Open Ended Questioning Article Summaries

The summary presentation posters from each group's reading of "Open-Ended Questions: Stretching Children's Academic and Social Learning" are below, in order. Refer to the article for more specific charts and visuals to support implementation in your classroom. 

Graffiti Art and Graffiti Boards

Written by: Chrystal Williams-Alberty, 3rd-5th Grade Reading Teacher

Growing up in a clean cut neighborhood, with nicely painted houses, the term “graffiti” seemed out of place to me.  The thought of messy drawings on public walls was not only a menace to the visual peace of a neighborhood but also something I couldn’t find myself identifying with.

It wasn’t until I became a teacher I heard of the term “graffiti art.”  I discovered it was more than just messy drawings on a wall.  Graffiti art, in my opinion, is a great way to express yourself.

In my classroom I have used graffiti art as a tool to grasp the gist of a story for emerging readers or upper elementary students who read at an emerging reader level.  During a read aloud students make a graffiti board.  I give students time to draw pictures or words that stick out to them during the story on a graffiti board.  After reading we review our drawings and words then explain why these words and pictures stuck out to us.

Students who lack in reading and writing ability have an opportunity to respond to reading without the pressure of having to read by themselves or write.  Also, you need very few supplies to get the job done.

The picture below shows a group of 4th grade students who perform on Kindergarten and 1st grade levels in reading.  They are making a graffiti board using chart paper and markers.  They listened to the story Of Thee I Sing A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama.

What's Happening Around Lyon Academy? December 9th, 2016

Take a look at several highlights from around our school this week. If you see an anchor chart, student work, or something else in the building you would like showcased for the staff, please send it to Tyler.Archer@slps.org.

Ms. Cychowski has her students complete a variety of diagrams in order to demonstrate higher levels of understanding. 

Ms. Richardson had her students complete a short writing project about friendship last month. 

Ms. Salmo used cut-outs of people to teach her students the parts of speech. 

Prior to the election, Ms. Wolfenden asked her students to write about what they would do if they were President and showcased the work with pictures of her students. 

Ms. Walker and Ms. Stuckel showcased multicultural holidays in their classroom. 

Ms. Connell used a Christmas light theme to identify the title and author of books that students read during IDR.

Ms. Richardson's students created self-portraits as a way of learning about characterization. 

Ms. Trapp works with students to practice then publish their writing as part of the LLI program implementation in grades 1-2. 

Ms. Wolfenden's students composed Gingerbread Stories to celebrate the holiday season. 

Ms. McCord's "What's Going On?" board greets students when they enter the classroom. 

Ms. Cisar's data wall showcases the students making growth according to STAR Math. 

Ms. Archer tracks students' progress towards weekly Kickboard goals and rewards students who achieve their goal with an incentive. 

Ms. Smith acknowledges the students making growth each STAR cycle on her hallway bulletin board. 

Ms. Smith's anchor charts help students clearly distinguish between figurative and literal language. 

Ms. Davison uses STAR graphs to show her students' progress anonymously. 

Ms. Cychowski's students demonstrate their understanding of the What it Says/What it Means (WIS/WIM) strategy for Science writing.