Grade 5 and 6 Instructional Videos

misscrutchfieldHigh School English Support Resources

This week, while the grade 7s and grade 8s were taking exams, grade 5 & 6 came together to create instructional videos for the Reading concepts that we covered this semester. Students had to include a definition for each of their assigned terms, an example from publish literature, and explain how their example illustrated the term.

Three groups decided to use PowToon for the first time with great results!

Enjoy these excellent videos from our grade 5 and 6 students!

Plot:

Point of view:

https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/cDNRWsY1pIb/point-of-view/

Conflict:

https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/bOQeGoQS8yO/conflict/

Help! I’m Trapped in a Snow Globe! Example

misscrutchfieldMiddle School English Support Resources

Today, and next week, the Grade 5s and 6s will be working on a creative writing activity where they imagine they are trapped in a snow globe. Students will have to explain how they became trapped in a snow globe, what it is like in the snow globe, and how they can be rescued.

Click for Ms. Crutchfield’s Example:

Continue reading “Help! I’m Trapped in a Snow Globe! Example” →

What’s Coming Up in Middle School English?

misscrutchfieldUncategorized

It’s hard to believe that the first quarter is already nearly over! Students have been hard at work on reading, writing, and perfecting their grammar all quarter and their hard work shows in their blog posts!

All students have recently been provided a print calendar of their major upcoming assessments in English, Writing Lab, and Drama for the month of October. These assessments and reminders will also appear in the Moodle calendar. If you would like a copy of this calendar emailed to you, please send me an email  at: hcrutchfield@kfscougars.org 

calendar

Please remember that MAP testing is next week, October 12 – 14. MAP testing is an important benchmark that helps teachers personalize student learning and track achievement. Middle School students will be tested on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week. They will need a good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast to help them do their best on the tests.

Moodle Mobile! Never forget your homework again!

misscrutchfieldMiddle School English Support Resources

Middle School students have been struggling to keep track of their homework, so today they downloaded the Moodle Mobile app to their electronic devices  – including some students’ smart phones. The app will allow students to set reminders on any homework assignments or events that their teachers post to Moodle. These reminders will then ‘pop-up’ on student screens up to 24 hours before an event (quiz, test, performance, etc) or an assignment is due.

The Moodle default for reminders is 1 hour. Students will need to change the reminder time on assignments to be reminded the day before an assignment is due. This is simple to do and most students have been shown how to do this in class.

The video below shows a few features of the Moodle Mobile app and will show how to change assignment / event reminders in the calendar.

Photo Essay Assignment

misscrutchfieldMiddle School English Support Resources

This week and next week, Middle School students will be taking a break from their personal narratives to do a photo essay assignment to help us develop better descriptions.

Grade 5 & 6 students are required to have at least 5 photographs and 150 words in their photo essays.

Grade 7 & 8 students are required to have at least 8 photographs and 200 words in their photo essays.

The students must take their own photographs for this assignment. The students will have one week to take their photos. They should bring the digital photos to class the week of September 28.

Below is a sample photo essay by Miss Crutchfield. This example has about 280 words and eight pictures. Descriptive language is in green.

Continue reading “Photo Essay Assignment” →

Welcome to blogging, Middle School!

misscrutchfieldMiddle School English Support Resources

This week, Grades 5 and 6 will be setting up their Edublogs. These blogs are password protected and cannot be viewed by the public without a password (see Moodle for the password).

Students will be posting final drafts of writing assignments in English and Writing Lab to their sites, as well as Drama videos and reflections.

Blogging is an excellent way for students to develop their writing skills for a real-world audience. Blogging encourages improvement in grammar, expression, and critical thinking through publishing.

Student blogs are listed on this page on the left-side in the bottom menu. If you would like the password to view your student’s blog, and cannot find it on Moodle, please email me at hcrutchfield@kfscougars.org.