MY BALLOON - Descriptive Writing

MY BALLOON -
Teaching Paragraphs to locate the balloon being shown:
1. My balloon is round and big. It is colorful. The colors are as bright as the sun. It has a wicker basket underneath. There are many people around my balloon.

2. My balloon is shaped like a top. It is very colorful and has stripes. I love my balloon.

3. My balloon is full of hot air. It has bright, sunny colors. There is a vertical threading of white going through it. It has a horizontal color design.

4. On this cloudy fall morning, my balloon has been flying for over an hour and we are preparing to land. Looking out over the rough, wet landscape, I can see my balloon reflected in the river. The side that is reflected has bright rainbow colors that are subdued by the rippling water of the Rio Grande. The vertical stripes of brilliant color on the pear-shaped balloon converge at the top in a patch of white. As you and the chase crew approach, which balloon will you come pick up?

IDEAS FOR WRITING...STORY STARTERS
What would you like to escape from? What would your balloon look like? Describe what you would see from your balloon. What would you take with you? What perilous adventures will you survive? Would you like to travel alone or with someone? Where would you go in your hot air balloon? Draw and describe your own balloon invention.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BALLOON VOCABULARY FOR STUDENTS TO VIEW.
Ground Crew - the people who help get the balloon ready to fly, help hold it down and follow it on the ground to help the balloon land.
Gondola - the basket under the balloon where the passengers ride.
Rip Panel - a long section of the balloon bag that can let air out very fast when opened.
Neck - the bottom of the balloon that leads to the opening.
Pilot - the person who flies the balloon.
Hare and Hound - a balloon race. the pilots of balloons are the "hounds." They try to land as close as they can to the official "hare."
Altitude - the height of something or how high the balloon flies.
Envelope - the bag that holds the hot air.

BRAINSTORM WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE BALLOON OR ANY NOUN - USE WORDS THAT STATE COLOR, SIZE, SHAPE, AND MISC.

ART THAT COMPLIMENTS WRITING PROJECT:
Materials: permanent magic markers, cardboard cut to size of overhead plastic, overhead plastic.
Directions: Students draw a black/white picture of their balloon showing everything in detail that would go with their descriptive paragraph. Place overhead plastic on top of drawing. Trace of the lines of the balloon using permanent black marker. Color the balloon and surrounding area with permanent markers. Crinkle foil and smooth out again. Cover heavy cardboard with the foil and place plastic balloon drawing on top. It is incredible and easy.

CINQUAINS For Primary Students

BREAKTIME
Santa skiing
Reindeer are waiting
Can't wait too long
Christmas




MIDNIGHT
12 a.m.
Witch flying by
Dark, spooky, creepy, scary
Halloween!

Follow these steps:
1. Decide on your one-word title.
2. Think of two-word phrases that describe your topic. Select the phrase you like best.
3. Think of three-word phrases that describe an action relating to your topic. Choose the phrase you like best.
4. Think of four-word phrases that describe a feeling relating to your topic. Choose the phrase you like best.
5. Think of one word that refers back to your topic.

Two different cinquains created by students during brainstorm session.
PUPPY..............................PUPPY
Happy tail.........................Floppy ears
Runs in circles..................Wiggles in sleep
Happy to see me...............Dreaming of lost bones
Pet....................................Companion

This has so many possibilities. This can be a culminating activity for any learning concept and can be graded for knowledge learned. We decided to use fingerprint art using stamp pads for our drawings that complimented our poetry. When completed and put on construction paper it is very striking out in the hallway. Each student's work is different but it was so easy to complete as a group in class.

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

While you are studying community, get a map of your city for an easy bulletin board. Get large round head straight pins and attach a label. Make sure you have one for each student as well as yourself. Depending on the age of the students, you may need to send a note home information from the parents of you could have students fill out a form answering questions about where they live. As each child tells you where they live, stick a pin with their name or initials to mark the place. If your map shows landforms, you can discuss who lives near what landforms as you are marking the map. This bulletin board is a hit. Everyone is interested in who lives where. This would make a great beginning of the year "getting to know you" activity. When you are done, store the map and pins for the following year - as a bulletin board already to use!

LANDFORM LEARNING BULLETIN BOARD

Materials:
1. Make definition sets and photo/pictures for the Bulletin Board, using landforms you are studying:
ALBUQUERQUE - a community where we live, work, and play!
CANYON - a deep valley with steep sides.
FOREST - a large area of land covered with trees and other plants.
RIVER - a long body of water that flows over land.
MOUNTAIN - a high area of land with steep sides and a sharp peak.
VALLEY - an area of low land between mountains or hills.
MESA - a raised area with steep sides and a large flat top.
DESERT - a region of little rainfall where few plants and animals live.
2. Have paper clips near each landform. Students choose a name of a landform in your area and clips it next to the picture/definition on the board: Manzano Mountains, Sandia Mountains, Rio Grand River, West Mesa, Sandia National Forest, Tijeras Canyon, North Valley, South Valley.
3. As you are teaching about landforms you can refer to the Learning Bulletin Board. Make sure you mention that once you name a landform you need to capitalize it because it is a proper name.
4. Make sure your spelling list for the week includes landforms and names.
5. You can extend to a writing project and include drawing a landform for art.

More Views

Item #: 016949
ISBN: 9781557992536
EAN: 023472002723
Grades: K-2
Retail: $8.99
Rainbow Price: $6.75

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This workbook is great for introducing children to landforms and bodies of water and helping them to identify and name them. The book contains a dozen reproducible activity sheets, teacher resource pages, reproducible flash cards, and a double-sided, full-color fold out poster. 

ANASAZI LEARNING BULLETIN BOARD

Materials - pictures similar to ones shown.

LEAF TURKEY GOBBLERS

Season/Month: Thanksgiving-November
Age/Grade: Primary
Groups: Whole, Center
Materials: Pattern, Construction Paper, Scissors, Glue
This art project could be a culmination of "Leaf Study".    Have at least 6 templates of each item for students to trace.  You need seasonal colored construction paper.  I had them pre-cut into the approximate size of the leaves, so there was minimal waste.  For younger students, you could pre-cut the leaves or copy the leaf onto the paper, so students just need to cut.  The body template is a sturdy paper plate, the face is a butter dish cover.  Of course you could have templates for these items also.  I copied the feet on light brown construction paper and gave the students a set when they were ready for that part of the project.  Make sure their names are on it and have them draw the eyes.  How did I store all of this?  I stapled the side of a manilla folder shut and then tucked all the items inside (except the plate) and stored in my file drawer under NOVEMBER!  Have Fun.

Directions:
1. Trace large paper plate on brown construction paper and cut out. This is the body.
2. Trace butter lid on yellow construction paper and cut out. This is the face.
3. Trace beak on orange construction paper and cut out.
4. Trace wattle on red construction paper and cut out.
5. Trace and cut out feet on tan construction paper.
6. To save time you can copy the leaves onto a variety of colored construction paper. The students can then cut out instead of tracing and cutting.

Makes a cute bulletin board or can hang from the ceiling.
Taken from The Mailbox Primary Magazine 1993- WONDERFUL RESOURCE TO USE.
http://www.theeducationcenter.com/cgi-bin/tec/guest.jsp
http://okscribbler.blogspot.com/2010/08/aims-science-fall-leafs-me-happy.html 

TURKEY-INDIAN FACE ART PROJECT

Season/Month: Thanksgiving-November
Age/Grade: Primary
Groups: Whole, Center,Individual
Materials: Construction Paper, scissors, glue, markers

Make patterns for the children to trace and cut out.
Make sure to have an example for children to see.]
Easy directions could be posted for children to follow.

Need:
91/2" x 71/4" tan construction paper
2" x 6" brown construction paper
brown triangular beak
black circular eyes
red waddle
4 hands cut out: red, yellow, green orange construction paper
yellow Indian Band

MOLLY'S PILGRIM ACTIVITY

Season/Month: Thanksgiving-November

Age/Grade: Primary

Groups: Whole

Materials: Book, Copied Pilgrim, Paper Towel tubes, Colors, Glue

1. Read or listen to Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen.
2. Hand out puppet pages to be colored (discuss colors pilgrims wore and how they made them).
3. Cut out the parts. Glue to cardboard roll.
4. If students are older you may make stations for children to go to to complete the Molly Doll, or have additional adult help.
Taken from Copycat 1991 (out of print) may purchase:
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Copycat-Store__W0QQ_armrsZ1

I.D. ME

Great "Getting to Know You" Activity. Make sure you discuss issues that entail fingerprinting. Use a stamp pad to complete the identification cards.  To extend this project, you could pass out magnifying glass to each student and have them gather in pairs or groups to find differences in each others' prints.  Also can be used as a teaching tool to help students fill out forms correctly and neatly. Makes a nice Class Book that will be looked at all year long. Remember to put in Journal/Memory Book to go home at the end of the year . Paper is from Copycat 1989.  It is out-of-print.  http://stores.ebay.com/Copycat-Store

Additional activities to extend this activity: http://gemsclub.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/gimmefive.4394629.pdf

THE IMPORTATNT BOOK

Project completed after reading The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard WeisgardEach child receives a Writing/Art paper. Discuss the format of the writing. You may need to put this format on the board for younger children. After writing is proofed by teacher for neatness and accuracy, students draw a picture depicting what they wrote, coloring neatly, filling in all the space. These may be posted on the wall, in hallways, on the web, as a class book. After you are finished, make sure to add to the Journal/Memory Book to take home.