Engage your 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students with this fun Writing Boot Camp as they prepare for the state testing and end of the year assessments. This Writing Boot Camp resource will help your students practice opinion writing and informative writing skills by working through interactive station activities. This writing test prep resource reviews important writing skills like: punctuation, writing prompts, figurative language, grammar, and complex sentences. Everything you need to immerse your students in the Boot Camp theme is included in this fun and engaging writing test prep resource.
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We've all read fiction, but how to go about writing it? Nobody has the definitive answer.
It's been awhile since I did a post about Writing Workshop! My kiddos and I spent the month of January knee-deep in persuasive writing. I am incredibly pleased with their improvement over the course of the month, and happy to report that they have turned out some fabulous final products! To start off the unit and hook them in, I gathered the class on the carpet, adopted a very serious tone, and said, 5th graders, I have some very sad news to share with you. Mr. Principal has been thinking about canceling lunch recess. He thinks you guys need more learning time in your school day and that we don't have time to go outside for lunch recess. However, he is still considering the decision. I was thinking that maybe we could write him a letter to convince him how important lunch recess is. What do you think? Needless to say, the kiddos were outraged. To give you a little back story, our principal no longer allows us to take our class out for 5-10 minute "classroom recess" in addition to the lunch recess, so this was both especially terrible and especially believable news. We started out with brainstorming the different reasons that lunch recess was important. After the kids brainstormed with partners and shared with the class, I discussed the importance of appealing to one's audience in writing. If our audience was Mr. Principal, then we would need to choose reasons that Mr. Principal would think were valid. (i.e. not "it's fun" and "we like kickball.") The kids settled on three strong reasons, and we began to fill out a graphic organizer together on chart paper. One of my big goals for this unit has been to get the kiddos to use second order support as well as strong, detailed examples to support their main points. So, during this shared activity I really pushed them to elaborate on their reasons. Why does lunch recess help us learn? Why is social time at recess important? Why will Mr. Principal think that's important?? After spending a day or two planning our shared letter, I modeled using the graphic organizer to write a letter. I used to do this on chart paper, but this year have been hooking up my laptop to the LCD projector and typing. So much faster and easier. Anyways, after we finished the letter, I shared with the kiddos that lunch recess was not really going to be cancelled. We talked about the purpose behind persuasive writing (connecting it back to our Author's Purpose lessons), and began to brainstorm different things we would all like to have that we could write our own letters asking for. The kids came up with topics like their own bedroom, a cell phone, a pet, lockers, hot lunches at school, and a later start time to the school day. Then, we used this graphic organizer from Read Write Think to start planning. Over the next few days, the kids worked on their graphic organizers and rough drafts. I taught mini-lessons on topics including second order support, persuasive transitions, strong conclusions, and varied sentences. Here are some of the anchor charts we made and used. To help with varied sentences, I also had students go through their writing and underline the first word in each sentence. Then, we worked on restructuring sentences to change up the starting words. After the kiddos finished their letters, I gave them a choice of 4 or so other topics to write an essay about. We talked about how essays are different from letters, and worked on writing strong introductions, reviewing the "hooks" we learned earlier this year. Again, the kids wrote about similar things, including hot lunches, fast food for school lunch, school uniforms, kids having the right to vote, and lockers at school. The essays are turning out great too! All in all, a successful writing unit.
It's been awhile since I did a post about Writing Workshop! My kiddos and I spent the month of January knee-deep in persuasive writing. I...
A Back to School Boot Camp Classroom Transformation is a fun way to start your school year! Check out this post for ideas, activities & more.
It's been awhile since I did a post about Writing Workshop! My kiddos and I spent the month of January knee-deep in persuasive writing. I...
Engage your 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students with this fun Writing Boot Camp as they prepare for the state testing and end of the year assessments. This Writing Boot Camp resource will help your students practice opinion writing and informative writing skills by working through interactive station activities. This writing test prep resource reviews important writing skills like: punctuation, writing prompts, figurative language, grammar, and complex sentences. Everything you need to immerse your students in the Boot Camp theme is included in this fun and engaging writing test prep resource.
State testing season is a great time to review skills in an engaging and meaningful way, like this boot camp classroom transformation!
This year, I have decided to start all of my high school ELA classes with a Literary Analysis Essay Boot Camp. I have discovered over the years that all students in grades 9-12 at all levels need repetitive practice of the same essential writing skills, no matter the grade or level.
Break up the mid-winter slump and bring a Fluency Boot Camp into your classroom! What is a Fluency Boot Camp? No... you will not be shipping your students off (sorry), nor will students have to march around the room (your choice), but I can guarantee that your students' brains will be sweating as they participate in the classroom fluency camp you create! Just like any boot camp, students will build confidence through practice and drills. You can organize it for just one day, or you can set it up to last a full-week or month! Keep in mind, after just
After working over half a year with writing, my students were still struggling with writing COMPLETE sentences! I decided that we were going to have a Sentence Writing Boot Camp! Here's what this packet will include: -Distinguishing between sentences and fragments -Writing sentences with 3 parts (a who/what, action and finishing thought) -A fun manipulative sentence writing to get students writing longer, quality sentences -Sentence editing-both changing fragments into sentences and also just editing for spelling/grammar mistakes. I also included 2 Essential Question Posters to display while teaching. Check out my blog for more info! Rulin' The Roost
Engage your 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students with this fun Writing Boot Camp as they prepare for the state testing and end of the year assessments. This Writing Boot Camp resource will help your students practice opinion writing and informative writing skills by working through interactive station activities. This writing test prep resource reviews important writing skills like: punctuation, writing prompts, figurative language, grammar, and complex sentences. Everything you need to immerse your students in the Boot Camp theme is included in this fun and engaging writing test prep resource.
This is Writer’s Boot Camp Week. Welcome. Just don’t take your coat off. Just kidding. Sort of.
It's been awhile since I did a post about Writing Workshop! My kiddos and I spent the month of January knee-deep in persuasive writing. I am incredibly pleased with their improvement over the course of the month, and happy to report that they have turned out some fabulous final products! To start off the unit and hook them in, I gathered the class on the carpet, adopted a very serious tone, and said, 5th graders, I have some very sad news to share with you. Mr. Principal has been thinking about canceling lunch recess. He thinks you guys need more learning time in your school day and that we don't have time to go outside for lunch recess. However, he is still considering the decision. I was thinking that maybe we could write him a letter to convince him how important lunch recess is. What do you think? Needless to say, the kiddos were outraged. To give you a little back story, our principal no longer allows us to take our class out for 5-10 minute "classroom recess" in addition to the lunch recess, so this was both especially terrible and especially believable news. We started out with brainstorming the different reasons that lunch recess was important. After the kids brainstormed with partners and shared with the class, I discussed the importance of appealing to one's audience in writing. If our audience was Mr. Principal, then we would need to choose reasons that Mr. Principal would think were valid. (i.e. not "it's fun" and "we like kickball.") The kids settled on three strong reasons, and we began to fill out a graphic organizer together on chart paper. One of my big goals for this unit has been to get the kiddos to use second order support as well as strong, detailed examples to support their main points. So, during this shared activity I really pushed them to elaborate on their reasons. Why does lunch recess help us learn? Why is social time at recess important? Why will Mr. Principal think that's important?? After spending a day or two planning our shared letter, I modeled using the graphic organizer to write a letter. I used to do this on chart paper, but this year have been hooking up my laptop to the LCD projector and typing. So much faster and easier. Anyways, after we finished the letter, I shared with the kiddos that lunch recess was not really going to be cancelled. We talked about the purpose behind persuasive writing (connecting it back to our Author's Purpose lessons), and began to brainstorm different things we would all like to have that we could write our own letters asking for. The kids came up with topics like their own bedroom, a cell phone, a pet, lockers, hot lunches at school, and a later start time to the school day. Then, we used this graphic organizer from Read Write Think to start planning. Over the next few days, the kids worked on their graphic organizers and rough drafts. I taught mini-lessons on topics including second order support, persuasive transitions, strong conclusions, and varied sentences. Here are some of the anchor charts we made and used. To help with varied sentences, I also had students go through their writing and underline the first word in each sentence. Then, we worked on restructuring sentences to change up the starting words. After the kiddos finished their letters, I gave them a choice of 4 or so other topics to write an essay about. We talked about how essays are different from letters, and worked on writing strong introductions, reviewing the "hooks" we learned earlier this year. Again, the kids wrote about similar things, including hot lunches, fast food for school lunch, school uniforms, kids having the right to vote, and lockers at school. The essays are turning out great too! All in all, a successful writing unit.
Readers love dialogue. Why? Because it breaks up the monotony of big ol’ chunks of text. Personally, when I see pages and pages of sprawling paragraphs, it gives me flashbacks of reading horr…
Break up the mid-winter slump and bring a Fluency Boot Camp into your classroom! What is a Fluency Boot Camp? No... you will not be shipping your students off (sorry), nor will students have to march around the room (your choice), but I can guarantee that your students' brains will be sweating as they participate in the classroom fluency camp you create! Just like any boot camp, students will build confidence through practice and drills. You can organize it for just one day, or you can set it up to last a full-week or month! Keep in mind, after just
College Essay Boot Camp Peer-Editing...
Engage your 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students with this fun Writing Boot Camp as they prepare for the state testing and end of the year assessments. This Writing Boot Camp resource will help your students practice opinion writing and informative writing skills by working through interactive station activities. This writing test prep resource reviews important writing skills like: punctuation, writing prompts, figurative language, grammar, and complex sentences. Everything you need to immerse your students in the Boot Camp theme is included in this fun and engaging writing test prep resource.
Left, left, left right left. Get your students boot camp strong with this sentence writing practice. Students will extend their writing skills and practice writing descriptive and detailed sentences. This bundle includes the printable and digital version (digital version can be used with Google Classroom™). This bundle is perfect for hybrid teachers and/or teachers who would like access to this book study in print and digital format. See the preview above to see what is included in this bundle. This is a BUNDLE of the digital and printable version of the Boot Camp Writing Practice resource in my store. To see what is included in the bundle click below... Printable Boot Camp Writing Digital Boot Camp Writing Included in the Boot Camp Writing Practice Bundle: Printable Boot Camp Writing includes: 16 task cards Recording sheet Answer key Digital Boot Camp Writing includes: 16 task cards Recording sheet Step by Step Directions for Adding Resource to Google Classroom™ You might also be interested in: Digital and Printable Singular and Plural Nouns Practice Bundle Digital and Printable Opinion Writing Prompts Digital and Printable Create Your Own Addition Word Problems Follow my store to be notified when I post new products. Thank you for checking out my product! Jordan - Team J's Classroom Fun
Reading Boot Camp: "Sample Daily Schedule" Reading Boot Camp is the perfect tool to help ALL students transition to the Rigorous and Demanding College and Career Ready ELA Reading Standards. The schedule below is a sample of the many RBC literacy activities and it lightly touches on the enrichment activities. Reading Boot Camp Philosophy: Awaken or reawaken the desire for learning and imagination, let the light of wisdom and reason shine in. Solemnity, harmony, and literacy are distant visions for some teachers on day one, yet the seed is planted rigorously, feed constantly, and blossoms over the 20 plus days. Reading Boot Camp is a teaching philosophy that uses collaborative teaching, cooperative learning structures, active student learning, and teacher made curriculum that has many levels, structures, and strategies designed to meet the needs of individual children and classrooms. “Reading Boot Camp is a sure fire way to rev-up reading in your classroom. RBC has no magical remedy, just uses consistent teaching practices, significant time on task~reading with student accountability, coupled with high interest reading, student motivation and effort. Students who participated in Reading Boot Camp the summer of 2011 at Wilson K-8 and then for three weeks as the 2011 school year began, enjoyed the routines of daily singing to music with lyrics, poetry readings, word work drills, reading fluency drills, student choice in reading, academic word games, and motivational brain breaks which translated to student success. Does Reading Boot Camp work, YES! Students grow in their reading ability, are motivated to read, recite, and sing to lyrics, while reading which equals a high level of student engagement and more time on task reading!” Cindy Senn, Wilson k-8 Reading Specialist/Teacher The RBC schedule is not set in stone! Fluency Drills, Sight Word Drills, Singing, Exercising, Emotional Intelligence Lessons (Formative Handicrafts), Literacy Games, Academic Vocabulary Games (Legendary Lands), Poetry Readings, Book Clubs, Close Reading, Socratic Seminars, Recess and Play, Authors Circles, Jokes, Riddles, Plays, and Tons of Reading Fun! Reading Boot Camp Philosophy: Every half hour take a brain break! Sing lots of songs Build Reading Fluency!!!! Twice a day minimum incorporate formative handicrafts Käsityö Repeat all declarative lessons (Ex. Vocabulary Tier 1, 2, and 3) within two hours to maximize long term memory of materials Keep it fun Play games and more board games Be creative Use Cooperative Learning Structures Skip the published basal readers and computer reading software 8:35 Morning Motivational, Inspirational Read Aloud, and Emotional Intelligence Building “Can I get an Hazzah: ” We start the day with ”Curiosity Mindset Indoctrination” an old school method of classic fairy tales, parables, inspirational stories, and fables. I share the epic stories of courage, virtue, honor, perseverance, responsibility, duty, fortitude, chivalry, civility, empathy, sacrifice, and most importantly, an exemplary work ethic. Two Rules: BE NICE and BE HELPFUL or BE VIRTUES and BE BENEVOLENT! KEEP THE GOALS SMART, CHALLENGING, SHORT, AND FUN! 8:45 Morning goals and preview: We set daily, weekly, and monthly goals, with active charting of all data for a strong visual cue of each student's progress. Class and student goals are always set at or above grade level, even for students who are four years below grade level. All class goals are posted in the class and updated regularly as students meet and surpass goals. Daily goals include tasks completed for homework and class work. For intermediate students, we list at least seven daily goals: 1) I will read, analyze, and diagram two-four poems, and select one to memorize for daily recitation; 2) I will read or reread two short stories and complete vocabulary comprehension exercises (questions); 3) I will read two chapters from a grade-level text and write a story map for each; 4) I will write five to fifteen, kid-friendly sentences with at least six to eight words each using the review vocabulary; 5) I will write one poem in student-selected cursive in my Book of Memories ( a collection of students best work and cherished knowledge); 6) I will study, review, or learn twenty five new words, ideas, facts, jokes, stanzas, phrases, limericks, rhymes, riddles, antonyms, synonyms, quotes, parables, folktales, myths, fables, and or fairy tales; and 7) We set big goals but keep many easy to attain! Do not try to do all this in a day!!! A goal can be as simple as do your homework. Primary Goals; 1) I will learn and have fun!; 2) I will read 25-50 words with my partner and make and share kid friendly sentences; 3) I will actively listen and ask complete questions; 4) I will read two poems and find the words that help me create a picture in my mind (imagery) “Try to learn 25 new things everyday at school or at home!” Goals: Students who meet their daily, weekly, and monthly goals can earn time for art lessons, hot cocoa with the teacher, Chinese noodles for lunch, homework passes, and the kids favorite a ten-minute dance party. Students who do nothing to meet their goals are dressed down and read the riot act using kid logic and parables to re-teach the work ethic and responsibility. I eat lunch with my students most days, so they can share what’s going on in their lives. I invite students who seem to be lost and have no desire to participate in school to join me for lunch. I let them know I am going to do everything in my power to teach them how to read and to keep them on task. I am a tough, no-nonsense teacher, and letting the kids talk and laugh with me at lunch lets them see me as someone other than the reading drill sergeant. It helps kids relate and feel more comfortable in the classroom. Reading Boot Camp 2.0 English Language Arts: 20 Day Curriculum Map Reading Boot Camp Daily Must Do's! 1. Daily Reading Fluency Practice: Literature and Informational Text 2. Daily Read Alouds with Socratic Seminars: Analyzing and Discussing Literature 3. Mini ELA Concept-Lesson/Teaching Points: See daily teaching points 4. Small Group Guided Reading: Close Reading Strategies (Summarize and paraphrase main ideas in Literary Fiction, nonfiction, & Expository / Informational Text) 5. Independent Close Reading: One Page Close Reading Passages Literature and Informational Text 6. Shared Reading / Reading Literature (Harry Potter) and Informational Text (Make inferences/draw conclusions) 7. Multimodal Word Study: Tier1, 2, and 3 Academic Vocabulary / Context Clues / Multimeaning words / Word Analysis · Greek and Latin Roots · Base Words · Prefixes, Affixes, and Suffixes 8. Writing Focus: Dependent on Grade Level ELA Standards Week #1 Narrative Writing and Poetry or Research-Based Informational Writing, Week #2: Opinion and Informational Writing or Research-Based Opinion/Argument Essays Week #3 Research-Based Informational Writing or Narrative Writing, or Poetry Week #4 Opinion and Informational Writing or Research-Based Opinion/Argument Essays WEEK One WEEK Two WEEK Three WEEK Four WEEK Five? Teaching Points: · Greek and Latin Roots · Base Words · Prefixes, Affixes, and Suffixes · multimeaning words · contexts clues · Atmosphere & Setting · Mood vs. Tone · Sensory Details (words) in Writing AT LEVEL REVIEW: 7 elements of narative stories, plot, character types, setting, conflict, resolution TEXT FEATURES EXPOSITORY TEXT Advanced review: Cited textual evidence · text annotation · 5 Organizational Structure of Different Genres · Connections among and across texts & genres Teaching Points: · Narrative text, 7 main genres of fiction · plot development, including subplot ·3+ types of conflict · resolution · LITERARY DEVICES · LITERARY FORMS · LITERARY ELEMENTS AT LEVEL REVIEW: Making inferences, Drawing Conclusions, and locating supporting Information Advaced review: · Point of view, first/third. limited vs omniscient and subj vs. objective · character qualities that influence theme and conflict · Character Analysis · characterization Teaching Points: · Expository text, 5 main structures of · Inference · Predictions · Drawing Conclusions ·, Signal words · Locating Key Information (Close Reading) TEXT FEATURES of EXPOSITORY TEXT AT LEVEL REVIEW: · Narrative text, 7 main genres of fiction · plot development, including subplot · 3+ types of conflict · Character qualities that influence theme and conflict Advaced review: literary devices: allusion, diction, epigraph, euphemism, foreshadowing, imagery, metaphor/simile, personification… Teaching Points: · Plot development, including subplot · Character qualities that influence theme and conflict · Point of view, limited vs omniscient and subj vs. objective AT LEVEL REVIEW: · LITERARY DEVICES · LITERARY FORMS · LITERARY ELEMENTS · Connections among and across texts & genres Advaced review: · Persuasive and argumentative text · Factual claims, counter claims, · Textual evidence · Assertions · Opinions, reasons & evedence ·… Teaching Points: Poetry forms · poetry terms · poetry types and structures · Main Idea and Supporting Details · Inference, Predictions, Drawing Conclusions, and Locating Key Information HOT Vocabulary HOT Vocabulary HOT Vocabulary HOT Vocabulary HOT Vocabulary compare & contrast (distinguish between), cause & effect, restate, support & supporting details/evidence, reinforce, details, context categorize, determine, predict, reference, retell, informational, restate, paraphrase, related, evidence, evaluate, convince clarify, claim, bias, conclude, contribute, resolution, opinions, persuade. prejudice, stereotype, argument, reasoning convince, conclude, evaluate, evidence, characteristics, cite, comparative, persuade, persuasive Day #1 Essential Questions, Academic and Concept Vocabulary, Teaching Points, and ELA Lesson Focus! WHAT ARE WORDS and WHY are they so IMPORTANT? Day #1 Essential Questions: How can you determine the meaning of a word using its roots and/or affixes? How are words formed or created? What are the origins of the English language? How do Greek and Latin Roots help a reader clarify unfamiliar words? Extension: How do context clues enable a reader to comprehend advance or complex texts? Day One Concept Focus (Background Knowledge): Some words have an affix at the beginning, which is called a prefix, and others have an affix at the end, which is called a suffix. Words can also have both a prefix and a suffix. Some common prefixes include: de-, mis-, pre-, and un-. Common suffixes include: -ing, -ly, -ness, and -y. Objective: Students will explore, read, review, build background knowledge, and discuss the concept of root words with prefixes and suffixes and identify their meanings. Word Analysis/ Concept Word Study | Academic and Concept Vocabulary Focus Day #1 Greek and Latin Roots, Base Words, Prefixes, Affixes, and Suffixes. Day One Concept Focus Extensions (Background Knowledge): Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing the meaning word. Part of reading comprehension involves using the other words in a sentence or passage to understand an unknown word. An author often includes hints, or clues, to help the reader expand vocabulary and grasp the meaning of the passage. Spiraling Reading Strategies and ELA Concept Review Day #1 Essential Questions: Understanding and making meaning from a text requires background knowledge and locating facts in the text. What are the best strategies to make an inference and draw a conclusion when I read? Teaching Points /Concept Vocabulary Tier 3: Inference, Predictions, Drawing Conclusions, and Locating Key Information (Close Reading) Tier 2: compare & contrast, cause & effect, restate, support & supporting details, reinforce, details, context Socratic Seminar Topic: What did Ludwig Wittgenstein mean by "the limits of my language are the limits of my world"? Lesson Ideas and Resource Links: Prefix-Suffix-Root List by Grade Level Analyzing Words with Roots and Affixes: Centers # 2 Analyzing Words with Roots and Affixes: Centers # 1 Greek and Latin Roots Lesson Plans Analyzing Words with Roots and Affixes: Plus Games Tic-TAKE-Toe™ Prefixes and Suffixes Day #2 Essential Questions, Academic and Concept Vocabulary, Teaching Points, and ELA Lesson Focus! How do stories create empathy in the reader and why is this so important for our social wellness? Day #2 Essential Questions: What can fiction do better than nonfiction? Why? How do the characterization, conflict, and plot of a work of nonfiction differ from those of a work of fiction? What makes fiction narrative different from other types of writing? What are the main characteristics of a short story? Day Two Concept Focus (Background Knowledge): A narrative is a literary work that involves the retelling of a story. To develop an effective narrative essay, paper, poem or book, you need to include several common narrative elements. These elements include a main theme of the story, characters, a plot and the setting. Author's craft is the art of writing immersive stories. It is the writer's intentional use of LITERARY DEVICES and LITERARY ELEMENTS to create introspective thoughts and or emotions in the reader. Word Analysis/ Concept Word Study | Academic and Concept Vocabulary Focus Day #2 CHARACTER, THEME, PLOT, POINT OF VIEW / Types of Point of View, SETTING, CONFLICT, and TONE. Exposition, rising action, conflict, turning points, plot twist, climax, falling action, resolution Conversation, converse, dialogue 5 stages of a Story: 1 – Exposition. Exposition is the beginning of the story. The author sets up the story including characters, setting, and main conflicts. 2 - Rising Action. The Rising Action occurs throughout the story. This is where conflicts start to build. 3 – Climax. The Climax is the turning point of the story. This point in the story is when conflicts start to move in a different direction and it may not always be a positive direction. 4 - Falling Action. Falling Action occurs after the climax as conflicts start to resolve in the story. The excitement of the climax means the end is near. 5 – Resolution. The Resolution is the solution to the problem as you have reached. The solution might not be what you want, but the conflict has been resolved. Day Two Concept Focus Extensions (Background Knowledge): 5 types of text organization: Description. This type of text structure features a detailed description of something to give the reader a mental picture. EXAMPLE: A book may tell all about whales or describe what the geography is like in a particular region. Cause and Effect. This structure presents the causal relationship between an specific event, idea, or concept and the events, ideas, or concept that follow. EXAMPLE: Weather patterns could be described that explain why a big snowstorm occurred. Comparison/Contrast. This type of text examines the similarities and differences between two or more people, events, concepts, ideas, etc. EXAMPLE: A book about ancient Greece may explain how the Spartan women were different from the Athenian women. Order/Sequence. This text structure gives readers a chronological of events or a list of steps in a procedure. EXAMPLE: A book about the American revolution might list the events leading to the war. In another book, steps involved in harvesting blue crabs might be told. Problem-Solution, This type of structure sets up a problem or problems, explains the solution, and then discusses the effects of the solution. EXAMPLE: Click here to view an example of Problem-Solution text structure. Spiraling Reading Strategies and ELA Concept Review Day #2 Essential Questions: How are the various types of argumentative writing similar or different? How …… type of writing similar or different from ….. types of writing? What kind of organization could be used for this form of writing? Teaching Points /Concept Vocabulary Tier 3: Tier 2: convince, conclude, evaluate, evidence, characteristics, comparative, persuade, persuasive Socratic Seminar Topic: "Amat victoria curam" "Victory loves preparation" The Seven Key Elements of Fiction Day #3 Essential Questions, Academic and Concept Vocabulary, Teaching Points, and ELA Lesson Focus! Why is mood, atmosphere, tone, and the writers style important to building an emotional connection and draw the readers into the story. Day #3 Essential Questions: How are words used to create the mood or atmosphere in a story? How are words used to reflect a positive or negative tone in a story? How is tone related to atmosphere and mood? Day Two Concept Focus (Background Knowledge): Atmosphere, Mood, Tone.. While “tone” is the writer's attitude towards the story, “mood” is the feeling the reader gets from the authors style of writing. Tone often describes the writing overall, but the mood (feeling) of a piece of writing can change throughout it. Tone and mood in fiction and literature are created by a writer's style and ... identify what's important to him, but also affect the reader's response and feelings. ... of which is ideal when you want to draw a reader deep into story. ... It's not the reader's emotions, but the atmosphere (the vibe) of a scene or story. Word Analysis/Word Study | Academic and Concept Vocabulary Focus Day #2 · Atmosphere, Mood, Tone, Setting, Imagery and Descriptive Visual Words MOOD = EMOTIONS & FEELINGS Create a list of mood words TONE= Positive or Negative ATTITUDE Create a list of attitude words Mood = ATMOSPHERE = Sensory Details and Words in in Writing Spiraling Reading Strategies and ELA Concept Focus Day #3 Essential questions: What are some strategies to find the theme or the main ideas in a story? How are the theme and the main idea similar and or different (compare and contrast)? Essential Concepts: Main ideas are typically found in a literary passage. Central ideas are found in an informational text · The theme is the lesson or message that the writer wants to get across in his or her story. Teaching Points / Concept Vocabulary Tier 3: Main Idea, Central Ideas, Topic, Theme, and Points of View Tier 2: categorize, determine, sequencing, claim, inform, persuade, Advanced Teaching Points / Concept Vocabulary Character qualities that influence theme and conflict, Point of view limited vs omniscient and subj vs. objective Socratic Seminar Topic: “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” ― John Green Lesson Ideas and Resource Links: Tone & Mood Word ListsTone vs. MoodTone and Mood - inetTeacherMOOD vs TONE. MOOD AND TONETeaching tone & mood - TDifference Between Mood and Tone - Worksheet - Freeology CLOSE READING STRATEGIES on TEST 1. What does the title tell you? Is this a persuasive text, expository text, narrative text, or technical text? 2. Skim the text and label/annotate the headings, titles, subheadings, pictures, diagrams, captions, and any text features 3. Read the text closely and annotate each paragraph seeking the main ideas, themes, mood, tone, points of view...Annotate in the margins and take notes. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph and find the main ideas. 4. Read the question carefully and circle 1 or 2 keywords/clues in the questions and one keyword/clue in each of the multiple choice questions or distractor choices. 5. Skim the text and find the exact text or passage that supports your first answer choice or conclusion. 6. Investigate and eliminate the 2 or 3 distractors or DECEIVERS with the same close reading strategies. Distractors are designed to fool the passive reader. 7. Annotate and X-OUT the distractors, why are they wrong and what is your proof/evidence? 8. Find and prove your answer using text evidence and circle the correct answer and highlight it! Grade Level Reading Fluency Goals 1st Grade 80 Words Correct Per Minute 2nd 140 WCPM 3rd 160 4th 180 5th 195 6th 205 7th 210 8th 215 READING ENDURANCE GOALS Sustained Out-Load Reading 1st Grade 20-30 minutes 2nd 30-40 minutes 3rd 40-60 minutes 4th 60-80 minutes 5th 80-100 minutes 6th 100-120 minutes 7th 100-120 minutes 8th 100-120 minutes Morning Songs | Start the Day RIGHT! 8:50 Vocabulary Games: VOCABULARY SPARKLE Have your children stand or sit on their desk so they are facing the teacher. Start at either end of room and give the first child a vocabulary word or definition. They say the definition or kid friendly sentence if given the vocabulary word or they must give the word when a definition is given. The child that cannot give an answer says SPARKLE and must sit down. Continue the game until you are down to one child! The last child that has answered all the vocabulary gets a small bag of popcorn. Every child that answers a hard vocabulary question correctly gets a pretzel, stamp, or a sticker. They love this and it is great review for challenging academic vocabulary! Start with a mix of easy and hard words to get the kids excited and ready to study the challenging academic words. We use Tier 2 and Tier 3 Academic Vocabulary. 8:54 WORD WORK DRILLS: Vocabulary Drills and Practice With Buddy: Vocabulary Building Activities Graded word list used daily to build phonemic awareness, word attack skills, articulation, power, and fluency. Students read the words up to ten times per day, as needed, at the start of Reading Boot Camp to reinforce fluency and word attack skills. The drills are quick, one-time read-through that take about a minute to read the twenty to forty words. ALL VOCABULARY (WORD WALLS) I USE DURING READING BOOT CAMP ARE CONTAINED IN A SPELLER! THE SPELLER CONTAINS ALL GRADED VOCABULARY, ACADEMIC WORDS, FLUENCY DRILLS, POETRY, SHORT STORIES, And ACADEMIC GLOSSARIES. Ask students to keep an efficient pace and use timers to guide the class. Students with attention problems do well with this task. After reading the vocabulary list for fluency have students share kid friendly sentences, antonyms, synonyms and definitions. Students that are learning English are asked to repeat the sentences or definition they just heard. Activities can be done with a partner or in small groups. Sample from Primary Speller Week 1 1st Grade Comprehensive English Vocabulary Tier 1, 2 & 3 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY the I it had at of that with you her and was is not by to he for be which in his as on have Week 1 2nd Grade Comprehensive English Vocabulary Tier 1, 2 & 3 down never those way long good where come without being men old shall life well own day himself make through most work came go might Week 1 3rd Grade Comprehensive English Vocabulary Tier 1, 2 & 3 rise built middle rate provided sake touch promise looked pale spot courage sky lower higher winter board complete distribute loss breath official physical instance offer Comprehensive Academic Vocabulary Tier 3 Reading Language Arts Math Science Social Studies Author Punctuation Add degree America Plot Noun Shorter balance citizen Setting Sentence Pattern environment community Characters Rhyme Taller shelter country Atlas Pronoun Smaller thermometer governor Paragraph Abbreviation Subtract light president Comprehensive Academic Vocabulary Tier 2 Blooms Taxonomy Vocabulary Category Tell Read Match Compare Create Make Describe Predict Discuss Sort Show Sequence Question Answer 9:10 Quick Reading Drills: Fluency drill: Students use a collection of teacher-made fluency drills to quickly read a passage and assess a reading fluency rate. Students are trained to complete the Running Record and monitor, record and prepare a simple miscue analysis for their peers. Students then switch roles and repeat the Running Record process. The students calculate, or get help calculating, their own words-per-minute fluency rate. Extensions: The student then read and reread the fluency drill to practice inflection, articulation, and expression with peer and teacher modeling. The first time a passage is introduced, I read the passage with power and inflection as it would be performed as a recitation for an audience. We discuss vocabulary and background knowledge to insure full understanding of the literature. 9:15 Poetry and Prose: Students can read a quick poems with a reading buddy or come together for formal poetry readings and student recitation. Formal poetry readings start with soft jazz music and students sitting with their poetry books in hand, reading along as a student reads or I perform a selected poem. Students who have mastered a poem are invited to recite for the class. We critique the poem for articulation, emotions, and our thoughts and impressions. Extensions: Jazz and poetry can run longer than the five to ten minutes that I give it during Reading Boot Camp. Reading collections of poems from the same author and doing a more thorough analysis is time well spent and makes life-long readers of poetry. There are many "aah . . ." and "Wow!" teachable moments in poetry. Digging deeper into poetry helps teach the hardest concepts in reading, such as inference, author's view point, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and allusion. Extensions: Riddles and Jokes are also used to teach inferential thinking skills. 9:25 Guided Reading or Close Reading: Students participate in an Oprah-style book club during Reading Boot Camp and throughout the year. All students (and the teacher) read the same award-winning chapter book. I usually start with a book that is one grade above the level I teach to insure a very steep learning curve. Harry Potter books are favorites. Whenever a student or I read to the class, the students always have the text in front of them. The students read along silently with the reader, their fingers following word-for-word. To begin, I read the first few pages (no more than half of the chapter). I stop frequently to do a 'think aloud' to show my thoughts and opinions. Any passage that has a teachable moment is seized to help students understand complex concepts. Background knowledge and challenging vocabulary are explained and simplified with synonyms and examples. Students have a short breakout reading session with their peers and reread what I read to them. Students are grouped in many ways, from picking groups randomly using popsicle sticks, to forming groups using student data. Students take turns reading two pages and then actively monitoring for understanding and decoding. The student who monitors the reader must ask three questions that show a deep understanding of what was just read. The impressions of characters feelings, motivations, author's viewpoint, and vocabulary are discussed and analyzed for meaning. Students who cannot decode a word or don’t know its meaning get assistance from their peers, or, if needed, from the teacher. 9:50 Brain Breaks: Educational Sloyd "handicrafts training that incorporates character building", Games, Poems. and Music and Lyrics: Students learn to sing 10-20 songs during RBC. We usually start with the Beatles or classics from the great singer songwriters. Use everything and anything to bring literacy into the classroom, Even Zumba! Music and Movement with a Twist! 9:55 Quick Fluency drill: Students retake the previous fluency drill to improve their wpm scores. 10:00 Music and Movement: After sustained, focused reading and concentration, students take a music and movement break in the form of a high-energy tune and kung fu exercises. The kids do deep knee bends, push ups, and other stretching exercises -- think Tie Chi and New Wave Rave music. Extensions: I will turn the music and movement break into a longer lesson by having the students listen to a song with great poetic lyrics. The goal for the students is to listen and write down all the lyrics. The students' focus quickly turns to mania to get all the lyrics written down. Active listening is very easy to teach with this method, especially if you use a song from No Doubt to Katy Perry. ' 10:05 Story Maps and Journaling: Students write a story map or journal entry to strengthen reading concepts. Students work together with their reading partners or with the teacher together for the second part of the guided reading instruction. We review important concepts to look for and discuss the main idea of the chapter. I model a proper story map on the chalk board and show students my thought processes on selecting important detail. Students break out into groups and revisit the chapter they just read earlier with their peers. They review the chapter again, stopping to write challenging and interesting vocabulary. Then they sequence important details as they happen in the chapter. Students can use the author’s words and phrases or put them into their own words, depending on their ability. Students take turns reading and helping with selecting important content and discussing what is actually important. Students usually have fifteen to twenty vocabulary words and ten to twenty sentences in sequential order. We Spend 30% of the day goofing off with enrichment activities! Handicraft "Käsityö", Paper Sloyd. Singing Songs, Playing Games, Hunting for Sand Rubies in the Sand Box, Dancing to Bollywood Songs, Dressing Up, Hand Weaving, and every other fun activity that makes learning fun! We Take a Brain Break Every Half Hour! The Praisers Club Affirmation Poster Party! The Students Play Games Twice A Day! The Kids Favorite Quick Brain Break is Hand Weaving "Käsityö"! 10:45 Word Work Vocabulary Practice with Peers | Dragons and Airships or Alien Vocabulary Game | (Tier 3 and Tier 2 Testing Words) Use this free tier 3 academic vocabulary game to background knowledge and build Reading ELA readiness. The game is designed to be a fun way to build academic vocabulary using a game students already know, snakes and ladders. . Complete Vocabulary Game Card Set Vocabulary Game RULEs Alien Vocabulary Game Board 11:05 Direct Vocabulary Instruction: ELA and Reading Testing Vocabulary: This is even made into a camp style activity. Three tiers of vocabulary are used during vocabulary instruction. Grade level Tier 1 reading/spelling vocabulary, Tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary, and a grade below Tier 1 for review. six-ten words from each academic Tier are selected and explicitly taught with definition and kid friendly examples. We read, write, define, categorize Tier 1 vocabulary, and students use in a sentence, I try to make funny or odd sentences to help students remember. Tier 1 Vocabulary is also, alphabetized, syllabified, categorized (noun, verb, adjective etc.) and roots, suffix, prefixes are examined in a discussion forum. Students then write one kid-friendly sentence per word for Tier 1 grade level vocabulary, with at least six to eight words, to show understanding. I give students examples of strong sentences and weak sentences to model competent writing. Students can use my sentences to help with the process at the beginning. Most vocabulary words are discussed and made into sentences by the teacher to help students with active listening before they have to write them. Extensions: Students who are reading at grade level are instructed to choose harder words and analyze and write more complex sentences. 11:25 MORE BRAIN GAMES: VOCABULARY SPARKLE Have your children stand or sit on their desk so they are facing the teacher. Start at either end of room and give the first child a vocabulary word or definition. They say the definition or kid friendly sentence if given the vocabulary word or they must give the word when a definition is given. The child that cannot give an answer says SPARKLE and must sit down. Continue the game until you are down to one child! The last child that has answered all the vocabulary gets a small bag of popcorn. Every child that answers a hard vocabulary question correctly gets a pretzel, stamp, or a sticker. They love this and it is great review for challenging academic vocabulary! Start with a mix of easy and hard words to get the kids excited and ready to study the challenging academic words. Teaching Poetic Devices with Lyrics!! 11:30 SMARTBoard Read Aloud: Alice in Wonderland, Chapter One: Students gather around the SMARTBoard to read and listen to Alice in Wonderland. I load the PDF ebook to display on the SMARTBoard, select the Librivox audio book, and start the presentation. I ask for a volunteer to use the pointer to help students follow the text as its being read by the Librivox narrator. The students relax and listen to Alice and I have time to work with a student or put my feet up and take a breather. I am lucky to have a SMARTBoard to help with reading instruction and lesson planning. Before the SMARTBoard, I was stuck using my Aver key and my TV. Make Reading an Event! 11:30 Short Stories: Many teachers do not have a SMARTBoard, so this type of read aloud is not possible in that format. Teachers can use their computer and/or an Aver key to do a modified read aloud. Teachers, who do not have access to technology, can use a student-led reading group to read a short story. Students select a short story from their anthologies and round-robin read with their groups. The teacher can join a group, or work one-on-one with a student who is struggling. Groups should be formed using student data to insure each group has one strong reader. They read the story, and if they have time, read a second story, taking turns reading and discussing important details and interesting concepts. 12:00 Morning Wrap: Quick discussions of morning goals, learning, and methods are critiqued to improve the learning environment. Exemplary students who demonstrate excellent manners and etiquette are praised and celebrated. 12:05: Brain Breaks: Music and Lyrics: 12:10 Recess and Lunch: Students who are not on task, who play or goof around, lack manners or good school-etiquette are kept in during recess to re-teach those skills that are needed to succeed. I use an old-school method of positive behavior modification in the form of writing sentences. Positive affirmations are used to help modify attitude and behavior. Intermediate students, who are chronically off the mark, write twenty five affirmations to start the reprogramming and they lose their lunch recess. 12:40 Vocabulary Practice With Buddy: Vocabulary Building Activities 12:50 Quick Fluency drill: Students retake the previous fluency drill to improve their wpm scores. 12:55 Poetry and Prose: Students buddy read a poem or come together for student recitation or performance. We start the soft jazz music and sit with our poetry books in hand, reading along as the students recite or perform a selected poem. The fountains mingle with the river And the rivers with the ocean, The winds of heaven mix for ever With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single, All things by a law divine In one another's being mingle - Why not I with thine? See the mountains kiss high heaven And the waves clasp one another; No sister-flower would be forgiven If it disdain'd its brother: And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea - What are all these kissings worth, If thou kiss not me? 1:00 Academic Vocabulary Instruction: Six challenging words are selected, usually at a grade above what is taught. I use a fifth grade vocabulary list for some, and sixth grade for a few students. Vocabulary is reviewed, categorized (noun, verb, adjective etc.) and synonyms and antonyms are diagrammed on the SMARTBoard or chalk board. I give three examples of each word in a sentence to help students understand the meaning. Students then write one kid-friendly sentence per word, with at least six words, to show understanding. Students are allowed to use my sentences or write their own. Extensions: Students above grade level can assist with writing and editing of peers' work and reading if they are competent and good role models. Students can also assist with analyzing new poems and literature for challenging vocabulary and suggested lessons. 1:10 VOCABULARY SPARKLE Have your children stand or sit on their desk so they are facing the teacher. Start at either end of room and give the first child a vocabulary word or definition. They say the definition or kid friendly sentence if given the vocabulary word or they must give the word when a definition is given. The child that cannot give an answer says SPARKLE and must sit down. Continue the game until you are down to one child! The last child that has answered all the vocabulary gets a small bag of popcorn. Every child that answers a hard vocabulary question correctly gets a pretzel, stamp, or a sticker. They love this and it is great review for challenging academic vocabulary! Start with a mix of easy and hard words to get the kids excited and ready to study the challenging academic words. 1:15 Fluency Drills or Math Blast Vocabulary Lesson Math Blast is a quick review of Tier 3 Math vocabulary on the chalk board with examples. Example: Obtuse, Mode, Median, Ordered Pairs or any other Grade level Tier 3 Vocabulary students must mastered. 1:20 Vocabulary Instruction: VOCABULARY MASTERS! 1:30 Music and Movement: After sustained focus and concentration, students take a music and movement break in the form of a super-high-energy tune and Kung Fu exercises. The kids do deep-knee bends, push ups, and other stretching exercises think Tie Chi and new-wave, rave music. 1:35 Poetry and Prose: Student volunteers read a favorite poem as the class reads along. Cracker Barrel Philosophy: Reading great poetry is bubble gum for the imagination. 'It's very hard when you start but the more you chew the softer it gets". Sean 1:44 Word Wall Fluency Drills 1:45 Quick Fluency drill: Students retake the previous fluency drill to improve their wpm scores. 1:50 Poetry Recitation: Students write, read, and memorize a poem to recite. The students read and reread the entire poem, practicing articulation and enunciation for public performance. They must memorize at least one stanza, and students with more skill can memorize up to four. We start with a simple poem like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star that most kids know. 2:15 Music and Lyrics: 2:20 Short Stories: Students select a short story from their anthologies, peer read with their partners, and take notes in their reading journals. Try to incorporate the classics, e.g. The Brothers Grimm and Aesop’s Fables to give students a foundation in classic literature. 2:30 Guided Reading or Close Reading: Students bring their Harry Potter book and join in as I read the first few pages of the next chapter that was read earlier in the morning. We read chorally, practicing speed and fluency, with me as the model. I stop often, explaining my Metacognition, to help student take deeper meaning from the material. I ask for volunteers to reread a paragraph or a passage, as the class silently reads along. Background knowledge and challenging vocabulary is explained in detail, and we try to make connections to books, movies, or other teachable concepts. The students then break out into their groups and reread what we read chorally. Each student may read or monitor for understanding, and all students are encouraged to read. During transitions to the next reader, they pause for inquiry and dialogue on important impressions. Students who cannot decode a word, or don’t know its meaning, get assistance first from their peers then the teacher. 2:45 Music and Lyrics: 2:50 Vocabulary Practice With Buddy: Vocabulary Building Activities A sample page from my NEW Eclectic Intermediate Speller (2012-2013) that meets or exceeds all Common Core State Standards for Reading and English Language Arts! A Sample Week 3rd Grade Comprehensive English Vocabulary Tier 1 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY rise spot looks classic instance courage servant marked meaning promise special running touch complete spread wonderful serious marked foreign marked physical engaged movement darkness vast degree distribute obliged expect example importance advantage provided proved request 4th Grade Comprehensive English Vocabulary Tier 1 wondered mystery suggestion disease suspicion punishment blessed regret troubled attend afford Governor pushed commercial delay frightened belonged electronically reign related reputation formerly replacement indicate violence consciousness possess melancholy eternal pause proceed philosophy appeal stepped fierce 5th Grade Comprehensive English Vocabulary Tier 1 gracious opportunities ridiculous reckon agony tragedy indicated model proceedings ventured submit reserve proposition satisfactory alteration petite emotions mutual convey stout pretext disclaimers inevitable extensive assume compressed unconscious correspondence exquisite jealousy disappointment indifference engagement criticism motives Comprehensive Academic Vocabulary Tier 3 Reading Language Arts Math Science Social Studies adage adjective addend germination abolitionist allusion simile product gravity alliance archetype hyperbole divisor friction capitalism analogy personification denominator erosion federal argument stanza polygon environment state Academic Vocabulary Tier 2 Blooms Taxonomy Vocabulary evaluate debate conclude justify select predict acknowledge prove prioritize appraise summarize review evaluate assess propose 3:00 Short Music and Movement Cleanup: Always leave the student on a high point, if possible, with great music and lots of smiles and praise. Flipped Classroom Weekly Reading Homework: Homework Reading Ideas: The Great Robot Race: Weekly Reading Assignment #1 Read the short wiki article below about DARPA'S Grand Challenge and then watch the PBS Nova program. Write a short summary, create a Glogster, Empressr, and or Prezi of what you learned or found interesting and post it to the Reading Sage Blog. Extra Credit: Follow the links on the wiki article and or read one of the extra articles below and do an in-depth research paper or digital presentation about the DARPA challenge and share your findings and opinions with our readers. Reading Assignment Extensions | Digital Presentations: Create a Digital Project and share the link and project on the Reading Sage Blog. My Top 10 Digital Presentation Tools! Spreaker Create an online podcast or radio show and share with your friends Vocaroo Online Voice Recorder Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to record and share voice messages, podcast over the internet with no sign up Glogster Express yourself with the ultimate Glog(TM) - graphic blog. Mix Web, Images, Text, Music and Video. Little Bird Tales: Capture the Voice of Childhood. We offer a fun,unique way to create,record and share stories online. Empressor Tell your story anyway you like. Add photos, music, video, and audio, and share it publicly or privately in an instant. Empressr is the best and original browser based rich media presentation and storytelling tool. Prezi Prezi is a cloud based presentation software that opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides. The zoomable canvas makes it fun to explore ideas Voki Voki is a FREE service that lets you: Create customized avatars. Add voice to your Voki avatars. Post your Voki to any blog, website, or profile. VUVOX VUVOX allows you to create interactive slideshows and presentations from photos, video and music from Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, and YouTube.. Slideshare Offers users the ability to upload and share publicly or privately PowerPoint presentations, Word documents and Adobe PDF Portfolios Zoho Zoho offers a suite of online web applications geared towards increasing your productivity and offering easy collaboration. More Reading Opportunities! STEM RULES! Stanley: The Robot that Won the DARPA Grand Challenge Winning the DARPA Grand Challenge with an AI Robot Junior: The Stanford Entry in the Urban Challenge Why We Compete in DARPA’s Urban ChallengeAutonomous Robot Race PBS LINK DARPA Grand Challenge The DARPA Grand Challenge is a prize competition for American driverless vehicles, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the most prominent research organization of the United States Department of Defense. Congress has authorized DARPA to award cash prizes to further DARPA's mission to sponsor revolutionary, high-payoff research that bridges the gap between fundamental discoveries and military use. The initial DARPA Grand Challenge was created to spur the development of technologies needed to create the first fully autonomous ground vehicles capable of completing a substantial off-road course within a limited time. The third event, the DARPA Urban Challenge extended the initial Challenge to autonomous operation in a mock urban environment. The most recent Challenge, the 2012 DARPA Robotics Challenge, will focus on autonomous emergency-maintenance robots. Wiki More Games! "The Legendary Lands" a Literary Adventure Game In this RISK style “word domination game“ game of reading comprehension and reading strategies you are battling to conquer the world of literacy, literary elements, poetry and academic vocabulary in any domain. To win, you must launch daring adventures, assemble teams of scholars, build floating sky fortresses of learning (Sky Libraries), seek knowledge on all fronts, and sweep across vast literary lands with boldness and cunning. But remember, the dangers, as well as the rewards, are high. Just when the world of knowledge is within your grasp, your antagonist opponent might strike and take it all away! Legendary Lands Map Quadrangle 1 of 4
When Should I Call My Doula? Wondering when you should reach out and call your doula? Our doula trainers answer your burning questions.
Break up the mid-winter slump and bring a Fluency Boot Camp into your classroom! What is a Fluency Boot Camp? No... you will not be shipping your students off (sorry), nor will students have to march around the room (your choice), but I can guarantee that your students' brains will be sweating as they participate in the classroom fluency camp you create! Just like any boot camp, students will build confidence through practice and drills. You can organize it for just one day, or you can set it up to last a full-week or month! Keep in mind, after just
It is not often that I just say no or feel the need to say no. One advantage of old age is you already have some set patterns of behavior. Peer pressure and
Note: This page may contain affiliate links which give us a small commission at no cost to you. Contents: Week One - Into The Wilds of Boyhood Week Two - Reading, Writing, and 'Rithmatic Week Three - Who's
Our Year 13 students get back to work on their extended essays.
This year, I have decided to start all of my high school ELA classes with a Literary Analysis Essay Boot Camp. I have discovered over the years that all students in grades 9-12 at all levels need repetitive practice of the same essential writing skills, no matter the grade or level.
Are you determined to improve your credit rating in 2012? Or even find out what your score is (and what it means!)—not to mention how it affects your overall life? taking care of your personal
I have noticed a big change in my language impaired students over the year. Their expressive language has greatly improved but their written language skills are severely suffering. I am proud that my kiddos can correctly answer questions verbally, but when they go to write out their answer, it does not transfer. I have been studying the new common core skills and L.2 was a red flag for most of my kiddos. So I created a 43 page packet, Common Core Grammar Boot Camp, as a way to work on these skills. I went through each L.2 standard for kindergarten-5th grade and pulled out target skills to work on in this pack. Below are some examples of what is included. Kindergarten: -capitalization of the first word in a sentence -capitalizing the pronoun I -recognizing and naming end punctuation First Grade: -capitalizing dates and names -using end punctuation -using commas in dates Second Grade: -capitalizing holidays, product names, and geographic names -using apostrophes to form contractions and possessions Third Grade: -capitalizing appropriate words in titles -commas in quotation marks in dialogue -form and use possessions Fourth Grade: -correct capitalization -correct usage of commas Fifth Grade: -commas to separate items in a series -use underlining, quotation marks, or italicize The first thing included in this packet is a list of 50 sentences for your use. I call these 2 pages my "Teacher List." This list can be used however you would like. The way that I use this is that I put a sentence or 2 on the board at the beginning of each session. I let the students take turns finding the errors and correcting them. Below is an example. I wrote out the sentence with some errors and she made the corrections in a different color. The next type of activity I have included in the packet is Say It. Fix It. Draw It. This is an interactive activity for the students to complete together as a class or complete independently. They should read the sentence out loud, find the errors, write the sentences correctly in the "Fix It" section, then illustrate the sentence. I also included a board game, because frankly, who doesn't love games? This is another way to practice grammar skills while having a little fun! The game includes a game board, 30 question cards, and 6 bonus cards. Some examples of questions are: -what needs to be capitalized in a sentence? -name 3 punctuation marks -do you capitalize pronouns? -what punctuation mark should come at the end of this sentence..... -fill in the blank with the correct pronoun -which word needs to be capitalized? -which word does NOT need to be capitalized? I also included 6 blank cards so you can create your own game cards based on student need! If you would like to download this activity, please visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store here! Enter to win one of 3 copies below! a Rafflecopter giveaway
I’m sharing the kinds of things no one will tell you as a writer. Who knows? Maybe you’ve heard many of these before, but if you’re honest, you really didn’t listen.
We're in the middle of one of my favorite units right now, and I just had to share! The Common Core Standards include a lot of technology and research components, so right now we're writing about a hi
*This blog was originally scheduled to post in March, but due to testing craziness and then end of year craziness, it is just now hitting the site. Enjoy! Test prep season is already in full swing over here in Virginia. When our pacing runs out and review for the state test begins, I usually
This year, I have decided to start all of my high school ELA classes with a Literary Analysis Essay Boot Camp. I have discovered over the years that all students in grades 9-12 at all levels need repetitive practice of the same essential writing skills, no matter the grade or level.
Break up the mid-winter slump and bring a Fluency Boot Camp into your classroom! What is a Fluency Boot Camp? No... you will not be shipping your students off (sorry), nor will students have to march around the room (your choice), but I can guarantee that your students' brains will be sweating as they participate in the classroom fluency camp you create! Just like any boot camp, students will build confidence through practice and drills. You can organize it for just one day, or you can set it up to last a full-week or month! Keep in mind, after just
We might sometimes wonder if our main character is worthy of the label protagonist or if our story would be better told through another character's eyes. So let's talk about how can ensure our main character deserves the role of protagonist.
