Reading and Wriitng Notebook FAQ I just started reading The Cafe Book yesterday by The Sisters and I am already so excited to make some changes in my classroom because of it. You can bet that I will be doing some serious posting about it during the next month as I begin to launch it in my classroom. I got a really great email from Lindsay today and thought I would answer her questions on the blog about my reading and writing notebooks. The first question she asked was, "Do your kids have both reading and writing notebooks?" The notebook that I use in my classroom is a combined reading and writing notebook. The second question was, "Are they responsible for bringing the notebooks to class each day or do you house them in your room? I am lucky enough to have the capabilities to store the notebooks in my classroom. I do a mixture of both. As we rebuild our notebooks, I am planning on sharing more details about them with you all.
37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom 37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom There are a lot of great technology tools out there for teachers that can make it easier to connect with other educators, get ideas for classroom activities, and find inspiration. One of the newest and best of these online tools is Pinterest, which has quickly become a favorite among educators. Using online “pinboards” teachers can save everything from photos to blog posts in one easily accessible and usable place. Educators who are curious about Pinterest should sign up for an invitation today (it’s still invite only, but it doesn’t take long to get an invitation) and start creating their own amazing collections of pins. Not sure where to start? Pinterest is ideal for getting inspired on a wide range of topics. Get inspiration for decorating your classroom. You’ll find a wealth of lessons and ideas on Pinterest to look through. Swap lesson plans. Collaborate with other teachers and educators. Pinterest doesn’t have to be all business.
Literature Circle Models After experimenting for many years, I discovered an approach that's easy, fun, and effective. I refer to it as Classroom Book Clubs because it's a more relaxed method of doing Literature Circles that doesn't involve roles. You can view a narrated slidecast to this model by scrolling down to the Classroom Book Clubs section. On this page you can also learn about different types of Literature Circles. Ways to Structure Literature Circles Classroom Book Clubs - My favorite method at the moment is a flexible approach to Literature Circles that does not require the use of extensive handouts and assignment booklets. Classroom Book Clubs I love this model because it's a very flexible and fun approach. Mini Literature Circles (Using Leveled Readers) Are you required to use a basal reading program in your classroom? Assign 3 or 4 students to a leveled reader based on their reading level. Literature Circles with Roles Some students enjoy having roles within their Literature Circles.
All-in-One Teacher Binder {printable} I just love binders! I like how everything can be sorted into neat little, hidden files, then stowed away oh so nicely on the shelf. However, I think I might like binders (as in the plural form) a bit too much. Thanks to the fabulous Leslie, from Kindergarten Works, I have decided to consolidate my system. Anyhow, I have kept my lesson plans and district standards together in the past, but usually kept other items in different binders and folders. I started by making my own laminated tabs, so they could be a bit bigger and color-coordinated the way I want. I made four larger tabs for the basic categories: Planning, Assessing, Grading, and Info. Planning Yearlong Calendar (Leslie shares a fantastic one on her blog!) Lesson Plans (an old template from last year) Standards and GLE's (These have been shrunken to print two to a page, front and back, since I need standards for both 4th and 5th grade, for all subjects). Assessing District Assessments to be given Grading Grading Reference Sheets
Inferencing Mini Lessons These lessons were modified and modeled from ideas in Strategies that Work by Harvey and Goudvis and Reading With Meaning by Miller. I am currently working on my Masters. One of my projects for a class was to create this HUGE unit using the Understanding By Design Backward Planning Model. I decided to create a unit about inferencing because this is an area I struggled with last year and was not really pleased with how I pulled it all together. Well, this project became a MONSTER. I had no idea how big the unit would become. Click here to see a content map of all the objectives taught in this unit. Books Used in the Unit Mini Lesson Plans Printable Copy of Plans Printable and Activities Used in This Unit Other Links and Resources Books Used In This Unit: A Study of Eve Bunting: Train to Somewhere Smoky Night The Blue and the Gray Fly Away Home Books for the Browsing Box: A Day's Work The Wednesday Day Surprise Gleam and Glow How Many Days to America: A Thanksgiving Story Dandelions Red Fox Running The Wall
Writer’s Workshop Anchor Charts I’ve always been a big fan of writing. I love to see the progress my kids make throughout the year…it’s always so remarkable!! No matter what stage they’re at when I get them, they always grow. My littles were excited to get their draft books on Monday. Then we read Click, Clack, Moo and talked about why the animals & farmer in the story wanted to write. We revisited our anchor chart today and made another. After I showed them examples of all of my writing, we made another little anchor chart all about WHAT writers write… I’m hanging all of these up in our little “Do you have a writer’s eye?” LOVING our Writers Workshop time so far!!! Tomorrow we’ll be creating a “What Can Writer’s Write About?” On Friday, I’ll be passing out their mini offices and we’ll be decorating our draft books and celebrating our first full week of writing!!! I’d love to hear about any fun activities you do to kick off writing in your classroom!! Happy Wednesday!!
Reader's Workshop This website is designed and maintained by Karen A. McDavid © 2004. Ideas, content, activities, and documents for this website are copyrighted by Karen A. McDavid and should not be copied or downloaded without permission. All graphics seen throughout this website should not be removed, copied, or downloaded. You may download the banner below with a link back to this site. Graphics by The Poem Farm Comprehension Strategies - Making connections, questioning, inferring, determining importance, and more from Strategies That Work, Mosaic of Thought, and Reading with Meaning, this page gives you information on the six comprehension strategies known as making connections, questioning, visualizing, inferring, determining importance, and synthesizing.
TCRWP - Teachers College Reading & Writing Project Teaching Young Writers