Victims and Villians

I hope everyone is having a relaxing winter break! I know I am! We go with my in-laws to Hawaii every Christmas. It is WONDERFUL! My son may be relaxing a little too much!

When I get back from break we have to complete our winter testing. The curriculum we use is called, Mondo, and it has 3-4 tests per student that have to be completed in fall, winter and spring. The information is great, but it is quite time consuming to gather all of that data. I have been looking for activities that my students can work on somewhat independently while still doing something valuable. 

I came up with a deep look at the Big Bad Wolf. Students will explore two sides to the infamous character

with the traditional story and this one by John Scieszka.

Students will take a look at the wolf in its natural habitat and ponder why american culture tends to cast the wolf as the antagonist. They will compare the stories and decide which version of the wolf they believe with a persuasive writing "craftivity."  If this goes well I'd like to do a whole series of Villian or Victim featuring different characters.

It offers practice on:

Story Comparisons - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9 Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.

Character Analysis - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Persuasive Writing - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information

Check it out in my TPT store. It would also be a great activity to leave for a sub! 

Now I am going to get back to vacation!

Great Book!

Well because of a 5.5 hour plane ride, I finished the book! It was a great, easy read and it had a lot of practical suggestions on how to nurture a strong willed child. This book is written by a christian author and has some biblical references, which is fine for me because as I said earlier I also read this book for my 3 year old son. If a christian  book is not for you, it still has some very practical and loving ways to bring out the best in your strong willed child, or student. I'd like to give you some highlights of the book:

The main idea:

A strong willed child is not against authority. They can however have an issue with how authority is communicated. If you tell a strong willed child, "Do it or else!" They will choose or else. Strong willed children want to maintain some sort of control over their lives and they will go to their figurative death to uphold that control. 

Through provoking quotes:

" I often remind parents of SWCs that their children may change the world-after all, it's not likely that the world is going to change them."  

Practical Advice:

1. Choose you battles. Don't make everything non-negotiable.

2. Lighten up-don't let up.

3. Ask more questions; issue fewer orders. 

4. Hand out more tickets; issue fewer warnings. (This may require reading the book to understand.)

5. Make sure your SWC knows your love is unconditional. 

It's a great quick read and I think it is very applicable to the classroom as well as your home if you have your own strong willed kiddo like I do. It gave me a fresh perspective on how their minds work and how I can help them realize their potential. 

I give it a thumbs up!

Now, I'm going to enjoy my view. 

Break Time!

I am so excited few to finally have some time to read a book I bought about a month ago. I am reading it because of the kiddos I have in my class this year and because of my 3 year old son. I can't wait to learn how to use this extreme determination they have as a asset instead a hindrance.

Christmas Fun!

This post was inspired by a colleague of mine. We do something called, Fun Friday. This is a chance to reward students for turning in their homework and displaying good behavior. Those who are having trouble with these things have time to practice in one of our rooms, and those who have done a great job go to Fun Friday. This week was her turn to have the "fun" room and she did some Christmas themed Minute to Win it games. How do I know the kids liked it even though I wasn't in there? I could hear them cheering from next door!

Our students have SO much energy this time of year. I think this meme describes it perfectly:

 This is a great way to harness that energy and have fun before that long awaited Christmas break!

I gathered some sites where you can find games that will work for your room! Get clicking!

Good luck this week, and have fun!

Persuasive Writing in Action

We are working on persuasive writing right now in class. Otherwise known as:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1a Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1b Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1c Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1d Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

We have been reading persuasive texts, watching commercials and videos, writing as a class and practicing it on our own. They are getting great at identifying all of the parts we will need when move on to our own projects. 

Before we do that though, we wrote a persuasive essay as a class, kind of a shared writing. We did the outline, then wrote it. We decided to write about the fact that our classroom needs more computers, see why here. 

Here is the best part: Then we turned it into a Donors Choose project! My students are persuading REAL people to give them money! Talk about the power of persuasion and giving an assignment meaning! Not only are my students seeing an amazing application for their knowledge but we (fingers crossed) may be able to get two new computers out of it. 
They already love checking in to see if we have any new donors. I am working on a persuasive writing unit and you better believe this will be a component. 

Do you have any great ways to apply persuasive writing?

Reward Students with Technology

While I was at some training this week I learned about a site called, Voki (voki.com.) It allows you to create an avatar and record 60 seconds of audio to go with it. Don't have a microphone on your computer? No problem. You can also call a phone number and say your message into the phone.

I thought this sounded like a cool thing, but I wasn't sure how to use it in my classroom. Just to try it out I told the kids I would choose someone with excellent behavior to record our lunch choices for the next day as a real life cartoon. They of course, loved it! We get to watch the avatar tell us our lunch choices (we have 3 at our school) in the morning before we start our work. 

I like it because I am  exposing and training my kids on how use to technology as a presentation tool. I hope this will inspire them, and me, to use this in other ways. It is also a great motivator for good behavior. 

I also used an app on the Ipad called Tellagami that does something similar, although I think you can record for more than 60 seconds. 

I am so excited to find a manageable way to begin introducing my students to presentation methods using technology! I can't wait to begin to use this in other ways too. After all, it's part of the Common Core! Right now though, it's been a great new motivator just in time for Christmas craziness!  What do you use to motivate your students?

Freebie Alert!

Math Coach's Corner

If you stop by The Math Coach's Corner you will find a link to a ton of freebies. They are listed: PreK-K, 1-2, 3-6, and 7-12. Check them out and get your Christmas freebie on!

Need a clone?

Have you ever wished you could just clone your self in your classroom. I know that providing differentiation for 33 students sure would be a lot easier if I had one! I read an excellent article from Scholastic about using digital work stations in your room to essentially clone your self! The examples in the article are for lower grades but I'm brainstorming ways I could apply this to my room to.

Right now I only have 3 computers. I am picturing putting them in different areas of the room so that groups could work on them. I'll keep you posted.

Check out the article here:

Scholastic Technology Work Stations

Happy teaching! You know what tomorrow is don't you?

Big Sale!

Teachers Pay Teachers is have a huge sale Monday and Tuesday!

In addition to the savings that TPT is offering, many other stores including mine will be offering an additional discount. Scope out that wish list and get stocked up for the year!