Kindergarten Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect In Kindergarten

This week I had the opportunity to visit two of our kindergarten classrooms. Our focus was on cause and effect. We begin the lesson by defining cause and effect. Cause is "The reason something happened" and Effect is "What Happened." We also talked about how the cause can lead to different effects, they aren't going to be the same for every person!

We then used Google Slides to talk about cause and effects. The students were given the cause and had to figure out effects (the effects were covered up and removed) that may take place! The slide show is attached if you want to use it in your classroom! Here is a few of the slides:

After we concluded the slideshow, together we listened to the book The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Students were prompted to listen as Peter makes many choices throughout the story and the effects that come after his choices. We listened through YouTube. The students then went back to their seats and we accessed Google Classroom which linked them to Google Slides. I "sniped" images from the YouTube video and gave them the cause on the left hand side of the slide. Students then had to figure out the effects. 

Here are some pictures and videos from the Lesson:

                            

Cause and Effect Slide Show

Peter Rabbit  YouTube 

Peter Rabbit Google Slide Template

Constructed Response Resources

Constructed Response

(used in 4th Grade Classes)

Over the past several weeks, we have used the Yes MA'AM format to continue our constructed response practice.

Our first article was off of Newsela: Are some "Fortnite" video gamers too young for it?" This article was put on Edulastic. We practiced the "hot text" feature that students will see on ILEARN and then moved on to the constructed response. For the constructed response I broke it down into 4 questions. For example, The first question asked the students to write the 1st sentence in a YES MA'AM by restating the question. The students moved through the rest of the YES MA'AM with similar directions. This allowed students to know exactly what we were looking for. I choose this method for this class because we still had several students wanting to write more than four sentences or were writing off topic or forgetting their sentence starter. 

Here is an example of what the question looked like:

Link to Edulastic Assignment: Fortnite 

The second article we used was from the 4th grade Instant Station Genre Studies. Each grade level has a copy of this book! The book contains paired text with questions at the end. The title of this article was: A Long Journey. The article talked about the Monarch's migration from Canada to Mexico in the fall. Students read the article using Edulastic and then wrote a constructed response. This time students were not given as much support. They were still provided with the frame work but had to come up with sentence starters on their own!

Here is what the question posed looked like:

Link to Edulastic Assignment: A Long Journey

Our third article was a fable pulled from the same resource as mentioned above. The title was: The Tale of Arachne. Again this resource provides questions and already has a constructed response question embedded. The students read the article on Edulastic and then typed their response. Students were provided with no support on the question, but still had resources hanging in the room to refer back to!

I loved the constructed response question:

Link to Edulastic Assignment: A Tale of Arachne

4th Grade Performance Task

4th Grade Performance Task

Over the past two weeks I had the opportunity to work with our 4th graders on the ILEARN performance task. I used Edulastic to create the performance task. The articles were pulled from Newsela and a Video was linked from YouTube to use as sources for the task. 

We completed the performance task over a two day period. We viewed the sources and answered the three questions leading up to the extended response on the first day. On the second day we tackled the extended response. 

The questions were worded just as our students will see them on ILEARN. We want them to feel prepared and confident going into the test with the wording they will see. 

Leading up to the extended response were two YES! MA'AM questions followed by a matching question (matching details to the sources they found them in). 

On the 2nd day we tackled the extended response. Our task was to write an informational article. We used Smekens Table Top Organizer to help us in this process. Obviously we can't give our students this on test day, but we can teach them to draw their "tabletops" on their scratch paper. 

 

Check out the Performance Task: 4th Grade Performance Task
Check out the Table Top PDF: Smekens Table Top Writing Organizer
I revised the original to fit 5 on a front/back copy:
Mrs. Stahl's Table Top PDF

1st Grade Plot

1st Grade Plot

Over the past week, I had the opportunity to visit our first grade classrooms. Our lesson focus was on story plot. We began the lesson by talking about what Plot is. We defined plot as "the important events that make up a story." Before reading, "My Lucky Day" by Keiko Kasza, I introduced the template students would be using to record on during the lesson. The Characters and Setting are story elements that play an important role in the story, but separating them from the plot--beginning, middle, and end--helped our 1st grade students really focus on the plot of the story. After looking at character and setting, we turned our focus towards the plot. I asked the students the first thing they noticed about the boxes for beginning, middle, and end. Of course they said the middle box was a lot bigger. I asked them "why?" and they knew that a lot more events happen in the middle of a story, then at the beginning and end.

After reading, "My Lucky Day" we filled in the template together. See pictures from the lesson below:

Students then transitioned back to their Chromebooks and pulled up Google Classroom. On Google Classroom, they accessed you tube to listen to the story, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus." After listening, students pulled up Google Slides, with the template broken down into different slides. We worked through this together! They practiced dragging and dropping and typing sentences. The students loved using the Chromebooks to complete the task. I was impressed how well our 1st graders are typing.

I love using Google Slides for lessons. However, there is an extra step to turning it in (there is no turn in button on the top right). Students navigate back to Google Classroom and hit the blue "Turn In" button."
Here are some of the screens of students from this weeks lessons:

Blank Plot Template
Blank Google Slide Template

Kindergarten CVC Words

Kindergarten CVC Words

This week I had the opportunity to visit our Kindergarten classrooms and do a lesson on reading and writing CVC words. To begin the lesson I defined our focus: Kindergartners can read CVC words and Kindergartners can spell CVC words. We used the anchor chart to the right to begin our lesson. I had students repeat the learning focus as we moved to the different sections on the anchor chart. I also covered up the pig and the net so that our focus was on blending sounds and getting our mouths ready to say the sounds in the word. 



We then used Google Classroom to link to Google Slides for the students task. The students were asked to read cvc words and drag and drop pictures that matched the cvc word. The second part of the task on Google Slides was for the students to build cvc words. Students were given the letters and then asked to drag and drop them into the correct boxes. 
Here are some pictures from the lesson:

 

This is pictures of how the Google Slide Activity looked:

 

CVC Anchor Chart
CVC Google Slide Activity 

4th Grade Main Idea Versus Theme

4th Grade--Main Idea Versus Theme and Constructed Response Using Google Classroom

This week I had the opportunity to visit our fourth grade classrooms and model a lesson on Main Idea versus Theme and Construed Response using Edulastic.

The main idea lesson started off with using an anchor chart. It allowed us to look at the differences between main idea and theme. It also pointed out how our readers can determine the difference between the two. 

We used the passage "A Tricky Monkey" to pull Theme and Main Idea from. Using Edulastic allowed for students to practice the drag and drop feature and hot text feature they will see on ILEARN. 

The other lesson I did in 4th grade this week focused on using Edulastic to write a constructed response after reading an article. I pulled the article: Issue Overview: Should we have Zoos? from Newsela and copied it right into Edulastic. You can do the same with all the questions and answers.


Issue Overview: Zoos Edulastic (Qs and CR)
Issue Overview: Zoos Edulastic (Only Constructed Response)
Theme Versus Main Idea: Edulastic

Main Idea Versus Theme

3rd Grade Main Idea Versus Theme

This week I had the opportunity to visit our third grade classrooms and model a lesson on Main Idea versus Theme. To begin the lesson, we used an anchor chart to talk about the differences between the two. We also used a common story that many of the students were familiar with: The boy Who Cried Wolf. We talked about the lesson that the boy learned and the main idea. 

Students then used Google Classroom to Navigate to Edulastic. Edulastic was used as a teaching tool to show students some different forms of questions they will see on ILEARN: drag and drop, hot text, and passage with questions to the right. 

Passage:

Did you know you can copy and paste any Newsela or ReadWorks article into Edulastic? Then you can create questions that will show up to the right of the passage (Which looks exactly like ILEARN)!

Drag and Drop Questions:

Our students are use to these types of questions. They see these on Lexia and iReady. 

Hot Text Questions:

This is a new type of question on ILEARN. Students are able to select group of words in a text as their answer choice. Check out the assignment on Edulastic. 

Link to Edulastic Assignment

Edulastic

Edulastic

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to use Edulastic in Mrs. Beavers 4th Grade Classroom. We were continuing our work with construed response. This gave the students a very ILEARN like look using Edulastic! 

I made this example. I had some front end work of typing up the article into the space, but it allowed the students to view the passage and question at the same time!

Here is a student response (found on Google Classroom):

Some Great Things About Edulastic:

>Syncs with your Google Classroom.

>Tech Enhanced Questions for ELA and Math

>Practice the new "Hot Text" Question

Edulastic is not the most user friendly especially when it comes to assigning to Google Classroom. 

View this Google Doc to See Directions: Edulastic/Google Classroom

1st Grade Fact and Opinion

Fact and Opinion

This week I had the opportunity to Co-Teach with Mrs. Hildreth in first grade. Our lesson focus was on teaching the difference between fact and opinion. Before the lesson was taught Mrs. Hildreth and I collaborated together on ideas beforehand. Mrs. Hildreth started the lesson using a fact and opinion video. It defined the different facets of each and at the end had a try it section. We used turn and talk and had students share what they were learning throughout the video.

Next we looked at a picture and had the partners come up with different facts and opinions. We shared out at the end and let the students decide if the student was saying a fact or opinion. We had the students reference the anchor chart when needed! 

At the end of the lesson, we used Google Classroom and Google Slides to link to an interactive Fact and Opinion Sort. Mrs. Hildreth took her "pull-out" group and sat with them during this portion. This allowed her to have the students read and repeat the sentences being read. The students enjoyed using Google Slides and the interactive document. 

                                  

Anchor Chart

Google Slide Sort

Kindergarten Rekenrek

Rekenrek

This week I had the opportunity to visit Mrs. Moffett's classroom. We used the Rekenrek to practice number sense, addition, and subtraction. I began the lesson by allowing the students to explore the rekenrek as they wanted and see the different color beads. I then started questioning how many beads in each row, the number of red beads, and the number of white beads (etc.). I then started with showing a number and the students showed them on their rekenreks. I called on students to come up and show how they showed the number on their rekenreks! We repeated this activity several times and did the same for addition and subtraction.

The second day I returned and we used a link through Google Classroom to get to an online Rekenrek. The students haven't used Google Classroom much, and I was impressed with how well they did navigating to the correct places. The online rekenrek allows you to add as many rows of beads as needed and also allowed students to write on the screen. We again practice showing numbers, addition problems, and counting by tens! The students LOVED using Google Classroom and the online Rekenrek. 
Link to Online Rekenrek

Making An Inference

Making An Inference

Today I had the opportunity to visit Mrs. Beaver's room to continue practicing our Yes! MA'AM constructed response and practice making an inference. Students were given the task to read the article, The Snowman. After reading, there task was to make an inference on "How does Mya feel when she sees snow out the window?" They were asked to use details from the text to support there answer. After reading the task, we talked about the word inference and how they will see this word on ILEARN. An inference is using details from the text + their knowledge. To help us see the steps we used Roz Linder's Silhouette to stick on the details in the text that would show how Mya felt. Students marked up the text as we posted these on the silhouette!

We then moved on to writing our constructed response. While working on these, it allowed myself, Mrs. Beavers, and Mr. Forkert to go around and have conversations about their constructed response. See some of the students examples below

                                                         

Here are the links if you want to try this in your classroom:

Roz Linder's Silhouette

The Snowman Article

Google Doc--Yes MA'AM

Paired Texts

Paired Texts

Over the past week, I had the opportunity to go into our third grade classrooms and work on comparing two texts. We used Damon Bailey versus Romeo Langford articles. Students navigated to these articles using Google Classroom.While reading students filled out their Romeo versus Damon T-Chart. The T-chart allowed students to compare Damon and Romeo's middle school, high school, and college careers, as well, as after college. We read the article together and as we read I would pause to have students share what they learned. They recorded those thoughts in their T-Chart. After reading, students navigated to a Google Document were they checked the statements that applied to each player! The students loved learning about All-Stars from our state!

Here are some student examples from the lesson: 

                

Here are the links for the lesson: 

Romeo Article

Damon Article

T-Chart

Romeo/Damon Comparison

YES MA'AM

YES! MA'AM

Today I had the opportunity to go into Mrs. Beavers's Classroom and continue our work with YES! MA'AM. Our focus today was to put a whole YES! MA'AM together.  We began the lesson by reviewing how to write a Yes! MA'AM: Restating the question and providing an answer/inference, citing evidence using a sentence starter, and closing it by restating the answer/inference.  Students then went back to their seat and read the Newsela article: "Driverless Cars, Flying Cars, and Now Walking Cars".

                              

After reading students answered the question: "Elevate" was introduced by Hyundai at a car show in Las Vegas. What sets "Elevate" apart from other cars? Use two details from the text to support your answer. We used a scaffold today with the four boxes and students were also provided the sentence starters. Students worked on one part at a time, and then we checked back in whole group.
Here are some examples from today:

                              

Driverless Cars, Flying Cars, Now Walking Cars
Yes MA'AM Template (just add sentence starters for support)

Yes MA'AM

YES MA'AM

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go into Mrs. Beavers's 4th grade classroom. Our lesson focus was writing a constructed response. We reviewed the YES! MA'AM checklist to begin the lesson. See it below!

Our Article was from Newsela (which already has an embedded constructive response for EVERY article). The question was, "What is the overall central idea of this article? Use at least two details from the text to support your answer." The students used turn and talk to pull out details. We also talked about using the exact words from the article.

                         

 

We started the YES!! MA"AM by giving our answer to the central topic of the article and restating the question. We then 

Today we practiced whole group, next week, we will practice more individualized and with Chromebooks.

Link to PDFs used:
YES MA'AM POSTER
CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE TEMPLATE
NEWSELA PDF