It's week three! Week three involves the next step of the writing process, the story elements, and hopefully your little learners are getting closer to writing a story! Continue With Mentor Texts I mentioned mentor texts in my last post about prewriting planning. I continue using mentor texts at this point in the writing process.

Creative ideas to get kids excited about reading deeper.

Download this FREE printable writing paper for kids - complete with 20 different style sheets, including dashed line for little kids and and regular line for older kids. Great for creative writing, handwriting practice, or writing stories and letters.

Help students plan and pre-write a narrative short story by following this blog post. Includes free graphic organizers and step-by-step directions.

What do you do when you learn that your child has dyslexia? Should you hide this diagnosis to protect them from labels and misunderstandings, or should you tell them? If you do decide to tell them, how do you do this? Can you help them to overcome any potential fears or misunderstandings? These are the questions that I will answer in this blog that includes kid-friendly graphics. What are the Benefits of Telling Your Child That He or She Has Dyslexia? Educating your child with dyslexia about the common signs and misconceptions can help them to: understand that they learn in a different way than other kids that don’t have dyslexia. shed negative labels such as stupid, careless, unmotivated and lazy. correct any misunderstandings. identify with other successful people that have or had dyslexia. acquire the needed intervention and instruction in school. learn that many people with dyslexia have strengths that others do not have. Individuals with dyslexia are often: great at communicating their ideas aloud. creative, critical thinkers. good at seeing the big picture. excellent at solving puzzles and building things. If you want to learn more about dyslexia consider reading: The Dyslexic Advantage Overcoming dyslexia Help your Child Understand Dyslexia by Reviewing the Eleven Common Signs Show your child the image below and read the list out loud. Ask them to identify which symptoms describe their difficulties. You have or had trouble with letter reversals (b and d) and words reversals (was and saw). You have or had troubles with reading aloud. You have or had trouble with words problems in math. You have or had trouble understanding jokes, punchlines, sarcasm and inferences. You have or had trouble following a series of written or aural directions. You have or had trouble mispronouncing words. You have or had trouble rhyming words. You have or had trouble telling directions. You have or had trouble recalling names or words. You have or had trouble with spelling You have or had trouble learning how to read. What are Four Myths and Truths about Dyslexia? Show your child the graphic below and read the list of myths and truths out loud. Ask them to respond to each of the myths - "Have you ever felt this way?" Then read the truth and address any questions. Myth #1: People with dyslexia are not smart. Truth #1: Many dyslexic individuals are extremely bright and creative. In fact, many kids with dyslexia are gifted. Watch a video on famous people with dyslexia: Click Here Myth #2: People with dyslexia cannot learn to read or write. Truth #2: With the right intervention and instruction people with dyslexia can become excellent readers and writers. Myth #3: People with dyslexia see things backwards. Truth #3: Dyslexia is not a vision problem. It has to do with how the brain make sense of what is seen. Myth #4: People with dyslexia are lazy and should try harder. Truth #4: Kids with dyslexia learn differently. When they are asked to learn in a way that does not work well for them, it can take more time. Finding Multisensory Remedial Tools for Kids with Dyslexia: If you are looking for fun, creative and multisensory remedial materials, lessons and games created for learners with dyslexia, CLICK HERE. If you would like a free copy of these images CLICK HERE. Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning and Dyslexia Materials. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses. · Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/ · YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 · Podcast: https://godyslexia.com/ · Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/ & www.dyslexiamaterials.com · Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/ · Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/69400

Little storytellers, take a trip to the beach with this fill-in-the-blanks story! Your young writer will practice her parts of speech to finish the story.

Explore the engaging world of Alphabet Story Stones and alphabet books. These innovative resources foster creativity, enhance literacy, and make learning a fun journey for your child.

When it time for kids to do some story writing, often it’s difficult for them to start because either they don’t know exactly how to organize their story or they don’t know what to write about. This FREE Story Writing Pack helps with both problems! *This free printable pack can be found towards the END of ... Read More about Story Writing Ideas for Kids {FREE Pack}

Kids will LOVE these FREE Paleontologist Printables to practice math and literacy with a fossil, dinosaur, and paleontolist theme.

Orange Shirt Day is held on September 30 to honour the children of Residential Schools. We've collected activities to use in your classroom.

Check out Narrative Writing Prompts & Worksheets for kindergarten-4th grade! There is a variety of prompts & worksheets to use in your room!

Many wonderful free eBooks for kids are available to read Online. Stories span age ranges from preschool, young children, teens, and cover many topics!

My Story Sandwich is a fun literacy activity perfect for your next book report! Students complete the sandwich pieces by adding the components to their story including the title, author, characters, setting, problem, plot, author's message (for that extra crunch!), and resolution. Students can inc...

Check out this downloadable and colorful activity book for younger children going through the divorce of their parents.

200+ free printable writing prompts for year round creative writing ideas for kids.

Use these free Writing Folders and freebies to give your writers support during their independent writing time. Find all our FREE Writing Printables HERE. If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you can download all the printables that go with it for FREE! Not a subscriber? Simply subscribe HERE! NOTE: If you are already a ... Read More about Writing Folders – for K-5 Learners

Second Grade Blog

Pinay Homeschooler is a blog that shares homeschool and afterschool activity of kids from babies to elementary level.

So weve got a bunch of kids, right? They all love different kinds of stories - some are all about adventures, while some cant get enough of those fairy tales.

50+ storytelling ideas for kids. You'll find story starters, activities, tips, and more!

Teaching growth mindset can be done with read-alouds! Rosie's Glasses is a great book for this. Get ideas for using this book to teach being positive.

If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.

Inspire your second writers with this list of journal ideas and 2nd grade writing prompts shared by one of our Journal Buddies readers!

Kids love documenting their favorite books with this free printable book journal! It has spaces to tell all about the book and draw too!

Reading Response Activities for Wonder

The Color Monster is the story of a monster who, with the help from a little girl, learns about his emotions through different colors. This book companion is the perfect cross-curricular addition to your classroom for teaching your students about their emotions. What is included? • Visual craft with step-by-step real picture sequencing • Writing activity (to go along with the craft - great for bulletin board displays!) • STEM emotion activity • Visual recipe to make monster cookies • 7 differentiated cut/paste worksheets (errorless included) • Task box emotion clip cards When do you use book companions? Book companions are a great addition to any reading or language arts block. They also serve as a great print-and-go lesson for any substitute binder. PLEASE NOTE * 1. You will need to purchase the book The Color Monster - A Story About Emotions by Anna Llenas to go along with the book companion and craftivity. 2. Part of this book companion is included in the January Mini Lesson Plan Pack. Connect with me: • Newsletter • Blog • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • Don't forget about the green ★ to follow my store to get notifications of new resources and freebies! Thanks for Looking and Happy Teaching!

20 creative ways to use one of our favorite games, Rory's Story Cubes

Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.

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

You're in the middle of your writing block during the day and students are sitting at their desks (maybe on the floor or in bean bags dispersed throughout the room) writing. Smoke is coming out of their pencils. They are writing epic stories about dragons, or spaceships -- or something equally as epic. This is your classroom every day, right? (Not) "I don't know what to write about!" (now that's more like it!) At least that's what *I* used to hear a lot. Well, no more. Give even those most reluctant writers something to talk about with "Roll and Write." You can make anything work if you turn it into a game, right? Here's how it works. You give each student a copy of the page below to place in their writer's folders. When they are stuck on what to write about, they simply roll a die three times. The first roll indicates the setting of their story (so if I roll a 3, my setting is a party on Friday night). The second roll gives them a character, and the third roll gives them a plot. The stories can turn out pretty hilarious. It encourages creativity and originality. No three rolls are the same. This freebie even includes a blank 'Roll and Write' sheet for you to swap out new combos every so often. Even that student that hates writing can get on board with a story about a frazzled teacher at the beach last summer that breaks her ankle. Oh shoot - did I just jinx you? I wish you no harm, a teacher needs her summer! :) Grab your freebie here! I'd love to hear about the stories your students come up with! Pin this post for later:

Students can use this graphic organizer to map out their ideas for a story (short or long). This is made based on the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where and why). ...