TIPS for MARKLE'S BOOK EXPLORERS OCTOBER CONTEST

Hey, Markle's Book Explorers!

October's WILD INVENTIONS PAUSE and THINK! activity has a special target audience. So, LISTEN UP everyone working with third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders!

This activity is your chance to challenge your students to power up their reading comprehension skills. Then the whole class can apply their critical thinking skills to have FUN and have a chance to win an autographed copy of WILD INVENTIONS! (Lerner Publishing--just released) Your class could even win a FREE Virtual Visit with ME. 

So we're on the same page. Here are some tips for success.

Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking go hand-in-hand.Reading Comprehension is at the heart of young readers (really all of us) going beyong reading words to:1. Noticing and remembering key details/facts2. Making connections between ideas being shared in the text and things we already know aboutto summarize what we read and gain an overall concept of the topicThe questions in the quiz are designed to push readers to put on their thinking caps (or hats). Then these encourage readers to dig for facts in the text, make connections, and summarize what is discovered.
Next, the CONTEST is designed to encourage readers to jump in to use the information and insights gained while reading and put it to work through Critical Thinking.
That means it's time to sink your teeth into what you read--And I mean apply brainstorming and creativity NOT what my cat Beau does!
1. Evaluate what information was gained while reading.2. Develop an opinion based on that evaluation--and presenting reasons why that is a reasonable opinionCreatively use that opinion to do somethingThe contest is designed to push readers to have an opinion and creatively support it. 
TIME TO GET MOVING and ENTER!
IMPORTANT!I will accept the class making either the honeybee or the termite the winner. But I'll be expecting something creative for the medal design AND some solid, well-written and correctly punctuated reasons for why this insect is award-worthy. Those reasons should reflect facts gained through reading the text part of the activity and then comparing the insect presented as the winner to the one that wasn't chosen. Why did it deserve the award?
You might want to let everyone in the class read, take the quiz, and then vote on a winner. The insect with the most votes wins. Then you could put together a team to create the class entry. Could be extra cool to have that team include members that voted for the losing insect because they will now need to be able to switch their point of view and take a fresh look at the winning insect.
EXCITED YET!?  I HOPE SO! I can't wait to see your Contest Entry!and NEVER FEAR There is a Contest just right for PK-2 coming for NOVEMBER's MBEs
If your school is still missing out on all the FREE Markle's Book Explorers FUN email mesandramarkle@yahoo.com and ask to join. I'll be watching for you!