IT'S SHOWTIME!!

The Florida Writes Test is Coming Soon!!!

Need something to do over the weekend? How about one last writing prompt before our Florida Writes Test on Tuesday, March 1st? Your payment will be $100.00 Behavior Bucks on Monday, if you choose to take this challenge. Here is your prompt:

WRITING SITUATION:

It would be very interesting to be a coin.

DIRECTIONS FOR WRITING:

Before you begin writing, think about the adventures you would have as a quarter.

Now write a story about an adventure that a quarter might go through in an afternoon.

GRAB your READER

In writing, we have been working on many ways to make our writing more creative, and fun for the reader. One way to do this is by starting our piece with a grabber. A grabber is an opening sentence (or sometimes two!) that immediately captures the reader's attention. It flows naturally into the beginning of the piece. For example, lets say I was writing an expository piece about an animal that I would choose as a class pet. I might write something like this:

Some classrooms have gerbils, some have fish, but if I could choose a pet for my classroom I'd be way more creative than that! If I had my choice, we would have a monkey as a classroom pet.

Do you see how the grabber (in purple) immediately captures your attention? It leads right into the beginning (in grey), which tells us what the expository piece is going to be about.

There are many different strategies for writing grabbers. Here are a few we have been working on:

• SCENERIO


• VOICE


• MYSTERY


• OPINION


• ONOMATOPOEIA


• DIALOGUE


• GLOBAL STATEMENT/SPECIFIC STATEMENT


• RHETORICAL QUESTION


• FUNNY STATEMENT

Behavior Buck Challenge: Read the prompt below and comment with 2 different grabber/beginnings that would go with the prompt. You will earn $50.00 Behavior Bucks for finishing this challenge.

We have all lost something, or know someone who has lost something.

Before you begin writing, think about a time when you or someone else lost something.

Write to tell what happened the time you or someone else lost something.

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins

by Barbara Kerley

With drawings by Brian Selznick

This is the true and unforgettable story of Victorian artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins who was a dedicated and passionate artist. He had a goal of building life-size models of dinosaurs envisioned from scientific fossils in the hope of educating the world about these awe-inspiring ancient animals. This was during a time when no one knew what dinosaurs were like.

We read this intriguing and captivating story aloud during Readers Workshop, and our students had much to take away from it. They learned to have courage and never give up on their dreams, because Waterhouse Hawkins never did, despite a corrupt politician who thwarted two years of his life's work in Central Park, New York City. They also learned that hard work and determination is the road to reaching your dreams and goals. Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins taught us all about the importance of believing in oneself and following your dreams.
He is a creative man who stretched the boundaries of what has been done before, and his legacy lives on today.

Watch this clip on Youtube and have your child recount the story as you flip through the incredible artwork together, page by page.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/He_qLTgKKQk?rel=0

Students, we would love for you to write a comment and share your thoughts and feelings about this amazing picture book.

Celebrating 100 Days of School !!

Today, our 4 Corners classes recognized the 100th Day of School in style- old style. :-)

Many of our students chose to accept the invitation to dress up as a 100 year old man or woman in celebration of this landmark day. Enjoy the pictures below, which show the creativeness and "style" of these students. If you are a 4 Corners student, also be sure to leave a comment sharing five mathematical facts representative of the number "100" to earn some extra Behavior Bucks. :-)