It's been a while since I've posted a project - it always seems to be that I'll have a couple of weeks where we are "in process", then sudd...

Parts of speech and grammar worksheets don't have to be boring! Here are a few ways to make grammar instruction engaging and effective.

These are my favorite, and most effective, ways of teaching writing to elementary students. You may decide that teaching writing is

In a perfect world, general ed and special ed teachers would have all of the time in the world to collaborate together. These 5 tips make it happen.

General education teachers know their students, but IEP Input can be tricky. Our Teacher IEP Input Forms and Questionnaires provide structure and support, so they can provide the most useful information for a strengths-based Present Level of Performance. These surveys are specifically structured to help you use teacher input to quickly identify strengths, goals, and accommodations across all of the areas in an IEP! Whether it’s for a student with only consult services, or one you know incredibly well, these forms will help you gather and organize the information you need to create a comprehensive IEP. How to Use: As a Special Education Coordinator, I often wrote IEPs for students I rarely observed in General Education. I used these forms to get their input without having to schedule a meeting. 1. Select the pages that are appropriate for the student’s IEP. You can share all of the pages, or you can share just a few relevant inventories. Your options include: Academic Inventory Social/Emotional Inventory Behavior Inventory Independent Functioning Inventory Communication Inventory Student Information (strengths, interests, preferences, grades, etc.) 2. Complete these forms yourself or share then digitally or in print with the teachers who serve your student. Make sure to give them ample time to complete the forms, as there is a lot of needed information. 3. Collect the complete forms from teachers and identify the student's strengths and needs to write rich descriptions of the students’ current performance. You will notice that all questions are stated positively, so you can quickly glance for check boxes marked “no” to identify possible areas for support. Use the list of skills marked "no" to identify possible goals and accommodations needed. Teachers are also asked to prioritize any concerns, helping you quickly include how the student is impacted by their disability. This can help you identify if any additional data is needed to determine appropriate accommodations, goals, and/or services. How will using these forms make writing IEPs faster and easier? Jump right into the information. Don’t waste time asking yourself “where do I start with this student?” Move through the inventories to outline the strengths and weaknesses in each domain quickly. Make sure you’re covering all of the domains. Using an organized inventory will means you don’t have to stress about leaving anything out. Ensure you include several positives and strengths about the student. IEPs have to address the needs of the student, which can make it easy to get bogged down in what the student can’t do. These inventories are designed to also help you quickly identify strengths, so you can include all the things your students excel at in their IEPs. What You Get: 6 Pages of Specific Skills Inventory Student General Information (Strengths, Interests, Preferences, Grades, etc.) Social and Emotional Skills Inventory Independent Functioning Skills Inventory Communication Skills Inventory Academic Skills Inventory Behavior Inventory Every form comes in a fillable PDF as well as a printable form for teachers who prefer to hand write their IEP input. Writing and IEP? Check out my IEP Parent Input Questionnaires and Student IEP Input Forms!

A compilation of ten things every middle school, high school and transition sped teacher wishes you knew about them and their students!

Schools develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to ensure that students with special needs receive appropriate educational services. The IEP document

Teaching theme is not an easy task! Not only do students need to have a strong comprehension of the story's elements (like plot, setting, and characters), but they also have to be able to make inferences to find the author's message, since most themes are not overtly stated by the author. So, what are some of my favorite activities for helping kids understand theme? I'll list a number of them here. 1. Make an Anchor Chart Anchor charts are a great way to make learning visual and to have a record that kids can refer to when they need a bit of extra support. Theme may be defined in a number of ways. To me, the theme is the author's message or what he/she wants the reader to take away/learn from the story. It is a BIG idea, with a real-world or universal concern and can be applied to anyone. Besides talking about what a theme is, you'll also want to go over what it isn't. For example, some kids confuse the main idea of the story with its theme. To help students understand the difference, it's helpful to use stories that everyone in the class knows, like previous read alouds or classic stories like The Three Little Pigs. You can take each story and discuss the main idea (what the story was mostly about - specific to the story) vs. the theme (the lesson the author wants the reader to know - not specific to the story), to contrast the two ideas. The second area of confusion for some kids is that the theme is not specific to the characters in the story. In the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, for example. The theme would not be that...A little mouse named Chrysanthemum learned to accept the uniqueness of her name. The theme would be larger than the book and would be something like...It's important to accept oneself. Also, you'll want to explain to your students that often times, a book has multiple themes and there are several answers which work equally well to describe a book's theme. Since theme is very subjective, I tell students that I will accept any answer, as long as they have the text evidence to prove it. For example, in the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, one might argue that the theme is about friendship, another might say family, or even courage, or kindness. Any one of these themes would be right, and counted as such, since they each fit the story and could be supported by text evidence. 2. Use Pixar Shorts to Practice Theme Besides the sheer enjoyment which comes from watching these mini-films, your students can learn a lot about reading concepts from these. They're great for ELL students or for struggling readers, and for all readers really since the text complexity piece is removed. You can find these clips on YouTube, but you'll want to make sure to preview them first, so you're more familiar with the plot and are able to focus on theme questions. Here are some of my favorite Pixar Shorts for teaching theme: Piper Partly Cloudy Lava Boundin' 3. Use Mentor Texts Mentor texts are one of my go-to teaching tools as picture books are able to portray examples of just about any reading concept you need to teach. One thing I like to do when using mentor texts for theme, is to vary the types of questions I ask. Rather than always saying What is the theme?, I might ask... What is the deeper meaning of this story? After reading this book, what do you think matters to this author? Which idea from the story do you think might stay with you? What did the author want people to learn from this story?... Once kids answer, you might say, Ah...so that's the theme! Some of my current mentor text favorites for theme include the following: Ish by Peter H. Reynolds I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe Journey by Aaron Becker (a wordless book) Beautiful Oops by Barry Saltzberg The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed If you're looking for more titles, I have a FREE Mentor Text List for Literature which includes a page on theme which you can download from my TpT store. 4. Use Posters with Themes to Chart Book Themes I like to choose 8 - 10 common themes and place posters of them in the classroom. These are included in my Theme unit but you could easily make them yourself if you'd like. After we finish a class novel, a read aloud, or a mentor text as part of a mini-lesson, I like to have the kids discuss the theme of the book. Once we decide on the theme, I place a miniaturized copy of the book's cover (about 3 x 3 inches or so) under the correct theme poster. You can also make the posters more interactive by allowing kids to write titles of books they have recently read on sticky notes, under the posters as well. 5. Use Songs to Practice Finding the Theme I love to add music to the classroom whenever possible. Not only does it add instant motivation for some kids, but it is also just good for them in so many ways. There are lots of songs you can use to teach theme, from current pop songs to oldies, rap songs, and country songs. While all of these work well, I especially enjoy using Disney songs. Disney songs are easily recognized for some kids, have catchy, fun tunes, and have lyrics that need no censoring (yay!). You can easily find the lyrics online to project on a smartboard or document projector, and the song clips may be found on YouTube, Here are some of my favorite Disney songs which work well for theme: Hakuna Matata from Lion King Just Keep Swimming from Finding Dory Reflection from Mulan Let it Go from Frozen Something There from Beauty and the Beast A Whole New World from Aladdin 6. Introduce Short Texts Using Task Cards Using task cards for theme gives your students a great deal of practice in a short period of time, which makes them a perfect way to begin to practice finding the theme using text. I love the fact that students can read multiple task card stories and practice finding the theme 20 - 30 times, in the time it might take to read a story and find the theme once. You can do task cards as a center activity, to play Scoot, or as a whole class scavenger hunt. One thing I like to do for the scavenger hunt is to make sure everyone has a partner and to pair stronger readers with struggling readers. 7. Add Some Writing After students have worked on theme for a week or two, I like to have students create their own short stories which show a strong theme, without directly stating it. This changes each student's role from a theme finder, to a theme creator and gives students insight into how authors create a situation that allows a theme to unfold. When I introduce this project, we refer back to the task cards we just completed, as an example of story length and rich content. In a matter of 2 - 3 paragraphs, students learn that they can include enough information to let our readers know our message. After students are finished creating these short stories, it's fun to share them in some way, to give more theme practice. Sometimes I have students meet in small groups to share out, with group members guessing the theme. Other years, I leave a stack on my desk and grab several if we have a few minutes. Either the students or I read the short story out loud, and the class discusses the theme. 8. Move to Passages, Short Stories, and Novels. Once we have scaffolded a great foundation for the understanding of theme, there comes a point where kids have to move on to text which is more challenging. I like to use page-long passages which I have created, before using short stories, and ultimately novels. If you're looking for some ready made materials to help you teach theme, here's a packet I love to use which works well for 4th and 5th Graders. Click here to read more about the Theme unit. Want some more teaching ideas and activities to teach theme? Click here to read Teaching Themes in Literature. If you like this post, make sure to share it with a teacher friend! Thanks so much for stopping by! For more ideas and strategies focused on upper elementary, be sure to sign up for The Teacher Next Door's free email newsletter! Bonus, you'll also gain access to my FREE Resource Library which contains exclusive upper elementary freebies that you won't find anywhere else! I'd love to connect with you! The Teacher Next Door's Website Pinterest Facebook Instagram TpT Store

As writers, our class is in one of two categories - comma kings and queens or Nate the neglectful. So we, as writers, decided to make a ple...

Student strengths start IEPs in a positive way. Here is a list of student strengths to use on your next IEP.

Special Ed Data using Google Forms - check out these user-friendly tips and tricks for busy special educators to streamline IEP tracking and student progress monitoring!

As Special Education teachers and service providers, we know how huge of a role data plays in our professions. Here's how to go digital and make your life easier!

I have so much to share with you about writing interventions, but first things first: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW BLOG DESIGN?!?!? Please share your thoughts! Every year, I meet lots of middle schoolers who struggle with writing. And every year, I play around with lots of different interventions to meet their needs. Last year, I made establishing sound writing interventions one of my big goals. I spent lots of time (and money!!) on resources that I could use, and by about March, I had something that I thought I was pretty happy with. This year, I'm starting off with those interventions that worked so well last year and I couldn't be happier with the results! In fact, I'm so pleased with how they are working, I feel confident enough to share my practice with my blog readers. I can say that these are definitely KID TESTED, TEACHER APPROVED!! Creating a Time and Space for Intervention within your Classroom I teach by myself. There are no aides, special ed teachers, BSI teachers... just little, ol' me! So, when I want to create and manage small groups, I'm on my own. This is hard. It would be so much easier if there was another adult in the room to help, but there is not, so I just have to deal! It's work, but it absolutely can be done! A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Power of Bell-Ringers. Establishing a quiet and smooth transition into writing class is a great way to get started, but it also provides me with a window of time where I can pull a small group! By mid-October, my bell-ringer time gets extended to 15 minutes. The kids get started immediately and are clear on the expectations during this time. Now the environment for working with small groups is set: the room is quiet and engaged, allowing me to focus my time on the handful of kids in my group. I pull my kids to a table that I have set up in front of our classroom library. I have a "teacher station" at one end where I do my instruction. I usually stream some jazz or piano music during this time so my group doesn't distract the rest of the class. Establishing Interventions In my district, by middle school, there are no longer district-mandated interventions in place. There are no clear resources for teachers to use or personnel to help. So, when we have a struggling reader or writer in 7th or 8th grade, it's the job of the classroom teacher to meet their needs. In my tenure of working with middle schoolers, I've found that there are two types of students who need more support than my writing curriculum provides (and please remember... I am not a researcher/specialist/writer of books/etc. I'm just a teacher, like you, who loves my job, tries to do the best by my kids, and is compulsively reflective about what I see happening... to me, teachers are the best EXPERTS, but I know that we are hesitant these days to trust a "lowly" teacher and rather find ourselves relying on big publishers and educational researchers to show us best practices... I don't have lots of "data" to support what I'm sharing with you... just my actual observations I've made while working with real, live kids in an average classroom setting!!). Type One: Students Who Struggle with Structure The first type of students who need intervention are those who struggle with structure. These are the kids that can't organize their thoughts in a way a reader could follow. They simply write whatever their brain thinks at the time. They can generally stick with a broad topic, but because they are just writing whatever pops into their head at the time, there are lots of places where their writing veers off track and becomes confusing. Here is an example written by a former student struggling with structure: My dog Henry is my most special treasure. He is always there for me whenever I need him in sad times and happy. In many ways, he's my best friend. He has brown fur and a white chest. He is such a good dog to have around when you are sad because he always knows just how to cheer you up. His eyes are brown, like a Hersey bar. His favorite toy is a yellow tennis ball. Once he almost got hit by a car chasing the ball down the street. I have loved him ever since he was a puppy and we first got him. I was only 4-years old when that little ball of fluff was brought home by my parents to be best friends. His soft fur is always so smooth and warm when you pet him while watching TV on a cold night. He is my best friend and that is why he is my special treasure [sic]. This student is clear about his topic - his dog, Henry - but he cannot organize his thoughts. He is thinking about his dog and writes down everything he knows about his buddy exactly as it comes to his mind. Clearly, he has mechanical and conventional skills, and you can see evidence of where he is practicing what we learned in our mini-lessons and from studying our mentor pieces. But, because there is no organization, it is too difficult to follow and all of the skills he has are lost to the untrained, teacher-eye. Kids who write like this need an intervention that focuses on structure and organization. Typically, I LOATHE teaching step-by-step process writing, but in cases like this, I'm left with little choice. The lessons that I put together for kids in need of this intervention consist of learning how to write a well-organized paragraph. Together, we will work on writing topic sentences, creating strong and clear supporting sentences, and finish up with writing a closing that sticks with our reader. My favorite plans for this type of writing come from Michael Friermood. His Fact-Based Opinion Writing products are geared toward teaching elementary students (grades 3-5) how to write a good opinion paragraph, and they are PERFECT for my struggling 7th graders. They also lack a lot of the "cutesy" images that you find with products for this age group, so my big kids don't feel like I'm making them do "baby stuff." (I do not use the stationary he provides for the final writing piece... it's adorable, but it would be pushing in with my kids! So, we just do our paragraph writing in our intervention notebooks!) My plan is to pull the intervention group for one week (at 15 minutes a pop, this comes to 1 1/4 hours of learning). Long before I ever pull a group, I work hard to make sure that my lesson is broken down into five succinct 15-minute increments. Since time is so precious, you need to make sure not one minute is wasted! I can say that it takes me much longer to plan for a small-group lesson than a 50-minute whole-class lesson because efficiency is so crucial. The first few times you plan a small-group lesson, don't be surprised if your timing is mess. It definitely takes practice to be an effective small-group instructor! After their week is up, then I send them back to completing the bell-ringer at the start of class. I will watch them closely and conference with them lots to make sure that I am seeing a transfer of skills. If I don't, then it is likely that I will put them back in an intervention group in a few weeks to practice again. This intervention model will continue all year. Right now, I have 8 intervention students in one writing class, and 6 in another. By the end of the year, those number should reduce to 3-4 and 2-3. Never in all my years of working with small groups, have I had 100% of my intervention students "graduate" from small group. Don't be frustrated if this is the case! If you can improve 50-60% of those kids, then consider that a huge success!! Type Two: Students Who Struggle with Motivation The next group of kids that I work with are those who struggle with motivation. These are the students who complain a lot about not having anything to write about, spend more time doodling or coloring in their notebook than writing, and who will write the absolute bare minimum for any writing assignment. Many times, these kids produce too little for me to gauge whether or not they also need help with structure. But typically, once I can get them writing, they will likely find themselves in a small group for structure work :) Come October, after we've spent lots of lots of time list writing, the kids who are still struggling to get their pencils moving find themselves using a very special Interactive Writer's Notebook called "Musings from a Middle Schooler." This product contains loads of interactive writing pages that will motivate even the most reluctant writers. The pages can be printed out and glued into a marble notebook. (Most often, I'll have the kids create their own... I don't always have them use all the pages, rather I let them pick and choose the ones they like!). Cover Table of Contents page Table of Contents cont. and an "All About Me" page "My Life Story in Two Pages" My Favorite Thing Comics I created this project just last school year and it's been an absolute smash! The kids (especially my boys!) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! In absolutely no time, they are writing like crazy. And once I can get their pencils moving it doesn't take me long to get them producing some actual pieces. I don't necessarily pull these kids and work with them in a small group. The first few days, we will assemble our books all together at the back table, but then they go right back to the big group. Rather than do the bell-ringer with the rest of the class at the start of the period, they will work in their "Musings" notebooks. Fifteen minutes of that is usually enough to get them into writing mode for the rest of class. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * So, that's how I make writing intervention work in my classroom. Phew!! That was long, folks!! I apologize for my wordiness and I am grateful if you stuck it out until the end! Also, I'm sure that I've left out some crucial details of my practice, so please do not hesitate to ask me any questions you still have! Do you have any good intervention tips or strategies that work for you? I'd love to hear about them. Drop me a comment and share! Happy Teaching!!

Teach students to practice inferring with this mentor text lesson using the mentor text The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg.

Hello Everyone! Thanks for stopping by our blog to see what's happening in our first grade classroom! This week we are working very hard on "retelling"stories we have read. Learning how to retell a story helps our little learners as readers and thinkers. It helps to organize thought, and recognize the thoughts we have during reading. It helps us recognize when our thinking changes throughout our reading. Characteristics of good retelling are: using character names, telling about the setting, including the happenings or plot (beginning, middle, and end), discussing the problem the character is having, and describing how the problem was solved. Today I introduced our "retelling rope." Each symbol represents the parts of a story. I have used retelling ropes before, but revamped this with some better visuals. The kids really get it when they can actually manipulate the parts. This year I wrote a simple poem to go along with our retelling activities. We practiced retelling several stories together using the large retelling rope, and then the kids got to make their own mini one to manipulate during their own reading time. After putting these together, some kids chose to work with others to retell a common story (The Lorax has become a favorite for some reason :) !) We also practiced recording our retelling thoughts. We will continue to work hard on this important skill! When I read a story! For your printable of these pages plus larger visuals to make your own retelling rope click here! :) here's the link to the printable with student rope pics! :) Or click here! :) I love helping kids improve their retelling skills!! Don't forget to retell your own stories with your kids!!! Stop by again soon!! Joyfully! Nancy

Today, I'm excited to introduce you to a free digital data tracker that can change the way you monitor the progress of Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Progress monitoring is critical in any setting, but it is especially important in the special education setting. And while I know it is important, I also know that it needs to be quick and informative. If you use my special education reading intervention, I’m happy to tell you that you’ll be able to progress monitor […]

I just finished making myself a new mini-poster to use during carpet time this year. I thought it turned out pretty adorably (how could it not with those cute kiddos!) so thought I would share it with you. Just click on the picture below to download a copy. Well, must run ... tomorrow I am back to work ... oh where, oh where did summer go?!?!

Organizing IEP case files can be overwhelming without a system in place. Here's how to get and stay organized all school year long!

Hey bloggy friends! Long time, no see! Let me tell you, getting into the groove of this year has been C-R-A-Z-Y! After 3 weeks of gatheri...

Hexagonal thinking is a rich new way to inspire discussion. This quick post will tell you everything you need to know (and provide you with ready-to-print resources) to successfully add Hexagonal Thinking discussions into your ELA classroom.

So, are you itching for winter break to get here or what?!? I am drowning here, people! Between report cards, conferences (for my students and my own kids!), shopping, baking, parties, wrapping... DROWNING!Don't get me

Student strengths start IEPs in a positive way. Here is a list of student strengths to use on your next IEP.

What are present levels in special education? Here are helpful tips for writing Present Levels of Performance for IEPs.

If you are looking to add some high-interest activities to teach skills, take a look at The Girl and the Cloud.

Teaching the meanings of prefixes and suffixes is undoubtedly a skill that needs to be scaffolded over multiple grade levels. When I taught second grade, my main goal was to teach students how a prefix or a suffix affected the meaning of a word. We started with five basic prefixes and six basic suffixes. (Check out this affix blog post at my personal blog if you want to view my anchor chart, or read about my favorite way to introduce prefixes and suffixes to younger students.) Then, with each passing grade level, a few more prefixes and suffixes are added to the list. When I work with 4th and 5th grade students, I like to use concept circles to provide an opportunity for students to analyze affixed words in a more challenging way. (If you're interested in using these with your own upper elementary students, don't miss the free student worksheet version near the end of this blog post!) This activity involves four steps: Students read the four words written inside the concept circle, and determine which one does not belong. Students draw a line through the misfit word. Students determine the meaning of the affix used in the other three words. They write the meaning in the innermost circle. Students think of another word that uses the featured affix. They replace the word they crossed out in Step #1 with their new word. In the outside rim, students write the meaning of each word. Here are a few photos of some concept circles I have done with students: Click on the image below to download this packet of concept circles for FREE! It contains the three large concept circles picture above, 5 students worksheets like the one pictured below, and blank versions so you can create your own concept circles! Also, if you're looking for additional resources for teaching about prefixes and/or suffixes, feel free to check out some of the bundles in my TpT store! (Just click on an image to check one out!) Thanks for stopping by today! FREE Newsletter! Blog TpT Store Instagram Facebook Pinterest My YouTube Video

Dear administrators, Let me start off by saying that I write this letter on behalf of special educators. While it's true that I might not speak for every single special ed teacher, after spending 10 years in the classroom, I like to think I speak for many. First off, we truly appreciate all th

http://melissa-wade.blogspot.com/search/label/Anchor%20Charts Here are some of my favorites I use ALL the TIME! Our county is using Marzano's evaluation system and this is one I use. The students rate themselves on where they are at in their learning. I have vocabulary notebooks and I use this anchor chart as a reminder anytime I am introducing new vocab and they are filling out a Frayer on a new word. Here is another Marzano chart I use. This is different then the other one because they rate themselves on their effort on a given task. My kiddos love this one. They rate themselves on the quality of their work in centers. I think this is the most used anchor chart in our classroom :) My kids were having a ROUGH time with written responses to a reading passage on a test. We went over it and over it and now they are fabulous. I even have one kiddo that highlights in the different colors to make sure that I see he wrote with all 4. Great for our geometry unit. They each made their own using popsicle sticks. I saw this on Pinterest and HAD to make it. This is such a great chart for those little reminders such as capitalization. The good old Main Idea table way: Watch Brain Pop Jr. Video on Main Idea and Details. Then they filled out the "table" main idea graphic organizer from the Brain Pop Website. And of course an anchor chart to accompany! I recommend printing on cardstock :) I learned this the hard way :( It prints like a plus sign and then cut it out/ fold the sides down. Here's how it turned out! I Love this idea from First Grade Jungle!! I can't wait to try this out. Anchor Chart :)

Today was the day. I was about to utter the dreaded words “peer editing.” As I began class with my eighth graders, I told them we would be editing each ...

Pre-K and TK Activities: Back to School. Letter Recognition, Number Recognition, Counting, Colors, Patterns, Fine Motor Skills, and more!

This week has been crammed packed with fractions and contractions!! Two of my favorites to teach I might add. Of course we had to do "contraction surgery"! So fun! {I'm am soooo not an artist so they just got posted on an anchor chart} This idea came from Cara over at The First Grade Parade. {I get tons of ideas from her!} After a quick introduction it was time for some craftivities that will help them remember which words make up which contractions. We started off by making "contraction kites". The students wrote the contraction on the kite, the 2 words on the bows, and a sentence using the contraction on the cloud. We have made contraction kites for several years now, but there are so many other ways on Pinterest on how you can take the same idea and adjust it to fit any skill. If you would like the template for the kite click HERE. {very simple drawing by me, the NOT so artistic teacher, but Hey! it got the job done} We also made "contraction caterpillars". The students chose 4 contractions of their choice. They recorded the contraction on the caterpillar body and the 2 corresponding words on the legs. If you would like the template for the caterpillar click HERE. {Another very simple drawing by me} We have also been working on fractions this week. LOVE teaching fractions!! We started off by learning about equal and not equal parts. We sorted random shapes cut into different pieces into equal and not equal. You might recognize this from last year's fraction post. We also completed "fractionpillars" and "If you give a mouse a cookie" fraction activities as we did last year. The "fractionpillar" idea came from Cara over at The First Grade Parade. {I wasn't kidding when I said I get TONS of ideas from her, just fabulous stuff!} For some reason I didn't get a snap of those, but I will post later. Last week we were learning about U.S symbols. The 2 we focused on were the Bald Eagle and Liberty Bell as well as the Statue of Liberty. After reading non-fiction books found in our schools library and a short United Streaming video, it was time to record facts we had learned about each of them. For the liberty bell, they simply recorded facts about the bell they remembered from the text. {I pre-cut the bells for my kiddos so I don't have a template, sorry} For the bald eagles, I found this cute craftivity on pinterest and had to check it out! After following a few links it led me to Mrs. Lirette's Learning Dectectives. I found this wonderful eagle research! You have to check it out if you are planning to study bald eagles! Fabulous research ideas and recording sheets! They cut an oval for the body and traced their hands for the wings, added white on the face and 2 googly eyes and VIOLA! The cutest bald eagle you have ever seen! YAY for a 4 day week next week AND the week after {Monday is a bad weather day for us} Love Easter! Bring on the egg hunts! My in-laws church is bringing in a helicopter to drop 5,000 Easter eggs! That's one mega Easter egg hunt!! Hope ya'll have wonderful weekend and fabulous Easter!

When you get a new IEP, it's important to make sure it is well written. Here are 8 red flags to watch out for when it comes to student's IEPs.

We have all heard the term, Reading is THINKING! Unfortunately, actually teaching kiddos how to think and be more metacognative while they are reading is more difficult than it sounds! This anchor chart, Reading is Thinking, has helped me to model for my students how to think, ask questions, predict, summarize, visualize, infer, and make connections while they are reading. Reading is THINKING Freebie to improve Comprehension ~ TeacherKarma.com Click on the Reading is Thinking anchor chart to get more strategies and a FREEBIE just for you. :) Best wishes!

This one-page "Quick IEP" document. It is great for your students general education and resource teachers. It allows teachers to easily see what accommodations your IEP students have. Quick IEP (Editable in Google Docs)

I can’t remember where I first learned about hexagons in the classroom. But I’ve loved them ever since I started exploring the idea. If you’re already using hexagons, good on you.…