The Whole Brain Method of Writing Definitions:

This method will allow students to produce sophisticated, two-sentence definitions of virtually any word or term while engaging both hemispheres of the brain. Students are required to really understand the word before they can create a quality definition.

Sentence One: This sentence engages the left-hand side of the brain. The method used is sequential, logical, and orderly.

#1 - put the word or term in the form of a noun

#2 - follow the noun with the word "is" or "are"

#3 - write the category that the noun falls into (note: this is the HARDEST part for students to complete - it really requires a lot of thinking and is a skill that must be developed over time - they will need help with this until they become proficient)

#4 - follow this with "which" or a "which phrase" such as: of which, through which, in which, by which, etc.

#5 - end the sentence with an action phrase

Example: ADDITION

Addition is a process in which two numbers are combined to form one number.

Sentence Two: This is a chance for the right-hand side of the brain to have fun! There is no structure to this sentence, but students should be encouraged to develop a sentence that further explains the word or term:

Example: Addition of positive numbers is the best thing to see when you're looking at your bank account. 

 Recipe Cards

Feel free to use these recipe cards– or create your own to meet your students' specific needs.

Three-Way Tie Pyramid

This link shows you how to make a pyramid, but students should not cut off the entire extra flap (as shown in the video) since they will be using it in an interactive notebook or gluing it onto another type of paper. They should instead leave a 1/4 to 1/2 inch anchor tab for gluing. Remember - write the words on the vertices (corners) of the base triangle. Students can write how the terms relate with one another on the faces of the pyramid.

Acrostic

Remember, the letters required for an acrostic do NOT need to begin every sentence (although that is something that you may certainly require if you wish). Rhyming is another requirement you can include if you want to add even more of a challenge. In case you're interested, the font I used for our ENERGY acrostic is called "Letter Beings" and can be downloaded free at 1001 Free Fonts.

eBooks

Smashwords is a great site for publishing your students' work for Kindle and Nook owners!

Hand Lens Hunt

Spider or Hand