Tom

Tom

Author:  Tomie dePaola

Possible Common Core Standards:

RL.4.3

W.4.3

Tom is a great springboard to getting kids to write about real life experiences with a special person in their lives.

To start with, read the book to the students.  Make a list of events as the book is read.  

After reading the book use the list to revisit the book and look for additional details which made the event interesting.  Assign an event to a pair or group of children and have them complete a web of details with one event on chart paper.  This would be a great way to discover that not all of the events have the same about of 'time' in the story.  I would ask for minor events and major events after working through all of them.

Next look for transitions in the story.  How does the author move from one event to the next.  Chart the transitions.

Ask students to think about a person in his/her life who is special.  It could be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, parent, older/younger sibling, friend or neighbor, but it should be someone he/she has contact with and spends time with on a regular basis. Brainstorm a list of events.  (If a child can't choose, he/she could write two names down and then brainstorm 'events' for both and finally choosing based on the events most interesting to the student.)

Remind students events don't have to be something major like the chicken hands.   Ask students to choose one event to write about.  I would continue to ask students to write about individual events without worrying about putting them together into a story.  Write them on separate pieces of paper.  Once all of the events are written and edited, ask students to put the events into an order than makes sense to them.   Students should consider one to be the beginning of the story and one should lend itself to concluding the story.  Refer back to Tom.  Talk about transition words that may work to link the events together.  

Title the book the name of the person who shared the events with the author.

Ask students to share their story with a friend or should partner to do the final editing.

Publish.  

I really like using studentpublishing.com.  If you have access to computers, students could type the story using word, convert to pdf and upload it to the website.  My students illustrated and then scanned the illustrations.  The jpg files were pulled into the document before converting to a pdf file.  We also typed the story on the website using their software and students can illustrate using the graphics on the website.  To manage each student's story progress I created a chart.  When I find the chart I will post a picture.)  There are other publishing companies on the web, but studentpublishing.com is the one I used and I was very happy with the results.  We used the published books as presents.

Book Project

Possible Common Core Standards:
RL.4.1
RL.4.4

I was given the opportunity to do a reading project with a class of fourth graders over the book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.  I had four days to complete it.  I would recommend more time.

As this classroom was technology challenged the project had to be something other than technology based.  (If I did this in a classroom with access to Publisher, I would complete the project using that program and possible some clip art or allow the students to illustrate by hand the story, scan and place the pictures on the board/cards.)

We used a piece of construction paper and drew small lines three inches from the edge all around the perimeter of the paper.  Then drew straight lines connecting all of the dots to create a 'frame' around the paper.  In one corner we designated the START box.  Because I wanted the boards to be somewhat different, I allowed the students to choose the size of their boxes.  No bigger than 3 x 3 (inches) and preferably no smaller than 2 x 3.  This caused a bit of a dilemma as we progressed through the book as some students had seven extra boxes.  After chapter four I visited with each student about his/her board.  We designated two squares for each chapter with an extra box here and there.  The students with extra boxes were directed to choose something from the story not already on the board to draw in the extra box. On my 'map' below I have one 'anything from story' box.

This is my 'map' of the project.  

As the book has ten chapters we needed a minimum of 20 squares on the board.  The middle of the board had the title of book and a place to put the two sets of cards that were a part of the game.  One set of cards were called 'Connection' cards.  The cards had a question to help the student make connection to a part of the story.  (A picture of our connection cards are included.  Keep reading.) The other cards were vocabulary cards.  As we read each chapter we picked out two to four words (depending on how much time we had) from the chapter to put on cards.  We also looked up a definition or thought of a definition that fit the word for the story.  I kept a list of the vocabulary terms and definitions to make a master list.  Each game board was given a vocabulary master list to help with disputes when playing the game.

our vocabulary master list

Each box on the game board had a smaller C box, +V box, or -V box.  I gave the students specific instructions how the C, +V and -V boxes were to be colored as to create uniformity for that part of the game.  For example the C box had a yellow background with a red C in the middle.  Every C box on the game board was colored in this way.   The START box had a +V on it as each student starts the game with a vocabulary card.

start box example

examples of C, +V, -V

Students picked two events from each chapter to illustrate on their board.  Sometimes a sentence was added to the illustration.  Each chapter had two boxes.

I didn't have any method to deciding which boxes were given a C, +V or -V.  I tried to have more +V because the vocabulary cards are the key to 'winning' the game.   I used the C boxes the least.

Each game board needs two tokens and a number cube.  (1-6)  We kept the number of players per game board limited to three.  Two is best.

Each student put his/her token on start.  Determine who is going first.  The first person rolls and counts the number of spaces.  The little box (C, +V, -V) tells the player what to do.

C  The player takes the top Connection card and reads it to the other player(s).  He/she answers the questions.  I do not require students to answer the questions if they feel uncomfortable answering the question.  They are allowed to say 'I don't have an answer to that question.'  Questions like the playground safety rules for school, 'would you like to have a turtle for a pet' or 'would you like to live in NYC' are expected to be answered.  I tried to come up with at least one question per chapter with students help.

our connection questions

+V The player takes a vocabulary card.  It will either be a term or a definition.  If it matches a card taken previously the student will want to 'protect' it.  We turned matches face down to 'protect' them.

-V  The player must return a vocabulary card to the bottom of the pile.  If the player has no cards, his/her turn is over.  If the player has matched pairs of vocabulary cards and no others, one pair must be broken as a card must be placed on the bottom of the vocabulary card pile.

 (A 'steal' option for vocabulary cards would be fun in the game, I haven't time to explore how to incorporate that into the game.)

When the vocabulary cards are all gone from the game board, the game stops.  Count the number of
vocabulary card matches.  Whoever has the most, wins.

Vocabulary

I wish I knew where I found the vocabulary levels so I could give the author proper credit.

Each week when introducing the new vocabulary words the students would rate the words.  It can be done on paper (make a list of the words for the students and they each rate the words) or it can be done using the smartboard.  (Each student had a card with the levels and meanings and a clicker.)  


Personally I liked the smartboard (using clickers) because of the graph generated by the results.     We would spend a little time discussing the graph and how about half the class really knew the word or less than a fourth of the class knows the word.  The graph fascinated the students.

I had to remind students to be honest about their knowledge of the words.  At the beginning everyone put their knowledge level of all words at 3 or 4.  Once they were comfortable with the knowledge that no one would know who put the rating of 1 or 2 they were honest.

Once we rated and discussed the graphs we moved on to a powerpoint with the words.  The powerpoint was loaded with pictures, clip art and video clips that were intended to help the student understand the meaning of the word.  The powerpoint was set up so the word did not appear until clicked to appear.  The students spent some time thinking about what word was represented, then discussed with a shoulder partner and finally I would make the word appear.  They loved being right.  I showed them an example of the word in a sentence then they spent some time thinking of a sentence to share with their shoulder partner.

Here are the levels (if you know who created this, please let me know):

1.  I never saw it before.
2.  I've heard it, but I don't know what it means.
3.  I recognize it in context as having something to do with...
4.  I know it well.

Biography Project

We started a new project yesterday.  Each child chose a biography to read.  Today they started completing a graphic organizer.  The first part of the organizer stores facts about the person's early life such as where and when born, siblings, and any other interesting information.  The second part of the organizer stores information about why the person is famous or why a book would be written about the person.  This has been harder as the students just want to write 'famous baseball player' or 'had a son' or some other 'easy' comment.  We had a lot of discussions about this topic.  Tomorrow they will complete the opinion and question part of the graphic organizer.  They will tell whether or not they think the person should have a book written about his/her life and what would they ask the person if they could visit with him/her.  They cannot ask something that was answered in the book or that can be googled.

Students will take this information and write a short report about the person.  (We are using a second source...either History.com or Biography.com)  A title page will be created along with at least four pictures to illustrate important points in the report.  Each child will create a bibliography using easybib.com. 

The title page and pictures will be used along with the report to make a 'paper-slide video' with a flip camera.  Students will work together (we call it the production team) to video the papers as they are slid across the table as the report is read by the author.


A timeline is also being required.  Students will use a graphic organizer to log events in the person's life.  That information will be entered into the timeline feature on readwritethink.org and printed.  The timeline will be the last thing shown on the video mentioned above.

Students will be graded on the research paper, the video, and the timeline.  A rubric has been developed to grade the targeted areas.

http://mrscooksfantasticfourthgrade.blogspot.com/2011/12/flip-slide-videos.html

Fluency Graph example

This gives you an idea of how we charted our growth with words read per minute.  The data shown does not belong to any child in my classroom as I made it up.  The goal (target) at the beginning of the year was less than 123 but I had the student put 123 as the target on the chart because (1) it's the time of year that 123 is the goal and (2) it is the ultimate goal so why not use it.  The students charted their own growth using the template chart created for them to use.

Fluency Graphs

I wanted the goal (123 words) to appear on the students' graphs.  I googled how to put a target line on a graph and found a solution that worked for me.  There may be another way, maybe even easier than what we did, but I'm happy.  We just added another column of data with the goal.  The goal is listed with each entry.  Now we have a line showing the target number and the students can see how close they are to the goal.  They read to me today to get a new number to add to their chart.  Maybe I imagined it, maybe it was real, but it seemed like they all tried a little harder.  They've always been interested in their fluency (words read per minute) number, but now it has become a competition to get that WRPM above the target line.  They love reading to me.  They love getting their new number.  They love using excel to chart their growth.

They are becoming so quick at figuring out how to follow me on the computer and how to use the computer.  It might be time to allow them to gather more data about themselves.  Maybe a timed test on multiplication facts.  I wonder if a target line on their graph for multiplication facts would inspire them as much as the WRPM.   Now to figure out what would be a reasonable goal for multiplication facts in one minute....