Frankenstein Math Craftivity

 

 

It was a lot of fun seeing students use their creativity to create a Frankenstein, Frankie, or Frankenstein Jr.!  A few Frankensteins on Pinterest as well as a co-worker's craftivity gave me the inspiration for this project. Students added a subtraction story and wrote the related addition fact. 

Alternative ideas - Stories, poems, other math problems

Narrative Writing Resources

A great way to start: 

  What is Narrative Writing? - posters by Jodi Southard

 

 

Narrative Writing Graphic Organizers

 

Graphic Organizers - BME

Fall Senses Graphic Organizer

Somebody Wanted But So Then

Writing Graphic Organizers Grades K-3

 

Narrative Prompts by Angelica Sandoval that your students will really enjoy:

(I let my students choose between two narrative prompts.)

    Link 

 

 

A prompt second graders love to talk about:  "A Time I Got Hurt" 

- Good for teaching sequential order

- Be sure to add a fun Band-Aid!

 

The Grouchy Ladybug Narrative Writing 

 

My Life as a Gingerbread Cookie Writing Prompt

 

Writing Checklist







Important Book Writing Activity - I like how this writing activity has a link to literature.  You will need The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown.  Students interview a friend and write a paragraph about them.  Just like the book, they include the most important thing about their friend. 

  Book Link

 

My students' Important Book writing activity:

 



 

Other Literature Links

Rocket Writes a Story

 

  Arthur Writes a Story

 

The Best Story

 

Little Red Writing

A hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, in which a brave, little red pencil finds her way through the many perils of writing a story, faces a ravenous pencil sharpener (the Wolf 3000)... and saves the day.

 

Just the Facts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily 5 - Word Work

Word Work Activities

 



Students can work on almost any activity that is on their homework sheet.    
sheet link

1.  Play-Doh  (definitely a favorite)

2.  Smelly Markers (the other favorite!)
                                                       Mr. Sketch


 












  

         

3.  Alphabet Stencils

4.  Magna Doodle 
                              

5.  Alphabet Stamps

                                 

6.  Pipe Cleaners

7.  Dry Erase Boards / Plastic Plates
 

 

8.  Magnets

storage case link



                 

9.  Unifix Letter Cubes

 

 

10.  Dictionary

                

11.  How Much is Your Word Worth?

    

12.  Sign Language

 

                                                                            
13.  Ipad Spelling 

14.  Boggle

Boggle for the SMART Board


 

                                                                                    

                                                                            

Word Journals

                                 Link to more ideas

In lieu of a word wall..... word journals!  Each student has their own personal word journal.  Each letter gets one page.  This year I decided to go ahead and write four words in each journal  (awesome....one of their favorite words, my name, my principal's name and the school's name).  I wanted to model good handwriting and show the students how big to write each word.  Students will write new classmates' names during the first week of school.  Each month we will add words that go with that month.  We think about holidays, seasonal words and units we are studying. They usually have permission to ask me for one word during Writer's Workshop.  They know they have to "stretchy snake" other words.  This is definitely a well used resource! 

Teacher's Favorite Find

After posting Students' Favorite Things, I have to add one of my favorite things that I think is definitely worth sharing.

Writing Resource:  Getting to the Core of Writing

Here's the best writing resource I've found in a long time.  It is aligned to the Common Core and includes a pacing guide.  Great mini-lessons for August-April.  There is a book for grades K-6.
Book link

Students' Favorite Things

                                                                 
                                       
A few favorites.....

1.  I like to start the year out with Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown.  Students are introduced to Deskarina and learn that she will fly to our classroom and visit once a month.  It really does help promote clean desks!  Sometimes students choose to write Deskarina while they are at the Work on Writing center.

 



2.  Hopefully a new favorite -  The first chapter book read aloud will be How to Eat Fried Worms.  My goal is to make a worm farm for the students to observe.  Temporary pets!

Worm Farm Link

                         Worm science experiment:
(See my science experiment post to see a photo of this experiment.)

3.  The next several read alouds:

 

 

Last year my students enjoyed all five Gooney Bird books!

4.  Quiet work music....

Great to use during Writer's Workshop.  Students often request it if I forget to turn it on.  I love music in the classroom!

5.  Martian fingers... for Read to Self
link

Find many more ideas here:  Mrs. Bainbridge - blog link

               

Paper Bag Book Project

Here's one way to teach story structure, character traits and the writing process.  This paper bag book was made by stapling three lunch bags together. 

1.  Title and author



Paper Bag Book Example

2.  First main character and character traits

3.  Second main character and character traits

4.  Setting and beginning - insert cardstock page for beginning of story

 

the first cardstock insert  (beginning)

 

5.   Problem and middle of story - insert second cardstock page

 

 

6.  Solution and end of story - insert third cardstock page

 

 

 

 

In case you need some character traits mini-lessons before doing this project....

 



I found this great character traits anchor chart on Pinterest.

Originally from this blog:  http://bonniethrasher.blogspot.jp/2012_07_01_archive.html

 

Click here for another fun character traits activity.

 

Character traits posters and graphic organizers - link

from A Year of Many Firsts