I have be crazy busy with my new job back in the classroom {more to come on that soon}, but I wanted to share this fun set with you today! Last week, our skill was to compare and contrast two texts. In third grade, students are asked to compare and contrast the major points in two texts about the same topic. My two coworkers and I were searching for products to use, but we weren’t finding anything that worked for us… Fast forward to the weekend. I decided to create a passage to go along with the book Officer Buckle and Gloria. We wanted the students to be engaged in the topic {dogs}, so we used a fun fiction book that they would giggle at. 🙂 In the past, I have read Officer Buckle and Gloria to kindergarteners and first graders, so I was slightly worried. I didn’t know for sure if my third graders would think it was funny. OH was I wrong! They were laughing and asking to see the flipping dog picture again and again. Reading two texts can be time consuming, but “Just Do It!”. With my on level groups, I read Officer Buckle and Gloria Continue Reading
Are you in need of some low-prep activities to get your students through the holiday season? Check out my newest close reading passages! They are perfect for small group, guided reading, weekly homework, and thematic units. All you have to do is simply download and print! If you are not familiar with close reading you can read more about it in my Close Reading Mini Series. I’m excited to be a part of The Primary Gal‘s Unwrap a Gift Linky Party. There are so many engaging gifts for you from some of my favorite teachers. Keep reading for a closer look and be sure to unwrap your gift at the end of this post! I have two sets of holiday close reads: European traditions (7 passages) & Asian traditions (6 passages). Each passage is written at an appropriate text complexity level for 2-3rd grade according to the Common Core State Standards. However, it totally depends on your students. I often used similar close reads with my high first graders, and I have a friend who uses them with her struggling fourth graders. There are two different versions of most handouts within each set. Instant differentiation! Close reading is all about Continue Reading
My sweet friends Alisha from Missing Tooth Grins and Katie from Simply Creative in KY decided to get together for a mini product swap. We wanted to give ya’ll a closer look at some of our products! I have the wonderful pleasure of looking through Katie’s Let’s Talk About It: Teaching Students How to Talk About Text. People, it’s amazing! This pack has so many different resources to help you help your students discuss their reading. True Common Core, my friends. Discuss, discuss, discuss. First off, please just look at all that color! I mean, really! Who doesn’t love color?!?! This is just pure teacher happiness! This is the whole pack printed and ready to teach with! Okay, now let’s take a look at the inside of this pack. Katie includes: 1. Lesson Ideas about using sticky notes, summarizing, learning to take turns, and making conversations meaningful using various resources. 2. Stop & Jot and Text Talker anchor charts 3. Five Phrase Posters 4. Text Talk Bingo 5. Talking Sticks 6. Text Talker Bookmarks 7. Discussion Cards for chapter books, picture books, and nonfiction texts. Katie includes so many different options in this resource. I used it in camp this summer Continue Reading