While working our way through opinion writing I've came across some great ideas from my fellow BBBs. One of my favorite ideas came from
Jivey, who also got inspired from
Joanne. Both of these ladies are amazing. Last week I started an opinion essay on the topic, "What state would be the best to live in?" The students were able to use our new class set of Chrome books for research for one day. Unfortunately, that was not nearly enough time to research, but we had no choice because the Chrome books were taken away for NWEA testing. I was inspired by the season, the blogs mentioned above, and this awesome book, The Spider and the Fly! Have you ever read it? It is perfect for the fall, creepy enough for Halloween, and amazing from the literary perspective. The word choice is fabul
ous and the illustrations are creative and captivating! It is the perfect length for a quick read aloud that inspires the students to want to know more. This led us to our next opinion piece (Idea totally borrowed from Jivey) Are spiders harmful or helpful? Right off my class took a vote and I was NOT shocked to see that all but one student felt that spiders were more harmful than helpful. After finding some nonfiction text for my students to read, creating a way for the students to organize their notes, and a student/teacher opinion paragraph rubric (we use rubrics for EVERYTHING), I was ready to go. We had been working on opinion writing for a few weeks and I was SO happy to see that students were finally getting the idea. Because of lack of time, we were not writing a five paragraph opinion essay, instead we were using text evidence to write one paragraph with an opinion, reason, text evidence, and concluding sentence. They came out GREAT! I was so proud of my students. I am now excited to go and try Joanne's
new idea she just posted about. This will make an awesome hallway bulletin board!
 |
| A student's t-chart created from the nonfiction article. |
|
|
If you'd like to try this out with your class, click
here to download your own copy FOR FREE! I included the text (which I did not write), the t-chart, the question and response page, and the rubric. If you decide to try it, let me know how it goes! :)
Another book for me to put on hold at the library!! Thank you for your freebies :-)
ReplyDeleteWe are doing the SAME project right now... with the SAME book! How funny :) My kids loved it too. They were so intrigued by the ghost of flies gone by. If you are looking for another non-fiction resource, look up the October (November?) 2011 National Geographic explorer. There is a fantastic article on spiders! On their website if you look for archived editions of National Geographic Explorer Pioneer Edition they have a projectable version of the article. Love your project!
ReplyDeletePolka Dots & Teaching Tots
Thanks for all the shout outs!!! So sweet! Isn't it awesome when they get so excited about learning??!! I love how your students voted before they read up on spiders. My kids loved this project too! So glad you liked the book!
ReplyDeletethank you, thank you, thank you! I was just planning for next week and thought I'd check my blog updates when I came across your activity. Can't wait to do this with the students!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a wonderful activity! I think my students would agree with your students. Many of them are terrified of spiders. I just found your blog and I'm your newest follower. If you have a chance to check out my blog, I'd appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteTechie Turtle Teacher
No matter where students live or study, writing a top quality and custom essay is a must for them. Submitting the best paper to their teachers that they can succeed in their class. Essay Writing Service UK
ReplyDeleteSuperb pretty much knowledgeable content. Essay Help
ReplyDeleteWow, great post.
ReplyDeleteLokking for "essay writing services"? Then we are the best. Choose essay writers who suit your expectations and budget and get original papers.. If you want to know more, Please check out here: Essay Writing Service UK
ReplyDeleteI am so grateful to find your particular post. I have bookmarked this website and I will keep visiting you for further such interesting posts.
ReplyDeletecoursework Writing Service
Format your resume so it is attractive. Be consistent with the style of the headings, dates, locations, and bolding. For example, if you abbreviate the name of the state where you worked, make sure it is abbreviated in your address at the top and throughout the resume with the exception of the sentences. Do not include the day of the month you were hired. Limit it to the month and year. Do not include the full address of the employer. This is for the job application form, not the resume. Essay Help
ReplyDeleteThe authors ought to have the learning with respect to proficient catchphrase use, writing useful substance, abstaining from spelling and linguistic mistakes and writing subject related substance.Assignment Writing Service
ReplyDeleteAlthough, regardless how positive you actually are in treating an actual platform, at some point there are an incident wherever you should want to do some people regular supervision; and in addition dependant on your real age and in addition wellbeing, and so the body-weight using the caravan it’s really a totally hard do physical exercise. caravan touch up paint action research paper help
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing nice information with us. i like your post and all you share with us is uptodate and quite informative, i would like to bookmark the page so i can come here again to read you, as you have done a wonderful job. dissertation writing help uk
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important things in achieving a pleasant voice is writing the way you talk. essayscouncil writing
ReplyDelete