Comparing Genres: Folktales, Tall Tales, and Myths

Writing on the Walls

We borrowed text structure from the master of writing Gretchen Bernabei with a little spin to make it our own. The purple text structure is for our animal research. We wanted to add an element of science TEKS about animal adaptions and inherited traits. The yellow text structure is for our biography on Martin Luther King Jr. 

Please DO NOT get the impression that this is fill-in-the-blank. Sometimes, and I have to say most of the time, my students need structure in their writing. In fact, a few students need just one box to start their piece. But thinking about my SpEd and LEP students, this is a great scaffold. 

We have been publishing like crazy! Students are exploring expository text about Martin Luther King Jr and Animal Research Project. I am loving the writing all over the place instead of just my anchor charts.

Drama with Comprehension

Nonfiction Main Idea with Supporting and Cause & Effect

Social Studies: Map Skills and Landforms

Students viewed BrainPopJr's Reading Maps. Each student has their own MyBrainPop account and thus were able to be independent logging in and watching the video. We focused on three main points about reading a map: compass rose, map key, and the map scale. Our last quadrant was a reflection question we used as an exit ticket. 

This is a Sheltered Strategies method called Pictorial Input. Students  and teachers create vivid color-coded visuals with high academic language. This one is about how people adapt to their desert environment. 

This Pictorial Input is about how people adapt to living on a mountain in Social Studies. 

This Pictorial Input is about how people adapt to living on a wetland such as Galveston. 

Writing with the coLAR App

We tried a new app to inspire us to writing outside of the box. We are trying new things to make incredible things that were once unimaginable. Introducing the app colAR Mix.

I printed the free pages for the students to choose to color. They were so eager to start after I showed the website's demo video that they didn't even put their back pack away. Just jumped right in! 
 

Students simply captured the image and animation created! Students were inspired to make fictional stories. 

Here is one student's draft of a story inspired from the bird page. 

Poetry with Text Evidence

We started poetry this week. We are using myfavoritepoemproject.org. We are looking at line breaks and stanzas and how it relates to the meaning of poem. Why do poets choose to use line breaks here?

We also wrote the things we notice with all ideas being welcome, right or wrong. 

We also looked at lines and sensory images.