Trapped in a Commercial

I knew from the first moment I saw them, that the AT&T commercials were not scripted.  Anyone who has spent time around grade school children knows that they come up with the strangest things.  Here is an article about how the company made the ads: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/how-att-got-kids-make-some-years-best-ads-148605.  Beck Bennett's initial questions are scripted, but they let the children respond naturally.

What teacher hasn't had moments like these?

Quote of the Week for November 24, 2013

"The secret in education lies in respecting the student. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Free Editing Checklists Aligned with Common Core

Download Free Editing Checklists from my Teachers Notebook Store.
Download Free Editing Checklists from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

I love teaching writing to upper elementary students.  I originally developed checklists to align with the writing assessment we give here in Washington State.  Now that we are adopting Common Core, I modified this tool accordingly.

I use these lists in three ways:

1. I can assess a set of writing samples and decide what lessons I need to focus on with the whole class, small groups and individual.
2. I can have students edit each others papers with guidance.
3. I can have students assess their own work before they turn it in.

I typically have rubrics as a part of my assignment that I use for grading.  These checklists are a part of my formative assessment.

I have just updated all of my Teaching Genre units with these checklists and other activities.

The Books of Elsewhere by Jacqueline West

The premise for this series is interesting: what if paintings were portholes to other places and times?  In the first book, Olive moves into a strange house and finds that a pair of spectacles lets her enter the paintings and visit the people there.  Many of them are frightened of one of the inhabitants and Olive soon learns that some of these people cannot be trusted.

This series is recommended for fifth grade on up, but I have some fourth graders who are ready right now.


 
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Homework Excuses

This is a photograph of an actual homework assignment recently turned in.  "My cats scratched it up."  I believe her for two reasons.  One, I have a cat that has ripped things up.  Two, she copied it over onto a new piece of paper without complaint.

Over the years, I have had coffee and food stained homework, pages that went through the washer and drier, and, my favorite, the backpack a child through on the roof.  "At least you know where it is," he told me while trying to convince me I should accept it.

What homework excuses have your received?  I would love to read some in the comments.

I'm giving away three copies of my full Imagery unit November 15-18 at my Teachers Notebook store.  Head on over there to win.

Quote of the Week for November 17, 2013

Teachers are like the candles, which consume themselves to brighten the lives of others.
- Author Unknown

I'm giving away three copies of my full Imagery unit November 15-18 at my Teachers Notebook store.  Head on over there to win.

Thanksgiving Prompt with Free Sensory Details Recording Sheet and Giveaway

A year ago, I had my students write a poem called My Unusual Thanksgiving.  We had a guest speaker who shared her poetry so I didn't create a printable for the lesson.

Here is the original prompt:

Write a list poem called "My Unusual Thanksgiving". Try to include images and events that are not typical of a Thanksgiving dinner on TV.  What makes the way you and your family celebrate unique?

This year my students have five days off over Thanksgiving weekend.  I created this sheet to help them record a moment during their weekend.  I plan to have them bring the sheet back to school and do the rest of the writing process in class. 

Here is the link to the Google Doc of the Sensory Details Recording Sheet.

This year I expanded my Imagery 2.0 product to include more graphic organizers and lesson ideas.  This process helps my students show not tell in their writing. Parents at conference were impressed.

Here is the link to Imagery 2.0 in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Here is the link to Imagery 2.0 in my Teacher's Notebook store.