Teaching Compound Words Using Tae Bo

Teaching compound words with the movement of tae bo.
Tell students if they come to a compound word that they don't know how to read, they can figure out either part of the word first.  Cover up one part and read the other part.  In the video the students punch out each word part and then put their hands togethers, because when you write a compound word there is no space between the two parts.
Use higher level thinking and have students create a new compound word.

Thoughtful Readers Ask Questions As They Read

Uses Metacognition Stem: I'm Wondering
To introduce the strategy of students asking questions when reading, or what they are wondering; place a bag with something in it and show it to the students.  Ask students what are you wondering?  Students will say; I'm wondering what is in the bag? I tell students that when they ask questions, their brains are thinking. I then tell students that  asking questions or stating what they are wondering as they read is a strategy to understand the story. I model the strategy by reading a picture book and stopping at various points and telling them what I am wondering.
This is a video of a teacher introducing the strategy of asking questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGio3Bk1wj4
Next, give students sticky notes.  Tell students that thoughtful readers ask questions BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER reading.  I read the book; Maggie and the Pirate by Ezra Jack Keats.  Students wrote questions, or put I'm wondering if... BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER the reading of the book on the sticky notes.  They placed the sticky notes on the poster.  Example of questions; BEFORE:  Where do they live?  Are the pirates mean?  What do the pirates do? I'm wondering how old the pirate is.
DURING:  Why do they live in a bus?  Will they find the cricket?  Why did the pirate take Niki?
AFTER:  I'm wondering if  they going to all be friends?  Will she like her new cricket?  Is Maggie happy now?
 After reading, have students take  the sticky notes off and answer the questions.  GREAT MANIPULATIVE!  Students will be able to answer the questions and understand the story by this strategy.

Character Traits

Teaching character traits gives students insights into what a character might do.  In the Magic Treehouse Books; Jack writes notes about the places they are going to visit and likes to be prepared.  We see this trait through out the books where he is cautious before going to a new place and as he travels around in the new place.  To teach character traits, I read the book, The Farmer, by Mark Ludy and used the anchor chart above.  I told the students that what a character does, gives us evidence to describe a character trait.  I read a page or two of the book, The Farmer, and stopped and asked the students; what did the farmer do, and what character trait would that be.  Examples from the book would be; he scratches the cow and is affectionate; he pulls the weeds and is a hard worker; he replants his crops and is persistent and patient; he takes care of the animals when a disaster strikes and is brave and caring; he gives food to his neighbors and is helpful and unselfish.
After I read the story we discussed if the farmer and the Frumps were flat or round.  Flat means the character stayed the same, and round means they changed.  We thought that the farmer was flat because he always worked hard, was loving and caring throughout the story.  We thought that the Frumps were round.  In the beginning of the story they were careless and selfish.  At the end of the story they were giving and kind.
Ex. of character traits are: silly, honest, selfish, gentle, considerate, hostile, cruel, friendly, creative, inventive, lazy, persistent, bossy, daring, adventurous, brave, timid, mischievous, wise, and cunning.
Also, discuss with your students the motivation of the character. What did the character want, and what did the character do to try to get it.  In the book Swimmy, the fish wanted to survive.  In order to survive they worked together as a team. WHEN DISCUSSING CHARACTER TRAITS AND MOTIVATION OF THE CHARACTERS, IT WILL IMPROVE STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY!

Character traits from Swimmy using wordle
Next, read a different book and have students come up with character traits.  Above, the students made fish out of paper plates and wrote character traits using wordle.  Then I put them up on a bulletin board. 

Character traits of Pa Ingalls

Anchor Chart: Books Follow Patterns

This anchor chart is made with a file folder and post it notes.  Tell students that our brains are like file folders.  Everything we know is stored in our brains. This is called our schema. There are things that we know.  We know that if we go to a grocery store, there is food.  We know that libraries contain books.  We know that a zoo has animals.  Fiction books contain patterns.  We know they contain; characters, setting (the problem is influenced by where the story took place and when; such as in the past / present/ or future), conflict (CLIMAX), resolution (not all stories have resolutions / pay attention to how the characters try to solve the problem) and author's message.  The post it notes can be taken off of the file folder and a student can identify part of a story, such as the characters, and put it back on the file folder.

Comprehension Check with Eggs

Comprehension Check With Eggs

Put questions into plastic eggs. Great manipulative! Questions:   What surprised you about this book?  What could be another title for this story?  What is the author's message?  What words helped you to visualize this story?  Was the main character flat  (stay the same) or round (change)?  What are some character traits of the main character?  What was the conflict of the story?  What connections can you make to your life?  What connections can you make to history or the world?  What is the resolution in the story? What is the setting? What is another problem the character could of had? 

Word Work With Wiki Sticks

Students practice  spelling words by making them with wiki sticks.  This can be done on paper or a plastic mat.  Next, students place a white sheet of paper over the wiki sticks and make a crayon rubbing.

Visualization

Visualization

Visualization is seeing images in your mind as you read. It involves all of your senses.   It is like seeing a movie in your mind.  Visualization will enhance students reading comprehension.  To teach visualization, read a book and stop periodically and describe to students what you see. Next, read a book and have the students describe what they see.  This is a great site with videos to enhance your lesson.   http://reading.ecb.org/teacher/visualizing/index.html 
A visualization activity to do after reading a book is called split image.    Have students draw an image from the book with oil pastels.  The students then take a Kleenex or Qtip and smear the colors around.  This is a link to a video that teaches how to use oil pastels.  http://www.ehow.com/video_2381514_blend-oil-pastels.html  When they are done, they cut the picture into thirds, making straight cuts down.  Next, they paste it onto colored paper leaving a space between. These pictures can then be used as a class bulletin board with visualization as the heading.

Split image art activity

Another art activity that corresponds to visualization involves character puppets and paper bag setting.  Students draw the setting onto paper bags.  Then they draw the characters on paper and glue them onto a popsicle stick.  Next, the students  retell  part of the story  with the puppets and setting.   These pictures can also be used as a bulletin board.

Character puppets and paper bag setting