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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Crossing Curriculum with Tangrams



Let’s check multiple things off our list to do at one time, shall we?  Let’s kill 3 birds with one stone!  Let’s....
CROSS CURRICULUM!

It’s one of my favorite challenges to give myself as a teacher and is how I structure my classroom décor and student work for Open House (more on that later)

P L U S it’s so aesthetically pleasing!!!
So let’s get started, shall we?
Tangrams:  They are so important for students to work with in order to develop spatial awareness and problem solving skills...in math.  But here are some books and resources to help you make tangrams into a whole unit that includes not only math, but also social studies, reading and writing!

First, I display the 7 tangram pieces and review the names of each shape.  Next, I explain that we are going to solve puzzles with these 7 pieces.  We work on performing vocabulary words such as rotate, flip, and slide. 

Math: CHECK!
Everyone loves a read aloud, so then I  read The Warlord’s Puzzle by Virginia Walton Pilegard.   



This is a great time to show China on a map or globe & even talk about the clothes and customs seen in the book.   


Challenge your students to do a 5 Finger Retell of the story and Boom! Reading & Social Studies: CHECK!
Next, inspire your students to write creative stories with all the elements of a story with the next book: GrandpaTang’s Story by Ann Rompert. 

Students can relate to Grandfather’s stories because they have been solving tangram puzzles already and are eager to write their own stories!

 So they choose their tangram animal and get writing with the objective of using the story elements!
Once they write their story on publishing paper, they get to trace their tangram animal onto a cover sheet.

My students L O V E that they are not only the authors of their stories, but also the illustrators!
BOOM! Writing: CHECK!
 
There ya have it!  Four subjects focusing on one topic that students are familiar with and can get excited about!

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Saturday, March 5, 2016

Writing: Structured Creativity


     
 I don’t know about you, but I love having a plan.  Whether it's meal prep or my weekend, if I don’t have a plan or a list going, I seriously don’t know where to begin.
That’s how I imagine students feel when it comes to creative writing.  They have heard many stories and have all these wild ideas floating around in their heads that their stories never come to an end...except for when I cut them off and MAKE them stop!


   This book, which can be found on here on Amazon, identifies that very problem.  The main character wants to write a great story, but first has writer’s block and then listens to all the advice from her family members.  Only, listening to them makes her story make no sense.
    My kids totally get how out of control her story gets when she tries to add what her cousin’s idea of romance is with her dad’s idea of humor.
Next, we review the 5 finger retell from Eclectic Educating.

We’ve been using this strategy to practice our comprehension so it’s totes easy to transition it into their own writing.  I explain that there are elements to every movie and book that are like a road map.  To create a good story, you have to follow the map.

We break it down even further with writing tiles:  a square for the setting, character, & plot.
 
I love this Story Starters: Write Abouts flipbook as a model for students to get ideas.  You can mix and match settings, characters, and plots, which makes for some well-planned, yet creative stories.
 
I remind them that their plots have to have a problem and a solution.  Some students like to write the problem on the front and solution on the back of their cards so they can stay on track.

Now students are equipped with a plan and can begin writing.


How are they going to start their story differently from a narrative with a topic sentence?
Coming across Teaching in the Tongass’ post about writing hooks was an aha moment!  I love having all the ideas displayed for students to see and try out, and they do too!  Using an onomatopoeia is their favorite!

Now for differentiation:
You can level students’ writing in so many ways, but here's two that I think are important:
1. Students can choose to write in the past or present:  Some kids come by this naturally and some need to challenged to pick one and stick with it! 
2. Students can choose to write in the first or third person:  Advanced students really enjoy this challenge and have their own little "aha moment" when they realize what you mean!

Don't forget to have students go back and read their work to a partner to check for the 5Finger Retell & to make sure all the parts of a story are present!

What resources are you using to teach creative writing?  Leave me some love in the comments and let's keep the conversation going!

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