tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85353617310986782242024-03-18T20:46:06.834-07:00Creative Classroom CoreUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-78635911971496052462021-02-12T13:55:00.002-08:002021-02-12T13:56:49.954-08:00Life in Ancient Mesopotamia<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UiJ0w2zNtEgpOjgUb4h49ougm7U9BZAGgg2K0-jKKuaH1BAECup8RrzvSFcZFvL6S1Qhq84EPqG-1QaPS6HtLqbw4b_dSe3e3aGJhvu_BSA6Ds6odIpYyRObZ2K2aKsItzR1hx0LYdk/s414/Meso+Blog+Title.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="97" data-original-width="414" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UiJ0w2zNtEgpOjgUb4h49ougm7U9BZAGgg2K0-jKKuaH1BAECup8RrzvSFcZFvL6S1Qhq84EPqG-1QaPS6HtLqbw4b_dSe3e3aGJhvu_BSA6Ds6odIpYyRObZ2K2aKsItzR1hx0LYdk/w640-h150/Meso+Blog+Title.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Ancient Civilizations have long been my favourite units to teach. I remember loving them when our teacher taught us about them in Middle School, they were some of my favourite courses I took in university, and I still love teaching them today. Mesopotamia is always a fun one to teach, simply because a lot of it is still really new to the kids; a lot of them have background information about Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but very little about Mesopotamia. I feel like I am working with a blank slate when it comes to teaching about this period of history. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sohXPx_XZ6Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="sohXPx_XZ6Y"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: justify;">For a good introduction, and to build excitement about the unit to come, I feel you can never go wrong with Crash Course World History. This is a great one of their videos about Mesopotamia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbEHJKVOLoypM0iftowII_YTtju5l436wq4aJZJbT9xUSuMVdDTbhnY758BPyxB7Td1-KQlK1KP6Fz4N7WLInTEdM4REUZ0gWJdDedMLrmA_Lh01jkeg_hedxp8PyuYJCBD1VmIgiA5Y/s899/Meso+Blog+Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="658" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbEHJKVOLoypM0iftowII_YTtju5l436wq4aJZJbT9xUSuMVdDTbhnY758BPyxB7Td1-KQlK1KP6Fz4N7WLInTEdM4REUZ0gWJdDedMLrmA_Lh01jkeg_hedxp8PyuYJCBD1VmIgiA5Y/w468-h640/Meso+Blog+Map.png" width="468" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: justify;">I always like doing a map with the kids at the start of a unit. It's a great opportunity to work in some geography skills, and is a good way to ensure the kids know the area we are actually talking about. I am always alarmed with how few of them are able to use an atlas and label areas on a map - definitely an area we need practice on. </p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWiHwr8Dl-a48gxptiuwDhyK4OYHsFxiaKEa2UIsNy4E2sahXoBbFYwYoVqPdTPqe_hKDvzelnQ-XZ2uWsoX3chD-ulYP-WOaRCffWqeSJvi_B4Cb04V6-9e4z_pzmI-rXO4oDwrbj4o/s376/Meso+Blog+Vocab.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="376" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWiHwr8Dl-a48gxptiuwDhyK4OYHsFxiaKEa2UIsNy4E2sahXoBbFYwYoVqPdTPqe_hKDvzelnQ-XZ2uWsoX3chD-ulYP-WOaRCffWqeSJvi_B4Cb04V6-9e4z_pzmI-rXO4oDwrbj4o/w640-h588/Meso+Blog+Vocab.png" width="640" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: justify;">We spend a lot of our unit talking about farming, as the fertile crescent really is Mesopotamia in a nutshell. Vocabulary is usually where we start. I really love this vocabulary foldable, as it allows the kids to flip and quiz each other on the words.</p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6mXboJ1eVHwKEnv6ZSB5vcCJf40UvXhkKvQEb-S_P7AmylhISxvN7f3n7MFY-1henoR-S6bZih3PZS-2f1Xt-4VbJFkhTyGbOZCAAY3czmgpvbQ_lZeeC7XbSQv2Jy6ZEUEYcfyI4LM/s651/Meso+Blog+Reading.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="489" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6mXboJ1eVHwKEnv6ZSB5vcCJf40UvXhkKvQEb-S_P7AmylhISxvN7f3n7MFY-1henoR-S6bZih3PZS-2f1Xt-4VbJFkhTyGbOZCAAY3czmgpvbQ_lZeeC7XbSQv2Jy6ZEUEYcfyI4LM/w480-h640/Meso+Blog+Reading.PNG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reading about the farming of the fertile crescent is our next step. I am not a fan of our current textbooks, as it feels like they were written during the dark ages and are totally not engaging for the kiddos. I use these reading passages instead. They have questions and annotation activities to go with them, which is helpful. </div></blockquote></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6DVlzBM-B4OW9RAzBFQk9w8e52Xprx-PyDSpFMRbAq6XCj3Y-1fgSYJAWJMNQqj_4bDVeu4rKUmGC1_-EeDnZ0DsBwoayCjAkgkoTFD3N6n-8IQhDEOFHInyW7K608WrUw_K-d40-mE/s646/Meso+Blog+Farm+Fold.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="468" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6DVlzBM-B4OW9RAzBFQk9w8e52Xprx-PyDSpFMRbAq6XCj3Y-1fgSYJAWJMNQqj_4bDVeu4rKUmGC1_-EeDnZ0DsBwoayCjAkgkoTFD3N6n-8IQhDEOFHInyW7K608WrUw_K-d40-mE/w464-h640/Meso+Blog+Farm+Fold.png" width="464" /></a></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;">After reading, we make a fun foldable about the facts the kids find most important. We share our answers at the end - it is interesting to see what different facts stuck with each kid. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are looking for these and other fun activities to do with your own class, be sure to check out some of my Mesopotamia Unit resources below!</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Mesopotamia-Complete-Unit-Reading-Questions-Graphic-Organizers-1486943?st=e22a1c51a41e8cd3c289d16d7f3e8a37" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="460" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqCs4W6kPDxdndXoJ9z9N7_JuvYJpHhLv2TsPlN9iTtTUqQy-u7eYRMQ3agJeTjgde5hOXg_ZKBBtpYEYG_AtZdNIA470xXamoIxvQFON6Fw6ZdNa_lfPEhsvT6fpFpKBReRmbOsliHw/w476-h640/Meso+Complete+Preview.PNG" width="476" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-48525418006157855422021-01-29T19:15:00.001-08:002021-01-29T19:16:55.857-08:00The Barnabus Project<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkScoL6kJfvTQ1unW8x9JeJWblxmdYEEARDq-pFrBqhZH-Ba0SV3IdRGuoXE0zMmMFwaHjCCnInEUtehxUivmynYZKDO3ymN8HMy87qWGJdrj5DvWQUYBKXYKazjsozTCiUWXIBG5wlqw/s500/Barnabus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkScoL6kJfvTQ1unW8x9JeJWblxmdYEEARDq-pFrBqhZH-Ba0SV3IdRGuoXE0zMmMFwaHjCCnInEUtehxUivmynYZKDO3ymN8HMy87qWGJdrj5DvWQUYBKXYKazjsozTCiUWXIBG5wlqw/w640-h640/Barnabus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Have you had a chance to read this one yet? It could very well be my new favourite read aloud! I have really enjoyed books by the Fan Brothers in the past (<u>Scarecrow</u> is really beautiful!), but this one is definitely my favourite.</p><p style="text-align: left;">From Amazon:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">"Deep underground beneath Perfect Pets, where children can buy genetically engineered "perfect" creatures, there is a secret lab. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab, but none of them is perfect. They are all Failed Projects. Barnabus has never been outside his tiny bell jar, yet he dreams of one day seeing the world above ground that his pal Pip the cockroach has told him about: a world with green hills and trees, and buildings that reach all the way to the sky, lit with their own stars. But Barnabus may have to reach the outside world sooner than he thought, because the Green Rubber Suits are about to recycle all Failed Projects . . . and Barnabus doesn't want to be made into a fluffier pet with bigger eyes. He just wants to be himself. So he decides it's time for he and the others to escape. With his little trunk and a lot of cooperation and courage, Barnabus sets out to find freedom -- and a place where he and his friends can finally be accepted for who they are."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">The story has a great message about working together to achieve the impossible, and loving yourself for who you truly are. The illustrations are really beautiful as well. And honestly, how can you really going wrong when the main character is a mouse/elephant hybrid who loves peanuts and cheese?! </p><p style="text-align: left;">When I saw it at the bookstore I knew I had absolutely had to have it for my classroom, and immediately started thinking of ways to incorporate it into our learning.</p><p style="text-align: left;">We have been working really hard on our reading strategies lately - visualizing, determining importance, big idea (author's message), and summarizing. I decided to put together an activity that combined it all. We worked on completing this template over several days - I re-read the story to the class each time we worked on it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-LSBT3I6okr0W0qZmpPzJAAArBdcqOLHdJR46tcgudmM1MGAM0y9mwIrk3Efw6qpSzzI2rwGGCqo_G9GxJqEyxI6BGaFyCUdZhY6bpT1_VvTJPbCgzsFXkEF3lYOmvj1lDuwOKqjVAo/s645/barnabus+blog.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="488" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-LSBT3I6okr0W0qZmpPzJAAArBdcqOLHdJR46tcgudmM1MGAM0y9mwIrk3Efw6qpSzzI2rwGGCqo_G9GxJqEyxI6BGaFyCUdZhY6bpT1_VvTJPbCgzsFXkEF3lYOmvj1lDuwOKqjVAo/w484-h640/barnabus+blog.PNG" width="484" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xutoMlEv3SiOWiGg7SS6PHPNC8bxM48dv_s0FWvmAf6i9B5bjnoFUoITC2aKlzJIpNVJ9_gCh9i0MJNr1GP6q0VKPEUikjErF-WqyhZdrt3LggRDZRwlOBH0IZhm30ZSRXbAkBPcVgo/s234/barnabusblog2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="181" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xutoMlEv3SiOWiGg7SS6PHPNC8bxM48dv_s0FWvmAf6i9B5bjnoFUoITC2aKlzJIpNVJ9_gCh9i0MJNr1GP6q0VKPEUikjErF-WqyhZdrt3LggRDZRwlOBH0IZhm30ZSRXbAkBPcVgo/w495-h640/barnabusblog2.PNG" width="495" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After, we focused in on Author's Message a little more deeply, starting with a read aloud from the Fan Brothers themselves!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="411" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ipk377rsxzc" width="494" youtube-src-id="ipk377rsxzc"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After watching, we talked more about the Big Idea of the story and made a foldable to show our understanding.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhQsU9GjsLqdDIVYjhaGATbmVhHjD3nuipOWljOdGbuBuIcslXCz2q590VEX6xUbnABPb5d9KWve5w2vzkl2BJnzu__RjAdMopAiJ3QCrP5O5a-aemr6IzGMfBS_p_yqYnpqam8zFS90/s635/barnabusfold1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="635" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhQsU9GjsLqdDIVYjhaGATbmVhHjD3nuipOWljOdGbuBuIcslXCz2q590VEX6xUbnABPb5d9KWve5w2vzkl2BJnzu__RjAdMopAiJ3QCrP5O5a-aemr6IzGMfBS_p_yqYnpqam8zFS90/w640-h480/barnabusfold1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D2KL_wWQF9Z-m4_u-cw8wjuWnwr6RDpo5-1eKjrO3EzRGmnoGArTOmSALkoGpgqiE9DvWHKHSVY6ZORqUeyhn7WVOnbXg1V62lJ9oG_xPrm4Mmv1fCYGnFqbJ80bqGj_e5dEy83YHgU/s635/barnabusfold2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="635" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D2KL_wWQF9Z-m4_u-cw8wjuWnwr6RDpo5-1eKjrO3EzRGmnoGArTOmSALkoGpgqiE9DvWHKHSVY6ZORqUeyhn7WVOnbXg1V62lJ9oG_xPrm4Mmv1fCYGnFqbJ80bqGj_e5dEy83YHgU/w640-h398/barnabusfold2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To wrap up the unit, we did some creative writing about the story. The kids were really drawn into the pictures and names of all the "Failed Projects", so we decided to create and describe our own "Perfectly Imperfect Pets". I really loved seeing all of their creative ideas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkso3L-UwiitUeEw7RRCV89JbOkZCNWyWkAlOiS3qjWZ3__p5VVj2IigWGwbPfKhyMg9PXG6_40cApzEwKFqHtCyM4PE6Tqe-kE3y2XzTyWD920NWB0kJVVDLfbftEVZMDx1xs6uF9yw/s430/Barny1.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="355" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkso3L-UwiitUeEw7RRCV89JbOkZCNWyWkAlOiS3qjWZ3__p5VVj2IigWGwbPfKhyMg9PXG6_40cApzEwKFqHtCyM4PE6Tqe-kE3y2XzTyWD920NWB0kJVVDLfbftEVZMDx1xs6uF9yw/w528-h640/Barny1.PNG" width="528" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFOk0VXp9u9lkKXgl4O-ISScU07cEJuXCZZgoAuXDzsXZwQRhXTWIWV9lByujTJuRl4ZxY1pBX9XZDMPqEyRTxxEq6Qj0a6HOnGM08RYhVnPoGlsdFY4CODaHCTgOVANILbXjKjhdVOU/s439/barny2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="354" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFOk0VXp9u9lkKXgl4O-ISScU07cEJuXCZZgoAuXDzsXZwQRhXTWIWV9lByujTJuRl4ZxY1pBX9XZDMPqEyRTxxEq6Qj0a6HOnGM08RYhVnPoGlsdFY4CODaHCTgOVANILbXjKjhdVOU/w516-h640/barny2.PNG" width="516" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Interested in trying these activities out in your own classroom? Click on the photo below to see the resources at my TPT store.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Barnabus-Project-by-The-Fan-Brothers-Interactive-Read-Aloud-Activities-6500139?st=b011b8a806bca6c50d9ff0b563863346" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="423" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOtCnrN2tx6m4EwFJtzY4LDVNJw-a5sMGOCrKJefhjuU28AZDLeJoLQALG0RaFQ0GsY61ht_Orgx5xGiQh7jACUcEUzEFW0f9FPhMDcZDR40HnqiQhrS9vQHJPktsHHC2LtjF3UvEVaA/w474-h640/Barnabus+Preview.PNG" width="474" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-81019236811848176122021-01-15T09:24:00.001-08:002021-01-15T09:24:34.838-08:00Animal Adaptations: Blubber<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpanHCL1B5-HhqszBNs-wHbz_Fz2SPHn9wMCgz6yDOJl_SoALXXNVTwBWnGW5zF2kg1bdN_COKRXqF9R4HMaCkxSI62luYVGzYc9oNzkoEAqUWBsrg1lRQSkT9kE4fNqeRV5AqA77G4U/s455/animal+blog1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="455" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpanHCL1B5-HhqszBNs-wHbz_Fz2SPHn9wMCgz6yDOJl_SoALXXNVTwBWnGW5zF2kg1bdN_COKRXqF9R4HMaCkxSI62luYVGzYc9oNzkoEAqUWBsrg1lRQSkT9kE4fNqeRV5AqA77G4U/w640-h258/animal+blog1.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>During our Animal Adaptations unit, we completed another fun hands on investigation activity where we learned all about blubber, and the ways it helps animals to survive in icy water. As always, we started with our guiding question, and made some predictions as a class.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTtNtRqU02zkeg21qaKz8klrcmdm89T3cP71Bx59mPtDtT6kkIPDJeSih6f0cEa4K409uUHtPj_ioUxMpZIL45_hzPW56u-5sxUN7On6M8RLAgr0-kS_ipYOUjmwnkVV9amJ_9YpNd-c/s519/Blubber+guiding+question.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="519" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTtNtRqU02zkeg21qaKz8klrcmdm89T3cP71Bx59mPtDtT6kkIPDJeSih6f0cEa4K409uUHtPj_ioUxMpZIL45_hzPW56u-5sxUN7On6M8RLAgr0-kS_ipYOUjmwnkVV9amJ_9YpNd-c/w640-h252/Blubber+guiding+question.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p>After some discussion, I gave each student an information gathering page, and had them take turns plunging their hands into a tub of ice water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wSUrbr6H2FDwoe8ErF1BGW-0-ZM9y6JDE4_dcrQu_0tvHjQGDCzU0_dzoMkIjDocL8AhMkvO37i9VBpUHN5zUlZIDs6ARj7fgzoCCcIiUXcPMU6mNPiftjfaFXdCpoj2Vcn0dV9AGZk/s415/wonder.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="415" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wSUrbr6H2FDwoe8ErF1BGW-0-ZM9y6JDE4_dcrQu_0tvHjQGDCzU0_dzoMkIjDocL8AhMkvO37i9VBpUHN5zUlZIDs6ARj7fgzoCCcIiUXcPMU6mNPiftjfaFXdCpoj2Vcn0dV9AGZk/w640-h416/wonder.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkE29MOdZ_Ik9qVHC4qoQzL_iGn1826vyXT7G4nQFF4CXQlfYKgALcv0OeJRqSaIihdpoCIlYO1IQq3eBDP852Umyf8EtYgmC8_4NaxG1-aXSUTQXdwybgeGb_8Hdmo3tBXoEjN6PfQ4/s431/ice.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="431" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkE29MOdZ_Ik9qVHC4qoQzL_iGn1826vyXT7G4nQFF4CXQlfYKgALcv0OeJRqSaIihdpoCIlYO1IQq3eBDP852Umyf8EtYgmC8_4NaxG1-aXSUTQXdwybgeGb_8Hdmo3tBXoEjN6PfQ4/w640-h366/ice.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p>As a class, we talked about how the icy water felt. Was it warm or cold (freezing!)? How long do you think you could keep your body in there (not long!)? Students recorded their thoughts on their information gathering page.</p><p>Afterwards, I had students try on my "blubber glove", and stick their hands back in the water. Basically, the blubber glove is a large ziplock bag full of crisco shortening. The kids loved it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E89uZJtSNxW1sjyPfWmdrRwpp-Y09DLReJh2Rssu85yXqYF_5y7yo5p3sPxB-DsR_Tb7MLt0gSaz3ZxFW3NC-ThgtpEDGDdcbmVrrw8d3LLeXLDNRWeX_AN3YwX3t2LyfgszjW27Eao/s511/glove.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="420" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E89uZJtSNxW1sjyPfWmdrRwpp-Y09DLReJh2Rssu85yXqYF_5y7yo5p3sPxB-DsR_Tb7MLt0gSaz3ZxFW3NC-ThgtpEDGDdcbmVrrw8d3LLeXLDNRWeX_AN3YwX3t2LyfgszjW27Eao/w526-h640/glove.PNG" width="526" /></a></div><p>It didn't take long for the kids to realize how much warmer their hands felt in the water while wearing the "blubber glove". We recorded our discoveries on our information gathering sheets.</p><p>Later, we looked at some images of different animals with blubber - whales, penguins, walruses, and polar bears. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyk75RyuH0IXOOJz6g0UQCqW3GewqIpQBMNZla6Ek8loL8-Rljb5jKHaOQKhxy39zxtCPoQCvHZJgN3GfwWfuKiuNl0OfoR5h4A7QrJpRYpdY35fFC5fBR2mpdQQEtCjE1FFjb6IuGIo/s647/Blubber2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="479" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyk75RyuH0IXOOJz6g0UQCqW3GewqIpQBMNZla6Ek8loL8-Rljb5jKHaOQKhxy39zxtCPoQCvHZJgN3GfwWfuKiuNl0OfoR5h4A7QrJpRYpdY35fFC5fBR2mpdQQEtCjE1FFjb6IuGIo/w474-h640/Blubber2.PNG" width="474" /></a></div><p>To cement our learning, we recorded our reflections and new learning on our reflection sheets. Students wrote their thoughts down all over the page in different coloured markers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_w_LFzL2NGX2uVmSn5apphZffxHW3uLPqxYGLqvRIi7xrvQrWTO3uHtHK0J4gzKvJ6HEd95sfJBfWYRpiHWhHMp5vruHXJzsxXPhPx7m9V_AzsAJvvMjbu7sbkSruw-9i5B7JF9F1sw/s646/Blubber1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_w_LFzL2NGX2uVmSn5apphZffxHW3uLPqxYGLqvRIi7xrvQrWTO3uHtHK0J4gzKvJ6HEd95sfJBfWYRpiHWhHMp5vruHXJzsxXPhPx7m9V_AzsAJvvMjbu7sbkSruw-9i5B7JF9F1sw/w476-h640/Blubber1.PNG" width="476" /></a></div><p>This was a super fun way to teach students about this animal adaptation. I think I had just as much fun as the kids did - seeing their expressions when plunging their hands into the icy water was priceless!</p><p>If you are looking to try this activity yourself, click on one of the images below!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Blubber-Investigation-Activity-Distance-Learning-6437530" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="476" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnt8N3sFAJzB5m_5NMyVFEtCkeRChpjvhwoqg2EyPW9iZQ5Ba_jRR7Lf4hNLaagCbcC4v0cScnpBmgggXfqQHnvro0j1ERnZM_EY5nlC0RNgmdDj8YOIslP-FB_E5W16rrg2-YgOuFkF4/w634-h640/Animal+Adaptations+Blubber+TPT+Cover.PNG" width="634" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Blubber-Investigation-Activity-Distance-Learning-6437530" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHm6aRWLd2CuYUc022P1gr2YYjsIexefa1tNSzlZletG6MZMBQIzUDqDIRHiyZGqIdlq8nJNXMUrvlma3re3yozfPDNCy1ARk8ePiGXIDfFXxbxwidBGg6S4Fr6t80zVkh5caonYU1j4/w464-h640/Animal+Adaptations+Blubber+TPT+Preview.PNG" width="464" /></a></div><br /><p>If you are looking for a complete unit on Animal Adaptations, click on one of the images below!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Activities-Distance-Learning-TPT-Digital-6436957" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NfkWlGYGK_8xEaJCQ8l43o63yxMRKS4aUsPJXB-19B5Ee517OX1WLxhO6w_scgQBBFGYfRXoVYMkrEVlHVtXYjRVuwfFPHsfPwL18ep5M2A2Jr5t5DtKUhFLpvD-vOyuy7Q4V_oQA-4/w630-h640/Animal+Adaptations+TPT+Cover.PNG" width="630" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Activities-Distance-Learning-TPT-Digital-6436957" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="475" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhy7fNufuVuVDNsHG0Mb2oAAPcANUNzMH5qU8FLHY_7mU6EeJDVbi1ItsM6IhqiamMSRBAyu1PcaGjr8vVSwB1wwXzfGaH8SJPbwDzH1SPc-6T_vF_f4jwn7DnUAKdvjvk9L1L-tN8r4/w490-h640/Animal+Adaptations+TPT+Preview1.PNG" width="490" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pin for later?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoHF6xsi5cIEBo8qie0K66e2xzlIf5Yj2Kom-di_pXxSlNSeSQSoAVsJp1BRO-U3jpSHwM5dmoQpvQ2dJs_FwB70PTeZFN-Jh7uQJjK-2agQQsN52rFla5wYXJ5hgnuxb7HxZa569KlY/s635/blubber+pin.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoHF6xsi5cIEBo8qie0K66e2xzlIf5Yj2Kom-di_pXxSlNSeSQSoAVsJp1BRO-U3jpSHwM5dmoQpvQ2dJs_FwB70PTeZFN-Jh7uQJjK-2agQQsN52rFla5wYXJ5hgnuxb7HxZa569KlY/w634-h640/blubber+pin.PNG" width="634" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-18242824048428142212021-01-13T21:34:00.004-08:002021-01-14T07:36:05.997-08:00All About... Animal Adaptations: Bird Beak Lab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCx6Vdm7bu10u2foWZ5HHdFJ5OA9qeyG3H0lrb2NJVZIEeXDm6ezhyphenhyphenOh4Cn9Rgu2KHe_OBa1teORdQk4Vybth6iq1acWEQGknLYEpGYCF5PN896PXbnmIFFIVcIQs-q0bhcK_KjLqBr4/s455/animal+blog1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="455" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCx6Vdm7bu10u2foWZ5HHdFJ5OA9qeyG3H0lrb2NJVZIEeXDm6ezhyphenhyphenOh4Cn9Rgu2KHe_OBa1teORdQk4Vybth6iq1acWEQGknLYEpGYCF5PN896PXbnmIFFIVcIQs-q0bhcK_KjLqBr4/w640-h258/animal+blog1.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Our Animal Adaptations science unit is one of my very favourite units to teach. I find that this age group connects really well with the animals, and engagement is universally high. </p><p>Today we focused on bird beaks, and how this adaptation helps animals to survive.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmFLlP9i9Rgp0V2aIdjFj7-9KmYjM7lE5Zr10ouyEeQTXk7ClH1ygWksUhUG1FmvssanAgVy1fD8KoFMFOhyTIkUu9Moh3eAKG5sAoX6DIb7EXbz8AL-xJtqqYhCPTplQWtXr_1Cdd-4/s523/guiding+question.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="523" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmFLlP9i9Rgp0V2aIdjFj7-9KmYjM7lE5Zr10ouyEeQTXk7ClH1ygWksUhUG1FmvssanAgVy1fD8KoFMFOhyTIkUu9Moh3eAKG5sAoX6DIb7EXbz8AL-xJtqqYhCPTplQWtXr_1Cdd-4/w640-h256/guiding+question.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p>I will admit, this lab took a bit of set up and pre-planning, but it was well worth it. The kids had a lot of fun with it, and I really like to embrace any opportunity I can for hands on investigation.</p><p>For supplies, I made a quick trip to the local dollar store and picked up some different tools to use as bird beaks. I tried to grab a wide variety, so groups would have a lot to pick from.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAoHcpCKcdWMKsHzKnVDv18i7hQ9NRS9kgyf4zyoFpEeX-_wDQnaJP6bVJ-dyQ16DjtVsN-YYmmRzfSGlRaxw4O_wKbGP71pO_xNKzxI6B5oCxg6GR_UvgokqByIVHY9p7uG-mVNU2tM/s383/bird+beak+pic3.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="287" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAoHcpCKcdWMKsHzKnVDv18i7hQ9NRS9kgyf4zyoFpEeX-_wDQnaJP6bVJ-dyQ16DjtVsN-YYmmRzfSGlRaxw4O_wKbGP71pO_xNKzxI6B5oCxg6GR_UvgokqByIVHY9p7uG-mVNU2tM/w480-h640/bird+beak+pic3.PNG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>You can see some of the tools I picked up in the image above - tooth picks, tongs, small rubber pot holders, turkey basters, staple removers, tweezers, and spoons. The rubber pot holders were a great find - they made for great duck bills!<div><br /></div><div>Next, I filled 6 tubs with a mixture of dried lentils, oats, and rice. I used this to represent dirt. I am sure that you could use actual dirt, but this seemed less messy somehow. I placed a plastic table cloth on each group table, and placed the tub on top.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96y8ojQfadz3HF34AOkLN_F90g2ySiLdOs5BBXZE3WbId4mSsfuIUynUHBDyAXV1vyy1gobBNbebjkRgl0v48LHd4P6dBCdAxmLwHms0R8fWHYh6W2ViC_2h2d579yEuXaN_3uVyLakA/s384/bird+beak+pic2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="289" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96y8ojQfadz3HF34AOkLN_F90g2ySiLdOs5BBXZE3WbId4mSsfuIUynUHBDyAXV1vyy1gobBNbebjkRgl0v48LHd4P6dBCdAxmLwHms0R8fWHYh6W2ViC_2h2d579yEuXaN_3uVyLakA/w482-h640/bird+beak+pic2.PNG" width="482" /></a></div><div><p>The blue things in the mix are actually some colored dried chickpeas that I had kicking around. I threw them into our "dirt" mixture, just for fun. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJZtU4cWLbwRB4NrYYtyFo0hcMK2By7HZc8Tj25CyPMsPE1v3vEZ3KOxGY0q7Ipm6lTfQBksfakV-J3_gFexJYiL4QKp38GCptI5wIRelFqtIo0o_gVnQ8v7x4Skpay_Lap_Xy6WLMkg/s625/bird+beak+pic+1.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="625" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJZtU4cWLbwRB4NrYYtyFo0hcMK2By7HZc8Tj25CyPMsPE1v3vEZ3KOxGY0q7Ipm6lTfQBksfakV-J3_gFexJYiL4QKp38GCptI5wIRelFqtIo0o_gVnQ8v7x4Skpay_Lap_Xy6WLMkg/w640-h344/bird+beak+pic+1.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I passed the data collection sheet out to student groups, explained the instructions, and let them get to it! Using different "beaks", students had to see how many "food" items they could pick up in 30 seconds. Each round, I mixed different "food" items into their dirt - worms (string), beetles (raisons), etc.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkcPhuBVUr0qoJ2UqExDx2QjxHWhbUZD0AtO0uHrAkEMt6JwuPop1a_uq2bC437EebWY0kR02360vwiFAfwx7h7DLbYaR2pK_BVFh67LIYq2A6lSaUqRO0o_hHxFo1cD69zFB5BhKCDA/s415/wonder.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="415" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkcPhuBVUr0qoJ2UqExDx2QjxHWhbUZD0AtO0uHrAkEMt6JwuPop1a_uq2bC437EebWY0kR02360vwiFAfwx7h7DLbYaR2pK_BVFh67LIYq2A6lSaUqRO0o_hHxFo1cD69zFB5BhKCDA/w640-h416/wonder.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Afterwards, we discussed and reflected on the activity. We brainstormed the things we noticed and wondered about bird beaks on the board, and talked about the ways different bird beaks help them to survive. This was an important step, as it helped the kids really cement their understandings and make the connections from the lab activities to birds in the wild. Students wrote their findings in coloured pens on their handout.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9kQ48xn6f5M595b4zEFlXKTORx_K_Gapx7hD4YbgE5zfABbjZU3qy60BPcNWvOZqXMlrMP3Jr-_ootHjPtyZcQZ8F4XQYDkRzoSD9sRRwaDzbM8SLMw4XdIrrTQcA3dysfl_s7b_VZA/s268/bird+beak+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="249" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9kQ48xn6f5M595b4zEFlXKTORx_K_Gapx7hD4YbgE5zfABbjZU3qy60BPcNWvOZqXMlrMP3Jr-_ootHjPtyZcQZ8F4XQYDkRzoSD9sRRwaDzbM8SLMw4XdIrrTQcA3dysfl_s7b_VZA/w595-h640/bird+beak+4.png" width="595" /></a></div><p>Later, student groups did some "bird beak matching" using matching cards. The cards had images of the different bird beaks, what they are good for, and information about the birds who possess them. They really liked this activity, and it was a great way to review the days learning.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIdve7h6QbXXaLo8RrvwoubZaQDVfbBV0JE15SUhpezcjsoYBBZtSvuSEwnr7iHGJx3Mw4LWAsCjPTrJpeQp2iAiFeAvT0_Rs1zrDbPWla8MzqIUJwHaF68-wytuvB59gchJL9N34hG0/s229/bird+beak+5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="95" data-original-width="229" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIdve7h6QbXXaLo8RrvwoubZaQDVfbBV0JE15SUhpezcjsoYBBZtSvuSEwnr7iHGJx3Mw4LWAsCjPTrJpeQp2iAiFeAvT0_Rs1zrDbPWla8MzqIUJwHaF68-wytuvB59gchJL9N34hG0/w640-h266/bird+beak+5.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>If you are looking for the resources I used for this lab, you can grab them by clicking on one of the images below.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Bird-Beak-Lab-Distance-Learning-TPT-Digital-6436762" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="475" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQORsOjMj3KaOKgI1iEDQoXssiyl_Mwq3mwuVqr-BF9XrCvqjxbH-hxWrLd5QIMiUUIbUl3cmC7Gz5j0ZSCTrdo5URtYqmbZyWhJ1imm5F-Z6duTcMt-NWciPyiQHZoSwhVq4MAr-9fjo/w632-h640/Bird+Beak+Lab+TPT+Cover.PNG" width="632" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Bird-Beak-Lab-Distance-Learning-TPT-Digital-6436762" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="477" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQgnYY9z8cjo43G6Ykvg6-_Z8HPpL30g567_vkVY-KWWDV8FL4agVed1uYwg_EH9cCI3l-K2wxs6gT5CWTxv3X3dzjyYHUUyG3nNlRY0Zu-pUlg7Fa3aLkvgKgf9oIG0OGj_cQ_bG3eQ/w544-h640/Bird+Beak+Lab+TPT+Preview.PNG" width="544" /></a></div><p>If you are looking for an entire unit on Animal Adaptations, with notes, foldables, and activities, click on one of the images below!</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Activities-Distance-Learning-TPT-Digital-6436957" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="475" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQ-dFLAAKlnKxDx6JCHN7nuHZENGAFoH-KhiavfVd68G84-AkHG80tSr5-vrwgyuaM52FmM3zPUs8LUmmlDOVyJ6zVhVLoYUAUwGgiEAAuRhrH3a1tMTdJ1L9seCmZSZr270ty9_qXLU/w490-h640/Animal+Adaptations+TPT+Preview1.PNG" width="490" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Activities-Distance-Learning-TPT-Digital-6436957" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UmkjqKDSe84cTbFT9fIAlw2NR2O3ykuPJ16cH3BTBWGKHtyoiJ9I7Zue87jyKLmCMfpqC_Y7VjNSFmYgbQU8AWFWo7G-BvgvFrdt7Pyucl2Q-shjqksys37cFwnT_GAauIVSmdLeJmI/w630-h640/Animal+Adaptations+TPT+Cover.PNG" width="630" /></a></div><p></p></div><div>Pin for later!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Adaptations-Unit-Activities-Distance-Learning-TPT-Digital-6436957" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="628" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtx14UCJ4eRpSQAaG96id6uU8YgNGFtwh2eR1ogsJsr263DaBZZaB4WyHFVQ-wIQzq9xiFQ1wRInh6am_JkIM8lo5tjoKarF-mR-eRlk6KDhUqo1v30awyROpQbyzqq6AUxe7FdvXDnH8/w632-h640/bird+beak+pin.PNG" width="632" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-83293344502049040482016-08-15T09:39:00.001-07:002016-08-15T09:39:19.746-07:00Growth Mindset in the Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unless you have been hiding away in a hole in the ground, I am sure you have heard the concept of Growth Mindset pop up recently. It seems to be a buzz word in education lately, and with good reason - studies have shown that students who have this mindset accept and learn from failure and put forth maximum effort; having a Growth Mindset can have a tremendous impact on achievement and success.</div>
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The guru of Growth Mindset, Carol S. Dweck, is an author, speaker, and psychology professor at Stanford University. Through her studies, she has determined that people can have one of two mindsets - fixed or growth. People who have a Fixed Mindset see themselves as having a fixed intelligence; they believe they were born with the skills they have, and no amount of effort or practice will change them. This is where you hear people say things like "I am terrible at spelling", "I suck at basketball", or "I don't have the math gene". People with this type of mindset truly believe they are pre-programmed for a certain level of success.</div>
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People with a Growth Mindset, however, believe that their intelligence is something they have control over; they believe their intelligence can grow and change through hard work, effort, and determination. They may struggle with math, but they know that if they practice and put in the effort, they will eventually figure it out.</div>
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These developments mean big things for education. Scientists have found that changing a student's mindset can actually change their brains; this change in attitude changes the connections in their brains in ways that allow for improved learning. </div>
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As educators, we can obviously see the need to instill a Growth Mindset in our students. Real learning takes place in our classrooms when kids challenge themselves to break through barriers, learn from their mistakes, and find success in accomplishing difficult tasks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqNzBm6iJdgOhFNfkFjQGzeFJdOCLD3RJOr8-pDrA6IyHhPsXDABCME2Rsaf3BIliT_9K8ltNYDZOVeAenDKQIB6MunOVAvXymT3jzuhSI_kOlBimd1gIVWJ0qhs7lvoRfLC98_S1xAg/s1600/gmblog1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqNzBm6iJdgOhFNfkFjQGzeFJdOCLD3RJOr8-pDrA6IyHhPsXDABCME2Rsaf3BIliT_9K8ltNYDZOVeAenDKQIB6MunOVAvXymT3jzuhSI_kOlBimd1gIVWJ0qhs7lvoRfLC98_S1xAg/s400/gmblog1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Setting high expectations for the students in our classrooms in a big part of this. Through our words and actions, we need to show all students that they can achieve greatness - not just those who are considered average or above average. Those who struggle, or who may not have the support at home, need us even more. </div>
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We also need to work at getting kids out of their comfort zones. We need to put students in situations where they can learn to adapt to new situations and take risks. They need to learn that failure is part of the learning process, and that it is not all about getting the right answer. By embracing the struggle, kids learn to power through their mistakes, learn from them, and achieve real learning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqcNbMfiYIgFg4LkE8xhuj-hFPzJ0IFmtFV2xegKhgq0VTYiLu4H8IQz4SfYlZaZFx4X8ySg3PEBfPYcWZFN0qqo_NiFsxYIuqNdYWiUDsEtXh6rxy9dTB6l2Hx8XgaQUGu7gwSU-puk/s1600/gmblog2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqcNbMfiYIgFg4LkE8xhuj-hFPzJ0IFmtFV2xegKhgq0VTYiLu4H8IQz4SfYlZaZFx4X8ySg3PEBfPYcWZFN0qqo_NiFsxYIuqNdYWiUDsEtXh6rxy9dTB6l2Hx8XgaQUGu7gwSU-puk/s400/gmblog2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I find all of the research around Growth Mindset intriguing, and have spent a large part of my summer looking for ways to incorporate it into my classroom (and into the minds of my own kids!). For more information and professional reading, I strongly suggest you check out the books below.</div>
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To introduce the idea of Growth Mindset in my classroom, I plan to start the school year by creating an Interactive Notebook on the topic. We can then add to the notebook as the year progresses, and reflect back on it when necessary. I really like the idea of starting the school year with this - I think it will help to establish my expectations, and give us a strong reference point for the year.</div>
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For this activity, I had students brainstorm some Fixed Mindset phrases on one side of the paper, and then state the same things on the other side of the paper in a Growth Mindset way. I love the way this one turned out - great statements, and the effort put into the presentation of the activity really reflects a Growth Mindset! </div>
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If you are interested in some ready to use resources on Growth Mindset that you can use in your own classroom, check out my Growth Mindset Interactive Notebook below. You can pick it up in my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-Interactive-Notebook-Graphic-Organizers-Text-Mapping-2709833">here</a>, or on any of the images below.</div>
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What are some of the ways you use Growth Mindset in the classroom? Let me know in the comments!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-35575865113608356712016-07-23T10:24:00.000-07:002016-07-25T10:32:10.685-07:00Blog Book Study - Reading in the Wild<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to my first ever Blog Book Study! I just finished reading Donalyn Miller's <u>Reading in the Wild</u> and I can't wait to share my thoughts!</div>
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I fully admit that I am a bit behind in my professional reading. <u>Reading in the Wild</u> was given to me by a good teacher friend quite a while ago, and I just now got around to reading it. Once I picked it up, however, I found it hard to put down. I agree so much with a lot of what Miller talks about in the book about providing kids with independent reading time - in fact, I just recently wrote an entire blog post on this topic, which <a href="http://creativeclassroomcore.blogspot.ca/2016/07/silent-reading-in-middle-school.html">you can check out here</a> if you like :). Even though I am already doing many of her suggestions, there were still so many ideas that I want to incorporate into my classroom.</div>
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First of all, what is a "Wild Reader"? According to Miller, these individuals "incorporate reading into their personal identity to the degree that it weaves into their lives along with everything else that interests them". When I think back to my childhood, I can say that I have pretty much always been this type of reader. Book stores and libraries have always been some of my very favorite places. I really love this definition, and really want to work on creating these types of readers in my classroom.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNUBRanky_ylTRC-C3mlp1EaC3lWdrHqEhQIo3xxvUnI6rssmvL7IQKTr_ZaG5khrizVRH9VdTtfBYiCNUAPUeDgAfwUlNlAQISgh4LLlVGruPyVQQA4a70R7Xi4G394bp4qjQpu_ldI/s1600/wild2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNUBRanky_ylTRC-C3mlp1EaC3lWdrHqEhQIo3xxvUnI6rssmvL7IQKTr_ZaG5khrizVRH9VdTtfBYiCNUAPUeDgAfwUlNlAQISgh4LLlVGruPyVQQA4a70R7Xi4G394bp4qjQpu_ldI/s400/wild2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Throughout her book, Miller talks about the need to carve out reading time for our students.</div>
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"Imagine schools where band, choir, debate, and athletics participants were not given practice time during the school day, and yet were still expected to perform. If we expect students to perform as readers, they need time to practice reading at school too". </div>
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This quote really resonated with me. I believe this is so, so, so important. I start each of my Humanities classes with 15 minutes of silent reading each day, and truly enjoy the opportunity to sit around with the kiddos and talk about books. We really need to work to build a reading community in our classrooms, where kids (and adults!) share books they are reading, make recommendations to each other, and simply read for readings sake.</div>
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I do understand that some teachers have difficulty fitting independent reading time into their schedules, and because of this I really liked what Miller had to say about carving out small chunks of reading time. Instead of always picking up their phones when they have a spare minute, we need to teach kids to reach for a book. There is always time to sneak in a few minutes of reading throughout the day - waiting in line at recess, sitting in the doctors office, etc. I know I am horribly guilty of this, and am going to work on practicing what I preach by making sure I always have a book in my bag. I am also going to make more of an effort in the future to have my students keep their silent reading books on their desks throughout the school day, so they can pick up them up and read when they are done their work. Even if it is only for a few minutes, the time adds up! Research has shown time and time again the correlation between time spent reading and academic achievement, and the more reading time we can get them to sneak into their days the better.</div>
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I really liked what Miller had to say about classroom libraries, and how student access brought with it increased motivation and reading achievement. My classroom library is very special to me, as I have spent my career developing it into something great. Over the years, I have managed to pick up about 40 different sets of 5 books each - this gives me a great variety of titles to share with my students! In order to do this, I have had to be quite creative. </div>
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One way I have added to my class books sets over the years is by searching through used books stores. I have a small collection hidden behind my whiteboard of half completed novel sets; whenever I go to the used book store (we have such a great one in town!), I keep an eye out for particular titles, and slowly add to my sets as I find them. Overtime, I am able to complete my sets, and add them to my class book shelf. I will admit that I am quite picky about the books I purchase used though - I like my books to look fresh and new when the kids pick them up, so I only will buy the ones in excellent condition!</div>
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A few years ago, I also wrote up a proposal to our administration, requesting book sets for my department. I discussed how we wanted to try some new strategies with literature circles and small group instruction, and requested several book sets at different reading levels. Thankfully, our proposal was approved, and we were able to pick out and purchase a bunch of new titles to add to our collection. It was really great to be able to pick the books ourselves, as we were able to pick some tried and true classics as well as some new and exciting titles. I like to make sure I have some obscure (but still great!) titles as well, to make sure my avid readers haven't read everything on the shelf (this actually happened once - a truly amazing kid!)</div>
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Even though my classroom library is pretty well stocked, I am still constantly adding to it. Whenever we have money left in our budget at the end of the year, it always goes to purchasing (and replacing) classroom book sets. It has been a time consuming process, but has been well worth the effort. I truly love having access to these books in my classroom, and I think they really help give students the opportunity to have engaging and meaningful reading experiences throughout the school year.</div>
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<u>Reading in the Wild</u> also talk about the importance of allowing students opportunities to self select reading material. Kids can become so dependent on us when it comes to reading choices, and they need opportunities to discover new and great titles, authors, and genres on their own. This is another reason why I love my classroom library. There is a wide variety of titles for students to choose from, so they have ample opportunities for self selection. I have made sure to stock it with genres that my students sometimes avoid at the library, like poetry and non-fiction, so I can be sure they are accessing a wide variety of reading materials. Also, as I have read all of the titles myself, I am able to have authentic talks with the kids about the books they are reading; I think this is important, as it helps to show the kids that reading isn't just something I assign them, but something I am knowledgeable about and passionately do myself.</div>
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In the end, the main thing I took away from this book was how important it is for us, as teachers, to really focus on true and thorough instruction in reading skills and text analysis. While doing this, we need to remember to be mindful of not just teaching kids to read, but instead teaching kids to truly love reading. Instead of reading logs and book reports, we need to provide our students with the time to read and a variety of texts, to snuggle up with a good book and simply enjoy the process. Through this they will truly become "wild readers". </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-50921468631342410202016-07-20T07:13:00.000-07:002016-07-20T14:17:10.838-07:00Interactive Reading Notebooks - Tips for Setting them up in your classroom!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In my last post, I wrote about the benefits of using Interactive Notebooks in your classroom. They really are something that I am passionate about, and I use them in all of my middle school classes. </div>
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I started with using Interactive Notebooks a few years ago, and have slowly added to them through the years. I will admit that there was a HUGE learning curve involved in their implementation... I made a great many mistakes, and have learned a lot about how to use them effectively. My confidence with using Interactive Notebooks has really grown over time; every year I feel like I find new ways to use them to help make learning meaningful, as well as ways to improve student organization and decrease my prep time. I feel like I have really hit my stride with them now though, and am really looking forward to working with other teachers to help them implement them in their classrooms in September. I have a lot of new activities planned, and am excited to try them out :)</div>
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A really important thing to remember about Interactive Notebooks is that they require a lot of thought and planning to be done well. They are going to become student learning records, and things they refer back to throughout the year, so you really don't want to rush through them. To prevent you from making many of the same mistakes I made when first getting started with them, here are some tips and tricks for getting the most out of using Interactive Notebooks in your classroom.</div>
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<b>Tip #1 - Keytab style notebooks work best.</b></div>
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I have tried using several different notebooks styles with my students, but have found keytabs to work best. The hard covered composition books are great too, but they can be much more expensive; if you plan on using a new notebook for each unit, like I do, the cost can really add up. Keytabs are really inexpensive. At the end of August, I pick up huge stacks of them at Staples for 12 cents each for a pack of 4. I ask my students to bring in their own keytabs as well, but it is always good to have a back up supply for those who forget. </div>
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Keytabs are also great because the paper inside is the same size as a regular sheet of loose leaf. This is beneficial, because it means that you don't have to reformat all of your handouts to fit inside the notebooks. Composition book pages are smaller, making re-sizing necessary. I know some teachers have their students fold their pages before gluing them into composition books, but I really like to see all of the pages clearly without having to unfold everything.</div>
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I also like using keytabs because of the number of pages they have. They have fewer pages than composition books, which is nice when using them for individual units - I don't like having to waste a bunch of extra pages at the back of each book. If I do end up needing more pages, it is super easy to attach multiple keytabs together - I simply use a strip of fun colored duct tape to bind the spines together. It adds a punch of color, and the books hold up really well. </div>
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<b>Tip #2 - You will need A LOT of glue sticks.</b></div>
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If you think you have enough glue sticks to get your class started, buy 30 more. You will be shocked at the amount of glue sticks you will go through. I seriously feel like I am always buying, and hoarding, glue sticks. I have tried using the bottles of white glue, and know a lot of teachers who have had huge success with them, but they have not worked for me. I find them to be too messy, and the kids are forever forgetting to do up the lids, which means I am always dealing with clogged bottles. While the glue sticks can be a bit more expensive, I find that their ease of use makes it more than worthwhile. I know that many have found that glue sticks are not strong enough to hold items inside their notebooks, but I have honestly never found this to be a problem. Glue sticks are more expensive though, so you may want to have your students bring in their own and use yours as backups.</div>
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<b>Tip #3 - When possible, pre-cut.</b></div>
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Even though I am currently teaching middle school students, their lack of cutting skills is appalling. I am seriously shocked by their inability to cut straight. Because of this, and my obsession with having everything in their notebooks neat and tidy, I pre-cut notebook materials whenever I can. The kids are usually ok with cutting out a basic worksheet, but when foldables or small pieces of paper are required, I try and cut out the materials before class starts. Sometimes time constraints make this difficult, but things tend to go much smoother when I do get the chance. This can be a great job for peer tutors, parent volunteers, or students who finish early! Cutting can also be time consuming - pre-cutting helps save valuable class time!</div>
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<b>Tip #4 - Use a "Tidy Tub".</b></div>
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I am not sure where I first heard of this, but I absolutely love the idea and have had great success with it in my classroom. Basically, you place a small bin, or "tidy tub" in the middle of each group of desks in your classroom. When cutting, have students place their leftover scraps into the bin. This keeps the garbage off the floor, and prevents students from getting up every two minutes to go to the recycling bin. At the end of class, designate one kid from each group to get up and empty the tub into the recycling bin. This saves tons of time, and works really, really well.<br />
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<b>Tip #5 - Be r</b><b>ealistic.</b><br />
As I mentioned earlier, integrating Interactive Notebooks into your classroom takes significant thought and planning. No matter how enthusiastic you are about implementing them, they can quickly become overwhelming if you don't have a plan. Be kind to yourself - everything you do does not need to be pinterest-worthy! Not everything you put into your notebooks is going to look beautiful and perfect; real learning can be a messy process, and sometimes your student's notebooks will reflect this. You may want to start small, and only do one Interactive Notebook unit to start with. This will help you get into the groove, and feel out if you think it will work for you. Later, after you have worked out the kinks, you can slowly add more and more Interactive Notebook units. <br />
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<b>Tip #6 - Develop (or purchase) some "go-to" graphic organizers and templates.</b><br />
Before you get started, make sure you have a variety of graphic organizers to get you started. It is a good idea to find some tried and true resources you are already comfortable with, and find a way to adapt them for use in Interactive Notebooks. Remember, not everything has to be fancy! There are a ton of awesome Interactive Notebook resources already available at Teachers Pay Teachers to help make your life easier - <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Classroom-Core/Category/Interactive-Notebooks-162494">check mine out here!</a><br />
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<b>Tip #7 - Create a "Master Teacher Notebook".</b><br />
As you work through each Interactive Notebook unit with your students, create a "Master Teacher Notebook" alongside them. This allows you to model the process, and show students exactly what you are looking for. As a teacher, it allows you to focus specifically on what you want each page to look like. Having a model for students to refer to helps to avoid a lot of questions about particular aspects of page setup, giving you more time to help kids. An added bonus is that it become a really helpful resource for students to access when they are away - they simply need to check the master notebook to see what work they have missed, and what resources they need to pick up.<br />
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<b>Tip #8 - Remember that organization is a l</b><b>earned skill.</b><br />
Teaching students to organize their notebooks in the way you would like will take time. There is only a very small percentage of the population who have natural organizational skills - the rest of us need tools, instruction, modeling, and a whole lot of nagging to keep things neat and tidy. Overtime this will get easier, but it does take time. Whenever you get frustrated, it is good to remember that the organizational skills you teach your students will carry over into their future classes, making them much more successful students in the future.<br />
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<b>Tip #9 - Have all supplies ready to go.</b><br />
As much as I like to have my students come prepared each class with the scissors, glue sticks, and markers, I can guarantee that someone (usually quite a few someones) forgets something. Instead of having my students run back and forth from their lockers, I make sure I have a supply of scissors, glue sticks, and markers in tubs along the back shelf of my classroom. If kids forget their supplies, they know exactly where to go to grab what they need. This saves a significant amount of class time, and makes the construction of our Interactive Notebooks so much easier. At the end of the school year, as students clear out their lockers, I often have students throwing away half used supplies - this is a great time to save these things from the trash and have students donate random markers and glue sticks for your class room.<br />
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<b>Tip #10 - Teach and model expectations.</b><br />
To make things run smoothly, you will need to teach and model routines, expectations, and material management. The end goal should be that students can construct their notebooks independently. It takes time, and a lot of modeling, but eventually students should be able to put together their notebooks without a lot of adult intervention. The more your students get familiar with using their notebooks, the easier and faster the process will get. As with all things in the classroom, the more time you spend at the start of the year teaching and modeling rules and expectations, the easier things will be later on.<br />
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Hopefully these tips help you to get things started with Interactive Notebooks in your classroom. Do you have any additional tips or tricks? Leave me a comment in the section below - I would love to hear your ideas!<br />
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If you are looking for some great Interactive Notebook resources, I encourage you to check out my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Classroom-Core/Category/Interactive-Notebooks-162494">Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking here</a>. I have included a preview of my newest Interactive Notebook product below - simply click on it to be taken to my store :)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-20986835719923318942016-07-18T07:57:00.000-07:002016-07-18T09:07:22.036-07:00Everything you ever wanted to know about using Interactive Notebooks in your classroom!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Reading-Notebooks-Reading-Strategies-Common-Core-Aligned-1281574"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DhsixQHB5WWixFmzevp7NoOfhtigrqZvbg_iBxwWu7mlXeciPBBG99cHJJCbCD3twkQgrv1c-qoXDSE-r6S53gS-c1rpLFtV1Y47fSZtEau154PZe1BCNyusJ_23GceGl4qzYa5CGdQ/s1600/notebooksnip.JPG" width="456" /></a></div>
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If you have been following me for a while, it should be no surprise to you how much I love using Interactive Notebooks in my classroom. After first seeing them used in the Science classroom across the hall from me, I quickly fell in love - I loved the way they kept the kids organized, and how the kids had a record of their learning, that showed growth over time. The next year, I began implementing them with my grade seven and eight students, and have not looked back. </div>
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I will admit that this undertaking has been a huge work in progress. I have had many hiccups along the way, but have found that the benefits have made all of the work worth it. I have learned that Interactive Notebooks are certainly not just for elementary students, as my middle school students eagerly await opportunities to participate in anything interactive. This different way of structuring our learning shakes things up a bit, which is exactly what a lot of my disengaged teenage learners need. I am hugely passionate about using them with my students.</div>
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Research has shown many benefits to using Interactive Notebooks. To me, the very best part of using Interactive Notebooks in my classroom is that they promote engagement, creativity, and analytical thinking - all things I strive for in my middle school classroom. They keep my struggling students organized, make differentiating for my higher learners a breeze, provide a record of our learning, and become a student-created reference tool to refer back to when needed - honestly, I can't imagine how I ever structured my classes without them.</div>
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Lately, I have had a lot of people ask me about Interactive Notebooks, and how I use them in my classroom - sounds like a fun blog post to me! I really wish I had few tips before getting started, as it would have caused me to bypass some of the wrong turns I made along the way. </div>
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<b>So... what are Interactive Notebooks, anyways?</b></div>
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I have seen Interactive Notebooks called many things - Reader/Writer Notebooks, Interactive Student Notebooks, Response Journals, etc. Call them what you will, they are essentially a notebook of some sort that is used to record information. The key is in the "interactive" part, which makes then fun and engaging - a hit with students of many different age groups. Basically, Interactive Notebooks allow students to take information supplied by the teacher, and merge it with their own thinking. The foldables and activities within the Interactive Notebook allow students to work with information they have gathered, creating deeper connections to the content. Instead of just taking passive notes, students are encouraged to "show what they know" by applying their knowledge in a creative way.<br />
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In "Classroom Instruction that Works", Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock state that "taking notes and summarizing information is a proven thinking strategy that helps to increase student achievement and retain new information". Providing students with information and then asking them to use thinking strategies to actually interact with it in some way helps the information to stick in their brains much more than simply listening to a lecture or taking notes from the board. Creating the foldables and activities within the Interactive Notebooks increase student abilities to organize and connect to class content. </div>
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In my past few years of using Interactive Notebooks in my middle school classroom, I have discovered the following benefits:<br />
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<b>Interactive Notebooks are powerful educational tools.</b></div>
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Interactive Notebooks enable students to be creative and independent thinkers and writers. They allow students to express their ideas in unique and engaging ways, and process information presented in class; as students learn new ideas, they have the opportunity to use several types of interactive writing and graphic techniques to record and process them. The ultimate goal of using Interactive Notebooks in the classroom is to teach students to be independent thinkers and note takers; Interactive Notebooks teach students about the tools and strategies needed to eventually do this on their own. The activities completed in Interactive Notebooks are so much more than cutesy cut and paste images; instead, they teach students to interact with content at a high level, and to make that content their own. </div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks meet the needs of a variety of learning styles.</b></div>
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Interactive Notebooks allow visual learners to explore new ways to share ideas, and encourages non-visual learners to become more proficient with graphic approaches in a non-threatening way. Both types of learners use the notebooks to work on their writing skills, while learning valuable note taking strategies. I have found that my kinesthetic learners enjoy moving around and using their hands to assemble the bits and pieces.</div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks help students to systematically organize while they learn.</b></div>
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Students use Interactive Notebooks to organize their thoughts and ideas. A variety of organizational techniques are used to synthesize concepts and help make sense of what they learn. The notebook allows assignments to be kept together in a regular place and in a logical order. Students who struggle with organization (and I am sure you have as many of those as I do!) often find the notebooks very helpful. Instead of a million random worksheets, students have everything organized together in one place. Our Interactive Notebooks cause us to spend a significant amount of time in class teaching these organization skills, which students are able to take with them into other subject areas.</div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks become portfolios of individual learning.</b></div>
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These creative notebooks become records of each student's growth. The teacher, student, and parents can use the notebooks to review a student's progress in writing, illustrating, recording, thinking, and organizing. They are an amazing portfolio to pull out during parent conferences. Gone are the days of gathering up and storing assignments, as now I simply have to pull out our Interactive Notebooks to show parents what we have been up to. These notebooks are an excellent summary of our learning, and parents always seem to be impressed. Student growth can clearly be seen as they progress throughout the school year.</div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks are a work in progress, and allow students to learn from their mistakes.</b></div>
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I have my students complete a new notebook at the start of each unit. Throughout the unit, notebooks are collected sporadically, and checked for completion. When improvement is needed, sticky notes with constructive criticism are added. As the notebooks are not collected for marks until the very end of a unit, students have multiple opportunities to receive feedback and improve their work before receiving a final mark.</div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks are valuable study tools.</b></div>
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As all of the information needed for each unit is contained inside the Interactive Notebook, the notebooks become comprehensive study guides created by the students themselves. Interactive Notebooks help teach students new ways to study, and the activities within the notebooks often provide students with visual pictures to help remember content. Having everything complete, organized, and in one place makes studying much easier. Interactive Notebooks also teach students to be resourceful - when they get stuck in class, or forget how to do something, they can refer back to the information they have previously gathered. They quickly become the "go to" resource for students to go over concepts they have missed or are struggling with. Throughout the course of the year, students are essentially creating their very own textbook; I can guarantee these self-created textbooks are much more meaningful to students.</div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks are fun, hands on, and engaging.</b></div>
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The activities we complete while putting together our Interactive Notebooks bring with them high levels of student engagement. The kids are actively involved, moving around, and being creative while creating things that flip, flap, and fold - these hands on activities really give students the opportunity to grasp concepts further. Interactive Notebooks turn the boring necessity of note taking into something kids actually look forward to. No one remembers doing a boring worksheet, but I can guarantee you that my students can look back in their notebooks and remember completing each activity. This engagement really helps them to remember concepts better. When kids enjoy using these methods for note taking, they are much more likely to use them as a study and reference tool. </div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks allow students to develop pride and ownership over their work.</b></div>
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According to research on Interactive Notebooks, they are most beneficial when they are used as a learning tool developed by students, for students. Through the creation of our Interactive Notebooks, students actively interact with content, providing records of their learning. Essentially Interactive Notebooks become records of learning that are physically put together by the students. Because of this, students take ownership, and are proud of the work they put into their Interactive Notebooks. They spend a lot of time creating them, take care of them, and want to share them with others. Very, very rarely have I had an Interactive Notebook go missing, even though I let my students take them home with them. My students regularly spend their free time coloring them up, and they become beautiful and personal records of their learning. When students create something they are proud of, they are much more likely to use it as their "go to" resource.</div>
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<b>Interactive Notebooks are great for teachers, too!</b></div>
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Using Interactive Notebooks in our classrooms allow us reflect on our student's learning styles, as they are a great way to analyze student understanding of new concepts. Many of the activities we complete in our Interactive Notebooks are perfect examples of formative assessment. As teachers, we can then use the information we have gathered to create, plan, and manage our small group instruction. The Interactive Notebooks I use in my classroom show everything we learned, when we learned it, and how we learned it. As the year goes on, I make notes in my teacher version of areas we struggled and areas that went well. This makes lesson planning so much easier the following year!<br />
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I really hope this post inspires you to give Interactive Notebooks a try in your classroom. They are a surefire way to increase student engagement, organization, and accountability in your classroom.</div>
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Do you use Interactive Notebooks in your classroom? If so, I would love to hear about it! Tell me about how you use them by leaving a comment in the comment section!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-69349874483155230202016-07-13T20:44:00.001-07:002016-07-13T20:45:18.658-07:00Exploring Gary Paulsen's Hatchet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u style="text-decoration: underline;">Hatchet</u> by Gary Paulsen is one of my very favorite novels to teach. I am always on the hunt for ways to pull in my struggling boys, and the male protagonist and survival theme really seems to suck them in. The book is also one of my eleven year old daughter's all time favorites, so I can say with all honesty that the story is really appealing to adventurous young girls as well.</div>
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There is so much that you can do with this novel. It makes a great literature circle book, as it pairs really nicely with other survival themed novels, such as Scott O'Dell's <u>Island of the Blue Dolphins</u>, Jean Craighead George's <u>Julie of the Wolves</u> or <u>My Side of the Mountain</u>, <u>Shipwreck</u> or <u>Everest</u> by Gordon Korman, <u>Deathwatch</u> by Robb White, <u>The Cay</u> by Theodore Taylor, or <u>The Girl Who Owned a City</u> by O.T. Nelsen. The similar themes of these stories would make for some great class discussion and compare/contrast activities. </div>
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Youtube has some great videos about the novel. I usually use an interview with Gary Paulsen that I found on youtube to introduce the author.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q7ADtOjxmRs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q7ADtOjxmRs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q6Wo6SDWJ3oJGBGCHnMMgUzw6ImFhSyHhHkrxn2UDiS4k28bt6HScDj3V_ekkUJdzfNktVagfvFWrKdEcyF1NPwyBrmQQqFg6yJACDI-wiMENc9nJwFCPw30nZAYztsSsBThB-RyLmA/s1600/hatchetfree1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q6Wo6SDWJ3oJGBGCHnMMgUzw6ImFhSyHhHkrxn2UDiS4k28bt6HScDj3V_ekkUJdzfNktVagfvFWrKdEcyF1NPwyBrmQQqFg6yJACDI-wiMENc9nJwFCPw30nZAYztsSsBThB-RyLmA/s320/hatchetfree1.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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I like the way he talks about his life as a writer and his reasons for writing. To keep the kids focused while we watch, I like to handout a few quick questions for them to complete while watching. We glue these in at the beginning of our <u>Hatchet</u> Interactive Notebooks, and discuss the answers as a class. If you would like a set of the questions we use (with answer key and video link), you can download it for free at my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hatchet-Novel-Study-Unit-Gary-Paulson-Interview-Video-Response-Questions-2642617">Teachers Pay Teachers Store here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAun_UF0Au0TAkNbnXTuwaNy1M0nidy4A1iiUYOII2rj-hWwZPpjd1tkz4D5wF8t8I2kfj7V7eizHZsUvNLEf-y13gj7QRYwnWud9bjQS_SsZIvLlhM6nZQG9RdCPmZLTKilfNxcmt_zU/s1600/tips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAun_UF0Au0TAkNbnXTuwaNy1M0nidy4A1iiUYOII2rj-hWwZPpjd1tkz4D5wF8t8I2kfj7V7eizHZsUvNLEf-y13gj7QRYwnWud9bjQS_SsZIvLlhM6nZQG9RdCPmZLTKilfNxcmt_zU/s320/tips.JPG" width="239" /></a>As the theme of the novel revolves around survival, I like to introduce the novel by discussing some wilderness survival tips. I have collected a variety of tips on a handout, and we go over the tips and discuss them as a class. After discussion, I have the kids brainstorm and write about the tip they think is most important. The kids always enjoy this, and I find it to be a fun pre-reading activity to get them excited about the book. We usually get some pretty good class debates going on, as the kids like to argue over which tip is most important.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSv2MzmqhuUmqqaKXJcg436RbJzwizFPBbmTQ7OyGCALcYtdxJaTJjyhyM2AjgJf4Ckhnq83lGy0DeEc4wrPcC3wFar_QxsTPUVlg32bUJDElp-_Cd0aBmTrFhnRYx4hh9DZTxye2s_Y/s1600/HatchetQuestions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSv2MzmqhuUmqqaKXJcg436RbJzwizFPBbmTQ7OyGCALcYtdxJaTJjyhyM2AjgJf4Ckhnq83lGy0DeEc4wrPcC3wFar_QxsTPUVlg32bUJDElp-_Cd0aBmTrFhnRYx4hh9DZTxye2s_Y/s400/HatchetQuestions.JPG" width="400" /></a>In the past, I have had the kids complete chapter questions when we complete each chapter of the novel. I like these questions in particular because they include vocabulary words and opportunities for the kids to express their learning in an artistic way. This has been a good way to work on their vocabulary and to make sure they are understanding what they are reading. </div>
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This past year, however, I decided to switch things up a bit. We had been learning about summarizing, and I really wanted the kids to get some practice with these skills while reading through the novel. To do this, I decided to have them summarize and illustrate what happens in each chapter. This was a nice break from chapter questions, and the kids like the opportunity to show their understanding in artistic form. I also really loved how the completed projects looked! We hung them on the wall outside our classroom for a bit, and then glued them into our Hatchet Interactive Notebooks.</div>
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The little image on the left of Brian with mosquito bites makes me giggle every time I see it. The kids had so much fun with these and I really love how they turned out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmevT4ttOyCeY8W872wVGzc9lgLxaND-KdjmKs85FKa2eEJAs6aIh5V134YmFj2PJFcfiAkvKEN7iqQQheNZS01ddUsMDRXOD6M4NmgiNNOr6-LYa2GrdQnXfq4n0WjSKcK55hI-K9epY/s1600/brian.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmevT4ttOyCeY8W872wVGzc9lgLxaND-KdjmKs85FKa2eEJAs6aIh5V134YmFj2PJFcfiAkvKEN7iqQQheNZS01ddUsMDRXOD6M4NmgiNNOr6-LYa2GrdQnXfq4n0WjSKcK55hI-K9epY/s320/brian.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
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As we progress through the novel, we spend a significant amount of time brainstorming the ways Brian has changed from the beginning of the novel towards the end. I have them do a compare and contrast organizer in small groups, which we then go over and add to as a class. When we are done, I have them glue them into their <u>Hatchet</u> Interactive Notebooks, as they will need to refer back to them for the next activity.</div>
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For this activity, the kids are required to illustrate and discuss the changes that Brian went through during the novel. It makes for a great visual representation of Brian before and after. I like the way this assignment forces kids have to look at the changes that occurred in Brian both on the inside and outside. Again, the kids loved being able to use art to show their understanding, and I love how they turned out. Once they were complete, we glued them into our <u>Hatchet</u> Interactive Notebooks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRpdlkXJlD6tz9b_QS8vKhbivG9SYQvQMJDlNrfFFRxImB7WCBRV9cIkt9eiIiXT1zTogC1DFc-n6_huH1ezVl-lXzW9NuxpAgpleBT8fs8IM5Rz3Q3PqZqscDsPoNvDgcf_nv8hqtds/s1600/hatchetbefore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRpdlkXJlD6tz9b_QS8vKhbivG9SYQvQMJDlNrfFFRxImB7WCBRV9cIkt9eiIiXT1zTogC1DFc-n6_huH1ezVl-lXzW9NuxpAgpleBT8fs8IM5Rz3Q3PqZqscDsPoNvDgcf_nv8hqtds/s400/hatchetbefore.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
If you are interested in picking up any of the resources shown in this post, you can pick them up at my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Classroom-Core">Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking here</a> or on one of the images below.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hatchet-148191"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts0fiY7K_njHC5zlRlKlzXOhyphenhyphenimq4UkUojG2I_w5q2HxX2ku_3z0ss0DjmjR_fX-FlZ0HICWbjNdjXUoAGV7LmMDivlu4VelPvJx4hf-z_UoSDd0YsfrYtEsi3rUsaAS7jGVPdMSF96o/s640/hatchetc.JPG" width="475" /></a></div>
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Do you teach this novel in your classroom? I would love to hear about some of the activities that work for you!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-17110254455950548992016-07-11T14:02:00.001-07:002016-07-20T16:21:46.018-07:00Silent Reading in the Middle School Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjDEheWAoNo3hC-yqhfx2ZY6RPAqsG9VO7vTDWUoLwIGN8uIyh9ZkA7PpiwyCMdDRoWZjKZD76PYyrKBnHeRIs0xOkdeqy63a_nH6eoyy9VV0DQ-D5KjEONGO2bTSd6BtSXwU-4Fvp6Y/s1600/sr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjDEheWAoNo3hC-yqhfx2ZY6RPAqsG9VO7vTDWUoLwIGN8uIyh9ZkA7PpiwyCMdDRoWZjKZD76PYyrKBnHeRIs0xOkdeqy63a_nH6eoyy9VV0DQ-D5KjEONGO2bTSd6BtSXwU-4Fvp6Y/s400/sr.JPG" width="397" /></a></div>
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As teachers, we all know the correlation between the amount of time that kids spend reading and their reading levels; quite simply, the more kids read, the better they will be at it. Studies consistently show the key role that reading volume plays in the development of comprehension, vocabulary, general knowledge, and cognitive structures. In <u>Reading in the Wild</u>, Donalyn Miller states that "we cannot overlook one truth: no matter what standards we implement or reading tests we administer, children who read most will always outperform those who don't read much". Even though we know this to be true, I have found that many teachers struggle with fitting in independent reading time in their classes. With standards to meet and tests to prepare for, independent reading is often something that falls to the wayside... and this is so sad!</div>
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<b>Why should independent silent reading be practiced in our classrooms?</b></div>
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In his book, "Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Reading", Steve Gardiner states that "a significant number of research studies have examined sustained silent reading programs, evaluating their effectiveness with students from primary grades to graduate school... and most of these studies show that SSR is successful in promoting and improving student literacy". Later is the book, he goes on to state:</div>
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"Giving them time to read is clearly the most important thing I do with my students. It:</div>
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-builds vocabulary;</div>
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-develops an understanding of the qualities of good readers;</div>
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-meets needs the teacher might not know about; and</div>
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-gives students a chance to connect with reading is an unstructured situation."</div>
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Every time our students pick up a book, they are faced with new ideas, words, and sentence structures. Every minute spent reading builds upon the next, making reading easier and more enjoyable for our students. </div>
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Some of the additional pluses I have found while allowing my middle school students time for silent reading include:<br />
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<b>-Opportunity for student choice -</b> Most reading done is school is assigned. Independent silent reading allows students to read material they choose on their own.</div>
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<b>-Builds reading confidence -</b> As silent reading time is meant to be uninterrupted, they must work through trouble spots on their own, which helps them to become confident readers.</div>
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<b>-Students actually want to read more - </b>Reading, sharing, and talking about books in a positive way encourages students to want to try new genres, experience different authors, plow through the next book in a series, and ultimately read more!</div>
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<b>Some tips for setting up a silent reading program in your classroom.</b></div>
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As you can probably tell, I am a huge advocate for silent reading in my middle school classroom. For the past 10 years, I have been having my students complete 10-15 minutes of independent reading time at the beginning of each class. I will admit that it took a lot of trial and error for me before I turned silent reading time into something I felt was both beneficial and personally meaningful to kids. Below, I have included some of my best tips and tricks for setting up a successful silent reading program for middle school learners.</div>
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<b>1) Make the time - </b>With all of the other things we have going on as teachers, it can be difficult to carve out an additional 10-15 minutes of class time in our already busy schedules. However, with all of the research showing how effective independent reading is in the creation of life long readers, we really do need to find a way. This reading time gives the kids the opportunity to actually apply all of the reading strategies and skills that you have been teaching them, and is crucially important. Once you have found the time in your schedule, make sure you make the time a priority. Kids need to see that this time is valuable and important, and won't learn this if you cancel it when "more important" things come up. Show the kids that their reading time is worthy of protection, and never sacrifice it.</div>
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<b>2) Allow for choice -</b> As most of the reading kids do in school is assigned to them, independent reading time is the perfect opportunity to let them make their own choices about what they read. Many teachers at the school I previously taught at would allow students to bring in their own books from home for this, or would give students time to sign books out from the library. In my room, however, I have my students select books from our classroom library. My classroom library is quite extensive, with a wide variety of authors, genres, lengths, and reading levels. I am an avid Young Adult literature fan, so the added bonus of having the kids choose from our class library is that I have actually read all of the novels myself. This allows me to have great discussions with the kids about what they are reading, and also helps me to make recommendations to kids who are struggling with finding the right book. Because I have read all of the books, I know that they are quality literature choices, that are highly engaging. Yes, this does mean that I require myself to read YA lit like a madwoman, seeking out the best new titles. And it means that I spend quite a bit of money on investing in quality books for my classroom. But, as this is something I really think is important, I make the time and find the money. I will discuss some tips and tricks for setting up your own classroom library, and some of my favorite book choices for middle school kids, in an upcoming post.</div>
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<b>3) Provide time for discussion - </b>At the end of your 10-15 minute silent reading time, allow some time for class discussion. This doesn't have to happen at the end of each silent reading time, but it is great if you can make an effort to do this a few times a week. This is a great time to bring the class together and show them what you have been reading, introduce a new author or genre, or to give a quick book talk on a few new titles you have picked up for your classroom bookshelf. You can have students share some of their favorite reads as well, or even have a guest staff member or parent come in and talk about one of their current favorites. Our school librarian is always game to come in and share some of her favorites, and I have even had our principal come in and give a quick book talk. These discussions can really motivate other students - I have found that kids will often choose their next reading choice based on recommendations by their peers, and a new book I have shared in class rarely sits on our book shelf for long. It is amazing what a little advertising can do! Allowing time to talk about books shows kids that reading isn't just a solitary activity. </div>
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<b>4) Celebrate Reading! -</b> Sometimes reading can get a bad rap. Kids can come into your classroom saying that they hate reading, and that it isn't something "cool". As a teacher of reading, it is your job to make reading cool again! Make reading in your classroom something to celebrate. Give book talks, hold mini conferences with your kids to talk about what they are reading, and get excited about new books in your classroom library. Your enthusiasm about reading really will rub off on them! One of my favorite ways to celebrate reading in my classroom in by throwing a "book feast" at the end of the year. Have your students choose a favorite independent reading book, and bring in a themed snack to share with the class. On the day of the feast, have the kids discuss their books and the way the snack ties in. I clearly remember a group of boys one year who were hooked on the "Hunger Games" series - they brought in "Cinna"-buns (cinnamon buns), Nightlock Berries (blueberries), and Po-"Cato"-Chips (potato chips). Such a fun way to get kids excited about what they are reading, and to share that enthusiasm with others. </div>
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<b>5) Model, model, model! -</b> According to Gardiner, independent reading time "allows an adult to model the habits, choices, comments, and attitudes good readers develop". Kids need to see that reading isn't just something that kids are assigned to do, but something that is enjoyable to adults too. It can be very, very tempting to use this quiet classroom time to get some much needed work done, but try not to. Pick up a book, practice what you preach, and show kids you value the time as well.</div>
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<b>6) Hold the kids accountable -</b> I know some of you will disagree with me on this one, and it is probably the area that I most struggled with when setting up my silent reading time. I am all for reading for reading's sake, and fully agree that reading with a mandatory worksheet attached can suck the joy out of a reading experience. That being said, kids are kids, and not all of them are going to buy in right from the start. I found that without the accountability, I had some kids who would hide their phones and text behind their novels, or who would simply grab the first book they came across each day, resulting in them reading the first two pages of about 30 different books on our shelf. They were not investing their time in a novel, and therefore could not get excited about them. The way I stopped this from happening was that I created a series of Reading Comprehension Strategy Poster pages. <br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Comprehension-Strategy-Poster-Activity-Pages-2038386"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJedxrrT553rLMjjff37SVckf6KDZN0JVqavn3tlVA9sOGGUevvjODzbAZ_zQR8aSSX9qvtpojOuax2MxKI6TU37tFe27LSxNgh46dW29EwXdxelkQHnBaMnotccH0NgY2R3qINfkhW4/s400/sr4.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
At the start of the week, the kids pick up a new reading comprehension strategy page from the front of my room, along with their silent reading book. Throughout the week, the kids are required to work on these during their silent reading time. Each page contains a few questions that can be applied to any novel they are reading, and which focus on specific reading comprehension strategies. They can work on these at their own speed throughout the week. The pages should really only take them 10-15 minutes to complete, so they don't take very much time away from their actual reading time, which I think is really important. When the kids are done, I have them glue them into their Reader's Notebooks. These are great to have on hand to refer back to when we talk about the different reading comprehension strategies in class, and give the kids some additional practice with these essential skills. <br />
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Then, throughout the week during our independent reading time, I call a few students up to my desk for a quick conference. I keep the conference very low key, and simply talk to them about what they are reading and have them show me their completed reading comprehension strategy pages in their Reader's Notebooks. This really helps to keep the kids accountable to what they are reading, and has made a huge difference in the success of my independent reading time. I think that engaging the kids with what they read really helps them to think about and make sense of what they are reading. If you are interested in trying out these reading strategy pages with your own class, you can check them out in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Comprehension-Strategy-Poster-Activity-Pages-2038386">Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking here</a> or on one of the images I have included.</div>
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<b>7) Allow kids to give up on a book -</b> When we read as adults, we will often stop reading when a book doesn't interest or engage us. Let kids have the right to do this too! As I mentioned above, I really don't like to see a kid picking up a new novel each day only to read two pages, but if a kid has honestly given a book a try, and has not found it enjoyable, they should be free to pick something else. Independent reading time is supposed to be fun, and kids should be thoroughly enjoying what they choose to read. Having a large classroom library, and the ability to recommend the right book to the right student, greatly reduces the amount of books kids give up on.<br />
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<b>8) Provide Flexible Seating -</b> Whenever possible, allow kids to sprawl out and really get comfortable with their books. Bring is comfy cushions, exercise balls, or anything else you can get your hands on to facilitate this. If it is a nice day, and your administration is on board, you can even take them outside to lay in the grass. In the past I have been known to bring in a class set of yoga mats, move the desks out of the way, and let the kids lay out on the floor. While I haven't let the kids set up blanket forts just yet, I wouldn't be opposed to the idea!</div>
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I certainly wouldn't argue about the importance of many of the things we do in our classrooms on a regular basis - in depth novel studies, writing instruction, and group work are all essential parts of the language arts classroom. Clearly, however, we can see the importance of getting books into our students hands, and for allowing them to read independently during the school day. No matter what instructional methods we choose to use, our students need time to actually apply the reading strategies and skills we teach if we want them to become skilled readers. To do this, our kids need time to read! Silent reading time is really just another tool in our arsenal for developing life long readers, who thoroughly enjoy the reading process.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-39998994498723864252016-07-10T13:52:00.000-07:002016-07-11T08:37:32.585-07:00Summertime Reading and a Big Change!<div style="text-align: left;">
As my 10th year teaching English and History to grade 7-9 students at the same school comes to a close, with it comes a big change. Next year, I have decided to take a two year leave from my current job, and will be going to work as a Literacy Helping Coach with our districts's curriculum department. They will be filling my old job with a temporary teacher for two years, so after that I can decide if I want to go back to that job, or apply for an additional two years with the curriculum department. This will be a huge change for me, and it will be really strange not setting up my classroom for September, but I am super excited about the new opportunities this new position will bring. </div>
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Do any of your guys work in this capacity? I would love to hear about your experiences!</div>
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With the new job comes a large amount of summer reading - so many professional reads I have been wanting to get caught up on! My office "summer reading" bookshelf currently looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YYK06ysq0x6X92YdpjRti0iVuxNQ4iXGrQlfuBFXuNIt565rQaqDAgU8iFe9iZLCvJfU2gaqdtI2XTYA_eRcuDPK7PKYQ0gBR6MVXrxjm93uHpEH6D9TOdFSf8iqBJbgY6ruogLhJ94/s1600/summeread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YYK06ysq0x6X92YdpjRti0iVuxNQ4iXGrQlfuBFXuNIt565rQaqDAgU8iFe9iZLCvJfU2gaqdtI2XTYA_eRcuDPK7PKYQ0gBR6MVXrxjm93uHpEH6D9TOdFSf8iqBJbgY6ruogLhJ94/s320/summeread.JPG" width="284" /></a></div>
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I think I am going to busy :) <br />
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I generally read quite a bit during the school year, but as my time is so much more limited, I don't read nearly as much as I would like to. I tend to use my summer to make up for this, and have always spent a significant amount of my summer days reflecting on the past year and brainstorming new strategies. Currently, I am plowing through Carol Ann Tomlinson's "Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom". I had heard great things about this book, and that it is essentially many people's "Go-To" when it comes to differentiating in their classrooms. Reading it has really made me reflect back on my last year's class, and ways that I could have structured things a bit differently. I had quite a few gifted kids last year, and this book has some great strategies that I could have used to challenge them a bit more. If you take a close look at the picture of my copy that I included below, you can see a bunch of the sticky notes I have coming out of the top with ideas I want to come back to. The book is well worth the read if you haven't had a chance to pick it up yet.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-C-k-b0G8c3SBV_vU4KF_1zptys8CBGzT7hmDmaTBzKTZD6czjvjb27Epfd-3Uj2-UrDGkV3WjlJQiFMkMofyfYzQaT_FlERdaeNwA22AHzPZKpUCfvCW8MaFCwMlTRlFsJMjA0Z88I/s1600/summerread2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-C-k-b0G8c3SBV_vU4KF_1zptys8CBGzT7hmDmaTBzKTZD6czjvjb27Epfd-3Uj2-UrDGkV3WjlJQiFMkMofyfYzQaT_FlERdaeNwA22AHzPZKpUCfvCW8MaFCwMlTRlFsJMjA0Z88I/s200/summerread2.JPG" width="174" /></a><br />
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On my wish list is Jennifer Serravallo's "The Reading Strategy Book", and David Burgess's "Teach Like a Pirate". I have heard great things about both, and am looking forward to adding them to my book pile.</div>
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<b>Have you read any of these books? Let me know which ones are your favorites!</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-65825530575550847292016-07-08T14:11:00.001-07:002016-07-11T08:43:22.659-07:00Text Mapping Adventures - and a Freebie!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n46itFRfgMwINgfRJOwbpRp8whQSvS9TWqI3u92b1o_i28AqisM1sRwn0bhYk3ervRSDxNzAXbiLtsZHkvUqh5sapYbEZkJykfIcaQX0tEYeio3NFOFG6S2zOpfAAN_HlZmUyo0HPCA/s1600/tm1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n46itFRfgMwINgfRJOwbpRp8whQSvS9TWqI3u92b1o_i28AqisM1sRwn0bhYk3ervRSDxNzAXbiLtsZHkvUqh5sapYbEZkJykfIcaQX0tEYeio3NFOFG6S2zOpfAAN_HlZmUyo0HPCA/s400/tm1.JPG" width="361" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Text Mapping is a technique that can be
successfully used to teach reading comprehension, writing skills, study skills,
and course content. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">As an alternative to books, Text </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">Mapping is completed on large </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">paper scrolls.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">Students take their </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">reading and tape the pages </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">togeth</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">er, creating a scroll that </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">can be rolled out onto the floor. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">This lets kids see the text in its </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">entirety, instead of flipping </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">through multiple pages. Having </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">the entire text visible at one </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">time, instead of just two open </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">book pages, helps students to </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">make connections across the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">lesson that they wouldn’t </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">normally be able to make.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">Students are able to see the text </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">as a whole, instead of focusing </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">on individual parts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14pt;">To begin the activity, the first thing you need to do is gather a few pages of non-fiction text. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I usually use a photocopied section of our Social Studies textbook, on a unit we are about to cover. This is a great pre-learning activity, as it allows the kids to work with the text for a bit before we begin our unit. This time, I used a few pages of informational text that I had previously typed up, relating to Archaeology. Our textbook doesn't go into enough depth on this topic, so I usually use this as supplemental reading. It worked perfectly for this activity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">After you have gathered the pages you want to use, simply tape them all together into a long scroll. You can have your students do this, or you can do it yourself before class starts to save on time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">After creating their scroll, students use a variety of different colored pens and highlighters to mark up the text in ways that are relevant to their reading purpose. The strategies students use to map the text are similar to the ones they would use while close reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A big perk of Text Mapping is that it is a reading strategy that is easy to learn and implement, and also requires very few materials. All the supplies you need for a successful lesson are a few pages of photocopied non-fiction text, some tape, and some colored pens and highlighters. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to textmapping.org, there are 7 key benefits to using text mapping in the classroom. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1) Scrolls and Text Mapping are explicit</b> - teachers can model comprehension strategies so students can see exactly what comprehension looks like and how it is achieved.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2) Scrolls and Text Mapping teach students to be strategic readers.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3) Scrolls and Text Mapping encourage students to develop active reading skills</b> - students must move around the scrolls and mark up the text.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>4) Scrolls and Text Mapping enable comprehension to be linked directly, explicitly, and concretely to the text</b> - this ensures that comprehension will be reliable, accurate, and complete.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>5) A text map is a traceable visual record of an individual's thought process</b> - you can see exactly where the thinking is happening.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">6) Scrolls and Text Mapping </span></span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">accommodate</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> a wide range of learning styles.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>7) Scrolls and Text Mapping can be particularly helpful to individuals who have learning disabilities or attention </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><b>deficits</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> - scrolls are more accessible to a greater range of senses and learning abilities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are looking for additional information on this fun strategy, I highly suggest you check out textmapping.org. There is a ton of great information!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Interested in trying this out in your classroom? All of the resources I used to complete this activity are available for free from my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Text-Mapping-Close-Reading-Strategies-for-Reading-Comprehension-2633528">Teachers Pay Teachers store</a>. The package includes information on what text mapping is, a step by step guide for using it in your classroom, a non-fiction article with questions that can be used for text mapping, and several different variations of activities for students to use while text mapping, suitable for both elementary and middle school students. If you decide to use it, please leave me a comment and let me know how it works for you!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Text-Mapping-Close-Reading-Strategies-for-Reading-Comprehension-2633528"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRKg6UCy0c0p8uTs5p1h70ZTb_G0mAFRnN97ig_0LeSj177b5Ly64y_IHHbiFm8qhdEJHRI0GAm60E7sqxN2c66lMtByCx6yOXqyU8ijy8UZZeL8f4Fa0MoLsUtBBBF6roxhcy3p8JRc/s400/textmapping+cover.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Do you use text mapping in your classroom! Leave me a comment and tell me all about it!</b></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-12179805062658880962016-07-05T15:42:00.000-07:002016-07-11T08:43:34.743-07:00Close Reading - Tips and Tricks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was first introduced to Close Reading at a professional development workshop a few years ago, and it has since become a huge part of my teaching practice. Repeated readings and annotation of complex text has helped to deepen student understanding and allowed students to make real life connections to what they are reading. Instead of rushing through text, as my students often do, students learn that some texts require multiple readings to fully understand. When we read something for the first time, we may notice some things, but not all; sometimes texts require a second or third look to really grasp what is going on. We, as teachers, need to show students that certain texts are worthy of that level of attention.</div>
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<b>What is Close Reading, and why is it important? </b></div>
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According to Close Reading gurus Fisher and Frey, Close Reading is "an instructional routine in which students are guided in their understanding of complex text". Basically, Close Reading is an instructional approach that integrates several reading strategies, where students add knowledge gained from text to their schema. Doing so builds habits of successful readers, and builds stamina and persistence with complex text.</div>
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Close Reading, however, is not a complete reading program. It is best to think of it as another tool in your teacher toolbox. It works best for complex texts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPahCFSyMRo6GBh6jZVti5Hbh-G5YDZgY2UybeTAkj1p0w9o_uHjgnzGlaAmXL9xYAeF0nVocoKE_BxtcdXKgfdRlgfle-s0ietX5RmeJZz8G4xT3MYxE9WLqlD6pMzb5WzRbTR0iNV_Q/s1600/cr4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPahCFSyMRo6GBh6jZVti5Hbh-G5YDZgY2UybeTAkj1p0w9o_uHjgnzGlaAmXL9xYAeF0nVocoKE_BxtcdXKgfdRlgfle-s0ietX5RmeJZz8G4xT3MYxE9WLqlD6pMzb5WzRbTR0iNV_Q/s400/cr4.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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In order to close read a text, students must:</div>
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-interact with the text</div>
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-read strategically</div>
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-reread the same text multiple times to uncover layers of meaning that lead to deeper understanding</div>
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-focus on the author's message</div>
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-analyze multiple components of the text and illustrations</div>
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-use their annotation skills</div>
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-answer text dependent questions</div>
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-use text evidence to defend ideas</div>
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According to Fisher and Frey, "the primary objective of a close read is to afford students with the opportunity to assimilate new textual information with their existing background knowledge and prior experiences to expand their schema". Both Fisher and Frey agree that close reading needs to be done alongside other essential instructional practices, as these are vital to reading development. These practices include shared reading and instructional read alouds, teacher modeling, think alouds, guided reading, collaborative reading, discussion, and independent reading and writing.</div>
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<b>What are the key features of a Close Reading lesson?</b></div>
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There are six key features to a quality Close Reading lesson. These include:</div>
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<b>Short Passages -</b> if the passage is too long, it becomes difficult for students to really dig deep.</div>
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<b>Limited Frontloading - </b>the cold read allows students to dive right into the text.</div>
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<b>Text Dependent Questions -</b> these encourage students to reread the text and facilitate conversations between students in small groups.</div>
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<b>Repeated Readings -</b> students should read text multiple times to aid understanding.</div>
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<b>Complex Texts -</b> texts should be above the reading level of most students.</div>
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<b>Annotation -</b> students should be taught to annotate text as they read to aid understanding.</div>
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The first step in Close Reading instruction is choosing an appropriate text. The text should be short enough to not overwhelm the student and to allow students to really focus. The text should also be complex enough to stand up to multiple readings - students should be challenged by the reading. </div>
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For each reading of the text, students should annotate. They should underline key words, circle sections they don't understand, and write notes in the margin. I love using different colored pens and sticky notes for this, as well as annotation symbols. For a detailed handout showing the annotations that I have my middle school students use, check out my complete Close Reading package <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Close-Reading-1320867">here.</a> The excerpt from Rip Van Winkle that we are annotating in this image is also included in the package.</div>
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<b>How does the small group discussion piece of close reading instruction work?</b></div>
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An essential part of a close reading lesson includes small group discussions. This allows students time to discuss the text in detail, and helps them to uncover important things they may have missed. I have also found that the small group discussions break things up a bit, making the process a bit less taxing on the students - they love an opportunity to chat with their classmates, and as long as they are focused on the learning outcomes I am happy to provide time for it.</div>
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Close reads can be divided into four basic phases. Students will read the text before each phase, allowing for repeated readings of the text. </div>
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Students should discuss with their small groups during each phase. to facilitate understanding.</div>
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<b>1) What does the text say?</b> This involves the general understanding of the text and key details.</div>
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<b>2) How does the text work? </b>This involves students looking closely at the author's craft, vocabulary, and structure.</div>
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<b>3) What does the text mean? </b> This involves the author's purpose behind writing the text.</div>
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<b>4) What does the text inspire you to do? </b>This involves extended writing.</div>
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Through these 4 phases, students have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the text, allowing for deeper understanding.</div>
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I have spent a significant amount of time recently reading about what the experts think about Close Reading, and ways it can be used in the classroom. I highly suggest you check out some of the books below to add to your professional reading library.<br />
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<b>Falling in Love with Close Reading</b> - Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts<br />
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<b>Text-Dependent Questions, Grades 6-12: Pathways to Close and Critical Reading</b> - Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey<br />
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<b>A Close Look at Close Reading: Teaching Students to Analyze Complex Texts</b> - Barbara Moss and Diane Lapp<br />
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<b>Close Reading and Writing from Sources</b> - Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey<br />
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<b>Illuminating Comprehension and Close Reading</b> - Isabel L. Beck and Cheryl Sandora<br />
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<b>Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading</b> - Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst<br />
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If you are looking for some great close reading resources to use in your classroom, I encourage you to click on the images below or check out my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Classroom-Core/Category/Close-Reading-Resources-162501">Teachers Pay Teachers store</a> - I have a variety of engaging close reading resources available. All of the resources have been used successfully in my middle school classroom!</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Close-Reading-1320867"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLfX8OZ5atHTbQw6RajDiolPz1rp5dqv-DCOOK77TTDwn5L4sH1EIvHMAcrZ3G0-eeK9eGjg-NT5JKSfkw_9Rdmwbl2xKOha96Ukd8-qSg4vFldIY3WkkQ42qRvJOmaJALUSAMhL7vmM/s400/cr8.JPG" width="398" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Close-Reading-Christmas-Classics-1428370"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81sbjf9mVnz8yax03QJGb2JFxlhhC6PgIydDsC3rtYPG2xjODaBQMmWWGdqPoDtrC0GbEir27mi3OEYwDs62bXSv-H-smwkAp59z66bkpOtEuRB8Gk4X-gxd9EtrJ4bAiVSZoZKGWxws/s400/cr10.JPG" width="387" /></a></div>
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<b>Do you use Close Reading in your middle school classroom? Leave me a comment - I would love to hear about what works for you!</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-66236932687115641362016-07-04T15:20:00.001-07:002016-07-11T08:40:30.337-07:00The All Time Best Short Stories for Middle School Students!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Short-Story-Unit-Bundle-of-Resources-to-use-with-11-Different-Short-Stories-2034558"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlvCGmG65ggK-ez9hLQiuyQgVqFHlH17RdBPerDXYK1e0sIjXU8lYKgtldFxYDhnEM8abPGg79bIFcLaLUuiIHAMOenpbtNOXWZTlCwsNels2JtY_B72WlWgF4UCBODKCXhP1pVtEFUw/s400/SSBlogtitle.JPG" width="307" /></a></div>
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Short stories definitely have their place in the middle school English classroom. These short works of literature can grab a reader's attention right from the start, making them great for reluctant readers, whose patience and attention spans can often run short; while they can be enjoyed by all students, they are perfect for the kids who are unable (or unwilling) to tackle an entire novel.</div>
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Great short stories can be used to teach literary elements and critical thinking skills, and lay the groundwork for engaging classroom discussions and writing assignments. Many of my favorite short stories have twist endings, and are great for teaching careful reading; while the endings often jolt the reader, the author usually gives enough hints along the way to give the reader the chance to figure out what is going to happen. It is hard to beat a good twist ending when it comes to engagement. </div>
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Too often I find that teachers limit the stories they use in their classrooms to those they can find in their classroom literature anthology. There are so many amazing stories out there, just waiting to be taught! As a true lover of the short story, I have dedicated my teaching career to collecting some of the very best, and have created my own personal classroom anthology. As many full text versions of short stories can be found for free online, I simply googled the title of each of the short stories I wanted, made copies, and put them all together in a duotang. I now have a classroom set of my favorites that I can use when the mood strikes, and can add (and subtract) new short stories as I discover them.</div>
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I have included some of my very favorite short stories below. These are stories that I have used with my middle schoolers for many years - all are guaranteed to be highly engaging, and promise to raise questions and instigate great discussions in your classroom. Included are links to online versions of the stories, so you can check them out yourself. I have only included a quick blurb about each, as I don't want to spoil the stories for those of you who are yet to discover them. </div>
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<b>The Necklace - Guy De Maupassant</b></div>
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In this engaging short story, a woman borrows an expensive necklace from a wealthy friend, only to lose it. She then spends the rest of the story trying to repay her debt. With a surprising twist ending, this short work of classic literature is sure to engage your students. The characters in this story are very well developed, and make for great lessons on characterization. As the main character comes off quite spoiled and unlikable, it makes for an excellent class debate or writing assignment on whether or not she deserved her fate. </div>
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Full text of the short story can be found <a href="http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Neck.shtml">here.</a></div>
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<b>Lamb to the Slaughter - Roald Dahl</b></div>
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Roald Dahl is easily one of my favorite writers of all time. While his novels are amazing, his lesser known shown stories are equally as great. "Lamb to the Slaughter" focuses on a scorn woman, who murders her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. The rest of the story revolves around her trying to hide her guilt and conceal the evidence. This is certainly a creepy story, but I think that is exactly what makes it so appealing to students of this age group. I often use the story to teach persuasive essay writing, while having the kids debate about whether or not they think the main character should get away with the crimes. After reading, I always make sure to show the kids the Alfred Hitchcock version of the story on youtube - Mary's giggle at the end is haunting! </div>
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Full text of the story can be found <a href="http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lamb.html">here.</a></div>
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<b>The Sniper - Liam O'Flaherty</b></div>
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If you are looking for a way to draw in your reluctant male readers, this short story is it. With guns, war, and a little bit of violence, I found that it really appeals to a lot of the adolescent boys in my classes. The story revolves around a sniper sitting on a rooftop during the Irish Revolution; he gives away his place while lighting a cigarette, and knows he has to escape. The twist ending will leave your students open-mouthed, and always makes for great classroom discussion. The unexpected ending is a great opportunity to teach irony. I often integrate this story into my Social Studies curriculum, as use it as an introduction to our civil war unit.</div>
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Full text of the story can be found <a href="http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/sniper.html">here.</a></div>
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<b>Interlopers - Saki</b></div>
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I only recently discovered this haunting short story, but it has quickly become one of my all time favorites. The story begins with the heads of two feuding families, hunting each other through the forest at night. Just as they are about to shoot each other, a large tree falls in the snowy forest, trapping both of them beneath it. The story has a great twist at the end that will leave your students gasping, making it a great story for teaching about irony and for reviewing plot. I also love to use it for teaching character motivation; the story begins with the characters being motivated by hatred, which quickly changes to the opposite. The misfortune of the events that unfold mature the men quickly, making a great teaching example of how empathy and understanding are the keys to conflict resolution.</div>
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Full text of the story can be found<a href="http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Inte.shtml"> here.</a></div>
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<b>The Chaser - John Collier</b></div>
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In this very short story a young man purchases a love potion, and is pleased to discover that it only costs a very small amount. The merchant, however, has something more costly to offer him, should he need it in the future. This is one of my favorite stories to teach in February, as the whole love potion idea pairs well with Valentine's Day festivities. The story itself is only a page or two long, making it highly accessible to even your most struggling middle school readers. After reading the story, students soon discover that the title is a great play on words, which makes for engaging class discussion.</div>
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For a full text version of the story, click <a href="https://www.utdallas.edu/~aargyros/the_chaser.htm">here. </a></div>
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<b>The Story of an Hour - Kate Chopin</b></div>
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This story begins when a woman is given news that her husband has died in a railroad accident. In the hour that follows, she contemplates her life while experiencing a wide range of emotions. Another story with a twist (can you tell I love twist endings?), students are always caught off guard by the ending, leading to great class discussions. The story easily lends itself to activities relating to symbolism, irony, and plot structure.</div>
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Full text of the story can be found <a href="http://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/">here.</a></div>
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<b>The Gift of the Magi - O. Henry</b></div>
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In this story, a young couple low on funds try to find a way to get each other a special Christmas gift. This is one of my favorite stories to read around the holidays, as it has a beautiful message about giving, and the things we should value most. It is a great story to pair with a reading of A Christmas Carol, and is also great for reviewing plot, character motivation, and irony.</div>
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Full text of the story can be found <a href="https://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html">here.</a></div>
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<b>A Sound of Thunder - Ray Bradbury</b></div>
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Set in the future, time travelers on a hunting expedition visit prehistoric times to shoot and kill a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The story explores the concept of the "Butterfly Effect", where one small action in the past can have massive consequences in the future. Students who have seen Groundhog Day will be familiar with the concept, but I find this story to be much darker. I usually have students complete a plot diagram to go along with this story, and make notes on the actions of the characters that make an impact on future events. This story is a bit longer than some of the ones I mentioned above, but I have found that the kids get hooked into the story right from the start, making them not mind the length as much. This story is a great way to hook some of your reluctant adolescent boys. This story pairs well with "Of Missing Persons" by Jack Finney, as both stories discuss the effects of time travel - although Finney's story is quite long, it is really one of my very favorites.</div>
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Full text of "A Sound of Thunder" can be found <a href="http://www.sjsd.net/~jweber/FOV1-00063306/A%20Sound%20of%20Thunder.pdf">here.</a></div>
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<b>Rain, Rain, Go Away - Isaac Asimov</b></div>
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Isaac Asimov is one of my favorite science fiction writers. His stories often have twist endings, and just the right amount of strange creepiness to make them extra appealing to this age group. When it comes to creepy and strange, "Rain, Rain, Go Away" does not disappoint. In the story, the main characters are curious about their new neighbors, who seem to be acting strangely. In an effort to get to know them better, they invite them on an outing to a local fair; after consuming massive amounts of cotton candy, panic ensues when an unforeseen rain storm catches the new neighbors off guard. This is an excellent story for teaching cause and effect and character changes over time. The story is also great for visualization, as the final scene really paints a picture in the minds of young students. Because of this, I often have my students illustrate before and after pictures of the neighbors.</div>
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Full text of the story can be found <a href="http://eolit.hrw.com/hlla/writersmodel/pdf/W_P0902.pdf">here.</a></div>
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<b>The Most Dangerous Game - Richard Connell</b></div>
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This is one of my favorite stories to teach about mood and suspense. In this engaging and tense story, a well known hunter crashes his boat into an almost deserted island, only to discover that the inhabitant likes to hunt humans. The beginning of the story is a great opportunity to teach students about how setting can help to create mood. The descriptions in the story are very visual, and I often have my students draw maps of the island, and show where key plot events in the story take place. This story is a definite favorite among middle school students.</div>
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Full text of the story can be found <a href="https://archive.org/stream/TheMostDangerousGame_129/danger.txt">here.</a></div>
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<b>Examination Day - Henry Seslar</b></div>
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Don't let the fact that this story was originally published in Playboy (!??!) stop you from using it in your classroom! Its distopic version of the future makes it a hit with students interested in this genre. In the story, bright young Dickie is sent to write an exam that all children of the future must take. The story ends with a jolting twist, and lends itself to some interesting classroom discussion and writing activities about the nature of intelligence. </div>
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<b>Harrison Bergeron - Kurt Vonnegut</b></div>
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I love pairing this story with Seslar's "Examination Day", as both stories are set in the future and discuss similar themes about intelligence. In this story, the people of the future have been given "handicaps" to make sure that everyone is equal. The story picks up when young Harrison Bergeron takes over a television program, revolting against the handicaps he has been given. This story lends itself to a great discussion about political propaganda; I usually end the unit by having the kids create their own propaganda posters for the main character in the story.</div>
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A full text version of "Harrison Bergeron" can be found<a href="https://archive.org/stream/HarrisonBergeron/Harrison%20Bergeron_djvu.txt"> here.</a></div>
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<b>All Summer in a Day - Ray Bradbury</b></div>
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When Margot moves from Earth to the rainy planet of Venus, she is bullied by the other children who are jealous of her for seeing the sun. As the first sunny day the planet has seen in many years approaches, the bullying intensifies, leading up to a heartbreaking finale. This is a great story to use when discussing bullying, as students tend to feel quite strongly for Margot, and can often make connections to their own lives. As it is set on a distant planet, it is also a great story to use when discussing setting. When we are done reading, I often show my students the movie version of the story, which can easily be found on youtube. </div>
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The full text version of the story can be found <a href="http://www.btboces.org/Downloads/6_All%20Summer%20in%20a%20Day%20by%20Ray%20Bradbury.pdf">here.</a></div>
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<b>The Birds - Daphne Du Maurier</b></div>
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As this is the classic short story that Alfred Hitchcock's famous movie was based on, it makes for a great spooky story to use around Halloween. In the story, the main character notices that the town's birds have been acting strangely. Soon, he is forced to barricade himself inside his house, and fight to protect his family from the swarming birds. The spooky nature of this story makes it a great one to teach mood and suspense. As it is a longer story, I like to have my students practice their close reading strategies while reading, and annotate the text as they go along. When the unit is complete, it is fun to show the students the classic Hitchcock movie, and compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the movie and story. While it was considered to be quite a scary movie when it was first released, it is quite tame by today's standards, and I have no problem showing it in my classroom. My students are so accustomed to the special effects of today's movies, that they usually find this movie quite hilarious to watch.</div>
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A full text version of the story can be found <a href="http://www.central.rcs.k12.tn.us/Teachers/pollackk/documents/the_birds_by_daphne_du_maurier.pdf">here.</a></div>
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<b>The Elevator - William Sleator</b></div>
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This story revolves a young boy named Martin, and his overwhelming fear of an overweight lady who climbs into his apartment elevator every time Martin boards. This is a great story to review plot, as the climax happens at the very end. I have found that my students often struggle to locate the climax of the story when it happens so late in the text, and this is a great way to help them practice with this. This story is definitely creepy, making it a hit with this age group.</div>
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A full text version of the story can be found <a href="http://learn.susd12.org/pluginfile.php/216692/mod_resource/content/1/The_Elevator_by_Sleator.pdf">here.</a></div>
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Hopefully you can make use of some of these fantastic short stories in your classroom! I will continue to add to this list as I discover more favorites. </div>
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Looking for some resources to use along with these stories? This giant 88 page resource bundle is available in my Teachers Pay Teacher store, and contains 11 of my best selling short story resources, bundled together for a heavily discounted price. Resources to use with a variety of short stories are included, as well as detailed activities and notes to go along with the elements of literature. Perfect for your upcoming short story unit, this package has enough resources to keep kids engaged while learning about the literary elements.</div>
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This 88 page package includes:</div>
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-Short Story notes on the Elements of Literature</div>
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-Literary Elements Flip Book Project</div>
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-Short Story Poster Projects to go along with 10 different short stories</div>
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-Additional worksheets to use with any of the included stories</div>
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-Links to online versions of all stories</div>
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-Detailed answer keys for all assignments.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Short-Story-Unit-Bundle-of-Resources-to-use-with-11-Different-Short-Stories-2034558"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhjBo1KseVT8baR5o8Yl6G91oGKo4KaKS8IxA8cFj6lvdWke2rYnGyGMOGS__M2Qj1SJnLLeV6aoerwXzAcFsM9PBVdo6M4fUdos5KhtHh8Jn_lGaazN3zxvUEvBEBcWWaQedD3r-x5M/s640/bundle2.JPG" width="484" /></a></div>
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<b>What are some of your favorite short stories to teach with middle school students?</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-24564660127763827062016-06-09T13:14:00.001-07:002016-07-04T20:40:43.883-07:00Teaching Homer's Odyssey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Odyssey-Novel-Study-Unit-Character-and-Setting-Notes-2536465"><img alt="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Odyssey-Novel-Study-Unit-Character-and-Setting-Notes-2536465" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPl7WHq2QfqwSEDppI139vtI9ql4oNt1IkKj_hWL9MDFvp-Hi8DwuzzpxKjOpUlPGafL62ubg8fAY4jnQJaoY0si-mkKH1V1_am7H8DhNdDvLtZjaVST5SHQ9Se-ZFaCVv6_xe4inOs0/s640/Odyssey+Intro.JPG" width="524" /></a></div>
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It is my favorite time of the year - my Humanities Seven students are currently completing a novel study on a version of The Odyssey. Greek Mythology always gets the kids excited, and I absolutley love teaching it. While there are a lot of different retellings of the epic tale, I am a big fan of the <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Odyssey-Robin-Lister/dp/0753457237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465500641&sr=8-1&keywords=the+odyssey+robin+lister">version by Robin Lister</a>. The writing itself is beautiful, not to mention the fun illustrations throughout the novel. I find that she captures the essence of the story, and makes it accessible to middle school readers. I have taught this novel for 10 plus years now, and it is always thoroughly enjoyed by my students. I highly recommend the novel for upper elementary and middle school students.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Odyssey-Robin-Lister/dp/0753457237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465500641&sr=8-1&keywords=the+odyssey+robin+lister"><img alt="https://www.amazon.ca/Odyssey-Robin-Lister/dp/0753457237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465500641&sr=8-1&keywords=the+odyssey+robin+lister" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78QGt-WAg5TtBSXLHirOwpaYm0T26q_MW-w7Tkd0Cb1VdHG0KdbbqP3hulXqi9NP5eBWDBEG97dtrCiYAPvqTwPnw2-SRQYZ3kdKyG_HF1hp0c9oaQM0uZtUJfvJJn0PnYpwHOUWh9us/s400/lister.JPG" width="255" /></a></div>
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As a pre-reading activity to get the kids excited about the book, I usually show them some of the Odyssey themed artwork done by John Waterhouse. He has some amazing pictures of characters and events from the epic. I usually choose a few images and put them on the classroom screen, and have the kids try and predict what is going on in the picture. It is a fun pre-reading activity, and helps to build anticipation. If you are interested in checking out some of Waterhouse's work, <a href="http://www.jwwaterhouse.com/">click here.</a> My favorite image is his picture of Circe and the "animals" - haunting!</div>
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There are a lot of different characters and settings in The Odyssey, so before we dive into the story, we take some time learning about each of them. With all of the different Greek names, it can be easy for students to get confused. Because of this, I have the kids write down some notes on each of the characters and settings in the novel.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Odyssey-Novel-Study-Unit-Character-and-Setting-Notes-2536465"><img alt="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Odyssey-Novel-Study-Unit-Character-and-Setting-Notes-2536465" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxTKRF8AwUDV2xKPf2cUkQ8EbmIjciLA81BrWLAP8jxU2xjXAVGhn52aUCS-MCU6e0WtaNaP-xOaL_TYeE8vCOuESZzkymL2GnZjuEZi5pn1zELKdG2Z-mf6rCwvhLp1vtBhrT8YReEQ/s400/IMG_6594+%25281%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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When they are done, I have them glue these pages into the front of their Odyssey Interactive Notebook, to refer back to whenever they get confused. I have found that the kids get quite attached to their notebooks, and often spend extra time at home decorating the pages (which makes me happy!) I find these pages really come in handy around quiz or test time, as the kids have something to refer back to and help them study. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">When discussing Greek Mythology, the idea of the "Epic Hero" often comes up in my English classroom. Odysseus truly embodies the idea of the Greek Hero (even with his flaws), so it is a good time to discuss what it means to be a hero. In order to ensure that we are all using common language when we discuss the concept of the Epic Hero, I like to go over the specific qualities that Epic Heroes possess.</span></div>
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<strong>Noble Birth: </strong>The hero is typically a King, Prince, Demigod, or someone of high rank within their culture.</div>
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<strong>Supernatural Abilities or Qualities: </strong>The hero possesses qualities of greatness, such as bravery, cunning, humility, or wisdom.</div>
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<strong>Vast Traveler: </strong>The hero's travels take him to exotic or supernatural locations, often to battle against evil.</div>
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<strong>Unmatched Warrior: </strong>The hero is a great warrior, in some capacity.</div>
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<strong>Cultural Legend: </strong>The hero is well known in his own culture, before going out on his quest.</div>
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<strong>Humility: </strong>A true hero completes heroic actions for their own sake. Heroes that choose to boast are often punished and humbled.</div>
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<strong>Battle Supernatural Forces: </strong>The hero faces supernatural beings of some sort.</div>
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Once we have established a common framework to examine Epic Heroes more closely, I have the kids discuss in small groups some of the Epic Heroes they can think of from movies and TV. Characters like Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker are great examples.</div>
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After discussion, I have the kids come up with symbols to represent each of the Epic Hero qualities. I find that creating a visual of the concept really helps the kids to remember the qualities.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gpujRVsd4uEH9hjx1kTQmm65IktYt3IcVeJuEEAd6rTBoa6dqj9psJ44d64tQy8feYoEbKy_iOPBxMdisdwRxy4EDxJWwtai7YSxuvoJs2-G-enQ_mcAtkV6KPB1J3Xv6wi238leGE4/s1600/IMG_6595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gpujRVsd4uEH9hjx1kTQmm65IktYt3IcVeJuEEAd6rTBoa6dqj9psJ44d64tQy8feYoEbKy_iOPBxMdisdwRxy4EDxJWwtai7YSxuvoJs2-G-enQ_mcAtkV6KPB1J3Xv6wi238leGE4/s400/IMG_6595.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSs6QJrFVYukwgcgWd6r1SNA8jSzKSqR7gFqdeIxZ8ez230nlVhJlryjMKftCVMIV7YY6CfZCGZJLP7XcdMlwED8pBgrgHI3Lp2De0X-jqMbMx_Tu212PMIoSVWKtUNnPy18aNz7Tac0/s1600/IMG_6608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSs6QJrFVYukwgcgWd6r1SNA8jSzKSqR7gFqdeIxZ8ez230nlVhJlryjMKftCVMIV7YY6CfZCGZJLP7XcdMlwED8pBgrgHI3Lp2De0X-jqMbMx_Tu212PMIoSVWKtUNnPy18aNz7Tac0/s400/IMG_6608.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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When they are done, I have the kids glue them into their Interactive Notebooks. While we read through the novel, I had the kids discuss and write about the different ways Odysseus showed these Epic Hero qualities.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KPhdebt4vNc7SjjPqRbt_H_0PfiovXMIIP-L7ROI5TRvHjPAHEF_zff64NOCNhrbEIdrWNGahT2nziaumzuRieKEtMx-QzFN1jQrBCIyF2apFTVl1t77KnA1_zyEkXnFZBivKw0v2v4/s1600/epic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KPhdebt4vNc7SjjPqRbt_H_0PfiovXMIIP-L7ROI5TRvHjPAHEF_zff64NOCNhrbEIdrWNGahT2nziaumzuRieKEtMx-QzFN1jQrBCIyF2apFTVl1t77KnA1_zyEkXnFZBivKw0v2v4/s400/epic.JPG" width="307" /></a></div>
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This year marks my tenth year of teaching this novel, and I still don't get tired of hearing my students react to the Cyclops scene. It is just the right amount of gruesome to really appeal to 7th graders! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqN7qiZuEpqjjD8LC0PwlVJXMCGneiKjuMdvSX1bDVr8IzPP7ctUfIASDfnDD-BquFhOsCbTjqMSEsQjSHvho9m9gj4vHEDIvJvk3zZa1CWk_8b8ZJbv-_l6P799DSjqN85qU9ZO3iEQQ/s1600/OdComic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqN7qiZuEpqjjD8LC0PwlVJXMCGneiKjuMdvSX1bDVr8IzPP7ctUfIASDfnDD-BquFhOsCbTjqMSEsQjSHvho9m9gj4vHEDIvJvk3zZa1CWk_8b8ZJbv-_l6P799DSjqN85qU9ZO3iEQQ/s640/OdComic.JPG" width="476" /></a></div>
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Because engagement is naturally high with the scene, I take advantage of that and have the kids create a comic strip summary of what it going on. The kids love creating their own comics, and I don't even seem to notice that they are practicing their summarizing skills.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV9G35mC5Ot3-ffz3tQLPT8uZAYyVRP6VMTzZ3_TpuVpj8YdJIt39C_p7spizO4I-pROWgtR63HgkWPiRzwK__pqt1Fjs6yZ6uZy_ial-gVWXMs8PE5yQkiyaWPcm-lbnSwmMTmz62OQ/s1600/IMG_6597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV9G35mC5Ot3-ffz3tQLPT8uZAYyVRP6VMTzZ3_TpuVpj8YdJIt39C_p7spizO4I-pROWgtR63HgkWPiRzwK__pqt1Fjs6yZ6uZy_ial-gVWXMs8PE5yQkiyaWPcm-lbnSwmMTmz62OQ/s400/IMG_6597.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiips-FZedGppcWX4poOfySGP4gUKlLafo95U_hVscNVCq01Tk4Z1ySKecDKB_t8LjYTy1gz9qtkxqlwuKRQvinbGC8S1tBDeb2bQVRvudRm3m0NaxGzR8hdT9M9_HcEDyW2-Ko5ZyLDPg/s1600/IMG_6604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiips-FZedGppcWX4poOfySGP4gUKlLafo95U_hVscNVCq01Tk4Z1ySKecDKB_t8LjYTy1gz9qtkxqlwuKRQvinbGC8S1tBDeb2bQVRvudRm3m0NaxGzR8hdT9M9_HcEDyW2-Ko5ZyLDPg/s400/IMG_6604.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Do you teach this novel with your upper elementary or middle school kids? I would love to hear about some of the fun activities you do with it!!! If you are interested in doing a similar unit, you can pick up a copy of all of the resources I used here, as well as a bunch of other fun activities (including my Odyssey High School Yearbook activity!) by visiting my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Odyssey-Novel-Study-Unit-Resource-Bundle-2546083">teachers pay teachers store</a>, or clicking on the image below.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Odyssey-Novel-Study-Unit-Resource-Bundle-2546083"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEQ666Jm5SgD8FR8qd6EUxINbJA2kA6Y3O62-lx6pKSUbER8_Es1aN1OhEpp7ipqpdqeH_R2GKpWs-_t_zrdP0asa9W0OA24YEsPLaFPiSJW35Xziv7p_5gs_M4xZaTsjHZ2EJLt2ohs/s640/Odbundle.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-14874124727471645242014-08-04T07:34:00.001-07:002014-08-04T07:34:14.271-07:00Big TPT Back to School Sale: 28% off my entire store!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78Y_Txz2ggv7hA0tBDULxiotYHgOqaDVDOD4hcanmLS5NIAOQgxb5Gnh1-6Y0jdIrSGFvBgylwhZtwH_VU8tFL39tJWZSrVFzVItx8Ey9Q9313EwG_K6q6KpknLUAZP-VmlMfXGqNN_A/s1600/salepin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78Y_Txz2ggv7hA0tBDULxiotYHgOqaDVDOD4hcanmLS5NIAOQgxb5Gnh1-6Y0jdIrSGFvBgylwhZtwH_VU8tFL39tJWZSrVFzVItx8Ey9Q9313EwG_K6q6KpknLUAZP-VmlMfXGqNN_A/s1600/salepin.JPG" height="640" width="460" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-56047706329245576852014-07-28T13:27:00.001-07:002016-07-11T08:44:02.471-07:00Classroom Reading Groups - A Fun Activity to Set them up in your Classroom, and a Freebie!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In one of my last posts, I talked a bit about the reading groups I set up in my classes at the start of the school year. As the new school year is approaching (yikes!), I thought I would go into a little more depth about the Reading Groups I use, how I set them up, and some of the ways we use them facilitate learning. In this post, I will talk about a fun activity I do to get my students divided into Reading Groups,while making sure all students are reading an at-level book that interests them.<br />
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In my room, I have several small class sets of novels (4-5 books each), at a range of reading levels. I was able to pick all of these titles myself (hooray!), so I made sure to choose ones that I knew the kids would really love. I also tried to choose some titles from different genres, and some that were a bit obscure (but still great!), so my super keen readers would not have already read all of them. The images below and at the top of this post show some of our favorites.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vsL2ygC5OlzKM7U4pMKPBTHmx1L6sV375VwIP_YImKHRLoqzcHgZzcqRz1RjotiB6XhSx6cLwvj2be2X88ggghq0hwZn22JInE5yPOD2Zc7tFcp0SCpeCG1yueTBsrc-71oa5UBmTnI/s1600/readinggrouppin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vsL2ygC5OlzKM7U4pMKPBTHmx1L6sV375VwIP_YImKHRLoqzcHgZzcqRz1RjotiB6XhSx6cLwvj2be2X88ggghq0hwZn22JInE5yPOD2Zc7tFcp0SCpeCG1yueTBsrc-71oa5UBmTnI/s1600/readinggrouppin.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you are in the process of setting up a class set of novels for Reading Groups, I strongly suggest these titles. Some are certainly more difficult than others, but having a wide range makes it excellent for differentiation.<br />
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At the start of the year, and every time I introduce new novels, I have the kids do a round of "Reading Group Musical Chairs". I choose 7 sets of books, and place a set at each table. I then put a timer up on the screen, and give the kids 5 minutes to read the book in front of them. They then fill out their "Reading Group Musical Chairs" sheet, and make note of how challenging the book was for them to read, and their interest level. I then have the kids stand up and move to a different group. They can go to any table in the classroom, as long as they have not already read that book. We then repeat the activity for another 5 minutes. We usually do this 2-3 times a class, until all of the books have been read and recorded. If I have them read for much longer than that they tend to get a little antsy.<br />
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At the end of the activity, I collect all of the "Reading Group Musical Chairs" sheets, and read them over. I try to put the kids into groups with a book that has a high interest level for them, and is at their proper reading level. I love that this activity prevents kids from choosing a book simply because their friend wants to read it. The kids really like this activity, as they feel they have an actual say in what book they are going to read, and are therefore more engaged in the activities we do with them throughout the year.<br />
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If you would like to try this activity with your class, you can download the recording sheet (with instructions) for free by clicking on the image below. I will take you directly to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can download it for free :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Group-Musical-Chairs-A-fun-way-to-set-up-Reading-Groups-in-your-class-1352878"><img border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKOkG2xg2ziqlrN_znyjNpO9MVdA27JAY4mAtixtQiM7_2-dlj5CpnJzTXIIl_JL2mGgmczpzfSfKqhSqGDpDkGhTwr34KH5skxP65LQZf9zYkGYrbBBs9YnGDftIQ7n7hG-zu_5kkMc/s1600/musicalchairs.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-63578024387498866202014-07-15T15:32:00.000-07:002016-07-11T08:42:08.522-07:00Interactive Notebooks: Resources for your Classroom (and a freebie!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativeclassroomcore.blogspot.ca/2014/07/interactive-notebooks-resources-for.html"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZh5FIkVXu8M62o6FDLLRccq6-NeZcOFRM0ezqN1yQiQVcsDZg1QR7ARVZrbDIfM0Af_pGqCQXuWz9Z5G3ai_K-vFQk5Pjwf4NedZMAuMRhyphenhyphenPuyGQ_tRFFlF_FW77BtM8-OkNJgdeDaA/s1600/infree.JPG" width="544" /></a></div>
One of the big struggles I had when first setting up Interactive Notebooks in my classroom was finding appropriate resources. When I first started a few years ago, there were very few resources available, and gathering them was a constant struggle. I felt like I was constantly having to hunt out and prep different resources, and desperately needed some sort of system for organizing everything.<br />
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Since then, with teachers discovering how effective Interactive Notebooks can be, the market for resources has exploded. I have had mixed success with the resources I have purchased... some have been incredible, and some not so good. Because of this, I decided to put my knowledge and experience with using Interactive Notebooks to good use, and create my own resources.<br />
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Next year I will be teaching a Reading Intervention class for the first time, so I have been really working hard on creating resources to use with my students. I plan to focus a good chunk of my instruction on targeting specific reading comprehension strategies - I want to get the kids summarizing, asking questions, visualizing, inferring, determining importance, and making connections. <br />
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A few years ago, our administrator purchased each Humanities teacher a variety of novel sets. Each set has 5 books, and I have about 10 different sets. The best part was that I got to choose the novels for each set; I am a big fan of young adult lit, so picking out the books was super fun for me. Yes, I am a huge nerd. Anyways, next year I plan on dividing the kids into groups based on reading level, giving each group a novel, and then having the kids work on different Interactive Notebook activities revolving around the targeted reading comprehension strategies. Because of this, I created this resource:<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Reading-Notebooks-Reading-Strategies-Common-Core-Aligned-1281574"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Z8XuNxLA13QVfyQILleIS-jZKpOWCWxC6_AncS8W2-SFUPmrYZQcwBIwtqPiPT9Bg4oLLOv2ASUNHJ4sKcNVgIHL24jnG8A3VGs795QmhFSQ4NFlNDQfOnDsL12rYoZSOKdvBPTV0lI/s1600/ReadingPreview.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The package of resources is common core aligned for grades 1-4, but I am actually planning on using it with a group of grade 7 struggling readers. The great thing about the resources is that they can be used with ANY text - this makes it super easy to differentiate instruction with your students. You can see some of the resources included in the package in the picture. For more detailed information about what exactly is included, you can click on the picture and it will take you directly to my Teachers Pay Teachers store :)<br />
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If you are interested in checking the package out a bit further, I have created a free sample package. It includes a few resources to go along with each of the different reading comprehension strategies, and is a great starting point :) If you click on the image, it will take you directly to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can download it for free :) Don't you just love free stuff?!<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Reading-Notebooks-Reading-Strategies-Free-Sample-Resources-1325201"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgojG2vjMcgCZnrjK9a944-dHkM-WRXdggEJFvz5RCqJJD2CWVTrS9f0jytqtEtvy78GTjr6WAescljf_fPpUbQrjjlR4tW05vleLwTcIG5ugYEXAjLtdTX50nmNFXtI6i8VIev5EeDB4/s1600/readingsample.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you like these resources, you may want to check these out as well :). All of the units are specifically designed for use in Interactive Notebooks, and include foldables, detailed instructions, handouts, and worksheets. As before, clicking on the image will take you directly to the product in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Reading-Notebooks-Authors-Purpose-Common-Core-Aligned-1291106"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGub-nOsb1axh-0W-FDSjctsqGbzTPF_8tga5OVBTFGgxRSAs4XY8QKAsMrN0q9xC8Cp8xrvfJV6ej5nyjqVEvs7jTp0H6GtIJ4dx7oGCSHtSTan2bern4VGla6r2vM9broxXGaZLkB4/s1600/readingauthorspurpose1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Reading-Notebooks-Character-Trait-Foldables-Common-Core-Aligned-1289091"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAUb-O5WlRhyphenhyphenIHtPund5_DLhkzjv65nZMGtrK34c8IFn394eX3CTEF_GVrPAWvtBcxgK9OFRxu3XhX06iwRK6TF8Kj3ODlzLkEXtOcRcShAl-6x544ay-LjdjAo_WY82zlKtvtB_YEl0/s1600/readingcharacter2.JPG" width="636" /></a></div>
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Are you planning on using Interactive Notebooks in your classroom next year? I would love to hear about how you plan on getting started! Leave me a comment in the space below :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-8591729491177644602014-07-01T06:59:00.000-07:002016-07-11T08:47:51.405-07:00Teaching About Text Features!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Informational-Text-Features-Mega-Pack-Posters-Projects-and-Activities-1272662"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_V0fMP4Fr45PeFCMEI0cwJKof0fc3L6NB5yzWCNKpZhApDb0JokdNAr6sVhjHpi7A7XbqFZMJuYBF3nDn7eZCU7meBTGOyHDJ3bhFFcm2X_deqv-zRWSKwUW1hWlrQOUyt73kM3AM6w/s1600/textpin.JPG" width="542" /></a></div>
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When you take a close look at the Common Core Standards, or the Prescribed Learning Outcomes that we have here in BC, you will notice that a great many refer to Text Features. Because of this, I dedicated a large portion of time to specifically teaching about Text Features with my grade 7's and 8's last year. In the past, we have done some quick mini lessons on them, but this time I spent a good couple of days focusing on specific Text Feature based lessons. When they wrote their R.A.D. (a reading test that we have in BC) at the end of the school year, I was pleasantly surprised with how much better they did with the sections relating to Text Features, simply because we had focused some strategic time on learning about them. <br />
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The lessons went so well that I am actually planning on starting the school year with some of the activities this year. This time, however, I am going to team up with the science teacher, and use their science textbook for a lot of the activities. It will be a great introduction to the text features we will refer back to throughout the year, as well as a great introduction to their science textbook and curriculum. I love, love, love finding opportunities to integrate different subject areas. <br />
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One of my favorite activities that we did involves the large chart paper posters that you can see in the above pictures. After taking some notes on different text features, I divided the class up into groups. Each group was given a sheet of chart paper, a marker, and a stack of magazines and newspapers. Their job was to create an informational poster that displayed and explained a variety of text features. As you can see from the above pictures, the end results were awesome! I left them up on my classroom walls for the entire school year, and we referred back to them often. <br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Informational-Text-Features-Mega-Pack-Posters-Projects-and-Activities-1272662"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HVMgmXU3GO7pwhn__W8byBnN2oEFSPv9KLB5r-39_OqUZ7WuvVxcD412t1cZwte2gzMlytLky0c01YC6_Qg7G9ZNWJEGHIh3TCY4hkUy74CP6syDyfmWt-ZK3vxbwFWfqOhHqmwTOfw/s1600/tf3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Another item that I refer back to throughout the year are my Text Feature classroom posters. I hang these on my walls at the start of the year, and have found them to be really helpful. I like that when a student comes to me and tells me that they can't find something in their textbook, I can refer them to the class posters and have them figure out where they should be looking to find the information. <br />
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This year, I plan to have my classes do a whole section in their Interactive Reading Notebooks about Text Features. We will take some class notes, create a foldable or two, and finally create a mini book where they have to explain and illustrate the different text features. Like the classroom signs, the kids will be able to refer back to the information throughout the year, which is fantastic.<br />
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All of the activities I mentioned above and plan to use next year, including my classroom signs, are available <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Informational-Text-Features-Mega-Pack-Posters-Projects-and-Activities-1272662">here:</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Informational-Text-Features-Mega-Pack-Posters-Projects-and-Activities-1272662"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2vX2R_3B0Zh8mPpQ-5giZY2CS3zpGhxIpK2IjlOwOXyMBU7PvVHeevByLAHombbjRSFdk9c1JZz74rukb9MLp-yEV9xSPapCAwFyY70j7NARqxYTy42uitVIUDyhyHQIXAZv1Zim88Y/s1600/tf4.JPG" width="636" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-68032236401821233752014-06-28T20:52:00.000-07:002016-07-11T08:46:39.689-07:00Back to School Freebies and Mini Books!Yes, I admit it, it is not even July yet and I am already thinking about Back to School...<br />
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Part of the fun of the summer for me is having the time to sit back and actually do some planning for September. Once school hits, I feel like I am going a mile a minute, and I tend to fall back on lessons that have worked well in the past instead of creating new stuff. Summer, however, allows me the time to reflect back on the school year, think about what did and did not go well, and think about new ideas I want to try out...<br />
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To get things started, I created a few back to school mini books to help you get to know your students when they first come in in September. If you have the opportunity, you could even pop these packages in the mail in August, and have the kids complete them beforehand. Either way, they are a fun way to get to know your kids at the start of the year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Welcome-to-Grade-One-Back-to-School-Mini-Book-Project-1294613"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLCHdjjOyVVWmcgWxQAZ5qwKbi2KHiKq0EjNUSmdNn_CB0dP0zeyXJWfwz8Pv3iy1EGb-Nof-lPQJ6hg0GQBanYjIbHRXEedXy5ZNcZeIl5Jl-o1NVa8XSawhrzjR6LBY4cN8Ip1hW5w/s1600/grade1.JPG" width="297" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Welcome-to-Grade-Two-Back-to-School-Mini-Book-Project-1294856"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuP3NRlwist8jOrApg8e05Cj4fSQrRPgiaVMzVONM4n1V1FC7svqh3rfW1-2L8ZMM-y9G4hFPOgQ2QChCrJXhpErdRS4y8BNpc4xFYfCCuMwqcA1vu4y0H_qjhCyYYeHcM_63FV4C03Ss/s1600/grade2.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Welcome-to-Grade-Three-Back-to-School-Mini-Book-Project-1294901"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxCQ_ccZBaGER3sZNWsn1htNWTh0IyB1vo5RpdULpP7SODoHLdcclidzYjY4RsfHYBm4hgYvqd-YTGaalLKFIKofIt7Ndn6UQVabax3zKoIHiHTFnwejGardPMVuyOvCcPcTwDVN2gR8/s1600/grade3.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Welcome-to-Grade-Four-Back-to-School-Mini-Book-Project-1294947"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8SlhctFHOPARTqbUrNrggLqRqSeCAeLOBVEsXdNvbaZPqwxP-sojM6XbsPwmzSUopULoRJPPaBNbg6X69ri6uNX-JK2QzvACL5w9A_O8TCEZ-eKajB8j17MOEVyVFAK3EK2o5cWTW5c/s1600/grade4.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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I have also created a matching class sign to go along with the package. To celebrate the start of my new blog, these signs are currently available for free from my Teachers Pay Teachers store! If you have not had a chance yet, pop by and check it out - I frequently post free stuff! Click on the sign you are interested in below, and it will take you directly to my TPT store, where you can download it for free :)</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Welcome-to-Grade-One-Free-Classroom-Sign-1297683"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJySavQ8YBWqfCW9zPsMytHggQB-rFM9n2vuxRRYW0dmhFdJeHMIZ3Z8D9i_s7PYeWbwlraSBKic1X7IHeihH8pOmL6j_F44krWVtwJ4IrdXg1NitnT1thGPLjFtyt-e9nEHOK0stxWg/s1600/welcome1.JPG" width="295" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-49949929279998906512014-06-28T07:26:00.000-07:002014-06-28T07:35:12.514-07:00What Does Peace Feel Like - Sticky Note Mosaic and Poetry Writing Squares<div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/What-Does-Peace-Vladimir-Radunsky/dp/B00DEKMRIG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1403964967&sr=8-3&keywords=what+does+peace+feel+like%3F"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfx9N0DETvssZ29HYG8VbLzt0LJTpz3-3CiyqmIhr9P1GAwOpe0r0oLmKqLBm7FIGDmAJHPfaLbmqh5HJfuYY8BvVtzwUkB9x4NYe2hyi3YOMF43jMcukdVEDYSLezmUnDjBgYCg4uICI/s1600/peaceimage.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Have you had the opportunity to read this book? It is one of my favorites! I knew after reading it that I would have to find a way to incorporate it into my classroom teaching. I love, love, love using picture books with Middle School students - they may be bigger kids, but they still love being read to, and the shorter, more visual books quickly engage them. <br />
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After reading this book, students brainstormed their own ideas about peace using their 5 senses. </div>
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What Does Peace Taste Like?</div>
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What Does Peace Sound Like?</div>
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We had so many creative ideas! (A personal favorite involved Peace smelling like Justin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bieber's</span> hair - you have to love grade seven girls!). When they were done coming up with ideas, we had them write their ideas down on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">individual</span> Post It Notes using black sharpies. We then assembled the Post Its together into a mosaic, which we displayed in the hallway. Everyone loved coming by and reading their ideas! <br />
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One of the huge bonuses of this activity was the huge visual impact it created on the wall outside our classroom, using very inexpensive and limited supplies. All it took was sticky notes and sharpies! I love covering the bulletin boards outside my room with new things the kids are working on, and this really looked amazing when it was complete.<br />
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I can think of so many ways this kind of activity could be done in the classroom - I am actually really excited to use it as some kind of goal setting or get-to-know-you activity in September. If you like this idea and plan to use it in your classroom, leave me a comment below this post - I would love to hear how you used it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8Mhum6kMoWmNgW1OiGWUJws3NhOxSZqhjDuXUkBlqvg42ZAvLD-HmEmFErSyUNaxK0qLsF_S9HwI7gclGlY13pU6u0OebZrpk6LhG81s5EhlBzv29og9uL9AGNP-rfgUpYTrKjz5J7s/s1600/mosaic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8Mhum6kMoWmNgW1OiGWUJws3NhOxSZqhjDuXUkBlqvg42ZAvLD-HmEmFErSyUNaxK0qLsF_S9HwI7gclGlY13pU6u0OebZrpk6LhG81s5EhlBzv29og9uL9AGNP-rfgUpYTrKjz5J7s/s1600/mosaic.JPG" height="278" width="400" /></a></div>
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When we were done brainstorming ideas by creating our mosaic, we had the kids complete a poetry collage activity. Each student was given a square of tag board and a stack of magazines. Students used the ideas they had previously brainstormed to write their own poems about peace onto the tag board squares, and then decorated them with a magazine collage relating to their poems. To help stick the images to the tag board, and to give the completed squares a bit of shine, we coated the completed squares with a think layer of Modge Podge (love that stuff!)</div>
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When the squares were dry, we collected the squares (all 120!!!) and mounted them on a large school bulletin board. When we hung them, we left the word "Peace" uncovered. I think the end result was amazing! I really wish I had taken a better picture!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEIDdFtX6XGdvB70VqguBN_jYa1bUF89m2YuPSBpRoTt_m8M0-7cmwFCo-3iqgmOMS7FsGxQDzI6_RZvhmprijTFyUMguqWKRkxrEv7mhJjpbseX0XjUiok37q6uqp-qt4rkuGJ4XN2s/s1600/peaceimage2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEIDdFtX6XGdvB70VqguBN_jYa1bUF89m2YuPSBpRoTt_m8M0-7cmwFCo-3iqgmOMS7FsGxQDzI6_RZvhmprijTFyUMguqWKRkxrEv7mhJjpbseX0XjUiok37q6uqp-qt4rkuGJ4XN2s/s1600/peaceimage2.JPG" height="368" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-41958386151661456752014-06-26T11:19:00.000-07:002014-06-26T11:19:41.423-07:00Summer of the Kiddos - Part Two: Healthy Snack BraceletsGetting our little monsters to eat healthy snacks is a big priority for us. We have been really trying to limit the amount of sugar they have been consuming. This is a big deal for our youngest in particular, who really seems to react to it. There have been times when I have wondered if my sweet little boy has been possessed, and then realized that someone had given him chocolate. It is almost like he loses control of himself... and it is not the most fun to try and reel him back in. I don't mind giving them having the odd treat, but we try to limit it whenever possible.<div>
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When I saw these snack bracelets pop up on pinterest, I knew they would be a perfect activity for our little ones. They are both always asking me to "sew something", and this looked like a great opportunity to let them use a needle and thread. Because the pieces are so small, and the task itself can be quite finicky, these bracelets took them about a half hour to complete - this was a huge bonus, as I was actually able to get a few things done around the house while they were quietly entertained. The majority of the snack mix went into their mouths, and not onto the bracelets, but as the ingredients were all healthy, I didn't mind at all.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly4N2dh0VYYNMSBPI7uCtdlq812zMpBwJBrbWR5C3hT7KjmKPAsGCoOPLXkljH3w0gfDYjXZZod0YwgduOQ4LSPoFKdu5bEGbvx3P9G-2sVYbPndHdFh3iVQPXih9BMIBf8ob6xNdWwg/s1600/snack+bracelets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly4N2dh0VYYNMSBPI7uCtdlq812zMpBwJBrbWR5C3hT7KjmKPAsGCoOPLXkljH3w0gfDYjXZZod0YwgduOQ4LSPoFKdu5bEGbvx3P9G-2sVYbPndHdFh3iVQPXih9BMIBf8ob6xNdWwg/s1600/snack+bracelets.JPG" height="640" width="356" /></a></div>
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To make our bracelets, we used dried blueberries, cut up dried mangoes and apricots, cheerios, and popcorn. Basically, I used whatever I could find in the cupboard that was healthy and small. If you wanted to switch things up a bit, and didn't care so much about the healthy part, you could always throw some mini marshmallows or gummies into the mix :)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-30471262383620923982014-06-26T10:54:00.002-07:002014-06-26T11:19:41.421-07:00Summer of the Kiddos - Part One: Foamy Bath Paints<div style="text-align: center;">
Well, as we are currently on Teacher Strike in B.C. until further notice, my summer with my own kiddos has officially begun. My plan this summer is to spend a lot more time at home. Last summer was a whirlwind of activities and playdates, and it really felt like we missed out on some much needed downtime. Once September hits, between work and the kids dance and hockey practices, it feels like we are living life on a treadmill. </div>
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In order to facilitate some time at home, I scoured pinterest for some kid friendly summertime crafts and activities. My little darlings tend to tear the heads off each other if I don't keep them busy. After pinning a few ideas, I made a quick trip to the dollar store, and picked up enough stuff to get us through a few afternoons.</div>
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Unfortunately, the majority of activities I planned actually involve the unheard of idea of sunshine in June. Sadly, our weather here has been horrid. The kids really wanted to swim in the backyard, but the rain and overall yuckiness outside had me move them inside to the tub instead. Luckily, I had picked up supplies to make these foamy bath paints, which kept the kids busy long enough for me to clean up the messes they had previously made. Such is the life of a mom ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXayvKdkaeHe1N8W6mgWoWBjjl7Tpr4nQUtn96sblHGVbIyDWSKHsOlHjnLO3gRBA_cIOXNoo8CkaoBlgfdaKmJYJPeOuJhBGiMrHGD8AmO4TC8IxPGsHQ2NWBnZ-GXAIPTPapghQTlP0/s1600/tub3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXayvKdkaeHe1N8W6mgWoWBjjl7Tpr4nQUtn96sblHGVbIyDWSKHsOlHjnLO3gRBA_cIOXNoo8CkaoBlgfdaKmJYJPeOuJhBGiMrHGD8AmO4TC8IxPGsHQ2NWBnZ-GXAIPTPapghQTlP0/s1600/tub3.JPG" height="640" width="410" /></a></div>
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These tub paints were made using simply shaving cream and a few drops of food coloring. They enjoyed squirting the shaving cream into the bowls and mixing the colors, and were excited to take them upstairs and test them out. They started off using a paint brush to paint the inside of the tub and shower, but ended up using them as finger paints to paint each other. I was a bit worried that the food coloring would stain the inside of the tub, or their skin, but it didn't seem to be a problem. I gave them, and the tub, a quick rinse when they were done, and all were squeaky clean :) All in all, a pretty great way to spend a rainy day :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-mXPdJOLeQBuvfIkrZsLcs0JmcjkdGZylumOkYW2oLSohXpg0KlUCrpt-x83txoozJas47tTdzup6kGhRXkDELSUxhUdv1mGAMMA_DqxACR_nOxlN-afoLflpewB8GtqjIuzKzoxN9M/s1600/tub2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-mXPdJOLeQBuvfIkrZsLcs0JmcjkdGZylumOkYW2oLSohXpg0KlUCrpt-x83txoozJas47tTdzup6kGhRXkDELSUxhUdv1mGAMMA_DqxACR_nOxlN-afoLflpewB8GtqjIuzKzoxN9M/s1600/tub2.JPG" height="400" width="363" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-66482826859655076232014-06-25T21:45:00.001-07:002014-06-25T21:45:41.712-07:00Ancient Egypt: Time Travel ScrapbookAt the end of each unit I teach, I really like to have some sort of project where students can demonstrate what they have learned. As I have my students complete Interactive Notebooks for each unit I teach, I encourage them to look back through what they have learned to help them complete the project.<div>
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Our culminating project for our Ancient Egypt unit this year was a Time Travel Scrapbook. I had the kids imagine they were returning back from a time machine trip to Ancient Egypt, and had to create a scrapbook of their adventures. I loved this project because it was so open ended - as long as they completed the list of requirements, they were allowed to present their projects in any creative way they wanted. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Egypt-Complete-Interactive-Notebook-Unit-1219705"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0beqEADMVIfN2ORetMdzgOAnVw3dTN19cEkPeasFMtTgveIxIO5ryemT9LEsiswY-I-bQTFqgvWMV7WB1Gg9Hn1wdQwe1LbEAKN53HiIZWuWrop9-2P7N3nyFIHGUW1mx9L2KiiNL28/s1600/scrap3.JPG" height="400" width="310" /></a></div>
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I never cease to be amazed by the wide variety of things the kids come up with; the projects end up way more amazing and creative than if I were to give them specific guidelines. This year, I had one student glue the pieces of his scrapbook on a 3D tabletop pyramid he had built. Another student made a "scrapbook in a bag", where each individual part of the project could be pulled out and examined. A student skilled at computers managed to photoshop himself into several Egyptian images. Some kids made their own scrapbooks out of construction paper, and others decorated ones they had purchased. Below are some of my favorites.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Egypt-Complete-Interactive-Notebook-Unit-1219705"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRz4CBbbpbGpEVxy1UI9dwg7zt-n9v40DigYehS0TITlvllPMLfRcNXOQribVHl_ACydpbgHE8LBK-4-LRgD1PkYC2vHs6RnuLr2qUhiVwpNSwpk0Ikxd40_CwTgjw7PjEOTr-HvvLak/s1600/scrap1.JPG" height="400" width="373" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Egypt-Complete-Interactive-Notebook-Unit-1219705"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLTdodMsZwYOP1HlB8ikeUbGpYEDY67j2lbXiCbvy3mFgm2bApPVBvpAIMSypX1GBz2d6ByEaPvcqURwNud49KrP44bbAh1PijO03uUp4sQwLgguTAbZWMccoBhqXUcko6bOjwkglQwY/s1600/scrap2.JPG" height="400" width="336" /></a></div>
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This assignment fully integrates Social Studies, Language Arts, and Art; students are required to show their knowledge of Ancient Egyptian history, write first person journal entries, and illustrate their adventures. All of the resources needed to complete this final project, including detailed instructions, student examples, word bank, and rubric, can be found in my A<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Egypt-Complete-Interactive-Notebook-Unit-1219705">ncient Egypt Interactive Notebook Package.</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535361731098678224.post-29123088691530321952014-06-25T15:06:00.000-07:002016-07-11T08:47:18.921-07:00Ancient Egypt: The Nile RiverWhen learning about Ancient Egypt, we spend a significant amount of time learning about the Nile River. We talk a lot about the key features of a civilization, and the ways the Nile helped the people of Egypt to thrive. To start, we do some read alouds about the Nile River. (Can you tell I love children's books?)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfbyM8ga3sawe2pmLSEwM203UvrC4O9luzpMKqWZBr9q1kTTLJon60d3uzcC2k4ZQ-P9fOFYXe8pldNgX4MD_W5qa8e1kVpcjvTh1AB9FuoMIBGKdpOXeXoHyy3SsI-uxov9OF8xnkfU/s1600/egyptbooks2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfbyM8ga3sawe2pmLSEwM203UvrC4O9luzpMKqWZBr9q1kTTLJon60d3uzcC2k4ZQ-P9fOFYXe8pldNgX4MD_W5qa8e1kVpcjvTh1AB9FuoMIBGKdpOXeXoHyy3SsI-uxov9OF8xnkfU/s1600/egyptbooks2.JPG" width="243" /></a></div>
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Later, we take some notes in our Interactive Notebook about the Nile River. I really like doing foldables for this - I am a big fan of the interactive nature of foldables, and find they make note taking much more tolerable (by both me and them!). We talk a lot about the gifts of the Nile here, and discuss the ways these things helped Egypt become such a great civilization.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Egypt-The-Nile-River-Information-Notes-and-Foldable-Activity-1122956"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5KZypScW47eRgWzaZ5_BliQ7fW3V-niYDCtdAw8B0DgH9WksAhfjWodxnQfSRdSHAj2Qgj1_41uU8h0bmjXhewwnMfZfLg6EiaZ37xNvrefTrd17SKvRXcS-U9sN8YKnoRA1uhGLKkM/s1600/nile1.JPG" width="373" /></a></div>
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We also talk a lot about the annual cycle of the river, and end our Nile River study with 3D Nile River Cubes. These cubes summarize all of the information we have learned about the Nile River, in both written and visual form. I love tying strings to the completed cubes and hanging them from the classroom ceiling, or stacking them to make a class pyramid. So fun! Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the completed cubes this year - I will have to make sure to do it next time!</div>
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All of the resources I used for these activities are available in my TPT store. Links to the different Egypt themed lessons I have available can be found under the Social Studies Tab at the top of this page :)</div>
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