One of the changes I have really enjoyed learning
about when it comes to the Common Core Standards is the research component.
One of our stories, The Red Eyed Tree Frog, takes place in the rainforest
and I decided to have our writing connection be a research project. My
awesome intern and I worked together to plan a lesson that collaborated with
our technology integration teacher. A flipchart was made that allowed
students to click on their animal and be taken to various websites that were preselected
to help them gather information on their animal. Students worked in pairs
in the lab to identify facts about their animal's habitat, diet, and
appearance. They were also encouraged to find other interesting facts
that they read along the way. The cool part about technology and the CCSS
is that students are asked to gain information from readings as well as other
sources such as videos. This is a great extension for some of my
struggling readers. They are still able to collect information and it
doesn't have to be watered down to their reading abilities. They did the
research in technology class (which made it much easier then taking turns on
the 3 computers in the classroom) and we worked on putting it all together
throughout the week in the classroom.
I will be adding the graphic organizers we used
this week, but in the meantime, check out some of our finished projects!
Teachers Pay Teachers is having another big sale
this week! May 7th-8th you can get up to 28% off many items in different
stores! My store will be participating along with MANY others! Be
sure to check it out! If you're a seller, I made some other banners that can be used to promote the
sale! Feel free to download and use!
Hope everyone has a great week!
