Why Do Pirates Wear Eye Patches? Sentence Building

A very quick sentence practice that we are doing in our class. 

(Question found on Pinterest)

Day 1

Directions:

1. Answer the question with 1 complete sentence. Explain why we do not start a sentence with because.
2. Edit with "Gimme 5"
3. Present your answer to the class before adding it to the board (practicing our public speaking skills!)

Students can "Gimme 5" or tell me the 5 things a sentence needs:

• Capital Letter
• Subject
• Verb
• Makes Sense
• Punctuation

Day 2
The following day we discussed ADJECTIVES. I love describing words! We played a game from the Florida Center for Reading Research, where there was an item in a bag. We needed to use our describing words to see if our partner could guess what it was.
We then filled out describing words for common things like Moon, Dinosaurs, Cats and Dogs.

Day 3 
Directions
1. Review ADJECTIVES
2. Grab your sticky note sentence and highlight the subjects or nouns
3. Add the nouns you choose to the boxes and add 4 describing words
4. Transfer your adjectives to you new sticky note and improved sentence.
5. Present your new and improved sentences

Our new and improved 7th grade sentences!! We are shooting high since we are 4th and 5th graders. What do you think? 

The students loved it..and wanted to create the next few questions. Look forward to: Why do elephants have trunks? and Why do Ninjas have swords?

Common Core Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1a Introduce a topic or text clearly
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1b Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1b Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

Exit Ticket with Movement

In my quest to be a great educator, build lifelong learners, follow research best practice and to utilize what I am learning in my technology cohort class..I am trying some new things.

After listening to a webinar (BretfordUniversity) about movement and looking at the research, I created an exit ticket outside my door that was a review using a hopstotch game. This webinair discussed how, "Movement is an essential factor in how people learn".

Students reviewed 2 strategies that help us become better writers. 

Gimme 5- 5 essential elements to a sentence

• Capitalization
• Subject 
• Verb
• Makes Sense
• Punctuation

MINTS-When do we capitalize

• M- Months, Days, and Holiday
• I- When the letter "i" is alone 
• N- Names
• T- Titles of movies and books
• S- Sentences

The students had a fun time and increased their speed in saying what things go in a sentence and what things we capitalize with each time they did the hopscotch. They even asked if they could do it during lunch!!