Wow!

Wow I feel honored to be nominated !!!!! Ahhhh, tomorrow is the last day of school and I can breathe --and blog-- again :)

I'm in Mailbox Magazine!

Trying to get through the last week of school, been crazy busy! 

I am excited to be published in the Aug/Sept 2-3 Mailbox Magazine :) What an honor!! 

Meet Miss Tattle

Miss Tattle entered my classroom a few weeks ago when my kids were just getting so nitpicky with each other. It is a clear Chinese container painted black and decorated with yarn and ribbon. The top has a slit. 

Here is how she works: 

We spent about a week talking about what a bully is and ways to prevent being bullies and being bullied. We also discussed the differences between a tattle and something serious. So now when Jenny sticks her tongue out at Mary she can write to Miss. Tattle and not bother me with it. We, of course, spent a lot of time role playing using an "I message" and dealing with someone who does something mean. I keep a stack of scrap paper near Miss. Tattle and when the kids feel like they just NEED to tell someone that "Bobby said he won't invite me to his birthday party" they can write to Miss. Tattle. I do read them at the end of the day and not only are they hysterical, they truly are silly tattles so I'm glad I am not being interrupted anymore because Alex took 2 pencils when he was only supposed to take 1. Do you do anything like this in your classroom? How did it work for you?

Daily 5-- Part 8- Listening

Okay, well this is it... The last installment of my Daily 5 guide. For listening to reading I only use the computer. I don't purchase books with CD's because there are so many free resources on the Internet. Currently I only have one computer so that means one student per round can do listening. 

I use Tumblebooks and only Tumblebooks because there are so many books. It is a subscription site though. What I do is I pick out 2 books for the week (usually a 10 minute and 4 minute) and put them in my Tumblebook favorites and the kids are able to just open and click. It's super simple and only takes about 1 minute of prep time to change out the books each Monday. There are many free sites listed here I just wouldn't be able to tell you how they work since I've never used them!  

After my students listen to reading they are then required to complete a listening reflection. My students just write in their Daily 5 notebooks. I model this in the beginning of the year. They may write about their favorite part, a connection they made, etc. When I taught kindergarten last year I used these two files. I have two different versions to differentiate. One with lines and one without. 

Well, I hope my Daily 5 blabbing helped some of you out. I am super passionate about literacy and the Daily 5. You are always welcome to email me and ask questions. 

Great.... now what am I going to blog about?? ;)

Daily 5-- Part 7- Writing

I want to start by saying I have a separate writer's workshop block, so my students can do anything writing related during Daily 5. If they're writing, I'm happy. The most popular activity is writing letters to each other. I have lots of fancy paper from the dollar store and envelopes. The rule is only 1 piece of fancy paper and envelope per day though. My students are also not allowed to give their letters to their friends during Daily 5. They put it in their mailboxes to avoid distraction. I store all my paper in this mailbox to keep it organized and easily accessible. 

My students also have writing journals that they keep in their book bin if they just want to free write. I also offer many different prompts to assist them. I keep a ring of laminated picture prompts. The kids can just grab the ring and choose a picture to write about. I love reading stories that go along with the pictures. They can get so creative. 

Each month I offer different writing task cards. The majority of mine came from Ms Winston's website. I print, laminate, and put them on a binder ring. 

I post monthly journal prompts in clear sleeves from the Busy Teacher Cafe. 

I own a long arm stapler so another popular choice is making books. My students will grab a piece of construction paper and a few sheets of white paper and I staple it into a book. My students know when it's appropriate to ask me to staple their book and when it's not (ex: when I'm working with a group or conferencing) 

Lately my kids have been making joke books. They're so silly!

There are SO many different writing options in my classroom that there is something for everyone. Writing is actually a popular choice. 

Around the holidays I make donated stationery available (Valentine cards, Christmas cards, etc.) This is a big hit too and the same rules apply; only 1 per day. 

It's very easy to switch out my writing options each month. Last summer I printed, laminated, and prepared the options for each month. Now all I do is swap it out :)

Any questions? 

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Daily 5--Part 6- Word Work

On Mondays I teach 3 word study groups. I use Bear's Words Their Way and each group has a different spelling list based on what Words Their Way Pattern they fall into. I introduce the spelling words for the week then they do a pattern sort. Throughout the week they can choose word work to practice their spelling words; they must do it at least once a week prior to the spelling test. On Fridays I require all my students to do Read to Self in the first round and I pull each group back to take their spelling test. This only takes about 20 minutes total. This is such an easy way to differentiate. It really is! My organization is simple too. I just keep 3 different folders which contain spelling lists and the current week's sort. 


I have my kids do spelling homework every Thursday and they choose an activity from the Speller's choice of the month. I also put a copy in each Word Work bin to offer options. 

I keep my sorts in envelopes (each sort is paper clipped with the sort number on the front). WW stands for within word. 

I have 3 Word Work bins that have the exact same contents. This way there is no arguing and 3 students can choose Word Work in the same round (I would suggest more bins for a larger class). The kids just grab a bin and go to work :) As I previously mentioned, my students keep a folder in their book bins. The left side is for writing and the right side is word work. I have them turn in their folders and journals biweekly. 

Here are the contents of the bins: 

- dry erase crayons (eh, wouldn't recommend them)

- dry erase markers

- markers

- colored pencils

- magnetic letters (homemade: print, laminate, stick magnets on the back)*

- stamps (Target dollar spot)

- clothespin letters (the stick is a paint stirrer)* 

- chalk (my clear library book bins came with dark blue lids so I use them as chalk boards)

*- Each bin contains different colored letters so that I know which bag they belong to if I find letters on the floor. 

My students grab a cookie sheet if they are doing magnetic letters and a white board if they are using dry erase markers or crayons since they obviously can't fit in the bin.

close up of how the clothespins are used.

I tell my students that I want them to at least practice their words for 10 minutes and then if they want to place a Word Work game they can (they're really good about this). I have many different games and activities. Many of them are homemade and are in my TpT store as single purchases or within a unit. I store them in a bin under my easel. We do a lot of modeling in the beginning of the year and I haven't had a single issue regarding clean up or misusing my materials. 

Let me know if you have any questions and I will be glad to answer them :) I'm proud of my Word Work system. It's so perfectly organized and I haven't had a single issue all year. Modest aren't I? ;)

Stay tuned... I have 2 more blog entries about Daily 5 to go! 

Daily 5--Part 5- Read to Someone

I found that read to someone is the choice that my students need the most modeling for. We practice, practice, practice sitting EEKK (elbow to elbow, knee to knee) and practice our whisper voices. My students are really good about the noise level. I'm finding that my students get so into what they are reading that when it's their partner's turn they keep trying to read their book. I've tried to eliminate this problem by making my students put a bookmark in their book and sit on it. 

In the beginning of the year I demonstrated the two different ways to read with someone. The first way is reading the same book together but it has to be a "just right" book for both students. This way is seldom used in my classroom. Most of my students each read their own book and take turns.

I also have a small class so it drives me nuts because the same kids read together all the time, but there really isn't anything I can do about that this year. 

One thing I want to work on next year is modeling more "do you need coaching or time?" strategies. They were really good about it when I first taught it. I think next year I will make a bookmark that has strategies written on it so that when their buddy does need coaching they can give them a strategy to use. 

I must say.. even though read to someone drives me crazy sometimes, I hear so much great discussion!! 

Are there any questions about read to someone? I feel like there wasn't much to say about this choice.