MindWing Concepts Blog

Back by popular demand: Use this new story to review the SGM components in a group or to sharpen student awareness of narrative structure.

1. Read the story below to the child. (download printed version).
2. Review the SGM^® components on the SGM^® Teacher Marker.
3. Have the students draw or stamp the icons above the correct SGM^® component. Note that the story is a complete episode, the first paragraph having the character, setting, initiating event, feeling and plan stated; the second paragraph containing all the planned attempts to carry out the plan; and the last paragraph having the direct consequence (tie-up) and resolution (feeling about how the story ended). We have found it helpful to go paragraph by paragraph. (See completed version)
4. Using the Teacher Marker, model retelling the story to the children.
5. After the activity is completed, have the student(s) work with a partner, Turn and Talk, and use his/her SGM^® Student Marker to retell the story.

On this Technology Tuesday, our monthly post in which we describe a simple technology resource that can be useful in integrating MindWing’s tools in your work, I wanted to align with recent posts describing resources for expository language, specifically listing and describing. As these posts describe, almost any text can be used as a context for analyzing expository language (see also the many engaging expository texts in the EPIC! app). In addition to Thememaker^® expository language maps, a number of apps serve as a “blank slate” for you to create a short-or more extensive—activity targeting these language structures.

Are you looking for a story to review the SGM^® components in a group or to sharpen student awareness of narrative structure?

1. Read the story below to the child (download printed version).
2. Review the SGM^® components on your Teacher Marker.
3. Have the students draw or stamp the icons above the correct SGM component.
4. Have the students draw or stamp the icons above the correct SGM^® component (see completed version)
5. After the activity is completed, have the student work with a partner, Turn and Talk, and use his/her SGM^® Student Marker to retell the story...

We are often asked which books/materials to use with the SGM^® and ThemeMaker^® maps. Although there are many suggestions given in our manuals, the answer is: any selection that you are using will work! The strength of the SGM/ThemeMaker lies in the fact that it is a flexible approach that adds needed scaffolding to make text, whether narrative or expository, assessable to all students.

A recent post, Exploring Expository Text Using the SGM Descriptive Map (August 12, 2015), focused on transitioning from the Narrative Character Map to the Expository Character Descriptive Map.

It’s an Armadillo! written by Bianca Lavies was the text chosen for that first post. Today, we present an extension of this Descriptive Map activity with the topic of cheetahs, which we have presented whole group in grades 2-4. You may modify to meet your needs...

Creating foldables is one way to make reinforcing the SGM icons an enjoyable experience. Using a flipbook and our Icon STAMPede Stamp Activity Set is a versatile way to engage students. There are a variety of flip book ideas online which may be adapted to this activity and the stamps make it easy for students themselves to create their own booklets during centers.

The Basic Flip Book/STAMPede activity…

1. Decide which icons you would like students to work on… this will vary by what you want to reinforce with your students
2. Place as many sheets of paper as needed, one on top of the other...

As they are contextual tools, it’s important to consider context when developing narrative and expository language with SGM^® and Thememaker^®, respectively. Picture books naturally make terrific contexts to work on narrative at a range of developmental stages and teach identification and use of expository text structures. This summer, while you are away from your school libraries, you can check out the gold mine of contexts that is the EPIC! Unlimited Books for Kids app (free for iPad). When you launch the app, sign up for an educator account (also free) and you will have access to an amazing library of picture and chapter books from leading publishers such as Harper Collins, National Geographic and MacMillan. As the app claims to be, “it’s like a Netflix for children’s books!”...