Teach Sensory Details with Bacon!

One of the fifth grade TEKS (standards) in Texas is for students to identify how an author uses "sensory details"...It will most likely show up on our STAAR test. I LOVE this skill, because it is the perfect opportunity for our students to read like writers and write like readers, you know? They really have to think like an author! I have enjoyed working with them to locate ways the author uses sensory details in literature.

Anyhoo, we discussed how sensory details help us imagine how something would look, taste, smell etc. We used a sensory details graphic organizer to create a page in our reading notebooks. (wish I'd snapped a pic) This was all good, but I wanted to give the kids a super sensory *experience* that we could write about. I thought about many foods, and I decided that the experience of cooking and eating bacon is pretty darn appealing to all five senses!!

It was perfect, because you can use onomatopoeias to describe the cooking sound. Then, of course the smell...After that I made them write about the appearance and texture. Finally, we ate it!

**Here is my tip..I brought in a few slices of raw bacon to cook so they could hear the sizzling sound. For the rest, I brought pre-cooked "Microwave Ready" bacon. I just set it in the skillet for about 1 minute and it was hot and ready. It was very easy, and the kids have done well at remembering what sensory details are ever since!

Be a GAMER

If you are in a grade-level that has state assessments, I'm sure you have your own set of strategies for test taking. In the past, we have taken the TAKS test, but this year we are switching to a new test called STAAR. I have been studying up like crazy on the test and our new set of state standards (TEKS) so that my kids will be prepared for everything. In light of the new test, I decided that it was time for some type of new test-taking strategy. We've used acronyms like FISH and NURSE in the past for reading, but I wanted something fresh.

I teach to the test...no, not like tons of test prep passages, just a few. I DO teach the standards that will be on our test, but I try to teach the standards with good literature. SO, I wanted our new test taking strategies to include elements that apply to good reading in general. I use CAFE reading strategies and lots of Tanny McGregor lessons, so I wanted our test taking strategies to reflect all of that.

I saw an idea on Pinterest for a test taking strategy poster that was in the shape of a video-game controller. Unfortunately, I never pinned it, and now I can't find it. But whoever had this idea first, THANK YOU!

So, some teachers and myself decided how we wanted our game-controller to look, so all our tested grades can use it. One of our fabulous Title I teachers helped us put it on an actual controller. We decided to create an acronym with the word GAMER to fit the whole video game controller thing. The kids love it! It sits on their desk and they "press" the buttons as we talk about some of these strategies in our work. The kids have definitely enjoyed this. We printed this and cut it in half for the students.

(This starts out small, but if you clip it will enlarge!)
Controller Desktop

February Currently

I'm linking up with Farley's "Currently." Click to play along!