Here are two informational paragraphs written by students for a homework assignment. They are both about a popular classroom movement break that we sometimes do called a "Silent Ball."
(The topic sentences are in red, the supporting details are in green, the closing sentence is blue, and transitions are underlined.)
The first paragraph is by Eman:
Silent Ball is a fun game, and it is even more fun when you are good at it. First, one tip that I have for you is to think of who you are going to pass to as soon as you get the ball. In addition, it is pretty easy to do that because there is most likely a classmate next to you. Also, passing the ball closer to you makes it easier for you to throw and your classmate to catch. Next up, when the rule is to not look at the person that you are going to pass to I think of how I am going to pass the ball, I do this so that I don’t have to think when I get the ball and I am able to quickly pass it to my classmate. Last but not least, when the rule is to catch the ball with one hand you should be ready for the ball. This is important because if the ball is not passed right in front of you it is better to move and get it in front so that you have a better chance of catching the ball. I hope that at least one of these tips helped you for the next time you play silent ball.
The next paragraph is by Lynx:
In class we play a game called silent ball. The rules are that you need to pass the ball to someone else, and we make up rules and challenges. For example, one rule we sometimes use is you can’t look at the person you're passing to. It is very fun. However, it is not so fun when you get out first or when you think it was a bad throw. For example, sometimes someone will throw the ball and it is hard to catch. Then you will get frustrated because you think they should be out. All in all, silent ball is very fun.
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Here are two informational paragraphs written by students for a homework assignment. They are both about a popular classroom movement break that we sometimes do called a "snowball fight."
(The topic sentences are in red, the supporting details are in green, and transitions are underlined.)
The first paragraph is by Finn M:
It’s hard to disagree that snowball fights are the most fun things ever. But have you ever done it with paper? We have! It is one of our class's many movement breaks. First, we right something on a piece of paper with our name on it, sometimes we right things we are good at, things we like, or just things that are cool about us. After that, you crumple the paper into a ball. Finally, we fight, we can not team up and we can’t throw a ball at someone’s eye. You can throw any ball you find, except the yellow snowball. It is Mr. Salsich’s paper, you can recognize it because of the snowball’s yellow color. In conclusion, the paper snowball fight is almost as fun as a real snowball fight.
The second paragraph is by Lily:
A movement break we sometimes have in class is a “snowball fight.” That is when we each get a piece of paper and write our name in the middle and sometimes we ask questions about something we are learning about or sometimes three things about us. However, Mr. Salsich has a yellow snowball so we all know it is his. Also, you are not allowed to team up, but we all aim for Mr. Salsich when he joins in. Then, when it is over we all grab a snowball and uncrumple it and look whose it is. That is why I really like doing this movement break.
Here is a video of some "snowball" fights in action:
In writing, we have been working on writing informational essays about topics that we know a lot about. We have started by focusing on how to write main idea ("body") paragraphs. A good informational main idea paragraph should have:
We will be working on introductions and conclusions this week. Then we will put it all together. Stay tuned for the final products!
Below are some samples of Daily Writing from the last two weeks that the students selected to share.
Post written by Finn O. In class we are doing pen pals with the 5th grade Pawcatuck students. First they wrote us letters with questions and some things about themselves. Now it is our turn to write, and we are answering most of their questions and telling them some things about us. We are doing this because when Pawcatuck comes next year we want to be able to know some things about them. Here are some things that my classmates wrote about having pen pals:
Below is a slideshow of our selected daily writings from last week. The topics were; something we did over the weekend, an animal we relate to, how homework (or P.E.) makes us feel, and something we prefer about middle school.
Most days, we start ELA with a short writing assignment. Then we partner up and read and respond to each other's writing. After discussing the content of the writing, we go over it and try to fix up any grammar mistakes. Then we switch roles and read the other person's writing. After that, Mr. Salsich usually shares one or two on the board and we discuss them as a class. Last week our daily writing focus was on compound sentences and similes. We had different prompts to write to, such as; something we did over the weekend, our favorite video game, TV show, or movie, and a time we got in trouble or got an injury. On Friday, we selected our favorite piece of daily writing from the week and copied it into a shared Google Slide. Click on the writing image below to read all of our selected pieces. Here are some pictures of us sharing our writing and helping with editing and revising: One of our main learning targets for the first part of the year is to: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says and when explaining our ideas about the text. (CCSS ELA 5.1) This is an essential skill when are communicating our thoughts and understandings about what we read. To practice this, we have been working on reading responses that include quotes that back up our ideas. We also have to explain how the quote proves our ideas. Below is a link to some excellent examples of using quotes from a text to support ideas about the text. These examples were in response to the question, "In the personal narrative Eating The World (or Fireflies), what are two techniques that the author uses to engage the reader? Give specific examples from the text to support your answer." Examples of Excellence!Post written by Abby
Photographs by Finn M and Mr. Salsich Today we read a chapter from a personal narrative. Then we had to highlight the Inner thinking, Action, Details, and Dialogue ("I ADD") in certain colors. This helps us identify a good example of a personal narrative to know how to add a good mix off I ADDs. This project also helps us think about what each sentence is, whether it is inner thinking, action, details, or dialogue. Post written by Maya
Photographs by Turner and Mr. Salsich Today in class we are writing compound sentences that explain why it is important to include details in a narrative, How we do it is we go on to google classroom and onto our "Daily Writing" slide and then write two simple sentences. Then we put them together into a compound sentence by using the conjunctions and, so, or, but or yet. Then we label the subjects, the predicates, and the conjunction. We do this to help our writing skill and learn about compound sentences, as well as reflect on why it is so important to include details in our narrative writing. 😎 |
About UsWe are a 5th grade ELA and social studies class in coastal Connecticut. We post about our learning, our activities, our ideas, and our creativity. Quick LinksStar360 Archives
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