Students are given a simple sentence to work from such as “My dog eats biscuits.”  They have seven minutes to write seven sentences with at least seven words each, following the given patterns.  Examples of the patterns include:  begin with a proper noun, begin with a preposition, begin with an adjective, etc.  The result is a discussion about writing that includes a variety of sentence patterns to make it more interesting. 

Each month I choose a picture book for my students to review.  As each student reads the book, they move a magnet with their name below the “Thumbs Up” sign or below the “Thumbs Down” sign according to their personal evaluation of the book.  I am careful to choose a book that is at most students’ independent reading level.  My students like to be able to move their magnet and show their own review of the book.

We take our daily lunch menu and rewrite it as if we were chefs trying to make it appetizing.  This is especially fun when the lunch menu includes items like “tator chunks.”  This means we need to include descriptive word choice and think of ways to make our words more interesting.

Have a dedicated space for questions.  Even if the question is off topic, it can be put on a post - it on the parking lot to be answered later.

I have a large map of the United States on a bulletin board near my classroom library.  Every time a student reads the name of a city, state, or famous landmark in their book, they pinpoint the geographic location on the map with a push pin.  Both fiction and nonfiction texts work perfectly for this activity.  It is also a great way to integrate reading with social studies. My students like to see how the map has filled with pushpins over the course of the year.