c The second semester has traditionally been the time when all teachers begin to rethink lessons and attempt to come up with different ways to reteach concepts from the previous semester in a way that will hopefully, by some miracle from God, click with the kids. This idea originated out of that desperation and a trip to Home Depot. In a unexpected trip to one of the happiest places on earth to repair a mishap at the house, I passed by the paint section of the home improvement store and was immediately enthralled with all of the beautiful paint colors of the Behr rainbow greeting me with a kaleidoscope of amazing shades calling my name. I had been sorting through a list in previous days concerning what the kids were still struggling with in writing and grammar skills, and I was attempting, in what felt like in vain, to conjure some grand idea to solve some of the problems. As i stood gazing at the mosaic of tints in neat, tidy rows, an idea slowly formed. So, I nonchalantly sauntered over to the racks upon racks of vibrant hues and started taking several three shade chips for experimentation. I will admit that I had a pretty hefty stack that I was furtively trying to stash in my bag--I never knew how heavy paint chips could be!! Once home, I picked up a book my husband had suggested I read, Buseyism by the actor, Gary Busey. As I read the book, what struck me was his use of acrostics as chapter titles for various points in his life. Some of those titles ever so slightly resembled the Hot Topics I use in class with the kids on writing prompts; then it clicked! Use the paint chips to address and help the kids with hooks or releases for essay topics using acrostics. So, thank you, Gary Busey as well as Behr! (talk about product placement) 1--Get a paint chip with three different colors. 2--Get a zippy sandwich bag. Place painter's or masking tape on one edge and go over the seam. Punch two holes even with the holes in notebook paper. This is to store the paint chips in the kids' notebook for class. 3--Get a class set of fine point black Sharpie markers. 4--Write a one to three word topic in the top section near the Behr icon. (change--never give up--break the rules--goals- success--friendship). 5--In the middle section, write the topic vertically, leaving enough room to write a word for each letter of the topic. Also, write the figurative language element you want to use. Use the dictionary, thesaurus, word wall, and A to Z word sheet to help formulate words for each letter of the topic. 6--For the bottom section, you are to take the topic, the acrostic, as well as the figurative language element and compose a single sentence that could be used as the hook of the introduction or the release of the conclusion. Be sure to fan the paint chips after writing on them to help them dry quickly and keep from smearing when stacking and storing them. |
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Kristina JanewayYou must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right. Archives
January 2020
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