4th Grade Theme and Main Idea

The past few weeks have been lots of collaboration with the 4th grade ELA teachers. Our latest co-teaching endeavor has been over main idea and theme. We started with main idea, reviewing how to find the main idea of a selection.

At each table, I placed a short passage that had the title cut off. Students were given post-it notes and were asked to write the main idea in a sentence, and to give the passage a title. When the time limit was up, they covered their answers and moved to the next table. At the next table, they did the same with another passage.

On the last rotation, students then uncovered all the other answers and chose what they thought was the best written main idea.  It helped them to see that the main idea is not copied straight from the passage, but is in your own words.

The next week, we read SNEETCHES AND OTHER STORIES, by Dr. Seuss, which is a great book for comparing themes. I read the first story, SNEETCHES, to the whole group. We came up with a theme all together, then found the text evidence. At their table groups, students made a chart with each story, the theme, and the text evidence. They had the other stories from the book at their tables. This collaborative lesson took two days of 4th grade coming in. This is one reason why it is so important to be on a flexible schedule if you are collaborating with the teachers. 

On the second day, after groups found the theme of each story, students had to compare the themes of all 4 stories. This led to a discussion of the events that were happening during the time period that this book was published. We had some very thoughtful discussions. 

Making Inferences with FREEDOM SUMMER

Wiles, Deborah. FREEDOM SUMMER. illustrated by Jerome
Lagarrigue. Aladdin. 2005. 

Last week, one of the 3rd grade teachers and I were discussing picture books dealing with Civil Rights, segregation,  and the Jim Crow Laws. I asked her what skill they needed more practice on, and when she said 'inferences', I immediately knew to get the book FREEDOM SUMMER by Deborah Wiles.

Flex Schedule is so funny, once one teacher comes to me with an idea, a lot of the teachers want in on the lesson too. So, I ended up teaching this lesson with all 3rd and 4th grade classes.

With 3rd grade, I started out reviewing inferences, and how we use the author's clues and our schema together to make an inference. The author does not always tell the reader everything, the reader has to dig deeper into the text to infer what is happening. This makes it more fun for the reader!! While reading the story, I stopped at certain parts of the story, and students told me their schema, then made an inference. While I read, the teacher filled out the anchor chart with the students' responses.

After reading the story, pairs took a Chromebook to a table, and opened up the padlet I created before class. Pairs discussed what they thought the theme of the story was using our inferences as a basis.

4th grade teachers wanted to focus more on theme, character change, and emotions. One of the 4th grade teachers came up with a note-taking sheet students filled out while I read the book. The plan was to have the students answer the questions making a video using the app, RECAP. However, it wasn't working that day, so students made their notes in preparation to make their video.

If you have not read FREEDOM SUMMER to your students, I highly recommend it! I read the book 8 times last week, and still teared up at the end each time. One class clapped at the end of the story, it was very moving, and it created GREAT conversation with the students. Especially our GT and academically advanced students that we have here.

All these lessons in the library made for a super busy week, but it was worth every busy minute!

Theme, Poetry, and Susan Stevens Crummel

This past week has been super busy in the Hillside library with all sorts of learning! When we return from the Thanksgiving break, we will have an author visit. We are very excited to have Susan Stevens Crummel visit with all grade levels.

My plan is to have a bulletin board displaying student work pertaining to Susan Stevens Crummel's books. With first grade this week, I read aloud the book PLAIDYPUS LOST.  The students loved the repeating text, and read it in chorus with me. After reading the story, the students created their own platypus. They designed the pajamas, and we added patches with pieces of scrapbook paper. I loved how they turned out, and can't wait for Susan Stevens Crummel to see all of their work.

Last week, a third grade teacher approached me and asked if she could bring her class in for a lesson over theme. They had covered the skill in class, but needed a little extra practice. I decided to use the picture books by Susan Stevens Crummel for the lesson. First, the teacher and I went over theme, and I made an anchor chart while we taught/reviewed. (I did not take a picture of my anchor chart, it was not pinterest worthy.)  We taught the students a great way to remember THEME is that it is THE MEssage that the author wants the reader to learn. The students then brainstormed some common themes we see in literature, such as perseverance, teamwork, honesty, and responsibility to name a few. 

I read aloud one of my favorite books, THE LITTLE RED PEN by Susan Stevens Crummel. The students loved the book, especially the pushpin AKA Señorita Chincheta. After reading the book, we brainstormed together the theme of the story. The students came up with "Teamwork, "Don't Be Lazy", and "Never Give Up".

Next, the students were paired up by their teacher, and I brought each pair a book by Crummel. Their job was to read the book and together decide what the theme was. They also had to include text evidence to prove their theme.  

As you can see from the picture our tables were missing, so we had to be flexible. Hillside had our Blue Ribbon celebration that day, so all of the library tables and chairs were being used for the celebration. We still work hard and learn in the library, even without chairs! 

Fourth grade has a unit over poetry this month, specifically figurative language this week. The fourth grade ELA teacher and I discussed a lesson together, and we decided to use the book 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING by Dav Pilkey. The fourth graders all wanted to go down to the rug, so I read the book in our reading area to them. We then reviewed personification, simile, and metaphor. 

The assignment was to create a Popplet (www.popplet.com) and categorize the 3 types of figurative language from the poem. I did type out the poem for the students so they could have the text in front of them to find the examples. 

Whew! Just one more day until our Thanksgiving break!!

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