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| Snoah Saves the Day |
As you have probably noticed, a blog throughout my first year of teaching didn't work so well. I was just a little bit busy this first year of teaching. I did however enjoy the year. I'm going to try to post a few of the projects I did throughout the year. My favorite projects would have to be our tall tales unit. It was a lot of fun. We read different tall tales everyday for a week. We discussed the different elements and so on. That was fun, but not nearly as fun as the final project. Each student had to create their own tall tale. I was really impressed with some of the results. I'm including photos of my favorites. I got the idea from here
http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/stone/staff/lessons/.
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Batboy could hang
by his toes. |
My students started with a graphic organizer (a web) that included ideas that would be in their tall tale. The center of their web was the character's name. Off of that they had to put ideas for exaggerated details, a problem that could be solved, funny ways it could be solved, and character traits or background. That concluded the pre-write. Then, they did a rough draft of their story with peer review. I listed the elements it had to have on the board. Their partner had to make sure it was all there and ensure correct spelling and punctuation. (Next year, I think I will make a checklist for them to complete.) As they completed their peer reviews, I had conferences with each one. They were then allowed to write a final draft. Once a peer had finished up and proofread of the final draft, they were free to type it in a word document. This was the first time my students had created a word document, so it was a separate lesson in the computer lab.
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This little dancer spun
all the way to Australia. |
We only get 30 minutes in the computer lab, so I used that time to explain how to get in the program, how to use the keyboard, and other basic things they might need to know about Microsoft Word. I only have two student computers in my classroom, so they had to take turns typing their final draft. Those who were waiting were able to start drawing their character. They did a small rough draft of this, being sure to include some kind of prop that tells about their character. When they knew what they were going to do, I gave them each 3 (or 4 depending on the character's traits) pieces of old printer paper. You know the kind that folds accordion style with the little holes along the perforated edges? Anyway, they were able to use scrap sheets of paper to create arms or props. As they printed off their tales, they glued them to the front of their characters.
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Ever wonder how
Kevin Durant was
discovered? |
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Did you hear how
Lane Frost protected
a town from destruction
by a giant bull? |
I sent them down to the laminate machine. We had started the "Create Your Own" portion of the tall tale unit on Monday. Most students were finished by Wednesday or Thursday. I allowed them to work at their own pace. Partners were those who finished with a step in the writing process around the same time. Our school laminates on Tuesday, so they were very eager to have their final work posted in the hall. Every day I was asked, "Are they done yet?" The following Tuesday, I finally had them ready. They each read their tale to the class. We discussed each one in depth, just as we had done the traditional ones. The whole process took 3-4 days of 90 minute sessions. The day I did conferences was a day we didn't have specials that morning, so we were able to work for longer.
My second favorite project involved worms, so stay tuned for the worm adventure.
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| Kevin Durant's Tall Tale of Success |
