Reading Guy

The book Take Me Out Of the Bathtub by Alan Katz is an excellent example of incorporating VOICE into writing. After reading several of the poems in the book, I explain what a parody is. The students then create their own parodies of famous songs such as It's Raining it's Pouring, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and I'm a Little Teapot. I encourage students to use their own VOICE while writing their parodies.

Are you frustrated with your student's lack of descriptive writing. This activity is a great introduction to the concept of showing not telling in writing. On each of the twelve pages, students have an opportunity to sketch a picture related to an emotion. At the bottom of each page, they should describe the emotion without using the actual word (e.g. my heart was racing, my jaw dropped, and etc.)

Created in Powerpoint, this Jeopardy game is designed to test students knowledge of both butterflies and moths following the end of a unit. Simply click on the number of points under each category to elicit a question. The answer can also be retrieved by clicking on the screen following a student's response. Click the "Back to gameboard" icon in the bottom right corner to return to the main game board. Students love playing Jeopardy, and it's a fun way to review.

A two-sided sheet featuring recommended sites for parents and kids. There is also a section for Reading Games as well as approximately eight Reading/Language Arts Apps. We pass this out to parents to help engage students over the summer.