Classroom noise levels can make or break a great lesson! I've got three reasons you're struggling to get your class to be quiet, and how you can fix them!
This spring is presenting new challenges for teachers all across the country. Some of us are getting ready to go back to the classroom for the first time this year. Some of us have been in person all year, but we are about to get new virtual kids. Some of you have been in the ... Read More about Classroom Management and Expectations
A positive classroom culture will impact both the way student's feel about school and how they learn - 4 ideas for creating positive classroom culture.
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
How to teach ELL students to read challenging, on-grade level texts through Visible Reading, a differentiated, process-driven reading strategy.
Find out how to come out to your parents as LGBTQ+ and learn what you need to know to make the whole conversation as smooth as possible.
Blog Description Here
Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your
Updated July 12, 2023! - New Formatting, Color Coding & Automation & Templates! Welcome to the Digital Small Group Tracker! Check out the VIDEO CLIP to this resource! VIDEO 1 So many of you LOVED the small group trackers I made that I wanted to make this a more permanent file. This product is a DIGITAL Small Group Tracker that can be used for ALL your small group conferencing needs! I love using digital products, so I designed my original paper trackers now as digital resources. Not only is it digital, but it can be used for ANY class and ANY grade! It also supports up to 10 units and 20 lessons per unit. So you don’t have to make copies every time you run out. If you need more than 10 units, simply make a copy of the cells or tab! I am a digital expert and I make it my priority to make teaching easy. Get rid of all the paper and go paperless! This tracker can be re-used EVERY YEAR and you NEVER need to print a document again to stay organized. Just pull up this Google Excel Sheet and you are good to go! If you’d like to add anything else to it to fit your needs, it is EDITABLE! Please note, this tracker must be used in Google Drive through the Google Sheets Application. If you try to download the file and use Microsoft Excel, the formatted cells will lose most of its functions and will not be displayed correctly. How to Use: All of the directions for how to use this tracker are in the spreadsheet on the first tab. When you download this file, you will notice 10 tabs plus instructions. The first one is a page full of directions. Read them carefully as this is a large file and a lack of excel knowledge can lead to confusion about how to use the product. Why You Will Love It: This tracker has taken some time to create! I am a Special Education and Math teacher and I got tired of all the paper! So almost everything I create now is digital. The best part of the tool is the ease of moving between tabs, everything being in one place, none of your files will EVER get lost since it’s all online! You get free updates to this file! I hope you enjoy this resources as much as I do! Who Could Benefit From This Product All Grade Levels All Subject Areas Stay UPDATED! Go to my TpT store and at the top of the page, click "My Purchases ". In your purchase history, you should see this Digital Small Group Tracker. You can download it from there. Check this page often as well because this is also where you would go to check for updates. Every time I have updated the file, you will receive a notification next to the Small Group Digital Tracker that indicates an update: like "Newly Revised Re-download". If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me! Check out some of my other digital trackers options for quick grading. If you want to see paper versions of this file, check that out for here for Math and EL. Let’s connect! Find me on Instagram to watch me teach and see how I put my resources into action! TERMS OF USE: If purchased, you are agreeing that the contents are property of All Things Teach Rm 321 and licensed to you only for classroom/personal use as a single user. I retain the copyright, and reserve all rights to this product. his item is also bound by copyright laws. Redistributing, editing, selling, or posting this item (or any part thereof) on the Internet are all strictly prohibited without first gaining permission from the author. Violations are subject to the penalties of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. I worked extremely hard on this product and as of now, it is the ONLY Digital Small Group Tracker of this kind on the site. I do not tolerate copying or derivatives of any kind, to be resold. Enjoy! ~All Things Teach Rm 321
How can you support your gifted and talented students to thrive in your classroom? Provide them with daily challenge!
Do you teach learner(s) who need extra support with spelling? Then, you’ll LOVE our updated spelling folder. This spelling folder, made with two folders put together, changed everything for my second grader. *Find spelling folders for US readers, Canadian readers, UK, and Australian readers at the very end of this post. Already a subscriber? If ... Read More about Spelling Folder with FREE Printables
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
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
Using sentence frames to get ell students writing. Click here for more:
Opinion / persuasive writing lessons, printable writing paper, posters, graphic organizers for planning, writing rubrics, and more - for Kindergarten! This 4-week unit will help you teach your students to write opinion and persuasive pieces!The lessons teach students how to state an opinion and support their opinion by giving at least two reasons. They practice their opinion writing skills by writing about texts they read or listen to, and by creating their own “All About Me” books. Then, students write persuasive letters to inspire change in their school or home. This unit is designed to be taught during the second half of kindergarten but can be taught in the first half if you have very strong readers and writers in your class.Here’s what the unit includes:- 17 clear, detailed minilessons (that tell you what to say and do)- Tips for structuring the writer's workshop- Printable writing paper and letter-writing template- Common Core alignment- Rubrics and checklists- Printable posters and alphabet chart- Graphic organizersCommon Core alignment is included, but many classrooms that do not follow the Common Core Standards still use this unit.This unit is part of a yearlong curriculum (7 units total). CLICK HERE to view the complete curriculum. Please contact Alison at [email protected] if you have any questions about the materials!
Supporting kids with special needs works best when both regular education and special education staff work together. That's why it is helpful for all teachers to understand how they can modify and accommodate for students in their classrooms. For newer teachers, learning that you need to modify work
Plan the new school year with these goal setting worksheets for kids. Use this goal planning printable to help kids plan and take action on their goals.
Repeated practice matters for students with dyslexia, but how much repetition is really needed in your Orton-Gillingham lesson?
When a child has extreme behaviors, a lot of time, energy, and staff support goes towards intervening in crises, identifying needs, evaluating precipitating factors, considering the functions of the behaviors, and securing needed support for " that student." But what about the rest of t
Motor planning is a part of everything we do. Read about the definition of motor planning, and fun activities to support development.
This is a set of 4 different character activities/organizers that I have created and use with my class: Character Trading Cards, Character Trait Evidence Activity, Character Map, and Character Questioning Dice w/optional recording sheet. These activities can be used with any story to help students understand the concepts of character and require students to use evidence from the text to support their thinking. I have used all of these activities in my classroom and my students find them highly motivating. *Character Trading Cards *Character Trait Evidence Activity *Character Map *Character Questioning Dice w/optional recording sheet. Note: A personal favorite of my class are the character trading cards. Each student has created one for each story that we read in class. My students have asked to make them for their independent reading book characters too. I leave a folder of blank character trading cards for students to work on when they finish their assignments. Great for fast finishers!
By The Daring English Teacher When teaching a novel, I love to mix things up and throw in a fun, creative, or collaborative activity that engages students as they analyze and interpret the novel’s theme, characters, symbols, or conflict. This allows me to enhance my students’ understanding of the novel, and it gives them a break from the day-to-day routine of reading and reviewing that often accompanies novel studies. Providing students with fun and engaging, yet still rigorous, activities enhances their understanding and fosters a love of reading. Here are three fun activities that you can easily incorporate into any novel study. This is one of my favorite, go-to collaborative activities. Collaborative posters are a great way to review key concepts, analyze symbols and motifs, and brainstorm for essays, and they require little planning. Before class starts, write one character, symbol, setting, motif, or element from the novel in pencil in the corner of each paper. When class begins, have students form groups of 2-4 students, and provide each group with one of the pieces of paper. Then, instruct your students to record the item, information, and quotes from the book on the poster. For this assignment, you can focus on the author’s use of symbols within the novel. You will select a variety of symbols in the novel and assign the symbols to different groups. It is okay if multiple groups are assigned the same symbol. Instruct each group to title their poster with the symbol, write as many details about the symbol as they can think about (this includes what it stands for), and record up to two different quotes illustrating how the author uses the symbol in the novel. I recently did this activity with my Romeo and Juliet unit, and it was a hit. The students were prepared for their essays, and they developed a deeper understanding for the play. Once students are done with the posters, display them throughout the classroom and have the students complete a gallery walk recording the information. This activity is great because it requires students to analyze their assigned topic, while at the same time reinforcing the importance of collaborative work. Even better, this activity gets students up and moving! As an alternative to making posters, this assignment also works very well with post-it notes. Simply provide your student groups with multiple post-it notes, and have the groups write information on the post-its. Then, have students post the notes on the board for the gallery walk. This option is especially beneficial when you want to have a gallery walk, but do not have the time for making posters in the classroom. You can also read about collaborative brainstorming ideas in this blog post. A fun and creative character analysis project you can complete in your classroom is a mock job fair in your classroom. To prepare for this activity, students either select or are assigned a character from the novel. They assume the role of this character and create a resume for this character listing strengths, accomplishments, and skills. To prepare for this activity, I usually teach students about resume writing, provide them with a list of power verbs, and give them a resume template. After students create their resumes, I host a mock job fair in my classroom for one day. During the mock job fair students are assigned to one of two groups, and the groups rotate between interviewer and interviewee. The students assigned to the interview role are given a set of interview questions to ask their candidate. As the candidate responds, the interviewer records the responses. After the interview is over, the students switch roles. This is one of my favorite activities for my Of Mice and Men unit because the students get to explore the characters on a deeper level. Once the activity is over, students write a brief argument piece about whether they would hire that character for the job. After I read an essential chapter with my students, I like to take a day or two to reflect on the reading, analyze what happened, and make sure that my students understand the importance of what they just read, and a creative comic strip assignment is ideal for this. One of the best times to assign this activity is right after a major conflict or at the peak of the story so that students can really analyze the novel's conflict. I like doing this activity with my students when we read Fahrenheit 451 because it helps them understand the conflict more. When assigning a comic strip assignment, make sure students focus on more than just drawing pictures by requiring them to include quotes from the novel as their dialogue. In addition to quotes, students should also write narration, cite their quotes in MLA format, and dedicate an entire box to the novel’s conflict. You can download this FREE, EXCLUSIVE resource to use in your classroom with your next novel study! For more fun, yet rigorous, activities that you can use with any novel study, check out my Novel Unit. This resource is 99 pages and is filled so many activities that you can use them throughout the year for multiple novel studies. From introductory activities to use before reading, to differentiated writing prompts with built-in scaffolding to use as you read, to post-reading cumulative assignments, and everything in between, this novel unit is my go-to resource when I'm in a pinch and need an activity. Click HERE to check out this resource. Here are some additional resources to help you teach the novel! The SuperHERO Teacher - Workbook for Any Novel Unit Study Grades 7-12 Addie Williams - Novel Study Package - Use with ANY NOVEL Presto Plans - Assignments for Any Novel or Short Story Secondary Sara - Chapter Study Guides: Student-Made Activity for ANY Novel
Imagination Workout Printable Click the link above to download Attalie’s Imagination Workout free printable art worksheet.
Are you looking for a solid classroom management plan to keep your class’ volume level in check? Is your chatty class driving you bonkers? Are you searching for a way to minimize the noise and maximize productivity? Look no further, I’ve got you covered!
So you’ve taught your students to write sentences. Now what? In the beginning of my career, we worked HARD on writing sentences. When it came time to take the next step into writing paragraphs, I found this was even harder for my students. We were able to write 2-3 sentences about a topic or picture, ... Read More about How to Scaffold Paragraph Writing for Special Education
There are so many benefits to cooking in the classroom, especially for students with special needs! What better time is there to try some fun cooking projects with your class, than at the end of the school year? But wait...cooking in the classroom can require a lot of prep, and where do you get your
In upper grade classrooms, students spend a great deal of time responding to the texts they read. Over the years I have found that no matter what grade level I teach, students have a difficult time writing thorough and meaningful reading responses. At the start of every year my students need quite a bit of guidance when writing their responses. One of the best ways that I have found to teach students to write meaningful responses is by providing them with sentence frames. I like to encourage students to follow three simple steps when writing reading responses, each with sentence frames and prompts to use: Step 1: What did you read? While reading... In chapter __ of... On page __ of... During today's reading of... Step 2: What happened in the text? Tell what a character said. Tell what a character did. Tell what a character thought, felt, or learned. Describe the setting. Describe an important event that occurred. Explain a problem that was encountered. Step 3: What did you think? This made me think... This made me realize... Based on this, I can infer... Based on this, I can predict... This reminded me of... I can relate to this because... I could visualize... I now understand... This three-step process encourages students to not only tell what happened in a text, but also reflect on what they thought or felt about what they read. Here is a sample response using these steps: I have included a FREE handout for you to share with your students to help guide them in writing thorough and meaningful reading responses. Click HERE download this FREEBIE. If you are looking for more resources for reading response, check out my Reading Response Journals for literature and non-fiction texts. These resources include anchor charts for different reading strategies and skills, as well as more specific sentence frames for the different skills. Click on the pics to learn more. Writing thoughtful reading responses is not always easy, but with a bit of guidance from using sentence frames and prompts, it will soon become second nature for students!!
Para classroom jobs and expectations to manage and work with your classroom support staff, while building positive rapport. Learn More at Mrs. D's Corner.
Learners will practice identifying the author's purpose in eight sample paragraphs, using text evidence to support their choice.
Teaching students to sequence and summarize stories is crucial to their reading comprehension of fiction texts. These reading crafts are fresh, hands on and unique fiction activities for supporting students in breaking down sequencing and summarizing key events. It is an alternative to reading response that will help you to reach all learners in your classroom. These summarizing and sequencing activities require little to no prep, and the only materials needed are scissors and glue (word rings needed for the "key" events ring craft). WHAT’S INCLUDED: 8 Sequencing and Summarizing Crafts: Sequencing Movie Reel: Students illustrate and describe 5 key events in the story in the order that they happened. A large (full page) and small (2/page) movie reel options are included, as well as options for illustrations and descriptions or illustrations only. Film Strip Lift the Flap: This craft is similar to the craft above, but is a one page only option. Timeline Lift the Flap: Students record events from the story in a book shaped timeline. They illustrate the important events on the front of the flap and describe it on the back page. Summarizing Bookworm: Students can record as many key events as they want on this bookworm craft. Each event is a segment they add to build their bookworm. Lift the Flap Storyboard: Students create a storyboard of 6 or 12 scenes from the story, and describe each scene under their drawings. 5 Finger Retell Book: Students fill in the palm of each hand to create a retell book. Options are included for students to fill in "First, Next, Then, After that, Finally" or "Characters, Setting, Beginning, Middle, End." "Key" Events Key Ring: Students write events on each key. Keys number 1-9 are included, as well as a blank option with no number. Somebody...Wanted...But...So...Then Lift the Flap: Students fill in the flaps to create a S.W.B.S.T. summary.
Do you teach a wiggle worm? Or perhaps your learner(s) have been sitting for a while and you can see the energy level going down. Enter wiggle brain breaks! These wiggle brain breaks can help wake up and recharge the brain, something I particularly need after lunch! *This post contains affiliate links. **The free printable can ... Read More about 20+ FREE Wiggle Brain Breaks
As an ESL teacher, I often hear from classroom teachers that they don't always know where to start when it comes to working with beginning English language learners (ELLs), or newcomers, in small group instruction. In this post I'll share a typical "guided reading" lesson that I would give to my beginning ELLs, as well as a glance of at what a typical week would look like. Let me start by saying, the very first thing I do before I start instructing my newcomers is, I assess what they already know. First, I see if they have literacy skills in their native language...can they read and write? Then, I see if they know alphabet letter names and sounds. Next, I assess their reading level. Since they don't have English literacy skills yet, their reading level typically starts at level "A" (emergent). I can say that most students do have some literacy skills in their home language, and often times, many know some letter names and sounds. So now I've got my starting point! When I first begin working with my newcomers, the main components of reading that I typically focus on are building vocabulary, phonological awareness/phonics and sight words. So a typical week would encompass all three of these skills. Down the road I add comprehension skills, but they are not ready for that yet. Step 1 - Choose an appropriate book. I carefully select books that have relevant vocabulary. For the most part, my main focus is to build their vocabulary. The literacy skills in their native language will transfer to their new language, however, they have an extremely limited vocabulary, so... vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary! I chose this book because I wanted to teach my students the word "big." It's also about animals, and I know that most kids are interested in reading about animals! I used gestures to SHOW them what "big" means. It's important to be mindful of your students' age when picking out books. You don't want to give 4th-6th graders books about bunnies or teddy bears. Try picking age appropriate books; which I know can be a challenge if the selection is limited, but you don't want your students feeling embarrassed. Step 2 - Preview the book. Point to and say each animal's name and have the students repeat the names back to you, keeping in mind to speak clearly and to enunciate the sounds in each word. It's important for them to hear how to pronounce the names. A side thought...Think about "A" level books... they are not created with English language learners in mind. "A" level books have repeated sentences, which are GREAT, but they also have very specific vocabulary that students are expected to decode using picture cues. In the book my students read last week, the repeated sentence was, "We go to the _____." The pictures show the family in different locations like the pool, park, library, soccer game, etc. In one picture the family is standing in front of a large fish tank. If I asked English only students where the family is, some might say a fish store or they might even guess aquarium, depending on their background knowledge. Then they'd cross check their thinking with the word and see that it begins with the letter "a" and hopefully they'd say, "It's an aquarium!" But our newcomers don't know what a big fish tank place is called in English, so it's important for us to support our students by saying the names of each vocabulary word. Step 3 - Choral reading! Newcomers feel more comfortable in a choral reading setting. They need help pronouncing the words. They need to hear YOU pronounce the words. Choral reading helps to keep anxiety levels low. (In a few weeks, the choral reading decreases and I will start focusing on decoding.) Step 4 - After reading, review the animal names. Point to an animal and see if they can remember the name. Perhaps make a matching activity with animal pictures and names. Support as needed. Encourage a LOT! Step 5 - I always provide a guided writing activity based off of the book we just read. I use sentence frames to support their thinking and writing. Sometimes I create my own, like the picture below, and other times I'll use a graphic organizer as a follow up activity. On this day I wanted them to understand the meaning of "big," so their writing supported this goal. As they finish their writing activity, I'll ask each student to read some of their writing to me. Then they'll draw a quick picture, which I always ask them to label. I know that my newcomers don't understand every word in the book, and that's OK! They are being exposed to new words and ideas in a repeating format. I want them to get used to the structure of our lessons so that they know what's expected. So, here is what a typical week of small group work entails for my newcomers. Knowing what the focus is each day helps me to zone in on their learning goals. The variety keeps it fun and interesting, yet it's consistent so they know what's expected. As you can see, on Tuesdays I include direct vocabulary instruction, either using the vocabulary from the book, like the animals, monthly themed vocabulary, or content area vocabulary. October Themed Vocabulary (along with sight words and phonics review) One vocabulary activity I have my students do is called the K.I.M. Strategy. In their notebook they write the key word (K), important information (I), sketch a memory clue (M) and write a sentence (S). For my newcomers, I leave out the (I) portion. They are not ready for adding "information." Right now the goal is for them to learn the names of things and simple sentence structure. My higher ELLS definitely include all components of the K.I.M. Strategy in their notebooks. This is what the K.I.M. Strategy looks like. And this is how it looks modified for my newcomers... On Thursdays, I focus on building sight words. When teaching sight words, it's important to teach them in context. Your beginning ELs need context in order to make meaning of the words. I pull a sight word from our books and I include an extension activity with that word. (A link to this resource is provided at the bottom of this post.) I do teach sight words throughout the week, but on Thursdays we always have an extension activity for one of them. As an "exit ticket" I have them orally use the sight word. Today, I asked each student, "What can you do?" And they responded with "I can _____." Then they get a high five, a sticker (big kids like stickers too!), or some encouraging praise. I also include Word Study activities in my small group work. I like using the sorts from Words Their Way. Each Monday they receive a new spelling pattern. Remember, I assessed my students to see what they already knew. Most already knew initial sounds, so I started them with word families. If they did not know initial sounds, I would've started there. I do have one student in this group who does not know many initials sounds, so I spend a little extra focus with him on initial sounds. This resource is from "Words Their Way." My newcomers use this activity to learn spelling patterns AND vocabulary. They are introduced to their new word list on Mondays, then they have independent activities to do with their word list throughout the week in their gen ed classrooms. (It's so important to set newcomers up with meaningful activities that they can work on independently during Reader's Workshop.) Below is their Word Study Activities list. It gets glued into their Reading Notebook. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays they work on their independent activities. Friday is Word Study Quiz day! FREEBIE - Click Here And that's what small group instruction looks like with my newcomers. To recap, assess what students can do to evaluate your starting point. Focus on building vocabulary, sight words in context, word spelling patterns and choral reading to start. My guided reading lessons usually looks like... preview the book, front load main vocabulary, choral read, and end with a guided writing activity with sentence frames. Here's a TIP: Many times I make my own guided writing activity based on what I want the students to learn from the book. I'll write the activity in my notebook, make copies, cut them to size, then have students glue it into their notebook. Keep this notebook! You may get a newcomer next year, and when you do, many of your guided writing activities will already be made. You'll just need to find the book that goes with the activity. My notebook where I write out the guided writing activities. I know that many school districts lack ESL resources and often times the classroom teacher is the only one providing instruction. Knowing where to start with beginning English learners is probably the biggest challenge. I hope that this post gives you some ideas about where to start and what to focus on with your new students. To read more about the K.I.M. Strategy, click here. Affiliate links below for Sight Words and Word Study.
I am always looking for ways to streamline data collection. In the past, I was only tracking the behavior of students if it was related to an IEP goal, or if we were beginning to notice a spike in behavior. And while this worked, it isn't always enough. This year I found a way to track all of my students' behavior in less than one minute a day... AND I don't even need to pick up a pen! To make this happen, I use two things: Google Forms (check below for the FREEBIE!) and an Amazon Fire tablet. While you don't need the tablet to use Google Forms, it does make it more convenient for staff to document behavior without having to access the computer. Google Forms is free and easy to use. It is basically a survey that gathers and analyzes any type of information. I will be honest, I have always been a bit resistant to using a tablet for data collection for a couple of reasons. 1. I give all of my tech to my students. 2. TECH IS EXPENSIVE! (or so I thought...) The Amazon Fire tablet is actually pretty inexpensive. You can typically find them for less than $50, which is a killer deal. Now that I have the tablet I find that I use it for far more than just data collection, but that's a topic for another post! Now that you know what I use, here is how you can make it for yourself! First, download a copy of the Google Forms Digital Classroom Behavior Log. Open the file and click on the link. You will be prompted to save a copy of the Google Forms template. Next, type all of your students' names in the left column. You can also change titles for each behavior rating to meet the needs of your classroom. And... that's it! Your form is all set up! Pretty easy, right!?! Now it is time to give it a test run and view your responses. Don't worry, you can delete your responses later. Click on the preview icon in the upper right corner. This will bring you to the actual form that you will fill out to track behavior. Select one of the behavior options for each student and add a note at the bottom to detail any incidents that happened during the day. Then hit the submit button to record your information. Click "submit another response" to head back to the form. Are you ready to take a look at your responses? Click on the orange pencil in the upper right corner to get into editing mode. Next, click on the responses tab. This will give you a your data in a bar graph. Hover over each bar to get more detailed information. You can also download the responses in a Google Sheets file. This is a great option if you need to find information from a specific date or time period. Now that you have had a chance to play around with the form, you may want to delete the information that you submitted so that you can start fresh with your students. Just click on the 3 dots in the upper right corner and select "delete all responses." This Google Form is easy to access from anywhere with an internet connection. All you need to do is access the URL. This can be done by creating a bookmark, or saving the link to your desktop. Would you like to see a video of these steps in action? Click on the video below and I will walk you through of the entire process. Are you ready to give it a try? I would love to hear how it goes for you! (This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I only link to products that I personally use and find beneficial. Please click HERE for more information.)
When I left the Vegas conference I was filled with excitement and a driving force behind how I can begin to find my new voice for thi...
