Kicking off Opinion Writing

We analyzed the speech Severn Cullis-Suzuki gave at the United Nations 25 years ago. The children observed how she used thinking questions, anecdotes, facts, and repetition to be persuasive. Nate brought in these magnets which state the goals of the United Nations. Some children are choosing topics related to the U.N.'s goals. Stay tuned for fantastic letters and speeches headed our way!

Some children were curious about where Severn is now- here's her website. 

Mini-Expert Books

The children created mini-expert books to warm up for report writing.

They shared them in groups and thought about thesis statements that would work for their topics.

Once some more research is completed, the children will commit to a thesis for their report.

If you do not know your child's topic, ask her/him.

Enjoy the weekend!

Everything Notebooks

Looking for inspiration- decorate your notebook for help! It's never too late to decorate!

Kicking Off Persuasive Essay Writing

   


     The class read about Martha Payne today.  She's an incredible 10 year old from Scotland who has raised a lot of money for Mary's Meals, an organization that provides school lunches for children in Malawi.  Her intention was to raise 7,000 pounds, but she has raised over 130,000 pounds through her blog about her own school lunches.
    Her story got students thinking about things they wish were different in the world, which will be the basis of their persuasive essays.  Some topics will be personal and close to home, while others will address more global issues.  Either decision will lead to learning how to craft writing using the art of persuasion.

Writing to Make a Difference

Thanks for coming to our publishing party! If you brought in something yummy to share, the children and I send you an extra thank you! I hope you are as impressed as I am with the passion displayed in the letters and speeches. Thank you again for the donations of food, clothing, and pet supplies! All the best in 2013!

Personal Narrative Illustrations

Dear Students,
Double click on your picture and you can take a screen-shot(command+shift+4) of your illustration to put on your blog. Thanks for this great idea, Finn!
Happy blogging,
Ms. Rhoads

YOU'RE INVITED!

Dear Families,

You're invited to our first publishing party on Friday, November 18th from 8:20-9:00.  If you need to get to work earlier than 8:20, you are welcome to come beginning at 7:30. 

If you'd like to bring something for our celebration, please click on the link to sign up.  Whatever you type is automatically saved.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16fn_KLwu1KgpnC_vEMlu-HD31N5BxuKKPwZ9bCaCc0M/edit

Looking forward to sharing our 2nd personal narratives with you,
Renee and the class

Sharing Leads

Students shared their amazing leads for their second personal narratives. They experimented with action, setting, and dialogue leads and shared with others using our voice amplifier.