Accountable Talk

Happy Summer! We promise we are enjoying our summer but as you know a teacher's mind is constantly spinning...One of the things we have liked incorporating in our class has been accountable talk.  We were first introduced to this concept when the implementation of CCSS started taking place in our district and we used used them during our Math Talks.  As time has gone by, we have found it's just a great way for students to speak respectfully to each other and have great collaborative conversations.

We put our sentence starters up in the class but decided to make something in order for our students to have easier access.  The first is a trifold that can be placed in the center of a group.  The sentence starters are in view for all the students as they have discussions.  The second are bookmarks that can be laminated and easily pulled out when needed.

 

We're excited to use both these items when school resumes in August.  We thought it might also be fun to have a introduction activity when introducing accountable talk with our students.  We made a simple graphic organizer that allows students to brainstorm what accountable talk looks and sounds like.  

We'd love to share these items with you at our store on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Please visit our this LINK to download this item.  We hope you enjoy using it within your classroom!

No Prep Circle Books

Open House is just around the corner, and we were looking for some eye-catching ways to display the learning going on in our classrooms.  One of our fifth grade colleagues came to us with a great way for students to show what they know when it comes to the important battles of the American Revolution.  We always appreciate an activity that is high quality in BOTH process and product!  Best of all, these circle books take very little prep on the part of the teacher.

As we read about the various battles of the Revolutionary War, students took notes to help them with a written summary.  What a perfect way to incorporate informational writing in our social studies block!  This is one example of a graphic organizer that was helpful for some students to keep track of important information.  Students chose four battles to focus on to do their writing.

Once students gathered notes, the graphic organizer we used allowed space to write a rough draft.  Students peer edited with one another before revising and creating their final product.  Students were then given four sheets of paper with the circle template.  Click here to grab your FREE copy of the template we used!  There is both a lined and an unlined version available.  The unlined version can allow for more flexibility in the placement of the writing.

Perhaps the favorite part of the project for students is adding a little art.  The blank space on the circle can be used to illustrate the students' writing.  Check out how great these turned out!  (Yes, she can draw and write more beautifully than either of us can.)

Once the students have completed their writing and artwork, it is time to put the books together.  First, cut out the four circles and fold each circle in half.  Then, glue one half of a circle to a half of a different circle.  Continue until all four circles are glued together.  These look great strung from one end of the classroom to the other.  Simply stick a paperclip through a punched hole at the top and watch these circlebooks spin freely.  Everyone who walks into the classroom is immediately drawn to these projects.

We chose to grade our writing using a simple rubric focusing on content, organization, and mechanics.  You can easily make your own rubric using RubiStar, a free website for teachers!

The great thing about this project is that it is so easily adaptable to whatever content you are teaching!  Leave us some comments below if you do this activity and what content you used.  We are always excited to see others' ideas!