The Wolves Are Back --

Writing Writing Writing

Writing is on the mind of every fourth grade teacher in Louisiana. 

We are  days away from Phase 1 LEAP Testing  March 19, fourth grade students  will be tested on  writing and math constructed response items.  I don't teach ELA, but I sill want to help my students succeed in writing. We are studying the ecosystem system in science. I have the book The Wolves are Back, written by Jean Craighead George in my class library. It tells the story of how, over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. Gradually reintroduced, they are thriving again in the West, much to the benefit of the ecosystem. It has beautiful drawings and really captivated my students. I incorporated segments from a  documentary produced by National Wildlife Federation and Turner Original Productions  hosted by Matthew Fox and Discovery Education resources into my lesson really allowing my students to see the wolves of Yellowstone. My students used the Weekly Reader article to write informative text describing the impact of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.  My students had become so interested in the wolves and their plight, the writing assignment was greeted with enthusiasm. Of course they used details and evidence to support their writing which  is so important for LEAP.   I have added this writing item  to my store on Teachers Pay Teachers