Language Arts: Employ a wide range of strategies as they write
and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate
with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
Technology: Use technology tools for individual writing, communication,
and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences
inside and outside of the classroom.
Students will draw pictures of monsters, write detailed descriptions,
and exchange their writings with keypals (in your school or neighboring
school) using email. Once descriptions have been exchanged, students
will do their best to draw the monster from the description.
Finally, all students will come together to share and compare.
Prior to lesson, prepare a simple monster and written description
(not too descriptive) of it. Also, work with another teacher
in your school or neighboring school to exchange emails. Establish
partners between the two classes to exchange monster descriptions.
Begin the class by passing our blank white paper to your students
and supplying them with crayons. Explain that they have a challenge--to
draw the monster you are going to describe to them. Next, read
your description of your monster through one time without stopping.
Read it again. Allow the students approximately ten minutes to
draw the monster. Reveal the picture of your monster, and discuss
any obvious flaws in your description and how you could have
improved your description.
It is now the students' turn to draw a monster. Provide them
with another sheet of paper and crayons. Explain that there are
some limitations to their monsters. Students should only use
four colors and use only lines, circles, squares, triangles,
and other simple geometric shapes. (You could integrate math
in this segment of the lesson to discuss shapes and measurement.)
Once students have completed their drawing, they should begin
their descriptive paragraph. Once the first draft is complete,
pair students to edit and proofread. A graphic organizer (PQP--Praise,
Question, Polish--chart) could be used.
The final draft should be typed on the computer and saved
on a disk.
With your help, students will attach (or copy and paste) their
description into an email. Students may also begin looking for
the delivery of email messages of their keypals' monster descriptions.
Once they are received, print and distribute to students. Students
should draw the monster from the description.
Once both classes are finished with their drawings, arrange
a time to come together and share. Have students compare original
monsters with redrawn versions from their keypal. Have each writer
explain what they described well, and what they need to describe
better. Serve cookies.
