Back in 2008, as I was doing presentations about summarizing, I was surprised that teachers wanted more about text structures--more examples, more resources, more teaching tools.
I created a PowerPoint to share some short paragraphs. This PowerPoint has been around for what seems like an eternity online, with 85,000 downloads on TpT and just about as many views on Slideshare. (I did take it down from Slideshare over the summer when I found it reposted all over the place, so it's starting fresh with the views.)
When I looked through it again a few months ago I thought...well, it was definitely due for an update. So I have refreshed it with new photos and some new paragraphs while still keeping many of the examples and review slides. Here it is:
You'll notice that I finally gave in with the text structure of "Description". Originally, I had called this "Statement and Support" or "Main Idea". However, the term description has come into more frequent use, and I decided to go with it. (I guess I really gave in to this two summers ago when I created the sets of Description texts.)
I put this back on Slideshare because I think it would be a great resource for a flipped classroom, or to embed on a classroom website. Do let me know if you are planning to use it in an interesting or exciting way!
News
-November homework will be coming soon!
-I used the story "Pumpkin Seeds" from the October Reading Homework this week. We had a great time acting out the story and finding the theme.
-I've updated the author links on my classroom blog ...kids said they had the best reading class ever when they visited the Jack Stalwart site, the Babymouse site, and the Skeleton Creek site! You'll find the author links over on the right side, under the popular posts.
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Showing posts with label description. Show all posts
Showing posts with label description. Show all posts
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Text Structure: Description
The text structure of description can go by various names. Some resources call it description; others call it statement and support; still others call it main idea/detail. Whatever it is called, this text structure is based on making a statement, and then supporting it with details.
Example:
The buttonbush is a plant that can be found along many rivers and streams. Although it can reach 15 feet tall, it usually only grows a few feet. Its flowers, about the size of a ping-pong ball, bloom through the summer. The flowers are replaced by brown, ball-like fruits in the autumn.
In the past, I've found description to be the easiest text structure to find,whether in textbooks, trade books, or magazines. One especially nice series is published by Peachtree. The latest one is About Raptors.
About Raptors
written by Cathryn Sill
illustrated by John Sill
Peachtree Publishing
All of the books in this series are written in a simple style. Each page contains only one sentence. There are about three main ideas in each book, supported by details. This book is an easy read, but the pictures and specific information make it worthwhile for read alouds even up through sixth grade. If you're looking for a place to start with description, these books would be a strong choice.
Example:
The buttonbush is a plant that can be found along many rivers and streams. Although it can reach 15 feet tall, it usually only grows a few feet. Its flowers, about the size of a ping-pong ball, bloom through the summer. The flowers are replaced by brown, ball-like fruits in the autumn.
In the past, I've found description to be the easiest text structure to find,whether in textbooks, trade books, or magazines. One especially nice series is published by Peachtree. The latest one is About Raptors.
About Raptors
written by Cathryn Sill
illustrated by John Sill
Peachtree Publishing
All of the books in this series are written in a simple style. Each page contains only one sentence. There are about three main ideas in each book, supported by details. This book is an easy read, but the pictures and specific information make it worthwhile for read alouds even up through sixth grade. If you're looking for a place to start with description, these books would be a strong choice.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Writing to Describe: Spatial Order Paragraphs
My students worked on descriptive writing back in November. Writers need a certain self-discipline as they write to describe a picture or scene--they have to freeze a moment in time, writing about what they see instead of what they imagine, writing about what is instead of what happens next.
As I was preparing for a workshop, I assembled all of my classroom documents into one file and uploaded it to TeachersPayTeachers. The unit includes a mentor text lesson, a shared description activity, example paragraphs, a writing checklist, and a peer review form.
If you haven't worked on descriptive writing with your students, it is an ideal kind of writing for spring. It's short, which is wonderful if you are squeezing in lessons around state testing and spring activities. Descriptive writing also has a highly visual and creative component, which keeps kids interested and engaged.
Spatial Order Paragraphs
As I was preparing for a workshop, I assembled all of my classroom documents into one file and uploaded it to TeachersPayTeachers. The unit includes a mentor text lesson, a shared description activity, example paragraphs, a writing checklist, and a peer review form.
If you haven't worked on descriptive writing with your students, it is an ideal kind of writing for spring. It's short, which is wonderful if you are squeezing in lessons around state testing and spring activities. Descriptive writing also has a highly visual and creative component, which keeps kids interested and engaged.
Spatial Order Paragraphs
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