Drum Roll Please...

Anchors Away Monday Double Entry Journal

I love anchor charts! I've seen soooo many great ones on blogs, pinterest etc. that I can't wait to use in my classroom this year! Today, I'm linking up with Deb from Crafting Connections for Anchor's Away Monday to share one of those fabulous charts!

This is one of the anchor charts I plan to use during the first few weeks of school to teach the students about close reading and thinking about what you read. This double entry chart gives the students an area to write information found in the text as well as an area to reflect on the information they find. Disclaimer: This is NOT my creation. I found this on pinterest and loved the idea. This chart is found on All Things Upper Elementary if you'd like to read more about it!

Three Fun and Engaging Close Reading Strategies for Common Core Reading, Speaking and Listening Standards!

 This year I'm excited about incorporating some new strategies in my ELA classroom as well as using some of my old favorites with my new set of students!  Some of the strategies I plan to use with my fourth graders include:

                                  Strategy 1  The Fishbowl

A Fishbowl discussion in Mrs. Gross's 5th Grade Class (Detroit Future Schools)

 

 

     This first strategy was first introduced to me by my cousin who teaches high school. The picture above is NOT her class, but one that I found on a blog using the same technique with younger students. The Fishbowl Discussion Strategy uses two groups of learners seated or standing in two circles. The first group, the fishbowl group, are the students in the center of the circle.These students are the ones who are actually discussing the topic or answering the focus questions. The outer circle of students, the observers, are watching the the discussion group, taking notes about what they are seeing and hearing and will use those notes to add to the discussion after the "fishbowl"  group has finished. Both groups have an important task and are contributing to the lesson. This is an excellent way to teach the common core speaking and listening standards.Students are also encouraged to use Accountable Talk with phrases such as "I'm hearing you say...."  "I agree with ...."  "I disagree with..." etc. Students MUST cite evidence from the text to support or refute their or their classmate's contribution. The diagram below shows the seating arrangement for the "fishbowl" discussion.

                                

               Strategy 2 Keep It, Cloud It, Junk It

This is one of my favorite strategies. I've used this for the past couple of years and the students really enjoy it!  My students have always caught on  well to this one and the lesson is truly run by the students rather than led by the teacher.

            

                     Strategy 3 Jigsaw  Method 

This is a short video clip of how one teacher uses the Jigsaw method. I like the fact the students are give a specific part of the text to analyze in their group. Then after small group discussion they will move to whole group discussion where they teach their peers what they learned, observed, noticed etc. about their aspect of the text.

Freebie Friday! Hopping Homophones!

 

I'm linking up with Teaching Blog Addict  for Freebie Friday! 

This fun Freebie is great for grades 2-6! Hopping Homophones is part of my Language Games which are aligned to the Fourth Grade Common Core Standards.  

This game is designed to play with a partner to practice the Common Core State Standard:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1g Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their)

It is great for centers, partner play or small group!

Click on the picture to get your free copy today!

 

 

Five for Friday!

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the weekly Five for Friday Linky Party!

       

The good news....I have decided to join the fun Blog Hoppin 2014 scavenger hunt! The bad news... I have no real clue how to use instagram! I obviously need to find a teenager to help me! :) 

I'm giving away a HUGE ELA bundle this week! Be sure to check out my blog post to find out how to enter!

I was excited to get to dine on my favorite meal!  Crab Legs! Yum!!!! 

I visited this interesting  natural bridge which is found in Arkansas (the natural state)! Love it! It used to be used for logging I believe, but now people aren't even allowed climb it (much to the disappointment of my twelve year old) due to safety reasons! 

 

 

What Albert said...:)   We really do need to find simpler ways to explain our lessons to the students. If we can't, then we don't understand it enough ourselves. :)

HUGE! Fourth Grade Back-to-School Bundle Giveaway!

As a way of saying "Thank You!" to my customers, I've put together a HUGE Back-to-School Bundle Pack for Fourth Grade (most material can be used for grades 3-6, but the products were created using 4th grade standards!). One lucky winner will receive this pack which includes 3 puzzle games for centers (figurative language, character traits, roots and affixes), ALL THREE of my Research to Build Knowledge test practice sets, my five day English Language Arts sub plans, my Write to the Point bundle which includes bookmarks, posters, writing to text and graphic organizers,  my MEGA BUNDLE for Vocabulary Acquisition and Use (includes my year long daily spiral review, posters, and all 7 task card sets), and last but not least my close reading evidence marker bundle. These evidence markers will help students analyze poetry, non-fiction and fiction using special markers to indicate specific features of the text! This Giveaway Bundle is over a $50 value!

I've chosen to run my contest from August 1 at 12:00 a.m.-August 4 at 12:a.m.  so that it will not run into the Teachers Pay Teachers Sitewide Sale which is August 4-5..This way if you are not the winner and would like one or more of the items in the bundle then you will still have time to  score a 28% discount on the products. :)

 Please enter by following the instructions on the rafflecoptor below.Good luck!







a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shop til You Drop! What's In Your Cart?

 

 
I'm linking up with Jenna over at Speech Room News to talk about my latest products and  what fun exiting items I plan to purchase during the HUGE Teachers Pay Teachers Sitewide Sale!  My store will be on sale during August 4-5 so you can save up to 28% off on everything!

I've been working hard this summer on several new products. Since I wasn't sure exactly what grade I would be teaching this year,  I have worked on materials for several grade levels.

One was my Sixth Grade Conventions of Language Interactive Notebook!  This interactive notebook covers ALL of the Sixth Grade Conventions of Language Common Core Standards. Students will use interactive activities to master the skills. Of course, their completed notebook will serve as a FABULOUS study guide for the state standardized test as well at the end of the year.

Since Text Mapping is my new FAVORITE skill for digging deep into Non-Fiction Text, I also made a Text Mapping Interactive Notebook which will work great for grades 3-6!  This interactive notebook teaches 16 non-fiction text features, teaches students HOW to use Text Mapping and has an 8 page article on the Titanic for students to practice their text-mapping skills!  I can't wait to use this in the classroom!

                                          

Now, you may be wondering what I'm buying from other fabulous teachers during the Teachers Pay Teachers HUGE Sale!

Clip art, fonts and frames are  my favorites!  So here are a few items in my cart! As well as some great review skills for my little guys!

Fun Fall Letters by Primary Polkadots

ELA Daily Review by TEACHA2Z

       Clip Art Fall Season Kids by Cara Taylor!

 

 

GREAT social studies bundle from Elementary Lesson Plans

 So now that you  have had a peek in my cart, what is your cart??