Inspired by Smekens

I must admit that I was not that thrilled to be told I had to attend a two day training, two days after we ended school. I think all teachers know that your brains are not ready to be thinking creatively in the month of June. Very few teachers want to start planning for the next school year until they have at least a week to just do..... Absolutely Nothing!!

The literacy retreat I went to by Kristina Smekens was fantastic! I walked away with so many great ideas, and I haven't stop planning for the next school year.

One of the ideas I loved the most was using Apples to Apples for a quick experience in making inferences and citing evidence from visuals. I have lots of great activities and strategies for helping students build inferences, but I don't always put the time and energy into making them write about their thinking and I especially lack that most important standard of "citing evidence." 


 
Big Picture Apples to Apples is made just for this activity. It provides a green card with a word and definition. There are five random images and students have to pick the image that they feel best depicts the word. They then have to write about the picture they chose and cite evidence from the visual in their conclusion.


My school setting is very conservative, so I have to be very careful to monitor all pictures the students see. I decided to create my own version by using the green cards from our original Apples to Apples game and having my assistants (aka.. four children) go through magazines and cut out pictures. I will then laminate the pictures and students will have more choice and decision making in picking a picture that represents the word on the card.

I am planning to use this during small group independent activities while I am working with a guided reading group. It will be important to model this activitiy and provide students with the key words needed in supporting their opinion. Students should provide two reasons (evidence) why they picked that specific picture.

In the picture...

The picture shows...

According to the picture...

One example from the picture...

The photographer shows...

Their response should end with their explanation or interpretation of how the evidence they stated is significant to how the picture depicts the word.

This shows...

This demonstrates...

I believe...

Now I know...

This proves...

I am very excited to use this hands on writing activity in my classroom this year.