Postcard Pals 2016-2017 Update

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I hope that everyone is having a great September so far! Still warm and beautiful in these parts, and the leaves will soon be changing color soon.

Here's a quick update on Postcard Pals 2016-2017 that I wanted to share. I sent out mailing addresses and instructions to all participants on August 26 via e-mail. The e-mail is from my blog e-mail address, which is info@aspiretoinspireblog.com. 

MailChimp is the program I use to manage my e-mails, and I'm able to check who has opened and clicked on my e-mails. It also lets me know if any of my e-mails bounced back because of invalid e-mail addresses, and none did that. Based on the reports I've been running, I know that there are some participants who have not opened their Postcard Pals e-mails for whatever reason. If you have not seen an e-mail from me in your inbox, please check your spam/junk folders as it may have been filtered there. It is possible that if you are using a school or business address, the firewall has blocked the e-mail altogether. This has been a problem in the past. If you check and do not find an e-mail in any of your mailboxes or folders, please send me an e-mail at info@aspiretoinspireblog.com and include an alternative e-mail address that you can receive e-mails at, such as a Gmail, Yahoo, etc. account. I will then resend the information.

Another thing I've noticed is that the check off documents are not being updated by participants when they send their postcards. Please do this so that I know who has sent postcards and when. Directions for how to do this are included in my August 26 e-mail. Thanks!

The deadline for sending postcards is October 31 so hopefully you've been starting to receive them and to send them. Please send me your updates and photos! I'd love to see what's happening. 

Back-to-School Brain-Boosting Icebreakers

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I'm not a fan of traditional large-group icebreakers. I find that I spend most of the time leading up to my turn thinking about what I'm going to say, and consequently,  I never really pay much attention to what others are saying. I debate whether I am bragging when I share my accomplishments, and I get annoyed when I feel like others actually are. I also think that many icebreaker questions are fluffy and don't really help me to get to know anybody in a meaningful way.  To sum it up:

As a teacher, it's important to remember that we are surrounded by many different personalities in our classrooms. Chances are, some students feel similarly about icebreakers as I do. Alas, I'm not a total killjoy. I think that icebreakers can be very useful if the right questions are asked, and the activity is facilitated in the right way. When done in a constructive way, icebreakers not only help us to learn about our students but also go a long way in building classroom community. When it comes time to learning about my students and students learning about each other, I like to dig deep right off the bat--but in fun and interesting ways!

Here are three icebreaker ideas in which students can thoughtfully and creatively introduce themselves and their personalities to you and their classmates:

If I Was... 

In this activity, students complete prompts with answers that reflect their personalities. Here are a couple of examples: "If I was a musical instrument, I would be..." or "If I was a school supply, I would be...." Answering the prompt is only part of the activity. I ask students to explain why they answered in the ways that they did, and I am fascinated by the responses that students come up with.  Disclaimer: I'm not a psychologist, and I can't decipher the deeper meanings of students' answers. It's just really interesting to see how students compare themselves to the objects and ideas in the prompts!

In addition to just going around the room and everyone answering, there are alternative ways that you can facilitate this activity depending on the purpose you want to achieve.  I'll outline a couple:

• Do this as a journaling activity. Using it this way allows the student to communicate directly with you and maintain the privacy that doing the activity aloud in a large group might infringe upon in the eyes of some students;
• Preselect 3-4 different answers for each prompt ahead of time. Assign each answer a location in the room. Then, read the prompt aloud and ask students to move the location in the room that represents the answer that they feel best describes them. You can ask students to find at least one person in the group to talk to about why they chose the answer they did. (This may be uncomfortable for some students, and while it's good to be mindful that some activities may not appeal to all students, it's also important to stretch your students' comfortability and encourage them to communicate with one another.);
• Assign students to small groups of 4-5 and have them each share their answers to a given prompt;
• Do the activity as a whole class, but instead of students giving answers orally, provide students with whiteboards on which they can write their responses. You can then pick a few students to explain their answers for each prompt; or
• Choose a prompt as the focus of a bulletin board and have students illustrate their responses.

If My Life Was a Novel...

This literacy and art activity allows students to share about their lives while demonstrating understanding of literary genres. Using a template like the one shown above, each student chooses a literary genre that best represents his or her life. Then, students expound on their genre choices by writing about the characters and settings in their lives as well as summarizing their stories.

You can conduct this activity with students having them view it through a couple of different lenses:

• Students can tell their stories "so far...." They can share what has happened in their lives up to this point; or
• Students can summarize what they hope their lives will be like over the course of their entire lifetime. 

Be sure to review common literary genres (fiction, nonfiction, etc.) with your students, and invite them to relate sub-genres such as suspense; melodrama; comedy; tragedy; romance; mystery; biography; fairy tale; and adventure, among others, to their lives. 

After students write about their lives as novels, invite them to illustrate a cover of their novel as way to further share about themselves and their life stories.

Back to School Categories Game

Anytime you can use a well-known game or game show in the classroom it's a winner in my book. This back-to-school game is based on "Scattergories." While this activity isn't as personalized as the previous ones, it is a lot of fun--and asks students to be thoughtful at the same time. It provides a window to how students think, which is valuable as you get to know them as children and as learners.

To play, every student gets a blank game card with categories listed. You randomly choose a letter. Start a timer of between 3-5 minutes. Then, let students try to complete their entire list of categories with answers that only begin with the chosen letter. (For example, if the letter is G, and the category is school supplies, you could write "glue.") Students score a point for every unique answer they have (i.e. no one else can have the answer). This game can be played many times since you can use the same list with a different letter each time you play. 

As with the other activities, you can play this game in a variety of ways:

• Play it as a whole class with students answering individually. Be prepared to devote a big chunk of time to doing it this way, though, since you'll have to have every student give his or her answer to every category. To use time efficiently, once an answer is given for the first time, ask the class if anyone else has the same answer, and then skip over students whose answers have already been given. Also, to make sure that everyone has chance to give an answer, start with students in different parts of the room as you go over answers for each category;
• Play as a whole class, but divide students into small groups, and have them work together to complete the list of categories; or
• Divide students into small groups, and have them play against each other. 

Are you interested in trying these icebreaker ideas in your classroom? Click here or on the image to download these for FREE!

What are some of your favorite icebreakers that you use ? Do you have any other brain-boosting icebreakers that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

The Official Postcard Pals 2016-2017 Sign-Up is LIVE!

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Wow! I'm thrilled with the response to bringing back the classroom postcard exchange. With more than 100 classrooms expressing interest, that means that the 2016-2017 Postcard Pals Classroom Postcard Exchange is ON!

So now what?

The next step is for teachers to officially sign up. Here is the 2016-2017 Postcard Pals sign up form. The form will be open until AUGUST 20, 2016. At that point, I'll begin working on mailing group assignments.

By completing this form, YOU ARE COMMITTING to participating in the exchange. Participating means that you agree to do the following:

1. Use or create an e-mail address that accepts e-mail messages from my blog e-mail address. Some school addresses have very fortified firewalls so if you use your school e-mail, please make sure that it accepts e-mails from info@aspiretoinspireblog.com. If it doesn't, I recommend setting up an e-mail address specifically for this exchange at a free e-mail provider such as Gmail or Yahoo.

2. Send a one-time paper postcard to every class in your group (est. 30-40 cards) by the mailing deadline.

3. Update a Google spreadsheet to indicate that you have sent your postcards (simply entering a date--easy!).

4. Complete a short feedback survey about your experience after the exchange.

5. (Optional but appreciated!) Send a few photos of any postcard displays or your class in action as they participate. (I will protect student privacy and cover faces, etc. if I use your photos on a blog post.)
 

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Here is some important info to keep in mind:

By overwhelming preference, the postcard exchange will involve traditional paper postcards. Each class is responsible for supplying its own postcards and postage. I will provide you with some ideas for inexpensive or free postcards as well as funding options when I send out the instructions and mailing lists.  

You will receive your mailing list and instructions in early September, and postcards will need to be mailed by the end of October. Please make sure that you are able to work on this project within that timeframe before you commit to the exchange. 

The only information that will be shared with others on your mailing list is your name, school name, and address. All other information that I request from you will be seen and used by me to communicate updates about the exchange only.

Okay, I'm off to check the growing list of official participants. Hope to see your name on that list!

It's Back! Postcard Pals Classroom Postcard Exchange 2016-2017

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So continuing with the theme of my last two posts about making the most of the summer by getting in on some unique learning experiences for students before the next school year starts, I'm going to offer one to you myself! 

Postcard Pals is making its triumphant return after a year hiatus with what I hope will be the best exchange yet. I have coordinated Postcard Pals since 2013, and I'm really happy with the results of both exchanges I've done. (Some of the participants must have been happy, too, because they signed up for another year!)  You can read more about past exchanges here. 

So here's a little description of what has happened in past exchanges:

1. Teachers (public, private, and home school are welcome) sign up, and depending on the number of classes, I divide up classrooms into groups of 20-30 classes. I do this to keep costs low for participating classrooms as opposed to asking them to send 100+ postcards. I also--as best as I can--divide by grade band, usually PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. 

Each teacher is then responsible for sending one postcard from his or her class to each of the other classes in his or her group. Postcards include information about the geography, economy, history, and other interesting facts about the state in which the class lives. Signing up commits teachers to sending one postcard to each class on their mailing list. If teachers want to establish a pen pal program beyond the one postcard, they are welcome to do that; however, I don't facilitate that. It would be up to the classes involved to work that out.

2. At the beginning of the year (September, usually), I provide teachers in each group with detailed instructions about what should be included on the postcards along with a mailing list of classrooms in their groups. I give a deadline by which postcards should be sent so that everyone knows by when they should expect to receive their postcards (usually October or November). I ask teachers to indicate that they have sent postcards by updating a Google spreadsheet (very easy to do) with the date that they sent them. I use this spreadsheet to follow up with teachers who have not sent postcards.

3. Let the postcards roll in! I love to receive photos and comments about how the exchange is going, and I encourage participants to stay in touch. Many of the photos I receive show bulletin boards prepared especially for the exchange, which is so fun to see. 

In year one, I had 130 classrooms signed up, and in year two 43. Now, that's a big difference, I know. However, year two actually had a higher success rate of follow through on those who committed to participate so that's a good thing! While this an intermediate blog, I do open this exchange up to K-12 students. I've had all grade levels from across the USA participate--and even a few outside of the country--which is quite exciting. 

For 2016-2017...

Step #1 is determining interest, which is what I'm doing in this post. If you're interested in learning more about this exchange, please complete this Google form. Completing the form in no way locks you into a commitment to join. Once I finalize details, I'll set up another form to officially sign up. Please share this with colleagues and teacher friends! Pin it, tweet it, post it, sky write it with an airplane...just please help me get the word out.

Step #2 is thinking about how to improve Postcard Pals. This year, I'm looking into some different options, including possibly making it a virtual postcard exchange to defray the cost of sending postcards via snail mail. Nothing is set in stone, but it's an idea rattling around in my head. I will also be incorporating feedback from past participants into this and any future exchanges as I know we ran into some issues with people not following through on their commitment to take part.

Click HERE to complete the Google form for more information.

I think that's it for now. Hope to see many of you joining the fun! 

Have you ever done a postcard exchange? Tell us about it in a comment!

5 Unique Learning Opportunities That Your Intermediate Students Will Love

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In my most recent post, I suggested that summer is a great time to research unique learning opportunities in which your students can participate during the next school year, especially if deadlines, fees, and applications are involved. With a little digging, you can find some pretty interesting events, contests, and curriculum extras to engage and challenge your students!

In today's post, I'm sharing five very cool such options for upper elementary and middle school classrooms that I recommend checking out. 

1. Electronic Field Trips (EFT)

The world is so much smaller thanks to technology. Students can now see and experience places, people, and cultures that they might never have encountered otherwise. With electronic field trips, students can "visit" places, sometimes in real-time, without ever leaving the classroom. Ahh...just imagine. No permission slips. No loud bus rides. No constant head counts.

Here are two examples:

Colonial Williamsburg

My classes took part in these EFTs, and they were amazing! My students loved them. Since I last used this resource, it appears that the live broadcasts have been discontinued. Instead, however, they have turned to their HERO multimedia library that includes videos, lesson plans, and other resources about life in Colonial and Revolution-era America that you can access. You can sign up for a free account, but there is a fee involved for school-wide access to the library for the year. The material is high-quality and engaging, and it's a fantastic supplement to social studies curricula. You'll get the most for your fee if you register before the year starts, and that will also give you time to go through and choose material.

National Park Foundation

I have not used these EFTs; however, in browsing through the collection of EFTs available, they seem to be high-quality and varied in social studies and science content and feature diverse US national park locations. These are not real-time videos; however, you can watch them for free in segments whenever you wish. Each EFT includes a video and a corresponding Web site that is rich in resources to use in conjunction with the EFT. The service appears to be free, which is a BONUS!

2. Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) Mock Election 

This is one of those opportunities I found out about just a little to late to incorporate into my classes, but I would have loved to have my students be a part of it. The YLI mock election is "the largest secure, student-only, online mock election in the nation, using electronic ballots tailored to each student's home legislative district." It takes place during the mid-late part of October and includes many resources and options for teachers to conduct an election tailored to their students and their area of residence. You must register for this mock election, and the activity and resources are FREE!  

3. Free Student Book Publishing

We did this activity school-wide for several years, and it was very cool! Every student had the opportunity to write a book and have it hardbound published for FREE. This program, created by Student Treasures, involves each student or class (depending on whether you choose an individual or class book project) receiving a book-writing packet that includes everything they need to create their books (ex. instructions, lined & unlined final pages for writing and illustrations, cover page, dedication page, etc.). Each teacher/school chooses a publishing date, all of which have been established by Student Treasures, so teachers need to plan this project with the submission deadline in mind since all packets must be sent in together before the deadline. Under the guidance and instruction of the teacher, students then write their stories and create colored illustrations for them. In my case, I used this project to practice the writing process--brainstorming, drafting, peer reviewing, revising/editing, planning illustrations, and rewriting, and we spent several months working on the books. I must warn you, though, that executing this program requires a lot of planning so start early! 

I was not the coordinator at our school, but from what I understood then and understand now, the publishing programs are tailored to student age groups (K-6, Middle School, High School, etc.). You simply provide the information to Student Treasures about grade levels and type of book you want students to create, and they determine the program that fits those needs. Again, this worthwhile project is FREE to you, and each student received one FREE hardbound copy of their book. (Parents can order multiple copies of the book using an order form found in the packet.) You can request a free sample packet at Student Treasures' Web site. I can't relay to you how excited students were to receive their books and see their work published. It was amazing!

4. Content-Area Contests

Contests are a great way for students to showcase their talents and, in some case, win prizes for it! I am lumping all of the cool contests I found into one section here because I'm leaving it up to you to decide which of the many out there would fit your needs. There are several different Web pages dedicated to listing contests open to upper elementary and middle school students. I'm including a link to a good resource/repository of contests here. You can find contests for all subjects. I noticed that some have not been updated for next year, and some are defunct so be sure to check for further information at their respective Web sites. Here are a couple of examples that I found:

Cricket magazine is a literary publication for students ages 9-14 and holds contests about a variety of literary topics throughout the year, all of which encourage creativity.

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards involve contests for many art and writing categories in which students enter their pieces based on local program guidelines. These contests are open to public, private, and homeschool students in grades 7-12

5. NASA events and contests

NASA keeps an updated calendar list of opportunities for students in grades K-8 to participate in a variety of science and technology related activities, events, and contests. I noticed the word FREE in many of these descriptions, and there's a nice variety of events that take place at NASA locations and virtually (online). Check back as new events are added! 

What do you think? Have you ever incorporated any of these in your classroom? Other suggestions? Leave a comment!

Aspire to Inspire Classroom Resources Round-Up: Poetry

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Does it finally look like spring where you're at? I think poet Sara Teasdale expresses the atmosphere around here right now! 

The roofs are shining from the rain,

The sparrows twitter as they fly,

And with a windy April grace

The little clouds go by.

Yet the back-yards are bare and brown

With only one unchanging tree

I could not be so sure of spring

Save that it sings for me.

--"April" by Sara Teasdale

April brings more than just showers and May flowers. It's National Poetry Month, too. Here is my latest Aspire to Inspire Classroom Resources round-up of 10 FREE online resources that will help your students become "well-versed" in poetry!

National Poetry Month Official Site

Here you'll find a collection of teacher instructional resources, a library of poets and poems, Poem-a-Day, poster contest, and the Dear Poet project, and more. 

10 Ways to Use Poetry in the Classroom

This article explores 10 elements of poetry to study, complete with recommended mentor texts and Web sites. 

20 Ways to Celebrate Poetry Month

There are some pretty creative ideas for observing National Poetry month on this list. Check out the Bonus Potato Pick at the end of the post if your class is courageous enough!

Poets' Corner

This vast and well-maintained collection of poetry (7,000+ poems by 800 poets) is a fantastic resource with search capabilities as well as short poet biographies. 

Upper Elementary Poetry Open Mic Lesson

Watch poetry in motion in an upper elementary class with this creative lesson that engages students in poetry readings. 

Upper Elementary The Best Way to Teach Poetry

Pam from Rockin' Resources takes a year-long approach to teaching poetry with a comprehensive list of diverse and engaging lessons.

Calling on the Muse: Exercises to Unlock the Poet Within

Inspire young poets with these exercises in self-expression, imagination, and thinking in poetry instead of prose. This is a great resource for teaching beyond poetic structures and theory.

The Poetry Friendly Classroom Video

This short video includes a few interviews with classroom teachers who explain some methods they use to teach poetry that seek to make poetry relevant and inclusive. 

Six Technology-Based Poetry Ideas for Students Who Think They Hate Poetry

Using technology devices, social media, apps, Web sites, and more, this teacher provides some easy-to-do instructional ideas to engage even the most reluctant student of poetry.

Middle School What Are the Elements of Poetry

This lesson uses Gary Soto's "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes" to teach about form, mood, implications, figurative language, and originality (suggested grades 6-8).

While I specifically focused on upper elementary and middle school resources, many of these can also be adapted to younger or older students. 

Did you/have you used any of these resources? What do you think? Leave a comment!

FREE Homophones from the Heart Valentine's Day Printable

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Roses are red;

Violets are blue;

Need a lesson that's handy?

Here's one based on candy!

Here's a twist on a Valentine's Day favorite! This FREE printable combines conversation hearts with homophones as students decode a homophone-filled message on each heart then color it according to the number of homophones in the message. A key is included. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

And the Thanksgiving Password Is...FREEBIE!

Pin It Now! Pin It Now! Do you remember the game show "Password"?

I have to admit that I'm too young for the original black & white version. I grew up on the Bert Convy version of "Super Password" in the 1980s and the board game with the little blue plastic folders with the red screens that magically decoded the passwords that couldn't be detected by the naked eye. 

Game shows are so much fun to use as inspiration for classroom activities. In that spirit, I created a FREEBIE Thanksgiving version of Password, which is based on sensory words. No magic decoder folders, but still pretty entertaining! 

In Pick the Password, students choose a Thanksgiving-themed password, then complete a list of descriptive sensory "clues" about the password. Students then say the clues to a partner or small group, and the partner or small group guesses the password. I've provided a list of password suggestions and the password clue lists so all you need to do is print and use!

You might even think about having students do a writing extension activity with the password clue lists that they create.

If you don't have free Teachers Pay Teachers account, #1. Get one! You'll find tons of quality FREE and paid resources there; #2. You can still get this Thanksgiving freebie here. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Will You Be My Amazing, Wonderful, Fantastic Valentine? Using Adjectives to Build Character and Caring in the Classroom

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Woah! I've been hibernating for too long. The only thing that makes me feel better about my blogging hiatus is that school's been out of session this winter just as much as I've been away from the blog. What a crazy year of weather so far!

I'm amazed at how many times I've used some snippet from "The Simpsons" to relate to something serious that I'm trying to explain. Now, of all things, I'm going to use a funny little scene about Valentine's Day from the show to introduce an activity that is probably one of my most favorite of the year.

In the scene, Marge (the mom) is talking to Bart (the son) about the school's policy that students must give every one of their classmates Valentine cards. She proceeds to show him a video that was sent from the school that is to be viewed by all parents. In the video (which spoofs the news show, "Frontline"), the narrator focuses on a classroom in which students may choose to whom they want to give Valentines.  An unpopular little boy named Danny only received two Valentine cards, which may be the result of a rumor that has gone around about him. Meanwhile, the rest of his class is shown sorting through the piles of cards that they have each received. The boy is aware that he has not received as many Valentines because "human young are born with the ability to count Valentines." That night. the boy desperately checks his mailbox at home one more time before eating way too many candy conversation hearts and passing out.

As an adult, I can look at this clip and see the intended humor. However, I also see this as a reminder to make sure that all students feel appreciated and acknowledged during a holiday like Valentine's Day. In a world that can sometimes be downright mean, who doesn't want to feel loved and appreciated?

With this in mind, I found a fabulous idea in a Mailbox magazine called "Heartfelt Adjectives" to supplement the traditional Valentine cards that students distribute each year.  (I know that blog posts should be full of new ideas, but this one is just too good not to share!) The academic content covered in the activity is applying adjectives. The character content covered in the activity is recognizing the value of others and encouraging others through words.

Each student in the class has their own blank page on which their classmates and teacher write a one-word adjective to describe that student. At the end of the activity, students will have personalized Valentines that showcase how others see their talents and personality in positive ways.

Here are the process and procedures I used to make this work for my 5th grade classroom:

• I used Valentine-colored construction paper: red, pink, purple, and white. It could be fun to doll up the Valentine with doilies, stickers, or glitter. Students might also want to cut it into a heart shape.
• I put a picture of each student on his or her Valentine to personalize it.
• Prior to starting the activity, we reviewed adjectives, what they are and what they are not. I also provided students with an extensive list of personality-type adjectives and took some time to go over any of the adjectives that they were unfamiliar with. I also banned boring words like "nice" and "kind" to encourage more thoughtful and interesting language use. 
• We discussed what might be inappropriate adjectives (ex. physical descriptions like "pretty" or "skinny") and adjectives that could make other students uncomfortable.
• I made a rule that each student must sign his or her name under the adjective that he or she writes.
• The students left their blank Valentines on their desks. Then, students took a marker or pen and proceeded to move to the desk to their right every time the timer went off to write on that student's Valentine. I gave students 30 seconds at each desk (less time as the activity went on).
• I collected the Valentines before students could read them and checked them for appropriateness before distributing them back to the students.
• I even had a Valentine for me! Who doesn't want to feel the love? 

Students really enjoyed this activity, and I watched them as they couldn't help smiling at the thoughtful comments their classmates said about them.

Do you do any special activitied with your class for Valentine's Day? Please leave a comment!

Must Read Mentor Text...Roanoke: The Lost Colony, A Unsolved Mystery from History

Pin It Now! Pin It Now! I just learned about an EXCELLENT linky called Must Read Mentor Texts at Collaboration Cuties. In a nutshell, you link up your blog post about a content-area trade book that you recommend to teachers to read and use with their classes. The weekly linky alternates content area. This week it's social studies. Other weeks, there are link ups to language arts, science, and math. There's even a little graphic you post that shares what skills are used in the book and a one-word description of it.

Using trade books is one of my favorite ways to connect my students to subject matter. I highly recommend it! In fact, I tell them that one of the ways I learn more about a topic is to start by reading trade books...that I get from the children's department of the public library! I'm very excited to get involved with this linky not only to share what I've used but also to learn about more fantastic trade book options.

The text I'm sharing this week is Roanoke: The Lost Colony, A Unsolved Mystery from History by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, illustrated by Roger Roth.

This short, nonfiction picture book is aimed toward upper elementary students, but it could be used at the middle level as well. The story is the same at any grade level! Yolen and Stemple tell the story of Roanoke, the first attempt by the British to permanently settle in North America. The story is told from the perspective of a modern-day, young girl who lays out the mystery of the lost colony with details about the major figures from the colony and surrounding environs (Walter Raleigh, John White, the Croatoan Indians, Manteo, Virginia Dare); facts about the colony; descriptions of colonists' relationships with the local American Indians; related vocabulary, and other known information. At the end of the book, the authors provide the most popular theories about what happened to Roanoke:

1. The No Survivors Theory; 

2. Absorbed by Native People Theory; 

3. The Lost at Sea Theory; 

4. The Split Community Theory; and 

5. The White Doe Theory.

This book reminds me a lot of the You Wouldn't Want to Be... series as far as the layout and design. Each page not only tells the central story, but it also includes many different fun facts, vocabulary terms, and interesting illustrations to accompany the text.

I use this book as an introductory hook to our lesson on the Roanoke colony. It's a fascinating story, a true mystery from history, so students really become engaged. I read it aloud in class as it is short enough to do that. I walk around and show illustrations and stop at different points to further explain the story and to quickly assess by questioning students to make sure that they understand what is being read.

I also read the book aloud because students complete a response activity to this book. Prior to reading it, I tell students to pay close attention to the facts and information presented in the book because they will be making a prediction about what they think happened to the colony. After we read the book, I go over the five popular theories then give out the assignment: a newspaper article template on which students write a news story that explains what happened to the colony.

Sample template

Before allowing students to start work, we review the questions that should be answered in a news story: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? Because some of these questions are not answered in the book, students must infer or make their best guesses about answers to them using the information that was presented in the story. I also ask students to draw and color an image to go along with the story. Once students have completed the assignment, I allow volunteers to read their stories aloud. It's usually a good mix of theories presented.

This book requires skills such as cause and effect; understanding sequence; inference; and questioning, among others. It can be used to elicit higher-level thinking including analysis, evaluation, and ultimately, creation. I really like how this book engages students. It shows them that history can be very interesting, and they can think like historians to help solve a mystery that's hundreds of years old.