I Have, Who Has Inferencing

 Here is another "I have, Who has" game to help your students practice making basic inferences.  Just like the rhyming game I posted here, this game creates a circle or loop, so the last question is answered by the first answer set on the table.  The students are encouraged to work together to determine the correct answers.  Directions are included! 

Click on the picture to download.

Thank you!

Elements of a Complete Sentence-Update

I just wanted to let you know that I updated my "Elements of a Complete Sentence" activity.  When playing with my students, I noticed that there were a few confusing cards (which I got rid of) and not enough phrases that did not contain a "what".

Here is the updated version.  The last page is new.

Thank you!!

~ Mrs. Mc  

Main Idea and Details

Some of my 3rd and 4th graders are having a difficult time with identifying Main Idea .  Some just are not getting past the idea that not every paragraph or passage will have one sentence that will state the main idea.  Others are just looking at the title of the piece and considering that the main idea, thus missing a lot of detail.  So I really wanted to do an activity that pulls them away from text but still addresses the concept of main idea.

I decided to create bags full of items that go together.  The students have to think about how the items relate to one anotherand ultimately what the main idea would be of all of the items together, as I slowly pull them out one at a time. One item is the key item that really ties everything together, the detail to best support the main idea. It worked really well!  The kids loved it! 

For the first bag I used a medium-sized tote that I used to use as a purse and we started by discussing what the bag could be used for and what could be inside (right away they guessed items that would belong in a purse).  Inside I had a snack-sized bag of mini-cookies, a napkin, an orange, a drink, a spoon, and then a container of soup. 

When the first few items were pulled out, we talked about how they were food items and would probably be eaten as a snack.  When the final item, the soup, was revealed, then they knew that all of the items together meant, "Eating lunch."

The soup was the key item, the detail to best support the main idea.  I have also put some additional bags together (baking items, swimming items, etc...) all with one key item to tie it all together.

I uploaded the plans and printables for the first bag below.

I would love to hear some of your suggestions for teaching Main Idea!

~ Mrs. Mc

On a side note, I am not able to view documents that are embedded in blogs by  Google Docs.  Any suggestions? 

Elements of a Complete Sentence

Some of my 3^rd graders are having a difficult time determining what makes a sentence complete.  Here is a game I created to help them practice this.  After reading the phrase, they will be asked to think about whether or not they can answer “Who is in the sentence?" and “What is it doing?"  If they can answer both, then it is a complete sentence!

Click on either picture for the printables.

Sarah over at Sarah’s First Grade Snippets has a similar version to practice this!

~ Mrs. Mc

Writing Summaries

(Click on the picture to download.)

~ Mrs. Mc

Hello!

One of the assessments my district uses is the DRA2.  In order to be Independent at the end of second grade and above, the students are expected to include the important characters, events, and details in a written summary of what they have read.  DRA2 provides this simple graphic organizer. I added some clip art and enlarged it so that my students can refer to it when they practice writing summaries in their journals.  The prompts help remind them to include the details that happened all throughout the story, not just what happens at the beginning and the end.

Predicting Throughout the Text

Predicting:

We know that in order to predict, readers must activate their background knowledge and use it to think about what they will be reading.  I frequently use predicting throughout the reading of a text to help my students monitor their comprehension-a skill that is difficult for them.  I do this regularly with some of my 2^nd and 3^rd grade groups.

Here is what I do:

¹  When I preread the text we are reading together in small group, I find 2 good “stopping points” in the text.  This is usually 2-3 pages into the text and then 2-3 pages later (but not at the very end of the text).  These “stopping points” may be when an event is about to happen/change, the feelings of a character are changing, the thinking of a character is changing, etc… 

¹  I then mark the page of the first stopping point with a small sticky note to help signal the students to stop reading when they get to that page.  If the book is thin enough, I may paperclip the rest of the book together, so that the students can not read ahead of the “stopping point” or see additional pictures.

¹  Once the students read to the first “stopping point” they are then presented with the prompt; “Think about the title, the pictures you have seen, and what you have read so far.  Write down 2 (or 3 depending on the text and/or group) important things you think will happen in the rest of the story.”  This prompt is adapted from the Developmental Reading Assessment-2^nd Edition (DRA2). 

Click on the picture for the download.

¹  Once all of the students are done with their writing, we then retell what was read so far and then share the predictions made and most importantly why they made those predictions.

¹  They then follow the same routine until they get to the second stopping point.  In addition, We discuss whether the first predictions were confirmed or not.

The first stopping point, provides the students with some time to learn about the characters, setting, and overall text structure.  They use this information along with what they have learned about the story events, mesh it with their background knowledge, and predict what will happen next.  Most of the time they are also inferring what a character may be thinking or feeling to help form their predictions. 

In addition to drawing on their background knowledge, predicting, and inferring, the students are also given the opportunity to practice sequencing the important details they read about while they retell the story events at each “stopping point”.  It helps the students think deeper about what they are reading because they need to monitor their comprehension throughout their reading.

Hope you find this useful!!

~ Mrs. McKown