Parts of Speech Games for Students

Panda Pop

Parts of Speech Targeted: Pronouns, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs

About: Students click through to a parts-of-speech review before playing a “game.” The student is provided ten sentences, and they must identify the part of speech in an ALL CAPS word to feed the panda. “Game” in quotes because it’s really just practice.  It’s stops at 10 questions no matter how well you do. If you click “play again”, a different set of sentences will be provided. If you want students to record their answers and discuss or reflect on them later, you may use this record sheet.

Note: This game runs on flash which will be disabled on December 18th. Hopefully they reprogram the game.

Parts of Speech Asteroids

Parts of Speech Targeted: Pronouns, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions

About: This one is fun. The player is a spaceship and must destroy falling asteroids before they pass the ship. The part of speech on the asteroid changes to direct the pilot which asteroid to destroy next. Audio is loud, so make sure students silence their device or where headphones.

Word Invasion

Parts of Speech Targeted: Pronouns, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions – You can play the game with all, one, some, or all! You are able to omit certain parts of speech prior to starting.

About: Six Levels. Can select speed/difficulty. Very similar to asteroid game except the player is an octopus instead of a spaceship and is trying to zap jellyfish before they approach him. The part of speech on the octopus changes so he knows which jellyfish to target.

The Best U.S. State Capital Games for Student Study

This is a collection of the best games I’ve found for student to practice identifying all of the state capitals on a map. Students who are competitive especially love playing the first game over and over again to see if they can beat their best time.

Important note: “In 2020, Flash dies for good. Adobe’s media format defined a certain era of the internet, but security vulnerabilities and HTML advancements have rendered Flash obsolete. Adobe announced the end of support way back in 2017, and all major browsers will remove Flash entirely by December 31, 2020. When that happens, tens of thousands of Flash games will be gone from the internet forever.” I’m not sure if replacements will be published in place of the original games linked below, but in January 2021, some of these links may no longer work.

Time Challenge

In this game, you are given the name of the capital and you must click on the corresponding state. Challenge your students to identify all states in under 2 minutes.

U.S.A Level Two

Pick the correct state for the highlighted capital. Click on the image to play. 

U.S.A Level Three

Pick the correct capital for the highlighted state. Click on the image to play. 

U.S.A Level Four

Type the first three letters of the state capital for the highlighted state. Click on the image to play.

Dr. Seuss Website Updated and Ready for this Read Across America Day

Thousands of students have used the Dr. Seuss WebQuest I created for Read Across America Day since I created it a couple years ago. I posted this WebQuest on the blog for the same reason I post everything else – I hoped someone besides myself and my class could utilize my work. Well, I’ve been blown away by its popularity, and I’ve just updated it so that everything is in working order. Since last year, a few links have gone by the wayside. They’ve either been replaced or removed. It’s all been updated so everything is fully functioning and ready to go for this year’s Read Across America Day.

Throughout this WebQuest, students will get to know the writer, poet and cartoonist known as Dr. Seuss better than ever. They will explore his books and characters, and even create a Dr. Seuss inspired character of their own! Click HERE to begin.

Purpose: Students complete a WebQuest to learn more about Dr. Seuss and his books. They then use this to inspire them to create their own Dr. Suess characters. This WebQuest is motivating to students as it allows students to explore and learn at their own pace.

Objectives:

• Students will use online resources to learn about Theodor Seuss Geisel, the writer, poet and cartoonist known as Dr. Seuss.
• Students will explore books written by Dr. Seuss, discovering new books and reflecting on personal favorites.
• Students will create their own imaginative Dr. Seuss inspired character.
• Students exercise technology skills to compile learned information in a Microsoft Word document. Students will: create a bulleted list, insert a table, use shading to fill table background, use text alignment tools and insert headers.

Flipgrid, Weebly, and the Global Read Aloud – Week 1

My students are in love with A Long Walk to Water. I’m reading one chapter on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and it’s killing them. “PLEASE can you read just one more chapter!” they begged on both Monday and today.

I love that they’re loving it, but even more, I love how they are relating to it – how they are able to identify similarities between Salva’s life and their own and not just focus on the differences, because we know there are many. The Weebly and Flipgrid I created have been awesome platforms for sharing and motivating my students to hear what others have to say and share their own thoughts. I’m thrilled with how things have gone this first week!

I posted a “before reading” prompt to the Weebly that asks classes to share how they get their water and how their lives would be different if clean water wasn’t readily available, and it’s been so fun (and not time consuming might I add) to check it each day to see who else has shared with us and how their water sources are similar or different from ours. Also, this linked perfectly with my Science unit, so it’s a double win for any 5th grade teachers out there.

We’re also connecting with classes through Flipgrid. We haven’t gotten as many video responses to the “before reading” prompt, but I know other classes have been able to watch the responses that have been posted due to the view count. Since there were only two videos outside of my class, we watched these videos together instead of individually watching them and completing response forms. My class finished posting their videos to this Flipgrid today. Check it out, react, or respond if you’re reading A Long Walk to Water, too.

Tomorrow, we’ll be adding a written class response to the Weebly for the Chapter 1 prompt as well as adding individual responses on Flipgrid. Here’s the Chapter 1 prompt in case you’re interested in joining us 😉 .

And the Chapter 2-3 prompt…

I hope people continue to post on this site and add to the Flipgrid. It’s been a pleasure moderating it.

Join the GRA Discussion

My class will be participating in the Global Read Aloud this October. We’ll be reading the middle school book, A Long Walk to Water. My kiddos are in 5th grade, but this novel is definitely appropriate for 4th and 5th graders. If you don’t already know about the Global Read Aloud (GRA), it isn’t too late to get on board. HERE is a link to the GRA website for more information. The schedule requires you to read about 3 small chapters a week, so it isn’t overwhelming to add to your plans. With so many classes participating, it is an excellent way to break down the four walls of your classroom and expand your students’ worldview by connecting them with the global community. It’s also an excellent way to generate excitement around reading!

A Long Walk to Water is a short novel that tells two seemingly separate stories that take place in different time periods. One story takes place in the 80s and is about a lost boy of Sudan. The other story takes place over twenty years later and tells the story of a young girl living in Sudan. In the end, the two stories are woven together. This novel is going to lead to valuable discussions.

In order to collaborate with students from around the world, I’ve put together a website where I will post discussion topics based on the chapters of the week. Our students can participate in a global discussion by responding to the discussions questions and one another. I hope you’ll check this website out and consider participating with your class. Please check in HERE to build some excitement by letting others know where your class will be connecting from.

The GRA starts October 2nd. Here’s the weekly chapter breakdown that was published to the GRA website:

Week 1 – Chapters 1-3

Week 2 – Chapters 4-6

Week 3 – Chapters 7-9

Week 4 – Chapters 10-12

Week 5 – Chapters 13-15

Week 6 – Chapters 16-18

 

Looking for Mystery Skype Connections

My 5th graders in CA are looking to connect with classes east of the Mississippi River for Mystery Skype. If you’re a teacher and interested in scheduling one with us in the next few weeks, sign up here!

Mystery Skype is a fun and engaging way for students to learn geography and broaden their worldview. It also provides students with an opportunity to sharpen interpersonal and critical thinking skills. My students love it!

I’m happy to explain how it all works if you’ve never done it before. If you know a teacher who might be interested, please share this with them. We are open to scheduling with any age group and size.

Learn Through Play, Stimulate Innovation, Create a “Not-a-Box”

What better way to learn than through play? Want to encourage your students to think outside of the box and utilize their problem solving skills? Read about my “Not-a-Box” challenge and consider doing it with your kiddos.

Last week, my 5th graders were innovators. It began with reading the picture book Not a Box . After receiving a little inspiration from the book, my 5th and 6th graders were presented a 25 minute challenge. With limited supplies, they had to think “outside of the box” to create their own “not a box”.

Guidelines Given to Students

1. Use your box to create or invent something.
2. You may use as many or as little of the supplies provided. Supplies provided: construction paper, tape, glue, scissors, yarn.
3. You may only use the supplies provided.
4. As long as you are following the first three guidelines, my answer to every one of your questions will be YES. (This is the most critical guideline as it is this freedom that best encourages creativity. Without it, many students will aim to please the teacher or shape their projects based on teacher feedback. This is a rule I use for all of my creative writing assignments as well. )

Note: Students were asked to bring a box to school ahead of time, but they weren’t told what it was for. They were told the box could be as small as a jewelry box or as big as a refrigerator box.

My students were encouraged to be creative and they delivered! Many came up with something original, an invention of their own. After the allotted time expired, we turned the room into a museum. Students were given a piece of folded card stock on which they wrote the name of their creation to display in front of their box.  The students then took took turns touring the museum and showcasing the “not a boxes”. This performance task provided students with a fantastic opportunity to sharpen targeted skills.

You can use this video read aloud of Not a Box if you’re unable to purchase the book.

Of course you do not have to present this activity as a timed challenge, but for me, it added to the excitement and required students to use even more of those problem solving and decision making skills that some of my kiddos so like to keep locked away. My students do not have a lot of timed experiences so I felt it was a needed addition.

Here are a few pictures, shared publicly through the school Facebook page, that show what the activity looked like in action.

Students are hard at work as they start on their “not-a-boxes”.

Creativity at work!

The on-the-go-case can transport items from home into the briefcase. Did you forget your homework? No problem, as long as you have the on-the-go case with you. Hit the homework button inside, close it, and when you reopen it, there it is!

Hungry? Type in any food along with the quantity you’d like delivered, and this gadget will whip it up for you.

Your flowers will grow better than ever when you use this garden planter. It releases a secret potion that keeps your plants alive and strong.

 

The Compliments Project

I read this post on The Cult of Pedagogy’s blog over the summer. It’s about a teacher who began a project she called “The Compliments Project” and later renamed to “Spread the Love”. I absolutely loved the idea and purpose of this activity and knew I wanted to incorporate it in my class at some point this year. I hope you read this and decide to use it in your class, too!

You can read the original post (linked above) to get the backstory.  My goal is to post the resources I created to go along with the activity so they can be reused in your classroom. I liked the ring of “The Compliments Project”, so I’ll be referring to this activity as such from now on. Below you will find an overview of the project as executed in my classroom.

 

Purpose of the Compliments Project

1. Vocabulary – gratitude, thankful, appreciation, compliment
2. Students learn to generate thoughtful compliments focused on character
3. Students develop an understanding that giving compliments is just as uplifting as receiving them
4. Students will feel recognized and appreciated

 

The Compliments Project In Action

I created the following PowerPoint to introduce students to The Compliments Project. It highlights key vocabulary, examples of compliments focused on character, and includes a brief overview. A slide for reflections as well as a slide to close the activity are also included.

• Slides 1-4 introduce the project to students. When on Slide 3, have students practice creating compliments focused on character by sharing compliments for their parents. I found that students find complimenting appearances and possessions easy, while complimenting how someone makes you feel and recognizing personality traits is a little more challenging.
• Slide 5 kicks off The Compliments Project. Ask for a volunteer to be in the “hot seat”.

This is where I made a few changes. Since I’m working with younger students, I decided to have the student in the “hot seat” sit outside of the classroom while we wrote compliments on the SmartBoard. I also gave students a piece of scrap paper and invited them to brainstorm compliments for their classmate on the paper first. This was helpful, as students were able to create several compliments and then choose 1 or 2 of their favorites to write on the board. Last, since I have a SmartBoard, students aren’t able to write on the board at the same time. Unfortunately, this meant that the project took a little longer that it would have if I had a whiteboard instead. Still, the time was well worth it! I invited three students up to the board at a time so they could quickly transition.

When we were done, we invited the student in the “hot seat” back into the classroom. This student was directed into the classroom with eyes closed and took a seat facing away from the board and towards the rest of the class. Another student was selected to summarize what occurred while he/she was outside and then invited our compliment subject to turn towards the board for the BIG REVEAL. The student in the “hot seat” then read the compliments aloud. It’s important that the student read the compliments aloud rather than just look them over…this part is particularly rewarding for the rest of the class. Just wait until you see the gigantic smiles on your students’ faces!

• Slide 6 was used after the activity. I went back to these two questions after each student was in the “hot seat” to really drive home the impact of giving and receiving compliments. I also loved hearing the students reactions and responses.
• Slide 7 is the big takeaway. I also challenge students to offer at least one other genuine compliment to someone throughout the day.

After The Compliments Project

I printed two copies of the compliments we brainstormed (see example above). I laminated one copy and taped it to the front of the our classroom door. The other copy was given to the student to take home. I wrote the following note on the back of the print-out.

We are so thankful to have you in our class. Post these compliments above your bed or by your mirror, someplace where you can see it each day, so you can be reminded of how awesome you are and how much we all appreciate you. 

I also laminated Slides 1 and 2 and put them on our front door as well. Each student’s compliments were added to the door, along with a picture of them in front of their compliments on the board. I recommend doing the same someplace in your classroom.

The Compliments Project is MOVING, UPLIFTING, and INSPIRING. Try it in your class and be a part of teaching and spreading positivity. 

A big thank you to Stephanie MacArthur who was willing to share this idea with other teachers. The more we share, the better we become!

5th Grade Reading Strategies

I created the following reading log and reading strategies guide for my 5th grade students to use for their evening reading assignments. Feel free to download and use with your own class. Click on the image to download via Dropbox.

Student Reading Strategies Form

Student Reading Log

Students circle one of the three strategies in the final box. If they choose visualization, they draw a picture in the box, along with a short response.

Have your students write the page range they are assigned to read ahead of time. They will fill in the # of minutes it took them to read that section in the “# min” field. I included this field to monitor student reading rate.

The reading strategies form I created was adapted from Mendhamboro.org for use in my classroom.

Teacher Hack: Mystery Skype Wall Map

Keep track of your Mystery Skype visits with a Mystery Skype wall map in your classroom.

Last year, I wanted to keep track of my 5th grade Mystery Skype visits with a large wall map, but I didn’t want it to be a costly expenditure. I created the above map (3ft by 2ft) by using just what was available in my classroom. As we visited different states, we highlighted it on the map and added a flag, labeling the city and state. It was an easy way to keep track of our visits, and we were easily able to add multiple flags within the same state.

Click HERE to print a large map. I chose the 3 x 3 “USA continental” map and then drew an outline of Canada and Mexico. I then printed Alaska and Hawaii separately and added them to the map. The link I provided also offers a printable USA map with Alaska and Hawaii included if you’d prefer it. I chose the former because it allowed me to include bodies of water and adjacent countries.

Regular school glue will dry white, and I didn’t have any problems with it holding the eraser flag while it hung on the wall.