Ms. Moreau's Literacy Blog

     Students learned how life in the past compares to life in the present by analyzing primary sources and exploring Hawaiian culture through music, dance, and interactive read-alouds. They compared past and present life in Hawaiʻi using informational texts and folktales, like  Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, along with the nonfiction text Hawai‘i by Alaka‘i Swamp. Students also compared their own culture to Hawaiian culture by focusing on language, customs, and traditions, and they demonstrated their thinking through a Venn diagram and a hands-on craft. They also explored how human needs and wants influence cultural change, and created traditional Hawaiian leis using both primary and secondary sources.      Students began the lesson with an icebreaker and vocabulary charades, where they actively participated and practiced key terms in a fun, movement-based way.              Then the students completed a...

        Students learned how people, places, and environments affect economic decision-making by looking at goods, services, and resources from the past and present. They practiced telling the difference between natural, human, and capital resources and discussed how scarcity and surplus affect choices. They also learned how consumers and producers interact in a community.                                                           Students used primary sources to see how economic practices in Hawaiʻi have changed over time and compared ideas using H charts and Venn diagrams. Key vocabulary included currency, needs and wants, scarcity, surplus, goods and services, natural resources, and consumers, and it was taught using visuals, anchor charts, and repeated practice.      Students were very engaged, e...

     In this lesson, we taught students about government, citizenship, and how Hawai‘i became the 50th state. We started with an icebreaker and vocabulary charades to get students engaged and thinking about key terms.                                                            Next, students analyzed a Library of Congress image using “I See, I Think, I Wonder” on their whiteboards. This helped them observe details, think about what was happening, and ask questions about government in the past.                                                            We then reviewed the three branches of government using an anchor chart. Students used this knowledge in a picture sort activit...

         In this lesson, we taught students about Hawaiʻi’s history using a mix of reading, visuals, and interactive activities. We incorporated evidence-based strategies by explicitly teaching key vocabulary from the books, timeline, and activities. We made sure to go over important words before, during, and after reading to help students better understand the content. We also used visuals like photographs, timelines, and images of petroglyphs and artifacts to support their understanding. We used scaffolding throughout the lesson, including sentence starters, graphic organize  Hawaiʻi by Alakaʻi Swamp so students could connect to real perspectives and experiences. Students were able to engage with the content through reading, discussion, and hands-on activities. Collaboration was built in through partner and group work, communication through discussions and sharing, and we showed adaptability by adjusting the lesson based on time and student needs. ...

               During this lesson, we incorporated evidence-based strategies by explicitly teaching vocabulary from the books we read. Key words were highlighted before, during, and after reading in order to build understanding and support comprehension.                                                                      We used visuals, picture cues, and simple explanations to help students make meaning of new concepts along with a slideshow of the lesson. Students were also given opportunities to practice using the vocabulary through discussion and activities. Sentence starters were provided when needed to support students with speaking and writing. We also selected books that included pictures and visual keys so that all learners could follow along and make mean...