Flashbacks

So here's my power point on flashback.  It includes some great Youtube clips from Ratatouille and The Lion King.

http://www.slideshare.net/karinfinnegan5/flashback-32579740

I had the students write the word flashback on a plain piece of paper then they had to hold it up when the flashbacks occurred.  I also read Langston's Train Ride by Robert Burleigh, as it is full on flashbacks (even flashbacks within flashbacks)  Then the students had to highlight flashbacks in a couple of short stories I provided.

The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth

Nate has just moved into a new home in a new neighborhood.  When he discovers an old tape reel under the floorboards in his room, he is drawn into a strange world which is starting to move beyond the woods in his bau.  With the help of Tabitha, one of the local children, he uncovers buglings, killer trees, talking dolls and unsolved mysteries.  Will he ever find out what happened to Walt, the boy who made the recordings then dissappeared?  Will he be able to stop the evil in the woods?  Find out in The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth.

(I was a little worried because I did not love this book.  The pictures were fantastic but the story made me feel a little like "been there, done that".  After reading other reviews though, I found I was not alone.)

Foreshadowing

First put a definition of foreshadowing on the board, then discuss why an author might use foreshadowing.  I read a brief excerpt from a script of the Wizard of Oz foreshadowing the scarecrow's "not having a brain".  Then I read The Landlady by Roald Dahl.  Perfect for 5th grade (my students love spooky stories) and foreshadowing!  Then they completed this worksheet cooperatively.

http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/documents/11612_5193.pdf

Plagiarism

This is a lesson on plagiarism for 5th graders.  I like this worksheet to explain the concept:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html

Then, this is a great worksheet for them to work on together and discuss:

http://tinyurl.com/kqhaaz7

Then we play "The Plagiarism Game"

http://www.slideshare.net/karinfinnegan5/the-plagiarism-game

Have Fun!

Snowflake Bentley

This is a beautiful biography of Wilson Bentley "The Snowflake Man", who spent his entire life photographing snow crystals.




After a read aloud, we explore Bentley's photographs, then the students create their own virtual snowflakes, using the following website.

http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/winter/snowflake.htm

Figurative Language

I love this website for teaching figurative language.  I use the worksheet (provided by Flocabulary) filled out with the expressions and we discuss each term and examples.  Then the students listen to the rap and fill in the different figurative language examples from the rap.

https://www.flocabulary.com/figurative-language/

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli

Life is all about childhood in Hokey Pokey.  In this place, kids rule the world.  There are trucks to play on, mud to play in, slushies every day and hugs when you need them.  Jack and his friend love their lives filled with their precious bikes, cartoons all day, every day and their boys only club.  When strange things start happening to Jack, life in Hokey Pokey no longer quite seems to make sense.  First, Jack's bike disappears, then he finds himself talking to a girl, then his tattoo begins to disappear.  Jack and his friends become really worried about what's going to happen.  Will Jack get his bike back, will things go back to normal or will Jack vanish?  Find out in Hokey Pokey.

On a side note, as a mother of a 10 year old boy, I cried like a baby when I read this book.  See what you think.