TheRadBunch

Another great activity for any invention unit! Students are responsible for building their own device to protect an egg when dropped from different heights. Students go through the trial and error process at home by testing and adapting their device before bringing it to class for the final test! We've always done this as a competition, amongst the students and the classes and the kids have always loved it! They are very enthusiastic about creating something that can last all three rounds

This is simply a list of commonly used words and their abbreviations. An excellent tool and resource for students to use while they're writing. This can be printed and glued into each student's writing notebook for them to refer to. We have found this to be very beneficial with our students.

A standard rubric and template for teaching students how to write science labs. Rubric clearly explains each expectation and its point value. Also included is a science lab template that you can use as an example when teaching your lesson and your students can then use to guide them while writing future lab reports.

A great way to teach children the value of the trial and error process! We've used this as part of our invention unit for many years with great success. The activity encourages students to work together, brainstorm ideas, and learn from their errors. It's important during the invention process to adjust when things don't work instead of accepting defeat. By having each group build multiple boats, students are forced to adjust their "inventions" to be more successful with their second try.

This is a four week Reading Character Study on the book Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. There are 40+ pages of material in this unit. Maniac Magee is about a runaway boy who makes a name for himself in a racist environment. It is an excellent book and very appropriate for upper elementary school. There are so many character explorations and writing prompts that can be explored in this book and with this unit.

A great graphic organizer for getting your students started with their persuasive writing. Very clearly sets up the format so that all students are able to learn how to properly write a persuasive piece. Great for pre-writing and organizing their ideas. We've noticed this type of pre-writing activity has made a big difference in their final products.

Use this to practice sequencing with guided reading, read aloud, or independent reading books. Encourages students to think through the events of the story and forces them to sequence them in the correct order for their project. Project has both a writing and arts component which gives all students an opportunity to be successful. The project could easily be done on poster board and displayed throughout the class.

This fun, creative Family Life project is a great way for children to learn more about who they are and where they're from. Students interview family members to learn more about their mother's pregnancy and their own early childhood behaviors and experiences. Rubric for grading projects is attached.

This Writer's Workshop model anchor chart explains to students in Grades 3-5 what the Writer's Workshop notebook should include. It includes the type of entries the students are allowed to work around, including fiction, menus, plays and narratives. It encourages the older elementary students to explore feelings and characters.

An in depth list of transition words for students to refer to while they write. This is something that we found very helpful for each student to keep in their writing notebook! Words are grouped into transitional categories such as; sequence, time, and conclusions. The goal is to get students to use this list as often as possible. The more they refer to the list the more consistently they will use this vocabulary in their writing.

A quick worksheet where students identify nouns and proper nouns. This can be used as a mini-lesson, center work, or even as an informal or formal assessment.

A creative spin on a book report for the realistic fiction genre. Students are asked to fill out a soup can label with information about the book they've read including, important events, main characters, and opinions about the book. Their soup cans around the room is a fun way to display your student's work!

A word sort activity to help students understand the different forms adverbs take. A creative ways to expose children to the different variations and uses of adverbs.

A simple log that makes students accountable for the books they are reading. Gives the teacher quick feedback such as: - Which genres of books their students are reading - Whether or not their students are reading books at an appropriate level - A general sense of comprehension and understanding

This is a creative book report and project focusing on the mystery book genre. The report focuses on the different aspects of story telling unique to mystery books. Also included is a creative writing assignment where students write a news article based on the events of their book.

This is an interactive word document to introduce the continent of Africa. Students use word processing skills and technology skills to research information specific to the continent we are studying. The web search is safe, because the websites are predetermined by the hyperlink attached to each question. It can be used independently, as a center, or in partnerships. Aligned with CCSS.

Another creative book report! This book report is designed around a realistic fiction book, but could be adjusted to work for any genre. For this project students create a film strip portraying the events of the story they've read. This is an excellent way to have them practice summarizing and retelling the story they've read in a very creative way. It also forces them to practice sequencing the events of the story for their film strip. After being turned in these film strips make a great d

Students will write about the character at the beginning and the end of the story. Then they will decribe WHY the character changes. In addition, there is also a section under EACH heading where students are expected to write a specific example from the text to prove their thinking.

A quick lesson and activity where students identify and sort adverbs while they're reading. An excellent way to integrate a grammar lesson into the rest of your reading / language arts curriculum. Could easily be used as a literature center activity.

A poster showing your brain on "Just Right" books. It's 80% comprehension and 20% decoding! It's a perfect example of whole text vs. individual text.