Teaching With Style: literacy

Showing posts with label literacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literacy. Show all posts
Today I am teaming up with some other awesome bloggers to bring you By George Dollar Deals for President's Day!


We have all set one of our products to be $1 for TODAY ONLY! 


I set my Presidents Day Literacy Centers for 2nd grade on sale!  There are four different center activities, including a full color version as well as a black & white version!  Each center includes a directions page, cards to manipulate, and a recording sheet. Perfect for your Word Work station! You can reinforce Common Core skills, all while integrating a Presidents Day theme for social studies! 

Fact & Opinion: covers standards RL.2.6 and W.2.1

Collective Nouns: covers standard L.2.1a

Possessive Nouns: covers standards L.2.1b and L.2.2c

Contractions: covers standards L.2.2c




Click this link to see which other products are on sale for $1 for the By George Dollar Deals! 

Happy Presidents Day! 



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This past year I finished teaching a full year of Reading Wonders in First Grade! Phew! It's been a rough learning curve! Luckily for you, I'm creating my unit focus walls to make implementation easy!

 What I've learned along the way is that the weekly tests emphasize concepts that aren't necessarily focused on if you are following the Teacher's Edition book to teach.   I realized my kids were bombing the tests because I was focusing on comprehension, spelling pattern, sight words, and grammar.  Most of those elements are represented on the test, but there are usually 3-4 questions based on the structural analysis and vocabulary.  And some concepts only have one practice book page and no other lessons tied to it! 

One week the structural analysis focus was final stable syllable:  RF.1.3e  Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.

I didn't even know what that was! And I've been teaching lower elementary for over 10 years and have a Reading Specialist certificate!  Luckily, I found out what they were on Pinterest.
http://ateachersobsessions.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-been-awhilehow-about-freebie.html
Via A First Grade Teacher's Passions and Obsessions

A final stable syllable comes at the end of a word (final) and is always pronounced the same way (stable).  Examples are -le (table, apple, single) and -tion (contraction, motion).  

 I also found this video to help introduce the concept to students:
http://www.turtlediary.com/kids-videos/final-stable-syllable.html
Via Turtle Diary
The vocabulary focus that same week was inflectional endings -s, -ed, -ing: L.1.4c  Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking). 

For these lessons, I turned to a favorite blogger, The Teacher Wife! 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inflectional-Word-Endings-Unit-ed-ing-123498
Via The Teacher Wife on TpT
My students have been practicing writing words with -ing and -ed in their reading notebooks.  We'll do some more activities from this pack throughout the week.  

Luckily, there are some amazing lessons on blogs and TpT that can be used to supplement some of these skills and standards!
 
Don't forget to download my freebie editable newsletters! And if you like them, I would love you forever if you left feedback! <3
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Reading-Wonders-Editable-Newsletters-Units-1-5-1589630

If you are a Wonders teacher, how has it been going for you?
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I'm over at Owl Ways Be Inspired today chatting about my new set of Presidents Day literacy centers.


 and even a freebie for Owl readers!


Head on over and check it out!
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Read to Me International is a Hawaii organization that helps foster the love of reading in children by reading aloud to them.  I had the pleasure of hosting the President of the Foundation, Lynne Waihee, in my classroom today!  Not only did she bring with her beautiful Hawaiian picture books for my classroom ----> Look!

But she also read a book to my class, played the ukulele, sang songs, and did a cute craft project!

The book she read was Kolohe ‘Iole (or naughty rat in Hawaiian).  It is a darling book about a rat who did things to scare the people, and he never listened to his mom when she scolded him.  But when the keiki (kids) set up a trap to catch him, his makuahine (mother) saved him.  He learned to finally be kind.  Such a cute book with adorable illustrations and full of native Hawaiian words to teach your class.


After the book, we all made a cute little mouse craft.  The kids loved it, especially the pipe cleaner tails that they could position how they wanted!

We started with a heart and two circles on card stock, 5 inches of black pipe cleaner, scissors, glue, and some tape. 

The pipe cleaner gets taped onto the top of the heart, so it doesn't fall out.

Next, fold the heart in half and glue together.  Then glue the circles on both sides to make the mouse shape. Draw on an eye, nose, and whiskers!

Lynne had brought a template with her, but I quickly made up a digital one so I could share it with all of you!  Go ahead and grab it from Google Drive!

If you are interested in teaching about another culture, but also about the importance of kindness, this story and easy little craft might be just the thing for you!

I'm also teaming up with my fav Hawaiian bloggers for an October Giveaway!  

We are each giving away a fall-themed unit, so make sure to rush over to Corinna's blog Surfin' Through Second to enter the Rafflecopter!  The giveaway ends on Friday!
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First up - congrats to my two MPM School Supply gift certificate winners!

You will receive an email shortly.  For everyone else, you can get 10% off your order at MPM just by clicking this link:  www.mpmschoolsupplies.com/redeem/1306DBJJDY78 

 I've been loving reading through all the posts in DeAnne's Picture Book linky, so I decided to join in!

 At the beginning of the year, I always set up my expectations.  

 To teach behavior, I like to read How Do Dinosaurs Go To School by Jane Yolen.

And for setting up the Daily 5 and reader's workshop, I always read The Best Place to Read by Debbie Bertram.

I'm also going to read a lot of tropical-themed books to go with my classroom theme and to help my students learn more about the ocean.  I've created a book study to go with The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen. 

I created vocabulary activities, a literacy center, graphic organizers, writing prompts, and art projects.  They are even aligned to 2nd grade common core standards! 
There are some fun writing and craft projects included:



What books do you plan on reading next school year?
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Get Ready for Bloggy Olympics!!!

Photobucket Photobucket

Join The 3AM Teacher, the Reading Olympians, and over 80 SUPREME education bloggers as we take you through a tour of the Reading Olympians Root Study Program!!

The Reading Olympians is a program to teach root words.  We have adopted the Common Core in Hawaii and roots are now expected to be taught in 2nd grade: 2.L.4c Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).  I've taught every grade K-3rd and even Title I reading intervention, and I can honestly say I have never specifically taught a wide range of roots.  I am excited to teach this program, not only because it is directly tied to our new standards, but because the majority of my students are fluent readers, but do not always understand what they read.  By explicitly teaching roots, I hope to see a big increase in my students' comprehension.  

The 2nd grade program is called Junior Olympians.  Krista and Julie (the master minds behind the program) tie everything into the Greeks.  The first set is called the Jr. Nike set.  I started my lesson off with discussing what is a root and making an anchor chart.

Look at that adorable clipart by the 3AM Teacher! :)
I then passed out the Jr. Nike packet and students were able to look it over.
Once their names made it on the packets and the packets were placed safely in their blue reading folders, I passed out the vocab cards.
These cards have the root and definition.  There is also a cute little rap or rhyme for each root that can be glued to the back of the cards.  I had my class president in charge of hole punching the corners of the cards and students placed them on a binder ring.  I also sent home a practice worksheet that was included in the set in their homework packets this week.  Next week, we'll do the inside of the the Jr. Nike packet, really diving into what each of the roots mean.  

After getting a chance to look over the packets and making our word cards, I gathered the students back on the carpet and we did a little shared writing to review the meanings of the Nike words.
I plan to make a chart like this one for each root set that gets introduced. 

My kids are excited about learning roots and were already practicing thinking up the biggest word they could find with the root in it!


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I have teamed up with some amazing bloggers over the entire United States to bring you Booking Across The USA!

Here are all of the bloggers who are participating!
Alabama: Everyday Snapshots Alaska: Little Wonders’ Days Arizona: Simply Kinder Arkansas: Homeschooling in Arkansas California: Juggling with Kids and The Outlaw Mom Colorado: Learners in Bloom and Living Montessori Now Connecticut: The Teacher Park Delaware: Mama Miss Florida: Teaching Stars Georgia: Fabulously First Hawaii: Teaching With Style Idaho: True Aim Education Illinois: Growing Book by Book Indiana: Teach Preschool Iowa: Surviving a Teacher's Salary Kansas: KCEdventures Kentucky: Chicken Babies Louisiana: New Orleans Moms Blog Maine: Maine Adventure Mom and Country Fun Child Care Maryland: Picture Books and Piourettes Massachusetts: Mama Smiles Michigan: Play DrMom Minnesota: The Wise Owl Factory Mississippi: Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk Missouri- Ready. Set. Read! Montana: The Honey Bunch Nebraska: The Good Long Road Nevada: Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts New Hampshire: Elementary Matters New Jersey: The Pleasantest Thing New Mexico: Enchanted Homeschooling Mom New York: What Do We Do All Day North Carolina: Realistic Teacher Blog North Dakota: ND HealthWorks Ohio: Smart Chick Teacher’s Blog Oklahoma: Herding Kats in Kindergarten Oregon: Journey of a Substitute Teacher Pennsylvania: Land of Once Upon a Time Rhode Island: Smiling in Second Grade South Carolina: Cookies and Kiddos and JDaniel4’s Mom South Dakota: The Wise Owl Factory Tennessee: No Monkey Business Texas: Curls and a Smile and Kid World Citizen Utah: Teach Beside Me Vermont: Burlington Vt Moms Blog Virgina: Once Upon a Story, and The Freckled Homeschooler Washington: Home Learning Journey and Boy Mama Teacher Mama West Virginia: This Week @ Great Peace Academy and Mamas Like Me Wisconsin: Reading Confetti Wyoming: No Twiddle Twaddle USA: The Corner on Character

Does this make you want to sing the Fifty Nifty song?  A little bit?  Ok, here we go!


Most of you know that I am now teaching in Hawaii.  I am loving learning about the Hawaiian culture of my state and also the Filipino culture of my island.  I've already blogged a bit about it.  You can catch up by going here, here, and here.

For my book, I chose a Hawaiian folktale that is modeled after the traditional story of The Pied Piper.  


Get the book from BeachHouse Publishing

The story is very cute and includes tons of nods to authentic Hawaiian culture, not just stereotypical lu‘aus, surfing, and hula - which I still love, but I want to read about other aspects of the culture, too!  It is about a boy named Maka who loves to make people happy by playing his ‘ukulele and singing his song about the shaka.  But one day, a wild boar comes in his village and chases everyone away.  He climbs a tree to hide and sees that his baby sister is still on the ground in a basket, so he plays his ‘ukulele to calm the boar and saves his sister and the village.  

As I was writing my unit to go with this story, I obviously saw the text-to-text connection to The Pied Piper, but I also saw opportunities for classrooms and children to discuss nonviolent conflict resolution, text-to-self connections, and also diving more into Hawaiian culture and language.  The book also includes a CD of the song Maka plays and also a page in the back with lyrics and music.  I'm thinking about having my husband come in and play the song for my class!  


You can now find this unit in my TpT shop! :)

In my unit, I included:
  • Vocabulary cards, worksheets, and a journal
  • Two non-fiction passages with comprehension questions to practice writing in full sentences and finding information in text
  • Writing prompts with graphic organizers to plan out essays or paragraphs
  • Two types of writing paper for each activity and answer keys where needed
I hope you get a chance to teach your class a little about Hawaii.  I bet they will love it!

Do you teach about the different states in your classroom?  Which state are you most excited to learn about?
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Today was our first day back after the New Year, and it went so well!  The kids were excited to be back and just fell right back in the groove of school.  Even my typically naughty ones were much better than usual!  Hoping this honeymoon lasts until at least tomorrow!

Since this was the first day back, we did some fun New Years activities!

First up, the kids needed to know what a resolution is.  That's a big word for a seven year old!  My school does the Marzano vocabulary program, so I made a fun printable for the word "resolution".
Click any of the pictures to download for FREE!

Included is a vocabulary page to help students explore the word resolution.  They will need access to a dictionary in order to find the definition.  Then, they will illustrate and write the word in a sentence to show understanding.  I included an example teacher's key.  



I also am doing these other fun activities:

Laura Candler's January Activities Mini-Pack
Heidi from My (Not So) Elementary Life's Rolling Into New Years craft
Ladybug Teacher File's New Years Graphic Organizer

What do you plan to do when you return to school?



Freebie Fridays

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Last week my colleagues and I did a round robin with Holidays Around the World!  Ms. B did Italy (she studied abroad there!), Mrs. S did Mexico, and I did The Philippines!  85% of our school's population comes from The Philippines, so I felt it was important to include their culture in our studies.

For our Around the World unit, we used Jen Ross's unit from The Teacher's Cauldron.  It was so fun!  It included teacher cheat sheets, a passport, crafts for most countries, a mini book for each student, a world map to color in, and writing sheets.


Since the Philippines is not included in this set, I asked Jen if I could make an Add-on set and she said yes!  You can head to my Google Docs to grab a copy.


I also used Christina Bainbridge's scrapbook freebie.  You can find that in her TpT store here!

I realized that some teacher's would like a stand alone Philippines unit, so I made a little pack, too.  It's originally $2, but will be on sale for $1.50 all week!  It includes teacher directions, a colorful info page, vocab cards, writing pages, a Venn diagram for comparing and contrasting, and an ornament craft.

If you are at work this week, I hope you have an amazing week with your kiddos.  If you are on winter break already like me, enjoy your time off to relax, rest, and plan ahead for an amazing 2013!



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My scholastic box came in!  Yay!  The box FILLED with tons of new gingerbread books!  You see, the gingerbread books I used to have in my classroom library belonged to my old school.  So when I moved, no gingerbreads came with me.  So sad.  They would have loved it here.  But no need to cry, I got new ones!

And what better complements to a bunch of new gingerbread books than some gingerbread activities!

This week in word work we are doing this adorable adjective activity from Kelley at The Teacher Idea Factory.  We'll be doing the craft project on friday, too!

We are also doing this present and past tense verb game that is a freebie from Jen at The Teachers' Cauldron.
And the Christmas Tree sentence fluency game from Michelle at Teach123.

From my friend Reagan at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits, we are doing her Gingerbread Week pack (perfect title for me, huh?).  I love her gingerbread story graphic organizers!

And I'm throwing in this amazing freebie from Lori from Teaching With Love and Laughter at the end of the week!

What fun activities do you plan to do this week  Any gingerbread goodness?



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