A few years ago, when standardized tests were moved fully online, my students' writing scores took a nose dive. I realized the problem was their typing skills, not their writing abilities. They had spent so little time actually producing writing on a computer that they were unable to do so in the time-pressured environment of a standardized test. I resolved to change that and added a technological component to our Mr. Potato Head project. Now, instead of writing on paper, students build their potato, use a camera (either the one built into the Chromebook or their phone) to take a picture of it, and then insert the picture to a Google Slide and type their descriptive paragraph next to it. I then take all of the slides and create a Mr. Potato Head matching activity by placing all of the pictures, in random order, on the first slide, and the descriptive paragraphs on the following slides. I make a copy for each student, and they cut and paste the photos onto the slides with the corresponding descriptions. To add an extra layer of fun I also send the matching activity to our principal and vice principal. If both administrators are able to correctly pair a student's photo to its description, the student receives extra credit points on the assignment. The students loved it, and our administrators were quite happy to participate as well.
While toys such as Mr. Potato Head may seem juvenile and beneath older students, they really aren't. I've done this lesson with all ages, from upper elementary to adults, and they all love it. It really is one of the few writing lessons that students will actually ask if they can do again and again. Yes, obtaining all of the Mr. Potato Head sets was a bit of a pain (check Ebay for used sets or try to get a Donor's Choose project funded). Yes, storing them does take up more room than most of my other materials. But it's totally worth it and I love teaching this lesson every time I get the chance. Check out the buttons below to get the five senses descriptions poster I use in my classroom and more descriptive writing activity ideas for free!
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