I teach fifth grade

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Home : 2008 : May : 27

I teach fifth grade
By trexteach

so I may be way off base here, but can you do a mini lesson with the parents that will show them an example of what they can do with their kids?

For example:
-Cut out color pictures from old magazines or some other
source.
-Pass one of these out to each parent along with a pencil and an index card.
-Give them a couple of minutes to write anything on the card that describes the picture: size, shape, color, number, texture, what it/she/he is doing, etc.
-On the back of the index card have them write one or two sentences about the picture using one or more of these descriptors.
-Have

one or two brave souls read theirs aloud.
-As you would explain to the kids, point out the word or words in their sentences that name the subject (who/what the sentence is about) and those words that "tell more about it." (They can used these words with their kids.) Talk to them just as you would the child. Praise them for interesting choices of words, good observations from their pictures, whatever.

Explain that this is one very simple activity that they can do with their little ones that teaches them simple sentence writing along with an introduction to adjectives. Suggest that if the child is not able to write a sentence such as, "The bird is blue" phonetically, then the child can tell the parent what he/she notices in the picture and the parent can scribe. The child can then orally pick and choose the descriptors he/she wants to include in a sentence or two.

Tell the parents to tape/glue the child's selected picture and sentence on one sheet to display around the house. Maybe at times during the summer they could encourage their child to read a sentence or two aloud to the parent or any visiting friend/relative.

Is this too hard for these kids?