Presenter: Vita Speagle

Boone County, Florence Elementary

Vita.speagle@boone.kyschools.us

Focus subject: Family Projects, Twin Text

Grade Level: Primary

The students and their parents do these projects together. At the beginning of the year, the projects are simple and I let the parents do most of the writing. By January the student does most of the work with the parents help.

Family Projects: August- Summer Memory Bag (I am going to do this next year)

September- All about Me

October- Pumpkin Story(adjective words to describe the pumpkin)

November- Tom Turkey (tell a story or tell how you disguise your

turkey using first, then, next, last)

January- Biography Research Project (famous America)

February- 100th day of school project

March- Weather Report (Did not get to this one)

April- Auto-Bio Poem (Did not get to this one)

May- Insect Report using books, graphic organizer and chatterkid to present the report. Did not get to this one.

Here are some of my cover letters I send home:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aiz3ef0Z5jxdlAcx6gcFr68BPJE7?e=nxD7y5

Family Project Successes:

Twin Text Units: I will show the students all the different ways to use twin text: Compare and Contrast using a ven-diagram, 3 columns, 2 columns, point-of-views, information from both a non-fiction as well as a fiction book, is a book used for entertainment or information to inform you. Elements of a fiction and non-fiction books. https://www.weareteachers.com/tips-pairing-fiction-nonfiction-grades-k-5/

Here is a list of Pairings that Scholastic suggests and others that I added.

1. Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss 2. Nic Bishop Spiders by Nic Bishop

1. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss 2. Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser

1. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

2. Dinosaurs by Gail Gibbons

1. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon 2. Bats by Gail Gibbons

1. Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman 2. Police Officers on the Go by Alyse Sweeney

1. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats 2. Snowy Weather Days by Katie Marsico

1. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback 2. Recycle That! by Fay Robinson

1. Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold 2. A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David A. Adler

1. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordecai Gerstein 2. New York City by David F. Marx

1. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey 2. Ducks! by Gail Gibbons

1. Verdi by Janell Cannon 2. Pythons: Fun Facts & Pictures For Kids by Lilly Carle

My students love twin text and we had a lot of fun exploring them. Next year I plan on doing more with the twin text idea. I’m going to see if I can have them for home projects, group projects. I think it will be a lot of fun.

Resources I found most helpful: https://www.weareteachers.com/tips-pairing-fiction-nonfiction-grades-k-5/

https://minds-in-bloom.com/how-to-engage-students-fiction-nonfiction-texts/

https://jenniferfindley.com/how-to-teach-paired-passages/

Thank you for reviewing my presentation!