Show & Tell Tuesday: April

It's far from being Tuesday anymore, but I'm linking up with Stephanie at Forever in Fifth Grade to share some photos! 

If you follow me on Facebook, you've already seen this image. We used dried macaroni to learn about quotation marks. 

My students created "Triple Scoop" (synonym) word lists for overused words. I have a long bank of windows along the back of my classroom, and these posters have been serving double duty. Students are actually getting up out of their seats to refer to the word lists while writing, and the posters are doing a great job blocking out some of the sunlight. I know I shouldn't complain about the weather (especially seeing as it rains so much here), but sometimes there's too much glare on the whiteboard.

We wrapped up our first literature circle in fifth grade. I'm really excited about how it turned out. I'm giving away a copy of my brand-new Lit Circle Packet on my Facebook page. Don't forget to enter by clicking on the photo at the bottom of this post!

My favourite way to introduce new books to my students is by hosting a "Book Tasting". I set up by putting one book on each desk. Sometimes I've even wrapped the books in gift wrap to make it more suspenseful. Students spend 3-4 minutes with a book before rotating to the next book. Each book is numbered, so that students do not waste precious time copying down titles. They simply record the number of the book, a rating from 1-10, whether or not they'd like to read that book, and a brief summary of what they've read so far. Students can choose to read the back cover, the very beginning, or a random place in the middle of the book. The only rule is that they must move onto the next book when the time is up.  

Want to host a book tasting in your classroom? Click on the photo above to download a free template!

Want to win a copy of my Lit Circle Packet? Click on the photo to enter!