2012 Class Superlatives

Class Superlatives on PhotoPeach


Class Superlatives on PhotoPeach

Narrative Writing

Writer's Workshop is one of my favorite times of the day. We have learned about many different genres of writing. This past week we revisited Narrative Writing to see how we have grown as writers. Throughout the year, students participated in a series of mini-lessons focused on specific skills such as engaging beinnings, focusing on a moment, adding specific details and using dialogue. Many read alouds were done to emphasize these specific author's crafts.

We are so proud of how our students have grown as writers and have come to LOVE writing! Many students have even started writing their own chapter books :).

Here are a few examples of how some students chose to engage their readers.

It was a hot, sweaty, make you melt like a popsicle summer day. It was 12:00 noon and Carrie said, "I'm" pant...pant, "So..." pant...pant, "So HOT!" Even though she loves summer, it was 100 degrees, that was very hot. Her mother asked her, "Do you want to go to the swimming pool?" "Oh definitely yes!" Carrie replied. So the next day Carrie went to the swimming pool and she wore a white swimsuit with multi-colored flowers on it and pink goggles.

One bright, sunny day I was riding my bike with my BFF, Courtney to her house from Oklahoma town center. I whistled a little tune and Courtney joined in. We were riding home as fast as a cheetah because we REALLY wanted some of the DELICIOUS chicken noodle soup Courtney's mom made every Wednesday afternoon. "Hey, Courtney. (pant,pant) I need a (pant) rest break (pant,pant)," I huffed. "Well, now is a good time because we're about to enter Main Street and there is a ton of rest blocks there," Courtney replied with a smile. My feet were pedaling slower. "Alright, here we are!" Courtney said. We were starting to get off our bikes, but Courtney froze like a popsicle. "Courtney, come on, walk.Wait...Are you OK?" Courtney didn't answer. "Courtney!!!" I screamed while shaking her. She looked up at the sky, then at me. Courtney, what's wrong with the sky?" I said with no good feeling in my body. Then I got COMPLETELY nervous. My heart was pounding SUPER fast, I was not breathing well, I couldn't control myself. "Amanda, do you know htere is a TORNADO coming after us?" Courtney said with chills going down her spine.

Homophones

In skills block we have been learning about Homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings, such as moose (the animal) and mousse (the dessert).

Impressive Informational Text

For the past few weeks, our students have been working on report writing. Students chose a state or country of their choice to research information on. They used books and information researched on the computer to complete a graphic organizer that organized their notes. They then transferred their notes into chapters in their seed journals. Students learned how to engage their reader by adding a question or an interesting fact. Then Students used a rubric to assess their work. Finally, students published their reports including pictures with captions as well as charts, graphs and/or procedurals.
Here are a few chapters taken from some students' reports.
Welcome to Australia! (Introduction from a report written about Australia)
Australia is an island country located entirely south of the equator. Have youheard the expression "The land down under"? Well, that's about Australia. Would you want to learn more about Austalia? Then, you should read my report about Australia. My report can teach you about the land, the people, and the animals of Australia + much, much more.
Philadelphia (A chapter taken from a report on Pennsylvania)
Have you ever been to the most popular city in Pennsylvania? Well, here are a few facts on that city. Do you like cheese steaks? Well, I bet you didn't know that a philly cheese steaks home is in Philadelphia. "Slurp, Slurp" I love rootbeer and guess what!? Rootbeer was first made in 1866 in Philadelphia. Wow!
Conclusion (Conclusion taken from a report about Ohio)
So now you know Ohio's climate, food, state flag, capital, tourist attractions and nature. So now your head is full o ffacts and information! Everyone will think you're the cool kid because you know all about Ohio!
Don't you want to read the rest of our reports? :)

Energy

What is energy? Energy is the ability to do work. It can cause motion or create change. Energy comes in different forms and can change from one form to another. We use different forms of energy every day.
Forms of energy include:
Light- sun's energy
Heat- makes particles move faster
Sound- happens when matter moves back and forth
Mechanical- energy of moving objects or movement
Electrical- can pass through wires
Our students worked in cooperative groups to gather information about a type a energy. They created posters to show examples of ways that people use energy and how it causes a change in motion. Then each group presented their information to teach the class. Wow! we sure learned a lot from each other!!

Theme

A good story usually has a theme or lesson learned. The theme doesn't tell who did what, instead the theme connects the story to all people. We have been reading books in Reader's Workshop and deciding what the theme or lesson learned is by thinking about the main character and watching his or her actions in the story. Check out some of the books we read and the lesson we learned from the story.
Verdi by Janell Cannon- The lesson learned is "It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, what really counts is on the inside." Eryka, Aden, and Gerniah
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon- The lesson learned is "It is okay to be different." Natalie D., Sabrina, and Valeria
Otis by Loren Long- The lesson learned is "Old things are sometimes better than new things." Amanda T., Adrain, and Natalia
Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski- The lesson learned is "Be yourself." Isaiah

Poetry

In Writer's Workshop, our class is learning about poetry. We have learned some different styles of poetry. Here are some examples from our class.

Acrositc-In acrostic poems, the first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word. The word is often the subject of the poem.
Kind
Intelligent
Remarkable
Super
Talented
Excellent
Not mean
by: Giuseppe
Alphabet Poem-Each line begins with the letters of the alphabet in order.
A giant gust of wind
Blew straight into Tommy's face. "It's
Cold," his friend
Daniel said.
"Eeeek!" Daniel's sister screamed.
Falling snow. We better get inside!!
by: Eryka
Autobiographical Poem-A poem about yourself
Amanda
Fashionista, friend, model
Sister of Ally
Who loves school, family, and CUPCAKES
Who feels happy about LIFE
Who needs friends, family and teachers
Who gives kindness, talent and warmth
Who fears toy helicopters, spiders (big) and basements
Who wants to meet Justin Beiber
Who dreams of being a celebrity
Who is a student of Mrs. Shaffer, Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Rossignol's class
Mandy
by: Amanda G.
Cinquain-Poem with 5 lines
Dog
beautiful, cute
runs, eats, sleeps
I love my Rosey
Puppy
by: Bethann

We are enjoying learning about poetry and can't wait to learn more and write more poems!!