Matchbook Text Features

Possible Common Core Standards:
RI.4.7

I was given the opportunity to come up with a reading activity for third graders within some parameters.  This will be done during core reading, writing, and science for a total of about two, two and 1/2 hours.  I will not have access to computers with the students so we are cutting and pasting.

The topic the students will learn about is earthquakes.  Since we are in the middle of the country and rarely experience earthquakes the students are very curious about them.

The students will read and discuss Seymour Simon's Danger! Earthquakes.  We will look for text features in the book.  Because I will have limited time, I found text features about earthquakes on the internet to use for a project.  Usually I would have the students create their own.  The text features will be glued on a 'matchbook' and students will label the them.  They will write one sentence about what they learned from the feature.  There is a spot on the 'matchbook' for students to write a short (two or three sentences) paragraph about which text feature they liked the most. Finally students will write about earthquakes using the information from the text features, the book we read, and the websites listed below.

Here are a couple of websites we are going to visit. 

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/earth/whatisanearthquake.html

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

Here's a picture of my sample of what the students will do:

This is the top part of the matchbox project.

This is the inside of the matchbox.  

 (I try hard to make sure I give credit for the graphics as it is not my intention to violate any copyright laws.  If you think I have, please let me know.  I noticed the safety list doesn't have the reference on the picture.  That is being corrected for the students.)