Spring Break, Facebook, and Narrative Writing

Spring Break + Facebook + Narrative Writing = Ah-ha Moment!

My husband and I drove from northwest Indiana to Chicago Midway Airport early Monday morning. Lake effect snow was predicted, but we hoped to avoid it. Nope. The dreaded white stuff pelted down on us as we cruised north on Cicero Avenue. At the airport, it snowed harder. Would we get out?

Stop. Is this a Facebook moment? 

The snow continued to fall, but our plane to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, began to board. "Due to the weather, the plane must be de-iced," lamented the pilot. We waited on the plane. And waited. And waited. Finally, the plane rocked and liquid oozed down its windows. 

Is this a Facebook moment?

Finally, our plane took off into the wild blue yonder. Florida, here we come.

A Facebook moment?

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale and rented a bright blue Ford Escape, which carried us south toward the Florida Keys, etc., etc.

You get the picture! Telling the story of spring break within the context of Facebook will help your students understand how to zero in on that compelling event that everyone wants to hear about! Let's cut to the chase. I left the Midwest in snow; I returned in snow. That's interesting but not necessarily Facebook-worthy. We stayed at a beautiful hotel in the Keys; our room had the best view at the hotel. Hmmm. We ate some fabulous seafood. Ho-hum. 

On Tuesday, we snorkeled. Wow, that would provide some great material, but it didn't really have a climax. Just an endless stream of fish (and one really cool manta ray).

Wait, is this a Facebook moment?

Thursday morning we left the Keys and drove north to the Everglades Safari Park. The sign read, "Airboat Rides - Register Here." Wow! What an adventure! The boat cruised slightly above the level of the water, so noisy that earplugs were a necessity.

So . . . are we finally to the Facebook moment???

After the ride, we were invited to an alligator show. I couldn't believe how the trainer, Jeff, could stroke his alligator pals . . . and even stick his hand in their mouths!! Awesome!

Is it a FB moment yet?

Then, at the end of the show, Jeff announced that each of us could hold a two-year old alligator. Was I brave enough for this? Yes! 

Is this the Facebook moment? Yes! My friends loved it! 

Now it's time to write about the particulars. How much did the alligator weigh? Did he try to snap at me? How did I feel? How did his soft underside feel? What did the trainer say? ("If you don't try to kiss him, you should be okay.") Here's the story that my audience has been waiting for.

So when you're trying to help your students figure out what parts to cut and keep in a narrative, just remember one thing: Facebook! Choose that one part that's most compelling, the part that would get the most likes on Facebook.

Happy Spring Break to all of you!

Brenda

Abolitionists

Delving into the colorful pasts of fifteen famous Americans brought the mid-1800s to life! To complete their abolitionist research projects, my fourth graders worked in pairs to discover not only biographical information, but also what caused the person to get involved in the abolition movement (or the Underground Railroad) and what made them famous.

To publish their work, students used personalized stationery featuring the abolitionist. While these could be compiled into a class book, we chose to hang ours on the wall.

My class also read By Freedom's Light, an action-packed historical novel that explores one girl's moral dilemma regarding runaway slaves. A free 55-page novel unit by Nicole Meyers provided me with a list of vocabulary and bingo game, guidance and questions for literature circles, and more!

Enjoy!

Brenda

Organelle Trail

Introducing basic cell structures has never been more fun! Last month, my students created these wanted posters for organelles (and my student teacher did a great job with the cacti for this display in the hall).

This teaching idea has been around for a while, and you can find ready-made instructions and rubrics online. If you'd like to present the project digitally, try this unit by Mariana Garcia. Or, if you'd rather have hard copies to distribute to your class, take a look at this pdf. I also found several similar files created in editable versions. Simply search the term "organelle trail," and you'll find lots of possibilities!

My favorite website for organelle research is Cells Alive! Their interactive cell models allow students to explore organelles, their names and functions, and where they are found.

Enjoy!

Brenda

P.S. Would you like more ideas, activities (and a freebie) for teaching cells? Check out this post at my new blog, Enjoy Teaching!

Germination: A Living Bulletin Board!

Look what's growing in my classroom right now! Not only educational, this bulletin board is fun (and a great pick-me-up as we experience the cold, gloomy days of February).

My students grew their own "baggie gardens" (taped them onto their desks). They kept track of the plants' growth with this page. Want to try this in your classroom? Just click on the image below to download the observation sheet.

Helpful Hints:

• Lima beans grow quickly. You can buy them in the bean section at your local grocery store!
• Use sandwich bags that have flaps, not zippers.
• Fold a sheet of paper towel in fourths. Get it really wet (but not dripping) then put it into the baggie.
• After the beans are in the baggie, use an eye dropper to water instead of removing them every day.
• Keep the top of the baggie open to the air to avoid rotting and molding.
• To compare moncots and dicots, grow both bean and corn seeds.
• Ask students to measure seeds each day and include on written observations. This gets them thinking about the importance of numeric data.
• Ask students to label seed/plant parts on their diagrams. This image from Britannica provides terminology.
• Plant Life Cycle Clip Art  on the bulletin board was created by Whimsy Workshop Teaching.

Enjoy!

Brenda

P.S. Additional ideas, activities, videos, and a freebie can be found on my new blog, Enjoy Teaching.

Informative Writing (In Science Class!)

Every year, students in my class wrote research papers. Some were short; some were long. But was I doing a good job of teaching informative writing? After an honest appraisal of what informative writing could be, I realized that the answer was no.

I decided to integrate expository text with my next science topic, plants. Much to my surprise, these five nonfiction text structures fit beautifully!

When my list of possible writing topics was complete, I had so many great choices:

• Description: parts of a plant, parts of a flower
• Sequence: germination, pollination
• Compare & Contrast: monocots/dicots, angiosperms/gymnosperms
• Cause & Effect: results of virtually any plant experiment
• Problem & Solution: too much or not enough water or sunlight

The authors of our science text switch text structures often, many times even from paragraph to paragraph, based on the topic. That told me that my fourth graders would benefit from writing shorter pieces, so I decided to focus on paragraphs.

The standards guided me to a clear set of criteria:

To introduce all of this to my students, I developed a PowerPoint presentation. The modeling piece surprised even me! Check out the difference between the initial piece and its polished counterpart:

Wow! I was so excited about the possibilities presented by this merger between science and writing! If it were feasible, I would have liked my students to write using all five text structures during my plant unit. But that would have been overkill. Instead, we tried only a few (and will do more with other science units). Check out our pollination writing! 

Would you like to try this activity in your class? Simply click on the stationery below to download. 

Plant Life Cycle Clip Art was created by Whimsy Workshop Teaching. This set of graphics was perfect for my worksheets, PowerPoint presentation, and bulletin boards. Check it out!

Enjoy!

Brenda

Customary Conversions

Ugh! Learning to convert units of customary measurement is boring . . . and confusing.

I noticed that the related fourth grade standard stated, "Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two-column table." Eureka! My fourth graders could do this! All they needed was knowledge of multiplication patterns.

Once the students completed their tables, they could use them to solve all kinds of conversion problems. This was the conceptual link that they needed. In fifth grade, they'll be expected to convert without tables. But they'll be ready!

To make practice more lively, I purchased Customary Measurement Task Cards from ChiliMath. (I use lots of their task cards in my math class and love them!)

Here are some customary conversion tables for you. Just click on any of the photos to download.

Enjoy!
Brenda

Improving Narrative Writing

How can intermediate students improve their narrative writing? Here are my top 10 ways:

1. Vary sentence beginnings, types, and lengths.
2. Choose words for effect.
3. Choose precise words.
4. Use sensory words.
5. Use active verbs.
6. Use transition words/terms.
7. Use figurative language.
8. Add details.
9. Add dialogue.
10. Write effective beginnings and endings.

Each and every one of these strategies works wonders in my classroom!

I wondered what worked for other teachers. In "8 Effective (and ridiculously easy) Ways to Improve Narrative Writing," Janice Malone at ELA Seminars not only provides some fabulous tips, but also links instructional activities to each, some of which are Pinterest writing prompts. I am now following Janice and can't wait to use some of her stuff in my classroom!

Enjoy!

Brenda