Research Reportswith a Twist

Penfield Central SchoolsFacilitated by Dawn Pruszynski

Ext. 5719

The Alphabet

• Use card template• Depending on level

– Spell word accurately– Draw picture and/or

write definition

• When done, students use dictionary for writing

• How could you use it?• Class biography

– In pairs: Draw picture of each other, write one page biography (interview each other)

– Place in ABC order on long sheet of paper

– In time, remove and make into accordion book

Alphabet Challenge

Class encyclopedia1. Study encyclopedia publications (on-line??)2. Decide on topic3. Draw ABC grid – 3 columns

1. Column 1 – letters2. Column 2 – topic3. Column – student names to do research

4. Think outside the box – encyclopedia of “Things to do in your spare time”, Zippy verbs

Storyboards

• For book– Plan book – page count in multiples of 4

• Index cards– Research on cards for organization

• Class example (think flow chart)

– Plan video & story (research info)• Use storyboard to plan• Record video• Evaluate/reflect

Good news/Bad news

• Gather facts– 3 column: good news,

bad news, your choice news (weird facts)

Good news about being a pilgrim child is your parents treat you like adult.

The bad news is you have to feed your parents meals and get to eat only leftovers.

The diabolical news is that you have to sleep on the cold floor while your parents sleep on the beds.

Question “Person”

• Like Karnec – on Carson show– Gather facts – specific

• Focus on determining importance

– Write facts and questions on index cards

– Create “wise” person• i.e. Wise Woman

– Ready for THE SHOW

• Example– Host: “Oh Great Gerty,

what does this fact mean? It is 338 miles long!”

– GG. “Ah, that’s an easy one, Pauline. How long is the Erie Canal?”

Using Voice Notebook

• List facts about subject– Think about how it

would sound if “it” kept a journal

– Think about grocery lists, TO-DO lists, private thoughts, appointments, questions, goals, romantic wishes…

Fun fact sharing or… Short, Silly Reports

• Yeah but… – Discovering half truths

• Jefferson wrote, “All men are created equal.”

• Yeah, but did you know that Jefferson never freed his own 200 slaves.

Famous last words • Lemmings: little furry

mammals that periodically walk off the edge of steep cliffs to their deaths.

• FLW: “Walk a little closer to the edge and we can get a good view of the sea.”

Using Art

• Wanted Poster– Can be people,

species, countries… anything you are studying

– Fill poster with facts about your subject

– Focus: note taking skills on poster – no sentences; determining importance

• Example – copy pp 67

Graphs and Maps

• Sometimes graphs provide most striking way of showing info.

• Graph life of person with happy/sad points.

• Graph info to compare

0100020003000400050006000700080009000

10000

human

dog

Number of feet a human can smell hamburg compared to dog

Real Life Action Figure

• Research person– Make lists of major events

in his/her life– Determine what might go

into a “doll kit” – Accessories– Write 30 second TV spot

doll – think of audience– i.e. Elena Kagan doll,

judical robe, supreme court building, Harvard diploma, apple…

Greeting Cards

• Teach “irony”– Have message

contradict the real message

• Collect cards and have kids analyze

• Decide on audience & message

To The Explorers• You came to our land

and brought us tobacco, now we have lung disease.

• You came to our land and took it. Now we live on reservations.

• Thanks for coming.– From Native

Americans

Create a Brain

• Great way to connect % and history.

• You can see brain of historical figure.

• Analyze research on figure – determine importance

• Create profile of figure – make pie chart in brain

• Can be serious or funny

Trading Cards

• Use for variety of content areas

• Have kids trade cards – Jigsaw activity

• Math, beginning of year introduction, characters for literature study, locations

• Can vary size depending on age/grade level – great to differentiate

Print Media comes to Life

• Tabloid news– Find shocking details &

creative title of publication– Mama Wolf Barf for

Babies – Discuss parody– Write newspaper from point

of view of time period/person or animal…

Animal Personal Ads

• Create personal ad for person/animal/location…

• Review your research to create an ad

• Use specific facts– You can use abbreviations

A day in the life of…

• Can do a person or… animal or number scientific concept or..

• Determine importance– Need lots of facts– Write in first person or

third person – consider

Advice from an Expert

• Crazy advice column• Create an expert list

for your person– Abe Lincoln- splitting

logs, ending slavery, ending Civil War…

– Think about what advice columns there are

– Create “Ask Abe” column

Dear Abe, I am in fifth grade and we are

having lots of fights on the playground. Do you have any suggestions to stop the fights?

– Bullied in School

Dear Bullied in School, Do not despair. I had the same

problem during the Civil War. I have a simple suggestion for you. Find a new general to guard your playground. I found an outstanding general, Ulysses S Grant. He kept things under control. Good luck, Abe

Did you say TV??!!

• Historical celebrity jeopardy

• Any content area• http://www.superteachertools.com/jeopardy/

• http://jeopardylabs.com/

A meeting in time

• Bring characters together from different periods in history

• Ham it up– Set up as interview

show– Dress the part

• Bring together slave owners and ex-slaves

• Thomas Jefferson and Abe Lincoln

• Ms. Multiplication, Dr. Division, Auntie Adding…

• Green plants and Air pollutants

Recipes

• Analyze recipes for vocabulary– Verbs

• Take facts and create • You may want to

begin with a name– Constitution Cookies…

• Alliteration is great tool to use

Exploding Universe Cupcakes by Wittikin, sixth grader

Ingredients:• 1 cup sugar (stars) • 2 cups baking soda (space dust) • 1 cup pudding (dark matter) • 6-10 marshmallows (galaxies) • 1 1/2 cups white vinegar (empty space) • 2 cups water (gravity) • Instructions:• Mix 1/2 cup of stars with space dust, 1/2

cup of dark matter, and the galaxies. Add 1 cup of your gravity and mix thoroughly. Put in oven for thirty minutes on high heat. While it's cooking, mix the other cup of gravity with empty space, remaining stars and remaining cup of drak matter. Stir well. Drizzle this mixture on the baked universe. Back away about ten feet and watch the explosion.

3-5-3 Poems (Lune)

• Find a fact – Write first 3 words– Then next 5 words– Then funny/surprising

3 words

Think about Kagan

Fourth woman on Supreme Court

Judging all men

• Make your own form• 3-7-2-4-1 Poem

Electricity springs up

From the batteries inside each tiny cell

“I’m tired”

Snap off the lights

Sleep

Poems for Two Voices

• Perspective• Voice• Word choice• Addresses speaking

component

• Civil War• States• Countries• Shapes (math)

Picture books

• Coming Home by Floyd Cooper

• The Book of HOW? By Kingfisher, New York

• The Book of WHY? By Kingfisher, New York

• We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers by Lauren Child

Thank you for sharing and caring!

• Resources– Starting with the Real World by Alan Trussell-Cullen– 51 Wacky We-Search Reports by Barry Lane– Revisors Toolbox by Barry Lane– But How Do You Teach Writing by Barry Lane– Teaching Writing in the Content Areas by Vicki

Urquhart and Monette Mclver

• http://drop.io/writingacrosscurriculum2• http://penfieldtraits.wikispaces.com/

Thank you for all you do for students in Penfield

Please contact me if you have questions or if you’d like to work together on any of these strategies, or have

me teach a lesson or....

Dawn @ x5719Dawn_Pruszynski@penfield.monroe.edu