Monthly Agendas Set the Pace

by Connie Casserly TpT Store: Connie

With every unit that they design, teachers strive to inspire their students with lessons that are motivational, interactive, and meaningful.  Formulating plans into modules that do this while reinforcing previously learned concepts, promoting comprehension and instilling deductive, critical and analytic thinking skills is a challenge.

When teachers introduce new concepts, they need to offer their students activities where the latter can Hear, Read, Think, Write, Speak and Do as often as possible.  Lessons that communicate specific assessments and outcomes, clear teacher (Directed Method) and student-centered (Constructivist Method) activities, as well as opportunities for students to accept ownership of their work lead to success and satisfaction for teachers and their charges. In other words, for optimal learning, they need to strategically combine both methods into a Teach Me, Help Me, Let Me strategy.

When designing monthly plans, teachers should consider:

• Who is learning (student needs and learning styles)
• What students know/must learn (knowledge/understanding)
• Where students are to end up (goals)
• When they are to learn (Time-Frame)
• Why (objectives: begin with the end in mind)
• How (Teaching Strategies)
• Closure (Three ideas/concepts/skills students take with them each day)

Each unit takes approximately one month, depending on the number and the length of class periods. Grammar and vocabulary lessons stem from the reading comprehension and writing activities. For the grammar lessons, the concepts reinforced or taught are dependent on the skill needs students reveal in their writing. Vocabulary lessons may focus on grade level literary terms that stem from the reading or on teacher-generated lists.  Activities and examples reinforce any new material.

This method offers students a time- management rubric that builds responsibility.  Students receive the calendars at the beginning of each unit. This way, they are always aware of class work, homework, projects, tests, etc. and can prepare accordingly. Excuses for unfinished homework or for coming to class unprepared for planned assessments diminish.  Ensuring that parents get an agenda-electronically or by another method- shows students that teachers and parents are working together for the students’ success.

The malleability allows for adjustments according to class needs and student understanding.  By incorporating elasticity, teachers ensure that the material will be covered and the standards met, even with interruptions, i.e. standardized testing, snow days, or assemblies. Most days a literature discussion will comprise the bulk of the period. Discussions of the reading offer flexible time frames which can be lengthened or shortened, depending on the students’ needs. If teachers have to combine some activities into group or individual work, or shorten vocabulary and grammar activities, they still can ensure that crucial standards remain a part of the lesson.

Studying the writing process takes place on days when the teacher and students brainstorm essay topics, and also on peer critique days. Since the more they write the better they will master the What they Write along with the How they Write It concepts, ten to fifteen minute Warm- Ups work while the teacher takes roll. Some days, teachers may focus on specific issues that appear in papers during grading by choosing anonymous student examples for Warm-Up prompts that reinforce grammar, usage and writing principles.

Beneficial Monthly Agenda Planning Hints

1. When deciding on the day-by-day class work and assignments, plan for essays, tests, projects and other graded assessment to be due Mondays through Thursdays to avoid burn-out. Slate graded work for a Friday only if the school follows a Block Schedule where classes meet every other day, leaving Monday for grading. Weekends should not be used for grading.
2. For assignments that take a more extensive review, set a different due date for each class. With only one packet to grade each day, this work won’t be overwhelming. For example, with three classes completing projects for The Crucible by Arthur Miller, schedule one each for the two days preceding the final test, and the third due the day after the test.
3. Schedule shorter assessments, i.e. quizzes, which can be graded quickly, for the same day.
4. Monthly plans mean that teachers never have to worry about life getting in the way of teaching. When family emergencies, illnesses, unannounced observations and other factors threaten their stress level, they have their preset agendas ready.
5. With this method, teachers may expend their energies where they are most needed -with the students. 
6. After some tweaking and explanations, teachers can leave these plans for a substitute. Instead of a class discussion, the students can work individually or in groups to address the material.

Monthly agendas offer clear communication between teachers and their students, teachers and parents, and teachers and administrators.  The objectives are always set from the first moment of planning, and the activities, assignments, projects and assessments follow.  The calendars offer smooth and productive educational journeys.

Set the pace and enjoy some peace with monthly agendas.
Connie


Try these three FREE coordinating activities
 Comprehension Assessment Activity - "Exit Pass"
Comprehension-Reviewing Texts Activity: Tying it All Together
Reading Comprehension & Writing -What Do I Know? How Do I Know It?



This FREE 10-page activity offers teachers 8 activities that will help students will advance their understanding of each aspect of Bloom's Taxonomy: Remember/Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate and Create.







This unit plan for 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller is 51-pages and based on CCS and Bloom's Taxonomy. For grades 7-12, it contains day-by-day lesson plans, vocabulary, act-by-act study questions, 27 worksheets, as well as essay and project topics and a test with the answer key.

Re-Thinking an Investigation of the Protestant Reformation

by Doc Running Tpt Store: Hands on Education with Doc Running

I recently discovered the short video series "Crash Course," produced by John Green and his brother.  Green started with social studies topics, but has expanded to science and other topics.  While the videos can be a bit hit and miss, I admit that I enjoy the occasional viewing. At times, Green has an unusual take on historical periods.  For example, in the video "Crash Course: Renaissance," Green argues that the Renaissance didn’t actually happen. This year, I thought I’d get a little “Crash Course” perspective on the Protestant Reformation. What stood out most from Green’s "Crash Course: Reformation" was Green’s proposal that long before Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Occupy Wall Street protestors, Martin Luther - creator of the 95 Theses- and other European reformers participated in some of the world’s earlier protest movements.

Of course, it's completely logical to look in history and consider how these people also stood up for their beliefs. However, I hadn't really thought of the Reformation as a protest in the modern sense.  By approaching the Reformation from this point of view, my students would be able to make clear connections between modern times and history - an integral aspect of teaching history.

My new approach to the Protestant Reformation begins in modern times and then later travels back to the days of Martin Luther and Jan Hus.

Part 1
In this inquiry-based introductory lesson, students working in groups explore the roots of protest and reform. They examine a set of photos of various protest movements from different eras and answer:

-What is happening in the photos?
-What are some common characteristics?
-Why do you think these photos are grouped together?

Students discern that all the photos are examples of protests.

The students often identify the protests as being peaceful.  They also observe that the protesters are unhappy about an issue and want a specific change. 

Out of this first step, we infer two big ideas: something is being protested and a specific change or reform is being called for.  On the board, I write the words Protest and Reform.  These words stay up for several days, as before we head back to Martin Luther and the Protestant reformers, the students first launch their own protests.

Part 2
Students adopt an issue individually or in small groups. The campaign should include the issue that the students want to protest and the desired reform. A specific platform is necessary for a successful campaign. For example, students may remember hearing about the recent Occupy Wall Street protests. This is a good example of a protest about an issue, but without a uniform platform about specific policies that they wanted to change. As part of the campaign, the students will create posters, ads, tweets, pins, campaign songs, opinion articles, etc. to launch the campaign. Once students have completed a set of campaign pieces, it’s time to share their campaigns. I used a “science fair” style of presenting where half the class set up their campaigns and the other half went around the classroom learning about the issues and calls for reform and then the groups switched.

Part 3
After students have created their own protest campaigns, I introduced the protests of Martin Luther in his 95 Theses.  I added letters to words “Protest” and “Reform” so they became “Protestant” and “Reformation.” Then, the students examined Luther’s 95 Theses and explored the issues Luther was concerned about in the Catholic Church and the specific calls for reform.

Witnessing the students’ passions for change accompanied by their clearer understanding of Martin Luther’s passion was amazing.  Some students felt strongly about police brutality while others were passionate about women's rights in Saudi Arabia or income inequality. The student voices were proud and vocal. Some of the students have since formed groups to launch campaigns calling for reform.  And while, most of my students don't go to church, they easily understood Martin Luther's and the other Protestant reformers’ rally against corruption in the established power of the day: church.

Regardless of the subject, the power of this activity reinforces the importance of making connections between the topic of study and student’s real-life experiences.

For a full lesson, with slides and student handouts, click here.

 Free Protestant Reformation lesson.










In this project, students delve deep into a historic figure and then bring that figure to life at a fantastic end of project soiree.

Tech Talk for Teachers

Google Classroom: Making Google Docs Easier for Students and Teachers

by Sarah Ross-Koves TpT Store: Kovescence of the Mind Blog: Kovescence of the Mind

 Google Classroom is probably the best app released through Google Apps for Education!  It provides much-needed services for teachers and students who are working within Google Docs/Drive even if they are not yet 1:1.  Google Drive allows communication with the students through a newsfeed for every class; this feed is secure to only those who have been invited or have the code.  Any Google Doc, Form, Sheet, Slides, or PDF file can be shared with students reducing the need for paper copies of directions, templates, or handouts.  Teachers can quickly see who has completed what, send feedback and reminders, and update assignments.  Perhaps the best part is that when assignments are created in Google Classroom, they are immediately shared and accessible to the teacher in an organized folder in his/her Google Drive.  You no longer have to hunt through a shared file to find a student's assignment.

You'll learn more about Google Classroom on my blog.

To subscribe to the C.L.A.S.S. Newsletter, click here.

April is Financial Literacy Month:

Do High Schools Make a Difference?

by Personal Finance for Teens Unleashed 
Tpt Store: Personal Finance for Teens Unleashed

In 2011 President Obama proclaimed April as National Financial Literacy Month.  In his proclamation he stated, “Our Nation's prosperity will ultimately depend on our willingness as individuals to empower ourselves and our families with financial knowledge."

Fast forward to 2015. One thing that we can all seem to agree on as parents and educators is that an understanding of financial literacy is important to our children.  What we can’t seem to work out, according to Hank Coleman of Daily Finance, is who will teach the courses; how will school districts fund the new courses; and how will these courses fit into already overly crowded curriculums?

In addition to these logistics problems, Professor Julie Heath, director of the Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati, reports that teachers feel unqualified to teach financial literacy.  “Eighty-two percent say they are not prepared to teach these concepts," she says. 

One of the reasons for this uneasiness may be that some school districts rely on math, science, home economics and technology teachers (among others) to incorporate financial literacy lessons into their curriculum instead of offering a separate personal finance course. 

The good news is that financial literacy classes in high school do make a difference.  According to an article in USA Today (by Hadley Malcolm), a study of 65,000 college students showed that – “first-year college students required to take a financial literacy course in high school are significantly more likely than their peers who didn't take a class to be financially responsible.” 

The study revealed that, “students who took a class did better on the survey’s financial knowledge questions, were found to be more averse to debt, more likely to pay credit card bills on time, and less likely to go over their credit limit.”

If you have been asked to incorporate financial literacy into your curriculum, and are at a loss of where to start, try these two introductory lessons with your students.

The connection between Financial Freedom, Family and Dreams
In this lesson students discover and discuss how financial freedom, dreams and family are all interconnected like a series of wires. It is a fun way to get students talking about financial freedom and their dreams and goals. 

There are no right or wrong answers/questions and you never know where the conversation will lead. That makes it all the more fun. In completing this assignment students bring their own unique perspectives and life experiences to the table and learn from each other. Click here to download this FREE lesson.

Brainstorm, Review and Reflect Assignment
This lesson is based on the idea that discovery is not driven by answers but by questions. 

 “Thinking is not driven by answers but by questions. To think through or rethink anything, one must ask questions that stimulate our thought. Questions define tasks, express problems and delineate issues.” 

 “If we want thinking we must stimulate it with questions that lead students to further questions.”

Foundation for Critical Thinking: The Role of Questions in Teaching, Thinking and Learning

Part 1 - Brainstorm
Directions: Use the question starters below to brainstorm a list of interesting questions about your future.  Write questions that center around your personal and financial goals and the dreams and wishes of your family.
Why                What is                  How do
Why are         Why do                  How can
Why can’t      What would            Why is
What do         Is my                      Am I
Is it                 Do I                          If I
Will my          What am                  How am
What if          How would               What will
What are      What will cause

Part 2 - Review
Review your list of brainstormed questions, and star 3 questions that seem the most interesting to you.  Discuss these three questions with other students in your teacher-assigned group.

Part 3 - Reflect
What new ideas do you have about your future goals and dreams that you did not have before?

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. 
   

Part 4 - Create
Create two comparative time lines, one based on your goals (financial and personal) and dreams and one based on the goals and dreams your parents have for you.
Note: Your students might like to use one of these FREE timeline creation tools at E-Learning Industry.

Part 5 – Problem Solve

1. What obstacles do you face in reaching your personal and financial dreams?

2. What things can you do now to help insure your future success? 

Downloadable Resources from Personal Finance for Teens Unleashed:

To subscribe to the C.L.A.S.S. Newsletter, click here.

Garbology: It is More than Just Trash

by Andrea Annas TpT Store: History Gal

Imagine spending your days sifting through trash at a local landfill. What would you find? What could the trash tell you about the people who used that landfill? Strangely enough, this is no fictional job. It is the real job of a garbologist.

A garbologist studies a culture by sifting through its trash. Garbologists are like archaeologists, but instead of examining the remains of ancient civilizations, they study the trash of modern cultures. By digging through the trash, garbologists learn what a culture eats and drinks, what they do for fun, what the culture considers trash, and much more.

William Rathje and the Study of Trash

William Rathje is widely regarded as the father of garbology. In 1973 as a professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, Rathje and his students began the Garbage Project by sorting through the trash at a Tucson, Arizona landfill. Before his death in 2012, Rathje excavated over fifteen landfills, catalogued every piece of trash found, and wrote many books including Rubbish: the Archaeology of Garbage. He learned that trash gives garbologists a better understanding of modern culture than surveys and interviews.

Ask your students:

Why do you think trash gives a more accurate picture than surveys and interviews?
 Do you always tell the truth when you take a survey? Why or why not?

Next, have students watch the short video Garbage Doesn’t Lie followed by a short video that shows garbology in action. Younger students may enjoy watching PBS’s Dragonfly episode about Garbology.

     Rathje’s Garbage Project in Tucson and the others that followed also proved that, contrary to popular belief, waste in landfills did not biodegrade. Since most students have little understanding of what actually happens to their trash once the garbage truck picks it up, have them watch or read How Stuff Works’ How Landfills Work. Then, students can listen to the first 4 minutes of This American Life’s episode about Garbage. Another interesting video you may want students to watch is a 21 minute video called The Story of Stuff which takes a look at product and consumption patterns.

Since the start of Rathje’s Garbage Project in 1973, garbology has become more widely accepted in the science and anthropological fields. Critics who once mocked and ridiculed garbology were surprised at its findings and research applications. One of the greatest legacies of Rathje’s Garbage Project is its impact on waste management. Garbologists learned that waste in landfills including paper and food does not biodegrade. Because of these findings, cities are changing their waste management plans, instituting recycling programs, and educating their citizens about how to reduce the amount of waste going into area landfills. 

A Garbology Project

Rathje’s Garbage Project started with the idea of using modern trash to help students understand the archaeological process and it grew from there. Most middle or high school students will not have the opportunity to participate in a real archaeological dig. However, assigning students a garbology project is a great way for students to gain a hands-on archaeological experience while learning what an anthropologist does. Do not worry; your students do not have to venture into a landfill to do garbology! They can do it in their school, place of work, place of worship, and even their own home. For an example of a student project, your students can check out what volunteers at the University of Washington do during the UW Garbology Project. Here, you can also view the analysis of a University of Washington’s dorm waste and view pictures.

To begin the project, students, either individually, in partners, or in small groups, must choose a place (a culture) to examine. They must first gain permission from the culture before they begin sifting through their trash. Students should examine the culture’s trash several different times and keep a record of when they visited the dig site as well as everything found. The more times the groups visit their sites and examine its trash, the more accurate their results. Once students finish their digs, they should organize their findings into a spreadsheet or graph. Then, students should use the data to create conclusions about what the trash tells them about the culture. Lastly, students should present their findings to the class. Presentations can take a variety of forms. Students can create PowerPoint presentations, give oral reports, create a video, and much more.

     Students participating in a garbology project need to be familiar with the Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association. In particular, they should abide by Section 1: Do No Harm. Anthropologists have an important responsibility to the people with whom the researchers work and whose lives and cultures they study. Anthropologists must deliberately and purposefully consider all long-term impacts and unintentional consequences of their actions upon the culture they are studying. This means that students must guard the identities of names on any personal items that they might come across. Their project should not embarrass or cause anyone harm. Doing so directly violates the Code of Ethics.

A culture’s trash is more than just waste. The trash of ancient and older civilizations uncovered by archaeologists helps us learn more about their cultures. In the same manner, the trash in modern landfills provides just as much insight into our modern cultures. Now, start digging and see what you discover!

Resources from History Gal's TpT Store:

A free, downloadable resource which provides a fun review game for D-Day Details!

Provides a lesson which ties St. Patrick's Day to the story of Irish Immigration.

To subscribe to the C.L.A.S.S. Newsletter, click here.

Women's History Month

by Rachel Cummings TpT Store: Writing by Rachel

March is Women’s History Month, but why should history teachers have all the fun? History’s bookshelf is full of literature written by women, characters and poems inspired by women, and works of fiction and nonfiction that reflect women’s experiences. This month, encourage students to slip on a different critical lens and to read poetry and prose with an eye to gender. What do they learn about women’s experiences from the written word? They may be surprised by what they find beneath the words of a poem or short story. 

The Hook—Defining ‘man’ and ‘woman’

What does it mean to be a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’? That question is sure to spark a lively conversation! But, it has academic merit and can be the basis for a thoughtful, historic peek at literature.

Ask students, in pairs, to brainstorm the roles, responsibilities, and activities that define ‘man’ and ‘woman.’ They can record their thoughts on a note-taking sheet that has two spheres, one labeled ‘man’ and one labeled ‘woman.’  (Like a Venn diagram, but without the overlapping center section.) Instruct students to record in both spheres for each topic/question they discuss. Students may want to use the following questions to guide their discussions: 

• What personality traits describe ‘man’ and ‘woman?’ 
• Do females have responsibilities outside the home? Doing what?
• What do women do within the home?
• What do women read?
• What hobbies are appropriate for women? What careers?
• Are men or women restricted, if so in what ways, and for what reasons? 

After students have contemplated what it means to be a man or a woman, ask them to discuss their ideas. Are there descriptors that fit both ‘man’ and ‘woman?’ Are there descriptors they used for ‘man’ or for ‘woman’ but not for both?

Explain to students that in the 19^th century, men and women were considered opposites, i.e.: men were physically strong—women were weak; men were stoic—women were emotional and sensitive. Ask students to create a new set of gender spheres. This time, direct them to think of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ as opposites. How would ‘man’ and ‘woman’ be described this time around? Consider careers, activities, emotions, responsibilities, and innate traits. What dichotomies emerge? How have the cultural expectations of what it means to “be a man” or “act like a lady” changed over time?

The Application—Reading Critically

Will students’ newly found understanding of the complexities and changing ideas about gender better help them understand and appreciate what a work of fiction reveals about gender? Introduce students to Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” Virginia Commonwealth University shares a hypertext with study notes. When readers click on a red phrase, a study note box appears at the top of the page (students may have to scroll up to see those for boxes at the bottom of the story.) The study notes show readers how phrases and words impart clues. Have students consider the questions asked in the study notes and discuss them as they read.

Critical reading is dynamic because it encourages a variety of evidence-based interpretations. Students will appreciate this if they are exposed to several valid, though different, readings of the story. After reading, lead students in a discussion related to gender. As always, challenge students to cite evidence from the text to support their responses. Discussion questions might include: 

• When is this story set?
• What does this story reveal about men's and women’s roles at that time?
• How are men and women depicted in the story?
• Who has power and who does not—in what ways?
• Does this story have a gender message?

Having used a hypertext and analyzed what “The Story of an Hour” says about gender, let students analyze a poem on their own. The University of Pennsylvania shares a digital library of anthems written by abolitionist Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Have students read “To the Indifferent Women,” “The Housewife,” and “Women to Men.” Direct students to Sojourner Truth’s poem “Ain’t I a Woman,” Deborah Garrison’s “Please Fire Me,” and Marge Piercy’s “For Strong Women. “ Consider having students use the Library of Congress’ Thinking about Poems as Historical Artifacts worksheet to guide their work. Students can create their own ‘hypertext’ by recording their thoughts on post-its and attaching them to the text. Or, present students with a collection of questions to guide their work. Perhaps:

• What is going on in this poem?
• What do you think this poem says about women?
• What details, images, or lines give you this impression?
• What questions do you have about this poem?
• What did you most appreciate about this poem?
• Why do you think the author penned this poem?
• Compared to another poem, how are the two similar and different?
• Which poem did you prefer and why?
• How does this poem compare to “The Story of an Hour”?
• Explain how you think American’s ideas about men and women have changed since Kate Chopin wrote her story? 

Tomorrow’s History—Today

It’s all well and good to think about how history has treated women, but what about today? How do contemporary beliefs about gender limit men's and women’s experiences? What do contemporary lyrics reveal about gender? Consider showing students Maddie and Tae’s tongue-in-cheek video for their song, “Girl in a Country Song.” If your preview of the video determines it is inappropriate for your students, share the lyrics and the video but with audio only. Challenge students to examine it using the Library of Congress’ Thinking About Songs as Historical Artifacts worksheet. (If they watch the video, they can include that for the ‘look’ of the song.)

What are your students’ favorite songs? That question will elicit a long list of nominations. What messages do the lyrics to those songs convey about gender? Ask them to apply their critical eye—and the Library of Congress worksheet—to a contemporary song. Moderate a class discussion:

• Who is the song’s audience?
• What did they discover about contemporary lyrics?
• What words are used to describe women and men—their looks, actions, habits…? Record these.
• What trends emerge when they compare their analysis to what their classmates discovered about other lyrics?
• What do students think about these trends?
• What messages do the songs convey?
• How do they break or support gender stereotypes?
• How do they think these messages influence the audience? Do they consider their song helpful? Harmful? To whom and why?
• What do they think future generations of students examining today’s attitudes will conclude?
• How do they hope thoughts about gender will change during their lifetime?
• What can they do to help this be so?

Finally, challenge students individually or in pairs either to write an ode celebrating what they appreciate about men or women (or a particular man or woman), or to write the lyrics to a song.

Reading critically—be it primary documents or fiction—offers students a window through which they may understand texts deeply. Historical documents become more than old. Fiction becomes more than stories. History is today.  

Resources from Writing by Rachel's TpT Store:

A free, downloadable resource that guides students through the process of predicting, interpreting, connecting and questioning as they read.

Provides activities that can be used with any word list.  Helps refresh and invigorate your vocabulary instruction!

To subscribe to the C.L.A.S.S. Newsletter, click here.

"Let's Get Creative: Writing Across the Curriculum -- Humanities Style!"

by Gina Perfetto TpT Store: PerfettoWritingRoom

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) is an essential component in middle and high schools across the country for a number of reasons. But simply put: students learn to write well by writing often.

Interdisciplinary writing strengthens critical thinking, the ability to express complex thoughts on paper, and verbal communication.  It prepares students for myriad future writing and professional scenarios, from college and vocational writing to professional documents.

But here’s a question: How do we make it fun and challenging?

Scoff at the Notion of Creative Writing as “Too Simple”! 

What is great about this lesson is that it challenges students to write descriptively, figuratively, and creatively. Fun? Absolutely. Easy… not so much. So often people see this and other creative writing lessons that look fun, or even – dare I say -- simple? and think that students aren’t learning. To that I say: do not judge a lesson plan by its props! Rather ask: “What skills are your students applying during this lesson?”
  
Writing Across the Curriculum: Critical Thinking through Creative Writing

This wonderfully challenging activity also happens to be a perennial creative writing favorite of my students. Since it is adaptable for a multitude of Humanities and Science disciplines, today I am sharing this lesson with you from a HUMANITIES PERSPECTIVE. Try this one day soon! I guarantee your students will love it. Click here to download a free version of the lesson from my TpT Store.

In Brief: This lesson emphasizes four of the five senses, critical thinking skills, inferencing, estimation, literary devices, etc. Students will write through a series of steps while guided by the instructor; these steps are given to you here.  Begin with a single paragraph, skipping lines between each step, and end with a full length story.

Materials/Time:

• Minimum of one item for each student
• One brown paper bag per item so that items are not visible
• Items chosen are dependent upon the lesson and discipline 
• Instructions, step by step
• Plenty of paper
• One class period for this portion
• One class period for sharing 
• Optional class period for draft writing, polishing, etc.

Ideal for: English Class; Humanities such as Archaeology, Social Studies, Ancient History, World Cultures, etc.; Religion; Sciences such as biology; and others.

As an English teacher, I already have some wonderful items in brown paper bags. Because it is essential that students utilize many of their senses, I am careful to include diverse items.Here are of my more confounding and exceptional finds, placed in separate bags over the years.


EXAMPLES of great items I have used in the past include: 

• Old plastic film cases (remember those?) with something else inside
• Beaded or charm bracelets
• Natural items - pine cones, rocks that have odd crevices or stripes, a knot of wood, a shell, etc.
• Magnifying glass 
• Calculator 
• Perfume vial or test tube with a cork
• Fishing fly or lure (made safe)
• Small camera (old, not a modern one)
• Wooden 3-dimensional puzzle from the dollar store

Writing As an Archaeologist or Anthropologist! Get your Hats on!

By all means, add a layer of excitement by bringing in some items on your own, but have students bring in items as well. This way, students will be excited about each other’s choices.

Regardless of Discipline, when choosing items, PLEASE consider: texture, weight, surface temperature, the sound the items make when struck lightly on a table, hollowness, solidity, smoothness, flexibility or rigidity, general size, dimension and angularity, and other features. Finally, wherever you can, place one item inside of another item. This adds a dimension of mystery to step one. I hope you are beginning to understand how this diversity of criteria stretches the mind’s ability to write, infer, and describe.

What you place in the mystery bags for the Archaeology or Anthropology Discovery Writing might depend on items that might actually fit in with a specific site or dig you’d like to discuss, or they could just go with the overall theme. In this case anything goes, and you could include some of these items.

• old coins
• shark teeth
• pottery shards
• worn brick
• other building materials
• sedimentary, igneous or shale rocks
• shells
• beads
• metal bowls
• glass vials
• jewelry
• stylus or writing implements

If you are going to take collections from the class beforehand, ask your students “What items might say something about a people or civilization and how they lived?” or “What items, if found, might reveal something about the landscape long ago?”

These questions might help students bring in more appropriate items in a brown paper bag. It will make your life easier, and make them more excited about the project.

GET STARTED!  *We all Like a Little Drama!*

When students enter, they must NOT sit. Rather, they will all walk around their desks, placing their hands inside each bag, quietly feeling the contents of each bag. No talking or peeking inside! Each student must choose the item they think would be the most interesting to write about. The mystery of the entire endeavor is what piques students' interest. Once students have chosen, they will sit down with the bags and the items STILL safely inside. 

Step One: 
Instructions:  While the students have one hand inside the bag, tell them: "Write a tactile description using your hand and all of your faculties. Oh, but definitely do not use your eyes!"
     This means they can weigh it, feel for texture, knock it on the desk, roll it around, shake it, etc. After they have written for at least three minutes, give them these prompts: “Class I also want you to do two more things. 1. Try to guess what it is. 2. Can you infer, based on the information you currently have, what color it might be?”

Step one requires students to stretch their descriptive writing and critical thinking skills. This step also requires them to infer.

Step Two: 
Have the students skip a line on their papers for step two.
NOW students may take the item out of the bag. Tell them: "REALLY Look at it." Here are some questions they might consider:

1. What is the item, and is it what you thought it would be?
2. Was it the color you thought it would be? Explain!
3. Now, use your language skills to describe this item. Consider: color, length, weight, height, texture, etc. Where might it have come from? Speak like a/n archaeologist, sociologist, anthropologist or paleontologist.

Step Three - Be Artistic! 
Have the students skip a line before step three.
Now students will use figurative language. Tell them that they are allowed to begin with silly or obvious similes or metaphors, but as a few minutes tick by, they should try to stretch their abilities. "Really push yourself. You may use simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, to describe the item's color, shape, texture, or other features."

*Step Four – Blow Their Minds! *
 Have the students skip a line before step four.
 Here is the surprise. Tell the students, "The item you are looking at? Well, I HATE TO TELL you this – the object isn't what you think it is AT ALL."

It is: 
A. a KEY to unlock something of great potential/power 
B. an object with a secret history, held by someone on his or her deathbed who is only able to tell its story to one person
C. a super-spy device of use in an important mission 
D. an object that will bring peace to a planet or a group 
E. essential for some civilization's utter survival 
F. An object whose carbon dating indicates it is much older and was used for something so important that it may change our understanding of things
G. Open idea based specifically on this discipline. Teacher’s choice, or students’ suggestions given in an open forum

I have a FREEBIE of this lesson that has options that go up to the letter "N." Please feel free to download the entire freebie.

 The Student GOAL IS TO WRITE A STORY USING ONE OF THESE OPTIONS.  Have characters, a goal, plot, dialog, etc.

Extension
Students will get at least to the beginning of Step Four by the end of the period. For homework or for class work on Day Two, have students write that story, and then share it with the class! I hope you enjoy this free resource. I know your students will. Feel free to stop by, pick it up, and like it or rate it!

Resources from Gina Perfetto's TpT Store:

  A free, downloadable resource. Includes the full instructions for the lesson described here.  Pick it up!  Rate it!

Provides the extended version of the 4-Senses Writing Lesson.