Jumpstart January

Have you enjoyed your Christmas break? I know I have! I'm also sure you are in need of some great resources to use when you go back :) The ladies of the Lesson Deli and I have put together a Jumpstart January Blog Hop to help you create your plans for the next few weeks and a chance to win a $50 Target Gift card!

One of my favorite stories to use this time of year is Snowflake Bentley. This is a great text to use for informational text, biography, timelines, sequencing, character traits, and science! I love a text that touches on a variety of skills!

My freebie for you is a mini Snowflake Bentley unit!

This unit includes 4 comprehension questions (that require Higher Order Thinking) for Fan-N-Pick or Team Showdown, Character Trait Map, and an Informational Text Feature template for student writing.

Some of my favorite ways to use task cards are by using the following structures. With these structures you only need a few task cards instead of a whole class set.

Fan-N-Pick/Showdown

1. Provide each team (4-6 students) with a set of cards.

2. Each team member should be assigned a number (1-4).

3. #1 Fans the cards

4. #2 picks a card

5. #3 reads the card aloud to the team

6. EVERYONE writes their answer on a sheet of paper or student white board

7. #4 shares his/her answer first and then students continue to share their answers in order.

8. Rotate the deck of task cards to #2 and repeat the steps. Each student will have a different job this round.

9. Continue the steps until all cards have been answered.

I combine two of Kagan's Cooperative Learning Structures to ensure ALL students are actively engaged and participating in the team discussion.

When students identify the character traits of Wilson Bentley they are also required to support their thinking with evidence from the text. I have also created a text feature template for students to write their own summary or informational text piece on W. Bentley or snow using a variety of text features.

Along with the other members of The Lesson Deli I am putting a few of my products on sale for $1! This is a great time to stock up on some great deals using those TpT gift certificates you received for Christmas!

Math: Fractions with Recipes
Fractions with Recipes 4.NF.4