Monday Made It - 7/21/14

 Linking up with my fellow Florida teacher, Tara, for another Monday Made It! Warning---There are lots of pictures in this post! I've been busy with lots of little projects this week. Enjoy :)

My first project started off with some $3 magazine bins I found in the Target Red Spot section. {Can anyone resist!?!?} I knew I needed them for my teeeeenny tiny desk area in our apartment, so into my cart they went.

I tried sitting them on my desk for mail and such, but there wasn't enough room for the printer and the computer. So, I went hunting for zip ties. I slid them through the mesh in three different corners to keep them tight together.

 Then I started experimenting where I could attach them (other than the top of my desk) to work as storage. I slid them to the back wall so that they wouldn't be in my way AND ta-da! Instant storage that is hidden from plain view.

 But of course, I then had to clean up the mess on the shelves with some teal bins from my classroom and make labels that matched. {...to which my husband was like "You Would."}

 I laminated them, cut them out, and whole punched them, I added some metal binder rings so that they would attach to the teal bins. I attached the labels to the white magazine bins with some normal blue painters tape.

 So here it is! So much cleaner! It is by no means fancy, but it serves its purpose and looks coordinated. That's all I ask for!

(Sorry for the dark pictures. It was nighttime!)

My second project was also started at Target! Surprise, surprise! :) I found these adorable CORK letters for about $3!!! I just had to have them. I got an N for my last name and an S for my Slant Box partner, Stephanie. This may have been the simplest, but most lovely craft ever!

 I picked out fun scrapbook paper. Mine is sparkly. Stephanie's had to be yellow to match the Sunshine theme, so I picked this fun stripe.

 I traced the letter onto the back of the scrapbook paper with a pen and cut it out.

If you try this, you may want to lay the cut out over the cork and feel around the edges. If there feels like there if too much paper hanging off in a certain area, just trim it. Then spray some adhesive glue (Outside!)...any will do...and press down for a few seconds so that it holds.

 When you're done, you have some pretty cork letters! I have an office this year, so I'm excited to put my N on my desk and use it as a mini cork board for reminders and notes.

I typed up this little quote for my Slant Box partner. She's a technology teacher, and I thought this was just perfect! In this era of developing "21 Century Learners", I think this is such a vital reminder to teachers. If you'd like it, it's free in my TPT store.

I've been going a little crazy {ok, a LOT crazy} typing up all these new LAFS - Language Arts Florida Standards. Of course, Florida has to be different, as always. So we adopted new standards this summer after buying curriculum for Common Core for the last few years. Silly. I've finished Kindergarten & Fourth grade so far. (THANK YOU, Tara, for proofing 240 pages!) All other grades and math standards are in the works. If you teach in FL, definitely stop by and grab these. They will seriously save you time.

And that's all for now! Be sure to link back up and see what other teachers have made!

Annotation {Close Reading Mini-Series}

Welcome back! Today is the final day in the Close Reading Mini-Series! Thank you for stopping by and taking a look! Today's topic is Annotation.

Day 5

Annotation is sometimes known as "Reading with a pencil". In simple terms, that's all it is. Students use a pencil while they read to note specific things. Annotation is extremely important when analyzing a text.

Types of Annotation

-Underlining

-Circling

-Noting unknown words

-Noting challenging sections

-Writing margin notes

-Writing on bookmarks

-Writing on sticky notes

In high schools and colleges, students always annotate in text when participating in close reading. Elementary students have very little experience with this. {Most elementary teachers may have very little experience teaching it!}

So, how do you annotate in an elementary classroom? 

Can you guess? MODIFY! 

(That seems to be our answer every day!)

Ways to Modify Annotation

-Use wiki sticks to underline

-Use colored pencils or highlighters to show unknown words

-Number paragraphs or draw lines to separate paragraphs

-Use only a limited number of annotations

Why Start So Young?

1. It is so important to teach students to do this at a young age. Start in primary! Use some of the modifications above to help you explain "reading with a pencil" to the little ones. As you model a few types, students will begin to use them in the close reading process. I recommend choosing just a few to focus on so that students become comfortable using them and understand why they are using them.

2. THEY CAN DO IT! Believe in them. They are capable of GREAT things!

This is an example of what I would say to students in my classroom last year (high achieving first grade) once we were comfortable with our annotations. I stuck to just 3. Keep in mind that we went over these one at a time earlier in the year.

1. Number the paragraphs to the left of each paragraph.

2. Circle any unknown or tricky words.

3. While answering questions, go back to the text and highlight the evidence. Make sure you have the question number next to your evidence.

Here you can see some annotations in a close read. 

Thank you, thank you! I hope that this mini-series will give you ideas to bring back to your classroom! Please feel free to email me with any questions at creativitytothecore@gmail.com.

I have linked 3 of my close reading resources below. Check them out if you are interested in implementing close reading in your classroom. While you're there, I'd love if you would follow my store! I have several close reading packs in the works right now. They will be posted soon! 

Each pack comes with a weekly layout, CCSS alignment, passages, vocabulary activities, reading responses, visualizing & questioning handouts, graphic organizers, and writing prompts. Click the preview link under the images to see more before you buy!

Rainforest Close Reads - 4 passages & more!

All About Dogs Close Reads - 10 passages & more!

Amazing Eyes Close Reads - 4 passages & more!
Florida Close Reads - 5 Passages & more!

 If you would like to read more about close reading, please see the references below. I promise you, they are not boring. :)

Happy Reading! To go back to Day 1 of the Close Reading Mini-Series, click here.

Five for Friday - 7/18/14

Linking up for one of my favorite linky parties with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

This week (if you start at Sunday!) started off here. I don't know what my life would be like without this wonderful church. I met my husband here, was baptized here, and have SUCH a close church family here. I loved on some babies and then went to service where they announced that there will be a weekend soon called "Dog Days!" Yes, you get to bring your dog into service. Wow. Last time we did this a few years ago, it brought lots of new people! I'm hoping for the same this time!

I've been hard-core into 3 Weeks No Cheats! I've been working out each day and eating right! :) So, I figured I'd start going to Zumba again! My church as an amazing (and super challenging) class on Mondays, and I'm going to try my hardest to go each week from now on! They clear the seats out of our "small" chapel and we dance!

This week in camp, I used #Hashtag Granny from Teacher's Clubhouse for my 3-5th grade campers with various hearing disorders. It was the definition of perfection. Basically, all the sentences are written in hashtags, and students have to write them with correct capitalization, punctuation, and spacing. The ENTIRE room was silent. My partner teacher & I couldn't believe it. Because many of them sign, they do not know how to write a sentence in the correct order. It's almost like learning Spanish. The students will flip the noun and the adjective because they have never actually heard a sentence spoken before. Definitely check this one out!

 This week I put on a mini-series on my blog all about the components of Close Reading. I have had to do a lot of research on it for my Master's so I wanted to share it with other teachers. Today is Day 4/5. Be sure to check it out if you are interested in starting Close Reading in your classroom this year!

And finally, I have been working my {behind} off on the new LAFS for Florida. Of course, FL backed out of the CCSS and now we all need new "I Can" statements, checklists, etc. I am finished with Kindergarten and am currently working on 4th. Then I will do 1-3 & 5th. It's a TON of work, but I know teachers need it and will be grateful for it. My packs include 216 pages of checklists, mastery charts, standard posters (full & half page), and "I Can" statements (full & half page). Right now they come in two different colors: turquoise chevron & rainbow stripe. Enjoy!

Link up with other teachers for more ideas! See ya soon!

Repeated Readings {Close Reading Mini-Series}

Hey ya'll! It's Day 4 of the Close Reading Mini-Series. Today, we're going to discuss why we should have students read passages repeatedly. Just to recap...on Tuesday, we introduced close reading. On Wednesday, we reviewed why just the right amount of background knowledge is great for kids. And yesterday, we talked about complex texts and text-dependent questions. 

Day 4

Repeated reading is a BIG part of the close reading process. Each time students interact with the text, they come to a deeper understanding of it. Each time, they have more background knowledge than before. Each time, their conversations deepen.

Struggling Readers or English Language Learners

Struggling readers and English Language Learners (ELLs) may need extra time when reading. Each has his/her various challenges. However, close reading is great for struggling readers and/or ELLs because of this repeated reading. It gives kids time and many different opportunities to process information and make connections. 

Who is reading?

The text is being read over and over. But who should read the text each time? Many times, the reader changes. It is usually suggested that the students tackle the text independently through silent reading the very first time. However, as we talked about yesterday, modifications must be made for younger students. This may mean that a teacher reads aloud as shared reading for the very first time. 

Types of Repeated Reading

-Individual

-Groups

-Teacher

-Partner

Remember that the type and number of repeated readings depends on the specific passage and students in the classroom. You do not need to use all of those listed above. Choose what works for you and your kids.

Thanks for stopping by! Come back tomorrow for the final mini-series post about annotations in close reading!

Complex Text & Text Dependent Questions {Close Reading Mini-Series}

We're on Day 3 of this mini-series and I'm so excited that you've stopped by! On Day 1, we chatted about what close reading is. On Day 2, we looked into the role background knowledge has in close reading. Today we are talking at how complex texts are used and what types of questions need to be developed while reading.

Day 3

Brief, high-quality, & complex text

Reading lessons should match this description if you are implementing close reading. In my research, it was recommended that passages should be anywhere from 3 paragraphs to 2 pages.

Why shorter passages?

-Teachers can teach specific skills.

-Teachers can focus on specific ideas in the text.

-Students can practice really digging into the text. 

-Students of ALL reading levels can closely read demanding texts.

-Young students have time to gradually build up to independent reading because they are not overwhelmed. 

Time Consuming!

Close reading can take a very long time. So...teachers should choose smaller passages in order to be able to get through everything. When students are reading on their own, they can enjoy longer passages. For close reading, keep it short!

Modifications

As we discussed on Day 1, modifications must be made when using close reading in the elementary grades. Common Core calls for ALL students, regardless of reading level, to interact with complex texts. But how can kindergarteners and young firsties do this, you ask??? Answer: Modify!

Students in primary grades have a higher ability to comprehend while listening. So, it may be important for teachers to expose students by reading aloud to them and promoting independent reading. If you teach K or 1, you may even try a close read in which you read aloud to students. This modification will help kids to move from listening to reading independently in the upper grades.

Text-Dependent Questions

Common Core is focused on text evidence. So, teachers should form text-dependent questions for students. In other words, the questions MUST require students to use the text. 

In close reading, students are asked to go back to the text to find something that confirms their opinion or answer. Focusing on these questions causes students to reflect on the text rather than just quickly getting the gist of the passage (Brown & Kappes, 2012). 

Questions should be about and include:

-General understanding of the text

-Key details

-Vocabulary

-Text structure

-Author's purpose

-Inferring

-Opinons

-Intertextual connections

Using many types of questions helps students to develop diverse discussions about the text. Think about it. If you keep asking the same key detail questions, kids will only talk about key details. But if you ask questions that have them recall, talk about text features, infer from the images, form opinions, and make connections to their lives, they will have A WHOLE LOT to talk about!

Think about this:

"Students who learn to ask themselves such questions are reading with the discerning eye of a careful reader. We can also teach students to read carefully with the eye of a writer, which means helping them analyze craft" (Boyles, 2012).

Goal:

Have students participate in active discussions to share their background knowledge and ultimately apply what they have learned. Eventually, students should begin to ask themselves the same questions while reading independently.

I hope you will be able to use these ideas in your classroom! Stop by tomorrow for Day 4 - Repeated Readings!

Background Knowledge {Close Reading Mini-Series}

Welcome back for Day 2 of this close reading mini-series! Today we are going to be looking at how background knowledge plays a role in close reading.

Day 2

This is perhaps the biggest debate in close reading. Period.

Here's why in simple terms:

Teachers have sometimes given students SO much background knowledge, that they were able to answer questions about the text before even reading it! {I mean, really, that sounds just plain crazy!}

What is the point in reading if they kids already know the answers? Boring to kids. Waste of time for teachers.

...in walks Common Core...

I have heard so many times that Common Core says a big fat "NO!" to background knowledge. This is not true by any means. But I do know where the idea stems from. Educators were afraid that TOO much background knowledge was given before reading. So they started encouraging teachers to pull back.

However, background knowledge has been proven to have an impact on student comprehension. Many researchers believe that you do not have to instruct kids on the topic before reading because it can be very easily done during reading. I agree with this. I would rather jump into reading and tackle questions as they come rather than spoon-feeding the kids before they have a chance to think!

It is important to:

-Set a purpose for reading

-Give definitions of unknown words that are essential to understanding the text

-Not tell the students what to expect from the reading

-Allow students to interact with the text.

-Address clarification as needed throughout.

Think about this:

“For the purposes of Close Reading, it is essential to distinguish between the background knowledge that is required to understand the text and the knowledge sought to be gained from reading the text” (Brown & Kappes, 2012). 

Remember: Some students may only have to ADD information from the text to their schema (what they already know) so that they understand. On the other hand, some students will lack background knowledge and are less likely to accurately understand.

You know your students. You know what they have absolutely no clue about. You also know what they are familiar with. Use that to your advantage and help those who need it!

Come back tomorrow for Day 3 - Complex Texts and Text Dependent Questions!

Wordless Wednesday - 7/16/14

Today I'm linking up with Christina at Sugar & Spice for Wordless Wednesday!

 Have you heard about this quote yet? It's from the wonderful Deanna Jump! If not, grab it here for free. Share it with your friends. It reminds us why we do what we do. :)

This is my teacher inspiration for the year.

What teacher, verse, or quote has inspired you and helped you get through the school year?

Be sure to link back up with more teachers!