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Category: fifth grade

Spring Poetry Writing

Posted in bilingual, displays and deco, fifth grade, fourth grade, poetry, third grade, and writing

April is National Poetry Month! Third through fifth grades had fun in the Jackson Library writing Spring poems! Some wrote diamante poems about the atmosphere layers, some wrote acrostics in English, and some wrote Spanish acrostics. We used kite templates (see TPT links below) so we could post them on the library windows. The kids had fun writing the poems! 

stu acrostic poems

#nationalpoetrymonth

poetry kites

acrostic poem on kite

 

link to Spa acrostic template
link to Spa template

 

Spring bulletin board kit- acrostic kites
English acrostic kite template and SPRING banner

 

Dear Basketball Revisited 2022

Posted in fifth grade, games, poetry, and writing

This week in the Jackson Library, fifth grade read Kobe Bryant’s Dear Basketball poem (we used MrsBlewettELA’s TPT Questions) and watched the Oscar-winning short animated movie.  Fifth graders wrote a letter to SOMETHING they love. If they wrote a poem, they wadded up some paper to shoot a basket into the trash can. This idea is from Michael Bonner. Fun! 

Embedded: Arthur, Garcia classes

scroll down for more

Arthur Garcia 5 poems
Click to read more below! 
Kuwitzky Valentin Burkhead poems

Dear Basketball film
Dear Basketball short film

Dear Basketball website

LINK to 2020 Lesson

 

Bonner quote

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boo Haikus! 2021

Posted in displays and deco, fifth grade, holiday, how to, picture book lesson, poetry, technology, and writing

Last week, in the Jackson Library, fifth graders had fun writing spooky haikus! This idea is from the book, Boo! Haiku. To get our brains warmed up, I showed the kids some student samples from a couple of years ago and then had them draw a spooky scene.  Thinking about how to describe the scene helped the kids to get ideas for their haiku. The bilingual classes chose to write in English or Spanish. Other helpful tips:  scatter SPOOKY words1spookywords2 on the tables as vocabulary enhancers, don’t ‘require’ use of the form/template- many kids wanted to write their poem rough draft right next to their drawing… Check out their spoooky creations! 

boo haiku
Review

5th grade boo haikus 2021

Eng. stu sheet
Student sheet- Eng.

MODIFY LESSON: SPOOKY words1

spookywords2

 

Stu Sheet Spanish
Stu Sheet Spanish

Spa haiku sample

 

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stu boo haikus 2021
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More books by Deanna Caswell
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Note on how to embed a Google Doc popout:
Share your Google Doc.
Go to the three dots at the top.
Choose ‘open in new window’- this used to be called ‘pop out’
open goo doc in new window
Then choose: embed item
choose pop out
Copy the embed code URL
embed code
Change the ‘height’ to a larger number so more of the document can be viewed at once:
I think I made the height of this one 3000

Tracking a Hurricane

Posted in current events, fifth grade, picture book lesson, and science

Fifth graders learn how to track a hurricane after reading A Storm Called Katrina. We discussed Louis Armstrong and listened to his cornet skills.  I showed them some elephant ear plants and we discussed why we are reading this story now and not in January. We talked about coordinates and mapped out Katrina’s path.  The author’s use of imagery and foreshadowing was the reading focus of the lesson. We discussed what a levee is and showed photos of a levee break. The kids turned and talked with each other at their tables about the one thing they would grab if their home was about to flood. The author is very good at making the reader empathize with Louis and his family. You could tell the kids were really thinking about what the people in Louisiana had to endure and the resilience of the parishes rebuilding after every disaster. 

 

 

storm called katrina book
Review

photos Katrina lesson

Reading TEKS

elephant ear plants

discussion

 

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Tracking  a Hurricane

Teacher’s Guide

Read Aloud on Safeshare

Hurricane Tracking 

Track that Hurricane

Hurricane Tracking clearer

NOAA chart – use for copy center

Hurricanes now 2019

Aim a Hurricane game

I Have a Dream 2021

Posted in fifth grade, holiday, poetry, and writing

This week in the Jackson Library, fifth graders learned about Dr. Martin Luther King’s powerful, peaceful words used to spur change for equality. I asked them to think about things going on in the world and what causes are important to them.  They wrote their own ‘I Have a Dream’ excerpts to convey ways they want the world to improve. Check out their poems below! 

 

g couruosGeorge Couros

 

pollution article 2021

 

 

Student Template – short

I Have a Dream Poem Template - short

Student Poems

student poems MLK Jr.
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AG me

Martin’s Big Words 2021

Posted in apps, augmented reality, character education, fifth grade, fourth grade, holiday, technology, and third grade

Last week in the Jackson Library, I read excerpts of the Martin’s Big Words book to third and fourth graders. We discussed the power of his peaceful, persuasive words and how Martin’s use of words caused laws to change to promote equal rights in America. They used the augmented reality app, WeirdType to use some of Martin’s words as art.  Check out more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the WeirdType/Pokemon Go app designer below!

martin's big words book
Study Guide

How To

weird type app

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Student Work

Our Big Words: MLK 2021 safeshare
Safeshare link to stu work

Photos
MLK WeirdType
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YouTube link
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More Samples
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About the app designer
Zach Lieberman
Martin’s Big Words – Rappaport
love conquers weird type

Exploring The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

Posted in fifth grade, picture book lesson, and reading skills

This week in the Jackson Library, fifth graders explored the fascinating picture book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi.  First, we discussed topiaries and looked at pictures.  Then we discussed foreshadowing and prepared ourselves to find how Van Allsburg uses the literary technique in his book.  During the story, we completed the puzzle and discussed the vocabulary words.  During check out, the kids rotated on the computers to play a Quizdini game about the book. After the story, the kids had to decide if the magician tricked Alan or if he really knew magic. It looks like FOX/Disney might be adapting the book into a movie version soon!

Garden Abdul cover
Review
Gasazi puzzle
puzzle

Gasazi puzzle key

5th Gasazi lesson

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Garden of Abdul Gasazi Safeshare video 
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Houghton Mifflin Teacher’s Guide
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Quizdini
game

 

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CVA
Frequently Asked Questions

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news article
click to find out more

 

Dear Basketball

Posted in fifth grade, fourth grade, third grade, and writing

February of this year, we read Kobe Bryant’s Dear Basketball poem (we used MrsBlewettELA’s TPT Questions) and watched the Oscar-winning short animated movie. Then, third through fifth grades wrote a “love letter” to SOMETHING they love. Check out their awesome work! Then, watch our video and check out the three-pointers!

Kobe Bryant's Dear Basketball
poem

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MrsBlewettELA’s TPT Dear Basketball Poem and Questions

MrsBlewett ELA TPT

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Dear Basketball short
Oscar-winning short

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Student Writing

 

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Student Three-Pointers

This idea came from Mr. Bonner! Check out his site: Bonnerville

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Dear BB collage

Harlem Globetrotters

Harlem GT

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Bonnerville

kobe quote

2020 Quotable Quotes, Assoc. Press

“We are all Lakers today.” — Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers, in a remark to reporters after the death of Kobe Bryant, Orlando, Fla., Jan. 26

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