Trash words

By now you may have heard something about trash words in our classroom. We picked out some overused and tired words from our reading and writing and developed a list of alternate words we could use instead. Just in case you have a student who is extremely on top of this, these are the words to avoid in their presence  :) :big, really, walked, said, cool, I like, bad, very, good, mean, nice. If you hear them using one, try to get them to come up with a synonym they could use instead. This has lead to much fun in the classroom as the students continue to catch me saying trash words! (YIKES) We set up a system so that if they hear me, they can respectfully let me know and I add a quarter to a froggy bank. Once the bank is filled up, we'll use the money to buy something for the class! The opposite is true too, though. If they use one that I catch, I can take out a quarter.

I am going on a trip around the world...

and I am taking...
(student responses)
my touch screen phone, a toothbrush, a ticket, my cat Tink, icecream, IPad, DS, headphones, money, my cat Chesney, electric guitar, IPod, a CD, a $5 footlong Subway sub, coconuts, a blue and pink shirt with a stripe down the middle, a book, mouthwash, and my glasses.

We are beginning our trip around the world today to learn about different continents' cultures and landscapes. The students packed their suitcases and boarded Eshbaugh Airlines with tickets in hand. We will be studying each continent to discover how the culture may vary from our culture. STudents are equipped with maps and notetaking pages to aid them in their discoveries!