**********************************************************************************
I have a class full of fast finishers. So, I need to either create longer activities or put more in my work stations, right? NOPE! More work is not the answer. However, more of a challenge is.
For years, I have been using the 'make the magic mystery word' lessons and love them because of their scope, the variety of vocabulary that can be used, and because it teachings kids how to manipulate word families or 'word chunks'. So, when I was rethinking my centers, I thought 'Why not try a 'making phrases' activity to challenge my fast finishers?' So.....I have put this thought...hope....dream.....into action.
So....here is my thought process about this activity:
Why should I have my students 'make phrases'? What is this teaching?
¨ This is a higher level version of ‘making words’. Students will have to go through many different combinations of words in order to find the answer. It is an excellent activity for higher or gifted students and can be used to differentiate a spelling/making words center.
¨ This activity teaches students to look for clues, use hints, and groupings of letters to find their answers. Students will have to make inferences based on the information that they have.
¨ This activity was created with the idea that students would be working together. This promotes listening skills and verbal communication.
¨ This activity teaches organizational methods such as marking out letters as they are used and highlighting the correct number of boxes that are needed. Students will have to pay close attention to details in order to be successful.
¨ Students will find themselves asking each other questions. They will be more apt to carry over the questioning skills into other subject areas.
That said, here are a few screen shots of the activity. I put a lot of time into selecting the borders, making each card different. Plus, each border is a hint to the phrase that is to be created! Pretty good idea if I do say so myself! This activity has approximately 70 or so cards, for a variety of different phrases for students to discover. Every task card has a set of clues and a set of letters listed for the students to use. A key and student directions are provided, also.
This lesson is located at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Making-Magic-Phrases-Problem-Solving-With-Words. Click here to find out more and see other thumbnails of pages.
