These are the reasons we teach!!! Grace is one of our third graders. She loved writing Haiku poetry so much that she wrote a poem over fall break. It is magnificent, and Anne and I wanted to showcase it here.
Thank you, Grace for making our day.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
What An Amazing Student!!!
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
These are the reasons we teach!!! Grace is one of our third graders. She loved writing Haiku poetry so much that she wrote a poem over fall break. It is magnificent, and Anne and I wanted to showcase it here.
Thank you, Grace for making our day.
These are the reasons we teach!!! Grace is one of our third graders. She loved writing Haiku poetry so much that she wrote a poem over fall break. It is magnificent, and Anne and I wanted to showcase it here.
Thank you, Grace for making our day.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Officially In The Halloween Spirit
Sunday, October 13, 2019
October 13th!?!? This month has flown by faster than a wicked witch on her broomstick! Anne and I love the month of October and don't want it to end so quickly. We have a myriad of Halloween and fall activities to keep our students engaged, excited, and challenged. We are excited to pack in as many as we can in the next few weeks.
Last week, we introduced the students to Haiku poetry by reading aloud the adorable book, Boo! Haiku by Deanna Caswell. Needless to say, the kids went crazy for this book.
To deepen their understanding of this type of poetry, we showed a PowToons video and a slide show. Then, we dove right into writing some fall haiku. We wanted to guide them in writing a few haiku poems and help them feel secure before sending them off on their own. Once we were confident they understood this genre, we allowed them to find a partner and begin writing Halloween haiku poems. Their drafts are great and need to be published. As soon as they are we will upload some examples.
We had an impromptu SEL lesson that focused on Habit #1 Be Proactive due to a video I saw on a social media site. It is important for Anne and me to help the kids understand that, for the most part, they can choose their moods, attitudes, and actions each day. We feel that having students understand this will give them a sense of security and control over themselves and their lives. It was also important that the students realize the can impact others' lives, positively or negatively, depending on the mood/attitude they choose.
We read the lovely book I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde. (I loved the book so much I bought the other two--I Am Human and I Am Love.) The lesson took two days. The first day, we had the kids brainstorm a list of positive mood and attitude words. The following day, we watched the kindness video, linked above, and had an amazing discussion. To follow up, the students wrote what attitude/mood they chose to have that day and added details about their chosen word. Lastly, they drew a picture of what they would look like having that mood. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the kids' work, but I will upload my sample on Tuesday.
The above SEL lesson will be a perfect flow into our writing lesson. We are going to read aloud the book Crankenstein by Samantha Berger. It's about a boy (Crankenstein) who wakes up in a cranky mood. Throughout the book, the author details the character's negative, grouchy behaviors. By the end of the story, Crankenstein is motivated to change his mood and attitude. We anticipate an amazing conversation before, during and after our reading making connections back to Habit #1. Our students will then write a focused personal narrative about a time they remember being "Crankenstein." We will focus on adjectives, elaboration of details, first-person point of view, and narrative elements.
Lastly, these little gems will be displayed in our classrooms for the next week. Hopefully, igniting curiosity and wonder in our students. We will let you know the fun, but rigorous reading and fluency activity we will be doing that connects to them. We also have a super cute project to go with the reading rigor.
Have a fabulous week and enjoy the beautiful month of October. It is quickly slipping away.
Kim and Anne
October 13th!?!? This month has flown by faster than a wicked witch on her broomstick! Anne and I love the month of October and don't want it to end so quickly. We have a myriad of Halloween and fall activities to keep our students engaged, excited, and challenged. We are excited to pack in as many as we can in the next few weeks.
Last week, we introduced the students to Haiku poetry by reading aloud the adorable book, Boo! Haiku by Deanna Caswell. Needless to say, the kids went crazy for this book.
To deepen their understanding of this type of poetry, we showed a PowToons video and a slide show. Then, we dove right into writing some fall haiku. We wanted to guide them in writing a few haiku poems and help them feel secure before sending them off on their own. Once we were confident they understood this genre, we allowed them to find a partner and begin writing Halloween haiku poems. Their drafts are great and need to be published. As soon as they are we will upload some examples.
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| This is the outside of the Haiku. |
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| This is the inside. |
The above SEL lesson will be a perfect flow into our writing lesson. We are going to read aloud the book Crankenstein by Samantha Berger. It's about a boy (Crankenstein) who wakes up in a cranky mood. Throughout the book, the author details the character's negative, grouchy behaviors. By the end of the story, Crankenstein is motivated to change his mood and attitude. We anticipate an amazing conversation before, during and after our reading making connections back to Habit #1. Our students will then write a focused personal narrative about a time they remember being "Crankenstein." We will focus on adjectives, elaboration of details, first-person point of view, and narrative elements.
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| This is just an old sample of mine. We will share the students' writing soon. This project was inspired by Amy Lemons. |
Lastly, these little gems will be displayed in our classrooms for the next week. Hopefully, igniting curiosity and wonder in our students. We will let you know the fun, but rigorous reading and fluency activity we will be doing that connects to them. We also have a super cute project to go with the reading rigor.
 |
| We are so excited about these little critters. |
Have a fabulous week and enjoy the beautiful month of October. It is quickly slipping away.
Kim and Anne
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Shortest Blog Ever...I Think
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Good Morning! Anne and I decided this blog would be super short so we can continue to focus on some amazing activities and lessons we have in the works. Those will be shared soon, and they may or may not have to do with all things Halloween. :))))
Last week we wanted students to demonstrate their level of understanding multiplication and division. At the knowledge level our students can compute easy multiplication and division equations. They can also employ a variety of strategies to solve those equations. We wanted to know if they were able to write about the meanings of the factors and products in those equation and explain how they matched an array.
This proved to be a challenge for the students; however, as Anne and I assessed the situation, we realized our students are beginning to develop a deeper understanding of what multiplication means. This week we will model how to add more depth to their explanations, as well as, provide them more opportunities to discuss the connections between pictures and equations. This will help the kids gain more precise vocabulary and guidance to use as they talk and eventually write about these math concepts.
This week we are going to have the students engage in a See, Think, Wonder activity about multiplication and division. It is our intention that these discussions will, once again, guide them to a deeper level of understanding. We want this activity to lead into a writing activity called Connect Two. As with last week's math activity, we want our students to use precise math language and details as they explain how these Tier Three vocabulary words (multiplication and division) go together. We will share the students' work in our next blog.
Until then, have a wonderful rest of your Sunday. May you have all things October on your mind. :)
Kim and Anne
Good Morning! Anne and I decided this blog would be super short so we can continue to focus on some amazing activities and lessons we have in the works. Those will be shared soon, and they may or may not have to do with all things Halloween. :))))
Last week we wanted students to demonstrate their level of understanding multiplication and division. At the knowledge level our students can compute easy multiplication and division equations. They can also employ a variety of strategies to solve those equations. We wanted to know if they were able to write about the meanings of the factors and products in those equation and explain how they matched an array.
 |
| Click here to grab this page and the other one we did previously. |
This proved to be a challenge for the students; however, as Anne and I assessed the situation, we realized our students are beginning to develop a deeper understanding of what multiplication means. This week we will model how to add more depth to their explanations, as well as, provide them more opportunities to discuss the connections between pictures and equations. This will help the kids gain more precise vocabulary and guidance to use as they talk and eventually write about these math concepts.
This week we are going to have the students engage in a See, Think, Wonder activity about multiplication and division. It is our intention that these discussions will, once again, guide them to a deeper level of understanding. We want this activity to lead into a writing activity called Connect Two. As with last week's math activity, we want our students to use precise math language and details as they explain how these Tier Three vocabulary words (multiplication and division) go together. We will share the students' work in our next blog.
 |
| I will link this page too. |
Until then, have a wonderful rest of your Sunday. May you have all things October on your mind. :)
Kim and Anne
Monday, September 30, 2019
Activating Creative Thinking--Our Year-Long Goal
Good Morning Everyone!
We cannot believe it is the end of September! We have had so much fun engaging our students, and ourselves, in creative and divergent thinking activities. As our students are becoming more comfortable and excited about getting "stuck" while working on reading, writing, and content-area tasks, they are leading us in new teaching directions. The kids' enthusiasm and positivity spark new wonders that they want answers to, and Anne and I are ready to facilitate that learning!
As promised, we completed Part 3 of our Water Cube Experiment. The final question was, "What will happen if we stack pieces of colored water cubes in a test tube and leave them overnight?" We encouraged the students to use what they had concluded in parts one and two as they thought about their new hypotheses. Many students were ready to dig deep and think critically about what might happen.
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| This is what happened after 24 hours. I forgot to take a picture of the tubes when we first made them. :( The original cube colors were red, blue, and yellow. |
Anne and I were ready to wrap up the lesson, but the students started shouting out new questions they had about the cubes! One being, did the cubes melt together to form a solid tube rather than stay pieces? They hypothesized that the cubes would come out in the shape of the tube. We went with it. Here is what we learned...
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| They were "chomping at the bit" to dump the cubes out of the test tubes. Some kids were convinced a solid tube would come out. |
In writing, our students have been using mentor sentences to learn how writers use adjectives. We used a sentence from one of our read alouds Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. The routine we followed is one created by Ideas by Jivey. She has amazing ideas and lessons. We recommend checking her out.
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| The students added this to their writing binders. On the first day we just listed everything we noticed about this sentence.. We will revise this sentence next week. Revising the original sentence is day three of Jivey's plan. |
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| We identified some parts of speech on day two; focusing on the adjective. Then, the students brainstormed more adjectives about this picture and wrote their own sentences with adjectives. |
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| We were impressed with his use of simile! He also has a deep message in his poem. Not sure if he realizes that, but we do. |
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| Notice the alliteration and amazing adjectives? At the bottom of her page is her research of amazing adjectives she found to describe herself. |
As we dive into the concepts of multiplication and division, Anne and I want the students to move beyond knowing how to multiply and divide to a level of understanding what is actually happening with the numbers. So, we once again put our favorite thinking routine, "See, Think,Wonder," into practice. The students are getting more adept at noticing things beyond the obvious. They are also beginning to notice what these sights lead them think about and wonder about. Below is what the students in Anne's math group brainstormed.
Lastly, and probably the most challenging activity of the week, was teaching the students about tableaus. After watching two videos, the students were excited to create their own tableaus that showed the different aspects of Habit #4 Think Win-Win. Anne took incredible pictures that will be attached to the Habit #4 posters we made our third-grade hallway. The posters are part of a school-wide activity where each grade level focuses on a different habit from 7 Habits of Happy Kids.
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| This tableau is meant to show balancing what I want with consideration for what others want. Before... |
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| After... |
This activity really pushed our students into creative thinking. They had to understand the concepts and try to portray that with their bodies and minimal props. The concepts included:
Balance what I want with consideration for what others want.
Make deposits in each others' emotional bank accounts.
When conflicts arise, look for third alternatives.
Believe there is plenty for everyone.
Once our poster is completed, I will upload a picture here. Here is a sample of some of the tableaus they students created.
We are so excited about what we have planned for this upcoming week. We will teach the reading strategy: Making Connections thanks to our student, Julissa, for her natural connection from our Scholastic News article to the world event of the Amazon rainforest burning. We will read some fall poems and perform one of them. We are excited to see how our students interpret the poems for their performance. We plan on using the connection strategy when we read another fall poem along with a nonfiction text about leaves changing colors. We want the students to notice how connecting to information in the text leads them to a deeper understanding of the poet is trying to communicate in the poem. To complete that activity, we will do our favorite chalk smudge leaf art. Stay tuned for pictures! They will be gorgeous!
Have a great week!
Kim and Anne
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Activating Creative Thinking --Lots of Resources
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Activating students' creative thinking is one of the most exciting things about being a teacher. Anne and I work hard to inspire our students to move from a knowledge level of third-grade concepts to a deeper understanding of them. We try to plan lessons and activities that help students think divergently and apply the standards we are teaching them to new situations. This is challenging at the beginning of the year. Our students are used to feeling great if an answer or a solution comes to them immediately. Then, they are done. They have done what we asked of them. It takes a long time for them to get used to the idea that if an answer comes to them too quickly then they haven't tapped into their best ideas and solutions. It takes time to embrace feeling "stuck" and getting excited about it because they know that is when new learning is taking place and their brains are growing. It takes time to understand that persevering through challenges is so worth the effort because the invigorated feeling they get is like no other!
We want to give you a peek into how we tried to activate our students' creative thinking across different subject areas. We are keeping it real. The pictures portray hard work and thoughtfulness, not necessarily neatness and beauty.
Let's begin with science. After our first experiment with the water cubes, we were led to a new question--"What will happen if we put the cubes in colored water?" This new question was born when the students noticed a weird phenomenon. Anne and I had placed some of their clear cubes, from part one, onto different colored Post-It notes so we could see what happened to them when we left them out of water. The kids noticed that the clear cubes on the hot pink Post-It Notes absorbed the pink dye, yet the cubes on the bright blue and regular yellow Post-It Notes did not. This was the perfect opportunity for the kids to activate their creative minds and think about the cubes in a new way.
They had to try to use what they learned from their new observation and their conclusion in part one to write a new hypothesis. The energy in the room was palpable. Evidence that the kids are beginning to love the challenges and are willing to stretch their thinking.
After 24 hours, the students went out of their minds with excitement when they saw their new cubes. Many were thrilled that their hypothesis, or most of it, was correct. Others were shocked by what happened because they did not expect it due to the old cubes only absorbing the dye from the pink Post-It Note.
Tomorrow, we will have them think about these cubes in yet another way! We will let you know how it goes.
In math, we are learning about multiplication and arrays. We have a variety of math abilities among our 38 students, but all of them were able to benefit from this activity. It went from a basic understanding of arrays and equations to writing their own multiplication stories. As much as the students thought they had a solid understanding of the concept (and they did at the knowledge level) they were surprised by the challenges of writing a story problem. They realized they really had to think deeply about the meaning of the factors and what real-life situations would work in a multiplication story.
A final activity we will share is an oldie, but a goodie. We did another See, Think, Wonder activity with a Scholastic News chart. This was the first time the students had to write down what they saw--not what they think they saw--independently. Those images then led to a discussion about what they thought and wondered. For a very small chart, we were able to generated an insightful discussion.
It is amazing how taking the time to slow students down and make their thinking visible not only to us, but to themselves, inspires so much enthusiasm for learning. I think another rock is going to be given away on Monday for leading Anne and I to our next reading strategy lesson: Making Connections. We love when the students show us what they want to learn next.
Tomorrow we are going to do a See, Think, Wonder activity in math using a video from 3-Act Tasks. This was introduced to us by our Instructional Facilitator, Kirstin McGinnis. She is full of amazing resources, and this one does not disappoint. We cannot wait to use it.
If you want to learn more about Activating Students' Creative Thinking ELA, you might want to check out the online course offered by Advancement Courses. I took it this summer and loved it. It really offers fresh new resources and ways to think about helping students problem-solve and think creatively and divergently so they are ready to compete and succeed in the 21st Century!
Check out some of the following "creative thinking" links.
Artful Thinking Our favorite!
Visible Thinking Don't miss this site!
I Can Visualize (Instrumental) We can't wait to figure out when to use this.
Have a great week!
Kim and Anne
Activating students' creative thinking is one of the most exciting things about being a teacher. Anne and I work hard to inspire our students to move from a knowledge level of third-grade concepts to a deeper understanding of them. We try to plan lessons and activities that help students think divergently and apply the standards we are teaching them to new situations. This is challenging at the beginning of the year. Our students are used to feeling great if an answer or a solution comes to them immediately. Then, they are done. They have done what we asked of them. It takes a long time for them to get used to the idea that if an answer comes to them too quickly then they haven't tapped into their best ideas and solutions. It takes time to embrace feeling "stuck" and getting excited about it because they know that is when new learning is taking place and their brains are growing. It takes time to understand that persevering through challenges is so worth the effort because the invigorated feeling they get is like no other!
We want to give you a peek into how we tried to activate our students' creative thinking across different subject areas. We are keeping it real. The pictures portray hard work and thoughtfulness, not necessarily neatness and beauty.
Let's begin with science. After our first experiment with the water cubes, we were led to a new question--"What will happen if we put the cubes in colored water?" This new question was born when the students noticed a weird phenomenon. Anne and I had placed some of their clear cubes, from part one, onto different colored Post-It notes so we could see what happened to them when we left them out of water. The kids noticed that the clear cubes on the hot pink Post-It Notes absorbed the pink dye, yet the cubes on the bright blue and regular yellow Post-It Notes did not. This was the perfect opportunity for the kids to activate their creative minds and think about the cubes in a new way.
They had to try to use what they learned from their new observation and their conclusion in part one to write a new hypothesis. The energy in the room was palpable. Evidence that the kids are beginning to love the challenges and are willing to stretch their thinking.
 |
| After a few days, the students wanted to draw a square around the cubes to prove they were getting smaller. They came up with new questions, too. One was would the pink dye on the plate bleed through the yellow Post-It Note and would the cube absorb it. |
After 24 hours, the students went out of their minds with excitement when they saw their new cubes. Many were thrilled that their hypothesis, or most of it, was correct. Others were shocked by what happened because they did not expect it due to the old cubes only absorbing the dye from the pink Post-It Note.
Tomorrow, we will have them think about these cubes in yet another way! We will let you know how it goes.
In math, we are learning about multiplication and arrays. We have a variety of math abilities among our 38 students, but all of them were able to benefit from this activity. It went from a basic understanding of arrays and equations to writing their own multiplication stories. As much as the students thought they had a solid understanding of the concept (and they did at the knowledge level) they were surprised by the challenges of writing a story problem. They realized they really had to think deeply about the meaning of the factors and what real-life situations would work in a multiplication story.
A final activity we will share is an oldie, but a goodie. We did another See, Think, Wonder activity with a Scholastic News chart. This was the first time the students had to write down what they saw--not what they think they saw--independently. Those images then led to a discussion about what they thought and wondered. For a very small chart, we were able to generated an insightful discussion.
 |
| One girl in Anne's room made a text-to-world connection with the Amazon rainforest from this chart. She discussed the fire that is happening there. The students in Anne's room were so inspired that they wanted to find out more about it. So, this week both of our classes will read about the fire in our Time Magazine. |
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| It was amazing to participate in the high-level discussion the activity See, Think, Wonder promoted. One boy in Anne's room said he "loved today." He thought the Scholastic discussion was the best!. |
Tomorrow we are going to do a See, Think, Wonder activity in math using a video from 3-Act Tasks. This was introduced to us by our Instructional Facilitator, Kirstin McGinnis. She is full of amazing resources, and this one does not disappoint. We cannot wait to use it.
If you want to learn more about Activating Students' Creative Thinking ELA, you might want to check out the online course offered by Advancement Courses. I took it this summer and loved it. It really offers fresh new resources and ways to think about helping students problem-solve and think creatively and divergently so they are ready to compete and succeed in the 21st Century!
Check out some of the following "creative thinking" links.
Artful Thinking Our favorite!
Visible Thinking Don't miss this site!
I Can Visualize (Instrumental) We can't wait to figure out when to use this.
Have a great week!
Kim and Anne
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Science and SEL--What could be more fun?
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Good Morning!
We hope everyone had such a fabulous week with their students that they cannot wait to get to school tomorrow. I know Anne and I did! This blog is just going to be a snapshot of some of those fabulous moments.
Monday morning, a boy who is really excited about the rocks we give away, decided to paint one for Anne and me. It says "Inspire." That really set our week off on a positive note! We are thrilled that he is inspired this year and has proven that many times already. He is a hard-working, positive, helpful, kind-hearted boy! What a leader.
In fact, he inspired some girls to paint their own rocks. They collected rocks outside and painted them during their recess time. We thought they were painting the rocks for themselves. How wrong we were! While painting, one of the girls asked if we would bring the kids together once she decided who should earn the rock she was painting. She wanted it to be a special time, kind of like Anne and I do when we are ready to present someone with a rock. The four other girls also want to eventually give their rocks away to kids in our classroom. We cannot believe the positive energy that is permeating throughout our room! As soon as the girls are finished painting, I will upload their pictures.
Our leadership portraits are complete, and we sent them home Friday with some very excited kids. They could not wait to get them home and show them to their families. We hope they display the clay creations some place prominent in their homes so they are reminded that they are leaders. Their writing communicates exactly how they are going to show their leadership this year. This project was inspired by an art teacher I found online. He had second graders create their own portraits out of clay.
We did our first science experiment of the year. This is an oldie but a goodie. Anne and I have not done this experiment for a few years. We forgot the excitement it provokes. We only did Part One...Tuesday we will begin Part Two. There are three parts with each one building on the other. We know that STEM is the buzz word in science, but we still want to teach the students how to think through the scientific method. If nothing else, it helps them activate their creative thinking and problem solving skills. The discussions that surrounded each part of this experiment were deep and insightful. Not to mention the energy and enthusiasm to participate in such a fun activity.
We used Steve Spangler's water cubes. After using four of our five senses to observe the cubes and record those observations, we asked the question, "What will happen to the cube if it is placed in distilled water over night?" The hypothesis were interesting.
We did make observations after about an hour. The cubes were doing some funky things. The kids went wild; simply wild over what they saw! But, that was nothing compared to their reactions when they took the cubes out of the water the following day. Take a look at our results.
This is such an exciting activity. We cannot wait to embark on Part Two. We will let you know how it goes next time.
Well, have a wonderful rest of your Sunday. We wish everyone positive vibes for the upcoming week.
Kim and Anne
Good Morning!
We hope everyone had such a fabulous week with their students that they cannot wait to get to school tomorrow. I know Anne and I did! This blog is just going to be a snapshot of some of those fabulous moments.
Monday morning, a boy who is really excited about the rocks we give away, decided to paint one for Anne and me. It says "Inspire." That really set our week off on a positive note! We are thrilled that he is inspired this year and has proven that many times already. He is a hard-working, positive, helpful, kind-hearted boy! What a leader.
In fact, he inspired some girls to paint their own rocks. They collected rocks outside and painted them during their recess time. We thought they were painting the rocks for themselves. How wrong we were! While painting, one of the girls asked if we would bring the kids together once she decided who should earn the rock she was painting. She wanted it to be a special time, kind of like Anne and I do when we are ready to present someone with a rock. The four other girls also want to eventually give their rocks away to kids in our classroom. We cannot believe the positive energy that is permeating throughout our room! As soon as the girls are finished painting, I will upload their pictures.
Our leadership portraits are complete, and we sent them home Friday with some very excited kids. They could not wait to get them home and show them to their families. We hope they display the clay creations some place prominent in their homes so they are reminded that they are leaders. Their writing communicates exactly how they are going to show their leadership this year. This project was inspired by an art teacher I found online. He had second graders create their own portraits out of clay.
We did our first science experiment of the year. This is an oldie but a goodie. Anne and I have not done this experiment for a few years. We forgot the excitement it provokes. We only did Part One...Tuesday we will begin Part Two. There are three parts with each one building on the other. We know that STEM is the buzz word in science, but we still want to teach the students how to think through the scientific method. If nothing else, it helps them activate their creative thinking and problem solving skills. The discussions that surrounded each part of this experiment were deep and insightful. Not to mention the energy and enthusiasm to participate in such a fun activity.
We used Steve Spangler's water cubes. After using four of our five senses to observe the cubes and record those observations, we asked the question, "What will happen to the cube if it is placed in distilled water over night?" The hypothesis were interesting.
We did make observations after about an hour. The cubes were doing some funky things. The kids went wild; simply wild over what they saw! But, that was nothing compared to their reactions when they took the cubes out of the water the following day. Take a look at our results.
Well, have a wonderful rest of your Sunday. We wish everyone positive vibes for the upcoming week.
Kim and Anne
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Poetry Discussions and Fluency
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Who knew reading two short little poems could cause so much excitement in third graders? During the past 12 days in class, we have been busily engaged in learning routines, how to have book talk conversations, how to synergize, and that repeated addition is a way to solve multiplication problems. But, learning the important concept differentiating between our reading voice and our thinking voice and using them to comprehend two poems on a deeper level turned out to be one of the more enthusiastic, energetic and engaging lessons of our first two weeks. Again, who knew?
We used two short poems by Bruce Lansky to give our reading and thinking voices a trial run. The students quickly learned that there was more to these poems than first met their eye. They loved hearing the questions that popped into their minds, the confusion of what was happening, and how listening to their peers interpretations of the poems changed their perspectives. They loved using what they learned about poetic devices to predict the final line in "They're Calling Me That Name Again." That line surprised them all! The explosion of laughter and talk was thrilling! In that moment, our students were truly loving what they read because they "got it." Once we interpreted the poems, we read them aloud from the poetry book "Almost Late To School" by Carol Diggery Shields. The illustrations added to their understanding and finding the humor in them.
It was then time to read the poem with fluency and expression. We loved experimenting with different paces, pauses, emphasis, and voices. Once we finally had the performance as we wanted it, we decided to record it. Here is their first poetry performance of the year. We are so proud of them.
During independent work time, the students are individually recording themselves reciting the poem on SeeSaw, so it can be shared with their families and friends.
In the link, you will find the poems and discussion cards we used to spark interest and enjoyment! We hope your students have as much fun with them as ours did.
Kim and Anne
Who knew reading two short little poems could cause so much excitement in third graders? During the past 12 days in class, we have been busily engaged in learning routines, how to have book talk conversations, how to synergize, and that repeated addition is a way to solve multiplication problems. But, learning the important concept differentiating between our reading voice and our thinking voice and using them to comprehend two poems on a deeper level turned out to be one of the more enthusiastic, energetic and engaging lessons of our first two weeks. Again, who knew?
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| This is the poster we use. It came from a Smekens Education workshop. Excellent resource. |
We used two short poems by Bruce Lansky to give our reading and thinking voices a trial run. The students quickly learned that there was more to these poems than first met their eye. They loved hearing the questions that popped into their minds, the confusion of what was happening, and how listening to their peers interpretations of the poems changed their perspectives. They loved using what they learned about poetic devices to predict the final line in "They're Calling Me That Name Again." That line surprised them all! The explosion of laughter and talk was thrilling! In that moment, our students were truly loving what they read because they "got it." Once we interpreted the poems, we read them aloud from the poetry book "Almost Late To School" by Carol Diggery Shields. The illustrations added to their understanding and finding the humor in them.
 |
| Great poems! |
It was then time to read the poem with fluency and expression. We loved experimenting with different paces, pauses, emphasis, and voices. Once we finally had the performance as we wanted it, we decided to record it. Here is their first poetry performance of the year. We are so proud of them.
In the link, you will find the poems and discussion cards we used to spark interest and enjoyment! We hope your students have as much fun with them as ours did.
Kim and Anne
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