I had a few ‘it’s really working’ moments this week. Two of them centered around ‘8*pARTS of Speech‘ by Jon Corippo. In this activity, students are shown a rather silly picture (my favorite was the elephant on a giant toilet). The sillier the better! Each day my students practice writing and using the 8 parts of speech. We also address subject, predicate, and similes. Oh, and write 1 paragraph EACH DAY. They are also getting pretty proficient at using quotation marks.
Writing the parts of speech and a paragraph based on a photo (from pixabay) is more engaging than a boring prompt!
It’s Working Moment #1
We were working on writing. A student commented that the word ‘on’ was an interjection. Immediately, another student corrected the first by stating, “No, ‘on’ is a preposition.”
The first student looked at the second and said, “Oh yeah, that’s right.”
Seriously, how awesome is that? AND we’ve only been doing this activity for 3 weeks!
It’s Working Moment #2
Earlier in the week, a student asked if she could find pictures we could use for the daily activity. Um, yes! Now I don’t have to look for photos for a few weeks. This has caught on and I have a few students sending me pictures. Looks like I’ll have to make a GForm in order to help organize it all.
Here’s My Advice
Try it! The first few times, my 5th graders and I did it together. They quickly caught on and can now complete the entire page in 15 minutes or less. I still have a few that need extra help (in the form of previously completed papers). That’s okay, they’re making improvements and that’s what I want to see!
And finally, a big thank you and shout out to Jon Corippo for sharing this nugget of awesomeness!
I know this is an old post, but I have been using 8 Parts with my fifth graders this year. Some of them take FOREVER to complete it. How do you ensure that it only takes 15-20 minutes?
Great question. I look at a few different factors with my kiddos. 1 – Who isn’t finishing? Is it because they don’t understand? Or are they playing around? 2 – When I first start, I don’t do the whole page. Too overwhelming at first. We build on it. 3 – I set a time limit and walk around. Very old school, but effective. My students are allowed to talk with one another if they are stuck. I hope this helps.