November 2014 | Crafting Connections
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Exit Ticket FREEBIES!

Sunday, November 16, 2014
Hi there!  I blogged over at Upper Elementary Snapshots today.  There, I shared the many benefits of using exit tickets in your classroom.  Hop on over there to check out the post, if you'd like, and then come back and pick up some of the exit tickets I have used in my classroom!  Download any of them you might be able to use for free!



These exit slips can be used when teaching context clues.  Read more at this blog post.

These parts of speech exit tickets are designed to be used as you teach the various parts of speech.
FREE exit tickets for the parts of speech!



This "universal" exit ticket does not address any particular skill or standard.  You can use it with any lesson in any subject!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll return tomorrow for my Anchor's Away Monday post and link-up.  (It will include another freebie!)



Facts and Opinions: An Interactive Anchor Chart

Monday, November 10, 2014

My anchor chart today focuses on facts and opinions.  I have to admit that I was surprised to discover how difficult it is for some students to distinguish fact from opinion. My experience indicates that the statements that confuse students most are those opinions that nearly everybody would agree with. Take this sentence, for example:
"Running a marathon is difficult." 
 Since most people would agree that running a marathon is difficult, some students wrongly assume that it is a fact.


Also, if a student passionately agrees with a statement, they tend to want to make it a fact.
"Dogs make better pets than cats."
Oh, MY!  Does that ever lead to some arguments!  Because some students think they have stories that can "prove" this statement true, they believe this statement is a fact, and it sure can be difficult to convince them otherwise. It can be challenging to persuade a student that that statement is an opinion, and arguments like "But dogs protect their owners... cats don't" will not work as sufficient proof.



Prior to the fact and opinion lesson, I create this anchor chart:
Facts and Opinions Anchor Chart- Everything you need to replicate this anchor chart is included in the blog post. Students read statements and sort them into facts and opinions.
Clip art by Krista Wallden.


We begin by defining  the words "fact" and "opinion", and looking at key words and ideas that are often in each type of statement.  Yes, I have to explain the quote "Just the facts, Ma'am." as being a phrase made popular by an old television show named Dragnet.  (When Detective Joe Friday would question a woman about a crime he was trying to solve, he would sometimes say this phrase.)


After the introduction, I give each student a slip of paper with a statement. Students take turns reading the statements aloud.   After each student reads it, he/she states whether he/she believes the statement is a FACT or an OPINION. I also require each student to justify his/her answer. I try to keep all of the students engaged throughout the lesson by instructing them to "give us a thumbs up if you agree, and a thumbs down if you disagree".
Facts and Opinions Anchor Chart- Everything you need to replicate this anchor chart is included in the blog post. Students read statements and sort them into facts and opinions.

Facts and Opinions Anchor Chart- Everything you need to replicate this anchor chart is included in the blog post. Students read statements and sort them into facts and opinions.
Would you like to replicate this anchor chart in your classroom?  Or, would you like to print the statements above and have your students work with a partner to sort them? Click on either of these images to download these items for FREE!! 

Also, feel free to take a look at my related PowerPoint! Click on the image to check it out!

Teach your students to differentiate between facts and opinions with this student-friendly PowerPoint!          

Thanks for stopping by!

~Deb

Generalizations Anchor Chart (includes FREEBIE!)

Monday, November 3, 2014

Do you have school on Veterans Day?  Here in my area, I don't know of any school district that cancels school in order to recognize Veterans Day.  Therefore, when national holidays like Veterans Day fall on a day that school is in session, I enjoy trying to find a way to relate as many of the day's lessons as possible to the holiday. In terms of English Language Arts, why not link up Veterans Day with teaching students how to recognize GENERALizations in spoken conversations or written documents?
Here's how I do it:


Before class, I create the "base" anchor chart.
Generalizations Anchor Chart... this blog post also includes a FREE worksheet!
Clip art by Educasong.

I fold the bottom section up and tape it so that only the top part of the anchor chart
is visible to begin with.
Generalizations Anchor Chart... this blog post also includes a FREE worksheet!
 After a brief discussion about the definition listed, I point out the signal words that are often found in generalization statements.  I enlist students to help me think of generalization statements related to veterans and Veterans Day that I can write in this area of the chart.


Finally, I reveal the section about faulty generalizations.
Generalizations Anchor Chart... this blog post also includes a FREE worksheet!
We spend quite a bit of time discussing examples of how finding just one solitary exception can make a generalization faulty.  We also discuss why it is important to avoid these statements when writing expository or research papers unless we can absolutely prove that the statement is a fact.

Feel free to use this related FREEBIE worksheet with your students!  It includes the materials you need to replicate the anchor chart.
FREE generalizations worksheet! Check out this blog post that shares an anchor chart idea as well!



Finally, I have a PowerPoint and a matching craftivity that I created for teaching my students about generalizations.  Check them out if you want!

Teaching students about generalizations? Check out this PowerPoint! It tells the difference between generalizations, facts, and opinions, and differentiates valid and faulty generalizations


The craftivity focuses on valid vs. faulty generalizations.
Generalizations Craftivity! Students will remember identifying faulty and valid generalizations!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Deb
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