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I got the original idea from one of your workshops many years ago. It dealt with writing new captions to News-Journal photos. I added a new twist, and the kids absolutely love it! We call it "Football Funnies." We use different sections on different days of the week: Monday is Front Page; Wednesday is Local; Thursday is Minipage & Comics; Friday is Classifieds and Tuesday is - of course - Sports.

The children select a football photo and remove the caption. Their assignment is to give the photo a title, writes a funny paragraph to go with it and then present it to the classroom family. They have come up with some hilarious dance stories and dialogues, just to name a couple.

This activity reinforces writing skills, sparks creativity and incorporates grammar usage and mechanics and writing conventions. It is also a great tool for meeting Sunshine State Standards through specific benchmarks. (Examples are: LA.C.1.1.4 - The student understands the main idea or common theme through non-print communication; LA.C.2.1.2. - The student recognizes simple, nonverbal cues, such as eye contact, smiles, and simple hand gestures; L.A.C.3.1.1 - The student speaks clearly and at a volume audible in large - small group settings; speaks for different purposes i.e. informing, entertaining, expressing ideas; L.A.C.3.1.4. - The student uses eye contact and simple gestures to enhance oral presentations; L.A.D.2.1.1. - The student identifies that word choice can shape ideas, feelings, and actions and L.A. E.2.1.1. - The student understands connections between characters and events in literature and people, events, and experiences in real life situations.)

Ruth E. Little
2nd Grade
Pathways Elementary School

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