Search results matching tags 'social studies' and 'guided reading'

Project Idea and Text Feature Chart

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 17:52:00 GMT

Hey everyone! I feel like it's been FOREVER since I blogged! I am trying to get all of my parent conferences complete. Hopefully I will have WAY more time to create stuff for you all to use once those are out of the way!

Over the next week, we are doing a Science and Social Studies combined project to get a major grade in both areas. While I attended the SC Social Studies conference, I heard about this menu idea to give students an alternate and differentiated assessment. Even if you don't teach in South Carolina, you could create your own and adapt it for your own needs! Here is an example...

For those of you who teach in South Carolina and would like a copy of this, please just click the picture above to download it. I included two of the same page so you can print two to a page if you wish.

For those of you non-SC teachers, you can also download a copy because I have included a blank template page for you so you can adapt it for yourself!

We are also working on non-fiction text features this week so I created this chart for students to use during their independent reading. Each day, we will look at two text or graphic features on the promethean board and then while they read their books, they will fill in the corresonponding sections we worked on with the title of the book and page number they found an example of each feature on. They will also write how it helped them while they were reading. I will take it up for a grade at the end of the week!

In other news, I am working on a new product that I know I am in desperate need of: The ULTIMATE Early Finisher Pack for Math. It will be Common Core aligned. I am working on the 3-5 version right now and then I will start on the K-2 pack! I plan on using the Common Core standards for each grade level and each CC standard domain as a guide to complete this massive file!

Eventually I hope to complete one for ELA, Science, and Social Studies as well! Here is a preview!

I have only complete the cover page so far. I am still in the brainstorming phase. I'm trying to figure out what all you would like to see included, so you upper elementary teachers, this is where you come in!

What kinds of activities would you like to see included? For example, Sudoku puzzles and number searches...Games? Practice sheets? etc...

Have a great Sunday!! Who else is excited about The Walking Dead tonight!?

Native Americans and Predictions

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 23:18:00 GMT

This week, we are focusing on making predictions in Guided Reading. We start off really basic by looking at book covers and predicting what we think will happen using the title and picture. I hardly ever have students who have trouble with this concept, but in third grade, they also have to be able to revise their predictions as they read. To help them out with the concept, I made these little printables. Click the picture below to download them FREE!

Nothing fancy, but it does the job!

In Social Studies, we are beginning a new unit on South Carolina Native Americans and so my fabulous team came up with the idea to rotate around the room to three different posters of each tribe with related photos and words on each one. Students will go around the room and with their recording sheet and write predictions they have about each tribe by looking at the posters pictures and words. You will notice that some of the posters have the same pictures. Hopefully your students pick up on this and write it down on their recording sheet!

At the end of the rotation activity, students will share the predictions they made with the class and add to a class chart. We have already learned about the regions of South Carolina so we will then show a map of South Carolina and see if students can figure out where each tribe is located based on the pictures, words from the posters and from the predictions they made on their sheets. Here is a sample picture of the poster images and recording sheet. To download the full file, click the picture.

There are more pictures and a page of words included as well to add to your posters. This is just a preview!

I love South Carolina history! I can't wait to start this unit Friday! Kids always get so into it!

I hope to be back soon with more ideas to share! Tomorrow is Hump Day!! Whoo hoo! I'm ready for Fall for Greenville this weekend (the most amazing food, beer, and fun festival of the year in our town)! Bring on the chili cook off!

Anchor Chart Ideas

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 23:56:00 GMT

I have some anchor charts and things that I have been meaning to share, along with about a million other things, but I finally have some time to breath and blog today. =)

I actually took this picture in my teammie's classroom because her idea was so cute and told her I was going to share it on my blog! She had the students write one word that describes something they learned about each SC region on a sticky note and then she used all of the words to make a wordle! Then, she attached it to the SC region map. GENIUS! And it looks so cute! I decided I am totally doing this as an end of unit activity!

Obviously, we haven't gotten to the last two regions yet!

And here are a few math anchor charts I've made since we have been learning about place value. I think I saw one of the ideas on Pinterest.

My kids just love the Rounding Rap! You can view and listen to it HERE! It's so funny and very catchy! I've caught myself singing it WAY too many times in the last two weeks! I posted about the Rounding Mountain and CUBA method last year and you can view that post HERE for more info! I think the number line is self explanatory, though I have found this way is very confusing for some kids. We (my inclusion teacher and I) taped a number line to the floor and practiced hopping to the the rounded number when we introduced rounding.

I am leaving that last bubble blank for when we begin our addition and subtraction unit next week. I will add an equation in there to represent another way to write a number.

And I saw this fabulous idea on Hope's blog post about real readers! I did the Real vs. Fake reading last year, but I think this way is a much more exciting way to introduce it! You can read all about her fabulous lesson idea HERE!

I have a sub for the first time this year tomorrow because I am attending the South Carolina Council for Social Studies conference tomorrow and I am pretty excited to learn some new stuff!

In other news, I finally began working on my "Boo in the Zoo: Animal Themed Halloween Unit."

Here were some of the things I want to include:

* Animal Research (Bats, Owls, Cats, Spiders, and other creepies)

* Spooky and Weird Animal Adaptations

* Habitats Trick or Treat (Students would pretend they were going Trick or Treating in each habitat and draw or write things they would find there to add to their Trick or Treat bag) I know it sounds crazy, but I'm still in the thinking phase! =)

* Bewitching Words (Students would pick and animal and write describing words)

* Monstrous Metaphors & Spooktacular Similes (Animal related of course!)

I would love more suggestions for activities to include!

Volcano Unit Proofreader Needed!

Anonymous — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Hey blog friends! I need two people to proofread and check over my 85 page Voyage to the Volcano Unit. I have already looked over it, but it's always good to get a second set of eyes!

I need them to be checked out within the next hour or so! The first two people to comment with their emails will be my proofreaders! You will keep the unit I email you as a token of my appreciation for helping me out!

Sorry the first ones blurry!

I hope to have this posted in both my shops this evening!

Happy Mothers day to all those wonderful mamas out there!

Novel Study and Mother's Day Activity

Anonymous — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:05:00 GMT

I know I am posting again, but I had to share the CUTEST mothers day activity I found on Stickers and Staples last night!

How adorable right!? The kids draw pictures of things they would do for their mother on each app block and then write an explanation of each. Finally, they write a sweet letter on the last page! They give it to their mother as a present! My kids were so excited doing theirs today! I wish I had thought to take pictures so you could see theirs! The images are from Stickers and Staples when she did the activity with her class!

Also, I have been working on a new project! I ordered two novel sets this year through Donors Choose and haven't been able to read one of them with my class yet. I thought it would make a fun end of the year unit to study all about volcanoes. The unit will be jam packed with activities for ALL content areas. I have only just begun, but here is a sneak peak! I have so many ideas for this unit, I don't have the time to sit and list them all because after all, it is the Friday after our state testing and this girl is freakin' pooped!

I hope to have it very soon if you are interested! And, as always, if you have any ideas for the unit, please let me know and I will be happy to include them! Let me know what you guys think!

Have a happy weekend!!!

Martin Luther King Freebie!

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:30:00 GMT

So, I have been avoiding school work all afternoon. I got sucked in the Chronicles of Narnia movies that were playing all day! However, tonight, I was finally inspired to create something for you all to use in honor the MLK holiday!

I am linking the editable version in case you younger grades want to tweak it to better suit your wee ones!

Just click the image to download!!

Click here for the PDF version if you wish to have the fonts.

I hope to be uploading some new measurement clip art and an alphabet set very soon! I have just been sooo busy this week being back at school!

Don't forget to like me on facebook!! I'm still new over there!

I also want to give a huge Thank You to 2nd Grade Paradise, A Place Called Kindergarten, and Cozarts Class for the blog awards!! I really appreciate all the blog love and support I have gotten from all you!

I.Am.Obssessed.With.Pinterest.

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:25:00 GMT

Can we just talk for a second about how amazingly awesome and inspiring Pinterest is!? LOVE IT. And I don't mean love it like you love your cool zebra striped pencil. I mean, like I LOVE it!

I have been taking soooo many fabulous ideas from Pinterest since I started (about two weeks ago). I know, that's an insanely short amount of time to fall in love, but if you know about Pinterest already, then you totally understand and don't think it's creepy or weird.

So, I may have stolen some cool ideas from other Pinterest posts to use in my room. Here are three things I have stolen (from Pinterest that is) and adapted to my classroom this week:

This really fun Scientists tree map (Thanks Abby at the Inspire Apple):

This anchor chart about how to make good book choices! I can't remember who I first saw do it, but I have seen several versions of this!

This awesome activity to teach relative location! Thank you to Jenn at Finally in First for this fabu idea! After I read "Me on the Map," by Joan Sweeny, we used Google Earth to zoom in to where we live! As we zoomed in, we added more information to our little visual flip book rings.

In conclusion, if you aren't on Pinterest, get your butt over there and check it out! You will be amazed at how the creative juices you may not have known you had inside you will start flowing!!

Explorers and Native Americans

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:18:00 GMT

We just recently began a new unit on Native and Americans and Explorers. We have had to integrate the unit with Guided Reading since our Guided Reading block has been consumed by RIT groups (leveled focus groups) based on the grade level MAP scores.

According to SC state standards, students are required to know and compare the culture, governance, and location of the three major Native American tribes in SC - The Cherokee, Catawba, and Yemassee. We read information about each tribe and highlighted information regarding the culture, governance, and location of each tribe and transferred it into a flipbook.

On the back of the flipbook, we made a map of SC and labeled the location of the three tribes. We came up with a symbol to represent and help us remember each one. The Cherokee invented their own written language, so many students drew letters. The Catawba were well known for making pottery, so several kids chose to draw pots. You get the idea...

This week, we have been focusing on reasons why explorers came to the new world. I came up with an acronym to help the kids remember the five major reasons why explorers came:

F.L.A.W.S.

Freedom
Land
Adventure
Wealth
Slaves

If you would like for me to send you the flipchart I used, please email me at glauren4556@gmail.com. I had the kids take notes as we went through the flipchart.

We are learning about the 5 major explorers to come through SC, what country they came from, why they came, and what they did while they were here. We have been getting into reading groups to read the information sheet on each explorer. We highlight information that we are looking for and then transfer it to our Explorer Graphic Organizer.

If you would like any of the resources I have discussed today, please email me!

How do you teach explorers and Native Americans?

Main Idea Activating Strategies

Anonymous — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:30:00 GMT

Main idea is a very important concept for kids to understand. If they can't understand main idea, then what's the point of even reading!? I can't tell you how many excellent readers I've seen in my short time teaching that can't seem to get anything out of their reading. They couldn't even tell me what they read about.

In light of that, here are some activating strategies for teaching main idea.

Using word webs and concept maps are great tools for introducing concepts in the content areas or even a theme for one of your read alouds. Having kids brainstorm anything they know about the subject really jumpstarts the thinking process.

Predict a Passage is another good way to introduce the concept of main idea. The focus of this strategy is to predict what the story is about, read the passage, and then correct any misconceptions at the end.

Another strategy is "The Main Idea Envelope Please." Give students envelopes with either a topic sentence, supporting detail, or a main idea on the front. Inside will be a card with the correct response folded so it cannot be seen through the envelope. Have the students go around the room and see whose envelopes belong with their group. Once the students have found their group, they are to read their envelope and discuss which one is the topic, supporting detail, and the main idea. They are to give reasons for their choices. Then, they should say which one they think they have (topic sentence, supporting detail, or main idea. Once the prediction has been made, the teacher announces, "The Envelope Please." This is the signal for the students to open their envelope and see if their predictions were correct.

I was also thinking that a Carousel Brainstorming is a good way to get students thinking about the main idea of a content area. In Social Studies, we are about to start a unit on South Carolina in the 19th and 20th centuries (Jim Crow Laws, new technologies, mill villages, The Great Depression, and the New Deal). I decided to paste pictures related to each topic on posterboard and laminate them. I will have students carousel around the room to each photo making comments with white board markers or sticky notes. (Reusing materials is always a plus and a timesaver!) Having them jot down their "thinkings," inferences, and comments about each photo is a good way to see what they already know and to get them interested and thinking about the new topic.

If you know any other good main idea strategies, please share with us!