Yesterday in the Lab-Postive Verb Poems

In Mr. Sharp's class, we started writing poems based on Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise". We watched the video of Ms. Angelou reciting her poem, then we talked about what the student's favorite stanzas were.


Here are the guidelines for writing your own Positive Verb Poem.

reach
create
hope
live
trust
love
build
dream
give
laugh

1) Choose a verb from the list above.
2) Think of a circumstance in your life that might prevent you from doing this verb.
3) Think of how you will do this verb anyway.
4) How might people react to your actions?
5) Ms. Angelou added a rhyme scheme to her four-lined poem. Rhyming can actually help you to figure out what to say. Choose a verb that has some interesting rhyming possibilities, and see where that verb leads you.
6) Remember that this is a positive poem! End it with your positive verb!


Mrs. Wadsworth's example:

Still I Trust

You may press me to the back of you
Dismiss me, if you must.
I'll walk behind and watch your step,
And still, with love, I'll trust.

Does my meekness trouble you?
Too passive and too weak?
You can't imagine the clearer view
Of following your feet.

Like a silent shepherd,
I trust.
A mother tree with scattered seed,
I trust.
I am the soil from which you grow;
An anchor hidden, depths below,
I'll settle, slowly, like the dust.
You'll grow and go,
And still,
I trust.

Thank You, Dr. Seuss!

I put together this video and activity for Dr. Seuss's birthday. Visit this link to study Dr. Seuss's art. You can also purchase his work from this site. Watch my video, then follow it up with an art project in kidpix.

1/2 hour activity

February 19th is Copernicus's birthday! Discuss heliocentric theory and have your student use Kidpix to make a model of the solar system. Copernicus published a book called "The Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres". He wasn't the first to present the theory that the sun was in a fixed place and the earth rotated around it, but with this publication, he solidified the idea in science. He is credited as one of the fathers of the Scientific Revolution. I copied these pictures of the sun and earth from Inspiration and pasted them into Kidpix.

Abraham Lincoln Scavenger Hunt

Here's a fun activity for President's Day! Open this blog in two windows--one window will stay on this blog so that you can read the questions, and you can use the other window to click on the links and find the answers to the questions. When you find the answers, hit the back button so you can go to the next link. Enjoy!

Where was Abraham Lincoln born? Were his parents wealthy? Go to this link for your answers.

What did Lincoln say about slavery in 1859? Did he think it was right or wrong? Go to this link for the answer.

Which President of the United States was President Abraham Lincoln? What year was he inaugurated? Go to this link for your answer.

What war was fought while Abraham Lincoln was president? Who were the two sides that fought in this war? Go to this link for your answer. To find the names of the two opposing sides, click on the map and look for the blue and the gray.

A famous speech of President Lincoln's begins with "Four score and seven years ago..." A great battle happened here before he gave the speech. Where was the speech given? Go to this link for your answer.

What famous proclamation did President Lincoln release that paved the road for freeing slaves in America? Go to this link for your answer.

What happened to President Lincoln on April 14, 1865? Where did it happen? Who was the shooter? Go to this link for your answer.

When you're finished with the scavenger hunt, go to this site and explore the activities about President Abraham Lincoln.

Rainforest Maths

rainforestmaths.com is a site that many teachers have used to practice math skills online. The site has been down for a while, but now it is back! It is password protected. Teachers, check with your CLA to get a username and password to access this site. The link is under Marvelous Math.

*I have noticed that this site works better on safari, not on firefox.

As I understand it--please comment if I'm mistaken--this site is free this school year on a trial basis. Next year, you will have to register to use the site. So, explore the site and see if it's worth the money!

Maya Angelou--literary activity

I've been studying Maya Angelou as part of Black History Month. I've linked a you tube video of her reciting one of her poems--"And Still I Rise". (In the widgets to the right, it's the video on top.) I love this poem! I love its positive message! And I love how beautiful she is as she recites it. Have your class discuss elements of this poem, and maybe they can write one of their own. Give them a choice of positive verbs they can put in their title, and have them describe how they do that verb. If the page is up for a while, and the photos disappear, refresh the page and wait for the videos to load.

George Washington Scavenger Hunt

Here's an activity for President's Day: A George Washington Internet Scavenger Hunt. Use the following links to find answers to the following questions. At the end, there are a few online activities about George Washington. (Here's a trick to making this easier to do--open this blog in two windows and set the windows up side by side. Keep one window on this blog so you can read the questions. Use the other window to visit the links. Hit the back arrow after you have answered your question so you can go to the next link.)

1. What was the name of Washington's estate? What river is it next to? What important city is 16 miles away? Go to this link for the answers, and watch the video.

2. Which war did he fight in as a military leader for the British? (Clue, he fought with the American Indians and they fought against the French.) Go to this link for the answer.

3. What role did George Washington play in the American Revolutionary War? Go to this link and scroll down to the paragraph titled "War's Outbreak".

4. What role did George Washington take after the war was over? What year did he take this position? Go to this link for the answer.

5. What was a very important bill he passed as President? Go to this link for the answer.

6. How many years did George Washington serve as President? Go to this link and scroll down to the picture of Washington at Valley Forge, then read the text through the rest of the page for the answer.

If you've got all the answers, go to this link and click on "Launch the Portrait for Kids". Learn a little more about President Washington by solving the mystery of this Washington portrait.

A New Find--BrainPop

While searching for fun things for students to do on the computer, I came across a fun site: brainpop.com This site has animated films about many topics, followed by a quiz. Some of these movies are free, and if you click on free movies from the home page, you will be able to see a few of them. I included two of these free movies in my February links list. This is a subscription site, but they offer a 5 day trial. Not long, I know, but the movies are informative and entertaining and the quizes point out the important facts from the movies. These would be a great addition to any classroom!