Great ideas, Melinda. Thanks for sharing. I will definitely try this in 6th grade and maybe 7th.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Melinda Haynes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 1:33 PM Subject: Re: [LIT] test-prep > Jeff Anderson's book Mechanically Inclined is an awesome source of > strategies for meaningful grammar practice! > > Are these skills tested in multiple choice format? A jeopardy-type game > might be a novel way to practice or review... > > I would definitely place these skills in the context of the students' > writing.....For example, each day you could invite your students to find a > piece of writing on which to focus for awhile....It could be published or > still in the process....Use different-colored highlighters to have > students identify places in their writing where various conventions are > used....If unable to find a place, could they accept the challenge to > revise and find somewhere in their writing where they might include the > convention.....? Allow for lots of sharing time, etc... > > My fifth grade kids love to write on transparencies....You could put the > kids in groups to share ways they have noticed convention uses in their > writing....The group could create sentences including several chosen > conventions to write on the transparency and share from the > overhead....They might also select work from their writing where chosen > conventions are shown and write those on a transparency to share.... > > We also enjoy finding these conventions in the novels we are > reading....Since the brain loves color, provide kids with brightly colored > paper or index cards and invite them to go on scavenger hunts for chosen > conventions....Students lift/copy sentences and place on various anchor > charts labeled with conventions....Groups visit charts on a "Grammar > Gallery Walk"..... > > Have you ever seen The Amazing Pop-Up Grammar Book, by Jennie Maizels and > Kate Petty? We make pop-up books for different conventions following the > model of the book... > > We also use pictures from magazines.....You name the convention(s), and > the picture is the "prompt" for sentence construction including required > convention(s). Share and display... > > Use the newspaper for novelty, as well....Students highlight transitions, > clauses, whatever you want them to find. Share. Display. > > I hope this helps! Best wishes! > > > > "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else > that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations > crumble and die out;...But in the world of books are volumes that have > seen this happen again and again and yet live on. Still young, still as > fresh as the day they were written, still telling men's hearts of the > hearts of men centuries dead."--Clarence Day > > Melinda Hawkins > 5th Grade LA/SS > McCulloch Intermediate School > Highland Park ISD > (214) 780-2325 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.26/746 - Release Date: 4/4/2007 > 1:09 PM > > _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
