Monday Made It: ELA Standards Ribbon

It's Monday which means I'm linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It.  This Monday I created a new way of displaying my ELA standards in my classroom.

Last year I only taught ELA and Social Studies and I had a simple white poster that I laminated so I could write on it with Expo markers.  This year I wanted something a little cuter!  I bought the ELA and Math Standards from Little Lovely Leaders during the Teacher Appreciation Sale and then went to town on the laminating and cutting!

Now I DO NOT have a lot of bulletin board or white board space to display my standards or learning goals (hence the previous white poster) so I decided to attach them to a painted yard stick!  I thought that would be more stable than ribbon...  Well it was more stable but not long enough and frankly just not as cute.  So I ditched the yard stick and went with the ribbon. 

 

Here is a picture of the whole ribbon (don't mind the mess all around it).  Now I hot glued the title on but the rest is on with Velcro that way it can be interchangeable.  I will say that the hot glue is WAY better.  The Velcro is not very sturdy and the subtitles limp so I might just hot glue those as well and only put one standard up underneath at a time...  WHO KNOWS!?  I have all summer to figure it out.  What's your Monday Made It?  Don't forget to link up with Tara and see what everyone else is making!

Must Have Mondays: Types of Questions Stoplight

This week's "must have" is a very simple creation that I started doing after I was ready to pull my hair out.  Every week when my students had to do their cold read, I would have a particular student (it never failed) come up to me and run his fingers through his hair, stressed out saying, "I looked everywhere!  I can't find that answer!  It's NOT in there?!"  My response?  "You're absolutely right.  That's an inference question.  The answer is in your brain."  Now this boy was actually one of my smartest students but every week this stumped him!  I had to do something or I was going to turn into one of those teachers on TV y'all, lol.

 

So I came up with the Types of Questions Stoplight sign.  I taught it to my students and reviewed it every time we did a reading comprehension passage.  It worked wonders!  A miracle worker I tell ya!  Once my kids got the hang of the strategies, their scores went up because they were really decoding the questions and finding out what the author was actually asking them to do.  And all I wanted was one kid to stop asking me the same question every week, haha!  Who knew???

 

The spotlight method is very simple and I'm sure I can't be the only teacher that does this in one form or another.  There are three types of questions:  red light, yellow light, and green light questions.

Red light questions = STOP and think.  Your answer will not be stated explicitly in the text.  You will need to use clues from the text and your brain to come up with your answer.

Yellow light questions = SLOW DOWN and search!  You might need to look in multiple places to find the information that will make your answer.

Green light questions = GO back in the text and find your answer.

You'll notice along the sides of the poster we having graffiti looking writing.  As we introduce or review skills, we write down where they would fall on the Types of Questions Stoplight.  For example: drawing conclusions and inferring falls into the red light category whereas setting would be green light or cause and effect would be yellow light.  Now some skills can fall into all three (ex. context clues) it just depends on how the question is asked and what information is given in the text.

Once my students get their paper they read the questions first and label each one in either G, Y, or R.  This helps them understand how much time should be spent on each question and which ones they can go back and underline to prove, etc.  I always tell my students that sometimes your labeling might be wrong and that's okay!  You won't know until you read if it should be a different color.

Now I'm not saying this is the end all be all.  There are always hiccups but usually once my kids get this strategy down and actual implement it, they very rarely ever make below a high B.  And that student never had that weekly problem once he learned this strategy.  Life is good again!

What is a "must have" for you in your classroom or life?  Link up below and let us know!  Don't forget to leave some comment love on two other bloggers posts :o)

Building Mathematical Comprehension: Chapter 1 Comprehension Strategies for Mathematics

Okay, so I am totally behind on this book study!?  Well, really only a week and to be fair I did read it when I was supposed to, just not write about it when I was supposed to... LOL.  I promise I'll be on the ball when it is my turn to host!  I told you I had two book studies going on this summer and this is my second one: Building Mathematical Comprehension by Laney Sammons with Beth from Thinking of Teaching and Brenda from Primary Inspired. 

Chapter 1 was a big "DUH!  How did I never notice that?" moment for me.  It was all about the reading comprehension strategies you use during your literacy block and using THE SAME ONES in your math block.  We were departmentalized last year and we were forever and always telling the kids, "It's the same thing you do in reading, just do it for math or science," but we never showed them how.  I just expected them to be able to do it, and I was wrong.  Some serious teacher reflecting went on during this chapter folks, let me tell ya.

The author included a chart on how good readers and good mathematicians use the same strategies and how - I LOVED IT!  I was also very intrigued by the idea of  the different types of knowledge the readers draw upon as they are reading their math problem.

• Knowledge about content: background knowledge.  We all know kids absorb more of the lesson if they have a strong foundation and background in that area.  Same goes for numbers!
• Knowledge about structure: loved the idea of word problems as a unique genre!!!
• Pragmatic knowledge: similar to background knowledge but experiences they have had through years of interaction with others.  This reminded me of my childhood.  My dad always did logic puzzles, riddles, or who-dunits with me.  We would always watch mystery movies together and he always got me critically thinking and I think that is a huge reason as to why I enjoy math.  It's a mystery/problem, there is a correct answer and I WILL figure it out, lol.
• Knowledge about the social/situational content: the reason or goal for reading your math problem

You all know how I LOVE children's literature and I adore the idea of incorporating children's literature into my lessons!  Read alouds are something that always stick with my kids for some reason, so why not have read alouds for math to help them remember a concept?  Click on the picture below to take you to another blog with an AMAZING list of children's books based on math concepts!

You see what I mean... all "duh" moments but I just never thought about them in terms of math!

The author goes on to tell about explicit instruction when introducing a new strategy (very CAFE/Daily 5-esque), which strategies to use in the beginning, during, and after reading a math problem, and to remember the four C's when introducing a new concept (conception, connection, construction, and comprehension).  LOTS of great information folks!  I'm very excited because the next chapter is on vocabulary and it's going to go perfectly with my other book study: Words Nerds.  Don't forget to link up your thoughts and read what others have to say!

Word Nerds Book Study: Chapter 1 - What's the Big Deal about Vocabulary Instruction?

It's finally here!  We're kicking off the start of our summer book study and I will be your lovely host for Chapter 1: What's the Big Deal about Vocabulary Instruction?  This is a long post, but lots of fun pics and videos included, :o) so please forgive me now.  I wanted to make sure I got the goods for those of y'all who are still waiting on the book to arrive.  Don't forget you can also read a free online preview (the whole book, lol) at the publisher's website!  As you read you will notice that a lot of my thoughts are in italics next to what the book says.

Let us begin...

Chapter 1 discusses the importance of good vocabulary instruction in classrooms, especially with at risk kids (a good portion of my kiddos).  The authors connect the instructional strategies to the Common Core standards: Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking and Listening.  No matter what grade you teach, all of these standards are hit ACROSS GRADE LEVELS!  Love that!  They also give you key components for your vocabulary instruction and discuss the positive results of a six-step instructional plan.

Key Components: "Because the old method just aint cuttin' it"

• Some words are more important to teach than others - Tier 1 (words they know coming in to school), Tier 2 (high frequency words that you will use all day/for any subject), Tier 3 (academic vocabulary).  Base most of your instruction on Tier 2 words as Tier 3 words you will teach in context.
• Students have to learn words at more than one level - Did anyone else think of Marzano's scale when you read this?! LOL
  
• Students learn words when they experience them multiple times - One study said 6 was the magic number and another said 12.  I feel like you could just go with 9 and call it a day but I'm going to go with 12 just to be on the safe side ;o)  After you start thinking about it, twelve is not a lot in the span of a week (or however long your vocabulary units of study are) so it shouldn't be too hard to accomplish.
• Asking students to look up words in the dictionary and write the definition does NOT help them learn words - over 60% of student created sentences from dictionary definitions didn't make sense.  When introducing your vocabulary words, use kid friendly language!
• When students learn words, they build patterns and networks of meaning called "word schemas" - They use synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, and/or root words to break down an unfamiliar word.  The students with sparse word schema are going to have a more difficult time inferring the context.  In our class we create a different prefix/suffix note card each week.  The kids learn a new affix and its meaning, come up with examples and create a visual on the front that would help them remember the meaning.  I pick one to put up on our intermediate version of a Word Wall.
  
• Students can learn some words through the use of wide reading - Use different types of text, trade books, periodicals, direct instruction, etc.!
• Students can learn some words through rich conversation with adults and peers - Just think about how many times your students say something and you know it was straight from their parent's mouth!  The majority of this section blew my mind!  Children's literature contains two times as many rare words compared to a conversation between two college educated adults and more than all adult conversation except courtroom testimony!  The example from The Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon was amazing supporting evidence - "The Creams were swamped with all kinds of remedies from psychologists, allergists, herbalists, nutritionists, psychics, an old medicine man, a guru, and even a veterinarian.  Each so-called cure only added to poor Camilla's strange appearance until it was hard to even recognize her."  Check out all those terrific words!

I found this video of Sean Astin reading it aloud as part of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation  program Book Pals, a program where actors read children's literature to help motivate our students.

• Students can learn some words through word play - Let them learn and play with words through multisensory activities.  Our learning cubes, Vocabulary Dance Out, and so many other great resources that I will be sharing later instantly come to mind!
• Students can learn some words by direct instruction - Marzano's Six Step Instructional Program.
  

  

  
  

  Ideas for this program (click on the images for more information):

  
  

  
  

  Learning Cubes

  
  

Vocabulary Notebooks

 
Wordbooks app for iPad or iPhone

*I really like this app because you can create your own vocab book and it will find the definition for you!  If you don't like what it has to say, type in your own definition.  It also has a matching/quiz type card game.  Great way for students to review at any time and... IT'S FREE*
 
• Most students need word-learning strategies to become independent readers - Context clues and morphology (students find a key to unlock the meanings of longer, multisyllabic words).

 Things that made me say "Oh my gosh!" and my thoughts:

• I loved how she opened the chapter with the example of Brenda learning to read Spanish fluently but having NO idea what she was reading.  I could instantly think of at least six students who do this!  Anyone else???
• Teachers use simpler words to help a student understand (especially with at risk kids)... I totally do this sometimes :o(  I will say that I have tried to be better about saying both ("What is your hypothesis, your guess, for this experiment?") especially if I'm talking to my ELL's or SLD students.
• I feel like that piece on children's literature needs to be mentioned again!  It just goes to show, and prove, that trade books are essential in the classroom!  Our textbooks are only written at our specific grade level, whereas their literature is giving them a wide range and full scope.  LOVE IT!

I'm so excited for this book!  I feel like it has so much information and goodies (and that was just in the introductory chapter) that I can't wait to see what else it has in store for us!  Don't forget to link up your thoughts on Chapter 1 below and if you could, after your name, please put what grade you teach so that other primary or intermediate teachers can locate your thoughts and ideas as well. Come back next Thursday when Raye from The Caffeinated Teacher and Misty from Think, Wonder, & Teach will be our wonderful hosts for Chapter 2: Classrooms that Foster Word Confidence!

300 Follower Giveaway Help!

Oh my gosh, I feel like I just had my 200 follower giveaway and now it's already at 300!  I can't believe how much support this community has given me.  Thanks to all of you I am a better teacher, colleague, and all around good person, lol.  To thank you all for your generosity I would love to host an amazing giveaway!  If you can help at all I would really appreciate if you could fill out the form below :o)  I would like to start the giveaway next Tuesday and I will send you a button if you would like to help promote as well!  Thank you again for all your help!  You'll never know how much it means to me!

Must Have Monday: I couldn't imagine life without...

Okay y'all, I had a post all ready to go with an actual factual "thing" for Must Have Monday, but then life kept happening all week and it became apparent that I needed to bump my "must have" to next week and do something a little bit different today.  My "must have" this Monday is my husband.

I know, you're probably thinking obvious but you know when life just keeps happening and getting in the way and you get frustrated or moody and then when the sky clears you think, "Oh my gosh, they were really great and supportive through all that.  I can't believe they didn't call my butt out or tell me to put my big girl panties on and deal with it."  Or maybe they did and that's great because they're the only person who will tell you that?  Well that just happened, or feels like it's happening a lot (the poor guy).  I'm still always so amazed that my husband loves me in spite of my craziness, weirdness, stubbornness, ever changing mind, no filter mouth, sarcasm, etc.  Heck he even loves me MORE because of some of that stuff?!

As much help and support that I get from the blogging community, I absolutely could not do this without him.  He is so understanding when I'm on the computer instead of spending time with just us, or he is the first one to help me with my craft summer projects for Monday Made It, he's the first person I show all my ideas/products to (even though he probably has no idea what he's looking at, lol) and he is the first to always tell me "go for it."  I could never thank him enough for all he does for me and I know without a doubt I am one lucky gal to have him.

 

 

 

Next week I promise to be back with a "must have" that will be beneficial to you, haha, but I just felt like this needed to be said and was long overdue.  So what is a must have in your life?  Don't forget to add the button to your post and have it link back here!  Also, leave some comment love on at least two other blogger's "must haves."  Who doesn't love comments?!  Head back tomorrow if you would like to help me out with my 300 Follower Giveaway (I feel like I just had my 200!?  It's so exciting!)!

An Apple a Day: Classroom Decor

I am putting Social Studies Sunday on hold for the summer y'all (because all my goods are at school, lol) but I will bring it back in August!  Until then I will be linking up with the super cute Leigh from The Applicious Teacher for An Apple a Day Linky Party. We met yesterday at the Central Florida Blogger Meet Up and I just love her!  And we're neighbors!  So excited :o)

(Kimberly from KG Fonts, Daina from Sticky Notes and Glitter, Tammy from the Resourceful Apple, Leigh from The Applicious Teacher, Me from here, and Tamara from Mrs. Russell's Room)

Okay, back to why I'm posting today!  Leigh is starting her very first linky party and I can't wait to join!  I love this idea!  She calls it the "easiest PD you'll do all summer... and it's from your couch!"  LOVE IT!  Today I am linking up my classroom décor: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  And the hopeful!



Here are some posts of Classroom décor past...

Sports Theme

 

 

Click here for more pictures and posts on my sports theme.

 

Classroom décor present...

 



I'm going for a "Bag of Skittles Threw Up in Here" theme

 

 



Click here for more pictures and posts on this past years theme.

Classroom décor future...

Well besides loving the look of a rainbow explosion in my room, it was also the "Pinterest" room, thanks to last summer's Monday Made It with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics.  I don't have A LOT of money to spend on redecorating and buying more stuff but I know what I WOULD like to take it more into the Polka Dots route.  I know that's probably outdated but I just love dots, what can I say?

Definitely doing this to my table during preplan!  I already have the polka dot bulletin board trimmers from Lakeshore in a multitude of colors (hello rainbow explosion) but I think I'm leaning towards more blues and greens and random pops of color for next year.

I'm not entirely sure how I'm arranging/decorating the room yet for two reasons:

1. I don't know what I'm teaching next year.  I might be just ELA/SS again or be self-contained, I'll keep you updated!

2. This monstrosity that is my front wall.  Now, you might be thinking to yourself, it's burnt orange-ish and you're a huge Longhorn fan.  What could be wrong with that?  Nothing!  I love me some Longhorns but not painted on my classroom wall adjacent to a dusky rose wall of cabinets.  I feel like all my décor is competing with those two walls!?  I know it's not awful, I'm making a bigger stink than necessary and on their own they are nice colors, just not what I would use to compliment all my stuff.  Any advice on how to make it all work?

So there you have it, my classroom décor idea for next year!  Don't forget to link up with Leigh over at The Applicious Teacher and let us know what you plan to do.  I LOVE to see other people's ideas!  Also, don't forget tomorrow is Must Have Monday!  What can you not live without???  Link up tomorrow and let us know :o)