The Man in the Moon

I am LOVING learning about space! Especially the moon, because it seems like everything can be related to the moon. One thing I struggle to teach is non-fiction reading and strategies, specifically those in articles, primarily because the articles I find are usually either a) too easy b) too hard or c) too boring c) not appropriate for second graders.

SOooooOO ... I wrote my own! Seriously I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. So silly - I can tailor the "article" to teach any subject matter I want AND I can add or take away challenging vocabulary and text structures. Plus it takes WAY less time than searching the Internet Machine {my best friend calls it that and makes me giggle every time}.

I projected the article for the whole-group debrief.

Above is our anchor chart for summarizing fiction vs. summarizing non-fiction. We have two options when summarizing non-fiction - answering the "5 Ws and H" or using the main idea and several details. {I'm partial to the main idea and details option ... }

After that little brainstorm, I kept thinking - why not integrate our math time? We needed more measurement practice, so VOILA! The Man in the Moon unit was born.


We studied the rumor ... read the article, found cause and effect, main idea of each paragraph and then summarized. Then we created our own moon men using rulers and good old fashioned team work {never hurts}. I love the results!

Face options for the moon men.

I didn't get a completed picture - so sad!