Fairy Tales, Folktales, and Fables....Oh My!!!

It's that time of year again! I really enjoy teaching this unit although we have changed it a bit each year. I feel like this might be the best year yet :)  During our first week we read a bunch of fairy tales. This year we read The Gingerbread Man, Hansel and Gretel, The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. The kids knew a lot of these stories so we made sure to read a few versions of each story.  

This same week we started a writing project. The students and I did a lot of research on our fairy tales.  We then made a checklist of everything our fairy tales must have.  Each child picked a story to retell and we got started. They are so excited for writing each day and I can't get them off the topic! I will upload some of the stories when they are published. 

This week we read three different Cinderella stories and worked on comparing and contrasting them. We also did some research on the countries they were from to get more of an understanding. We read Adelita (Mexican tale), Fair, Brown, and Trembling (Irish Tale) and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (African tale).  I was amazed at how well they knew the tales and we were able to have a real discussion. I was in shock when they started discussing the story with each other (ON TOPIC!) like I wasn't even there. It was one of those moments when you sit back as a teacher and realize how much they have grown since September.  

Next week we will begin the third week of this unit and focus on fables.  I chose 11 different fables this year that have varying morals.  Throughout the week we will compare and contrast the fables using charts and Venn diagrams, create story maps, and even write our own fables.  I also threw in an opinion writing piece because we just finished up opinion writing. I will use it as an assessment to see if they fully grasped that type of writing.  

I uploaded some more of my products on TpT this week. I also put up this fables unit. It contains everything you need including the 11 fables and all worksheets. 

Click on the TpT image on the right to scroll through my new products and visit my store.  

Opinion Writing

This week I started opinion writing with my students. We have such a great time discovering the difference between opinions and facts. I even overheard a student in the lunch line today say, "choice 1 is the best"to which another student then responded, "in your opinion!" I laughed the entire way to the teacher's room! 

I just uploaded my opinion writing mini-unit to Teachers Pay Teachers. Click here to check it out. Let me know what you think. 

I also uploaded a form I have students fill out when there is a bullying situation or something happened between classmates.  I use the form when the students come to the "talking table" to discuss the incident.  It is also a great way to track behavior.  Get it here.  

If you haven't been on TpT yet...get there fast! Click here for a link to my store.  

New TpT Items

It is Sunday! My first day of my "new years" resolution to blog at least weekly. Today I went out with some friends to celebrate one of them getting a job as an ESL teacher at a nonprofit in the city. As we talked about life our conversation turned to teaching. I find this is such a natural progression when a bunch of teachers get together! As we spoke of phonics vs. whole language and phoneme grapheme mapping, we realized that all students are the same no matter the age. She will be teaching adults English but the approach is so similar to teaching ESL children. Make it fun! Make it meaningful! Make it stick!!! 

I thought back to my experiences this year. I started the year with 15 children out of 21 reading at least 9 months below level. This is almost an entire year! I sat back that first week of school and realized I would have a very different approach this year. I had to try to make up two years of education in one! After I sat back for a bit, I realized that it would be no different that any other year or any other student. I would start with the basics and take one step at a time. When they accomplished a goal we had a dance party! We graphed gains in Fry words and reading levels and celebrated each others' success! By mid year only 9 children were below level and a big part of that accomplishment was my students. They decided to learn and found out that hard work pays off! You can't make someone learn but you can teach them how to love learning. 

Anyway, click here for my new TpT items and brief explanations of the items. I love making things and getting creative so if you have a game or item you want but don't want to make it yourself - email me- I will be glad to help. :) Enjoy! Remember ~ every day is an adventure! 

New Year's Resolution....

I was showing my blog to my family this past month and realized it isn't really a blog if you don't write! :) So my March resolution is going to be to write every Sunday.  Since today is Saturday I feel as though I am already ahead of the game! 

I finally put some of my worksheets and organizational forms I have made on Teachers Pay Teachers. Check out my store.  I think that I am going to try to put my products up as I use them in the classroom to make sure they actually work as I thought they would.  So far all of my products have been used in my room successfully.  

My sister in law, Mrs. Lodge,  is a library teacher in Ct. Her products are incredible! Check out her blog and her store. Some of her products could easily be used in a classroom setting- or show them to your school librarian.  

December 26th! Where does the time go???

I can't believe that we have been in school just about four months.  My students have done some amazing things and I must catch up on my blog!  Many of the projects I made have worked well but some I have switched up a bit.  It is always a work in progress.  

Stephanie- my partner in teaching crime- teaches 2nd grade next door. We have created a website this year that our students can use at home and at school.  We do a lot of workshop model teaching and this often includes a computer station. We put up the games weekly and they always go with the lessons of the week.  If you have adopted the Common Core Standards, you will love the math games that Stephanie has found! 

Check us out!  Soaring Through Second Grade! 

Can't Believe it is August 30th!!!

I can't believe that I start school in just a few days. Some friends have already started and I wish you all the best ... but I am very glad I start after Labor Day :)

I hadn't been posting in awhile because I wasn't sure if anyone was finding my blog useful.  A friend I teach with said she knew someone following the blog so here I am- I'm updating for  you! Please leave your comments or join my blog. I would love to hear what you all think and if you have tried something that works!

The Mystery of the Monarch page has been updated- excited things happening today! Click to find out.  I also got into my room and was able to start creating my learning spaces and hanging up all of my new fun polka dot themed materials and resources. They look great!  I'll share them here. As always, check out my Favorite Websites and Blogs page so that I can give credit where credit is due. I find that my ideas are fueled by others  ~ Thanks to all of those great blogs out there! And Pinterest of course. :)

Daily 5 board- I found the Dr. Seuss Bags at Target in the Dollar Area. The bags hold the different center activities. This will make it easy, hopefully, for students to quickly take the bag and return to their work area.

Our Common Core Language Arts Units contain essential questions. I was fortunate to be part of the Curriculum writing team and feel as though I could recite the standards in my sleep! I laminated the conversation bubbles so I could write the questions for each unit. As we discover the answers, the students can add their thinking to sticky notes and add them to the correct person...I think :) We will see how this goes. hahaha

My friend Casey and I came up with this idea while shopping and laminating at Lakeshore Learning! Each student will have a ring with an index card with their name on it.  When they finish a book, they grab another index card and answer one of the essential questions from that particular unit.  It is a great way to assess and also keep track of student reading. The fourth grade teachers, Kathie and Kim, do something very similar - so this will be great consistency!  These are all new ideas- I'll keep you updated on how they actually end up working. 

I saw this idea when I was a sub years ago. These are math exploration bins. So helpful in the beginning of the year- these bins are small and include MANY math manipulatives from flash cards to clocks, place value cards to counters.  There are enough materials for at least 6 students to have their own materials or to share. 

AHHHHH the beach! I love the ocean and at one time thought I would end up being a marine biologist! I love sharing my collection of ocean items.  They come in handy when we practice telling not showing writing and are great for quick writes!

Our school is a PBIS (positive behavior) school and we use 1-2-3 magic (a great program also offered for parents). This is my "relaxation area". I still need to unpack a few items but here are the basics. I also have a box for students to write me notes. Sometimes the notes are from shy students.  I also use it as a Tattle/Tell Box. If a student is unsure if he/she is tattling or telling they write it down and we discuss later. Many children have difficulty at this young age with figuring out the difference.

STAMINA STATION! Total cost- $1.00! I used an old plastic plate, recycled foam, and clothespins.  I hope it stays up on the wall- it is a bit heavy! 

Tired Words and Word Family Sliders

Word pockets hold synonyms for many "tired words" such as good and happy. As we discover rich vocabulary we add to the pockets.  The sliders are made out of recycled envelopes and index cards.  I will take a close up photo soon.

Mystery of the Monarch

I won't go into the details here but I just put up a new page. Click on Mystery of the Monarch Page on the right for my newest adventure! I just updated it today! Check out where our caterpillars are today........