Nonfiction Matters!

I'll let you in on a little secret about me. I absolutely love teaching nonfiction. I'll let you in on a second secret about me, I didn't really have any feelings towards nonfiction until last year. My action research project for my Masters program revolved solely around the importance of nonfiction in the elementary classroom. After reading gobs and gobs (gobs x 100) of research on nonficion, I quickly grew to love it.

After our Jaguar unit, I wanted to dip into nonfiction a bit. So, guess what? We did. Have you heard of Stephanie Harvey? Most of you probably have, you may even own this book --

Well, I used Harvey's book Nonfiction Matters to develop a little quick review on nonfiction for my kids. Here's an overview of what we did.

Day one: Anchor Chart! Woot woot. I love anchor charts too. We answered the age old question, "Why do we read nonfiction?"According to Harvey, here are some stellar reasons WHY we actually read nonfiction:

Yes, I spelled acquire wrong. Whoops!

Day Two: We tackled those pesky expository text structures. Harvey suggested using an example of "goosebumps" for each text structure. As a class, we created a foldable and labeled each type of text structure. Then, inside the flap, students wrote down and illustrated an example of the text structure with goosebumps. Make sense? Not quite? Okay, let me back up.

For example, one expository text structure is cause and effect. We wrote the follow example:
"The temperature dropped to 45 degrees. I got goosebumps." This is an example of cause and effect. Harvey lists an example of each structure relating it back to goosebumps. It was an excellent illustration of the different ways nonfiction can be written.

NEXT time, I would like to start the year off with this activity. First, we can identify WHY we read nonfiction and the various text structures. Then, the next day, compare reading nonfiction to fiction! We can answer the question of why we read fiction and compare how fiction stories are set up much differently. I'm getting all tingly on the inside just thinking about it. Stop me before I get too nerdy.

Sounds like I've got a week planned for the fall!

What exciting nonfiction lessons do you do with your kiddos?

Writing Marathon!

Writing is one of my favorite times during the day! In these first few weeks of school, my students have blown me away with their creativity in their writing. It excites me for what is to come this year!

The best thing about being part of the College of Education was you got to pretend you were a kid again. We participated in several lessons that were applicable to our classrooms. In a writing course, my junior year, my professor led us on a Writing Marathon. Our mission was to roam campus for an hour and find different locations to write. He sent us on our way and told us to return in 60 minutes! In my Writer's Notebook, I wrote down my sights around Brady Commons, the Columns, and the steps of the College of Ed. Thinking back on that day, I remember having a great time with friends and writing ..writing... and more writing.

I decided to test this strategy out with my kiddos this year. My school utilizies the 6+1 Writing Traits program and our first trait is "Ideas". We have been working on gathering ideas and zooooooooming in on one idea. After specials, I told my kids to grab their Writer's Notebooks because we were taking a little marathon.

Their goal: use their 5 senses and observe the area they are in. Minimum of 4 sentences per location!

We hit up the following spots in school:
Classroom
Front lawn
Cafeteria
Library
Playground

I had the best time reading through their entries.  Several cracked jokes and expressed hunger throughout the process! Besides getting to move around the school, my students practiced generating ideas and focusing in on one idea at a time.

I don't know about you but I love anchor charts. It's a great time for the class to get together and collaborate ideas. I believe that charts created together are more powerful than pre-made ones. Yes, I have store bought posters on my wall... but I also have ones we made. It's a nice mixture! You can take the girl out of second grade... but you can't take the anchor chart out of the girl! That's the saying, right?

Anywho, here are a few fun anchor charts from around the web. Click the captain for the source!

The First Grade Parade

First Grade Parade

Mrs. Williams Kinders 

I need to stop this late night blogging. What has gotten into me!? It's bedtime. But first, I'm obsessed with this performance from the VMA's. Enjoy!

2011 VMA - Music - Beyoncé