Unit 2: Exploration & Colonization Part II

This project idea isn't my idea, so I've got to give credit where credit is due. I got the idea from this blogger after stumbling onto her stuff via Pinterest.

Teaching in Room 6

I don't know what her demographics are or what her kids' levels look like, but I wanted to scaffold my students' work a little more in order for them to have success on this project. 

First, I made a bad example and a good example of the project. I had them pass them around and talk in groups about what a good project looks like and what the bad project looked like and how to fix it.

Also, rather than have them Google information, we used this website:

Mr. Nussbaum

I also gave them a similar research sheet, but I wanted them to practice citing their sources, so I gave them a column for sources, although mostly their information all came from the same website. 

The students' learned about and presented information on their colonies and it stuck well enough that I had one confide to me he knew the answers on a district test four weeks later because he had found out that information while researching his colony. 

Next year, I intend to repeat the project, but I will tweak it to encourage the kids to take the map parts home and include more color. They look great, but I think the originals from Room 6's are a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Even so, for a first six weeks project that included research before the scope and sequence calls for teaching the research process, it turned out great.

Social Studies & Reading Integration

Since nonfiction passages have the highest Lexile levels on the STAAR test, my grade level set a goal to work more on nonfiction throughout the year to help raise students' ability to comprehend nonfiction and to integrate more Science into the Reading classroom.

During the first six weeks, I took pieces of Teacher Created Materials digital books on the 13 Colonies and broke it up into small chunks. I then paired the students off and had them read through their chunk and break it down. 

To build their comprehension, we practiced Repeated (Close) Reading:

1. Read the section for yourself silently
2. Read it again with your partner and talk about it
3. Read it a third time and work on the Figure 19 skill assigned
4. Read it a fourth time and break out the main idea for each paragraph

The students did this in pairs and made posters on large sheets and then presented/taught their information to the rest of the class. This is a very time-costly process, but the deep reading really produces growth.

Social Studies & Fluency

We also built reading fluency by performing two plays about the colonists. 

We used this book:

Ten Easy-to-Read American History Plays

I looked it up on Amazon and only two people have bothered to review, and one of them was scathing and rather hateful. So to be fair, if you go looking for this book, it says it's easy to read and it it is definitely that. If you teach in a school with students on fifth grade level, you may find the readability far below what you're looking for. However, if you work with ESL, bilingual, or struggling readers, these plays can be very empowering. Know your students. Mine ate it up! We hosted multiple performances throughout the day. Talk about reading with purpose. Performance is a great purpose for reading!