Clause Cafe

We used the cafe routine last week as we are finishing our unit on clauses. Basically, each group of four to five boys rotates to each of four stations around the room and has a set time limit at each station. I used the four pictures below with the directions next to them, and each group had approximately ten minutes at each station. We used laptops instead of butcher paper for this cafe, and we all agreed that it worked much better because it was easier to read other groups' sentences. At the end, we all rotated to each station to review each group's work and put stickers on sentences we really liked. This routine is one of my favorites because it gives me a great picture of each student's understanding of the concept, and it also shows me how well they are able to collaborate with others.



Your picture is of the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland. If you were a witness describing what you saw, what would you say? Write 3 compound sentences. Circle the subject and underline the verb in each clause.



Your picture is of the iPad, a new product released by Apple this year. If you were an iPad, what would you say to convince people that you were an important innovation? Write 3 complex sentences. Mark each clause as dependent or independent. Circle the subject and underline the verb in each sentence.



Your picture is of a woman in Haiti. This picture was taken some time after the recent earthquake. Why is this woman crying? Try to write at least one compound-complex sentence (two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause). Mark your clauses as dependent and independent.



Your picture is of Phil Mickelson, who just won the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. If you were to write a caption for this picture, what would it be? Write 3 creative captions. Use only one independent clause in each caption. Circle the subject and underline the verb in each clause.

Clause Cafe 4.21 from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Verb Cafe 12/2/09

We have completed our unit on verbs, and we have exposed the boys to some very difficult concepts like predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives. It has been challenging material for them, but it's incredible to see the progress they have made. Today we did a verb cafe to review the concepts we have covered, and a number of boys said they understood complements much better after the cafe. Again, I have seen the incredible advantage of letting the boys take ownership of their learning and giving them agency. Simply put, they learn and understand much more when they are in charge.

Verb Cafe Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Verb Cafe Reflection 2 from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Verb Cafe Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Pronoun Cafe

We did a cafe yesterday to review before our test on pronouns, and it was maybe the best experience I've had yet with a cafe. The four stations were as follows: 1) Write two sentences with your group- using 1 subject pronoun and 1 object pronoun in each sentence. Label the pronoun with subject/object, singular/plural, and 1st/2nd/3rd person ; 2) Use possessive pronouns to list items you might find in a gym; 3) Use reflexive pronouns to write sentences related to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; 4) Write a sentence using "its" and "it's" correctly and another sentence with "their" and "they're". As I watched the boys, I realized how much joy I get from watching their excitement. They have grasped some really difficult concepts, and I am much more proactive about talking about their understanding of concepts instead of rushing to the next thing. The stoplight cards have been really helpful with this as well as our conversations after a thinking routine or other experience. I have attached video of the cafe itself and of several boys' reflections after-- I asked them to reflect on how their understanding of pronouns has changed.

Pronoun Cafe from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Untitled from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.