Tag Archives: Writing

Why Do I Use DOCUMENT FOLDERS? WHY? WHY? WHY?

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Don’t YOU just LOVE it when something WORKS?

I am a PINTEREST JUNKIE!

I know. I am.

I saw these on PINTEREST and 

 I HAD TO HAVE THEM!

IRIS USA 12 by 12-Inch Portable Project Case, Slim

(I got mine on Amazon…FYI)

What are they (you ask)?

DOCUMENT  HOLDERS!

How do I use them? and WHY?

I have taken ALL of my MONTHLY MASTERS…

Crafts, Reading, Writing, Math, etc

and I have ONE COPY..

YES..

ONE COPY

of each page 

in a clear document holder.

NO more HANGING FILES!

They take up too  much space!

*disclaimer…even though they have clips that hold it closed…

I use an “OLD SCHOOL” rubber band around it..

Just to make sure my papers don’t end up on the shelf!

Then I took SHARPIE PAINT PENS

 and wrote the month on the spine.

It has freed up SO MUCH SHELF space!

All of my HANGING FILES for my MONTHLY papers

(You know…they FUN THINGS!)

are now in one EASY TO CARRY HOME, folder!

I can take home the entire month of ideas

when I do my lesson planning!

EASY  PEASY!

Can you say…DECEMBER!

DONE!

I am trying to “get it ALL together”…

I think it might be my New Year’s resolution!

If so….DONE!

Kinder Friends GIVEAWAY!

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Kinder Friends GIVEAWAY

Merry CHRISTMAS!
Feliz  Navidad!
Joyeux Noël
Frohe Weihnachten
There are sooo  many ways to say
“Happy  HOLIDAYS!”
My friends and I at
Kinder Friends
are having a
DECEMBER  GIVEAWAY
We are celebrating
Holidays  Around  the  World!
We are giving away a $25 TPT card!
Raise your hand if you want one!
ME!   ME!   ME!
Here are a few of my
December    products
to help YOU
survive the month!
THAT,
my friends,
is a  UNIVERSAL  theme!
A HOLIDAY BUNDLE!
5 Packet BUNDLE!
Includes:
BABY It’s Cold Outside:
Noun Sort
FROZEN!…HFW Game
SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY…Long vowel Silent “e” Word Work
SILLY SNOWBALLS…Beginning blends word work
Color & B/W printables
Grades 1-2
Do You Want to Build A Snowman?
Place Value Activity for whole group / small group / independent practice.
Snowman “pieces” to create a snowman based on a given value.
Snowman HATS have a number. The students “build” the snowman using corresponding units. Uses base-ten blocks, expanded notation, math mountains, & ten-sticks to make numbers. Differentiate based on student needs. CCSS CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.B.2
Power Pronouns
25 Pocket Chart Word Cards and
Printables to help students practice using pronouns
in complete sentences.
Snow Fun
4 ELA Centers for Winter
Included:
Sight Word Snowball Fight
Partner Reading Stick Puppets ( Reading Comprehension)
How to Make a Snowman: writing
Christmas Tree “Rhyming” Chains
Available in color & B/W
Grades 1-2
This Elf is NOT on the Shelf!
32 Math Task Cards …
1 more / 1 less
10 more / 10 less
Holiday Themed
And…..
The ELVES are Working OVERTIME!
ELA centers :
Verbs…Past, present, future
Nouns…Common, Proper, plural
Digraphs
Inflectional Endings
Punctuation
Here is a FREEBIE
 from ME to YOU!
OK…my friends!
Enter  the RAFFLECOPTER
and then….
HOP  ON  OVER to my friend
PAULA at
Paula’s Preschool and Kindergarten
For MORE Goodies!
Goodbye!
Adios!
Happy Holidays to one and ALL!

It’s ALIVE! Freebie

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I can totally relate to this..

I  started working on my

Journeys MEGA BUNDLE

last summer.

It started out one unit at a time.

Sorry to ALL who had to endure with

MULTIPLE  Updates! 

But..little by little

-PERSERVERANCE…and NEED!-

I  have 

FINISHED!

https://giphy.com/embed/y8Mz1yj13s3kI

My

is  

complete!

Grade 1 Mega BUNDLE

INCLUDES:

-Spelling for the YEAR 

30  weeks of spelling      3 to a page    ALL  30  WEEKS!

Weekly Spelling Lists for the Entire YEAR

 I have also included Kinder spelling for the year 

AND

Grade 2 Spelling lists for the entire year!

GRADE  1  …  differentiate!

-Focal Wall Printables – ALL Units (for the year)

300+ pages for ALL components of the Journeys Focal Wall

( can be used for supplementing other programs …

including homeschool programs ) 

– 100 HFW cards 

Includes Units 1 – 6

HFW  cards for 30 weeks    240  word cards  in color & B/W

-Daily PROOFREADING Practice

80 student pages for the YEAR! Editing practice.

Mini Booklet   for  easy  printing & management

-Morning Message

Units 1-6

Daily  Message  cards  to  enhance  vocabulary,  comprehension, & high level thinking!

Focal Wall Headers & CCSS cards included

Blending Line Phonics cards

3 Blending Line Cards per week  (90  total )

for fluency practice!

I know this package supplements 

CA  JOURNEYS 2017

BUT…

it can be used with ANY program!

HFW  are HFW.   Spelling  is spelling.

Daily proofreading  is daily  proofreading.

And so on… And so on.

HOMESCHOOLERS….Your  YEAR   is   DONE!  🙂

I hope you get a chance to check this out!

Here is a little FREEBIE  to get YOU started..:)

Happy  Fall  ‘Yall!

( I think I will take a nap!)

🙂

My Dilemma…DO you Teach Halloween? October? Fall? Want a FREEBIE?

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So my dilemma.

We have a two week vacation

 from Oct. 1-Oct. 17.

(NO COMPLAINING HERE!)

BUT…

We return on Oct. 17.

 MONDAY

14 days (exactly ) until….

YOU  KNOW  IT

MONDAY, October 31, 2016

HALLOWEEN!

Parties,

CANDY,

Kids who can’t wait to get home ( highly DISTRACTABLE!)

(some schools…not mine….)

COSTUMES!

So …

My  dilemma.

When we go back,

Do I put out HALLOWEEN themed centers?

Do I keep it OCTOBERish with Columbus, Halloween, Fall, Pumpkins,etc?

Do I just “touch” on the “HOLDIAY” stuff…and Promote the FALL  stuff?

Do I  add  THANKSGIVING?

Should I keep it ALL going until THANKSGIVING?

What to do?  What to do?????

BTW…   I  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE   FALL!

My favorite  season.

YUMMY!

But…

CONTENT is EVERYTHING!

My student’s MUST take a BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT in December.

I want them to do well.

( I don’t tkink there will be a HALLOWEEN question on it.)

Unless it’s about

HOW MANY CANDIES DID YOU EAT ALL TOGETHER?

So ..what to do?   What  to do?

INTEGRATE!

I must teach SCIENCE and SOCIAL STUDIES!

( Living things…life cycle…Plants/animals…Lifestyles Long Ago..)

So here is MY plan:

Reading:

  • Nonfiction about pumpkins, apples, plants
  • Biography about Christopher Columbus, Squanto
  • Fiction about Fall, Halloween, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving

I am checking my district curriculum ( yes, we have one )

for REQUIRED (Tested )  Skills & Strategies for this quarter.

As we delve into our reading…I make SURE to incorporate TESTED strategies.

Questioning? Sequencing? Retelling? Etc..etc…

Vocabulary?   Again…check NECESSARY vocabulary for success!

I spend A LOT of time on necessary vocabulary. I have 10-12  English Language Learners.

They need visuals, modeling, & practice before they can “TAKE ON” the new information.

Phonics?   Spelling?   Grammar?

 Required phonics skills for this quarter.

What to use for  Spelling?

BOTH!

  Required spelling skills AND  thematic vocabulary words.

WHAT?      WHY?

Because…I want them to have some  INTRINSIC vocabulary to use easily in their..

WRITING!

I want MY Mummy!  🙂

Sorry….couldn’t  resist.

Writing:

  • “How To”..grow..carve…etc… about pumpkins, apples, plants
  • “Informative”  about Christopher Columbus, Squanto,Pilgrims
  • “Narrative”  about Fall, Halloween, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving
  • Thank You cards, Invitations, Lists, Etc.

Again….I am checking my district curriculum

for REQUIRED (Tested )  Skills & Strategies for this quarter.

Whatever our REQUIRED writing prompt will be

( I already know mine  is INFORMATIVE)

We will practice, practice, practice!

I won’t skip the other genres.

Just FOCUS on the INFORMATIVE!

BUT wait!

I want crafts! I want CUTSIE! I want products!

I Love BOOKS!

And so…we will make CUTSIE lapbooks, paintings, charts, stories & crafts

 about???

Fall, Halloween, pumpkins, apples

, plants, Christopher Columbus,

Squanto, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving

DON’T  tell  our FIRE MARSHALL..

I might HANG THINGS UP!

Definitely!

I won’t tell,  if YOU won’t tell.

MATH:

  • addition / subtraction
  • missing addends
  • place value
  • graphing
  • story problems

And MATH??

Lots of Graphs, addition & subtraction, problem solving, story problems

ALL ABOUT THEMES!

How many apples, pumpkin seeds, candies, turkies, indians, etc, etc.

(Math Journals are GREAT for this!)

and, yes..

I will need to keep it going until Thanksgiving.

And I will need to use EVERY MINUTE of EVERY DAY!

And yes… it will take planning, and prepping…

BATS!

Black  Cats

Growing  Pumpkins

Making APPLESAUCE!

Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed!

And YES

I WILL LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

You see…

FALL IS MY FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR!

To those of you who hung in there to the bottom of this LONG POST…

A FREEBIE FOR YOU!

Happy FALL!

CHRISTMAS in JULY?? YESSS!!!!!

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I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Ok..I said the “C” word!

As  of  TODAY ( July 6 , 2016)

there are

172 days

until

CHRISTMAS!

YES!!!


I need to  begin my Christmas lists…

and then

 SHOP! SHOP! SHOP!

But … that’s  another STORY! 🙂

To help out with the whole “giving to others” MINDSET…

My friends and I

 at

iTeach Linkies

are “GIVING” to YOU!

Each of us is having a 20% off sale in our TPT store!

My store is 20% OFF  EVERYTHING…Bundles & BTS TOO!

AND…

I have a FREEBIE for YOU!

Check out my COMPLETE

BTS Word Work Packet

AND  THERE  IS

MORE!

Each of us has added a FREEBIE in the link up for YOU!

Click on each one for FREEBIES..

Check out my friends’ stores too…ALL of us are 20% OFF!

WOWZA!

 Check out your wish lists & stock up EARLY!

AND

We are having a HUGE  GIVEAWAY!

blog3

Who wants to win:

 One of three (3)-  $50  TPT Gift Certificates

 ( ME–I DO!  I DO!)

AND

A   $50  TARGET Gift Certificate    ( ME–I DO!  I DO!)

AND

A $100 TEACHING IN THE TONGASS CLIP ART Gift Certificate

ME–I DO!  I DO!

You can’t win , if you DON’T ENTER!

Good  Luck!

Here you go:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

5.5 days left…But Who’s Counting??

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5.5 days left…BUT WHO’S COUNTING????

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 at8:00 9:00AM. 🙂
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.
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??
More on the WAY!
 Keep checking back!
🙂
All available HERE.
Now…Where is my beach chair? 🙂
Time to relax! 🙂
5.5 days to go…  🙂

How to teach kids to EDIT their Writing

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How to teach kids to EDIT their Writing

The question of ALL time…
HOW CAN I GET THEM TO “FIX” THEIR WRITING?
I ask them…Does it make sense?   They say  YES!
Have you “checked” your SPELLING?    They say  YES!
Do you have CAPITALS and PUNCTUATION?  They say YES!
HUH???  WHERE????
I cannot see capitals, puncuation, complete sentences!
AM I BLIND?
NO!
I teach FIRST GRADE!
To them…YES! It makes sense.
Yes! It’s spelled correctly. ( I asked a friend…they said it was spelled right!)
And I think it has capitals & punctu…what?
Smile! ( Pretend)  They are learning.
So HOW…HOW..HOW do I teach them to correct their writing?
( Before they go to second grade?)
Reteach, review, scaffold, write daily, and do it again!
To help “GUIDE” the process…
Daily Proofreading Practice!
80 pages of HELP!
This booklet will support
CA Journeys 2017…
AND…
It can be used with ANY program!
Classroom & Homeschool

Daily editing, revising, rewriting.

Writing complete sentences correcting for
spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other conventions.
2 sentences per day.
Made in a booklet style with 2 per page.
Black and white to save on ink!

Print once & be ready for the WHOLE SCHOOL YEAR!

Click “HERE” to see the entire packet!
Don’t forget to click on the PREVIEW!
Check out the CA JOURNEYS Supplement PACKETS..
More added  weekly!

Nibits for Newbies 4.24.16 Supporting English Learners in WRITING

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If it’s Sunday..

It must be time for

NIBITS for NEWBIES!

This week’s theme..

HOW to help EL student’s with WRITING!

I work in a Title 1 school.

I have 24 first graders with  99%  free  lunches.

This year I have 12  English Language Learners in 4 different langauges!

( I have had 18-20 EL’s in the same class!)

12???

A BREEZE!

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?

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 paaart 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!

🙂