Engagement Stations

I'm so excited about incorporating more options for SMALL GROUP work for my students with my new series of ENGAGEMENT STATIONS! I decided to start making these stations because I really want my students to be working in small groups on RIGOROUS tasks that fall within a higher DOK (Depth of Knowledge) level.  I want my students to be CREATING and INVENTING things on their own!

Engagement Station#1) Etymologists

The first station I created is called Engagement Stations: Etymologists.  Students have been studying PREFIXES, ROOTS, and SUFFIXES all year. At this point, I knew students were ready to start creating words on their own.  Students take different prefixes, roots and suffixes to create NEW WORDS that they have not seen before.  Where does the deeper DOK come in? The students need to DEFEND their word by coming up with a definition and a sentence.  I decided to copy the prefixes, roots, and suffixes on different colors so that it was easier for the students to visualize!

Engagement Station#2) Figurative Language Poetry

The next station I have created is called Engagement Stations: Figurative Language Poetry.  After teaching students about figurative language, I thought, what a GREAT way for students to PRACTICE developing figurative language? Make POEMS out of it! With all types of figurative language put together, it sounds pretty poetic if you ask me! ;) The first thing I do in this station is let the students complete a mix and match. 

I had already used all of the materials from my FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE unit, but wanted to still have a chance for my students to review!

I also have this anchor chart available in the center for the students. Grab a copy of this FREE anchor chart to use in your classroom by clicking on the pic below.

Another thing I LOVE to have in the center are these CLASS INTERACTIVE notebooks! The students are truly interacting with the notebook as they can add different types of figurative language to it AND use it as a reference tool! 

So, to start….students need a SUBJECT or an idea to start with. They have a few options here. Students can pick a picture card OR an idea card to come up with their topic. I am OBSESSED with the organizer seen below in the pic! I picked this one up at Staples. They are GREAT for organizing the stations! The area in the back are great for holding file folders for all the templates and papers the students need too! 

Below is a picture of a poem that I was helping a student edit. When the students color code the different types of figurative language, it is a great editing and reflecting tool! They often find errors and things that they need to make better or fix. 

Here is my poem that I wrote as a model (seen below.) 

I LOVE the way that combing different types of figurative language together brings a poetic sound.  The students are learning how to be POETS, interacting, and collaborating! 

Click BELOW to be taken to these stations!

Engagement Station#1) Etymologists

Engagement Station#2) Figurative Language Poetry

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