Wonder Wednesday - Skype Visit (Anything But Typical)
*This has been the year of "Nora Raleigh Baskin".
*We began the year with her newest novel Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story as our first read aloud.
*After this read aloud, we had the opportunity to Skype with her and ask our questions and comments.
*During the winter months we got a surprise author visit with Nora when she was in town for a couple of speaking engagements. We spent the time talking about writing, being an author, and Nora's novels.
*After the visit, I knew I wanted to share another title of Nora's and knew this would be the perfect one to pick. I had read it years ago and LOVED it.
*We had our third visit with Nora after finishing this novel and Skyped with her again. It was a true treat to spend more time with her. She is gracious, smart, and so kind.
*This is the thirty-second Wednesday of our year together and that means it is "Picture Wednesday".
*The
biggest goal I have for "Picture Wednesday" is to have my writers
really think about the image they are observing and do some deep
writing.
*I have used this IMAGE in the past and have found the writers always enjoy writing about this picture and what they think will happen to the "parachute" guy.
*Such fun can be had with our writing, thinking, and sharing. This one such image leads to all three of those things.
*Each
Wednesday I feature a photograph, image, or graphic. My goal is to
have my writers do some thinking, reflecting, and writing about the
image.
*We talk about what types of writing we can do in the notebook. Here are some of the possibilities...
-What we notice in the image
-What we wonder about
-Connections we have to the picture
-Thoughts, feeling, emotions about the visual
-Reminders we have from the image
-Create a fiction story about the picture
*Once the image is revealed to the writers, we spend a few minutes "talking" about what we see.
*My writers set up their HEADING in the notebook and we get busy writing.
*During
the start-up of the year, I have my students write for about five
minutes. We slowly build our stamina for writers and slowly add time to
our writing block.
*At
the end of the individual writing time, we call on a few volunteers to
share their actual writing and/or further thoughts about the visual in
front of us.
Treat Tuesday - Party Chicken *This is a family favorite. I grew up with this recipe. *My wife and I had my father over for "Sunday dinner." *We thought it would be fun to make one of his favorites. *This recipe is so EASY, and do delicious!!! Ingredients... 4 whole chicken breasts (boned or 8 fillets) 8 slices bacon 1 (4 ounce) jar dried beef 1 cup sour cream 1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
Directions... Separate beef and place in a layer on the bottom of a greased 8 inch square pan. Wrap bacon around chicken and lay on beef slices. Pour soup and sour cream mixture over chicken. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 2 hours.
*Many of the music selections I use have been used in the past. On the other hand, it is always fun to find a new piece of music that I can use with my writers/listeners.
*I heard this on the radio and then looked it up. For some reason it just said FUN and SPRING to me.
*As you probably know, it is difficult to keep the students engaged during the last month of school. I know they will LOVE this song and love the video even more.
*Today is our Twenty-Ninth Monday together and that means it is time for another musical selection.
*I truly believe Mondays are my favorite day for our writer's notebooks.
*Each
Monday I present a piece of music to my fourth graders. I usually
present this song via a video so they are hearing and seeing the music.
*After
I share the video, we discuss the song/video for a few minutes as a
class. It is always a joy to hear what my young listeners have to say
about the song.
*They
then get busy writing in their notebooks. We start off at the
beginning of the year writing for about five minutes. This will
gradually increase as the year progresses.
*Here are some ideas I give the writers to think about during their writing time...
*Their opinions of the song.
*Their likes and dislikes of the song.
*What the song reminds them of.
*Any connections they may have to the music.
*What they think the message in the piece may be.
*What listeners can learn from the song.
*A fictional story about the music/video.
*These
are just some ideas I give to the writers. They are really free to
write anything they would like as long as it connects to the song.
*After our silent reading, we spend a few more minutes sharing out what we wrote.
*I
keep a collection of the videos on our Schoology Site so that my
students can always go back and rematch them anytime they wish.
