Tag Archives: Writing

Bring on FALL! We are READY!

4 Replies

Have I mentioned…

I LOVE FALL!

OK…Many times.

I live in NORCAL.

We don’t have the TRADITIONAL

4 seasons.

DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE 4 ????

In NORCAL…

we have

Summer ( 90-100 degrees )

Fall ( 80-90 degrees)

Winter ( foggy… 60-70 degrees…sometimes cooler )

Spring ( 70-90 degrees )

It’s OK…I LOVE my HOMETOWN.

Sometimes.

OH…well… 🙂

And so on.

SO now that it’s 80 degrees & FALL..

What’s UP in ROOM 3??

Fall Brings…

BRAG TAGS!

We use Brag Tags on rings during the month.

They earn BRAG TAGS

for

following classroom / school rules

AND

Lifeskills

At the end of each month…

They transfer their earned BRAG TAGS from RINGS…

To string necklaces.

They get to wear their necklaces ALL DAY AT SCHOOL

and then

HOME!

( Parents are told at BTS night to

REWARD their kids for necklaces

at the end of the month!) 🙂

Fall Brings…

English Language Arts

Word Work

Word Sorts…NO GLUE!

Pick 3 crayons.

Color the words according to the KEY!

Write!

Back from 2 week vacation.

TEACHER…..CLEAN YOUR TABLE!

I don’t have a teacher desk. #bestdecisionever

Reading ROCKERS! #alternativeseating

Birthday Books.

On each student’s birthday ( or close to ),

We make a class BIRTHDAY BOOK!

We do these during MUST DO TIME!

Independent work.

We have a “FRAME” style we use.

Everyone makes a page.

We STAPLE together and VOILA!

CLASS BIRTHDAY PRESENT!

We sing and dance as we PRESENT ( haha ) it to the birthday student!

LAST..( whew..what a week !)

Fall Brings…

GUIDED MATH

My newest & favorite time of the day!

We are doing

MATH MUST DO’s & MAY Do’s

( Same format as ELA centers in the AM )

KEEP YOUR ROUTINES THE SAME!

We go the the MATH Calendar ( next to ELA Calendar )

after lunch.

Math Calendar

After we go through the “math board”…

We NOW ( Quarter 2) do MATH MUST DO’S.

( Approx. 45 minutes )

Must DO’s

#1 MATH JOURNAL

Story Problem with illustrations & number sentence.

#2 Math Paper

A Workbook Page FROM YESTERDAY ( review )

#3 MATH TUB (center) with a PARTNER

I do the whole class MATH lesson BEFORE centers.

SOMETIMES we do the workbook page together…sometimes they do.

Depends on the Lesson. We have a district curriculum to follow.

( Approx. time 45 minutes )

What am I doing?

GUIDED MATH GROUPS!

I meet with 2-3 kids at a time.

We work on a STRATEGY.

NO worksheets!

They need to have independent strategies to do ON THEIR OWN!

I can’t take the assessments FOR THEM!

So…

Here is what’s UP in room 3 in the FALL?

Need supplements for ELA or MATH?

Brag Tags

Balanced Literacy

Check out my store for GOODIES!

1stgradefireworks

Helping FIRSTIES become Better Writers

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Can First Graders become BETTER WRITERS?

Hello everyone!

My name is Wendy McCarty.

I am the creator behind…

1stgradefireworks

I create classroom and homeschool materials

that engage young minds and help the teacher to support instruction.

You can see my products in my TPT Store:

1stgradefireworks

Today’s Topic…

Writing in First Grade

Now… I wish I was PERFECT.

I wish my kiddos were PERFECT.

There are NO Perfect PEOPLE!

NO Perfect KIDDOS.

No Perfect.

Now that we have gone there…how do we get close?

We get BETTER!

Better Readers.

Better Speakers.

Better Writers.

Better..Better…Better

( My Mantra )

HOW?

We write EVERY DAY.

Usually..more than once.

We write about our day in school

…things we like

…stories we have read

…new words we have learned

…new thoughts we have had

etc.etc.etc.

I try to do a mini-lesson on a strategy.

I add new vocabulary. In CONTEXT.

We make connections.

We expand our thinking.

We TALK!

And it can be noisy.

It’s OK.

Sometimes LEARNING is messy.

And loud. And busy.

It’s OK!

We do writer’s workshop.

My kids write.

AND they LOVE IT!

HOW?

Give them paper, pencils, markers, colored pencils, etc…

Give them…TIME!

And … LET THEM TALK!

My classroom is NEVER quiet!

Talking

about writing,

during writing,

and after writing.

TALK, Write, Create!

Are they perfect?

NO.

Is that OK?

YES!

*(Update)

I have added new

VOCABULARY BANNERS

to my

Writing Center.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6686" data-attachment-id="6686" data-permalink="https://1stgradefireworks.net/how-to-help-firsties-become-better-writers/original-2584010-1-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/original-2584010-1.jpg?fit=350%2C350&ssl=1" data-orig-size="350,350" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Fall Vocabulary Banners for WRITING" data-image-description="<p>Fall Vocabulary Banners for WRITING</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/original-2584010-1.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/original-2584010-1.jpg?fit=350%2C350&ssl=1" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-6686" src="https://i0.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/original-2584010-1.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1" alt="Fall Vocabulary Banners for WRITING" width="300" height="300" data-pin-description="Fall Vocabulary Banners for WRITING" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/original-2584010-1.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/original-2584010-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/original-2584010-1.jpg?w=350&ssl=1 350w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" />

Fall Vocabulary Banners for WRITING

The banners

help my

beginning writers

( HOW DO YOU SPELL…..??? )

and my

EL students

(LOTS of VISUALS )

See how I use the

VOCABULARY BANNERS

Here.

For WRITER’S WORKSHOP

If you need a starting point...

Monthly Writing Pages

WITH

VOCABULARY Helpers

at the

bottom of EVERY PAGE!

I LOVE TEACHING!

I am currently headed into my 27th year teaching…ALL of them in first grade!

My kiddos ask me “WHY don’t YOU ever GRADUATE to Second Grade?”

I tell them

“First Grade is IN my HEART!”

You can follow me at:

https://1stgradefireworks.net

https://www.facebook.com/1stgradefireworks

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/1stgradefireworks

https://www.Instagram.com/1stgradefireworks

https://www.pinterest.com/1stgradefirewor

Follow me: TPT FB IG Pinterest

1stgradefireworks

Can reading be the #1 predictor of academic success?

16 Replies

First and Foremost,

Reading is the #1 predictor of academic success.

Consider this my DISCLAIMER…

I am NOT A College Professor.

I do NOT have a MASTERS ( or above )

in ANYTHING!

I am just a teacher.

A first-grade teacher.

A first-grade reading teacher.

A Veteran (27yrs ), a first-grade teacher,

in a TITLE 1 SCHOOL!

I have seen a LOT! Done a LOT!

Hear me ROAR!!!!!

So, I repeat.

I am a teacher. I teach reading.

(Aren’t they cute????)

I have been through:

Whole Language

Environmental Print

Interactive Writing

Phonemic Awareness

Leveled Readers ( DRA, GSP, AR, Lexile)

Phonics

Words Their Way

HFW

Sight Words

High-Interest Reading Books

SIPPS

Read Naturally

Daily 5

And

A MULTITUDE OF PUBLISHER’S CURRICULUM!

New sets every 7 years!

Next, having said this…

1 thing most curriculum’s have in common :

READ!

READ A LOT!

And then…READ SOME MORE!

So …

My little sisters…

YES…both of my LITTLE SISTER’S are

PRIMARY TEACHERS!

We were discussing school.

Yes… we do that!

We are trying to WRAP our minds around the

“READ…READ…READ more”

and they will

“GET IT!” (way of thinking.)

Well, maybe…

I LOVE reading with kiddos!

See my post here about the

GUIDED READING TABLE!

But then my concern is…

When I “release” them to read,

When I want them to become INDEPENDENT readers,

Where do they “learn” the skills to use when they “get stuck”?

Will they use strategies, when they don’t know what’s happening?

When a story isn’t making sense…do they keep reading?

If they keep reading…

Will all the skills and strategies come TOGETHER?

At a recent PD, my little sis said she understood the

READ, READ, READ philosophy.

Integrate science, social studies, math, technology

INTO literacy!

YES!

Writing and Reading

COMPLIMENT and Coexist

WITH each other!

You can’t have one without the other!

THEY NEED EACH OTHER!

BUT…

-Me SPEAKING-

There needs to be a BALANCE of:

Skills & Strategies

in conjunction with independent reading & writing!

THERE!

I said IT!

Reading & Writing SKILLS:

Letter Sounds

Blends

Vowels

Word Families

Chunks

Grammar

Punctuation

High-Frequency Words

Capitalization

Handwriting

and MORE!

Comprehension

Questioning

Summarizing

etc, etc, etc…

(I sound like my Education College Professors!)

I was listening!

ALL of these “lessons” MUST be taught

IN CONJUNCTION with

Reading & Writing!

Yes…To be a better reader…

YOU MUST READ!

BUT…to be a better reader who UNDERSTANDS…

You must have skills and strategies to use

WHEN you read and write!

NOW…CAUTION!!!

Unless you are teaching ADULTS in a COLLEGE CLASS…

A 40-minute LECTURE on diagramming sentences

IS NOT…I REPEAT…

NOT

the way to do it!

If you WANT to spend 40 minutes discussing grammar…

CHUNK IT!

Read a little.

Discuss it.

Let it soak in.

And do it again. And again. and again!

READ!

Do 2-3 MINILESSONS over a few days…

Let it SINK IN!

Show kiddos:

What it looks like.

Where to find it.

How to use it.

Why we use it.

When to ask for help.

Kinder-Grade 1-Grade 2 teachers…

UNITE!

Mini-Lessons with a WORKSHOP!

Use SMALL Groups for STRATEGY & Skill Groups!

Let kiddos have a chance to PRACTICE

what YOU have taught them!

Let it SINK IN!

And Then…

LET THEM READ!

and

READ!

and

READ!

and then

WRITE…and write, some more!

Skills, Strategies, Reading, Writing

They will become “BETTER”…

and isn’t that what we ALL want to be?

BETTER!

Need some HELP?

My friend, Alison, at

Learning at The Primary Pond

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2066" data-attachment-id="2066" data-permalink="https://1stgradefireworks.net/reading-is-the-1-predictor-of-academic-success/untitled-design-2-500x500/" data-orig-file="https://i2.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Untitled-design-2-500x500.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1" data-orig-size="500,500" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Untitled-design-2-500×500" data-image-description="<p>Alison from Learning at the Primary Pond</p> " data-medium-file="https://i2.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Untitled-design-2-500x500.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i2.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Untitled-design-2-500x500.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2066" src="https://i2.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Untitled-design-2-500x500.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1" alt="Button from Learning at The Primary Pond" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Untitled-design-2-500x500.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Untitled-design-2-500x500.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i2.wp.com/1stgradefireworks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Untitled-design-2-500x500.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1 500w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" />

learningattheprimarypond.com

has a great post about

What Does Reading Workshop Look Like In The Primary Grades?

Here are some “HELPERS” for YOU!

Click HERE for more reading & writing products!

1stgradefireworks

Is reading MORE..really ENOUGH??

Leave a reply

Consider this my DISCLAIMER…

I read. I read a LOT!

I am NOT A College Professor.

I do NOT have a MASTERS ( or above )

in ANYTHING!

Just a READING CERTIFICATE!

I teach reading!

I am just a teacher.

A first-grade teacher.

A Veteran (27yrs ), first-grade teacher, in a TITLE 1 SCHOOL!

I read!They read!

I have seen a LOT!

Done a LOT!

Hear me ROAR!!!!!

Ok. So again.

I am a teacher.

(Aren’t they cute????)

I have been through:

Whole Language

Environmental Print

Interactive Writing

Phonemic Awareness

Leveled Readers ( DRA, GSP, AR, Lexile)

Phonics

Words Their Way

HFW

Sight Words

High-Interest Reading Books

SIPPS

Read Naturally

Daily 5

And

A MULTITUDE OF PUBLISHER’S CURRICULUM!

New sets every 7 years!

Having said this…1 thing most curriculum’s have in common :

READ!

READ A LOT!

And then…READ SOME MORE!

So …

My little sisters…

YES…both of my LITTLE SISTER’S are

PRIMARY TEACHERS!

We were discussing school.

( I know..we are NOT supposed to discuss SCHOOL during SUMMER VACATION!)

But…um…we were discussing school…

and we are trying to WRAP our minds around the

“READ..READ..READ more”

and they will

“GET IT!”

(way of thinking.)

Well, maybe…

I LOVE reading with kiddos!

See my post here about the GUIDED READING TABLE!

My concern is…

When I “release” them to read,

When I want them to become INDEPENDENT readers,

Where do they “learn” the skills to use when they “get stuck”?

Will they use strategies, when they don’t know what’s happening?

When a story isn’t making sense…do they keep reading?

If they keep reading…

Will it ALL come TOGETHER?

At a recent PD, my little sis said she understood the

READ, READ, READ philosophy.

Integrate science, social studies, math, technology

INTO READING!

YES!

Writing and Reading COMPLIMENT and Coexist WITH each other!

You can’t have one without the other!

THEY NEED EACH OTHER!

BUT…

-Me SPEAKING-

There needs to be a BALANCE of:

Skills & Strategies

in conjunction with independent reading & writing!

THERE!

I said IT!

Reading & Writing SKILLS:

Letter Sounds

Blends

Vowels

Word Families

Chunks

Grammar

Punctuation

High-Frequency Words

Capitalization

Handwriting

and MORE!

Comprehension

Questioning

Summarizing

etc, etc, etc…

(I sound like my Education College Professors!)

I was listening!

ALL of these “lessons” MUST be taught

IN CONJUNCTION with

Reading & Writing!

Yes…To be a better reader…

YOU MUST READ!

BUT…to be a better reader who UNDERSTANDS…

You must have skills and strategies

to use

WHEN

you read and write!

NOW…CAUTION!!!

Unless you are teaching ADULTS in a COLLEGE CLASS…

A 40-minute LECTURE on diagramming sentences

IS NOT…I REPEAT..

NOT

the way to do it!

If you WANT to spend 40 minutes discussing grammar…

CHUNK IT!

Do 2-3 MINILESSONS over a few days…

Let it SINK IN!

Show kiddos:

What it looks like.

Where to find it.

How to use it.

Why we use it.

When to ask for help.

Kinder-Grade 1-Grade 2 teachers…

UNITE!

Mini-Lessons with a WORKSHOP!

Use SMALL Groups for STRATEGY & Skill Groups!

Let kiddos have a chance to PRACTICE what YOU have taught them!

Let it SINK IN!

And Then..

LET THEM READ!

and

READ!

and

READ!

and then

WRITE…and write some more!

Skills, Strategies, Reading, Writing

They will become “BETTER”

and isn’t that what we ALL want to be?

BETTER!

Need some HELP?

Here are some “HELPERS” for YOU!

Check out ALL my reading & writing products!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/1stgradefireworks

Helping my EL’s with Writing.

Leave a reply

My kiddos come with a SMALL amount of ENGLISH print.

MOST..not all..but MOST have enough English to communicate

everyday NEEDS to me.

BATHROOM, Recess, and When is LUNCH?

How to help EL’s write, when you don’t speak the same language?

We are OK.

BUT…

English PRINT?

WOWZA! Another WORLD!

FIRST…

We begin…BEGIN…with Phonemic Awareness.

Sounds…

ORAL…

NO PRINT!

Letter Sounds, Vocabulary Words, Rhymes, Alliterations,,

SOUNDS

and LOTS OF THEM!

Next…

We ADD

PHONICS!

A symbol (letter/word) to the sounds.

Alphabet, HFW, Word Families, emergent readers, etc.

For those who make READING a priority…

they excell!

For those who don’t have a LOT of support at home..

It can take LONGER…

But..

THEN…

We WRITE!

We write well and we write A LOT!

Lists, poems, booklets, stories, and they LOVE IT!

The problem occurs when they don’t have an ENGLISH word to attach to the “word” in their head!

Vocabulary MUST be a HUGE part of the daily writing minilessons.

And RESOURCES!

We use Step Up to Writing…

and

I “supplement”…Ummm

SUPPLANT

with

LUCY CAULKINS!

YESSSS!!!

http://www.heinemann.com/products/E07729.aspx

Click HERE to see it…

FINALLY..

We use my

WRITE ON!

papers because they have

VOCABULARY

built in!

Available HERE…

My kids are doing GREAT!

(Most could only write their names at first!)

Daily PROGRESS! 🙂

And so..

we

PRACTICE, we TALK, WE SING,
WE CHANT,
AND ..we
WRITE ON!

And HERE is a FREEBIE to Help you on your way!

Check My Writing. Post Writing Checklist.

5.5 days left…but who’s counting?

Leave a reply

I admit it.

I AM TIRED!

I am counting the days until vacation.

I am counting the days until I don’t have to leave the house by 7:15 AM.

I am counting the days…until I can have coffee at 8:00AM.

Ah…I Am READY!

BUT…

My teacher BRAIN won’t

STOP!

I want to start getting ready for

NEXT YEAR!!!

I know…relax, breathe…ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

I can’t STOP! I want to plan!

We are getting a new reading program next year.

CA JOURNEYS here we come!

And so…I have begun. counting.

I have begun to plan.

MY day, my month, my year!

I am starting my new projects today!

Here’s a PREVIEW!

Focus Wall

Focus Wall Printables

SPELLING for the YEAR!!!!

The BEST PART???

These Packets can be used with ANY program!

( Just because it follows CA Journeys…doesn’t mean it will ONLY work with

that program!)

Here is the FREE Focus Wall Headers… 🙂

How about

DAILY PROOFREADING PRACTICE??

How to Survive the 4th Quarter DASH!

Leave a reply

AKA… What to use to keep some working, while reteaching to others! 🙂

SPRING BREAK is Finally HERE!

Assessments, report cards, cleaning, paperwork,etc…

Third quarter done! YIPPEE!!

Though I really DO love this time of the year.

Kiddos are making TREMENDOUS progress!

Sniff…sniff…PROUD TEACHER!

So NOW we WORK!

When we go back we have the

4th Quarter DASH!

Catch everyone up to grade level standards

before they go to second grade!

And to HELP…I need it!

Some of my kiddos will work on YOU QUACK ME UP!

While I am WORKING with small groups, reteaching concepts they DIDN’T quite get.

DATA tells me that.

Right?

Say this with a SMILE..

“YOU QUACK ME UP!”

to be taken to my TPT store!

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade table of contents

ELA: rhymes, Read the Room, Sight Word Games,Grammar

MATH: 3 digit addition, Place Value, Guess My Number

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade rhyme game

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade Grammar

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade word work

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade story vocabulary

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade prefixes

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade task cards

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade Sight Word Game

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade 3 digit addition

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade Place Value

You Quack Me Up ELA & Math for First grade number game

My kiddos LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

So much fun going on in Room 3!

And NOW for the FREEBIE!

Click HERE

This GMA wants some

GIGGLE TIME!

And so…

HERE WE GO! 🙂

Check out my TPT Store for MORE goodies!

Let’s get EXCITED about Reading & Writing with Character Traits!

1 Reply

Character Traits.

(Yawn)

via GIPHY

Try beginning your lesson with that phrase for your PRIMARY STUDENTS!

HUH? WHAT’S A CHARACTER TRAIT?

DID YOU SAY CHARACTER TRAIN????

Character Trait. Adjective. Describing word.

OH! I GET IT!

How to help our youngest readers and writers to add more DEPTH to stories?

How to help them analyze a story and determine the details of a character?

WHY?

I want my students to interact with story characters.

I want them to summarize, sequence, use inferences.

I want them to compare and contrast story elements.

I want them to draw conclusions, and problem-solve.

But most of all, I want them to LOVE reading and writing!

My little ones ( First Grade ) are just learning about print.

So, HOW do I help them discover the good/bad qualities of a story character?

And help them decipher the changes that can AND SHOULD, occur?

TALK. WHAT? TALK!

If you want your youngins’ to expand their knowledge base, YOU have to TALK!

TALK…READ….WRITE!

My newest product Character Traits for Reading & Writing , gives the teacher resources for discussion , printables for student work, and visuals for language acquisition.

All of the first steps for expanding vocabulary.

Speaking, Reading, Writing,

What a WONDERFUL World!

Character Traits for Reading & Writing. How to get your students interacting with story characters! 1stgradefireworks

Character Traits for young kids. — Character Traits for Reading and Writing. How to help young students interact with story characters through discussion, and new vocabulary.1stgradefireworks

Character Traits for Reading and Writing. How to help young students interact with story characters. — Character Traits for Reading and Writing. How to help young students interact with story characters with pocket chart and sorting cards. 1stgradefireworks

Character Traits for Reading and Writing. How to help young students interact with story characters through writing and text connections. 1stgradefireworks

Help YOUR students interact with story characters through CHARACTER TRAITS FOR READERS AND WRITERS

CHeck out the PREVIEW VIDEO.

Click HERE to PURCHASE

Try it with YOUR kiddos. Leave me some LOVE and let me know how it goes!

MY KIDDOS LOVE IT!

PS… I Left the word cards up at the writing center! They are adding new words to their writing, daily! WIN! WIN!

Need more GRAMMAR WORK?

Adjectives – Hide & Seek

Winter is WONDERFUL!

Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives

Informational Writing

1 Reply

This week we did some EXCELLENT WRITING!

I have to be honest…I have not taught ALL of my SCIENCE standards.

Somewhere, I have a new Science series, but my new ELA series takes up most ALL of our day…& Math… so, as any good teacher ( who LOVES science & writing) would do INTEGRATE!

We wrote about ANIMALS!

Living things…yaadaa. yaadaa. yaadaa…NO!

WE WROTE ABOUT REAL ANIMALS!

My EL’s had a hard time with the new vocabulary, (Thank You Project GLAD), we did new academic language, made charts, filled out graphic organizers, did shared writing, sloppy copies, and a final draft!