Persuasive Writing with Alternate Energy

This year I was determined to streamline my workload by integrating different skills as much as possible. I also really believe that most students are more engaged in the content when you take more of a project approach to teaching instead of segmenting everything into unrelated chunks. With that thought in mind, I started brainstorming ways to blend my writing requirements with the various content areas.

     Science is one of my favorite subjects to teach because it allows so much exploration for the kids. However, it is frequently brushed aside as a less important subject (at least until it becomes tested). But, I decided that it would be the perfect vehicle to engage students in some serious writing! Once my students were excited about the topic, it was much less torturous to convince them that writing about their learning would be fun too.

     This quarter we’ve been learning about Force & Motion and States of Matter. My students have done lots of hands-on experiments and interactive notebooking on the topics so I felt that they were ready to apply that learning in a writing piece. 

I challenged them to choose an alternate energy and then write a persuasive writing piece that would convince someone else to use that form of energy. Since my kiddos are in third grade we limited our choices to solar, wind, or water energy, but older students could easily add more energy sources.

HOW TO FOLD YOUR GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

(sure you could print a cutesy one, but this will save your copies)

STEP#1: Fold it in half

STEP#2: Write your alternate energy on the left

STEP#3: Fold it in half (lengthwise)

STEP#4: Fold it in half (lengthwise) AGAIN

TA-DA!!

STEP#5: Open it up and add the heading 

"Reasons why someone should use _______ energy"

(on the right side)

STEP#6: Let your students work with a partner to brainstorm at least three reasons to justify their argument that their alternate energy is the best.

STEP#8: Model how to write a persuasive opening paragraph. Let the students add their opening paragraph to the RIGHT side of their graphic organizer.

STEP#9: Model (if needed) how to turn the information from the graphic organizer 

to a paragraph format with a snazzy title.

I like to use alliteration in my titles!

  I hope you enjoyed this quickie writing activity to coordinate with your science content!

Thanks for stopping by,

PS. Just a little secret... I'm putting all the interactive notebook items that I've been creating for the last two years into downloadable files for you! They will be interactive notebook-minis so you can choose the topics you want without paying a fortune for giant files that you really don't need. Follow me on TPT to get the update when these are available!

I Know Biographies

I Know Biographies

     Kids think they know a lot of things… everything, in fact!  But one thing that they don’t know much about is historical figures. Sadly, most students seem to think that history is boring and irrelevant to their lives, but they couldn’t be more wrong. History shaped our countries, founded our nations, and made us who we are as a people. I LOVE introducing my students to the fascinating people of our past!

    Usually we jump back in time to begin biographies in February. It’s Black History and Women’s History month! Double the opportunity to excite your students about famous figures. I always begin with some short biographies and video clips of important people from various time periods and careers. Brain Pop is one of my favorite places to find video clips, although there are also a good variety of them on YouTube if you have time to look through the search results.

   My “I Know Biographies” pack is also a great tool to introduce your students to short biographies. Each page has the biography of a different famous figure from various periods of time. Besides getting interested in historical people, your students can also practice finding information in non-fiction texts.

After we spend a little time getting to know a few people, then we begin our research project. Not only do I enjoy getting the kiddos excited to learn about important people of the past, but I also like to get the kids writing about them. First I take my students to the school library to meet some very helpful research tools: the encyclopedias and biographies. After they wander through the biographies, my students choose a famous figure that they would like to learn more about. Most of my students will choose a biography to take with them while we’re there.

   Our next mini-lesson is about how to use the encyclopedias. I do a lot of modeling how to find their famous figure inside the volumes. You can also relate the structure of the encyclopedia to a dictionary (using guide words and ABC order). As we’re researching our historical persons, my students use graphic organizers to record notes.

  We also do a lesson on internet research. There are some free online encyclopedias and a host of weblinks for most famous figures (although I try to discourage my students from choosing any current celebrities due to questionable content online and/or difficulty finding reliable information). These are a few of my favorites: 

   These are my graphic organizers...

        

        

click on the images to download these for FREE!

   If you'd like a biographical set focused on Black History, try my "Follow the Freedom Trail Black History" pack from TpT. It has several biographical activities for famous African Americans.

  I hope you enjoy these resources and your students enjoy traveling back in time to meet some famous historical figures!

Thanks for stopping by,

Force and Motion

Let's get rolling with some FORCE and MOTION! 

      Okay. I’ll admit it. This used to be one of my least favorite units to teach. Not because it wasn’t interesting, but I just wasn’t sure how to convey the concepts to my kids. 

     Let’s face it. Body systems are pretty easy because you can physically feel your bones and muscles at work. It’s something the kids can relate to because they use their bodies everyday (we hope). It's a little more tricky to explain Newton's Laws of Force and Motion or how gravity pulls everything toward the Earth. Truthfully, maybe I was being a little too OCD and over-thinking the whole thing because I quickly discovered a host of fun teaching possibilities.

      I went crazy searching for every lesson, activity, and website that I could find. I even got creative and made up some of my own! Check out my favorites… 

Actions & Reactions

Materials:

·      1 recording sheet per student

·      4-5 gallon Ziploc bags with (1 each) of the following: small car/hot wheel, empty thread spool, marble, tape measure, stop watch, small ramp(they can use a textbook instead if necessary) and a random round object (I used cotton balls or pom-poms)

·      A stack of textbooks (2-4 per group)

Procedure:

  1.     Give each student a recording sheet and read the instructions together.

  2.    Discuss the students hypotheses about which objects will travel farther/faster, why they think so, etc.

  3.    Divide your students into small groups of 3-4 students.

  4.  Each group should receive one Ziploc bag of materials to complete the experiment.

  5.   Review the instructions one last time and remind students to use quiet voices so all the groups can focus. Students should use force to see how far/fast each object travels. They should record their data on the recording sheet. Then students should experiment building ramps to change the rate of speed or distance each object travels. This experiment should introduce students to the concepts of Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Ramping It Up

    Here's a fun little video clip to use as a hook for a force and motion lesson:

If you like that video, then you may want to check out these too:

(This is the shorter, more basic version)

 (This is the FULL episode, which has a little more in-depth concepts)

Force and Motion Interactive Games
(These are simple games that students can play with during center time.
You can choose the age group that applies to your students.)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/5_6/pushes_pulls.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/forces_movement.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/friction.shtml

Check back later for more ideas as we travel farther 

into Force and Motion…

Thanks for stopping by,

Confessions

    Last October, I had resolved to blog EVERY WEEK once we started the new year! I love to write, journal, and compose songs so digging deeper into my blog was a new goal that I was excited to accomplish...
    Then at Thanksgiving my husband and I got a surprise! Even though my doctor had told me that I probably wouldn't be able to conceive any more children, I found myself staring down at a magic wand.

    This is baby #4 for us (I know your mouth just fell open, right?)! My oldest (son) informed us that he would in fact be twenty-five when this baby turned 12 (thanks for that). Our older daughter was thrilled that she wouldn't be the "middle" child anymore (and wants to raise this baby herself), while my youngest daughter, who just turned eight this month, just jumped up and down clapping. Needless to say, we're a little out of practice. ;) My best intentions to blog every week fell apart since I couldn't stay awake once I got home from school everyday.
   So, I apologize for slacking off, but I'm glad you're here to share our happy news! Last week we found out the gender of our new addition. In order to share my news at school, I baked and filled six dozen cupcakes with gender-reveal frosting. You can't really taste it, but you can take a peek!

 

  Perfect! I had one baby name left in my Bible from when my husband and I were married. Four names. Two boys and two girls, which is exactly what we've been blessed with. God is so good!

   Now that I've shared my confession, I'll make a new resolution to pick up where I left off before. My blog should be picking back up again now that I'm in the second trimester. I hope you'll hang in here with me while we grow together.

Thanks Again for Stopping By,

I Survived the Great Chicago Fire

   Set your reading block on fire with the newest book in the

 "I Survived" series by Lauren Tarshis! 

 

In the newest novel, 

Oscar finds himself trapped on the streets on Chicago 

during one of America's most notorious fires. 

Can he survive the deadly flames?

   Ever since my Scholastic book order box arrived with our small group set of "I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871", my students have been dying to get a hold of the books. It's been a challenge to keep them at bay while I read and finished the novel study for the new book. I keep reminding them that they have to finish their current "I Survived" book club before they can switch anyway. :)

   In my opinion, this is one of the more exciting books in the series. Tarshis uses some fantastic figurative language to create very vivid mental images throughout the book. Every new book seems to get better and better! 

   If your students are as eager to get into this story as mine were, then stop over at my TPT store and pick up newest novel study. It's 62 pages of reading comprehension skill builders, writing extenders, research of historical events, character analysis and comparisons, and more!

I hope you enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by,

We Are Thankful For Thanksgiving!

     Is there anything better than gathering with the people you love the most to reflect on your many blessings? Combine that with the spicy smells of fresh-baked pumpkin pies, tender turkey and stuffing, and sticky sweet potatoes and there's no doubt in my mind. Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of the year!

     It's also one of the best times of the school year. We can present our students with a host of hands-on and interactive lessons to make the holiday even more relevant than just a day off school. Here are a few of my favorite sites to take my kids to for reliable Thanksgiving information. Kids National Geographic is always one of my go-to research sites for my classroom. 

     Scholastic is my annual favorite because it offers so many interactive activities. It gives me an easy and engaging opportunity to incorporate lots of technology into my lessons. I use some features whole groups, but many of the site options are perfect for students to complete independently or with a partner. They can travel back in time to see what life was really like during the first Thanksgiving!

Click on the images to visit the site.

See what daily life was really like...

choose a variety of videos to learn more information related to the First Thanksgiving,

and so much more!

Thanksgiving Crafts

Call them crafts, craftivities, activities...whatever...

We call them fun!

Check these out for fun or integrate them into other Thanksgiving lessons that you're already planning to use.

This site is not really an educational site, but has lots of cute ideas that could easily be incorporated in the classroom!

Thanksgiving Treats

I found this fun site that has some super-cute turkey treats that you could use in your classroom.

I've used recipes to make a couple of different treats with my class and I'm really excited to try one of these little yummies this season!

This delicious pretzel treat looks fun and easy too!

If you're interested in using Kid-Friendly recipes to let your students create goodies, 

then check these out... 

(How cute are these turkey cookies and pilgrim hats!!)

Turkey Drumstick Rice Krispy Treats!!!!

Check out my TpT store to download some Thanksgiving-themed printables!

 Click on this totally cute turkey to download this freebie!

Here's one more fun Thanksgiving activity in my printable pack. :)