Fourth Grade Booktalks

Fourth graders will be starting their book talks this week. Students need to pick a book that they have read and do an ad-like presentation to get the audience excited about the book. Criteria for the booktalks:
1. Did I get my audience's attention?
2. Did I give the facts?
3. Did I mention the story elements of my book?
4. Did I look and sound the part?
Last year, the book talk presentations were outstanding. Students got very excited both to present and watch the booktalks and I think they really did inspire each other both in their creative presentations and in encouraging each other to read. One of my favorite props last year was this Diary of a Wimpy kid television diorama. Stay tuned for this year's creations!

Thanksgiving, Puppets & Roosters

This week in Grade 5, we'll be reading Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet. This is a biography about Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who created the first  Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. Not only is this book a great way to explore the history and technology involved in creating the giant-sized balloons, it is also the perfect precursor to our puppet research projects which will begin in January. On top of that, this book is on the 2013 Rhode Island Children's Book Award list which means it will be part of our annual Rooster Games event with Gordon School. We'll be discussing characters, setting, and important objects to get students thinking like a Rooster Game participant.

Biographies Galore

Mrs. Gallagher's students are studying the biography/autobiography genre. I've discovered some excellent read-alouds that have sparked student interest and will hopefully inspire students when they create their own Voki autobiography. My absolute favorite, was Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas. Charles Atlas was bullied for being small as a child so decided to get fit & strong in response to that. He was one of the main pioneers of the health and fitness programs that are so prevalent today. Another fun tidbit about this book… Mrs. Bagwell told us that her aunt lived right down the street from Charles Atlas in New York!

Other favorite read aloud biographies that we read:
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino
When I was Young in the Mountains  - autobiography by Cynthia Rylant
The Art Lesson - autobiography by Tomie dePaola