Each classroom is likely utilizing the art form of Madeline Hunter’s ITIP in some way. If you’re a new teacher, then you may not know what I’m talking about specifically – and maybe I’m showing

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If you've read my blog or bought any of my writing products from TpT, then you know that I am a huge fan of the Read-Around-Group. I love when kids read each other's writing and

I’ve been spending some serious amounts of time this summer leading conversations around the country focused on the integration of social studies and literacy. And for the last few years, I…

I’ve been spending some serious amounts of time this summer leading conversations around the country focused on the integration of social studies and literacy. And for the last few years, I…

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I’m super excited to be linking up some of my blogging friends to bring you a great “Fall Into Savings” sale. EVERYTHING in my store is 20% off including already discounted bundles. A few of us are also sharing our favorite products on our blogs that we think you might love. I wanted to share […]

Tips for teaching LDS Junior Primary classes

When it comes to teaching, one of the most beneficial things I try to do for all of my students in every lesson is provide layers of differentiation and scaffolding so that I reach as many kids as I can. When it comes to teaching writing, one way I scaffold instruction comes in the form of sentence frames. But first, an anecdote. I’ll never forget my first teaching job. It was a long-term substitute position teaching ninth grade English to students who were severely behind grade-level. I was still in my pre-service teaching days, and I was completely unprepared. The first couple of weeks were awful. My classroom management skills were abysmal, the kids were not cooperating, and I was beginning to second-guess my career choice as an educator. Yes, it was THAT bad. It wasn’t until one day when I had, at the time what I perceived to be, a crazy idea. I was going to get those kids to work whether they wanted to or not….and like I said, my classroom management wasn’t something to brag about. After reading a short passage with the students, I wanted them to write a brief paragraph responding to the text. I was desperate. All earlier attempts of assigning a writing prompt in the class failed. And it failed because of me. These students were not at the level, both language wise and ability wise, for what I was assigning earlier. However, at the time, I didn't realize this. So, in response to this situation, I wrote a fill-in-the-blank paragraph on the board before class started. After reading the selection, I slowly read the fill-in-the-blank paragraph aloud to the kids and modeled different types of responses that were appropriate for the blanks. Then I asked my students to copy the example from the board onto their papers and fill in the blanks with their thoughts. And let me tell you something: it worked! Not only did it work, but the students ALL sat quietly and wrote their responses. They were working. They were engaged. They were demonstrating their understanding, and they were trying their best. Afterward, I had them take turns reading their responses aloud in the classroom. Again, I had 100% participation. However, this strategy only worked because I experienced a complete failure before this victory. I wasn’t meeting my students’ needs, and I wasn’t giving them appropriately differentiated material that matched their ability levels. I just expected these ninth graders to be able to sit in their seats and write because after all, that is what I was able to do when I was in the ninth grade. That failure is one-hundred percent on me, and I own it. I was expecting work that did not match their capabilities. And, as a direct result of that, I created an environment in which the students didn’t feel comfortable. They weren’t comfortable with the work, nor were they comfortable with me. And that was a big problem! This was one of the most significant learning experiences of my teaching career. And I am very thankful that it’s a lesson I learned early on. We can’t just teach and expect grade-level, common core work from high school students if they aren’t there. There are so many outside factors that we must take into consideration when it comes to students’ learning equations, and as teachers, we have to acknowledge and accept that sometimes things are out of both our hands and our students’ hands. So, this is where sentence frames come into play. A student won’t know how to properly craft an argumentative claim about a piece of nonfiction text if he or she doesn’t understand how the parts of speech work together. Students can’t learn, and study, and work on mastering nouns and verbs and prepositions if outside forces, forces in which they have absolutely no control of, are working against them. There are students who are hungry, anxious, homeless, victims of neglect and abuse, responsible for the care of their siblings, and doubting their existence. We owe it to our all of our students to understand this. We have to go back to the basics and build our middle school and high school students up, even if that means teaching concepts and skills at the beginning of the year that are five grade-levels below what we teach. By teaching to our students’ needs rather than to what the grade-level standards dictate, we can then begin to move toward grade-level skills as the year progresses. Afterall, we can't teach the quadratic equation to kids who don't understand simple multiplication. One of the biggest reasons why I use sentence frames in my classroom is because they help every student. Sentence frames are not just for our EL and below-grade-level students; they benefit every single learner in the classroom. And yes, I even use them with my college-bound juniors and seniors because sentence frames model concise writing and help reinforce academic writing. As educators, we are more well-read than our students. We’ve read works by many different authors of varying abilities and have seen how authors craft their stories and arguments. Our students, not so much. It is our job to teach them how to engage with, understand, and respond to a text. Some teachers may shy away from providing students with sentence frames because they may believe that in doing so, the work is becoming “too easy” or “too watered down.” However, if it is what our students need, shouldn’t we be doing it? Giving our students structure and sentence frames isn’t diluting the work. It’s not watering it down, and it certainly isn’t making it too easy. It is teaching them how to respond. A sentence frame provides our students with the structure they need to help them get their thoughts from their brain onto their paper. Sentence frames don’t tell students what or how to think, they show them how to structure their ideas logically. As time goes on and students utilize sentence frames in class, you’ll begin to notice that students stop using the frames verbatim and start adding their own style to the frame. This is progress. As even more time goes on, you’ll notice that some of your students won’t use the frames you provided them with, but that they were able to write loosely within the structure entirely on their own. This is learning! FREE WRITING DOWNLOAD As a result of this learning experience, I created my differentiated writing responses for literature. For each writing topic, I created two handouts -each with a different level of differentiation. The level with less scaffolding guides students through the response and helps students organize their thoughts. The handout with more scaffolding provides a series of sentence frames to help students learn how to write academically about the literature they read. These organizers were game-changers in my classroom. Not only did I create generic scaffolded writing prompts for every piece of literature, but I also created some for specific works of literature: Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men, and Lord of the Flies. I believe so much in sentence frames and providing students with differentiated writing scaffolds that I am sharing this differentiated writing task with you. Click HERE to download a sample writing assignment that you can use in your classroom with any piece of fiction. This is a direct excerpt from my Differentiated Writing Tasks for Any Text resource, and I know it will help all of your writers, not just the struggling ones. Here are some of my favorite sentence frames to use in the classroom. These can be used menu style where students create their paragraphs by selecting which frames to use, or you can use them for specific responses. Sentence Frames to Talk about a Text: According to _________, one reason why _____________. Furthermore, __________ argues that ___________ because ___________. As stated in the text, _________________. Sentence Frames to Talk about Literature: In the short story, the author describes ____________. After ____________, the main character then _______________ which ____________. The theme of the story is fully developed when __________________. Sentence Frames to Agree with Evidence: Confirming with ______________, further evidence shows ________________. Similar to _____________, __________ also suggests _______________. Likewise, ____________ also states ______________. Sentence Frames to Argue or Disagree: Even though __________________, there is evidence to believe that _____________. While __________ states that ____________, contradicting evidence from __________ proves that _______________. Despite ____________, _____________ argues that ________________. Additional Resources for Scaffolding Writing Sentence Fluency by Stacey Lloyd Narrative Writing by Addie Williams Back to School Creative Writing Video by Presto Plans Literary Quote Analysis by Nouvelle ELA

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James Sturtevant's book, You've Gotta Connect, is full of practical, actionable advice and tools to strengthen the quality of your connection with students.

If you’re wondering what to wear in Singapore, you’ve come to the right place! We're showing you how to create a Singapore packing list for your trip.

If you have any variation of independent reading in your middle or high school English class, you've undoubtedly faced challenges at some point in the experience. Unlike the enthusiasm for reading in primary grades (think stickers, SSR, take-home bags, cute reading nooks, etc.), it's a huge accomplishment in secondary to get students to read anything, much less doing so with a stocked classroom library, fair assessments, and anything resembling enthusiasm. When many of our kids are over-committed, how do we make reading habits enjoyable, instead of just assigning tasks that just feel like more work? Though I won't pretend to have all the answers for every reader and every type of classroom, I *can* tell you 15+ solutions that helped me teach independent reading programs over the last six years, to four grade levels and two school settings (urban and suburban/private). Why Independent Reading, Though? This book is gold! (Link to Amazon) Before I share these tips, let me clarify that I'm a Kelly Gallagher fan and believe firmly that teens should read as much as possible, without "killing the book" by over-teaching and over-assigning it. On the other hand, if your students are reluctant or growing readers, then even finishing one book per month might be an accomplishment. It's all about getting them to read the same or more than they are now, right? My Story: Starting from Nothing During my master's program, I was studying motivation and reading for my thesis/portfolio, and I was hell-bent on bringing some level of independent reading to my inner-city classes of sophomores and seniors for student teaching. However, despite my amazing mentor teacher, there was no classroom library, the school library was under-funded, and the kids had NO buy-in. The regular-English class of sophomores were outwardly priding themselves on having NEVER FINISHED A WHOLE BOOK BEFORE, and my AP Lang seniors felt that they had too much homework to squeeze in any more reading. So, with the help of book drives, volunteers, and various kinds of coercing on my part... We built a classroom library. My "Book of the Month" system was born. We had guest speakers come talk about reading. We made time in class to read (and/or talk about) books. And, according to the letters that I got from students at the end of my time (which they were NOT required to write), many were "converted" to reading, before it was too late. Nowadays, I teach in a private middle school with a district that requires use of Accelerated Reader (which kids hate) and have a lot of over-committed students (who think they have no time for reading). My challenges have changed, but the solutions I used in both settings really haven't. So trust me, I know how hard it is to start (and enforce) independent reading. But the steps below have helped me a lot, and they can help you, too. Top 15 Tips for Your Program So here are a few solutions to think about before or during your choice reading requirements for your English class. 1. Start with a quantity within their ZPD. At the beginning of your program, ease into the length and/or quantity of books you require. Let them pick up shorter books at first, and don't be afraid of giving them plenty of time to finish the book (before assigning shorter deadlines later). When I helped teach sophomores and AP Lang, the one thing both classes had in common was my Book of the Month requirement, and it was a hit at both levels! 2. Teach students how to pace reading to meet a deadline. We teachers HAVE to stop passing out books, assigning a deadline, and just saying "go." The sink-or-swim approach does little to actually teach students to pace themselves, and it probably won't help them like the experience, either. I like using these pacing bookmarks to help my eighth graders calculate the number of pages they need to read per day to meet a deadline; it promotes more consistent reading instead of trying to fly through 150 pages the night before it's due. 3. Let some books end with just opinion or reflection. Yes, some texts will end with summative assessments, AR quizzes, or your own check for understanding. But not every book needs to end with work (and you don't need to grade everything, either.) 4. Use reverse psychology. One of the best ways to get a teen interested after all is to tell them they're not allowed to. Even if it's not September, try this banned books mini-unit to get students reading commonly challenged CHOICE books (that they negotiate with you and their parents). 5. Make them watch the movie version. Yes, this activity is fun, BUT more importantly, it's extremely important for weak readers who have a hard time visualizing the text. You don't have to play the movie in-class, either. Make students do the work of picking the book/movie combo (including getting parent permission based on film ratings), and then let them generate heated opinions of which version (book or movie) was better. Start here for more ideas. 6. Eliminate excuses for acquiring books. Don't have books at home? Get them from school. Don't have time for the school library? Get a cart of books from there. Don't have a classroom library? Do what I did and ask your local Half Price Books (or whoever) to work with you on a Book Drive for your classroom! Need more copies? If you qualify, set up a Donors Choose account. 7. Let books become gifts. I always make a big deal out of it when new books arrive in the mail or when I've been shopping. I bring it into the room in its shopping bag/box and "unwrap" it in front of them, turning it into a suspense-filled book talk. You can also literally gift them back and forth: let kids donate books to the classroom, and if you have the funds, buy a book for each kid at some point in the year. 8. Add a teacher book talk once a week. Just make a starting goal to hold up and discuss ONE book for five minutes or less, once per week. You need to model what enthusiastic chatter about books looks like, especially if no other adult does. Plus, it will help them branch out into different books (other than the popular ones already being circulated in teen word-of-mouth). 9. Make STUDENTS give the book talks. I have a Student-Led Book Talks Project that lets students recommend one book, a series, or a themed collection in a short (graded) presentation. Book talks that come directly from students always have WAY more cred than ones from a teacher (even if they trust your book judgment)! 10. Do a buddy read. If ever, they probably haven't been allowed to read a book with just one buddy since elementary school. Maybe one month is a required Partner Read month in your class, in which both have to agree on a book and do a culminating partner assignment together! 11. Allow one "re-read". Let just ONE of the books be a reread of a book from the past 2-5 years (assuming it's a reasonable choice, difficulty-wise). Let them feel the confidence-booster of being older and smarter, noticing more as they read it again. Ask them to reflect on what they got out of the text the second time! 12. Make decorative book reviews that last. I did this Quote Analysis and Artwork project as prep for an author visit last year, and it gave us cool Pinterest-style illustrated quotes to hang on lockers or walls! 13. Bring in (free) guest speakers. I know this may vary, but our local librarians do free school visits to recommend books to students, especially if it's at the end of the year (to promote their summer reading program). See if a library or bookstore is willing to talk to your class! During student teaching, I also had college students visit my sophomores and seniors to talk about their reading habits (both their required reading in college classes and what they read for fun). 14. Get a (free) author visit. Many authors do free (or cheap) Skype visits, or sometimes even in-person ones if they're local. Ask your school or local library for ideas, or check out websites like this one that provide lists. Not going to work out? TWEET AT THE AUTHOR and see if you get a reply! (I did this last year, and you can read about it in my TED posts.) 15. Give them TIME. I saved this for last because I know it's the hardest one - making time to give students in-class reading time. I've done this several ways in the past - doing it as my bell-ringer (while I take attendance), or doing a longer period of time once a week (so I can circulate the room and check reading logs/progress, etc.). Do whatever works for you, but once a week for 20 minutes is better than nothing, and it may give them a chance to RELAX in the middle of the school day! For More Info If you want help getting your program started, you can get my rubrics, logs, and other forms HERE in my Book of the Month programs for middle school and high school! And if you want to see my other lessons and tools for teaching literature, just click here. What advice would you add to this list? Tell me in the comments!

Download in my TpT Store! Incase you've never seen my Teachers Pay Teacher's store, I use the Journey's Reading Program in my classroom. My store is FILLED with tons of activities aligned with the Kindergarten Journey's program. Although the skills are most likely similar to those taught through other programs, I find it useful to have everything in sequential order to make planning and preparing for each week MUCH easier. Interactive notebooks are such a great way for me to easily maintain accurate records of my student's abilities without having to file on a daily basis (or be organized, which I'm terrible at). I'm able to go back an refer to the interactive notebook to show progress throughout the school year. It can also be used as a reference tool for my students if they need to go back and review information. My favorite aspect about interactive notebooks is that my students are able to go back and look at the amazing progress they've made throughout the year. There is nothing more encouraging to a struggling child than to look back at their September activities in their notebook. I remind my students that even if the current task seems difficult at the moment, they will ultimately master the given skill as they did many other skills in the past. Parents love interactive notebooks, too! They enjoy seeing their child's work at back-to-school night or conferences. It is a great way to show parents what their child has been working on in school without overcrowding their take-home folders with worksheets! Below, I added just a few of the activities included in my Journey's Kindergarten Interactive Notebook. Each lesson is given a 3 focus skills. 1. Letter/Sound identification 2. Sight Word Activities and 3. Phonemic Awareness. I've seen these activities used as morning work or during literacy centers. Either way, it's a great way to reinforce important skills taught throughout the Journey's Reading Program. Other Kindergarten Journey's Reading Program Activities (FREE & Paid Products)! Journey's Sight Word Task Cards Journey's Sight Word Bundle Journey's Sign Language Sight Words Journey's Sight Word Assessments Journey's Sight Word: I Have, Who Has Game Journey's Word Wall Subscribe to emails! (click HERE to subscribe)

Are you wondering how to make a lap book? Then you're going to love the ideas, tips, and resources presented at this blog post. Plus a FREEBIE!

Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.

I think one of the most effective ways to reinforce learning in the classroom is to play games. Games are great for test prep and really for any time of the year. The great thing about games is that for most kids, you've got instant buy in, as well as engagement. They love playing games and when kids are having fun in the classroom, I think they're often learning whether they know it or not!

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For my entire career, I've had a lengthy block of time to teach ELA. (Note: For my district, ELA encompasses all the English Language Arts Common Core Standards.) At most, I've had 106 minutes, and at

Hey y'all! I've got a fun little freebie for you to use when you teach comparing and contrasting! Friend-diagrams! Pair your students up and have them create their face and hair. They can also add their eye color by tracing around the black circle on the eyes with a crayon or maker. Afterwards, have them write how they are different from their friend on the outside circle of their face and how they are the same as their friend on the inside of their circle. You can download the craftivity for FREE on Teachers Pay Teachers HERE. I can't wait to use these this week!

(I’ve had so many people ask how I built the gossamer tree. I’ve added some detailed instructions at the very end of this post if you’re interested…) We survived! Kids’ Day 2012 is behind us and now I’m busy trying to catch up on all the housework I’ve been neglecting for weeks, even while I’m […]

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Finding good food in Sunny Beach was harder than dancing the waltz blindfolded through a minefield. There’s no argument. The town is set up for tourists. Diners that visit only once don’t encourage restaurants to try and leave a lasting impression. This is our comprehensive guide to help you find good quality food when visiting Sunny Beach.

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If you've been searching for a way to DIGITALLY assign students a quick assessment of a math skill to drive instruction, this video tutorial is for you!

Hi friends! I hope you’ve had a fabulous week this week! We have been working hard in my classroom on our Snow Globe Stories. I don’t know about your kids, but I imagine they are a lot like mine… when it comes time to edit and revise, they read it and SAY they’ve edited and […]