CURRICULUM THEMES AND LESSON IDEAS, GRADES 5-6

5/175/21

reading main idea and details summarizing key events character education teamwork/collaboration math geometry: cones, pyramids measurement

SOAR TO SUCCESS OPTIONS STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION INTERRUPTION TRAINING) CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Editing and Revising: Got You game Everyday Edits http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/edit.shtml Summarizing/Main Ideas/Details Make the Movie Simplify that Story: scholars reframe an upper level book into a simpler and shorter version to tell to younger scholars (can be illustrated) Book/Story Makeover - turn book or story into a short comic book (based on main events and themes) online or written Story ball kinesthetic Story wheel Turn the Story into a Short Play Judge the Book by its Cover Draw that Event - draw and describe a major event in a story Paper bag Reports Math Rugs and Fences - EM Name That Number - EM Pyramids Fraction Pyramids

5/245/28

reading character traits compare/contrast drama character education ethics social responsibility diversity math measurement common factors

SOAR TO SUCCESS OPTIONS STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION INTERRUPTION TRAINING) CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Character Analysis What kind of person is this? Activity Bio-cubes Mini-me/he/she - character activity Character interviews: one scholar as the character, the other as Oprah Puppet stories Character Traits worksheet Character Trading Cards Compare/Contrast write a new ending Dear Mr. Henshaw http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/trophies/rsr/build1/RR_e_ 5_21.htm Off and Running http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/trophies/rsr/build1/RR_e_ 5_25.htm Writing Everyday Edits http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/edit.shtml Factors 24 Factor Captor EM Factor Bingo - EM

5/316/4

Reading Important details inference

SOAR TO SUCCESS OPTIONS STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS Writing/grammar/vocab MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION ulary INTERRUPTION TRAINING) Greek/Latin roots CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Character education Leadership Math Data analysis: probability and statistics Inferences What is happening in this picture? Draw that final Scene: Finish that Comic What is the point of this political cartoon? Catchy Captions/What Happened Here Move to Infer kinesthetic Inferencing Cards Me tubs Science mystery bags

6/76/11

Probability and Statistics Probability Exercises And you thought Gas was expensive? Fact-O Roll the Dice - Craps (with fake money) Eye Spy a Pattern (worksheet) Reading SOAR TO SUCCESS Text organization OPTIONS Authors purpose STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS Writing/grammar/vocab MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION ulary INTERRUPTION TRAINING) Narrative writing CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Character education Teamwork/collaboration Math fractions Author's Purpose Hidden Agenda What is the Point of this Political Cartoon (worksheets from http://nieonline.com/palmbeachpost/cftc.cfm) Writing Outline - Story Map activity Classroom News

comic strip essays what happened here? Group story/poem Everyday Edits http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/edit.shtml Fractions EM Fraction Action Fraction Friction Fraction Capture Mixed-Number Spin Fraction Spin Fractions Fraction Pyramids SOAR TO SUCCESS OPTIONS STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION INTERRUPTION TRAINING) CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Compare/Contrast write a new ending Dear Mr. Henshaw http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/trophies/rsr/build1/RR_e_ 5_21.htm Off and Running http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/trophies/rsr/build1/RR_e_ 5_25.htm

6/146/18

Reading Compare/contrast Character education diversity

5/175/21

Reading Compare/contrast heroes and superheroes Interpreting fiction Writing/vocabulary/gra mmar homophones Character education Self direction leadership math algebra: pattern functions operation concepts dividing decimals

SOAR TO SUCCESS OPTIONS STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION INTERRUPTION TRAINING) CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Compare/Contrast Write a new ending Dear Mr. Henshaw http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/trophies/rsr/build1/RR_e_ 5_21.htm Off and Running http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/trophies/rsr/build1/RR_e_ 5_25.htm Decimals Restaurant decimals Patterns and Functions http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/functions/functions.html Computer Wallpaper Eye Spy a Pattern (worksheet)

5/245/28

Reading Predictions Writing/vocabulary/gra mmar homophones Character education Diversity Innovation/ creativity math algebra: pattern functions operation concepts dividing decimals

SOAR TO SUCCESS OPTIONS STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION INTERRUPTION TRAINING) CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Writing Create a travel brochure Outline - Story Map activity Classroom News comic strip essays what happened here? Menus Group story/poem Rebus reading puzzles (see vocabulary) Classroom News What happened Here?/Catchy Caption - write news articles for uncaptioned photos Decimals Restaurant Decimals Patterns and Functions http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/functions/functions.html Computer Wallpaper

5/316/4

Reading Authors purpose Writing/vocabulary/gra mmar Idioms and cultural concepts Prefixes and suffixes Character education Work ethic/professionalism leadership math number and number relations computation and estimation probability simulations using percents and fractions Fun fun fun Character Eucation

SOAR TO SUCCESS OPTIONS STUDY ISLAND WISE WORDS MORAL REASONING CURRICULUM (AGGRESSION INTERRUPTION TRAINING) CHARACTER EDUCATION COLLECTION (separate file) Number and Number Relations 24 card game Probability Probability exercises Coin toss Roll the Dice

6/76/11

Fun fun fun Jeopardy Seven letter scrabble spell-off

6/146/18

Fun fun fun Character Education

Fun fun fun Jeopardy Seven letter scrabble spell-off

AUTHOR/TEXT PURPOSE
POLITICAL CARTOON ANALYSIS

Provide each scholar or group with a political cartoon (http://nieonline.com/palmbeachpost/cftc.cfm) has some great cartoons and accompanying worksheets) Have scholars decide what the message of the cartoon is, based on what they see

HIDDEN AGENDA
Provide scholars with an innocuous seeming passage (news articles are great, but you could also use an story, an interview, a subtle advertisement, etc.) - Ask scholars to identify the agenda of the writer/sponsor, etc. - What to they want you to think or feel regarding the subject? - Haw can you tell ALTERNATIVE you can do the same with any type of passage the point is for scholars to identify what the author is trying to get you to think or feel, and what techniques are used to influence you -

CHARACTER ANALYSIS
1. STORY BALL
1. Using a marker, label each section of the ball (on tape) with the following questions: Where did the story take place? Who were the main characters? Who is your favorite character? Why do you like your favorite character? 2. Once the ball is marked up, set up a game of catch. 3. Each time you toss the ball, scholars must answer the question written on the color which lands under their right hand. 4. Toss the ball back and forththe quicker, the better You can provide clues

2. CHARACTER DICE
1. WE HAVE DICE - Make two dice by cutting the milk cartons in half and sliding the bottom of one carton inside another (two cartons make one cube). 2. Cut paper into 12 pieces. Cover each side of the cubes with a piece of paper and tape in place. 3. On one die, draw six items in which scholars are interested 4. On the other die, write six action words and draw a picture that represents the action (for example, swim, fly, fall, brush, shop, and so on). 5. Cover the cubes with contact paper.

6. Roll the item die and make up something about the picture that is facing up. For example, Once upon a time, there was a very small dinosaur that lived all alone in a very small apartment. 7. Then roll the action die and add to the story that you began. For example, His apartment was surrounded by soup so when he wanted to go anywhere, he had to swim. 8. Keep taking turns adding to the story until one of you reaches an ending! If you have more than one child playing, keep rolling the dice until every child has had a turn to tell part of the story.

3. WHAT KIND OF PERSON IS THIS? ACTIVITY

scholars read a story or book individually or in groups for younger grades, instructor reads aloud as well afterwards, have a discussion regarding the characters personality, choices, feelings, etc.

4. MINI-ME/HE/SHE - CHARACTER ACTIVITY

scholars create a mini-me character representing a major character in the story character includes 3-5 objects the scholar associates with the character the associated objects are placed in a box and shuffled, but the mini-mes are propped up and displayed with the characters name group members must match the objects with the mini-me

5. CHARACTER INTERVIEWS: TALK SHOW/ARTICLE

- one scholar as the major character, the other as Oprah - the Oprah character interviews the scholar regarding his/her choices, personality, future - the major character answers according to character or information inferred by the book Alternative have a whole cast of characters on a trashy talk show Alternative do interview for a article in newspaper or popular magazine

6. PUPPET STORYTELLING
Materials Socks or felt Yarn markers Activity 1. Have scholars create puppets representing story characters 2. Scholars use puppets to tell or retell stories

7. CHARACTER CHARADES

Scholars must choose a card with a story character on it Scholar performs a charade based on major character traits or actions associated with the character Classmates guess the character Points are scored based on both quality of charade and accuracy of guesses

8. . BIOCUBES - Begin with a Planning Session:

.

Character name, time Character background: Personality traits: focus on descriptive words smart, kind, etc. Significance: why the character is important to the story major event(s) associated with character Setting in which character exists Create Cubes using cardboard (I have a template) Have scholars decorate each surface of the cube with words or pictures related to the above categories (or your own) Have scholars use the cube to discuss character. Encourage them to use additional details. Have scholars use the cube to write a paragraph about the character.

9. CHARACTER TRADING CARDS

What You Need

Computer with Internet access and printer Online Character Trading Cards tool, planning sheet, and sample card A favorite book Cardstock or heavy paper (optional) Art supplies and scissors (e.g., crayons, markers)

back to top

Heres What To Do
Before beginning this activity, visit the online Character Trading Cards tool and sample card so you can see how it works. You may want to print the planning sheet so that you have a list of all of the questions that are on the card. 1. Begin the conversation by asking the child what he or she thinks of the book you are discussing and to write down three favorite things about the story. Talk about them together, asking which characters caused or were affected by these three things that you listed. Transition to further discussion about the characters in the book. Explain that one of the reasons we like a book or a story is because of the characters in it. Sometimes we want to keep reading to find out what happens to a character. Other times we think a character is funny or interesting or reminds us of someone we know, even ourselves. Help the child pick a favorite character in the book. Questions you might ask include:

2.

3.

Is this character interesting to you? Why? Do you think you can write a good description of this character? What will you include?

4.

Does this character do and say things that others will find interesting? Once you have chosen a character, you can either use the planning sheet to look at the questions that will appear on the card or go directly to the online Character Trading Cards tool and start filling it in. Encourage the child to type in the answers to the questions and offer help if needed. Help the child think critically by asking him or her to explain each response and why it was given. Print the completed card. Cut the two pieces out, and tape them together to make a two-sided card. You may want to use cardstock or heavier paper. Have the child draw a picture of the character in the space at the top of the card. Use these cards at a book club meeting in various ways, such as:

5. 6. 7.

Place cards in a hat or bowl. Each child can pick one, read it aloud, and guess who wrote it. Have children get into smaller groups with others who chose the same character to discuss. Have them compare their responses to the questions and also discuss the reasons why they responded how they did.

Have each child share one section from his or her card with others in the groupSection 5: My Impressions works especially well for this activity. Before the meeting, have the child use the online Crossword Puzzles tool to create a puzzle about the character. He or she can print the puzzle and share it and the trading card with the group members; the card will offer hints that can be used to help solve the puzzle.

COMPARE/CONTRAST
WRITE A NEW ENDING
have students write a new ending for the story they read. have scholars compare the ending they wrote with actual ending. Which ending is better? Why do you prefer that ending? Why do you think the author chose his or her ending? Why did you choose yours Etc.

EDITING/REVISING

GOT YOU
1. Create a passage full of punctuation and other grammatical errors 2. Every time scholars make a correction, they receive a point. Highest score wins 3. To finish it off, go back and read the whole book through correctly, so that the last memory of its punctuation is accurate

ESSAYS OUTLINES
STORY MAP PLANNING SESSION
This provides excellent practice for students in using an outline. Although this is not visually organized the same way an outline would be, it gives students practice thinking through their writing before starting, and following a general idea as they write. - In the middle of the map, the students should write the title of their story. - All around the title, the students should include details about the setting, the major character, and at least two minor characters. - They also need to include information about:

- the major problem in the story - where the peak action occurs. - information about the turning point, which is where the story begins to resolve. - details about how the story is resolved, and what the theme or the lesson of the story is.

Using the Story Map to Write Essays

Once students have thought through each aspect listed on their story map, and added a few details, they are ready to start writing. Students should use the story map as an outline, starting with the setting, introducing the characters, develop the problem, solve the problem and explain the lesson.

INFERENCES, PREDICTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

1. WHATS HAPPENING IN THIS PICTURE?
Materials Photo or drawing Chart Paper

Directions 1. Show scholars a picture or drawing 2. Ask scholars what do they see? 3. Ask scholars: what do we know? 4. Ask scholars to draw conclusions based on the above. 5. Write answers to all of the above on chart paper

2. COMPLETE THE COMIC STRIP

Materials Comic strip with last panel removed Directions 1. Distribute incomplete comics 2. Have scholars draw last panel

3. Have scholars describe and explain why they drew last panel

3. CATCHY CAPTIONS/WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

- Provide scholars with a photo depicting an action or event (remove the caption if it is from a newspaper) - Have scholars write a caption for the photo, and/or match photos with captions - have scholars explain why they chose that caption

In depth lesson plan - Prior to the lesson, collect photos with captions from newspapers. Create an answer key or a code so you know which captions and pictures go together. Cut apart the pictures and captions (except for one or two to use as examples). Put the pictures in the bag. - Show students newspaper pictures with captions. Discuss the meaning of the word caption. - Tape a picture without a caption to the board. Ask students to make up a caption for the picture. Write the caption on the board under the picture. - Write the real caption on the board next to the picture. Ask students to determine how close they were to the real description. - Give each student one picture from the bag. Tell each student to write a caption for the picture. - Upon completion, give each student the correct caption for his or her picture. Have students determine how close their captions were to the real captions.

4. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS (POLITICAL) CARTOON?

provide scholars with a political cartoon

have scholars complete worksheet (I have many, or look at http://nieonline.com/palmbeachpost/cftc.cfm - cartons for the classroom) worksheet asks scholars to describe what they see, possible messages, and authors intent, etc.

5. PICTURE STORIES - http://urbanext.illinois.edu/ce/strat108.html

Have scholars write a story on any topic they choose.

- Next, direct them to rewrite their story, using only drawings, pictures, stick figures, and so forth. They may use words such as the, then, next, my, etc. But all nouns, adjectives, and verbs must be represented by pictures. - After completing their stories, students are to give them to another student or team, who will attempt to "read" the picture story using the picture clues provided. After students have read the pictures, give them the story in words and ask them to compare their version with the actual story in words. Discuss with the class how it was that some students were able to read or infer what the story was about. Ask them what skills they used in doing so. Example Story in words The dog chased the cat down the street. The cat ran into a house, but a lady with a broom chased the cat out of her house. Story in pictures

6. Inferencing Catds

Teacher selects an inferring card and reads the card aloud to students explaining how the text gives you clues so

that you could make inferences as to what the card is describing. 2. Students select an inferring card and read it aloud. Their classmates make inferences as to what is being described on the card. 3. Remember, students need to tell which clues helped them make their inferences. 4. In your writing lab, encourage students to write their own inferring cards to add to the classroom deck.

Can you infer where I am? Its so dark in here. Whats that squeaky sound? Ooh, I feel something sticky and stringy touching my face. Im getting nervous! Answer: Im in a spook house!

7. Move to Infer

1. Begin this lesson with a discussion of movements present in all areas of life. 2. Teacher takes a movement card and dramatizes the movement on the card. 3. Students infer what the teacher is acting out. 4. Teacher asks students what clues helped them make their inferences. 5. Give your students the opportunity to select a movement card and dramatize the movement for their classmates. Remember, students must share what clues helped them make their inference. 6. Ask your students to create their own movement cards to add to the classroom deck!

8. Me Tubs

1. Teacher creates a Me Tub. Inside the Me Tub are items that tell the students something about the teacher. Ideas might include: cookbook, family photo, lifejacket, baseball, dog treats, knitting needles & chocolate kisses. Dog treats might suggest that the teacher has a dog at home and after seeing the chocolate kisses; students might be able to infer that the teacher loves chocolate! 2. Teacher removes something from the Me Tub and explains to the students that the item is a clue that tells something about him/her and if they think and search their brain, they can infer something about the teacher. 3. Students infer things about their teacher. Let students ask questions as items are talked about. 4. Teacher asks students what they might put in a Me Tub if they wanted their classmates to infer something about them. 5. Assign Me Tubs as homework.

6. Allow students time to share their Me Tubs with their classmates. Enjoy getting to know your students even better!

9. Science Mystery Bags

Before class, teacher fills and staples shut paper bags with items that give clues about what is inside bag. Bags might contain items such as pealed onions, pennies, potato chips, etc. 2. Teacher observes bag and models to students how he uses his sense of smell, hearing, and touch to infer what is in the bag. 3. Teacher predicts what is in the bag and confirms inference by opening the bag. 4. Paper bags are placed around the classroom and students working in pairs circulate the classroom using their sense of smell, hearing and touch to infer what is in the bag. 5. After all of the students have observed each bag, the teacher facilitates a whole group discussion and inferences are made about the contents of the bags. Remember, it is important to ask students which clues helped them make their inference. Each bag is opened and the inferences are proven correct or refuted. 6. This activity leads to a discussion about the scientific process and how scientists collect information and draw conclusions.

MAIN IDEA/MAJOR THEMES/DETAILS/SUMMARIZING

1. STORY BALL VERSION 1

1. Using a marker, label each section of the ball with the following questions: Where did the story take place? Who were the main characters? What happened in the beginning, What happened in the middle, What happened in the end? What was his favorite part? 2. Once the ball is marked up, set up a game of catch. 5. Each time you toss the ball, scholars must answer the question written on the color which lands under their right hand. 6. Toss the ball back and forththe quicker, the better You can provide clues

VERSION 2
1. Write the questions Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How on an inflated beach ball, using a permanent marker. 2. After reading a narrative, have students toss around the ball in a small group. Ask each student who catches the ball to look to see which word is closest to his or her right thumb, and to answer that question with regard to the text just read. 3. Record the students responses on chart paper to provide a group summary.

2. GRADES K-6 JUDGE THE BOOK BY ITS COVER

Scholars create alternative book or story covers depicting major themes ONLINE - http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/bookcover/

3. GRADES K-6 -MAKE THE MOVIE/ACT OUT THAT STORY

Scholars turn the book or story into a short video or multi-scene film. For older grades, this should begin with a screenplay based on the book/story An activity such as this allows children who learn best with visual aids to demonstrate that they can comprehend what they read, without having to write constantly. It gives visual learners a way to organize their thoughts through pictures before writing. This is also great for children that have a gift for art. They will enjoy this tremendously and may even forget they are doing school work! Begin by discussing major movies that began as books. Which was better? What details are missing or altered from movies based on books? EXAMPLE METHOD 1. By making a movie, we mean imagining the story, frame by frame. What angle is the camera? What does the lighting look like? How about costumes and setting? 2. Have scholars imagine and list six important parts of the book or story. 3. Have scholars sketch a scene that shows each important part. Use one sheet of paper for each scene, creating a movie shot, like that of a storyboard used by movie makers to plan every frame, down to the second. Remind students that details that she sees, feels, tastes, and hears are important to include. 4. Once movie clips are completed, have scholars write a short title for each scene on the top of the clip. Try to be as descriptive as possible.

5. Scholars should use all the sketches and titles to write a summary of the story on a separate sheet of lined paper. Each movie frame and title are used to keep scholars focused on the six most important parts of the book or lesson.

4. CREATE A COMIC BOOK/ BOOK/STORY MAKEOVER:

1. Have scholars determine setting, cast of characters, and major themes from the story 2. Have scholars think of a central problem, action, or event in the story 3. Using the above, have scholars depict major themes via comic strips (preprinted or self-created templates) 4. Comic books can be created using preprinted templates, online, or with self-created templates

5. MOVIE REVIEWER scholars pair up to declare thumbs up or thumbs down regarding a book. 6. SIMPLIFY THAT BOOK: scholars reframe an upper level book into a simpler and shorter version to
tell to younger scholars (can be illustrated). Must include main events, major themes and important details) ALSO SEE PICTURE STORIES (ABOVE) ONLINE VERSION http://kidsedwebsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/comics.jpg http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/ http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/index.html http://www.professorgarfield.org/parents_teachers/kids/comicslab.html

7. SELL/KILL THAT BOOK: scholars written book blurbs or oral commercials with major details
have scholars choose a story or short book to read scholars must then either sell the book or persuade you not to read it scholars must use descriptive details to persuade you

8. STORY COLLAGES - TELL THE STORY WITH PHOTOS Version 1

Scholars use photos to retell a story 1. have scholars determine setting, cast of characters and major themes and details from the story 2. have scholars look for photos (magazines or online) that represent important aspects of story 3. have scholars create a collage based on the photos 4. scholars must label photos with descriptions explaining how they represent aspects of the story

Version 2: Picture Stories

1. Read a piece of text, and have students portray their text summaries through art projects such as creating a collage, timeline, mobile, poster, or cartoon strip. Suggested teacher prompts: What words from the story jump out at you to help make an artistic representation? What was the focus of the reading selection? Think of all the parts in the story and put them together as if you were going to tell another person about the story. What details are most and least significant? How can you use key ideas to condense the information in this story? Which words helped you get the gist of the story? What is important and essential to the text? Tell me about some of the important ideas that struck you. 2. Have students present their artistic interpretations, along with an oral presentation, to the class.

Version 3: Story Wheel

1. Ask students to list the important events in the story. Emphasize that the events should be from the beginning, middle, and end of the selection. 2. Next have the students narrow the list of events to the seven most important. 3. Provide students with blank story wheel. 4. Students write story title and authors name in a wedge of the story wheel. 5. Students should then illustrate a story event in each of the story wheel wedges; so that when the story wheel is completed they have a summary of the story. Students could also include the written event in each of the story wheel wedges. 6. Have students share their story wheels with their classmates.

9. DRAW THAT EVENT

1. 2. 3. 4. Have scholars identify a significant event from the story or book Have scholars visualize the event Have scholars draw the event Have scholars write (or tell) a short description of the event, noting relationships between the drawing and the event

10. PAPER BAG REPORTS

Purpose: To show understanding of characters, setting, conflict and resolution by choosing symbols that represent significant events or characters in the book.

1. On the front of a lunch bag, students draw a scene from a book that they have read. They also include the title of the book, the authors name and their name. 2. On the back of the lunch bag, students write the names of the main characters and summarize the conflict and resolution. 3. Inside the lunch bag, students place objects that represent significant events in the book. They could also put in objects that represent aspects of the characters personality

11. WHICH OF THESE DOES NOT BELONG?

1. Compile lists of major characters events, statements, themes, and/or issues from an article, story, or book students read 2. Each of the above is a category you should create separate lists for each character 3. Add 1-3 minor details in each list 4. Have scholars compete to identify the highest number of trivial details for each list - ALTERNATIVE USE PHOTOS, SYMBOLS, OR PICTURES TO REPRESENT EACH LIST ITEM

POETRY
WHATS THIS SONG REALLY SAYING?
1. 2. 3. 4. have have have have scholars scholars scholars scholars identify favorite songs listen to song obtain and recite written lyrics to favorite songs note rhyme patterns/schemes to songs

[EXAMPLE Hannah Montana's Nobody's Perfect: Sometimes I'm here to jam (a) I'm gonna make a plan (a) It might be crazy (b) I do it anyway (b) No way to know for sure (c) I figure how to cure (c) I'm patchin' up the holes (d) But then it overflows (d) If I'm not doin' to well (e) Why be so hard on myself (e) Some of the words, such as the ones marked e,don't quite rhyme (well would rhyme better with fell or sell), but rhyme well enough to count. These rhymes are called slant rhymes - they're not a perfect fit, but they get the job done.] 5. ask scholars to compare written with performed lyrics. Which is better? Which makes the song make more sense? Can the lyrics stand alone, or are they largely enhanced by the music? 6. Have scholars produce poems following the rhyming scheme of their song 7. Scholars can also look for poems, and compare the quality of the lyrics they chose to the poems

WORD MEANINGS
1. Word Detective!
What You Need:

Lined notebook paper or computer with a word processing program Pencil Dictionary Story or book of his choice

What to Do:
1. Use a lined sheet of notebook paper or a computer with a word processing program to create a three column chart with several rows. 2. Label the first column, Word. This will be the narrowest column needed, as it will only need to fit one written word. 3. Next, label the second column What I think the word means based on how it's used in the story. This column will need to be at least 3 inches wide. 4. Label the third column What I know it means after looking it up in the dictionary. This column will also need to be at least 3 inches wide. 5. Now, have scholars begin reading a story or book of their choice. Explain to them that as they read, they will need to be Word Detectives, looking for words of which they are unsure of the meaning. 6. As scholars find words that they are unsure of, have them write the word on the chart in the first column. Next, have them make a guess about the words meaning using the words in the story or pictures on that page. These are what we refer to as the context clues for the word (understanding context is a crucial part of building excellent reading skills). 7. Next, have them write this guess in the second column, What I think it means based on how it is used in the story. 8. Now have him use their word detecting and dictionary skills for one more step. Havethem look the word up in the dictionary to find the true meaning of the word, and then fill in the final column on the chart. 9. Finally, discuss what they found in the dictionary to ensure that they truly do have a clear understanding of the words meaning.

WRITING
1. CREATE A TRAVEL BROCHURE/MAKE ME WANT TO GO THERE
Materials

collection of travel brochures reference materials, print and/or online Paper and Art Supplies

Activity
1. Ask scholars and others to share their travel stories: Where did they go? What were their favorite moments in their travels? What was the best place to eat? The best place to stay? The activity that was the most fun? 2. For those who have not traveled far ask them if there are places they would like to go, or about their favorite place in the city. o Why would they want to go to that place? o What do they know about it already? o What would they want to know before they go? o Where would they look for that information? 3. Learn about what makes a successful travel brochure. Collect travel brochures from travel agents, the local chamber of commerce, or a near-by convention and visitor's bureau. Or, together, you can look online at some travel examples:
o o o

Notes From the Road: This site offers photos, maps, and narratives on places all over North and Central America. o U.S., Canada, and Mexico Destinations: National Geographic city guides, which contain indepth information, city and park highlights, and more, are available from this page. 4. Examine them together.
o

Are there maps? photos? diagrams? other illustrations? What kind of language and vocabulary is used? How is text presented? paragraphs? bulleted lists? Are there specific places highlighted? What kind? 5. Once they have looked, ask them to return to the list they developed in Step 1: What additional information do they need to make a useful travel brochure? Ask them to think about these questions:
o o o o

Who is your audience for this brochure? What is your purpose? (Is it to convince your parents or program staff to take you on a trip? Is it to share with someone so they can learn about your adventure? Is it to help someone else if they decide to go to the same place? Is it for yourself, so that you can keep a vivid memory of your trip?) o What qualities of a brochure (maps, diagrams, photos, bulleted lists, etc.) would help you create a brochure that will be useful for your audience? o Once they have looked at the travel brochures, invite them to make one of their own. . 6. Assist scholars as they work on the project.
o o

o o

As they're making lists of the details of their trip, ask questions about the places, people, experiences they've had. Asking these questions can help children and teens dig deeply into the memories. As they're turning the ideas into a brochure, point out the spots you enjoy and the moments that really help you picture the vacation spot. Take a look at the format, sentence structure, vocabulary, photographs, maps. Does it sound and look like the sample travel brochures you looked at? Point out to the child/teen the spots where you are confused or have questions.

2. GROUP STORY/POEM
1. Have scholars form groups. Using a central theme, begin by writing the first line of the story/poem 2. Have scholars take turns adding lines to the story/poem, using transition words if doing a story or other piece with sequenced events: first, next, then, after that, finally, etc.

3. COMIC STRIP STORIES OR ESSAYS

1. Have scholars write a story or essay by using pictures to represent major themes, ideas, or events 2. As a group, have scholars identify major ideas/themes/events record on board 3. As a group, have scholars sequence the essay or story beginning middle end 4. Have scholars depict the story via a comic book template

4. WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

scholars write short paragraphs to accompany photos or drawings

5. REBUS READING PUZZLES www.myrebus.com. For letter-image combinations

1. Start with a sentence. For example: start your sentence with the word "I", and explain how the word sounds like "eye". 2. Have scholars draw a picture of an eye, or cut one out or help create a symbol that is recognizable as an eye. Cut out pictures of other nouns, or create pictographs of nouns. Nouns are often easier to create symbols for than verbs. 3. Work with scholars to develop a sentence around two or more noun pictures. Repeat the words over a few times and listen to the sounds. 4. Find images or draw images to take the place of the noun. You might also start with a pile of nouns and have scholars make up a sentence including a noun picture. 5. Help scholars write the in between words on squares of construction paper and cut them out. The list of some sight words may include: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white. 6. Paste the appropriate words and images on the paper to make their message 7. The combination of symbols and words allows a new reader to create messages very quickly and gives a sense of accomplishment as well as strengthening his sight word recognition skills. As scholars progress, try combining letters with images to create even more words.

6. I USED TO, BUT NOW I POEMS

1. have scholars make a list of things they did when they were younger that they do differently now. Things on this list might include: crawling, drinking from a bottle, sleeping in a crib, etc. 2. Using this list, let scholars choose six to eight behaviors that he used to do differently than he does now. These behaviors will be used to write the "I used to" portion of the stanzas. 3. Write the poem. Each stanza of the poem will consist of two lines. The first line will begin "I used to _", and they can complete it with something he used to do. The second line will begin "Now I _", and they can finish that line with what they do now. For example: "I used to drink from a bottle/Now I drink from a cup." 4. Help scholars correct any errors on the rough copy 5. In final copy, let scholars illustrate his poem by drawing pictures of the things they wrote.

7. COLLECT A SENTENCE
1. Give class a time limit -- say, five minutes -- and let them use that time to "collect" words they see out their windows. 2. These can include the names of objects, descriptions of the items they see and hear (such as "blue" for the sky, "tall" for skyscrapers, "rumbling" for motors, and so on) and actual words your kids cull from signs. 3. scholars can choose whether to list the words they find on paper or to simply remember them. 4. When you call "time's up," scholars must use the words they've collected to create as many sentences as they can. 5. Scholars can work as a team to create as many sentences as possible. 6. Alternatively, you can ask class to see how many sentences they can build by themselves, using either words they've collected on their own or taken from a pool of words. The goal then might be to beat their own "personal best" number of sentences from the previous round.

8. Crazy Sentences
Required:

Index cards or paper, writing/drawing supplies

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Prepare five sets of blank index cards, with ten cards in each set. Write numbers on one set of cards, one per card. On another set, draw various shapes. On another, put colors (again, one per card). And on yet another, write the name of animals. You can put the names of anything else you like on the remaining set. Each participant in the activity takes one card from each set. They must then create a sentence using all of the elements on the cards. 8. You can increase the challenge by adding more card sets with more difficult items to incorporate in a coherent sentence. Or you can have other players draw cards that will be incorporated into more sentences to create an amazing tale. Example- So five red monkeys ate 50 pounds of pizza last week. After that, they were green!

9. CREATE AN ANIMAL FOLKTALE

1. To jog creativity, try looking online at some African folktales. 2. Discuss the components of each story, such as its parts, what it explains, and the type of language it uses. 3. Invite groups to think of an interesting or favorite animal that they would like to write about.

4. Suggest that group comes up with an animal with unique physical traits or odd behavior that would be entreating to write and read about. 5. Encourage scholars to brainstorm a story about their animal of choice. Remind them that they will be explaining either a certain action that the animal engages in or discussing how it came to look the way it does. 6. Once groups have finished writing the folktale, they assemble the book, rewriting the story on the construction paper or cutting and pasting the story from the scratch paper onto the bottom of each page. 7. Encourage scholars to either draw in each scene with markers, crayons, or paints, or to cut out images that correspond to the story from magazines. They can create a collage or use a combination of hand drawings and cut-out images. 8. Once each page is complete with illustrations, have scholars create a front cover with a title, author, and images.

10. ORIGIN MYTHS

1. Begin by reviewing some origin myths e.g. Adam and Eve, Greek origin myths, etc. 2. Ask the children to describe these origin myths. What do they have in common? 3. Explain to the children that they will be writing their own origin myths. They can work alone, with partners, or with an adult. They will choose events from their own lives or lives of someone they know, and create fairy tales based on the situations. 4. Begin by brainstorming: Who are the major figures: a Creator, the first People, a jaguar, a serpent, etc. 5. What are some important characteristics or abilities associated with the characters jealous, can make fire, controls the oceans, etc. 6. What are some major events involved in the creation? 7. Have scholars write the myths, based on the above 8. After reading, discuss if their myths sound similar to any they have heard. How are they alike? How are they different?

MATH

DECIMALS
1. Restaurant Decimals
Objective: Students will be able to utilize adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals in a real life scenario. Materials: Menu Food order form Procedure: 1. Break students up into two groups. The first group can act like customers in a restaurant. The second group will be the waiters. 2. The waiters should take down the customers' food orders. They are then responsible for adding up the bill afterwards. (If there is enough time, the waiters can draw the food and give it to the customers along with the bill.- spatial intelligence) 3. The two groups switch roles. Discussion Questions: * When did you use multiplication instead of addition? (when the person ordered more than one thing that cost the same price) * Did you use subtraction? If so, when? * When would you have to use division at a restaurant? (perhaps to split a bill between a certain number of people.

FACTORS
1. Factor Find SKILLS

factors

PLAYERS

4 players (2 teams of 2) or 2 players (1 vs. 1)

EQUIPMENT

playing cards Ace (=1) through 9 paper and pencil

GETTING STARTED
Players turn over four cards from the top of the deck. These cards are added to each other to result in a sum. Each team lists as many possible factors of this sum. Example Players draw the cards 6, 8, 6, and 4. When added together, these numbers result in a sum of 24 (6 + 8 + 6 + 4 = 24).

Team 1 lists the factors of 24 as 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24. Team 2 lists the factors of 24 as 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24.

Teams compare their answers and give the opposing team 1 point for each correct factor. In the case above, Team 1 earned a point for each of its six factors (6 points) and Team 2 earned a point for each of its eight factors (8 points). After the first round, Team 2 is in the lead by 2 points. If one team lists a factor incorrectly, they lose 1 point from their total. Play continues until one team earns a total of 100 points.

FRACTIONS
1. FRACTION PYRAMIDS
Objective: As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to: Work cooperatively with others. Build a pyramid with manipulatives. Divide each layer into fractions.

Materials: Sugar cubes, frosting, baking pans (1 for each team), plastic knives (be careful ED classes), pencils Procedures: 1. Divide the students into teams. 2. Instruct students to build a pyramid using the sugar cubes. 3. Label each sugar cube on each layer (for example, if it takes 16 sugar cubes to build the bottom layer, label each sugar cube 1/16, pencil does well on the sugar cubes). 4. Whoever labels their pyramid layers correctly and builds their pyramid the fastest is the winner!

PLACE VALUE
1. What's Your Number?
SKILLS

4-digit place value decimal place value

PLAYERS

3 or more

EQUIPMENT

playing cards Ace (=1) through 9 "What's Your Number" printable chart (optional)

GETTING STARTED
The goal of this game is to create the largest number possible. Each player needs to make a chart that looks like the "What's Your Number" printable chart. Alternatively, you can print the chart out and hand it out to students. Place the deck of cards face down in the middle of the playing area. Player 1 draws a card from the deck and places it face up. All players must write this number down on their gameboard. Players may choose any place value position on their board.

Players draw five or more cards, one at a time, and fill in their boards; they choose what they believe to be the best possible place-value position for each number. Once players write a number on their grids that number cannot be erased. At the end of the round, the player with the largest number earns 10 points. Example

Player 1 uses the cards drawn to create the number 9,652.41 Player 2 uses the cards drawn to create the number 9,564.21 Player 1 has the larger number. She wins the round and earns 10 points.

Play until one player achieves 100 points.

PROBABILITY and STATISTICS

1. PROBABILITY EXERCISES
Materials - M&M's, paper balls for basketballs, computerm group recording sheets, coin, paper bag Motivation - Ask students: How many students have ever watched a football game? How do they decide what team gets the ball first? (toss a coin) What are the chances that the coin will land on heads? on tails? Procedure 1) Students are randomly placed in groups of four 2) Each group will receive a folder with the activity worksheets and materials 3) Directions will be given for each activity: M&M Investigation, Basketball Investigation, and Sales/Discount Investigation 4) Explain that all students will not be working on the same activity at one time. This lesson will take three days (40-50 minutes each day) 5) Students will read directions and work cooperatively to complete the activities. Activity 1 - M&M Investigation

Students will count and record colors of M&M's by writing the fraction, ratio and decimal of each color. Based on this information they will make predictions about picking certain colors out of a bag. They will choose an M&M 20 times, tallying and recording each time. After they have finished, they will count up and record their picks in fraction, ratio, and decimal form. Analyze the data comparing their predictions and discuss with the group. Activity 2 - Basketball Investigation Each person in the group will pick out a number from the cup and keep it. The number that you pick is the number of shots you may take into the garbage pail. The person who chooses the number six will be first. You must be behind the line when taking all shots and the paper ball must stay in the garbage pail to count. Fill in the "number of baskets made" column as you go along and do all the calculations when your whole team is finished shooting. All fractional answers must be reduced and proper. All decimals must be rounded to the nearest hundredth. Activity 3 - Sales and Discount Investigation (Percents) Each person will find the discount and sale price of one item. When this is completed, switch work with someone in your group to check if all of the math is correct. The Items: Basketball: Original price - $24.99 offering 15% off the original price Bicycle: Original price - $178.50 offering 20% off the original price i-Pod: Original price - $249.89 offering 50% off the original price Television: Original price - $488.00 offering 35% off the original price Closure - Groups will be randomly selected to present one investigation to the class and will be assessed according to a rubric.

2. And You Thought Gasoline Was Expensive!

Subjects

Educational Technology Mathematics --Algebra --Arithmetic

--Measurement --Process Skills --Statistics Social Sciences --Economics

Grade

3-5 6-8

9-12Brief Description Students create charts comparing the cost of a gallon of gasoline to gallons of other liquids -- mouthwash, house paint, fruit juice, and white-out, for example. Objectives Students will

research the cost of a gallon of gasoline. calculate the costs of gallons of a variety of liquids. create charts showing the data they collect. discuss the data. use software or a free online tool to create graphs comparing the costs of a gallon of gasoline with that of five other liquids.

Keywords calculate, COLA, cost of living, economics, equation, gallon, gasoline, inflation, liquid, measure, measurement, pint Materials Needed

ads from food, drug, auto parts, and/or home building supply stores graph creation software or access to the online Create a Graph tool

Lesson Plan

Set Up the Activity: Have your students considered that gasoline might be a bargain when compared with the price of other liquids they consume? Take bottled water, for example. A 16-ounce bottle of water costing $1.09 works out to $8.72 a gallon. That makes gasoline look like a real bargain! Of course, buying a gallon of water is usually cheaper than buying eight 16-ounce bottles of water; but for the purpose of illustration, the bottled water example puts the cost of gasoline in perspective. The Heart of the Lesson: Students can do this activity individually or in small groups, in class or for homework. For an in-class activity, you might

Provide students with newspaper ads from food, drug, auto parts and/or home supply stores so they can price a gallon of a variety of liquids, such as fruit drinks, house paint, mouthwash, auto engine oil, perfume, white-out, and so on. Have students create charts with four columns: Liquid Product, Cost of Item, Size (Volume) of Item, Price per Gallon. In the first row of the charts, students record the cost of a gallon of gasoline. In the remaining rows, students enter the information gleaned from the ads for a variety of other liquids. Next have students use the cost of each of the other products on the chart to calculate the cost for a gallon of the product. (With younger students, these calculations could be done as a whole-class activity.)

When they complete the activity, students should share the information they collected and discuss the cost of a gallon of gasoline relative to the cost of some other things they might purchase. Extension Activity: Students can use the data they collect to create bar graphs providing a visual representation of the data. They can use art supplies, available software programs, or the free online Create a Graph tool to create the graph. http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph

4. Fact-O!
Brief Description Students practice math facts as they play a game of chance and skill. (Game sheet included.) Objectives Students will

follow directions as they play the Fact-O game. correctly create and calculate mathematical equations, using the numbers rolled on three dice. earn points for marking adjacent numbers on the game sheet.

Keywords add, addition, bingo, calculate, dice, equation, facts, game, math, multiply, multiplication, solve, subtract, subtraction Materials Needed

three dice for each pair or group of students Fact-O Game Card

Lesson Plan Adapt the Game for any Grade The Fact-O Game Card is designed to be used with students in grades 4 and up who have a grasp of addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts and processes. However, Fact-O can be adapted for any grade. A game sheet with fewer squares and a limited number of mathematical facts or responses could be created for use in lower grades. For example, a sheet with twelve squares numbered to follow the pattern below might be used with first graders who have learned their addition facts to 10: 1 5 9 7 2 6 3 7 4 8 6 10

10 5 8 9

The rules below relate to the version of the game that can be played with students in grades 4 and up. The rules can be easily adapted by

using a different game sheet, such as one for addition facts up to 10 (shown above) using two dice instead of three providing practice only in addition, only in subtraction, or in a combination of addition and subtraction playing the game the way Bingo is played (first player to X a complete row of numbers is the winner) rather than awarding points for adjacent marked squares

any other variation a teacher might conjure up and introduce.

The Rules

Students can play the game with a partner or in small groups with up to five players. Students roll the three dice to determine who will play the game first. The person who rolls the highest total goes first. The first player rolls the three dice. He or she uses the numbers rolled to create a mathematical problem that employs at least two operations (addition and subtraction, addition and multiplication, or subtraction and multiplication). For example, if the player rolls a 2, a 5, and a 6, she or he could use those numbers to create a mathematical equation such as 2 x 5 + 6 = 16 or 5 x 6 - 2 = 28. In those cases, the student would write the mathematical equation and the answer, then put an X on the answer (16 or 28) on the Fact-O game sheet. The first player passes the dice to the next player in the group; play moves in a clockwise direction. As the game progresses, students check one another's math. If the first player writes an incorrect equation, then passes the dice, any of the other players can call out the error. (Note: An answer is not wrong until the player ends his or her turn by passing the dice to the next person.) The player who made the error must erase the X on his or her game sheet and forfeit the next turn; the player who was first to call out the error is allowed to put an X on his or her game card if that number is open. If a player calls out an error that later proves to be correct, the player who mistakenly called out the error loses his or her next turn. Play resumes. The next player in the circle rolls the dice. (If the next player is a player who properly called out an error in the previous roll of the dice, then that player still gets his or her regular turn in rotation.) When the first player gets a second turn, she or he should roll the dice and try to create a mathematical problem with an answer that appears on the game sheet adjacent to the answer on which she drew an X in the first round. For example, if the player put an X on the number 16 in the first round, he or she should try to create an equation that has an answer of 7, 8, 15, 23, or 24. (Those are the numbers adjacent to the number 16 on the game sheet.) If the player is able to X a number adjacent to 16, he or she earns a point. If the player is unable to mark a square adjacent to 16, she or he is free to create an equation with any other answer and to X the square that includes that answer, but no point is earned. Points accumulate as the game continues. When a player rolls the dice but is not able to create a mathematical problem that enables her or him to X a number that has not yet been X'd on the game sheet, the player marks no X and passes the dice to the next player. If a player is unable to X any numbered box on the game sheet for three consecutive turns, that player is eliminated from play. Score is kept throughout the game. When time is called, the person with the most points earned is declared the winner of the game. (Remember: The person with the most X'd squares might not be

the winner because the winner is determined by points earned for X'ing the most adjacent squares on the game sheet.)

5. ROLL THE DICE

Objectives: 1. Students will be able to determine the probability of rolling a number on a die. 2. Students will determine the probability of an event based on previous results. Materials:

paper pencils dice in three colors (red, white, and green) calculator (optional)

Procedure: 1. Introduce the concept of probability. Have a class discussion about how probability is used in the real world. (Examples: meteorology, science, games of chance, etc.) 2. Show students a bucket that contains three colors of dice. Quantity is not important here, but you need a matching number of each color for the following activity to work.] 3. Ask students to determine the probability of drawing a white die from the bucket. Have a student reach into the bucket and pull out a die. Now have the students re-figure the probability of drawing a white die. Is it larger or smaller now? Repeat this process until five dice have been pulled out. It is important that you NOT replace the dice you have pulled out. Again, re-figure the probability after each die is pulled out. 4. Divide the class into groups of two or three. Students will conduct two experiments with dice: rolling one die 100 times and rolling two dice 100 times. Each group will receive two dice for conducting the experiments (color is not important). Observe the students as they are conducting the experiments. Make sure students are recording their results carefully. 5. Have scholars answer these questions for each set of rolls What number(s) appeared most often? Least often?

Given your results, write the probability of rolling each number or pair of numbers Make a prediction for the 101st roll. D) Roll the die/dice again. What was the result?

6. here are some general questions you can use in discussion: Is probability an exact science? Why or why not? Why do you think people depend on probability (i.e. - lotteries, games of chance, etc.)? Are there any good uses for probability?

6. Coin Toss

EXTRAS
1. Seven-Letter Scrabble Spelloff
How many words can students create with seven Scrabble letters? Objectives Students will

use their spelling skills to build words using just seven letters. correctly spell those words.

Lesson Plan This activity is the "Monday Puzzle" -- part of a week of "puzzling activities" that comprise the Lesson Planning article A Puzzle A Day Provides Practice That Pays. This fun activity -- easily adapted to any grade -- makes a great "bellringer" activity for settling down students at the start of the school day, immediately after lunch, or as a transition after any other activity. For this puzzling activity, provide students with seven Scrabble letter tiles and give them a set amount of time to create words using just those letters. You can use the online Scrabble Word Builder Tool to produce a list of words that contain some or all of those seven letters. Simply type the seven letters into

the tool, (Be sure to use the Word Builder window and NOT the Dictionary window), hit Go, and let the tool do the work for you. Then you're ready to see how many of those words your students can create. A Sample Puzzle For this sample game, provide students with the seven letters listed below. ACILOPV For younger students, you might start with easier combinations of letters. Also, all tiles do not need to be different letters; you might provide two tiles of a single letter. Post the letters on a board or chart for all to see. Type the letters into the Scrabble Word Builder Tool; the tool returns a list of 59 words that can be spelled using some or all of those letters. Among the words are ail, alp, ciao, clap, coal, coil, cola, lap, lip, oil, opal, oval, pail, viola, vocal, and voila. If this puzzle is too easy or difficult for your students, see instructions below for adapting the "Seven-Letter Scrabble Spell-Off" activity for your grade level. Scoring the Puzzle You might score this game in several ways. Following are just a few ways in which you might tally points:

Give students a point for each acceptable word made from the day's seven Scrabble letter tiles. Award students 1 point for each one-letter word they make, 2 points for each two-letter word, 3 points for each three-letter words, and so on. Award points based on the point values assigned to each letter in the actual Scrabble board game. (See Scrabble Letter Point Values below.) At the start of the game, assign double or triple point values to specific letters in any word. For example, tell students that the fourth letter in any word they spell has a double point value.

You then might award a prize to the student who makes the most words from the day's letter tiles, and/or create a chart on which to track student results over a month, a quarter, or a longer period of time. Adapting "Seven-Letter Scrabble Spell-Off" for Your Grade Level For younger students, you might start with easier combinations of letters, and/or provide two tiles of a single letter. Scrabble Letter Point Values You can build students' math skills as you build their spelling skills by having them score their words using the assigned values for each letter in the actual Scrabble game. Students might tally their own scores, then exchange papers with a classmate who verifies the score. Below is a list of the point values for each

letter in the Scrabble game. You might provide those values by writing them on each letter tile you post each day. For example, for the letters used in the sample game above, you would post the following letters and point values: A-1 O-1 C-3 P-3 I-1 V-4 L-1

Those point values are derived from the values of the letters in the actual Scrabble board game. The value of each letter is as follows: A1 G2 M3 S-1 Y-4 Assessment Use one of the scoring methods described above or create your own scoring method. If you are tracking student performance on each of the five puzzle-of-the-day activities that comprise this puzzle-a-day plan, students are bound to achieve success on one or more of the different types of puzzles. B-3 H-4 N-1 T-1 Z10 C3 I-1 O1 U1 D2 J-8 P3 V4 E-1 K-5 Q10 W-4 F4 L1 R1 X8