of people they are.

The trash isn't actually stolen, it's hers and she puts travel brochuers and a plane ticket, gatorade bottles, protein bar wrappers, water bottles.

They then learn to make inferences.

Read Alouds

Star Girl by Jerry Spenneli

"You've been pink-slipped"

Name and Date

You've been pink-slipped!
Completing your homework is your responsibility as a student.
Missing assignment ________________________________
__ I did the assignment homework, but I did not bring it to school.
__ I chose not to do my homework.
__ I forgot to do my homework.
__ I did not have the appropriate materials at home.
__ Other- please explain.

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Signiture____________ _______________




Wong and Wong dvd

"Books can help you think about important things in new ways"

Books like....
Miss Maggie by Cynthia Rylant
Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
If you Listen by Charlotte Zolotow
Olliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola
Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe

gives readers access to characters who experience ups and downs of childhood, might help children gain new perspectives.

Authors often want their readers to take away something from their story.



Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller Chapter 8

Thinking Stems

My third grade class just wrapped up their lesson on using thinking stems to be a more active reader.

They read the book How many Days to America? by Eve Bunting


Thinking Stems

I'm thinking.....
I'm wondering....
I'm seeing.....
I'm feeling......

How do you read wish books?

By the pictures

I see

Today I subbed halfday.
As I was browsing through her site found through the school I ran across this cool idea for poetry using a fun book kids like called I SPY as inspiration. They called theirs I SEE


http://www.scribd.com/doc/24279567/Microsoft-Word-Horrell-final

Explaining Writers Workshop

Play-Dough Writing Process
Lesson

  Materials needed:

• A section of Play-Dough for every student
• Pencils
• Post-its
Introduction:
Don’t tell the students yet that they are going to be learning about writing. Give each student a piece of Play-Dough and a post-it note. Pick a category, such as food, school, etc. Tell the students the category and ask them to think of an object that would fit into that category. For example, if the category was food the students could pick an apple, or a piece of pizza. Ask the students to give you a thumbs up when they have their item chosen.
Middle:
After the students have them item chosen, ask them to write down, on the post-it, words to describe the object. They need to write what it looks like, what shape it is, what it has on it, etc. Give them a few minutes to write some descriptions down.
When that is over, allow the students to make their item with their play-do. They can only use that one color (unless you as the teacher have enough for the students to mix colors). Give them enough time to make their object. Remind them to use the descriptions they just made from their post-it note.
When all of the students are done making their Play-Dough object, then pass out to everyone another post-it note. Have the students switch places with someone, leaving their play-dough piece where it is. They are going to evaluate their partner’s item while their partner does the same to them. Tell the students to, on the post-it note, write down two strengths of the item and one way the item could be improved.
When this is done, switch back and allow the students to read what their partner wrote. At this time they will then make any changes to their item that are necessary from what their partner suggested.

Finally, give the students one last chance to make any additions or changes. Tell them to look for small cracks that shouldn’t be there or if they need to create any small lines to do so now. This is their last chance.

*

Allow a few students to present their item. Explain what it is and to show it from the document camera.
End:
When all of this is over, explain to the students that all of the ‘steps’ that we just took are the same steps that a writer takes when he/she writes. All of those steps have names. Ask the students if they can remember what the first step was.
1. Choosing their item and writing descriptive words down to get the juices
flowing = brainstorming or prewriting
Explain the meaning and why we prewriting to the students at this time
2. Making their object = drafting
Explain the meaning of drafting and what a writer can and cannot do during this stage
3. Switching with a partner and commenting = Sharing
Explain this as well…
4. Making the changes suggested by partner = revising
Explain this as well…. (writers make choices)
5. Making any last minute changes, looking for ‘cracks’ and drawing any
last minute lines = editing
Explain this too..
6. Showing your item to the class = presenting
Explain..
Basically the last part of this lesson you are connecting each step of what you just did to the writing process. Take what you know about the process and explain it. This is a great way for the students to take part in the process and learn about each piece. Let me know if you have any questions!!





Thank you Adventures of Room 129

writing notebook dividers

When the students start a new story they put a sticky note on the first page of the new story. Once they figure out a title they put the title on the sticky note so everything can be easily accessed and we know where a story starts and ends.

Assessing writing folders

I haven't asked or noticed how often their writing notebook gets graded.. or how the whole assessment thing works for it... but

The students can use it as a diary in the sense they can keep it private or they can make certain writing pieces public. If they want you to read a piece of writing they fold the first page of the paper in half.


I have to decide if this would be a weekly thing... or if I would make this part of writing workshop.... etc.

Graffeti Wall. A place for silent conversation.

This was in a fifth grade classroom. The students would write notes to each other during... transitions, before and after class.

I'm not a big fan of the transition time like when they were leaving the classroom because it caused the line to lag a little.

They were able to do it queitly, but it was kind of distracting. I would consider using it as a reward,and limit it to twice a day.

students post their question or comment with the name and date.

Jobs

I need to ask my fifth grade teacher for how the job deal played out. Maybe she has a lesson plan or a general outline I can snag!

She had the students apply for the classroom jobs and they will have them for a full month.

It worked great!