Welcome to the Sunshine State! Enjoy yourself as you take a tour around our wonderful {and large!} state! Grab some freebies along the way, and be sure to enter to win our Bundles of Sunshine! I have always lived in sunny South Florida. I moved to Coral Springs when I got married about a year and a half ago. Before that, I lived 30 minutes east, in Ft. Lauderdale, right by the beach. It was wonderful. Ft. Lauderdale Beach This beach was my second home growing up. My mom still practically lives there. Last year, we ran the Ft. Lauderdale Half Marathon together right on this road. It’s such a beautiful place to enjoy the day, and the little restaurants across the street are just to die for! Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall Now that I live 30 minutes inland, which is more residential/suburban-like, I don’t get to the beach as often {although I should!}. Coral Springs is known for being close to the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall. It’s an outlet mall that has basically every store imaginable, restaurants, and a movie theater. The far west side of Coral Springs backs up to the Everglades. There’s a fun bike path on Continue Reading
My first project started off with some $3 magazine bins I found in the Target Red Spot section. {Can anyone resist!?!?} I knew I needed them for my teeeeenny tiny desk area in our apartment, so into my cart they went. I tried sitting them on my desk for mail and such, but there wasn’t enough room for the printer and the computer. So, I went hunting for zip ties. I slid them through the mesh in three different corners to keep them tight together. Then I started experimenting where I could attach them (other than the top of my desk) to work as storage. I slid them to the back wall so that they wouldn’t be in my way AND ta-da! Instant storage that is hidden from plain view. But of course, I then had to clean up the mess on the shelves with some teal bins from my classroom and make labels that matched. {…to which my husband was like “You Would.”} I laminated them, cut them out, and whole punched them, I added some metal binder rings so that they would attach to the teal bins. I attached the labels to the white magazine bins with some Continue Reading
Annotation is sometimes known as “Reading with a pencil”. In simple terms, that’s all it is. Students use a pencil while they read to note specific things. Annotation is extremely important when analyzing a text. Types of Annotation -Underlining -Circling -Noting unknown words -Noting challenging sections -Writing margin notes -Writing on bookmarks -Writing on sticky notes In high schools and colleges, students always annotate in text when participating in close reading. Elementary students have very little experience with this. )Most elementary teachers may have very little experience teaching it!) So, how do you annotate in an elementary classroom? Can you guess? MODIFY! Ways to Modify Annotation -Use wiki sticks to underline -Use colored pencils or highlighters to show unknown words -Number paragraphs or draw lines to separate paragraphs -Use only a limited number of annotations Why Start So Young? 1. It is so important to teach students to do this at a young age. Start in primary! Use some of the modifications above to help you explain “reading with a pencil” to the little ones. As you model a few types, students will begin to use them in the close reading process. I recommend choosing just a few to focus Continue Reading
Repeated reading is a BIG part of the close reading process. Each time students interact with the text, they come to a deeper understanding of it. Each time, they have more background knowledge than before. Each time, their conversations deepen. Struggling Readers or English Language Learners Struggling readers and English Language Learners (ELLs) may need extra time when reading. Each has his/her various challenges. However, close reading is great for struggling readers and/or ELLs because of this repeated reading. It gives kids time and many different opportunities to process information and make connections. Who is reading? The text is being read over and over. But who should read the text each time? Many times, the reader changes. It is usually suggested that the students tackle the text independently through silent reading the very first time. However, as mentioned before, modifications must be made for younger students. This may mean that a teacher reads aloud as shared reading for the very first time. Types of Repeated Reading -Individual -Groups -Teacher -Partner Remember that the type and number of repeated readings depends on the specific passage and students in the classroom. You do not need to use all of those listed above. Choose what Continue Reading
Brief, high-quality, & complex text Reading lessons should match this description if you are implementing close reading. In my research, it was recommended that passages should be anywhere from 3 paragraphs to 2 pages. Why shorter passages? -Teachers can teach specific skills. -Teachers can focus on specific ideas in the text. -Students can practice really digging into the text. -Students of ALL reading levels can closely read demanding texts. -Young students have time to gradually build up to independent reading because they are not overwhelmed. Time Consuming! Close reading can take a very long time. So…teachers should choose smaller passages in order to be able to get through everything. When students are reading on their own, they can enjoy longer passages. For close reading, keep it short! Modifications As we discussed, modifications must be made when using close reading in the elementary grades. Common Core calls for ALL students, regardless of reading level, to interact with complex texts. But how can kindergarteners and young firsties do this, you ask??? Answer: Modify! Students in primary grades have a higher ability to comprehend while listening. So, it may be important for teachers to expose students by reading aloud to them and promoting Continue Reading
This is perhaps the biggest debate in close reading. Period. Here’s why in simple terms: Teachers have sometimes given students SO much background knowledge, that they were able to answer questions about the text before even reading it! (I mean, really, that sounds just plain crazy!) What is the point in reading if they kids already know the answers? Boring to kids. Waste of time for teachers. …in walks Common Core… I have heard so many times that Common Core says a big fat “NO!” to background knowledge. This is not true by any means. But I do know where the idea stems from. Educators were afraid that TOO much background knowledge was given before reading. So they started encouraging teachers to pull back. However, background knowledge has been proven to have an impact on student comprehension. Many researchers believe that you do not have to instruct kids on the topic before reading because it can be very easily done during reading. I agree with this. I would rather jump into reading and tackle questions as they come rather than spoon-feeding the kids before they have a chance to think! It is important to: -Set a purpose for reading -Give definitions of unknown Continue Reading
Close reading is the big hype these days with Common Core and the push to expose ALL students to complex texts. One of my final Master’s research papers was focused on close reading, so I decided to share some of the big ideas with you. Hopefully, this will answer some common questions that are floating through teacher minds! These 5 topics are essential to close reading. 1. What is close reading? 2. Background Knowledge 3. Complex Texts & Text Dependent Questions 4. Repeated Readings 5. Annotation Articles and research are included throughout these posts. A citation page is included here in case you are interested in learning more. What’s close reading all about? Close reading: “an instructional routine in which students critically examine a text, especially through repeated readings” (Fisher & Frey, 2012a). Close reading was used in high school and college in the past, BUT the implementation of Common Core has pushed teachers to use close reading in elementary school. So, there must be some modifications made in elementary schools. The teacher must build students toward independent reading. As teachers help students dig through reading passages, they are helping students to build habits of great readers. I think this quote explains it perfectly: “The teacher’s goal Continue Reading
So, we all know Deanna Jump. She is an inspiration to teachers everywhere! Not only did she start out on TPT wayyy before many of us, but she paved the way and showed us all how to be successful teacher-preneurs. I look up to her and wish that I could’ve met her in Vegas this year. {I will definitely be there next year!} I’ve seen this quote floating around blogs and Instagram. Seriously, it made me tear up when I first read it. This quote explains everything we do as teachers and TPT sellers. I knew I had to print it out and hang it in my office, so I created this little freebie for my store. I hope you all enjoy it! Click the freebie link or the picture below to grab it! My hope is that this is a daily reminder to you and your families. We will do the work, when He shows us the way.
This project has been a favorite of mine! Not only is it extremely helpful during the school year for teachers, but it is also a life saver for students. Keep reading to get a little walk through… So, this is the sample homework checklist. Spelling words and homework are listed in a clear format for students. I like this setup because it is thin enough for me to simply staple into student agendas on Monday morning. (Plus, two checklists per page means less copy paper!) Once stapled, they are set for the week! My editable pack features three options. 1) Labels, titles, and cutesy fonts are NOT editable, but all other information is. 2) Labels are editable in case you split your spelling words differently or need to add sight words or vocabulary. 3) Literally everything here is editable. This is a great option for teachers who want to use their own cute fonts and borders. Homework Policy: Homework varies drastically depending on your school. I have certain things that I HAVE to give students. Homework is evaluated on our report cards. I am also mandated to give nightly homework instead of a weekly packet. So, how do you keep Continue Reading
Last week I put all of my math center information together into one How-To pack in order to help those of you who are interested in beginning math centers as part (or all!) of your math block. It has over 90 pages worth of math center goodness! This post will give you a bit of an inside scoop into my math center setup. Enjoy! Before I explain each center, take a look at this overview. I have 4 student groups. Each group has 4-7 kids depending on my class size. My math block lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes, so the chart matches that time frame. Tweak the time to work for you. I teach a short mini lesson for 5-10 minutes when we first start. This may be the “We Do” pages from our math textbook or just some practice problems that I want to do with the kids. I do not keep students in whole group for a long time. I have found that most students do their best work in centers when the centers are engaging and filled with movement. Soooo, I give them what they need and send them off to do their best! Each student Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- Next Page »