Author: clucht

Mini Unit: Rhyming Words

Rhyming Words Brain Pop Jr. Video

I chose a video from BrainPop Jr., Rhyming Words. This video is about 4 minutes long explaining how words rhyme and different strategies to figure out if words rhyme or not. I thought this would be great for kindergarten class because some of the words they use are a little advanced, but they always use audio and visual cues to help understanding. It is also very entertaining and students will be able to follow along and learn.

The video goes with the TEKS I chose for Kindergarten, (b)2(C): orally generate rhymes in response to spoken words. Once they have watched the video, they will better comprehend what it means to decipher rhyming words.

A fun whole classroom activity to do after is the stuffed animal pass with rhyming words. You would have the students sit in a circle. The teacher would start with any word, ‘cat’, that is able to rhyme with multiple words. The teacher then passes the stuffed animal to the student on the left who will come up with a word that rhymes. They will continue to pass the stuffed animal until the students cannot think of any more rhymes! Then, that student who has the stuffed animal will make a new word, ‘pet’, until they cannot think of any more words. They continue to come up with new words until you choose to stop. It can be as short or as long as you would like it to be.

I chose this specific activity because it is a quick introduction into a unit on rhyming words. You can do this activity every day or once a week to assess the progress your class is making. It is also something fun that involved all students in the class and is easy to do if you have a few extra minutes!

One Great Text: ‘Foster Child’ by Dorianne Laux

‘Foster Child’ is an amazing poem written by Dorianne Laux in The Book Of Men. I chose this specific poem because of the way Dorianne Laux is able to take specific events and let the reader be fully encompassed in what is happening. I focused on her imagery in this poem. She is able to explain the young man, a foster child, and the incident that occurred with great detail and in just a few lines.

I sat down with an 11th grader and showed him this poem. He was a little overwhelmed by the poem. “It’s great, just hard to wrap your head around.” Although he was a little hesitant with the poem, after talking about the imagery and what it does for the poem, he was impressed by what the author was able to do with such few words. “She takes us through the event and we are there.” One specific line that he really enjoyed:

“all I saw
was the fine red stream slipping
down his shoe lace, swirling into the rainbow oil
in the big silver pan my father drove the car over”

The Scrambled States of America by: Laurie Keller

The Scrambled States of America

The Scrambled States of America is one of many books that Laurie Keller has written about the states. This picture book is a humorous look at geography in the United States. It all starts with grumpy Kansas wanting to meet new states and try a different spot in the United States. The images and humor will certainly entertain and educate students of all ages. Although the story is entirely false, the book does a great job of explaining where all the states are and what the geography is like. It could be used to introduce the states in a third or fourth grade classroom (Social Studies TEKS 6) or to talk about the geography of the United States.

Here is a snippet from The Scrambled States of America:

Well, it was just your basic, ordinary day in the good old U.S. of A. States all over the country were waking up, having their first cups of coffee, reading the morning paper, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise. All the states, that is, except for Kansas. He was not feeling happy at all. How do I know this? Because he said, “I’m not feeling happy at all!”

“What’s wrong?” his best friend, Nebraska, kindly asked him. (Nebraska is a very kind state.) “I don’t know,” moaned Kansas. “I just feel bored. All day long we just sit here in the middle of the country. We never go anywhere. We never do anything, and we never meet any new states!”

“Hmm…” said Nebraska. “Don’t get me wrong, Nebraska. You’re the best friend a state could have. But don’t you ever want more? Don’t you ever want to see what else is out there?” “Yes! Yes, I do!” Nebraska said excitedly. “And now that you mention it, I’m sick and tired of hearing North Dakota and South Dakota bicker all the time!”

“I have a great idea!” exclaimed Kansas. “Let’s have a party and invite all the other states! You know, one of those get-to-know-you deals. Everyone can bring a favorite dish. We could have music and dancing…” “That’s a great idea!” shrieked Nebraska. “I wish I’d thought of it myself.”

Steve Jenkins Author Presentation

Above is an author presentation that gives a quick preview of the creative and factual work of Steve Jenkins. He is a factual scientific children’s author who has several best sellers with amazing images and ways of depicting facts. A few ways you could use Steve Jenkin’s work in the classroom for science would be to learn about Beetles with his Beetle Book, measurements and true sizes of animals in Actual Size, and how to climb Mount Everest in The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest. Teaching these ideas could go with the science TEKS 10 in Kindergarten and 1st grade, 10.A in 2nd grade, and 7 in 3rd grade. These are just a few ways that Steve Jenkin’s books can be a great science tool in your classroom.