Embedded Files
November and December
November and December
It is hard to believe that the school year is nearly half way over. As the cold fall and winter weather outside is well upon us, inside the classroom students are engaged in new units of study in CORE.
In writing students continued our Text Structures/ Features Unit and began the process of writing a descriptive article about an animal of their choice. In reading we began our Non Fiction unit. In history students finished up our unit on Ancient Egypt and learned about Ancient Kush and Ancient Israel.
Example of student non fiction text features cheat sheet.
Testing Websites for Credibility
Seeing as students will needed to research for their descriptive article we learned about different modes we can use to gather information such as: websites, data bases, and books. As we know, the internet is full of inaccurate information. To combat this problem students learned how to C.R.A.A.P test websites. In this context C.R.A.A.P stands for: credibility, reliability, accuracy, authority, and purpose. Before using a website students must answer questions about the sites C.R.A.A.P and give the site a score out of 25. This practice helped students to recognize the nuances of choosing reliable sources for their articles.
Writing
Writing
In November we have continued learning about Textual Structures and Features in order to apply our learning to write a descriptive article.
Last month we learned about the five textual structures of non-fiction expository text: compare and contrast, descriptive, problem and solution, cause and effect, and sequence. This month we learned about the features of an article/ expository text. Students learned about and identified the importance of textual features such as: the title, subtitle, headings, footnotes, glossary, etc.
After learning about these features of expository text and the purpose of them we began the process of starting to research and write our own descriptive article.
Before we started our research we first spent time learning about the different types of evidence that are required for a descriptive article. We used the acronym FEASTEXO to remember: Facts, Examples, Anecdotes, Statistics, Truths, and Expert Opinions. The students practiced identifying and citing different pieces of FEASTEXO throughout the mentor articles and paragraphs that we had read.
Writing the Article
After we discussed what types of information to look for and what types of websites we should be taking information from we began the process of writing our articles.
Students spent time brainstorming their topic and collecting research from books, websites, and the library data base.
We used mentor texts and identified the successful elements of the introduction and body paragraphs. Step by step students used a general template to piece together their research in order to provide their reader with a full picture of their chosen animal.
Later we discussed the purpose and usefulness of additional textual features such as: pictures, maps, sidebars, glossaries, and graphs. Students chose a few of these features and added them to their article.
Examples to come!
First Chapter Friday Books
Each Friday I read aloud the first chapter of a book. These books are chosen with students in mind in the hopes that they will engage with the text and find interest. Check out our classroom "First Chapter Friday" book list as well as the New Books in the Stanley Library slideshow!
Take a look at the character autopsy posters students in both AM and PM core created.
More About the Unit
Throughout the reading of, Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People, students learned how to identify central ideas, take notes, use evidence from the text to to support each idea. Use specific quotes or details and include ideas and information from across the text to summarize and synthesize.
Reading
Reading
Throughout November and December we transitioned from learning about fiction to learning about how to read non-fiction. In this unit students engaged with expository non fiction texts.
We read the book, Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People together as a class. As we read we discussed the importance of routine when reading non fiction.
LPIE ART
As stated at back to school night we are so lucky to have LPIE volunteers come in to teach and engage students further in our history units through integrated art projects. For our Ancient Egypt Unit our LPIE volunteer Mrs. Julie Livers came in to teach students about the significance of the sarcophagus. After learning about the meaning behind the sarcophagus students began designing their own miniature version. Students explored the use of color, learned about the meaning of colors at the time, they wrote in hieroglyphics, and used shape and color. Check out the album below to see photos!
History
History
Throughout the months of November and December we finished our Ancient Egypt Unit and began learning about Ancient Kush and Ancient Israel.
Social Pyramids
We learned about the social structure of ancient Egypt in class. Students applied this learning in this project by comparing the social pyramid of Ancient Egypt to a social pyramid of their choice. Students were so creative with their choices! Take a look!
Mummification Process Wheels
As one may guess one of the most fascinating aspects of learning about Ancient Egypt is learning about the mummification process and the belief in the afterlife. After watching some videos about the significance of mummification and the process through which bodies were mummified students engaged further by creating a wheel outlining the process. Take a look at the creativity across both classes!
Conversation Starters
Conversation Starters
What animal are you choosing for your descriptive article?
What have you learned about that animal that you did not already know?
Tell me more about your social pyramid?
What did you think was most fascinating about the mummification process in Ancient Egypt? What did you think when you learned about their beliefs in the afterlife?
What have you learned about rats in the book you are reading in class? Why do you think rats are so resilient?
What do you think the main idea is of the book Oh Rats! ?
What have you learned about the relationship between Egypt and Kush?
What is something interesting about Ancient Israel that has stood out to you?
Tell me more about your sarcophagus.
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