Smart Boards and Skinnybones

We started reading the book Skinnybones by Barbara Parks this week.  I was getting tired of the same read-alouds.  And so many books are movies these days that I really just wanted something different.  Our librarian suggested this book and said it was hilarious.  She is right.  We are only five chapters into it, and the kids are cracking up.  Today, we did a venn diagram comparing Alex Frankovitch, the main character, to T.J. Stoner, his arch-nemesis.  One of Marzano's high yield strategies is "identifying similarities and differences" and venn diagrams are an excellent way to do this.  First, I had the students do their venn diagram in their reading journals independently.  Then, we came together as a whole group to complete the venn diagram on the Smart Board.  Smart Boards are an excellent tool that encourage class participation.  While I love anchor charts, the students are just not as eager to participate than when having the option to write on the Smart Board.  

  

And the final product...