I recently wrote a blog about cognitive load and reading, utilising Scarborough’s ‘Reading Rope’ to consider how we can scaffold and teach reading skills more effectively. Since t…
We've begun writing in our third grade classroom and to my delight, my students are way into it! We have set up our writing notebooks and w...
Teaching Opinion Writing: What is the difference between reasons and supporting details?
Hello Everyone!! Happy New year to all of you! The end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 have been very emotional for me. We started off our winter break visiting my son, Jordan in Indiana. He has made his way into the hearts of the people of southwest Indiana with his amazing storytelling and reporting for the local news station. And...He just bought his first house. We are so excited for him! We loved spending time with him over Christmas. --- On our drive back home, we kept getting texts, phone calls, and e-mails from friends about the 12 tornadoes that ravaged their way through the towns around our home in Texas. Oh my goodness---our emotions went from bliss to absolute heartbreak. So many of our friends lost everything, including a couple of teachers from our district. One of the elementary schools was hit and is now deemed unsafe. And sadly, 11 people lost their lives. The past few days have been filled with helping school and church groups gather needed supplies for those affected by this disaster. Texans do tend to jump in and help whenever needed!! The cleanup and rebuild will take years, but the support will be there. If you would like to help those in need during this time, here's a link to the red cross donation sight. Thank you in advance for sharing your blessings! http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/2015/12/28/how-to-help-tornado-victims/77965462/ These events really put things into perspective for me. What is important? Where should we put our passion? So many of us are blessed beyond measure. We take for granted who and what we have in our lives. Herein lies the resolution. Giving. The more you give, the more you receive. Throughout the coming year, I will continue to share things on this blog for anyone who can use them to help teachers, parents, and kids get excited about learning. Teaching is sharing. Teaching is giving. I will give the best I have. It may not always be perfect, it may not always fit everyone's bill, but, if what I share can help even one person, It is worthwhile!! So, having said all that, I am sharing a new unit. This one is all about Opinion Writing. You all know how much I love Lucy Calkins. This unit is based on her "Writing Reviews" book for first graders. When we get back from winter break, our firsties will be learning all about opinions and how to share them through writing. This unit is a precursor to one we will do on writing book reviews and other type of persuasive writing. It includes everything you need to print and go! Here are a few pics. The unit is about 32 pages. If you think you might be able to use any of this, simply click HERE for the printable download. As always, thanks for taking time out to stop by and read this little blog. I appreciate you! My New Year's wish for you is that you are surrounded by love and joy, and that you are blessed to be a blessing to others. If you are heading back to school next week, have a wonderful reunion with your littles. Give them the best you have!! Joyfully! Nancy
Last week we began our Procedural Writing Unit. We began the unit immersing the students with different procedural books. Students went on...
When teaching narrative writing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, there are so many writing skills to cover. They range from creating a sequence of events (beginning, middle, and end) to more difficult
Looking to fine tune your writer's workshop? Use these 5 tips for managing your writer's workshop to help guide your students to success.
I don't know about you, but it seems like writing always gets the shaft in my room. I start off every year with this grand scheme to make sure my students write daily, yet when something needs to go off of my schedule, it always seems that this subject is the one on the chopping block. Honestly, it just isn't fair to my students. They will not become better writers unless they are actually writing. So what I started to do, to ensure that they would write daily, was begin a Paragraph of the Week. The basic idea is simple. The students are given a prompt to write a paragraph about and they have the week to do it at home. However, I knew that if I just gave my students a prompt and let them at it....all heck would break loose. They *needed* some scaffolding and a bit more accountability to decent sentences than that. So I thought and thought about what I do to teach a basic paragraph in my room. I always start off with a brainstorm/pre-write. It gets the juice flowing and gives the kids a lot to pull from when narrowing down their topic. So I made sure that each week, they start with a prewrite. We use Thinking Maps, so the students begin on Monday by filling in a Circle Map on the topic at hand. Then, and here is where I may differ from many, I have them write the body sentences. I just feel like they get a better paragraph if they start with the middle and work their way to the frames of the topic/closing sentence. They don't get so boxed in....or give it all away....when they leave the topic sentence for last (and when brainstorming and prewriting our multi-paragraph essays, this is how I do it as well, so it only made sense to me to have them write a small paragraph this way as well) I also have the students write a supporting detail sentence and then another sentence with evidence or explanations of that original sentence. Again, this gives the students a chance to really add pizazz and life to their writing. I actually have my students color code the sentences as well. This helps them with organization (especially when we get to multi-paragraph essays). Wednesday has them writing their topic and closing sentences. They then put it all together for Thursday. What I am loving about this is that my students now have a body of work that we can pull from for our writing mini-lessons. They have actual authentic writing to revise and edit in class. What I am also loving is that it is forcing me NOT to let writing slip away. I have time built into my day each day to do a little mini-lesson because I know that they will be doing writing at home. The last thing I want them doing is practicing BAD writing....so I am doing so many more mini-lessons....and their writing is getting SO SO SO MUCH BETTER. SO MUCH. We have taken a few of the paragraphs to final draft publishing, now that they have a bunch of paragraphs to choose from. I am finding that this is also turning into a great record of their writing growth throughout the year. And I have put all of this together in a HUGE 200+ page packet for you. There are 36 different writing prompts, with all the scaffolding you see in the first 18 weeks. Then the second 18 weeks switches the focus (which I plan to do in my room) to revising and editing with rubrics and checklists and all. The pack also has a one page explanation of the weekly task in case copies are a problem (I know, I know...I love copies) Anyway, if you would like the entire pack with everything done for you, it is available in my TpT store. The preview download actually has one week in it for free so that you can see if this is a fit for your room. I really, honestly am in love with this right now. I see SUCH a difference in my students, and I am sure you will too.
A writing template to help children when structuring text types.
There's a lot of ground to cover when you teach creative narrative writing. Here are 5 creative narrative mini-lessons you should be sure to use!
Make writing fun with free printable writing activity for kids. Students will roll the dice to create zany characters as they write a story.
SAVE $$$ with this MEGA BUNDLE! If you bought each craftivity individually, it would cost $40. It is like getting 2 craftivities for FREE! If you are looking for fun, engaging, hands-on, and authentic activities for IB, look no further! These craftivities are designed to go with teaching the IB Le...
Paragraph writing is a big challenge for many students. This post includes a step-by-step method to help your students write great paragraphs in no time.
Here are great activities that teach about the Wright Brothers and celebrate the history of flight. Filled with fascinating facts about flight, an engaging passage about Orville and Wilbur Wright, and a variety of fun activities.
Check out Narrative Writing Prompts & Worksheets for kindergarten-4th grade! There is a variety of prompts & worksheets to use in your room!
Today I'm talking about using the 6+1 Traits of Writing. Why do I teach with the Traits? It works perfectly with the B.C. Curriculum. Students get it. It breaks the writing process down into steps we can layer up all year. That means writing doesn't seem like such a large task. And that means, kids will usually write more because they feel a whole lot less overwhelmed. Sounds pretty good to me! Here is the writing board in my classroom. A large portion of it is taken up by my 6 Traits checklist. As the year goes on, and we introduce new pieces, it fills up and serves as a giant criteria list. The blank space to the left is where I add pieces specific to a current focus (figurative language, punctuation, etc.) You don't need to have a board dedicated to the Traits if you teach with the Traits. I do for two reasons: 1) I have the space. 2) It serves a giant checklist students can self assess their writing on that builds through the year as we learn new elements. You'll often hear me say "just because we are working on -----, don't forget all the other pieces we already know". A quick scan of the board and students know exactly what I'm looking for in their writing. (Download that awesome "What do Writers Write?" pencil here!) VOICES? Why does it say "Use your writing VOICES?". Well, VOICES is an acronym for the Traits. V- Voice O- Organization I - Ideas C- Conventions E- Excellent Word Choice S- Sentence Fluency They are now promoting 6+1 Traits and the +1 is Presentation. That didn't make it to my board.... but we do discuss it often. When I was starting out with the Traits, I wasn't sure where to go for resources. Here are some of my favourites to help you out: "Using Picture Books to Teach Writing With the Traits" is an excellent resource. Even though I teach grade 4, I still use it. They give you a scripted lesson plan for every trait as well as several other picture books that fit the trait and how you could use them to inspire writing. I use their examples and then extend on it for my bigger kids. Here are my favourite picture book for for each trait: Voice The story of the 3 Little Pigs told through the Wolf's perspective. Gives students a chance to think about the other side of things, and, it's funny. Organization Or any of the "If you Give a..." books. I love how they are cyclic. You really have to think ahead to write one of these stories. Good cause and effect too. Okay, I picked two for organization. Scaredy books are organized in a different way. I love all the charts and diagrams. Ideas This book is a favourite for many reasons. It is so touching. The boy in this story is searching for the answer to what a memory is. So many beautiful answers are given to him. Conventions This book uses two words. Yo! and Yes? You can talk about how the punctuation helps imply more language than is given. I also like to teach inferring with this book. Excellent Word Choice Max collects words. Although some of his words are basic, he collects some powerful ones as well. The author uses descriptive language throughout this book. Sentence Fluency I like to teach sentence fluency with poetry, because Jack's poems have such a good flow. They just roll off your tongue when you read them. And, they are hilarious. Pin this post. Helping to inspire,
Pin by Karen Steenkamp on English from homophone worksheets 5th grade, image source: pinterest.com
Introduce dialogue with easy ways your students will love to practice! Fun strategies to bring laughter to what can be a tough subject!
The curse of Writer's Block can be REAL. And writer's block can really frustrate our students. When this happens, we need strategies to help students push through writer's block to keep going through the writing process. Check out this list of 8 strategies to help students break through writer's
Follow this step-by-step lesson plan to teach your students how
Readers practice identifying the main idea in works of nonfiction in this two-page reading comprehension worksheet.
Use this to teach various writing styles to begin their personal experience narratives.
Do you have struggling writers who just don't seem to be growing? Do you have reluctant writers who don't seem to get much writing completed? In every class that I have ever taught, there has always been a handful of kiddos that just don't like writing. These students can be toughest to reach. You have
Need to know how to help students write summaries? These lesson ideas and summarizing ideas and tips for the upper elementary classroom will help you teach summarizing and help your students write summaries as they read.
Analyzing writing curriculums, planning writing workshop and teaching writing lessons can be overwhelming. You might think, how am I going to fit everything in and produce successful writers? Where do I start? What skills do they need? This post will share the 7 BASIC WRITING LESSONS that every teacher should teach! With this basic knowledge, students will be able to perform other writing assignments more effectively. The following skills are not only effective in upper elementary, they are often needed at the middle school level for review or the primary level for differentiation. So yes, every teacher should teach them! If you start with these 7 fundamental skills, it will set the expectations for your writing lessons and assignments throughout the year! Frequently Asked Questions What are the basic skills and what order should I teach them? Sentence Structure 1. Complete Sentences Lesson for complete sentences 2. Fragments Lesson for fragments 3. Run-ons Lesson for run-ons Paragraph Writing 4. Topic Sentences Lesson for topic sentences 5. Relevant Details Lesson for relevant details 6. Transition Words Lesson for transition words 7. Closing Sentences Lesson for closing sentences How much time should I dedicate to teaching these fundamental skills? I recommend one day for each skill. If you spend a whole writing block for each skill, students will benefit from the practice. How do I teach each skill? First: Start with an anchor chart explaining the skill. (See each lesson link above for effective anchor charts.) Second: Provide examples. Students can share examples too! Next: Students should take notes. I love using Interactive Writing Notebooks to take notes. Research supports the use of interactive notebooks through studies on multiple intelligences, the brain and note taking. Here are a few videos to Set Up Interactive Writing Notebooks. Click photo for the Upper Elementary Version. A Primary Version is also available. Then: Identify the skill. Provide practice sheets and task cards for students to practice identifying the skill in sentences and paragraphs. Last: Apply the skill. Students should have the opportunity to write their own sentence or paragraph to apply the particular skill. What if I can't fit the lesson in one writing block? If you can't extend the days to complete them, there are other ways to get the whole lesson in. You can put practice sheets or task cards in a center, or you can have students apply the skill for homework or morning work the next day. What if my students, some of my students, or absent students can't do interactive notebooks? Make a small anchor chart to put in their notebooks with the same information! If you don't have a printable poster, take a picture of the anchor chart you used in class and print them off! I hope you found this post helpful and your students become successful writers this year! Connect With Me! TPT Store Facebook Pinterest My Blog
Let’s talk persuasive writing, shall we? To me, this is the hardest type of writing to teach. Why? Simply put… kids aren’t used to defending, convincing or using many of the verbs needed to successfully pen a truly argumentative essay. There just isn’t much real life basis for them. So, to help with this… I […]
Hi Everyone! I made a rubric for the Easter stories that we did last week, and decided to make a generic one as well so I could share it wit...
We've been learning about the parts of speech in the most fun ways. A parts of speech printable and flip book, writing our own mad libs, and more.
Teach students how to write holiday recounts about the most interesting events and bring them to life. Includes activities and writing samples.
This is a simple color coded guide for third and fourth graders to use when writing a paragraph. It begins with a topic sentence, then a reason or detail sentence, and finally a sentence that explains the reason or detail. There are also reminders of transition words and words that would be good ...
Paragraph writing activities and tips for teachers in upper elementary
Teaching argumentative writing? Use the show "Adam Ruins Everything" to model a fun, well-researched product. (blog post)"
So embarking on this new grade, I didn't imagine quite fully all the new material I would be teaching. Dialogue in writing and how to punctuate it - certainly wasn't something I was expecting. I fo
Each classroom brings students of multiple learning styles and backgrounds. It is our job to provide opportunities that reach all of the many different learning styles that come to us. For this reason, it is
Wondering how to teach sentence structure? Make it meaningful, memorable, and useful by applying these practical tips. #middleschoolgrammar #highschoolgrammar
How do you teach your students to write longer, more interesting sentences? Sentence Go Round is a fun cooperative learning strategy where kids work with a group to revise and expand basic sentences. Banish run-on sentences and fragments forever!
It was great shopping on TpT yesterday during the teacher appreciation sale! I bought a lot of cute stuff! Can't wait to try things out. Us teachers are just SO CREATIVE!! At the same time, I feel a little unsteady lately with all that is going on - there is just so much I want to accomplish and there never seems to be enough time:) Ah well - teach on!!! My muffins have been SO lovely lately! We have been learning about writing with voice so I played this game with my kiddos. We all had to close our eyes and I would tap one student on their shoulder. That student would say an "I loathe.." sentence or an "I adore.." sentence. Then, the class would guess who said the statement. After awhile of doing this my sweeties suggested disguising their voice!! Yup - it worked well!!! We all had some good laughs as we played and discussed what made it easy to figure out who said what!! Our individualities shone and so we thought we could transfer this to our writing. My kiddos were pumped to write their own I adore.., I loathe.. statements. Suddenly, the writing activity evolved into a cute craftivity with each students picture hidden. One sweet pea suggested we walk around and try to figure out who wrote what. They were so excited and careful to hide what they had wrote so as no to ruin the game. Here we are walking around the room! They loved it!! If you want it you can have in my Say It With Voice packet! Click on the picture below!
Steal these for your writing unit!
Do you need help teaching your child how to write a personal narrative essay? Here is a short video that explains an easy way to organize an...
