F...l....u....e.....n.....c.....y As I was finishing up my report cards a few weeks ago. I noticed that MANY of my students were FAILING not meeting the standards in fluency. I always talk about fluency, but I've never really stressed it. My teammates also had the same problem. They suggested that we all start doing Fry Phrases. I've also started using Jodi's Fluency packs. Then, as one of my Daily 5 mini-lessons, I did a fluency lesson. I made these posters to help them remember. With each poster there is also an action:Rate- Not too fast and not too slow {they pretend to run slow and run fast- with their arms}Expression- Don't sound like a robot {they do the robot dance- channel your inner 80's dance moves}Accuracy-Read the words right {they do a check mark in the air with their pointer finger}Punctuation- Read the punctuation marks {they make an exclamation point in the air} Then, once a week, after I do a running record on a student, I quickly have them fill out this self-assessment.
Grammar and Punctuation | The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Anna's reflections and archive: Games Academy Island is a nice educational game developed by Cambridge ESOL. The main character is an alien who is on an island and has to go through quite a few challenges in order to graduate from the academy. The island consists of a few towns: noun town, pronoun town, etc and each town has 2-3 shops and/or buildings which the alien has to enter in order to complete his challenge and gain a high enough score to be allowed to get into the academy building. In each shop and building the alein is asked to complete 4 sentences or answer 4 questions: these are all multiple choice. The 4-question set is timed. There are also some scrolls with 2 questions in each. A fun game that I am sure all English Language learners will enjoy.
Idioms Idioms are expressions that would have different meanings if you took the words apart. The individual words in the idiom don’t usually help you make sense of it; you just have to know what it means. It would be helpful to do some online practice to gain a better understanding of idioms. Here are a couple examples, along with their meanings. In the dark- The actual meaning for this would be that there is no light were you are, but the meaning of the idiom is that you don’t know what’s really going on. Inside joke- These words don’t make much sense together, but the meaning of this idiom is that it is a joke that only certain people will understand; maybe those inside the circle of friends. Idioms are fun to read, but they’re even more fun to use in your writing. Here are a few more you can use: catch you later, say the word, hit the roof, a piece of cake.
To Teach Effective Writing, Model Effective Writing I strive to teach my high school students the value of criticism, especially when it comes to improving their writing. To do so, I model how criticism continues to help me become a better writer. Earlier this year, for example, I shared a draft of one of my education feature articles, which included detailed feedback from an editor at a prominent media company. I want my students to feel secure in the knowledge that nobody is beyond criticism (even their teacher), and that the bigger challenge is developing the good sense to acknowledge and successfully respond to feedback. Along those lines, I also offer the suggestions below about teaching writing: 1. To teach effective writing, we must be effective writers ourselves. 2. No matter what you teach, share your written work. 3. No matter what you teach, write in front of students. 4. Create workshop environments, with multiple stations focusing on different aspects of writing. 5. 6. How do you teach effective writing?
English Grammar Online - free exercises, explanations, vocabulary, dictionary and teaching materials A song about the Kookaburra's call - English (2) - ABC Splash - Overview Have you heard a Kookaburra's call? Watch this clip and listen to the lyrics of the song performed by Don Spencer that captures in sounds and words the magical call of the kookaburra. 1 min 28 secs Source: Feathers, Fur and Fins | Learning area: English | Primary: Year 2 About this resource Acknowledgements Source: Feathers, Fur and Fins Date first broadcast: Cite this resource You can use this information to reference this item. Bibliographic details for 'A song about the Kookaburra's call': Feathers, Fur and Fins, ' A song about the Kookaburra's call', ABC Splash abcspla.sh/m/104386 11 June 2014 Copyright information Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated).
Thanks for trying the Visual Thesaurus The Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary and thesaurus that allows you to discover the connections between words in a visually captivating display. With a subscription you will also get access to the Spelling Bee, VocabGrabber, and Online Magazine. 14 day risk-free trial! Visual Thesaurus Unlike a paper-bound book, the Visual Thesaurus is fluid and dynamic, like the way you think. Subscribe Now Spelling Bee The Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee will sharpen your spelling skills and expand your vocabulary. VocabGrabber Take any text and Vocabgrabber will instantly pull out the most useful vocabulary words and show you how those words are used in context. Online Magazine The Visual Thesaurus magazine is a feast for language lovers, with informative features written by experts in fields ranging from word origins to copywriting. With a subscription to the Visual Thesaurus, you can: Find the right word and explore The Visual Thesaurus has over 150,000 words and 120,000 meanings. - New York Times
Syllabus bites: Types of sentences - Overview An understanding of the types and function of sentences is important in the development of language knowledge and usage. Familiarity with the terminology of the types of sentences will enable language knowledge to be applied in a variety of responding and composing activities. Explicit teaching about sentences should be embedded in the context of teaching of grammar to improve students’ understanding and language. When teaching about sentences, consider the following: What do my students know about sentence structure? An overview of outcomes and content descriptions related to sentences from the English K–10 syllabus can be found in the Syllabus links tab.