The Teacher Organizer

Creating Writers... How Hard Can it Be?

2013-05-29T14:00:00.001-04:00

Found this wonderful little gem at 12 am this morning. What else would I be doing in the middle of the week, in the middle of the night, during my first week off of school? An effective teaching technique for young learners, engaged learners, cute kids... Really, it doesn't get much better than this! Check it out!

Research Project for Any Topic

2013-05-26T19:27:00.003-04:00

Click Here for TPT Link

I love doing research. I was a sociology major in school and got a taste for investigating topics then that has only grown. Research is the final frontier I hope to lead my students to during the course of our time together. It is the opportunity to hand the reigns of learning... personal learning... real learning into the hands of my students. The challenge for me has always been to create an experience that can be easily understood and used by students new to the research process. I think the format we landed on this time is simple and easy. The kids absolutely loved it. They took the research process and combined it with a project presentation and the results were awesome. They were fully engaged in the process and I was immensely proud of their work. Take a look! If you like what you see, click the like to my TPT site and pick up a copy for yourself. It works for a variety of grades, abilities, and subject areas (yea!) ... A good, multi-purposed, and inexpensive investment!

Create a topic sentences and record important and interesting facts.
For more detailed projects two or three sentences can be recorded in each box!

Create a Paragraph Write-up and revise and edit the piece.

This is a first attempt at siting sources, so it is basic.
This student is definitely ready for the next step in this area.

Research Topic: Elephants. Project: Movie Roll!

Research Topic: Guinea Pigs. Project: Movie Roll!

Research Topic: The Maple Tree. Project: Picture Dictionary

Research Topic: The Heart. Project: Shoe Box Desplay

REsearch Topic: History of Baseball. Project: Shoe Box Desplay

Research Topic: Amelia Earhart. Project Shoe Box Desplay

Research Topic: Colliding Galaxies Andromeda and The Milky Way Project: Shoe Box Display

Then and Now

2013-05-22T22:32:00.001-04:00

This simple end of year activity is a true favorite!! A miniature time capsule (aka toilet paper roll wrapped like a tootsie roll) includes a self portrait, simple math page, and a letter written from the student to themselves. These items are created at the beginning and again at the end of the year. Students open their time capsule and witness how they have changed over the year. My favorite quotes this year?... "This isn't my work... I don't write my name like that... ". I love it when a student bumps into their own growth in a simple and obvious way. Check it out!

Grading Papers in the Fast Lane!

2013-03-20T23:32:00.001-04:00

Okay, I am sure you all have many ways to correct and grade student work, but I am all about speed these days! I divide student work into three groups: 1) practice work: items that don't need to be graded (repetitive practice items done for memorization); 2) stamp grading: items which I quickly check and stamp to show I've seen them (homework and center activities, etc); and 3) thorough grading: items which are closely reviewed, corrected and then recorded into my grade book. The last group I try to grade with the kids as often as possible (which is a powerful learning tool), but some days it isn't possible.

Thorough grading piles up fast so I keep it under control by grading papers in the fast lane! When grading papers in rapid succession, I lay six papers out on a large flat surface and quickly compare answers. When answers don't match, I slow down to double check student calculations to figure out who is in error and mark the work accordingly. I repeat the process until the class set is done. Then, I flip all the papers and start again. For the math pages, which are folded papers, I open and compare the inside, two pages at a time. It's quick, it's easy, and it works! Maybe you'll find it helpful! Next time... How to keep up with recording grades... Stay tuned!

The "Any Book Book Report"

2013-03-14T15:18:00.001-04:00

I just finished grading last weeks book reports using the "Any Book Book Report" packet. (That was a shameless plug for the product, I know... So sorry!) Students picked a favorite Dr. Seuss book to report on and did a great job on the project! They had a week to complete it at home and received help if/when needed. I love when parents can witness (and assist) young learners on a writing project. It's like one-on-one tutoring for my students and it makes parents aware of the strengths and weakness their child possesses in terms of be becoming a proficient writer! Check out this sample. This little guy worked really hard and did a great job! I am so proud of him and all my students!

Objectives Board

2013-03-13T15:51:00.001-04:00

This is the first year I have used an daily agenda. I stole the circular pattern from my teaching teammate... She's awesome!. I combined it with the learning objectives... so its an objective agenda board! Thats a mouthful! I write the objectives in "kid friendly language" and box or underline important concepts and words. It's clear and easy and everyone knows what we are doing! ...So simple... Its a keeper!

A Book Report Project for Any Book!

2013-03-03T15:56:00.002-05:00

Click the Picture to connect to TPT

Well that is a mouthful... But a pretty groovy little item, nonetheless. I am up late working on lesson plans for next week's in depth study of the good Dr... Seuss... to be exact.

To make things interesting, and shake up the homework routine a little, I have assigned a week long Book Report Project. Students are to find a favorite Dr Seuss book, read it and complete a report about it. They will share their reports in class on Friday. I needed to create some type of product for them to use for this assignment, but I wanted it to be generic enough to use with any type of book. This is what materialized... Lots of writing opportunities along with a parent letter and product checklist which students can use to ensure they are creating high quality work! Can't wait to see what the kids come up with as they complete the item.

2012-12-02T11:33:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen this yet... You need to take a look: Common Core Classrooms I love it when people make things simple and usable. The best part about this little gem? The "Labels" blog roll on the right side bar. It lists common core standards by strand and grade level and then links you to good ideas and activities to support your teaching and lesson planning in those areas. It's an easy access and usable tool! It's highly awesome and may just be my happy moment for the day!

Thanks... I Needed That!

2012-09-10T22:07:00.001-04:00

This made my night. Encouraging and powerful. If you haven't already seen it... enjoy!

Easy Peasey!

2012-08-30T20:36:00.004-04:00

Click here for more info!

... That is my six year old's term for things that are way too simple! After scheduling sixteen parent teacher conference invitations, confirmations, and reminder notes in less than a 30 minutes... I thought the term"easy peasey" applied. Being an organizer at heart (with very little spare time) I love highly functional short cuts... Sign Up Genius qualifies! In the course of a half hour I was able to set up and personalize my parent conference schedule, allow parents to choose their preferred conferencing times. Sixteen conferences are set and reminder emails will be sent to each individual two days before their conference date! It's an organized time saver!... Love it! Go check it out! (Yes, I used too many exclamation points in this post, but I can help myself!!!!)

Derailed Learners... Back on Track!

2012-08-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

This is pretty thick stuff... but pretty amazing. Neuroscientist, Michael Merzenich, highlights the connection between brain development and how simple interferences during early development derail its set-up for learning. He also provides encouraging research which shows that the brain can be rewired (corrected) and re-railed onto a successful learning track. Because I teach many students with significant reading struggles the implications are particularly encouraging! FYI... the most pertinent information to learning development starts around the 15 minute mark of this 23 minute video.

Did you know?

2012-04-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

Creative Keepsakes info here!

Well, if you didn't... you do now! Creative Keepsake has a Free Font Friday! Wander on over to their site to sign-up for your free fonts. Interesting (and free!) fonts make quick, easy and creative lettering options for your bulletin board headings! You've heard me say it before... If it is free... It's for me!... and you, too! Check it out! Did I mention they are free? If you need more info on how to use fonts as bulletin board lettering? Follow this link: Bulletin Boards 101: Lettering

Click here to check out Free font Friday

Freebie! Science Assessment: Matter

2012-03-23T21:52:00.000-04:00

If it is free... it's for me (and you)... and this little goodie is no exception! The product of some teacher team work and a few late evenings of design work. Here you have a standards based and objective* driven science assessment on matter. Designed to be used as a pre and post assessment and constructed to check student understanding of the topic in a holistic manner (via picture demonstrations and written explanation). This assessment format provides students the chance to really show what they know and gain some pragmatic experience with explaining their thinking, knowledge and comprehension of a specific topic. It is a recent addition to my science curriculum and I have really enjoyed using it! Hope you enjoy it as well! Check back in a few days... there's more to come!

Click here for a your freebie!

*Notes Assessment focuses on Tennessee State Standards and Objectives for Science (Matter)

Bulletin Boards 101: Lettering

2012-03-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

Kid created and meaningful... check!

I love Bulletin Boards! These past twenty some years they have been an outlet for my side-lined artistic abilities. I enjoy creating fun backdrops, cutting out individualized letters, and designing interesting displays to highlight the unique work children do. This school year has been a true challenge for me and my bulletin board affinity. Having two little ones at home, returning to the classroom full time (after 16 months of leave), and wading through the tidal wave of change in our teacher evaluation system have created the perfect combination of exhaustion in which bulletin boards have taken a back seat. (Like a third row, fold down back seat!)

Squares cut w/ 1/4 in. boarders

In the past few weeks I have had to acknowledge that I must take a more functional approach to my bulletin boards, rather than an artistic one. Yes, I tear up when I say this out loud, but I'll get over it. (Or so I tell myself!) One of the hardest things for me to do as I adopt this reformed attitude has been to let go of cutting out my own letters for bulletin board titles. I have been doing it for years, and I really like the look and feel they lend to my classroom environment.

Stack the squares and staple together

After several months of pondering and looking around for a livable short cut, I decided to adapt an idea a friend had shared in which she used enlarged computer fonts for bulletin board lettering, Her method included cutting out each letter's outline with a utility knife... great idea, but I don't have time for something that labor intensive. So the next best thing in my mind? Bulletin board lettering created with enlarged fonts and cut to proportional squares or rectangles then mounted on coordinated construction paper. The added bonus of this modified lettering system?... classroom parents and volunteers can help make them and produce a uniform result every time! Yea!

Mount them on wall and your done!

De-cluttering!

2012-03-11T23:19:00.001-04:00

Two trash cans later...

Last week we had a "student free" day, My goal for the day?... organize my math curriculum... of course! We recently adopted The Envision math series. It has been an adjustment (as any new adoption is), but I find that I really do like it. It focuses student learning on content and mathematical concepts more than computation. It builds flexible thinking and embeds problem solving opportunities into each topic taught. All in all... it's a thumbs up program. But, being teachers we know that everything needs to be "supplemented, differentiated. or enriched" to meet the exact learning needs of the children in our classrooms... and (like y'all) I have a little treasure trove of materials to do that. Unfortunately, this year, many of them have been sitting idle in file crates while I have waded through the learning curve of how to effectively teach a new math program.

Organized into the twenty topics for the year!

Now, three-fourths into the year, I finally feel comfortable enough with the format and direction of the Envision curriculum, I believe I can safely cull through my addendum materials. Using the "pitch-it, pass-it, or put-it-away" technique I unloaded a lot of the unnecessary stuff. The end result was a single crate with the best activities, center ideas, and lesson plans for each topic. Awesome! The best thing about decluttering?... it gets easier the more yo do it. Take an hour in the next week and go through one file crate or drawer. You will be surprised at how tossing out the unnecessary "stuff" (we so often hang onto) enables you to think clearly, creatively, and quickly! Happy organizing!

Sign-up Genius!

2012-01-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

I need as many shortcuts in life that I can find... and as Mamaw would say... I have found a "good'n" (translation: good one) this time. It is a godsend for me when requesting, scheduling, and confirming classroom volunteers and it's called... Signupgenius.com.

Honestly, managing the process of getting parents and volunteers into the classroom on a regular basis has always been an inconsistency for me. Not out of lack of desire, but I am so involved in assessing kids, altering student learning experiences to directly fit academic needs that arranging for classroom volunteers can easily get dropped to the bottom of my classroom "ought to" list. But this little gem has put an end to all that... and it makes me look really organized (plus!) A one time registration/account set up, a quick email to interested parents and I am done for the year. THE YEAR!!!

Sign-up Genuis does it all. It allows volunteers to view the hours and days available, pick the days they want to come in, and provides them with an email reminder two days ahead of their scheduled day. It is a fantastic help to this busy teacher. The monthly sign-up sheets, confirmation memos and reminder notes normally associated with scheduling classroom volunteers are gone! (Yea!) It has worked so well for my classroom volunteers I am actually entertaining the idea of using it for parent teacher conferences next year! (Awesome!) Check it out!!!

The Name Pen!

2011-09-10T00:35:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness! It has been weeks since I have posted! (Sorry!) Needless to say school has begun and teaching life (with two little ones) is in full swing. At our house we affectionately call our weekly schedule "the hamster wheel!" (You working moms know what I am talking about!) Yet, in all the activity and craziness, I have to admit, I really love my job!

A sure cure for no names on papers!

In the past weeks, I have had the chance to set up my room, organize, meet my students, organize, begin the year, organize, teach some and organize some more! I love organization. (Did you pick that up in the last sentence?) It always makes my instructional day run smoothly! Because I am organization crazy, I am always on the look out for good ideas that foster organization in my classroom.

I recently ran across this helpful little tip ... The Name Pen... from my friend and fellow teacher Katie! (Not only is she a wonderful teacher she is amazingly organized!) The Name Pen is a sure fire way to help your students remember to write their names on their papers! I don't know about you, but I have quite a few little ones who forget to do so, especially early in the year.

Here is how it works... When students are ready to turn in their work they highlight their name (one quick line across their name) and place it into the "All Done" basket. The "All Done" basket is where kids turn in completed work in our classroom. If a student pulls out the Name Pen to highlight their name and can't find it on their paper, it is a sure fire reminder to write it at that time. Yea, no more nameless papers! I kid you not, the Name Pen immediately cured the occurrence of those "no name" papers which often frustrate my record keeping and paper management routines. To make using the Name Pen even easier, use retractable highlighters. It makes the process quick and easy for all kids to use. This is an awesome little tip... thanks Katie! Give it a try, you will love it!

Saving Some Ducats!

2011-07-28T22:17:00.000-04:00

Introducing Ms Pennywise

Is that how you spell that word... ducats? Yes, ducats... is correct. I just checked. Dictionary.com has confirmed it! When I visit that site I love to press the speaker button next to the words and listen to the man (or lady) say the word. There is something about the way they pronounce the words so precisely which sounds funny to me. Okay, enough silly stuff... on to something worth reading about!

I have become quite the thrifty shopper in recent years. As I understand it, having kids does that a to person and I am living proof. During my most recent ride on the thrifty brigade I bought my yearly supply of closeable vinyl envelopes which I have students use to transport homework, daily notes, student work contracts, and so forth from school to home and back again. I have always bought these folders at a local office supply store and there was no intended change in my purchase plan this year. I went out and picked them up and didn't think twice about their $1.50 per envelope price tag, because they were durable. Somehow that justified the $37.50 I spent on a class set. When I finished my shopping at the office supply store I had a few extra minutes to walk through the Dollar Tree which had just opened next door. (Yipee!)

The pricy homework envelopes

Please excuse this interruption, but you need to know this...
I (with pride) admit that I love the dollar store. It's true, you have to "try out" many of their products to see if they are equitable to similar name brand products, but it is worth it. I have found so many items which perform just as well as the more expensive national brands (ie: generic children's tylenol, generic zyrtec, baby shampoo, and soap, plastic bags, toilet bowl cleaner, etc...) for a fraction of the cost. (And, No, I do not get paid anything , from anyone, for writing this post.)

Now, back to the regularly scheduled conversation...

My Dollar Store score!

So you see it was a "no-brainer" for me to pop over to the my neighborhood Dollar Tree before leaving to see if they had any good classroom supplies before I headed home. A few strolls up and down the aisles led me straight to, you guessed it, closeable vinyl pocket folders for the rock bottom price of 3 for a $1.00! The total price for a class set... $8.80. Needless to say, I scooped up and bought several of them! I then promptly returned my $1.50 per vinyl envelope purchase to the office supply and started home, with a smile on my face, a spring in my step, and an extra $29.00 ducats back in my pocket! (That kind of savings is addicting!)

It's true, I have to try the folders out to see if they are as durable as their office supply store equals. I am betting that they will make the grade. If they don't, my experiment only cost $8.80. That is a risk I can afford to take. Most of you smart teachers already know this, but just in case you don't, you can shop the Dollar Tree online. What a great way to fill up on tons of classroom supplies and savings while sitting in the comfort of your own home. No need to worry about shipping costs... there are none! If you have your order sent to a store near you, your shipping is free!

Take a moment to check it out... I wish I would have taken advantage of such a store much earlier in my teaching career! I would have saved sooo much money!

Click here for more info on free shipping!

Facebook Mixer Party!

2011-07-27T23:35:00.000-04:00

It's another mixer.. Facebook Style! If you are done wandering through the Blog Mixer party at Year to Learn you can hop on over to the Facebook Mixer at Kinder Fun, our host for this little shin-dig. There will be lots more blogs to meander through. Find some favorites, locate their Facebook link and "like" them. When you do their blog feed will be automatically sent to your Facebook news feed. Great learning activities, teaching strategies, organization and management ideas and more will be "mailed" right to your Facebook door step. Such a deal! Take a minute and check it out!

Mixing it up... Blog Style!

2011-07-24T15:07:00.001-04:00

Click here to check out the Blog Mixer

One of my favorite things to do these days (when I have a spare second) is blog hopping. Yes...blog hopping... long into the evening hours. I have discovered so many wonderful teachers in "blogland". The level of idea saturation I have experienced blogging is equitable to that of my first year teaching.... amazing and true! Because I love to share great ideas, I've linked up to a blog mixer party at Yearn to Learn. Click the Year to Learn button above or any of the blog buttons below to find some great ideas and more blogs to wander through! May your brain be saturated and invigorated, as well!

Here are four types of blogs that can be found at the Blog Mixer...

1. A "New Kid on the Blog" (sort of...) The former host of Suddenly... Second Grade, this blogger has a new blog to go along with her change to a new grade level! Check it out!

2. A blogger from the same grade... Yea, Second Grade! Check out this creative and resourceful blog!

3. Post a blogger in a different grade level... This is a favorite. I don't teach Kindergarten, but I love Kindergarten Crayons!

4. Find a cute blog button ('cuz it's all about the button) and post it. Found this site while hopping around today. I love this button! The site, with an emphasis on children's literature, looks like an interesting place. Check it out!

The Book Whisperer: Chapter 4

2011-07-23T15:53:00.000-04:00

Click here for a free copy!

Reading Freedom!

Hey Ya'll...
Life's been a little crazy this week so I haven't had much time to read or write (ie: As I type, there are 20 men replacing our roof which was damaged in a recent hail storm.... and my littlest guy is sleeping through it! Hallelujah!). Even though things are little nutty, I wanted to take time to share some high-lights from The Book Whisperer: Chapter 4 because it is good info! To keep things simple, I created a Top Ten list to touch on some of the essential points in the chapter. (FYI... I often talk to books as I read them. It helps me process and remember what I am reading... thus the italics after each point)

So here they are... Chapter 4's Top Ten... all good points, but not listed in order of importance!

1) Get honest with your students about why they read (or don't read). I have to think about how I can incorporate this into beginning of the year conversations with my students. Because they are young, my students not be able to articulate a solid answer beyond, "I just don't like it." I have to think on this a little more! (Suggestions welcome!)

2) A reader in the "real world" reserves certain rights when they read. Such as: the right to skip pages, the right to reread, the right not to finish, the right not to read, the right to enjoy what they read, and so forth. Check out the list on the poster above. Honestly, I really have a hard time telling the 7 and 8 year olds in my classroom they have the right "not to read". In the real world, yes. But in Mrs. Chandlerland... not so much! So at the bottom of this post I have included a modified version of The Rights of a Reader. You are welcome to a copy of either poster or both.

3) Students will read 40 books a year! Because I am a big fan of high expectations, I am totally good with this. Because I teach primary children, I am still pondering whether I will modify the number down to 30 or allow a balance of picture books and easy chapter books to complete the requirement.

4) Realize that not all students will reach the goal, but keeping expectations high ensure they will reach farther than they would have with a lofty target at which to aim. Yes!

5) Students are required to read from a variety of genres including: Poetry, traditional literature, realistic fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, informational, biography/autobiography/memoir, and chapter-book (of your choice), I think this is my favorite part of the chapter. I am a very holistic thinker (and teacher). If I am able to get my brain around the "whole" of a topic, I can do a decent job of deconstructing it and creating approachable, instructional chunks for the kids to use as they learn about that topic. Teaching genres and using self-selected literature to support that instruction is a great way to bridge the gap between the laborious world of "learning to read" and the genre guided structure of the literary world.

6) The teacher shares "read-aloud" literature daily and students have voice in which novels the class will read together. I love "read-aloud" time. It is a chance for kids to think about and use their imagination to construct a story... a very necessary skill for developing readers. Their image filled lives rarely require them to construct an internal visual image which they hold and bend as a story unfolds. In this way, literature read-aloud accomplishes a very important task. I usually cover about four "read-alouds" per year. I think I will have to raise the bar in this area!

7) Studying genre characteristics help students identify the types of literature they are reading and the story elements which are inherent to the various types of genre. Again, this feeds into my belief that things need to be taught in a holistic fashion. Showing kids how different genres are present in the books they read helps to strengthen their current understanding and future use of genre in literature and writing.

8) We need to pay attention to the cultural trends and issues that interest our students and allow for some of their personal reading choices to embrace these topics... with the caveat that the material chose is an age appropriate reading choice. I must confess this is an are in which it is difficult for me to release control. I love when kids take initiative and begin to read books from home, the local library, and so forth. But, often times they choose books with little literary value. I have a hard time letting them walk the road of discovery to "higher quality books". I often defer to a strategy of creating a large menu of good (book) choices from which to pick. This is a hard one... I will have to think a bit more on how to create better blend of structure/guidance and student choice opportunities?

9) Students keep a reading notebook to plan their reading experiences, log their progress, and dialogue about books they are reading. I am excited about this... I have already picked up the reading notebooks and am in process of creating labels, instructions, and section headers for them! Woo Hoo!

10) Conference with students regularly to ensure students are happily engaged in their reading assignments and assist in and guide their continued progress. I am really excited about this, too! The current plan to ensure uninterrupted student conferences is to teach my students The Daily Five. I have always trained my students to work independently from the very beginning of the school year. The independent work (called Workshop Work in our room) has always included journal writing, word work, and (unstructured) independent reading. I look forward to creating a engaging reading program which blends elements of self-selected reading with The Daily Five's reading to self, reading to someone, and listening to reading activities.


Click here for a free copy of Reading Rights (the modified version)

Tips for Teaching Reading!

2011-07-18T21:15:00.000-04:00

Click here for more info!

This is just neat! I relocated this groovy little widget while culling through the pile of emails which have been hibernating in my inbox. (My interesting husband with a knack for discovering things sent it to me!) I thought I might introduce it in a post before I nestle it into my blog's sidebar.

I like when things are effective, easy to find and simple to use. This little wiggling widget titled Teaching Reading seems to fit the ticket. It provides ongoing access to consistently good ideas for teachers. That's always a win!

Other widgets available from Reading Rockets are listed under the following headings: Reading Tip of the Day, Struggling Readers, Daily News, Resources for Parents, Children's Books and Authors, Reading Blogs, Daily Literature Quiz, and Picture Books of the Day. There are so many, what more can you ask! I think I will install a few of them on my classroom blog (still under construction) to further assist parents in supporting their child's literacy development at home. If your looking for some flair for your website or blog, check out this little goodie!

A Reader's Notebook

2011-07-18T00:39:00.000-04:00

A Reader's Notebook... Why?

I'm glad you asked. Throughout most of chapter four in The Book Whisperer Donalyn Miller reviews the importance of reading freedom for students. The Reader's Notebook is the common ground where student freedom meets classroom requirements.

In the words of the author...
"Our (reading) conferences are born in students' notebooks, where they write response entries to me once a week and turn them in. I study each child's reading progress in greater detail by looking at the first three sections of their notebook. The pages tell me about the students reading momentum... indicate whether a student is finishing books... sticking too closely to a genre, or not making plans for the future."

In my words...
"This is a really good idea! (I'm profound, I know... Bahaha! ) The management is minimal and the learning students gain from using a Reader's Notebook is authentic. They are reading, writing and thinking... any way you look at it kids are growing their literacy skills!"

Now onto the questions from Beth at Thinking of Teaching.

Reading Response Journal (5 X 7 spiral notebook)

1) Have you used Reader's Notebooks in the past? If so what did you like about it?
I have (and will continue) to use a type of Readers Notebook which I called a Reading Response Notebook as a part of my students' homework program. It is a very rudimentary model of a Reader's Notebook where students are asked to write a simple retell of any story (of their choice) which they have read during the week. After they retell they basic content of the story, they are asked to identify one (or more) of the following three connections: 1) Text to Self - where the student identifies commonalities between this story and events in their own lives. 2) Text to Text - where the student identifies commonalities between this story and another story they have read; or 3) Text to World - where they student identifies commonalities between this story and events the know of in the world. My favorite thing about the Reading Response Journal is that kids synthesize all their literacy skills when doing the assignment.,, reading, writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.

Student responding - Text to Self

2) If you have not used Reader's Notebooks how do you plan to incorporate them this year into your reading program?
Although I have used some form of Reader's Notebook in the Reading Response Journal, I am definitely going to try and combine these two formats, or use both. Using the Reading Response Journal for home and the Reader's Notebook for the classroom may be a good way for both programs to coexist peacefully. I will have to wait and test the water with my students. I really like the four sections Donalyn Miller describes in a Reader's Notebook. They are easy to use and essential to making it a working notebook for all children regardless of their age, grade or reading ability. The four sections she describes are...

1. Tally List - to record ensure students are reading from all the genres.
2. Reading List - where students record books read as well as those that have been attempted and abandoned.
3. Books-to-Read List - an working list where students record books they want to read.
4. Response Entries - where students record reflections and personal reactions they have to the book(s) they are reading in the form of a letter to the teacher.

I am definitely going to use the Reader's Notebook in class. I might create an individual response sheet to use in place of the Reading Response Journal. Switching the format of this homework assignment from a notebook to a single page response sheet will also allow me to adjust the assignment to fit the different genres we will be studying throughout the year.

3) How will you schedule the Reader's Notebook due dates in order to be able to effectively read and respond authentically to all your students?
In theory, I feel like a weekly check-in for each student will be a good starting point. As I get to know my class, and its cast of readers, I am sure I will develop a watch list of students who may need a little more assistance and guidance to get themselves moving in the right direction.

Interested in more comments about the Reader's Notebook? Check out these links:

Click here for more info!

The Book Whisperer: Chapter 3

2011-07-17T15:06:00.000-04:00

There's a Time and a Place... to read!

Chapter three covers ways to foster independent reading opportunities throughout the school day and beyond. Donalyn Miller discusses how she has encouraged her student to read during the hidden opportunities of each day. The chapter also discussed creating an atmosphere where kids feel comfortable and are invited to read. Some classroom spaces are more put together than others, but overall the author encourages her audience to highlight the importance of independent reading in the classroom, whether that includes creating an actual reading corner or not. As a primary teacher, I think the more visual the invitation the better. I confess, I am completely comfortable using extrinsic motivators, like a cute reading corner to create student buy-in. I am equally focused on the fact that those extrinsic "tools" are temporary, and will not take the place of building intrinsic motivation in children.

Reading though the chapter, I was reminded of some basic teaching truths which are worth hearing again... Kids need to read often. They need to be nurtured, coaxed, encouraged (whichever word works for you) into creating a reading default. So when they have some spare time... they read. When they are bored... they read. When they have to wait in line... they read. Creating a reading default in kids isn't rocket science. But, it is a challenge because you are trying to create an intrinsic motivation in (sometimes unwilling or disinterested) children. In my experience, the best way to get kids to do (and enjoy) something they may not want to do is to facilitate multiple experiences where they can begin to experience success in reaching a specific goal. It is best if the goal is a simple one at first and then raise the bar to the "next level". The thing I often forget as an educator is that my students will learn on my belief that they are readers and my requirement that they build stamina as a reader long before they begin to believe these things about themselves.

Favorite Quote from the chapter...
"When evaluating an instructional practice, I first ask myself , "What purpose does this activity serve?" No matter how flashy, fun or pervasive in classrooms any activity is, my over arching goal is to increase students' reading ability. Any pursuit that does not accomplish this goal goes out the window." (p.54)

And now onto the questions created by Heidi from Swap Frog First Graders the host for Chapter 3 of The Book Whisperer.

Fluency practice page with pre/ost test times.


Pre-tests scores show growth over time

Are there any special things you do to help your students with the independent reading? There are two things I do to foster independent reading habits in my students are: Fluency Notebooks and Reading Response Journal. For the sake of time, I will share about the Fluency Notebooks. I think I will be able to share about the reading response notebooks more thoroughly when we talk about Reader's Notebooks in a few days. So onto the Fluency Notebook... Over the past few years I have spent a lot of teaching kids how to "exercise" fluency skills as a part of their overall reading development. Our current reading series has created fluency practice papers which students house in a personal Fluency Notebook and practice daily. As a group we take a pretest on Monday and post test on Friday so kids can record their personal growth rates before and after they practice reading. (The pretest/post test process only takes about 10-15 minutes and provides some great data for me and the students to use. I will create a post that explains more in the near future.)

Do you do the Daily Five?
I have always done word work, reading and writing activities as a part of my Morning Workshop Work. But independent reading has been something that has relegated to the end of the language arts block. I have been looking for a way to get kids more engaged in that element of their literacy development. After reading Chapter 4: Read to Self and Chapter 5: Read to Others and Listen to Reading from The Daily Five, I feel like I have a more concrete way to share with my students the target reading behaviors they need to demonstrate during independent reading opportunities.

Do you have special places (or a reading nook) where the kids can read?
I currently do not have any designated reading areas in my classroom. I am a big fan of the idea that you can work anywhere in the room as long as you are working and quiet. I will have to look more carefully at creating some sort of nook in room that helps to spread the message that independent reading is valued and important in our classroom! My only hesitation in doing so is the management of students interaction in that space and the transition to and from the space. Coming up with the nook is one half of the equation for successfully implementing a designated reading space in the classroom. Identifying and teaching the organization procedures that will allow the students to function successfully and independently in that space is the second half of the equation. I will have to think on it a little more.

When do you schedule your independent reading time?
Independent reading time has been folded into the Morning Workshop Work that my students are required to do on a daily basis. Up until now it has been in the form of reading the grade level story for the week, practicing texts from Fluency Notebooks, and reading for "fun", when finished with all other morning assignments. Adding opportunities for genre guided, student selections of the text they read is the most significant change I hope to implement in the coming year.

How long do you schedule for reading?
Currently our schedule has a reading language arts block that is about two hours long. During that time children are involved in literacy centers, small group teacher meetings, and completing Workshop Work. One of the primary changes I need to make in the coming school year is providing students opportunities to reading to themselves, reading to others and listen to reading. Along with implementing these three types of independent reading activities, I need to provide students with the chance to choose the reading materials they will use during these activities.

Dyslexie for Dyslexia?

2011-07-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

My hubby is a really interesting guy with a knack for discovering things. He dropped this little goodie in my mailbox this morning...

Dyslexie... a font specifically for people struggling with dyslexia.

Working with early readers who struggle with reversals in both reading and writing, I am always looking for new ways to assist them in conquering the hurdle of consistently and accurately identifying (and using) similar symbols in the written word. The University of Twente, located in the Netherlands, conducted research on the dyslexics interaction with the font. The initial findings indicated that people suffering from dyslexia made fewer errors than normal readers when reading materials which used the Dyslexie font. The conclusion drawn from these findings... "... reading with the font "Dyslexie" decreases the amount of reading errors." (Note: Although the video is presented in English, you can definitely tell that native speakers didn't write it.) Needless to say, the concept is an interesting one. Take a look!

I wonder if it will take off? Would love to hear your thoughts! For more information check out this website www.studiostudio.nl