Must Read Mentor Texts

Wow 3 days in a row, must be some sort of record!!!!  Today I am linking up Stacia and Amanda from Collaboration Cuties for their Must Read Mentor Texts linky.

I love using mentor texts in my classroom and have so many to choose from it is hard to pick just one!  But if I must choose, I would pick:

I.LOVE.THIS.BOOK!

Last year I did Hope King's Trick or Treat book reports and one of my kiddos did Elephant and Piggie by him and I found this book and never looked back!  

Quick Overview: A toddler named Trixie goes with her daddy to the laundromat and while they are there she loses her stuffed bunny.  This leads them on a chase to try and find him.  The little girl is too small to speak in the book, so the author uses various letters to convey her talking.  Finally they locate the bunny in the washer and the little girl says her first word -Knuffle Bunny!  

The author goes through lots of dramatic tellings of how Trixie acted when her daddy couldn't understand what she was saying.  They are great!  

  My school is focusing on monthly comprehension strategies and retelling was up first.  I chose to use this book in my presentation as my model.  This book is great to show your thinking while reading.  

What is your go to mentor text???  Link yours up!!

Which is Best: Reading Workshop or Daily Five and a Giveaway

I can't believe it is already March!!!!  When did that happen???  I have been so excited about going to the Lucy Calkins Writer's Workshop Conference, that I didn't realize it was next week!  I am going down with Amber, from Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher, and 2 other Instructional Facilitators in my district.  I was in charge of getting the hotel, and dang if it didn't sneak up on me!  Don't worry, I booked one last night!  Whew!!!

This week is slam packed for me!  Our school is doing both Reading Workshop and Daily Five structures depending on the grade level.  For next year, we are choosing 1 school wide structure.  To help with the choices, our teachers are visiting 2 different classrooms that are doing these structures.  2nd grade will visit a Daily Five class this week, then have a planning day upon return.  Next week 1st grade will do the same.  Then we gear up for a Reading Workshop visit in a neighboring district.  I can't wait for my teachers to see these in action!!!  They learned about them this summer, but we all know that being taught a structure  being talked at, isn't the same.  Which one is your preference and why?

Me personally, I am a die hard Reading Workshop FANATIC!  I love running my room using that structure.  I did a training last year district wide, and will offer 2 this year broken down into small grade level sections.  

So onto the giveaway!  I am FINALLY done with my St. Patrick's Day Math Centers for K-1 (and some 2).  These are great for reviewing skills and remediating skills that are still lacking.  It has the following games in it: 

1. Number Concentration and Ten Frame Concentration
2. Number Bump and Addition Bump
3. Collect 20 and Collect 50
4. Collect 10: Add or Subtract and Collect 20: Add or Subtract
5. Number Cross Out and Addition Cross Out

CCSS Addressed in this Pack:
K.OA.1
K.OA.
5K.CC.1
K.CC.4
K.CC.5
1.OA.6
1.NBT.1
1.NBT.2

I have worked so long on this pack, that I am excited to have it done in time for St. Patty's day!  If you would like to have this pack, its your lucky day!  I am giving it away to 3 lucky bloggers!!  Just enter below. I will pick a winner on Sunday, March 10.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you feeling lucky?????

My Reading Go-Tos

Kenley woke up this morning feeling sicky, so no church for us.  I am sitting on the couch watching listening to HGTVs Love It or List It (I might be an addict to all things HGTV) and working on my guided reading lesson plans for this week.  I am so excited to be modeling guided reading for one of our newbie first grade teachers!  This is one of my favorite thing about my new position!

Our school has 2 new technology resources to use for reading planning.  If you are struggling with finding resources that align with CCSS and keep your kiddos interested, keep reading!

The first resource is Reading A-Z.  This site is my go to for guided reading planning.  It is seriously the busy teacher's best friend!  The site includes books for all levels aa-Z and most books can be created as a wordless book for the youngest readers.

 

I use the 5 domains of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocab, fluency, reading comprehension) in each of my reading lessons, and Reading A-Z doesn't disappoint!  Each book comes with a complete teacher lesson plan that covers all the components.  You can even search by CCSS to find books/lessons that align with a specific standard.  

This resource also allows you to project the books and resources on an interactive whiteboard, which makes this product perfect for shared reading or even centers as well.  

My next reading go-to is Big Universe . This is a new resource to me and I am still learning about all it has to offer.  

Unlike Reading A-Z, this site promotes books online only, there is no print option.  But they have worked with lots of well known publishers to use their books on their site.  BU has over 5,000 titles that you can search based on skill, level, and content.  It is mostly non-fiction with is great for CCSS.

This is just a sample of some titles that are available.

When you open up a book to read, you have the controls at the bottom of the page. My favorite thing about reading these books online, is the pages turn like a book (I know, dork!)  While all there books can't be read aloud, they do have a large selection that do have this option.  

These are great for using during shared reading, guided reading and read aloud.  Another amazing feature of this program is the ability to add student names to each teacher's class.  Each teacher can establish reading levels for the student's "bookshelf" which tells the program which levels the student can choose from.  After reading a book with the class, the teacher can also assign this book to individual students.  This is a great addition to the Daily Five rotations.  

What are your Reading Go-Tos????

A Mary Poppins Kind of Day!

Today can be summed up in one word....Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!!  Feel free to break into song now!

 

 I presented Professional Development for Pearson Math Investigations today for 3-5 and it is so awesome to work in a district that values PD and allows for time for it during our instructional day.

Today was a day without kids for all teachers.  Our Curriculum Facilitators created sessions that covered all topics of curriculum and teachers chose different sessions to attend and then would report back to their schools and share out in PLCs.

Our workshop began at 8:30, so I got there at 7:30 to get "mentally prepared".  Normally this is plenty of time, but today was different.  Our session was held at the local community college, which we use often for PD.  I went to the room we were assigned to and discovered that we had not been given 2 rooms (1 for k-2 and 1 for 3-5) This was a BIG oopsie!  We stood around and waited for the custodians to help us find a room, this.did.not.happen.  Finally our Curriculum Facilitator told us to walk to another building and we took over a  room!!!  We did not pass go.  We did not collect $200, we just took over the room!

When we got into our newly acquired room there was a partition in the middle that needed to be closed.  Our session began at 8:30 with roughly 150 people and the partition was WIDE OPEN until at least 9:30!  Talk about loud!  We had all 6 grade levels going on at one time-two words-HOT MESS organized chaos!  But the teachers in my district rolled with it like rock stars.  The teachers in my session were great. It was awesome discussing all the things that were coming up in 3rd grade unit and how my Kinder teachers were using the same terms!!!  (insert happy dance)

After the sessions teachers grabbed lunch and then came back for their PLC debriefs. This is where my Mary Poppins moment came in!  I told my teams I would be coming around to touch base with them and hear about their day.  I started with 2nd and they were awesome.  Each teacher shared out what they had learned at their session and discussed new things they thought the team could implement.  My 2nd grade team has it going on!  They shared with me that they were ahead of most others in their sessions and they told me how much they appreciated all my hard work during the first half of the year!  I have been wishing and hoping and thinking and praying (yep another song for ya!)for this day for a LONG time!

Next, I went to visit 1st grade.  They were talking about using nonfiction text within shared reading.  They shared a site that was new to me National Geographic Young Explorers

It is great for getting your content standards with the new ELA CCSS.  I also had a great compliment from a member of this team.  I didn't realize that all I did was appreciated by my teachers, but one of them told me that while they were at their session today other teachers began complaining about not having any time to gather resources.  My teacher told them that her Instructional Facilitator (me) gathered all kinds of resources and was super helpful!  Not only did my teacher notice what I have been doing for them, she shared it with someone at another school!  How cool is that!  

While I was working with my 1st grade team, my new principal (have I mentioned how awesome she is!) came and asked me to come to K.  They were discussing balanced literacy and our new Fountas and Pinnell Phonics program.  I listened and contributed to the discussion then the convo shifted to writing.  They are beginning a new unit of study and were concerned about how to begin.  I offered to come and do a model for them, and they were thrilled to have me come!!!!  This was another Mary Poppins moment!  We continued discussing curriculum and then my principal and I went back to my room for a debrief of the day.  

She complimented me on all the teachers were able to achieve through my leadership in curriculum.  It was a huge compliment, as just a few months ago I was doubting myself daily.  Sometimes hourly  Then she told me something that I never expected.  When she came and got me from my 1st grade meeting, the K teachers asked her to come and get me!!!!!  I was asked for!  

I know the old saying is good things come to those who wait, and this day and the way it made me feel, were all worth the wait!  And for those of you who hung with me through this super long post, are being rewarded as well!!!  I have included my Reading and Writing Conference Sheets.  Just click on the pic below to download yours.

Tomorrow I will be dropping my new Weather Lapbook with a giveaway you don't want to miss!!!

What was your Mary Poppins moment today?

I've Got Character....Traits!

We are half way through October and it has already been the busiest month yet!  I have.not.stopped.  Here is what has happened in the past week...

Last Thursday was one of my best days yet in my new position.  I spent my day doing what I love, planning out curriculum!  That is one great thing about my new job.  I get to spend time at work planning!  Thursday I went to another school in my district and helped them plan Reading Workshop for their 3rd graders.  It was great sitting down with other teachers and talking curriculum!  (Only a teacher would find that enjoyable!)  We worked on getting their unit on book series up and running.  My tip to any teachers that are planning on using Calkins book series units, make sure you have several copies of multiple books in a series.  So suggestions for 3rd grade would be

Over the years I have learned that in order for children to become better readers, they need to practice reading.  This year with the Common Core standards, I am ecstatic that all students are allowed and expected to read independently for longer stretches of time.  I love using the Reading workshop to teach reading skills and Calkins character unit is superb!  When  I taught this unit in 3rd grade, we used the book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo as my mentor text throughout this whole unit.  I made a poster with Opal in the middle and came up with all kinds of traits to describe her.  We kept this poster up all unit.  Several times throughout the unit we would add new traits that came up as the book progressed.  This was great because I was able to have discussions with my students about how characters change.

 Here are a few anchor charts from this unit (ignore my shoes! I had to stand on a chair to get the pic!)

 We also included discussions on Flat and Round characters.  I created these posters of them that we used on an anchor chart.  These really helped my students begin to see how a character is important to the story and that minor characters support the main character.  Pick up yours here for free!

The second grade teachers at my school have been working on the Writing Workshop unit about Authors as Mentors and used Kevin Henkes as their mentor author.  To tie this into their character study, they used Lilly from Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse.

They used Lilly as their character map.  After really studying about how Lilly acted, they had their students draw pictures of themselves and add words around them that describe them.  I love looking at these as I go down the hall!

Well I'm off to do a model Kinder lesson on pumpkins!  Wish me luck!  For all your Kinder people out there, this is new territory for me....check back later to see how it went!

Back to School Series: Thinking About Space

I just presented all about implementing the Reading Workshop at my districts local Teaching and Learning Conference.  I was so nervous about it, but like many of you told me, it was AH-SOME and my fellow teachers were a great audience.  They had great questions and many said they felt much more confident walking into their classrooms next week ready to tackle using this model. That was my goal, so SCORE!!!!  Go me!  I'm over here doing a happy dance :)

Today's post is all about thinking about your space when beginning to set up your classroom.  Using the Reading Workshop model requires a different set up that you might not use in a classroom that is using the basal reading program.

During Reading Workshop (and Writing Workshop) you begin with a mini-lesson teaching a strategy or skill  that will increase their reading ability.  In  order to present this mini-lesson, you need a meeting area.  I always had an easel with a chart tablet on it and my supplies I needed.  LOVE my Sharpie chart markers, a must have for making all those anchor charts!

Since I am in a new job this year, I don't have pics of my meeting area, so I borrowed some from sites online, please don't shoot me!  I did link back to their sites :D

 

Seriously Primary

I had this exact easel cart and couldn't do Workshop without it!  

Crayons, Scissors, and Glue Oh My!

Ms. Fultz's Corner

These are just a couple of ideas that I found while searching on blogs.  Each of these give you a different way to set up your meeting area.  The first thing I always did at the beginning of the year was figure out where my meeting area was going to be and set the rest of the room around this area.  

Another thing to think about is where materials will be stored.  If you are using Reader's Notebooks (another post!)  you will want to have a place to store extra copies of reading logs, conference logs, task sheets, etc.  This need to be accessible to students, or you will spend your entire guided reading lesson giving out sheets! I used a cardboard organizer for my copies.  Another suggestion is to use plastic stacking trays.  

I have finally finished up all grade level I Can Statements for Math!!!  Head over to my stores to pick yours up!  I will work on reading next!

What are you doing for your meeting area this year?

Back To School Series: Classroom Library

With Common Core coming out, many teachers are moving away from the reading anthology and moving into a workshop type structure to teach reading.  If you have read anything about Reading Workshop you know that the cornerstone of this structure is a well stocked classroom library.  When I first began reading about the Reading Workshop over 5 years ago, I found my idol, Beth Newingham.  Am I the only one who loves her!?!?!?!? When I saw her expansive collection of books I was a little sad that I didn't have the same amount.  Many of you might be feeling that same way, but I have some tips and hints to help bulk up your library.

1. Yard Sales:  I have been able to find lightly used books at yard sales for 25cents!
2. Consignment Sales: I was shopping at a consignment sale for the twins last spring and discovered the book table!  I was able to score 15 books for under $7!
3. Goodwill: I love going in my local Goodwill and bargain hunting for classroom books.
4. Scholastic: Many of you probably already use Scholastic points you have to purchase classroom books.  I also like to purchase book sets when they have the $1 books.

When I buy books for under $1 I don't mind putting it in my classroom library as much as spending $5 on a book!

Once you have your books, you need to decide how you will label them.  I had a stamp made with my name on it at a local teacher store in town.  I stamp my name inside all the books I buy before putting them in the classroom library.  This proved very helpful this past year when I had to separate my books from those that belonged to the school.

The next big decision you have to make about your library is how you will organize your books.  After reading Fountas and Pinnell's Guiding Reader's and Writer's I decided to organize my library in 3 different ways, genre, author, and book series.  Rather than create my own classroom labels, I used those that Beth Newingham created.  I also had Print Shop and was able to use her format to create more as my library expanded.  Once I made the library labels, I created stickers to go inside each of my books to help my kiddos keep the library organized.

Here are some samples of book labels I made in previous years.  Click on the picture to download.

What helpful hints do you have for setting up a classroom library for Reading Workshop?  Do you have book labels you want to share?  Link up below and share what your doing!

Reading Can Move Mountains

Boy have I been a slack-o blogger!  I have missed keeping up with all you guys and your awesome ideas, but I have been so stinkin' exhausted everyday that I come home and veg on the couch or read my book and travel off to nappy noo-noo land.  I am hoping that the endless piles of papers to grade, mountains of useless documentation that no one even looks at paperwork I need to do, and the general busyness will settle down soon! If it doesn't, I think I may just have to be committed soon!!!!!

I am so happy that we started a new week today, because I'm SO OVER last week!  My kiddos were great today and we go through all our work for the day (that rarely happens!)  If you read my blog at all, you will know how I LOVE using the reading workshop in my classroom.  Well, my rockin' principal spent the last bit of school money on books for each grade levels classroom libraries!  She went through the common core and picked books out for us.  How many principals do you know that do that???  I didn't know any until now.  She is a jewel I'm telling you.  She gave us probably 40+ new books each for our libraries.  And she also bought several 6-packs of books to use with our book clubs that we are using with our reading workshop units.

As if that wasn't enough, she also bought us each our own copy of  The Book Whisper, by Donalyn Miller.  
I love this book and it validated the changes I had made back in the fall.  If you are looking for a professional read that will challenge you as a teacher, I highly recommend this one.  

So whats going on with Reading Workshop in my classroom???  Well, we are in our 3rd unit of study, which is the series book clubs, and my kids are LOVING THEM!  I have 5 clubs (each a different level) and all of them have moved through 3 books in each of their series and one club has even moved onto a second book series.  I have never had kids love reading so much.  One of my clubs are reading the Fudge series by Judy Blume and they started the 3rd book, Fudge-A-Mania Friday and had finished it by the end of the day today!  When Donalyn Miller talked about her kids 'stealing moments to read' I got chillbumps.  That is now happening in my own classroom, and I couldn't be more thrilled!  

Our school has always used AR and the kids participate halfway for the most part.  I decided that I would be a bigger promoter (even though I disagree with the program) for it.  Before moving to Reading Workshop it wasn't out of the ordinary for several of my kids to take 5-6 tests a week.  One student was taking 10+.  The problem with the books they were testing on was, they were mostly picture books and they were simply reading to take a test.  I haven't outlawed AR in my classroom, my students simply aren't interested in taking quizes.  They prefer to read for the enjoyment of reading.  What a Shock, reading for FUN!!!  

The level of engagement I see with all my students gives me all the validation I need to know that this program is successful.  It makes sense.  If you want kids to read better, give them time to practice reading.  Not just a few minutes but large blocks of time to just read and reflect on what they are reading.  

If you are interested in starting this in your own classroom and want ideas about how to schedule your day, or need ideas about how to teach the reading skills, let me know!

Book Clubs Are My Friend

Many of you know that I changed my reading instruction back in November to focus on building up my students reading stamina.  I have seen so much growth from my students using this model.  I have always taught in the same low socioeconomic area, and yet this year my students are performing super high in reading!  What has changed?  Not my demographic, must be the teaching and delivery!  We have completed 2 reading units so far this year, and with each one, I find that more and more of my students are reading more difficult books and are able to do the reading talk.

We just started a new unit and it is all about book clubs using book series.  I have 4 book clubs based on their levels.  They will read at least 3 books in the series, and then begin a different series and read at least 3 books in it.  All this in 1 month!

When I first saw that the expectation was my students would read so many different books in a short time I didn't think they would ever reach that goal.  What I didn't expect, was that 2 of my groups finished their first book in only 2 days of reading!  I had my lower readers finish their Julian book and my high kids finish Sarah Plain and Tall.  (I wasn't suprised with them, its short and their high!)  

I can't wait to see how their understanding of characters builds as they move into the second book tomorrow.  

Play Day and a Freebie

I had the pleasure of spending the day with my sweet little twin girls today.  Their sitter was sick and was unable to keep them, so oh darn, I had to stay home and play with them All.Day.Long!  We had the best time playing, eating, and napping.

Kenley Riding her Pony, she fell off her today and it wasn't pretty!

Don't touch my musical walker and no one will get hurt!

Raegan riding her dolphin.  She successfully got off him today!

The only thing I did manage to do today was make some new spelling games.  I created the Long Vowel Racetrack games using the book Words Their Way as my guide.  I created one game board and 3 sheets of words for all 5 vowels.  My kids love these games! I also included the recording sheets and directions.  These games are available at my TpT Store, click here to pick them up.

And now the freebie that you have all been waiting for!  Here is the Long A Racetrack game.
Make sure you pick it up, because it won't be free for long!!!!

OHHHHHHH and don't forget to register for my Soil Giveaway!!!  The deadline is tonight at midnight and I will use the random number generator to pick my winner :)  You WANT to win this one guys!!  Click here to enter