Catalog Shopping with Grade 5

I'm starting to put together my orders for next year, and I want to make sure that we're getting books the kids will actually want to read ... especially next year's 6th graders. There's always a big dropoff in checkout activity between 5th and 6th. To that end, I had them go through my stack of book catalogs and make purchase recommendations. Here they are shopping:

Illustrating the Importance of Primary Resources

In 5th and 6th grade, we've been talking about point of view and how it can influence the telling of a story. That led to a lesson about first-hand, or primary, sources, and the importance of eyewitness accounts and original documents in research.

The students saw how a message can be distorted as it passes through different interpretations by playing a game:

• Step 1: Write an adjective and a noun at the top of a piece of paper. Pass it to the left.
  
• Step 2: Draw an illustration of the adjective and noun that your neighbor just handed to you.
  
• Step 3: Fold down the paper so that only your drawing is showing. Pass it to the left.
  
• Step 4: Write an adjective and noun to describe the drawing that your neighbor just handed to you.
  
• Step 5: Fold down the paper so that only your words are showing. Pass it to the left.

And so on.

Here are some of the results:

Summarizing Rumpelstiltskin - Grade 5

In fifth grade this week, we practiced the Somebody / Wanted / But / So / Then method of summarizing a story. Here is what the students came up with for Rumplestiltskin after I read them Paul O. Zelinsky's retelling:

Source: http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin.html

• The king wanted the girl to use the [straw] to make gold, but she didn't know how to do it. So a tiny man did it for her. Then he asked for stuff that she had. - MA



• The king wanted gold, but didn't have it. So he used a girl to make gold of straw, and then the king married the girl. - CS



• The queen wanted help making gold, but R. wanted her baby when she got married unless she figured out his name. So she sent a servant to find out his hame. Then she kept her baby because she found out his name was Rumpelstiltskin. - OG



• R. wanted the queen's baby, but she didn't want to give the baby away. So he said "Guess my name in three days." Then the servant snuck up on him and heard his name and told the queen, and she guessed his name and kept the baby. - MQ



• The queen wanted to keep her son, but she had to figure out the little man's name. So she looked for every name possible and sent her servant to find out the little man's name. Then the little man came back and the queen told [him] that his name was Rumpelstiltskin. - KV



• R. wanted the girl's baby, but she guessed his name. So she got to keep her baby; then she lived happily ever after. - HC



• R. wanted the miller's daughter's first child, but the girl refused to give it to him. So he gave her three days to guess his name and [be able to] keep her child. Then the miller's daughter guessed it right and got to keep her daughter. - MG

Common Core standard addressed: SL.5.2 - Summarize a written text read aloud

Room 10 Advertising Agency

The Superbowl aired earlier this month, and part of the draw isn't the football, but the commercials. Advertisers pay dearly for the opportunity; a 30-second spot cost about $4 million. While most of the ads are entertaining, they're still trying to get viewers to do or believe something.

Fifth-graders learned about three advertising tactics to be aware of: exaggeration, generalization, and scare tactics. They suggested TV commercials they liked, and we analyzed the ways in which they tried to convince us to buy their product. For example, the Old Spice Moms commercial uses exaggeration (and led to a discussion on brand repositioning), while the Pepsi One Direction/Drew Brees commercial uses celebrity endorsement as a generalization tactic (and covers two major demographics in one spot).

Then they created their own ads using at least one of these tactics:

Common Core standards addressed:  RL.5.6 - Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described. / RL.5.7 - Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text / RI.5.8 - Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text..

In Other Words ...

Fifth graders are practicing their paraphrasing skills. Their assignment was to put the following sentences into their own words:

During my earlier years, I experienced much strife with my male and female siblings who were born before me. Now that we are more mature, we have overcome some of our differences and have the ability to interact pleasantly.

Here are some of the new sentences the students came up with. I have to say that I was quite impressed with Room 12's contributions ... they are the champions of my four 5th grades!

When I was younger, I always used to fight with my older siblings. Now that we are older, we get along. - M.Q.

When my older siblings and I were young, we were trouble, but now we get along well. - S.F. & O.G.

When I was younger, I fought with my older siblings. Now we can be friends. - E.F.

When I was little, I fought with my older siblings. Now that we are older, we have become closer. - A.T.

When I was younger, I fought with my brothers and sisters. Now we can be more friendly. - G.R. & M.V. & A.T.

Me and my two siblings never got along. Now that we are more mature, we are more friendly. - N.B. & M.K.

When I was younger, my older siblings and I had a hard time getting along. Now that we are older, we have found a way to get along. - G.S. & B.S.

When I was little, I had trouble with my older brothers and sisters. Now that we are older, we deal with our differences and know how to be nice to each other. - O.T. & N.N.

When I was younger, I went through difficult times with my older brother and sister. Now that we are older, we can talk pleasantly and not fight. - M.A. & J.W.

Don't Be Like Vanilla Ice

Remember to credit all of your sources when you're presenting research ... don't use someone else's ideas, photos, or bass lines and pass them off as your own. List the books, web sites, videos, interviews, and anything else you may have used in a bibliography.

Meet the Elements!

Room 12 Researchers

Fifth graders are reviewing some of the research skills they learned in years past to make sure they'll be ready for upcoming social studies and science projects. Here are some Room 12 students using the table of contents to figure out where they'd find certain information about different dog breeds:

Between D's shirt blending in with the chair and G. peeking in at the corner,
this picture cracks me up.

15 Card Flickr - Room 6

Credit: MonsieurCaron

Once there were zombies. Then they started dancing to Michael Jackson. Then they invaded Lego kingdoms.

Credit: NathanF

Then the zombies ran around in the soccer field and ate soccer players.

Credit: Jonas B

Then the polar bear came to save the day and ate the zombies. Then the polar bear turned into a zombie!

Credit: grantlairdjr

Next, the polar bear tried to eat a baby huskie; but the little huskie ate the polar bear's head off.

Credit: Loimere

The tiger ate the huskie. But the tiger got really sick and ended up throwing up. Then the tiger farted.

Credit: jpctalbot

A cute puppy was looking in the sky, saw Slenderman, and ran away.

Credit: Ana Rivas

The puppy went to Austin's concert.

Credit: Ines11thiago

Then the soccer players made Austin smack himself.

Credit: Mister No [ITA]

Then they saw cheetahs and ran away because they thought the cheetahs were going to eat them.

Credit: Motor74

Then the cheetahs saw the car and started to drive it away.

Credit: Keith Roper

Then the cheetahs crashed into a lake and bumped into a tiger.

Credit: junninhofletr

One Direction was at a concert, got hit by a bus, and turned into zombies. But then they came back alive and married a beautiful girl named Maddie.

Credit: Selena Gomez & The Scene

The One Direction became zombies again and ate Selena Gomez. But then she came back to life and married Michael.

Credit: junninhofletr

Then Rhianna got jealous and turned into a zombie and ate both of them. But before that happened, the zombies tried to get Rhianna but found out there were four of her.

Credit: .RGB.

And Michael and Selena came back to life and Adam married NyanCat.

8 Card Flickr - Room 10

Credit: akeg

One day there was a giant pack of Cheetos. Under the Cheetos was a spade. The Cheeto picked up the spade and started attacking the city.

Credit: colmmcsky

One day, a peasant named Steve was exploring the world of spheres. Five minutes after that, he got attacked by a big bag of Cheetos, and he destroyed it with a sphere.

Credit: lara604 ... why was bexfinch listed?

One day there was a bacon named Sizzlin' Bacon. The Cheetos ate the bacon. Then the bacon turned giant and ate the Cheetos. The pieces of bacon threw up the Cheetos.

Credit: Kids' Birthday Parties ... ???

That very same day, a kid named Bob got a Minecraft shirt for his birthday. His awesome friend Mike, who was at the party, ate all the cake. After they ate the cake, Bob then tried to start a Harlem Shake and failed.

Credit: tsx13

Mike and Bob went to a haunted house on a hill.

Credit: spongebob65

Mike and Bob gave a crabby patty to Plankton.

Credit: mroach

Then Plankton ran to the pancake store and got some pancakes to celebrate Crabby Patty day with Mike and Bob. But then the Cheetos came and ate the pancakes,the bacon, Bob and Mike.

Credit: Kevin M.Gill


And then the Cheetos took over the world.