Biography Project

Biography Project
Final Project Due:_________________

Using your biography as well as additional information from the Internet, encyclopedias, and other books complete 3 of the 10 options below.

Requirements:
• A binder, folder, or “package” (be creative) to hold the pieces of your project.
• Cover- this will provide an introduction to your person. Include a picture and their name.
• Timeline- you will include a copy of your timeline you made in class and info-tech.

Choose 3 of the following:
• A birth announcement and birth certificate- look in the newspapers located in the classroom for examples. (Included: where they were born, date of birth, parents names, any brother or sisters names, weight at birth)

• Death announcement/ obituary- look in the newspapers located in the classroom for examples. (Include: Date of death, where they died, why they died, who is still living in their family (wife, children), where their funeral will be)

• Illustrate scenes from the story of the person’s life in a comic strip. Please clearly label the date and location of each event.

• Make a map of the major events in the person’s life. Label each event and location clearly with date and location.

• Make a picture book of exciting scenes/events from the person’s life. Clearly label each event with the date and location. Include 5 pages with text.

• Write a speech your person may have given. (For example, Martin Luther King would have given a speech to his fellow civil rights activist about civil rights for African Americans). Make sure NOT to copy any speeches they actually gave. Use the information you learned about them to imagine something they may have said or an issue they may have felt strongly about.

o If you would like to PREFORM the speech that will count for a choice!!!

• Write a newspaper article reporting and explaining an important event in which this person was involved. (Remember Who, what, when, where, why, how)

• Create an advertisement about this person and their work. Look at advertisements in the newspaper, on TV or on the Internet to use as a guide.

• Create a baseball/basketball/football card (if your person is a sports star!). Use a 3x5 card, make sure there is a picture, name, their nickname (if they have one), time period they played, most significant contribution, awards & honors. On the back included: basic biographical information (age, height, etc.), a quote. (Optional: another picture on the back).

• Write a letter to our class from your person. Include a description of who they are and when they were alive, and details that would be interesting to our class!

• Anything else you think might fit with your person. (Examples: write a song, perform your song, poem, script for a play or radio/TV commercial, may other options, be creative!!!) MUST GET APPROVAL FROM THE TEACHER!!!!!


***See the attached checklist to see the requirements for each entry***


Due Dates:

First Draft:_________________

Second Draft:______________

Third Draft:_______________

Final Draft:________________

Geography Unit

Geography Unit Plan

Lesson #1:
Introduce Geography and 5 themes

Objectives: Students will:
• Identify what they know, want to know, and want to learn about geography.
• Complete a graphic organizer detailing the 5 themes of geography.

Procedure:
• Write “Geography” on the board. As a class complete a KWL chart on the board. (5 minutes)
• Ask students if they know what the 5 themes are.
• Distribute the graphic organizer.
• Review/explain each theme. Don’t do examples for a few of the last ones and ask students to complete them on their own.
o This will act as a review sheet perfect for the test. KEEP IT!


Lesson #2
5 Themes

Objectives: Students will:
• Recall the 5 themes of geography
• Create a poster of a specified theme
• Present their finished product to the class

Procedures:
• Ask students to remember and name (with description and examples) as many 5 themes as they can remember.
• Display poster. Explain this is a good way to remind themselves of the 5 themes as well.
• Assign students to a group. Create 5 groups.
• Each group will be responsible for a poster to be hung in the classroom. They need to find pictures representing their given theme. Remember to include all aspects. For example, Place should include both human and physical characteristics. *Pictures and labels should be large enough so we can see them!
• At end of class period ask each group to stand and share their posters.


Lesson #3
Map skills

Objectives: Students will:
• Identify and define- title, legend, compass rose, scale, equator, latitude and longitude.
• Create a flipbook for the terms above.
• Complete a map skills activity sheet.


Procedure:
• Discuss maps and the elements of a good map-title, legend, compass, scale, date, etc.
• Using a map explain terms to students- Legend, scale, Compass Rose (north, south, east, west), Equator, Latitude, Longitude. *Point out the title, date, etc.
• As the terms are described students will record the term and description into their foldable.
• After the description give pairs of students a map and activity sheet.


Lesson #4
Maps vs. Globes

Objectives: Students will:
• Identify, define and record the terms- Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, and Prime Meridian.
• Discuss-Latitude and Longitude
• Explain and discuss- Distortion: size, shape, distance

Lesson #5
What is a region?

Objectives: Students will:
• Describe how regions are defined
• Identify regions in a grocery store.

Procedures:
1. Define region with students.
2. Students record the definition in their flip book.
3. Discuss with students how grocery stores are broken up into regions based on the characteristics of the items.
4. Ask students to brainstorm regions in a grocery store.
5. In pairs ask students to complete the grocery store layout and answer questions about the layout.

Poetry Portfolio

Poetry Portfolio

What is this?
A portfolio is a collection of your work to show off. Each piece of work included in a portfolio is thoughtfully selected. In this case, you will be choosing from your poetry written in class to showcase what you learned!

What to include?
A total of 4 poems
A rough draft of each poem
A justification for each poem

How do I choose?
Choose your favorite poem.

Choose one poem with really good word choice or voice.

Choose one poem that shows something you learned.

Choose one poem that is a new form of poetry to you.

What else?
*Justifications*
Write a paragraph explaining why you included each piece of poetry in your portfolio.
- 1 sentence including the title and which poem in the portfolio it represents (favorite, word choice/voice, learned, new).
- 3 sentences explaining why it was included.
- Make sure to include details and examples of why it qualifies.

Example:
“I included my poem titled Stars in my portfolio because it is my favorite. It is my favorite because I love shape poems. It was very fun to write this poem. I think choosing the shape and coming up with the words to include was great. I also like this poem because the words I used really show what stars look like.

Adjectives with the Mystery Box

Title: The Mystery Box

Grade: 4 or 5

Subject: Grammar

Purpose:

This activity will use a pre-writing strategy to allow students to produce a list of adjectives before writing. This lesson would be used as a mini lesson before writing workshop. This lesson will be a way for students to develop their own sense of what adjectives are and use them effectively in their own writing.

Objectives:

Students will :
-develop a list of adjectives after engaging in a pre-writing activity.
-compose a piece of writing using their list of adjectives.
-evaluate their writing in pairs.

Materials/Resources:

A descriptive book- novel or picture book
The Mystery Box
Paper
Pencil

Prerequisite Knowledge:

Students will understand nouns and verbs. A formal introduction of adjective will have taken place prior to this mini lesson. Also the students should understand the writing process and how to construct a workable set of prose.

Learning Environment:

The lesson will take place in the classroom as whole class instruction or in learning centers.

Procedure:

Motivation:

-Does anyone remember the book we read earlier today (or yesterday)?” “Well, I’m going to refresh your memory by reading a few pages from that book.”

-Today we are going to learn about adjectives. Sometimes people call them descriptive words.

-Read a passage from the chosen book.

-After reading the passage ask the students what they noticed about the passage.

-"Was it interesting?” “What made the writing interesting?” “What did the author do to make it this way?”

-Explain that writing is much more interesting with adjectives.

-Introduce the Mystery Box to the students. Tell them that there is an object in the box and they will each have an opportunity to place their hand in the box and feel the object.

-Remind students that there is to be no talking!! We don’t want anyone to have his or her experience ruined.

-Ask them to list words that come to mind while they felt the object in the box.

-Take a few minutes to list all the words that came to mind with you were feeling the object. How did it feel in your hands? Please write quietly without disturbing others.

-Wrap up discussion by evoking the words, adjective or descriptive words from the students.

Body:

-After everyone has had the chance to experience the mystery box, students will get with a partner (the person sitting next to them) and discuss their list of words.

-Pairs should discuss what the words all have in common and how they are different.

-The pairs will split up.

-Then explain that each student will compose a piece of writing describing the object in the box.

-The object doesn’t have to be in the box while writing about it. For example- if the student felt a snake in the box the student could write a story about finding a snake and picking in up and putting it in his sisters bed.

-Pair rejoins and share their writing. Then they read each piece of writing without the words from the list.

Conclusion

-Classroom discussion of what the words in the list were.

-How was the writing different when you read it without the words from the list?

-What does this tell us about our writing and how can we make it more descriptive?

-What if I read the piece from _________ without any adjectives?

-What would the words that I need to leave out be? Finalize the idea that descriptive words are necessary to make writing richer?

-Students then return to their desks and writing workshop begins. Encourage
students to try and use adjectives in their writing.