FREE Colorful CAFE Posters for the Daily 5

Last week I attended a school workshop on the Daily 5 and CAFE - and came away so excited to start, that I wanted everything set up before I left for the school year. Things can get so hectic during the summer, that having my Daily 5 / CAFE bulletin board ready to go would be a weight off, and I could concentrate on other things.  I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I just made my own and thought I would share them with you.

Just click on the image below to download yours free from my TpT site.

I also just saw - literally minutes ago -  that Runde's Room is hosting a Daily 5 / CAFE book study sometime at the beginning of July.  YES!!  I can't wait to chat with everyone and share some fabulous ideas.  Perhaps I'll see you there!

Penny War Persuasive Essay Fundraiser

One of the things I struggle with as an English teacher is how to guide my students to a writing topic that they really connect with - something they actually care about that has real-life meaning to them. The Persuasive Essay - one of four major writing pieces that our sixth graders need to complete - can sometimes go awry. At least, it did for me! In the past, I allowed students free reign to choose topics, and they often ended up with seemingly thoughtful subjects like dress codes, allowance concerns, lunch menu choices, etc... And yet...their writing often lacked any feeling or real arguments.  So, for the past two years, I've done something different - the Penny War.

This is how it works:

1. Two teams of students compete to raise the most money. We did Guys vs. Gals since our class really responded to that and we have fairly even numbers. You could also have different classes or groups competing. Each team races to fill their jug with pennies and other change, but we also accepted dollars. (See variation below.)  I also upped the ante by promising the winning team an ice cream party. That alone was MAJOR motivation!

2. While we are collecting coins, each student does some research and writes a persuasive essay nominating a specific charity to receive the money. Their goal is to convince their classmates to vote for their charity. Sites like Charity Navigator are a great resource to help them find specific information, and to ensure students are selecting a reputable organization.

3. When the essays are complete, each student reads theirs out loud to the class. Then each person votes on which charity should receive the money. I always have this work as a secret ballot and have them vote for two charities. This resolves the issue of every student simply picking their own!

My students were more engaged in this writing assignment than in any other we've done this year. So many selected a charity based on a personal connection that their arguments were already powerfully motivated and they knew that their writing MATTERED this time. It wasn't just an exercise. 

• One student who supported The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation wrote movingly of how she had to carefully watch her diet and calculated how many insulation shots she had to give herself in the past year.
• Another girl described her adorable puppy that her family adopted from the local SPCA.
• A boy explained how The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his little brother a wish after he was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

The read-aloud day was moving, and although there could only be one winner, I think all the students felt good about increasing the awareness of their chosen cause and charity.

As you might guess from the picture above - the girls won!  And both teams raised a total of......... $255.52!!

And the winning charity.........

The Make-A-Wish Foundation

Notes:
Traditional Penny Wars have the pennies counting as positive points, and all other change counting as their equivalent in negative points (a dime = minus ten points, a dollar = minus 100 points, etc.) Therefore Teams would strategically put non-pennies in the other group's jar to try to wipe out their points. I tried this the first year, and it was a nightmare trying to count it out, so I went the simple route this time! Also - you could have students help you roll the change, but again - I tried that, and it nearly gave me an ulcer! Using a CoinStar machine or the equivalent at your bank is much easier.

How do you engage your students in the writing process?

FREE Friday! - The City of Ember Journal Response

My first freebie for you!

 The City of Ember Journal Response Activity

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau is one of my all-time favorite novels to explore with my sixth graders.  They are so intrigued with the city-below-ground and love to pour over the map in the front. (Who doesn't love books with maps?) The thought of being done with school and getting a real job at age 12 seems just about ideal.  Well - at first! 

When I introduce this novel, I don't hold back anymore on "the secret" - I tell them up front that Ember is deep underground. There are enough of my students who have read it or seen the movie (ick) that trying to keep that under wraps was getting tricky. They'd generally tell their friends, and then it turned into a I-know-you-found-out-but-I'll-pretend-you-still-don't-know scenario. This way we can discuss the little clues throughout the story and focus more on how the author built suspense.

After discussing the premise, I conduct our very own "Assignment Day".  I am the stern Mayor with the little drawstring bag, asking students to "walk forward" and select a tiny slip of folded paper that will reveal their job, their destiny, for the next three years.  (Yes, I know the bag is green in the book. Still working on that detail!)

"Assignment Day"!

Each student reads their job out loud and then returns to their seat. Adding little comments along the way can get the whole class erupting in laughter or groaning in sympathy:

"Ah...doctor's assistant...a vital job. You're not squeamish at all are you?"

"Supply Depot Clerk! Perfect! You'll finally get a chance to work on your handwriting!"

"Mold Scraper......I am so very sorry."

Their task is to imagine they are living in Ember and graduated with the two main characters - Doon and Lina. They have to keep a journal describing their experiences - their job, their interactions with the characters, their opinions on events.  It's a fun way to keep students writing, and with jobs like mold scraper and pipeworks laborer - there's a lot they want to share! Do you have a great idea for clever journal prompts or activities to pair with The City of Ember? Please share!

Coming Soon: Our Penny War and a terrific end-of-the-year gift idea to give your students!

State Test Scoring!

Recently I was one of the very lucky teachers who participated in scoring the 6th Grade English Language Arts Test for New York State. (Woo-hoo!) This is my 8th time scoring and here is my recommended "Scoring Survival Kit":

• Coffee and Water
• Chewing Gum
• Mints
• Hard Candy
• Aspirin
• Highlighters
• Mini Sticky Notes
• Pencils

Although the day was very long, and the intense focus was draining (hence the aspirin), I was still impressed and gratified to see how seriously every educator took this responsibility.  The morning training was rigorous with ample practice to "calibrate" our mindset to the new rubrics and the specific set of questions at hand. Every exam had a minimum of four different sets of eyes on it with teachers carefully consulting over tricky responses.  Dare I even say that I enjoyed it?  Well....not quite.

At least we did not have to deal with a "PineappleGate" like the 8th grade. Do pineapples have sleeves?  I'm not so sure now.....

If you have not heard the news out of New York - one of the ELA passages on the 8th grade exam was removed because some considered the text and questions silly and "ambigous". (It was about a talking pineapple challenging a hare to a race.) If you want to read more, here is a fairly clear summary.  And here is the passage and questions.

 






THIS is what $32 million dollars buys?
















Coming Soon - ClassDojo and our Penny War!