This is my power point presentation that was presented at the State of Ohio Middle School conference. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at veronica_asbury@olentangy.k12.oh.us. Hope your students all "get in the grove" just like mine! :)

1. Gettin‟ Your Groove on Using
Creativity in the
English/Language Arts
Classroom
Mrs. Veronica Asbury
6th grade ELA
Olentangy Liberty Middle School
Powell, Ohio
E-mail:
veronica_asbury@olentangy.k12.oh.us
Phone: (740) 657-4400 ext. 2436

2. Index Cards…
• Please fill out an index card with the
following information for the raffle
drawing:
• Your name
• School district
• E-mail address (school or personal)
• School Phone number w/extension
• Grade Level
• Subject(s) taught

3. Welcome to Asbury Island
Survivor

4. OUTWIT

5. OUTPLAY

6. OUTLAST

7. Survivor Bulletin Board
Survivor: Asbury Island
Mainland, the islands in-between, and EXILE!

8. Survivor Tribes, Unity Attire, & Totem Poles
The Flying Penguins
Aidan, Alec, Lauren, Elizabeth

9. The Purple Gators
Cameron, Taylor, Michael, George, & Neil

10. The Scooby Squad
Christopher, Mackenzie, Maria, Anne, & Kenna
“Don‟t Mess with Us!”

11. The Red Raptors
Caleb, Ryan, Rylee, Morgan, & Michael

12. The Flying Tangerine Tigers
Carey, Simeon, Ashleigh, & Erika

13. The Marvelous Monkeys
Emma, Nathan, Dylan, Braelyn

14. The Buckeyes
Cecelia, Courtney, Cole, & Enzo

15. The Dancing Pineapples
Kendal, Chelsea, Will, & James

16. Survivor Challenge: Puzzles
“It‟s all about teamwork!” - Ethan

17. Survivor Challenge: videos

18. Survivor Challenge: Videos

19. Hard at work…
“You‟ve got 10 minutes to win it!” – Mrs. Asbury

20. “It might be a good idea to look at the picture
on the front of the box.” - Braelyn

21. Classroom Management
Survivor: Asbury Island
*Promotes a positive classroom atmosphere.
*Builds collaboration and teamwork among students.
*Increases student motivation.
*Helps make learning creative and fun.
*Gives students something to look forward to each week and
feel as if they are an important part of a team.
*Prepares students for the OAA test the whole year.

22. It‟s Time to Get Your Groove
On
* All kids like to listen to music right?
* Finding appropriate music that includes actual state
standard content might be challenging right?
* Finding academic music that kids would actually
“rock out to” and want to download to their
ipods/iphones could be a challenge right?
* If you answered yes to any of these, look no
further, your answer has arrived! 

23. “Break it down, it‟s Grammar
Time”
• Name of group: Rhythm, Rhyme, Results
• Created by a student from Kettering High School in Dayton.
• ELA songs highlight key terms, definitions, and give examples.
• ELA content area songs include: parts of speech, punctuation,
figurative language, prefixes, suffixes, and roots, poetry, non fiction,
and public speaking 
• Other albums by RRR include subject areas such as: Science, Social
Studies, and Math.
• Pick up a brochure for a free song download! 
• Raffle will be at end of presentation…several CD‟s to give away 

24. Students Singing Noun & Verb
Song

25. The Sing Off
• Like the TV show The Sing Off, each week, students
(with their tribe group) sing off against one another
using a RRR song that highlights our current topic of
study.
• The audience then votes for the tribe that was the
most technically accurate, showed the most
enthusiasm, and knew the song the best. Our sing off is
single elimination; the winner is determined by the end
of the class period.
• We have a Sing Off once a week. The winner earns
immunity for the week and a monkey (equivalent to 100
tokens) to add to our Survivor jungle.

26. Results from Singing these
Songs?
* Students really enjoy the songs and ask to sing them everyday!
They sing them on the bus on the way to and from school,
even on the way to field trips; Move over 99 bottles of “Coke
on the wall,” “You Wanna Know About Nouns” is the new
song in town 
* Songs enhance collaboration amongst tribal groups. One
student even said he was going to try out for the X Factor
and sing one of our songs! What would Simon think??
* Paper and pencil test over parts of speech? 98 A‟s, 2 B+‟s.
Impressive!
* Paper and pencil test over Figurative Language? 100 A‟s 

27. Now you try 
“Parts of Speech” Song
Sing along…
Chorus:
So you wanna know about nouns, you wanna
know about verbs,
And you probably know that there are several
other types of words
So if you yearn to learn, hey, we‟re psyched to
teach
Now listen up and let me tell you about the parts
of speech

28. Dots and Dashes: Punctuation
Song
Sing along…
Chorus:
What‟s the deal with these dots and
dashes?
Well, let‟s slow it down like cold molasses.
You‟ve got colons, parentheses, commas,
apostrophes;
Punctuation, it can help you a lot, you see?

29. Figurative Language Song
• Chorus:
Sometimes what you mean is not
exactly what you say
That‟s figurative language, using
words in different ways
Personification, alliteration,
assonance, hyperbole
Onomatopoeia, metaphor, and simile

30. Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots
Song
• Chorus
Yo, words are power, and that‟s the
truth
Prefixes, suffixes, and they all got
roots
Yes, words are power, they run this
town
So let‟s run the track back, and break
„em on down

31. Spelling Boxes
• Each spelling box comes with the necessary props
and materials.
• Each spelling box has a card that explains what the
students are learning and the stated purpose of
the activity, which differs from box to box.
• Each box has its own set of directions.
• By participating in the spelling boxes, each student
is learning to use a variety of grade level spelling
and vocabulary words in various ways.

32. Making the Band Box: Student
Performance

33. Student pictures as they participate in
spelling boxes activities
Hard at work trying to win the jackpot with The Las Vegas Box

34. It‟s all about having fun…a little friendly
competition doesn‟t hurt anyone. We‟re all
winners here!

35. Spelling Super Hero or Bust!
Rushi and Simeon love their new super hero attire and aren‟t afraid to
show their girly side! 

36. Spelling Super Hero Winners!
Kendal and Tia celebrate their hard fought win!

37. Tea Party….Tea for Five Please!
Courtney, Melanie, Taylor, Kendra, and Paige enjoy some tea while they
play the Tea Party spelling box.

38. Immersed in the Tea Party
Courtney, Melanie, Taylor, Kenna and Pagie play the tea party!

39. “You too can be a spelling super hero
just like me!” - Simeon

40. Move Over X Factor, We‟ve Got
the SF Factor!
• Like the show the X factor, students as a group,
create a poem or song based on the science fiction
novel they are reading. They prepare the written
piece, then prepare to face off against the other
groups in front of a panel of judges.
• Within their poem or song, they must include
information about the characters, the setting, at
least 3 main events, the point of view, mood and
tone, at least 2 different types of figurative
language, predictions, and questions.
• Here a few snippets of their written work….

41. Student SF Samples
From the book The Boxes by William Sleator
My name is Annie Levi, I‟ve done somethin‟ bad, I
opened up the boxes, I think Uncle Marco will be
mad.
Got creatures in my basement, scurrying and dancing
about; the viscous clock in my closet is moving too,
I haven‟t quite figured that monster out.
Crutchley‟s minions are out to get us, our house, as
well as the clock; they know about the slowdown,
Oh no, they‟re here, I can hear them knock.

42. From the book The Boy Who Couldn‟t
Die by William Sleator
I‟m Ken, this is my story…
I wanted to be invincible, get me some glory.
So, I sold my soul for 50 bucks,
To a black magic practitioner in Manhattan
named Cherri Buttercup.
Now my soul is in zombie form, killing people
all over New York, it‟s quite a nightmarish
thunderstorm.
Every time I try and get it back, there‟s a
zombie guarding, always on the attack.

43. From The Beasties by William
Sleator
The Western Wilderness is quite a fright (I think)
My precocious sister Colette, thinks it‟s an adventurous
delight.
There are these creatures they call the beasties,
Made up of different people‟s body parts,
Which to me, is really quite creepy!
I didn‟t go to their “conference” so they kidnapped me at
midnight from my own bed,
Now I‟m down in their tunnel, they‟re all staring at me, I
wonder…will they cut off my head?
They have knives, axes, and saws too,
I‟m pretty freaked out right now, I think I made a mistake,
don‟t you?

44. From the book Rats by Paul Zindel
I‟m Sara McCaffee, I live in New York.
My brother Michael and his pet rat Surfer watch
TV and play video games, they‟re kind of dorks.
The mutant rats from the dump are invading,
seems as though there‟s no escaping.
They violently devoured Leroy, Marge, and Hippy;
the way it‟s happenin‟, not too nifty.
The methane gas has caused them to become evil
devil-like spawns;
They even attacked Mr. Ellis while he was mowing
his lawn.

45. Reading Book Clubs
• Student choose their own books (genres include: science
fiction, realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery,
survival, poetry) to read within a book club.
• Students read at their own pace with their group.
• When the book is completed, students choose a project to
complete. Projects include: a scrapbook, picture book,
poetry collection, CD, board game, newspaper, museum, a
plot line diagram with descriptions, an alphabet book, or a
movie. Trailer (show example). All of these projects have their
own special directions. Students choose based on their
interests.
• Student samples are available for you to look at after the
presentation.

46. Movie Trailer: The Boxes

47. Museum Example

48. Board Game Example:
Underwater Adventure
from the book “The Boy Who Couldn‟t Die”

49. Board Game Example: Saving Souls
From the book “The Boy Who Couldn‟t Die”

50. Board Game Example: Rat Escape
from the book “Rats”

51. Yum! The Hamburger Paragraph
• A catchy, organized way to help facilitate student
writing is by using the hamburger paragraph model.
• Students quickly catch on to this model and the
structure of it. Parents have commented that they
like it too and that it “works” for their
son/daughter.
• I made up a catchy little rap that students learned
and liked, that was fun and easy to remember (see
diagram model in your packet).

52. Student Sample using Hamburger Paragraph
• Cole Matthews was banished to an island for a year. While there, he passed
his time in many different ways. When he first returned to the island, his
anger remained; yet, he kept busy. Cole found enjoyment soaking with Edwin
in the pond. “From there, they again waded up the edge of the stream until
they reached the pond” (Mikealson 153). Cole also kept busy doing things that
were more like chores, like building his shelter. “Cole rolled back the tar
paper over the roof and tacked it down” (Mikealson 159). As the season‟s
passed (summer, late summer, early fall, Christmas, winter), Cole stayed plenty
busy. In the spring, Cole looked for the seemingly elusive spirit bear. “Cole
also continued to explore and look for the spirit bear” (Mikealson 187). As
well, in the spring, Cole also carved his totem pole. “Cole returned to camp
and spent the rest of the day carving and reflecting” (Mikealson 188). After
Peter‟s arrival to the island, Cole showed Peter how to stay busy and rid of
his anger. Cole showed Peter the ancestor rock. “Now my ancestor becomes
my anger. You can push it down the hill if you want” (Mikaelson 222). Cole
also showed Peter how he could carve and dance to rid of his anger.
“Tonight we will dance the mouse dance and tomorrow you can carve a
mouse” (Mikaelson 229). Over the course of a year‟s time, Cole Matthews
kept busy and learned many things about himself and others along the way.

53. Hamburger paragraph leads to focused
essay writing
• After students are accustomed to the hamburger
model/format, student writing can be extended
and can lend way to multiple paragraph writing.
• A 5-paragraph essay becomes seemingly easier to
write and students don‟t feel like it‟s too much of a
task to extend their writing.
• Here is a sample of a compare/contrast essay a 6th
grade student wrote (see sample in packet). I was
impressed as the teacher 

54. Closing Thoughts
• A little creativity, an open mind, and a little music go a long way with
middle school students.
Getting your groove on is easy! However, as the teacher, you‟ve got
to do it too! We‟re never too old or have too many years in the
profession to “get a little jiggy with it.” The students love seeing us
doing it and participating with them.
• If you yourself think outside the box, your students will too!
• Subjects like spelling, grammar, and reading can be a lot of fun!
• Like in the movie Field of Dreams “If you build it, they will come.” If
you make it fun, they will learn…guaranteed!
• I believe my high OAA test scores are a direct result of the creative
way I teach! It‟s been 9 years and counting that I‟ve had the highest
scores in the sixth grade! Hope it‟ll be the same this year too! 

55. So….
• What new thing will you create yet
this year or in future years?
• What imprint will you leave on your
students?
• How will your students get their
“groove on” in your classroom?

56. Additional
Comments/Questions?
• If you have any additional questions for me, my
name, number, and e-mail is on the front of your
packet.
• Please feel free to contact me anytime 
I‟m more than happy to assist you anyway I can!
• My classroom door is always open, feel free to
schedule a visit to Liberty Middle School anytime!

• The code for this session is:

57. RAFFLE!!
• Free informational brochure with a
free download for every attendee.
• 8 ELA CD‟s to give away!!!
• Good luck!!