We are rounding up third nine weeks here in Virginia while trying to catch up from three weeks of snow with only 6 instructional days spattered in between. Fortunately two of our final skills before review for fifth grade make for a perfect pairing: figurative language and poetry.
I don't know why we haven't already structured our pacing guides to just teach them together, but our school has unofficially done this. Students really struggle with both skills, so I love being able to spend extra time in each to really hit it hard.
Personally, I feel like the most important thing when teaching figurative language is that students can recognize it and begin to understand what it means. I do teach them the different types, and we go over definitions and examples, but I'm not too concerned if they have trouble naming it when they see it. I did create a quick figurative language booklet (the pink book below) for my students to use as a reference. You can read about it on my blog here.
Really, though, that booklet was just to prepare them for poetry analysis. I found this gem last year from Middle Grades Maven and feel like it's one of the best resources I have bought. You can use any poem or song, though. I know Erin from I'm Lovin' Lit uses a lot of popular songs to teach it, and I think that's an awesome resource, too!
I like this resource because the poems are short and simple, but the students are then challenged to find different types of figurative language AND EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS! Don't miss that. I feel like some teachers will use poems or songs to have the students find the figurative language, but then they move on. What's the point in identifying it if they still don't understand why the author said it? We spend a lot of time discussing why those specific phrases were used, which also covers author's craft without the students realizing it.
My favorite thing about this booklet, though, is that it helps relieve some of the anxiety my students tend to have when they see poetry. Poems are consistently tough when I look at test data, and I will do anything I can to try and help them along the way.
After we have finished the booklets (we're a little behind because of the snow), I want to find some longer and more difficult poems for them to explain. It would also be fun to have students try to mimic some of these poems to create their own. Poetry month is just around the corner. The possibilities are endless!
Hello Literacy Lovers! I hope your part of the world is looking better than mine! Virginia is looking rather dreary with rain, ice, and snow in the forecast today. However, sunny days are coming outside and hopefully, this post will brighten your day too!
The Learning A to Z company has put together some phenomenal programs to help our students with literacy learning, and I thought I'd share a few ways that I've used Reading A to Z with my students. The projectable books work so well for modeling reading skills, and hopefully, these ideas will help you make use of the little tools that they've included. If you do, I think you will find that the subscription is well worth the price.
Emergent Readers
The projectable feature is fantastic for modeling Concept of Word, practicing letter recognition and sounds, modeling strategies such as using picture clues and decoding, and comprehension.
My favorite thing to do with Kinders is to work on developing concept of word with the stampers. The kids love dragging the stamps in place, and we practice touching them as we read. In the picture above, I placed them under each word, but you can also use a different stamp to signal the beginning of each word for the student to "Get their Mouth Ready".
The tool kit also includes a pen (with different colors), highlighters, a cover box, and a text box tool. In this image, I matched the picture clue with the word in the text. You could also add the text box to the side to brainstorm rhyming words for sun, pop, and up.
Beginning Readers
With beginning readers, we focus on building decoding skills and fluency, so teachers can use the projectable feature to record student thinking and observations. With guiding questions and think aloud, students will work to apply Word Study into their work with running text.
In this screenshot, I listed words from the -an word family (and the teacher would record them in the text box). The follow up questions demonstrate that the long o sound can be formed with more than one spelling pattern and can also be used to review patterns. I used the arrow tool for the first question and switched stamps for the second question. Through this application, students are analyzing each word and making comparisons to find the words that fit the criteria.
In addition to working on decoding and word study skills, teachers can use the tools for many comprehension skills. In this example, I asked what students visualize when they read this paragraph, and I'd have students pair/share or draw what they picture. Then, as a group, we'd highlight the text evidence that helps us make that mental picture. Can you think of other options for the text box, cover tool, and highlight? Maybe cause and effect relationships in fiction or perhaps using context clues for vocabulary. If you cover the picture, then students would have to rely more on the text to determine the word meaning.
Transitional Readers
Students at the transitional level are building fluency. The projectable feature can be used for modeling phrasing and observation of punctuation. There are multiple highlight colors, so I have marked the phrases with different colors or used the drawing tool to add slashes where each phrase ends. There is a stop sign that can be stamped on for punctuation, but the highlighter may be preferred due to the size of the stamp in comparison to the size of the font. Reading A-Z also has poetry available that can be projected for the same purpose.
The cover tool can be used to cover up or select key information for vocabulary discussion or for challenging words that need decoding.
In this image, students could use the frame tool to show the white part of the bulb or the small green shoots that are coming up to the sides of the flower.
Finally, transitional readers are ready for Close Reading. This text is actually at a higher level, but you can see how the star stamp is used to mark the main idea, and the arrow tool is used to mark an important detail. Students can annotate in the margins as well as use the highlighter tool to locate text evidence to support thinking with group discussion.*Note that the projectable feature can only be used for modeling. Teachers can use the printable books for students to practice on their own with all levels.
Instructional Readers
By fourth grade, most students have moved to the instructional reader stage, but the use of the projectable feature is not limited to comprehension only. Students at this stage need work with vocabulary development and writing. The Reading A-Z program includes graphic organizers that can be used by students in teams for group projects or to prepare for writing assignments related to the content.
In this image, I used Close Reading strategies again and spotlighted the diagram modeling the word, atmosphere. Again, all of the tools and uses mentioned can be applied to work with strong readers too, especially with content area reading.
Reading A to Z offers a long list of nonfiction titles that can work very well for science and social studies instruction. All of the books can be projected, but teachers can also project graphic organizers, poetry, discussion questions, phonics posters, and more. If you have not explored the program and would like to give these ideas a try, you can sign up for a two week trial membership for free. Just click the Reading A-Z logo below which will take you to their enrollment page.
I think this program is a bargain and probably one of the most versatile tools available to use right now. I hope you find this little tutorial helpful, and if you have come up with any teaching tricks you'd like to share with it, by all means, email me or comment. I love to learn new things too.
Until next time, I'm sending warm thoughts your way! I think we're all ready for a little spring time weather here in the U.S.
Hi everyone! Emily from The Literacy Nest (formerly The Reading Tutor/OG) and today I'm talking about graphic novels. Your kids love them, your librarian has a hard time keeping them on the shelves, but maybe you're not so sure which are the best ones for your students. Or maybe as a parent, you're wondering what merit they have. Are graphic novels just glorified comic books? Does graphic mean inappropriate for kids? I'm going to talk a little bit about what they are, their benefits, and provide some suggested lists by age/grade level.
What are graphic novels?
Let's flashback to the early 1990s. My older brother was in high school and positively glued to a book called Maus by Art Speiglemen. I picked it up and breezed through it. What was the big deal? As a teenager back then, it just looked like a thick comic book to me. I recall him passing them onto my Mom to read. They went through the whole series together and were constantly chatting about it! What was the appeal? Little did I know it then, but Maus was a groundbreaking graphic novel. Using the Holocaust and World War II as the backdrop, this GN paved the way for new an exciting plots, characters, and series. GN was not just for superheroes. (If you haven't read Maus by the way, please pick up a copy, It's amazing!)
A graphic novel is a book in novel length which can be any genre, but written and illustrated in a comic book format. They are written for both children and adults. For those kids in your class burdened by text heavy books, graphic novels may be just the format they need.
Five reasons to choose graphic novels:
They appeal to both reluctant and advanced readers. The picture format and text presentation will appeal to kids who struggle with reading, or have a hard time maintaining motivation and stamina. Your advanced readers will be interested in the complex characters and rich plot development that many graphic novels have.
Traditional books and series have been turned into graphic novels. Series like The Boxcar Children are in graphic novel format, but so are classics like Journey To The Center Of The Earth or The Iliad and The Odyssey.
They're excellent teaching tools. Graphic novels are great for teaching inference. They often have complex vocabulary and can be used to teach literary devices.Their non linear layout offers a different flow than a traditional book without illustrations.
The graphic format is helpful for English language learners and children with special needs. The use of graphics with text and rich dialogue help with language acquisition developing social skills.
They're not just big comic books with superheroes. Some graphic novels do have superhero characters with superhuman powers. And those are highly appealing, especially for boys. But many aren't. They are written in many different genres with highly engaging plots and diverse characters. You almost get the sense you're reading and watching a film when you get wrapped up in a graphic novel. For some readers, that's the best of both worlds.
Hello Readers (and Writers)! Carla from Comprehension Connection here today to share one of my all time favorite websites, Writing Fix, with you. I have been using lessons from Writing Fix for almost two years now, and if you have not explored it yet, it is time to check it out!
Writing Fix is a resource site that freely shares ideas, resources, interactive apps to be used for lessons, and teacher tested lesson plans. It has been in existence since 1999 when the founder, Corbin Harrison, purchased the domain name and began collecting resources other teachers had designed.
Fast forward to today, and you will find materials that will take you through each year to grade twelve. If you have favorite literature you enjoy, you can locate writing resources to go with them using the site bibliography that is linked to the resources. It is amazing just how much is included. The preview below is just a snapshot! So many great titles!
I first learned about Writing Fix when I ran a weekly blog link up on my blog called Six Trait Sunday. Teachers linked up their favorite books and how they used them to model writing traits. I had just started blogging at that point, so it somewhat fizzled, but it helped me learn the depth of resources available. If you have a certain type of writing you need to address (persuasive say), you can easily scan through to locate what you need or search the site. I did this, and although it hopped me over to Google, it gave me a list of 195 links. A favorite of lesson of mine features the book, My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza.
I used this writing lesson set at Thanksgiving. Of course, I began the writing assignment with the book of course. I didn't have a copy of the book on hand, so I used this youtube video clip which works well since you can pause and discuss writing examples, and students can better see he pictures as well. Plus, I think my students truly enjoyed hearing this author read it.
Once you introduce the assignment with the book, Writing Fix offers the full step by step lesson plan and materials you need for each writing stage as well as anchor papers for modeling. I love that the site gives multiple grade levels of papers too as it provides my students with a "road map" for where their writing needs to go. I am truly impressed by the growth my students (who are struggling readers) have shown, and I can't help but believe that the repeated modeling and practice connected to strong literature helps the children better understand how to improve their writing and actually enjoy it. For this plan, you can see a little synopsis below.
Summary of this Lesson's Mentor Text:
In the picture book, My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza, a hungry and naïve fox is surprised to find his dinner knocking at his door. Could this be his lucky day? Unfortunately, an intelligent and somewhat sly pig has other ideas. Using the power of persuasion, and a keenness for trickery, the pig outwits the fox and ultimately ends up clean, fat and happy. The fox, exhausted by the persuasive suggestions of the pig, collapses and is unable to “roast” his guest. A formidable opponent, intelligence clearly wins over stupidity, or an empty stomach in this case.
After the students have analyzed the text, it's time to begin the prewriting stage. The website includes all of the graphic organizers you need like this one. Students can work to plan out their papers. Then, the teacher can use the anchor papers to demonstrate where the assignment is heading and what works well. Here is an example of one story.
My Lucky Day!
by Jaynee, third grader
One day, a hungry spider was about to go get himself dinner. Then he got startled by a knock on the door.
“Hey, hey ladybug, what’s doin?”
The spider thought to himself, “A ladybug? If a ladybug lived here, I would have eaten it already. This must be my lucky day!”
The spider got up and opened the door. The cricket who had knocked tried to run away, but the spider quickly grabbed him and brought him in the house.
Next he said, “Hop in this pot so I can cook you.”
“Ok, ok, ok,” said the cricket, “but first, shouldn’t you give me dinner? I am on the skinny side.”
“You are on the skinny side,” said the spider. So the spider got busy and made cookies, brownies. But he needed a salad so he ran to the store, got a salad, ran back home and made the salad. ”Ok, now hop in this pot so I can eat you.”
“Alright, but shouldn’t you give me a bath? I’m very filthy.”
“You are pretty filthy,” said Mr. Spider. So the spider rushed upstairs, ran the bath, poured some bubbles and threw in a rubber duck. Then he ran downstairs and carried the cricket upstairs into the bath. When the cricket was clean, they went back downstairs and the spider once again said, “Hop in this pot.”
“Ok,” said the cricket, “but…”
“What, what, what?”
“Shouldn’t you massage me first? My skin is very rough.”
“You have a point,” said the spider. So he rubbed and pushed and pounded.
The cricket said, “Just a little to the left, just a little to the right.”
But the spider was no longer there. He had passed out.
The cricket ran home, saying, ”What a dinner! What a bath! What a massage! This must be my lucky day!”
I love hearing my students critique the papers, but it is interesting how spot on they can be. They are able to identify weak hooks and arguments, analyze the sample for word choice, sentence fluency,etc. They can also reread is they find they have a little writer's block.
For the revising stage, this author shared checklists for Voice and Ideas. Handy huh?? For publishing, you can even add your "star" papers to the lesson site
So...what are you waiting for?? Hop on over and see what's all included. Be sure to check out this tab to see the featured mentor text lessons. They are my favorite!
The Writing Fix helps students see the Reading-Writing Connection, and it makes writing just plain fun!
Hello! It's Jen from An Adventure in Literacy. I'm here
today to share a series of books from my favorite math author, Stuart J. Murphy.
Stuart J. Murphy has 63 books in the MathStart series. If
you are unfamiliar with his books you MUST visit his MathStart website to check them out.
The MathStart books cover a variety of math topics in three different levels
(ages 3+, 6+, 7+). All of Stuart J.
Murphy's books are amazing because they provide eye catching visuals to help
students better understand math concepts. He also gets story ideas from kids to
help relate math to real life situations. There is a great "Meet the Author" video about him on TeachingBooks.net.
Each of the MathStart books has two pages at the end with
activity suggestions. These activities are meant to reinforce the featured math
skills from the stories. You can also download his ideas and activities from
the MathStart site.
If you're teaching a certain math skill you can find the
appropriate books listed by skills and standards under the "Books" tab. There is also a math bibliography that includes additional math books by
other authors for each skill.
On Family Math Night a few years ago I did
a Stuart J. Murphy session. I briefly shared his website highlighting some of
the family resources. The majority of the time families could read his books
together. Everyone seemed to enjoy the session and the children were super
excited to share some of the books they had read in class. Plus, it was super easy to prepare for the session. The MathStart website has
some great resources, articles, and handouts for parents if you are planning a
math night.
Stuart J. Murphy says it best with his motto
"Math=Fun!". I totally agree and am so glad to have his great books
to add to my math lessons. Do you have a favorite math book or math author? Let
us know in the comments so we can check it out!
Hello, Royal Readers! It's Andrea from Reading Toward the Stars here today with some books to help you start planning for next month ~ Women's History Month!
Last month, Deniece from This Little Piggy Reads highlighted some great books for Black History Month, so I thought it would be fitting to highlight some fun books for Women's History Month, which is in March.
I love biographies, and these Time for Kids biographies are perfect for many young readers. They pictures are great and really show a lot about the person. How can you go wrong?
This book A is for Abigail has a great deal of information about various women in history. Students will love the short blurbs of information that will help them want to learn more about some amazing women in history!
This book about Amelia Earhart is perfect for introducing young readers to a heroic woman in history. I love that they even have one about Lucille Ball as well! I love Lucy!
For older readers, the Who Is/Was books are perfect for them. This one about Jane Goodall helps transitional readers understand her life. There are plenty others in this series as well.
I hope this short list has gotten you excited about Women's History Month. It sure has gotten me excited! I would love some other great book recommendations. What are some other books you like to use for Women's History Month?
Hi lovely readers! It's Melissa from Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late. Usually I like to share ideas and lessons for the classroom, but we've been out of school this entire week for snow and nothing seems to be motivating me there that hasn't already been said a million times. Today, I'm writing as a mommy.
I have the sweetest little three year old boy, and it has been such a joy to see his love for reading begin. The process is truly amazing, and it has really made me admire preschool and early elementary teachers all the more for the building blocks that you take our little ones through! I wanted to share a few tips/lessons that I've learned along the way. Many of them are tips you've probably heard, but I want to talk about WHY they are so important also.
1. Start reading to them from an early stage. I'll be honest. I held off a little while on this one. I didn't start when he was a baby because I was too exhausted to want to do anything. Then he got into his grabby phase, and I was too afraid that he would rip my precious books. I finally got smart and invested in some simple board books. Really, they can be anything, and you can find them CHEAP in Target's dollar spot, Dollar Tree...anywhere! You don't need to get a ton. Just have a small collection and start pointing out items. You'll feel foolish, but they're soaking it in.
2. Repetition is key! I know that I share with my students about how being "voracious readers" is a good thing. But sometimes I don't really feel that way. Especially when my son asks for me to read him the same crappy book for a month straight. (And yes, you will get these - those books that you find yourself editing as you read.) Let me explain.
My grandparents gave Keagan this book for Christmas last year, and I honestly have no idea where they stumbled across it. I would've never spent my money on it and actually joked that I was going to take it in to my 5th graders to show as an example of what not to do in writing for sentence variety. BUT after reading it every night for what felt like an eternity, I began to notice that he was repeating after me. Then I could leave out words and let him fill in the blanks for me. Y'all, he was barely two. I was floored and felt like I had a child genius! Of course, I'm sure many of you mothers have seen similar things, maybe even at earlier ages. But for me, it finally clicked. Repetition is one of the first steps of reading!
3. Build a strong library. This was fun for me! I love books and already had a decent collection at home way before Keagan came along. But having the variety also means that there are even more books for Keagan to fall in love with. We have fortunately moved on from The Bedtime Book for Dogs, and, although we still have favorites, I don't have to worry that I will be stuck reading the same two or three books for the rest of my life. Here are some cheap and easy ways to build that library though:
See if your parents/grandparents saved books from your childhood. If they're anything like mine, they saved EVERYTHING! And being the only teacher kid, I stole them all before my siblings could lay claim on them. I *may* share one day if they ask really nice...
Visit yard sales and goodwill stores. You may run across a lot of junk, but every once in a while, you'll find a true gem.
Ask friends to give books instead of toys for birthdays. This works best when they're younger and won't get upset, but I know we have more toys than we know what to do with. Books are easier to store :-)
Save books from Chick-fil-A and cereal boxes. I have a few multi-lingual books from Cheerios. Not sure if they still do it, but it's a simple way to collect books and they were kind of cute. As far as Chick-fil-A books go, you can request the toddler books (which are tiny board books) for the kid's meal prize. They're short and great especially for those nights when I don't want to read but now "have to" because it's become an expectation at home. Seriously. You won't regret it.
Scholastic. I try to buy one or two every few orders. Of course, last time I did this, they actually sent me a preschool catalog which was a complete waste for me, but that's okay. Their prices are awesome.
4. Set up a routine and STICK TO IT! Like I said, it took me a while to start reading to Keagan, but we eventually got into the habit of one book a night. Now if I don't read to him when he goes to bed, he will cry and pitch a fit. This time has become important to him and is such a part of his routine that he can't do without it. There are nights when it can be frustrating, but I know that he's learning and will eventually be able to do this all on his own. And, of course, then I'll miss it. It's a great bonding time for the both of us.
I'll leave you with a story from Friday morning. One of the books I read to him is from my own childhood...
I haven't read it in at least a week, but while I was getting ready, Keagan went to the door of the bathroom and said, "I'm too small! I can't reach the doorknob." (which is a line directly from the book). He then went to his bookshelf and found the book to bring back and "read" on the floor. Using the pictures, he was able to read almost word for word what every page said. And we laughed because he used the exact voices that I use when I read (which are the exact voices my dad used when he read it to me years ago).
Be intentional about reading with your child. You won't regret it!
highlights the accomplishments of many women inventors. What a great way to get young girls to think scientifically! 
