Teachers pay Teachers Sale May 3-4 2016

Teachers pay Teachers Sale - May 3-4, 2016

Yes, it's here! The annual Teacher Appreciation Sale. Enjoy 28% off with this code: CELEBRATE

Everything in my store is on sale. Take a peek at some of my best sellers!

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Happy shopping!

Brenda

Enjoy Teaching Reading

Five new posts are up on my new blog, Enjoy Teaching. Hop over to grab some ideas and freebies!

Ideas for teaching a Cinderella unit, learning links, and three free student sheets are included in the post on fairy tales.

Fables are great for teaching summarizing, theme, and characterization. This post gives ideas for high quality lessons with lots of fun added in. You'll love the links to Disney videos and the character analysis freebie! 

Begin your mythology unit with a free and colorful history of the Greek gods. Ideas and links for research, persuasive writing, and vocabulary are also included.

Three great freebies help you explore elements of realistic fiction with your students. Ideas for using picture books and novels in your class are also included in this post.

Historical fiction brings history to life. You'll find ideas for incorporating historical fiction throughout the year, as well as more free student sheets, in this post.

Enjoy!

Brenda

Enjoy Teaching

Times change. Teachers change.

Throughout my career, I've been teaching seriously. Now, more than ever, I find it important to enjoy teaching.

So, I've begun a new blog, Enjoy Teaching. Please join me there for weekly ideas, links, and freebies.

My goal is to help other teachers love their chosen profession for ten, twenty, thirty, or more years.

Enjoy!
Brenda

Martin Luther King, Junior

As January begins, my thoughts turn to the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior. How can we keep his legacy alive? How can we share his essence with the students we teach?

In August of 2012, I shared an activity to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the I Have a Dream speech. As Dr. King's birthday approaches, I'd like to share it again. Simply click on either image to access the file.

If you'd like more activities for your classroom, check out Martin Luther King, Junior - Text, Timeline, Cause/Effect, Quotes, and More in my Teachers pay Teachers store.

Enjoy!

Brenda

The Constructed Response, Take 2

Yes, there is a way to construct a better response. Last year, I discussed the constructed response in my December 24th post. One year later, I have some new insights.

Is one paragraph better than the other? Let's analyze them.

 The first paragraph focuses on the reader's impression of the Camel. It includes a reference to the story, great support, and a strong organizational structure. The second paragraph is shorter and uses a slightly weaker organizational pattern. But it's better. Why?

In the second paragraph, the reader addresses the attribute that affects the outcome of the story. In addition, she explains how the character's actions affected that outcome.

At the beginning of the year, I taught my fourth graders how to answer questions. It was the logical first step. Readers could focus on just one part of the text to find evidence. Next, I taught them to summarize. They learned to identify the character's goal, obstacles that got in the way, and main events that led to the outcome of the story. This broad understanding of the story became the key to finding and defending a theme, describing a character (or setting or event), and defending point of view.

Today, my students are contemplating elements of each story like never before. They're writing concise responses to express key details. It's powerful stuff. Thank you, Common Core.

Enjoy teaching today! I know I will.

Brenda

Bedtime Book Club

I've decided to capitalize on those 30 minutes before bedtime with Bedtime Book Club. It's geared for my reluctant readers, but the whole class is invited to join.

Click on student record sheet to download for your classroom.

Research shows that independent reading is essential to increasing students' reading levels. But getting kids to read is tough! Bedtime is the perfect time to snuggle up with a book. Bedtime Book Club challenges kids to spend 30 minutes a day reading before bed.

As an added incentive, each student in the class who meets his or her reading goal will be invited to our Readers Slumber Party.

Our slumber party will be held on the last day before winter break. As you can see, pajamas, blankets, pillows, flashlights, and snacks are encouraged. We'll be closing the blinds, lowering the lights, and reading by flashlight. What fun!

Excitement is high, and one student has already met her goal! We're celebrating with clapping and cheers each time a new student is invited. Then a new child in a sleeping bag (with the student's name) is added to our classroom display.

Enjoy!

Brenda

Halloween Fun in Your Classroom

Would you like to have some Halloween fun in your classroom? Me too! School seems so serious. It's time to lighten up!

Halloween Writing - Writing with a Halloween twist will really grab your students' attention. My students are currently writing descriptive narratives about the Best-Dressed Witch. After a week of brainstorming and planning, they cannot wait to write. I love the excitement! 

The planning steps of this project help kids understand the importance of prewriting, particularly the development of characters, setting, and plot.

Halloween Dialogue - Narrative writing needs lots of dialogue! Unfortunately, my students aren't all that great at writing direct quotes. This year, we'll be practicing with Halloween riddles. What fun!

Halloween Reading - What kind of literature is needed on Halloween? Spooky stories, of course! My students will read several versions of The Headless Horseman then compare and contrast.

Halloween is a great time for some serious fun!

Enjoy!

Brenda