How do you start your morning each day? Do you walk into your classroom, drop your bags, and make a beeline for the copy machine so you can get your

How to make reading comprehension instruction engaging with ideas from the book DIsrupting Thinking by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst

A lot of people have asked what my daily schedule looks like, so here's a little peek at how things run in my class. There's a lot to do each day and a couple changes to my scheduling helped me make the most of the time I do have.

Hi friends! I just wanted to drop in and make sure you didn't miss this week's FREEBIE! It's a brand new series and to say I'm excited about it is an understatement. :) I LOVE poetry. I've always incorporated poetry into my classroom, but usually I find myself scouring my resources at the last minute to try to find a poem for the week. No more! I'm officially writing my own poems for each of the school year for next year! This will ensure that I have them in place ahead of time, that they're a good level for my kiddos (often they're too easy), and that many of them correlate with my units of study! I love a good seasonal poem like the next teacher, BUT I want to kill two birds with one stone as much as possible. :) So....let me introduce you to my Weekly Poem Work {Poetry Stations}. Each month will have 4 original poems and there will be 7 different activities to go along with each poem. The poems will come full-page sized and half-page sized and can be altered to work in a poetry notebook. But, here's a peek at the various activities that are focused on strengthening reading strategies. Visualizing: Using words from the poem to make detailed visualizations. Expression: Students learn to mark their poems to help them think about how to read expressively. Making Connections: Students write and draw about connections they can make to the poem. Written Response: Students respond to the poem in writing with their own ideas or writing prompts (lined and unlined versions included). Grammar Fun: Students rewrite the poem "MadLib-Style" for parts of speech practice! Handwriting Practice: Students select their favorite line from the poem to write in their neatest printing, cursive, and own original "font." Word Work: Students create as many words as they can using the letters from a word in the poem. More points are awarded for bigger words! So, what are you waiting for?! Go grab this week's freebie from our shop and leave us some feedback! PLUS, we're holding a giveaway on our FACEBOOK page where you can win the GROWING BUNDLE for the entire YEAR!! It ends on Sunday, so hurry! If you don't win, the growing bundle is a fantastic deal at 25% off the individual monthly prices. And, THIS WEEK ONLY we have it set for 50% off! #winwin

Need strategies to promote critical thinking in your Second Grade music room? Want to encourage 21st century learning? This set includes: *Discussion starters: Several questions are included for each of the following concepts: 2-beat meter (2/4), Tika-Tika (Sixteenth notes), Half Note, Do, and Re, as well as a page of questions for various topics, such as form and audience etiquette. The sheets are formatted so that you can check off the questions as you use them in your lessons, and teacher notes are included for many of the questions. A sheet is also included so you can list any additional questions you'd like to ask. *Art starters: Several worksheets are included to allow students to respond to music with art and with writing. Topics for the worksheets include connections to other subjects, art and music, form, comparison of conductor and composer, and observations while listening to a piece of music. *Sentence starter signs: Can be printed out in color, laminated, and posted in your room to help students during class discussions. Signs include "I see," "I hear," "I notice," and "I wonder." Note: The design for these signs is different from the designs included in the Kindergarten and First Grade critical thinking sets. *Materials to accompany the set, including: --Songs and chants: 2, 4, 6, 8, Sammy Sackett, Old Brass Wagon, Closet Key, Apple Tree, Bounce High, and Rocky Mountain, including any game directions --Fruit and vegetable patterns SMART board file for creating rhythm patterns --Stick notation sheets for "Closet Key" and "Apple Tree" --Visuals for identifying a round --"Rocky Mountain" with and without barlines *Directions for the set You can purchase this set at a discount with my Critical Thinking in the Music Classroom Bundled Set. Check out these other critical thinking sets: Critical Thinking in the Music Classroom Kindergarten Set Critical Thinking in the Music Classroom First Grade Set Critical Thinking in the Music Classroom Third Grade Set Critical Thinking in the Music Classroom Fourth Grade Set Critical Thinking in the Music Classroom Fifth Grade Set Graphic credit: JWIllustrations.com Please rate this product, and follow me for freebies and products. You can visit my blog at www.mrsmiraclesmusicroom.com. Thanks for looking!

Hello Everyone! Thanks for stopping by! Post 2 on Daily 5! There are many different ways to figure out which kiddos go to which Daily. I strive for complete independence and choice on the kids' part. I just revamped my student chart. After weeks (about 4) of anchor I chart making, modeling and practicing, the kids are ready to "Do the Daily 5! Hoorah Hoorah! I have the kids choose their own daily, letting them go table group by table group. If a station is full when they get there, they have to quickly select another. When they have completed the Daily and at the sound of my sweet little bell, they come back to seats. The kids mark a check on their own chart, and then we quickly discuss what went well, where the challenges were, etc. and I send them out again to choose another Daily. Using a chart helps remind kids where they need to go yet. And I can see in a glance what each kiddo has been up to. When kids come to me for guided reading, they simply put a T in one of the boxes on their chart. Kids learn that there will be some days when they will not complete all the dailies. They keep their charts in their binder all week. (We don't do D5 on Fridays as we save that day for assessments.) Clik here if you would like the free printable Stay tuned for some more D5 info, organization, and ideas Till then, have a joyful day! Nancy

I've done a lot of experimenting with desk arrangements over the years. I've definitely found my favorite. Keep reading, I'll tell you about it. I've also discovered that it's smart to pick a few

Research has confirmed how important it is for students to learn phonics skills. At the top of the list is the connection between a phoneme and grapheme. This classroom resource is worth the wall space as it can be used to teach and also reference the various spelling patterns of the sounds we use! There are enough options here that this resource can seamlessly pair with any program or sequence needs. Options span from basic kindergarten phonics skills to advanced skills found in third grade. This is also a great resource for classrooms serving students needing support, intervention, or multi-lingual populations. I have personally seen my student's spelling and reading skills benefit from having a sound wall anchor in the classroom. Basic Phonics Skills Included: Alphabet Short Vowels: a,e,i,o,u (with or without symbols) Long Vowels: a,e,i,o,u (with or without symbols) L Blends: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl R Blends: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr S Blends: sc, sk, sn, sp, st, sw, sm W Blends: tw, dw Final Blends: st, sk, sp, nd, nt, nk, mp, rd, ld, lp, rk, lt, lf, pt, ft, ct, xt, lk Digraphs: th, sh, ch, ph, wh, qu, ck Voiced and Unvoiced /th/ Intermediate Phonics Skills Included: Long A: a_e, ai, ay Long E: e_e, ea, ee, ey, ea Long O: o_e, oa, ow, oe Long U: u_e, ui, ue Trigraphs: tch, dge Spelling with /k/: _ck, k, ke, c and k spelling rule Glued Sounds: ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink, onk, unk, ild, ind, old, olt, ost, am, an Double L Combos: all, oll, ell, ull, ill Soft Sounds: soft c, soft g R-Controlled Vowels: ar, or, ie, er, ur Y Vowel: y as /i/ sound, y as /e/ sound Sounds of ed: /d/, /t/, and /ed/ or /id/ 3 Letter Blends: scr, shr, spl, spr, squ, str, thr, nch Double Consonants: Floss Rule (ss, zz, ff) & Rabbit Rule (bb, dd, ff, ll, ss, tt, cc, pp, mm, nn) Advanced Phonics Skills Included: Diphthongs: oy, oi, oo, ew, au, aw, ow, ou Silent Letters: wr, kn, gn, mb, gh, sch, sc, ch Advanced Vowel Spellings: /a/ (ei, eigh, ea, ey), /e/ (ea, ie, ei), /o/ (ou, al), /u/ (ou), diphthong sounds (ou, oe, o, eu, u) R-Controlled Exceptions: ear (learn), or, ar, ure, our, oor, ear (tear), air, are, ear (ear), eer, oar, ore Other Spellings: s as /z/, es as /iz/, /zh/, le, ti as /sh/, t as /sh/, gh as /g/, gh as /f/, wacky w spelling, ze, se, ve Schwa Sounds: a, e, i, o (with or without symbols) Syllable Types: open, closed, silent e, vowel teams, r-controlled, diphthongs (can be paired with vowel teams), stable -le Syllable Splits Other Resources Included: Foundations, Fundations, Jolly Phonics, and UFLI alignment is included. Suffixes & Prefixes Editable Headers Blank Sound Cards Mouth Formation Cards "Lock" cards to hide your sounds until you teach them. Printing Options Available: Colorful (pictured) Boho Farmhouse Black Line Solid Colors Quick Print (to print exactly as pictured) Notes Before Purchasing: This is a very large file and comes in a compressed folder. Please make sure you know how to extract, or unzip folders. For optimum downloading success, you will want the most up-to-date version of a PDF reader installed. Do not open the folder from your browser, or preview view. Download your purchase first, and then open the files directly from your device before printing. Looking to ditch your word wall, but still want an anchor for sight words? Check out Sound City Bandits. Do you need some additional resources to help support the phonetic skills you are teaching? Check out Phenomenal Phonics.

I’ve been working on becoming even more “structured and organized” in my planning I’m someone who constantly re-does something attempting to find the “perfect” method, even though what I was doing before was efficient. Lesson planning is no different. I’m always trying make it easier, more efficient, and smoother! I’ve tried a few different guided […]

Creepy Carrots Read Aloud Lessons for kindergarten and first grade. Students will work on cause and effect, connection, and opinions. STEM and center Activities too!

Thank you for your interest in this product! Included you will find a visual display for you and your students to see where they are going for each Daily 5 Rotation! I hope you find this useful in your classroom! Enjoy and please remember that feedback is always appreciated! :)

These cool reindeer crafts make perfect tree ornaments, stocking stuffers or gifts for friends, classmates and coworkers. They can also help your kids pass the time during the holidays by making some crafts revolving around Santa’s reindeer. Create your very own adorable reindeer to keep you company throughout the holiday season. They are easy to...Read More »

Here is a very simple, but handy, resource to use during guided reading groups. When you are doing a running record, instead of having to count 100 words ahead of time (and/or typing the words up), you can just use this form to make your marks. Because there are 100 boxes, you automatically know when to stop. This has been a lifesaver and timesaver for me, and I hope you can use it too! :-) **Created by Mrs. Kilby at Confessions of a Primary Teacher

Inspired by Hope King, start your day off with excitement with this morning song! As soon as the kiddos come into the classroom, drop off ...