Greatest Idea EVER!

While thinking of a way to engage my kiddos in reading I had brain "fireworks".  What could be more fun than scratch-offs....you read that right SCRATCH OFFS.  So I ran with the idea and created scratch off question cards.  First I found a passage that would work with our skill of the week.  Then I found questions with answer choices (STAAR formatted for Texas teachers).  I wrote next to the correct answer something fun like YAY!, Way to Go!, Whoop! (Yes Aggies:), You Rock!, and Super!  I also wrote next to all the incorrect answers things such as No, Nope, Uh Uh, Try Again.  I copied this onto colored cardstock and lugged it all home to work on making my scratch offs.

Let me start off that being the first time I tried this, I'm sure there is an easier way.  Or at least maybe after some practice, I could have refined the task.  I had intended to make one card for every one of my 55 students.  That did not happen due to time and actually wanting to spend some time with my twins on their 12th birthday.  I did get about 30 made and decided that this might work even better as a partner activity so that there could be some discussion. 

I covered the hand-written statements in the SCRATCH-Off technique.  To use it check the link below. It was a pain-staking task because I was trying to cover each individual answer choice and maybe it would have been better to just cover each section.  Anyhow, see my first stab at it.  I promise I got better the more I did.  They looked a little more professional:)

Scratch off directions

So how did it go?

It was a roaring success.  The kids were 100% engaged, discussing their answers before scratching anything off.  They were very careful in their answers because they really didn't want to scratch off the wrong thing.  It made this teacher smile:)  I did add a little twist to it.  When they completed all the questions they then cut out the questions into cards.  We hole punched one side and tied a string to it.  They then took the other end of the string and taped it to the actual passage where they found their text evidence. Ahhhhhhhh! (In my best choral voice)....The comprehension angels descended on our group of rowdy 4th graders.  They were proving their answers, having fun, and making those connections.  One kid even told me that he got it.  He said that this is how they should be thinking and working through every question.  All I could do was step back, smile, and claim today to be the "BEST DAY EVER!"