Summer SAVY, Session 2 Day 2, Playing with Words (1st – 2nd)
Good afternoon, SAVY families!
Our learning objectives today included: I can describe similes and metaphors and use them in my writing; I can describe how language changes across time and place; I can determine word meaning based on context clues, and I can develop analytical and interpretive skills in literature.
This morning began with a review and recap of yesterday’s learning about nouns and adjectives. We generated a list of nouns that could be described by our “mystery adjectives” that we posted on the wall. We also got to choose among three fantastic poems about the moon and dive in-depth to study the poem of our choice, analyzing for figurative language and using context clues to figure out unfamiliar words. We split into three groups and had each group study a specific poem, giving them a chance to become an expert at their poem. Then, we reconvened as a class to “teach” our poems to each other. At this time, students were able to share the words they used last night as homework to describe the moon.
We watched a video on similes and metaphors to review the differences and then played a game with handheld whiteboards where we had to determine if a phrase was a simile or metaphor and even generate some of our own.
Lunch was a welcome break from our hard work this morning, and students did an excellent job transitioning to and from the lunchroom, as well as following the expectations while they were eating. After lunch, we reviewed the morning’s learning and then attended ORA. It was a bit questionable due to the weather forecast, but we were able to enjoy our outdoor time. Speaking of weather forecasts, be sure to ask your student about patterns in the weather this week! We did an activity on this yesterday in our workbooks!
We read a poem this afternoon called, Dream Maker. We moved on from our moon comparisons and focused our figurative language targets on the sun writing more similes and metaphors. We read aloud the story, Red Are the Apples, by Marc Harshman and Cheryl Ryan. Students seemed to really enjoy this story! We completed our day with a Design/Describe/Write, where students were given STEM-type materials and encouraged to construct something using their imagination. After the given time frame had expired, they used adjectives to describe and write 3 sentences about the appearance, feel, sound, functionality, and purpose of their constructed item. In this way, students linked engineering with literacy concepts and enjoyed a cross-curricular learning experience. Overall, we had a great day! We hope you enjoy your day off tomorrow and look forward to seeing everyone back on Thursday!
Questions for further exploration with your students could include:
- What is a metaphor? How is it different from a simile?
- What are context clues, and how can they help me understand new words?
- How does language change across time and space?
- What models can we use to analyze literature?
- Can you distinguish a literal comparison from a figurative comparison?
- What is the difference between these two types of comparisons?
See you Thursday!
Dr. Rylander