One of my favorite subjects to teach is writing. I think it is an authentic way to see how much your students really know about words. The joy of writing is very contagious! Students are very pleased when they get to "publish" their writings! I have found a great use for menu covers! My students' writing pieces fit nicely in the menu covers and are protected with the plastic. Local businesses are very generous to hand over their older menu covers. I like to display them throughout our room and create a basket in our classroom library!
When my students are writing, we are always talking about strong powerful words to use in the place of common, boring words. We use a "paint strip" idea to show words that have very similar meanings that can take the place of those "boring" words. At the top of the strip (the lightest area) we write the common, boring word. Then we brainstorm words that mean the same and rank them on how powerful they are (the most powerful word at the bottom in the darkest color). We try really hard to use those words in our writing to make our writing as detailed as possible. Fricker's menu works great for this activity. These menu covers are displayed in my room as a reference for my students so they can make their writing the best it can be!
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