Common Core Organizers - Think Visually

The Common Core is here.  I am not worried about it.  Luckily, I teach in a school where the students come to school prepared to learn.  I do worry about the level of abstract thinking, and if it is age appropriate.  We'll see.  In the meantime, I am trying to make graphic organizers that will help my students break down tasks.   These organizers help students to put down the information needed, including evidence from the text, into an organized and understandable form.  Use if you can!  Free download at my TpT store or by clicking the images.  They aren't fancy - I find too many cartoonish graphics can be distracting. I did add a bit of color coding to help students see what goes where. They can be used in LA and also in social studies and science.  I hope you will find them useful.

Measuring Angles is EEEasy!

Math is tough.  It has its own language and so many of the skills are not related - today we find factors, tomorrow we measure angles.  Measuring angles can be difficult, especially if you have any type of motor challenge or perceptual weakness.  When working with students, I reassure them that measuring angles is "EEEasy!"  Have students follow these three steps for less frustration and more success.  Free download at my TpT store.  Enjoy!

Repeated Reading Worth Repeating

Fluency has always been an important part of a total reading instructional program.  If a student is not a fluent reader, comprehension is affected.  Self-esteem is also affected, as a student will take longer to complete reading assignments and will avoid offering to share his/her work.

Repeated reading is a researched based strategy to improve fluency.  It involves reading the same passage numerous times until the speed and accuracy is at expected levels.  The student becomes more familiar with high frequency words, leading to increased speed and accuracy with new passages.  Automaticity develops as well as confidence.

There are many oral reading fluency programs available, including AIMSweb and Diebels but they are crazy expensive and the stories are long and boring!!, The practice passages are often not motivating to upper elementary aged students and rarely is on a topic of instruction. 

it is not difficult to make your own passages.  You can make passages that are shorter, more interesting to the students and related to the topics you are working on in science, social studies or even math.  This gives the students extra practice with the academic vocabulary as well as the content.  You can also take a section from an instructional novel or read aloud.  Simply type a 100-150 word passage into Microsoft Word.  Copy and paste it into the Reading Fluency Passage Generator on www.interventioncentral.org to make sure it is at the level you are working towards. 

I've put together a packet of ten 4th grade passages and a packet with ten 5th grade passages (2nd and 3rd coming soon coming soon!), instructions, charts and everything else you will need for a repeated reading program.  It is available at my Teachers-Pay-Teachers store.

A quick word on timing – it can be very stressful for a student.  I use the “stopwatch” on my cell phone.  I start timing when the student begins and then jot down the time when they finish reading.  Mark errors as they read and address these errors in practice.  I do not say “Go” or “Start” as it leads to anxiety and rushing.  I use a simple ratio to find the correct words per minute:  the number of words read correctly multiplied by 60, then divided by the number of seconds it took to read the words.  Please remember that fluency can be affected by background knowledge as well as expressive language challenges.  Overall improvement, with some ups and downs, is what we strive for – as well as a more confident student.

For more information on fluency instruction, I encourage you to visit Tim Rasinski’s website at http://www.timrasinski.com/.  He is an expert in the field.

Good luck in your endeavor!  You will be helping your students learn the skills to become lifelong readers.

Spelling - Word Study Choice Boards

Spelling is always a tricky subject.  Some students "get it" so easily - and others struggle with basic words.  I am a believer in studying high frequency words - with review of sound/symbol patterns found within those words.  The lists themselves can be expanded according to individual student needs.  I made Choice Boards this year that not only give the student practice in whatever words are assigned to them, but also provide practice in many language arts skills, such as figurative language, genre, parts of speech, and writing dialogue.  Killing two birds with one stone is the only way to go. The Choice Boards used with my fifth graders are available at my Teachers-Pay-Teachers store.  Hopefully, you will find them helpful - and a time saver!

A Message to Parents: Independence = Success

Help your child to have a successful school year:

Parents are such important partners in education.  Here are my thoughts on how to make your child more successful.  It is time to make school their job - not yours.  It will pay off in the long run!

1. Allow them to become more independent.  Students should fill out their planbook and bring it home each night.  Homework materials should also come home without making an extra trip up to school.  Your child can draw two small boxes in each of the planbook areas.  When your child has packed the necessary materials in his backpack at the end of the day for that subject , he can put a check in the box.  When the homework has been finished and reviewed, he can put a check in the second box.

2. Sit with your child and plan what homework needs to be done that night, and what can be done at a later time.  Long term projects, such as book reports or research, are often best done on Sunday evenings when there less homework.  Write due dates in the planner.  Guide your child in breaking down large tasks – for example, if a 150 page book needs to be read for a book report, read 10 pages a night.

3. Pack up the backpack the night before and leave it in a designated place.  Avoid morning battles.  If something was forgotten, tell your child he must explain the situation to the teacher himself and start organizing earlier that night.

4.  Do not do your child’s homework for him.  Limit the number of questions he can ask you.  If he is truly stuck on a skill, have him try it and have him write a note to the teacher asking for assistance.   Homework is to be completed independently.  Students need to practice working and problem solving without adult intervention.

5. Do not check you child’s homework and then have him correct the errors. This takes the accountability away from the student. Teachers want to see the errors so they know what skills need to be reviewed.

6. TV, video games, computer use, etc. should only be allowed after homework is complete.  A short break after school is fine, as long as homework is completed in a timely manner.  If homework is taking longer than one hour of concentrated effort, please let the teacher know immediately.