Sometimes it can be a challenge to organize your curriculum in a way that is easy to use. Deedee Wills and I have been working on reorganizing and updating our writing workshop units. I prefer to keep my units in these 2" binders. You can find the spine labels at the end of this post. I will walk you through a unit to show you how it's organized. Each unit starts with a unit overview. You can also easily see the standards that are addressed in the unit. A writing continuum ... continue reading...
Search Results for: informational texts
Guiding Readers Questions and Answers
Last November Deedee and I had a conversation about her desire to do more with the books she was using for Read Alouds. Her kids loved many of the books she was reading to them, and they wanted to hear them again and again. She felt that she had a great foundation with writer's workshop (more on that later) but she wanted deeper connections and interactions with the texts that she was reading to her class. So we created Guiding Readers. What are Guiding Readers? Guiding Readers started ... continue reading...
After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again | K-2 Lesson Plans
After the Fall (Humpty Dumpty) reading comprehension lesson plans. Students respond to literature while developing reading comprehension strategies, vocabulary, and grammar. After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again This story is so great! I love that it teaches us the lesson to get back up after a difficult time. In the book, Humpty Dumpty becomes afraid of heights after he falls from the wall. He finds himself back up the ladder and something pretty amazing happens... he ... continue reading...
Turkey Trouble Read Aloud Lesson Ideas for Kindergarten & First Grade
Turkey Trouble reading comprehension lesson plans. Responding to literature activities, vocabulary studies, center ideas, and fun crafts! Turkey Trouble Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano is a great read-aloud for November. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and turkey needs to hide. So, he comes up with an idea! You and your class will have fun reading and responding to this story! This Engaging Readers unit includes all of the print and teach lesson plans and resources ... continue reading...
Guiding Readers Units: Planning Made EASY!
We are so excited about the feedback that we are getting about these units. We designed them around the same type of format as our Math Units and Writing Units and many teachers have told us that we've cut their planning time WAY down, that their kids are really mastering the standards and developing a love for reading and writing and we are beyond thrilled! That's what it's all about. We developed our Guiding Readers Units, Math Units and Writing Units with these goals in mind: We want to ... continue reading...
Writers Workshop Helper (Free File)
This writers workshop helper-free file is just for you and it is perfect for kindergarten and first-grade! Let's take a closer look inside! Writers Workshop Helper On the cover, we have a few reminders! We have tips on how to spell words. There is an editing checklist. You will also find a student-sized anchor chart that helps students when they think they are done. Inside there is a sound chart for digraphs and blends. There is a place for a student ... continue reading...
Let’s Talk Turkey!
Turkey Trouble reading comprehension activity for kindergarten and first grade. Anchor Chart, retelling, and craft too! Vocabulary study too! Turkey Trouble reading comprehension activity: Informational Text The week before Thanksgiving is a great time to learn about turkeys! We pair fiction and nonfiction texts to keep the kids engaged so that the pre-holiday crazies don't trot in. :) To get started we had the kids record their schema on the Turkey Trouble recording sheet. Then, ... continue reading...
Guiding Reading Planning & Instruction
In my classroom, I used a combination of whole group instruction (close reading, shared reading) and guided reading to teach reading. With whole group instruction you focus your teaching towards the ability of your more proficient students' ability. Then you scaffold and support those students who need it. However, guided reading allows you to tailor your instruction to fit the needs of each individual student. You bring your reading lessons to THEIR instructional level. This is just ... continue reading...
Engaging Reading Activities (With a FREE File)
Engaging reading activities for kindergarten and first grade! See how we improve reading comprehension through various reading comprehension strategies. FREE sample file too! This is a guest post from Deedee Wills. We are so excited about our Engaging Readers units... you can tell because I. Can't. Stop. Talking. About. It. Engaging Reading Activities: How did it start? Around last November I had a conversation with Deanna Jump about wanting to do more responding to literature with ... continue reading...
National Holidays for August and September
Students always love to celebrate holidays with their friends. Typically, this includes holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas. However, the fun doesn’t have to stop there! There are countless quirky, and even strange, holidays that most of us don’t even know exist. I love to use these national holidays to create extra excitement and engagement in the classroom. In this post, I’m going to share national holidays for August and September that are perfect for celebrating in the ... continue reading...
Printable & Digital Guided Reading Books for Kindergarten & First Grade
Guided Reading Books available in printable and digital format for K/1. Leveled readers with lesson plans, running records, word work activities, and more! Guided Reading Books Small-group guided reading is our time to truly work closely with students in the hopes of creating fluent readers. Students work on high-frequency words, establish reading strategies, and write sentences, all while becoming confident readers. However, sometimes our resources are limited. The biggest problem we seem ... continue reading...
The Gruffalo Lesson Plans | Reading Comprehension for K-2
The Gruffalo lesson plans for K-2. Engaging 5-day lesson plans with differentiated reading response, vocabulary, sentence study, and a craft for this fun story! The Gruffalo A clever mouse outsmarts some woodland animals who want to eat him with the story of a Gruffalo. Little does he know, a Gruffalo is real and loves to eat mice. Your students will love this award-winning story! Through our engaging lesson plans students will strengthen their reading comprehension skills and have fun ... continue reading...
FREE Spine Labels for Binders: Getting Organized!
This is a throwback post that I did awhile back about getting our Guiding Readers units organized. Since this post, I've had quite a few requests to make matching spine labels for the Writing and Math units. So HERE YOU GO! Sorry, it took me so long! We also have a Free Year-Long Curriculum Map for Kindergarten and First Grade. (Scroll to the bottom of this post to grab the map and spines) If you want to read the throw back post carry on! If not, Happy Organizing. ... continue reading...
Guided Reading! Getting Organized
Getting organized for guided reading can be a challenge. In order for it to be effective, you need to keep your resources handy and all together. So I like to keep my guided reading books and lessons together in individual binders. Each binder is organized by level. and having the spine labeled helps to find the resource I need in seconds! Inside the binder is where a disaster can happen if you are not mindful! Right inside the cover is where I put the sound boxes. I slide ... continue reading...
Planning Your Instruction
Can you imagine if I were to jump in my car and decide to drive to California? I point my car west and drive... no map, no GPS, just a general direction. I would probably get there, but it would not be the most effective method. That is the same idea behind a curriculum map. It helps you find your way. It helps you to know you are on the right track. Can you take detours? Absolutely! But you HAVE to know where you are going BEFORE you start the car! Start with a Curriculum ... continue reading...