FREE Independent Reading Poster

Goodness!  At the start of every year, you always have a few reluctant readers... the ones that have to be trained to read independently.  They want to do everything but read.  You know the ones I'm talking about. I call it pretend reading, and I tell my students from the beginning that I can spot pretend readers.  For example, they flip one page then three then back two.  Their eyes wander.  They squirm.  You know the drill.  Anyway, if they can just sit still and focus long enough to enjoy a book then most of the time they figure out that reading is actually fun.  I had a student last year that fell in this category and he ended up really loving reading.  His parents said he would not put books down.  They thought there was no way he was actually reading the books as fast as he was, so they started reading them too and quizzing him.  To their surprise,  he WAS reading.  They really started appreciating me at that point. :-)

Below is another one of my little posters that might work well for you in an interactive reading journal.  The focus is on independent reading.  On the day the students glue this down in their journal, you can have them do a practice independent reading session.  Then you can have them come back and respond in writing to how well they think they did with following the expectations.  You can also watch the kids and then give them some suggestions of things they may need to improve on, which they could also make note of in their journal.  This is a great list to have, especially once independent reading gets into full swing.  When you see a child not doing one of the expectations, have them take out their journal and tell you which one they are not following.

As always, I love comments, so drop me a hello in the comments section. :-)

Independent Reading Poster

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You may also like this book buddy chat activity.  My students love it.  Most any student loves to talk about what they have read.  Plus, this holds reluctant readers a little more accountable, as they will want to be able to become engaged in conversation.  After all, if they haven't read their book, they will have a hard time talking about it.  My students actually ask to do this activity :-)

Book Buddy Chat Activity

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What is Reading?

This reading poster is another one that will work perfectly in an interactive reading journal.  For me, I would use this at the very start of the year when I am setting up my readers workshop.  You may even pose the question "What is reading" before you show the poster.  Have your students write a few sentences in their journal to answer the question and then share with a partner.  After letting a few students share their answers with the class, pass out the mini poster to glue in their interactive journal.  Discuss in detail what reading really is, and that it goes far beyond saying the words on a page.  Enjoy.

As always, I love feedback, so say hello by leaving a comment.  :-)

What is Reading Poster

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If you teach grades 3-5, you may also like my Readers Workshop Guide.  Many people have been very happy with this product, which you can read under the feedback section.  Thanks for checking it out.

Reader's Workshop Guide

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FREE Determine the Setting Poster

I'm on a kick making reading posters that I hope you will find helpful in your classroom.  This is the third one, and it is on the skill of determining the setting of a story.  The smaller version will work great for interactive reading journals.  Enjoy!

As always, I love to hear from you.  Drop me a comment.  :-)

Determine the Setting Poster

 



Feel free to pin.  Just hover over the image.


You may also like this activity. 
 Students will write their own fictional story and will need to develop a setting for the story.


Narrative Writing Story Mini Book

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FREE Describing a Character Poster

This is the second in a series of posters I am making and giving away for FREE.  They are perfect for students to glue into their interactive reading journals.  It can help when reading stories or writing stories. On this poster, the definition of a character is presented, and then suggestions of things kids should think about are also included.  I hope you enjoy, and please do share with your friends and co-workers.

And, as always.... leave me some love.  I love comments. :-)

 Describing a Character Poster

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You might also like this activity on characters.

Character Traits Activity

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FREE Making Inferences Poster

Inferring can be so hard for kids to grasp. Here's a  cute poster to use to introduce it to your students.  I have also included a smaller version.  The small inferencing poster would be great to glue into an interactive reading journal.  It is made in color, but it prints out fine in black and white.  Enjoy.

P.S.  I always love it when people leave me a comment. :-)

FREE Making Inferences Poster

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You may also enjoy this lesson on determining theme, a skill that uses inferencing. 

Common Adages Lesson

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Where Are We Board

Are you looking to make a cute  "where are we board" to hang outside your classroom?  If so, this little project is fast, fun, and costs less than $10.  Every item but one came from the Dollar Spot at Target.  If you are like me, you love to find all kinds of goodies at Target.  I like the way this board turned out because it is the perfect size to hang on the wall right outside of a classroom between the door and where the cork board strips are that you hang work on.  Not sure if everyone has those strips or not, but regardless, it's a great size for a door or the wall. So, here goes.

Pictured above are the items I used.  The little board is actually a magnetic board and it came with the ribbon already attached. Can't beat that!  I then created the stripes using yellow Washi tape, which I found over in the scrap booking section.  You can measure the distance of the tape, but it was easy for me just to eyeball it.  Once the tape was down, I centered the letters on each line to spell out the places the kids go during the day. It only took me one pack of sparkly letters to do my board.  You get 5 sheets of letters for a dollar. You may have different 'places to go' than me, and you may have more or less.  The flower I put in the top left corner is actually a magnet, but I hot glued it so that it would stay.  Finally, I used a diamond shaped clip to clip to the side.  It's great because it comes to a point to show where the kids are.  The clip is easily moved up and down the right side to show where you are.  Plus, there are 3 to a pack in case one happens to break throughout the year.   This "where are we" board project literally took less than ten minutes and cost me less than ten dollars.  Two things I absolutely loved.  And, it can be used for years.  To hang, just just use those removable plastic hangers that don't damage the wall.  Here is the finished product.

Where are We Board

Hover over the image above to PIN it.  :-)

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I'm a Fourth Grade Teacher and I LOVE Teachers Pay Teachers

(update:  the site I refer to changed their original image after I posted this.)

So, there I was... on my way to church this morning when I was introduced to a blog post that started with a picture that said, "NO Teachers Pay Teachers" (TpT), you know the kind of sign I am talking about.  The kind with the circle and a slash through it.  It goes something like this...

Talk about disheartening.  I mean,  I understand  no smoking signs.

 

I even understand no cell phone signs.

But, "NO TPT"??? I just don't get it.

And, now that I am home from church, I just have to respond.

Before I go on, you can find the blog post HERE.  I guess you can call this my rebuttal post.  However you want to look at it, I have a few things to say.  In the teacher world, we can just say I am responding  to literature.  Just pretend you are reading my journal.

I read the blog post once.  I read the blog post twice.  Then I stepped back and realized that the title was more of a hook.  You know, like one of those signs on the outside of the store that draws you in.  It makes you think that there is a huge bargain on the inside, when really there isn't.  I sort of feel the same about this post.  The title is a great hook.  I mean, it drew me in.  If you read the comments, it drew a lot of other people in too.  But, beyond the title, if you read closely, it doesn't seem to be about TpT at all.  It seems to be more about teachers and how they use resources in the classroom.  It seems to be more about how teachers in general decorate their classroom. Quite honestly, it seems to be more about whether you fall in the good teacher category or the needs improvement category. 

I will give him credit that he says teachers are selling great things on TpT (that sort of contradicts the title though), because they definitely are.  He also goes to say that the things being sold can't be edited.  This is an example of why it's not just about Tpt.  I mean, whenever you go into a teacher supply store or order off of Amazon, the printed materials you get are not editable.  When is the last time you bought a Scholastic teacher resource that you could open up on the computer and change it to meet your needs in your classroom.  That's just not how the publishing industry works. And, what do teachers do if they can't find something that meets their needs?  Um, they make it, which is what good teachers do.

He calls teachers of today the laminating culture.  Well, gosh darn.  You bet we are the laminating culture. What teacher in their right mind wants to spend three hours creating, printing, cutting, gluing, and so on, and only be able to use it in one center for one day?  And don't think that is an exaggeration.  I mean, let 32 hands play a game for a day when it hasn't been laminated and you will understand.  Teachers are frugal.  We don't want to have to spend our money over and over again.  And, yes.  It typically is our money.  Plus, we have families.  We don't want to have to spend hours making the game again. It's not like you have a lot of time during school to be making resources.  Between meetings and no duty free lunch, you are up til midnight just making a game for your class.  I'm just not sure I even understand that particular 'dislike' about Tpt  because even if you don't use the laminated material every year, at least you can pull it out again with the next group of kids you think it will work for.  It just seems like common sense to me.  

He says cute is over rated, that polka dots and stripes are a bit much.  To some extent I agree about the cuteness in classrooms.  Actually, it's not really about the cuteness as much as it is about the over stimulating items in the classroom like the huge pompoms and such.  But, there again.  Is that really about TpT?  It's not. Heck, teacher resource stores have been selling polka dotted borders for years.  It's more about whether or not teachers are using the resources mindfully in their classroom.

In response to point four, I partly agree with it.  Sure, in the area of social studies and science, real life images are wonderful.  But here's the deal.  When you go to read the newspaper, do you stay away from the comics just because they are hand drawn or computer generated rather than being photos?  Probably not.  It's all about variety.  There again, why throw TpT in the gutter on this?  I have never come across a teacher that only showed a sketched image of The American Revolution.  Teachers use other resources combined with TpT resources to create their lessons.

It's no secret that I love TpT.  One of my favorite phrases is I Heart TpT.  It's important to keep in mind that the majority of teachers don't use TpT as the recipe for running their classroom. They use it as a resource. And that's what good teachers do.  They gather resources (and sometimes make them) in order to teach the required standards based on their students' needs.  I have yet to meet one teacher that solely uses TpT resources to teach their entire curriculum.  

I have taught nearly twenty years, have a master's degree in reading and literacy, have three kids of my own, been nominated for teacher of the year umpteen (my made up word) times, and let's face it.............those credentials are pretty good for being competent enough to design lessons for the classroom and for being able to pick out credible resources when I am shopping.  I am not alone in that.  There are many teachers out there just like me, buying and selling on Teachers Pay Teachers.  How on earth is that not a good thing?  You have people that love being teachers, are experienced in the classroom, have tried a multitude of methods, and have dedicated their lives to being  fun and creative teachers.  The best part.... they are using Universal Collaboration to help teach kids across the world through blogging, Pinterest, and places like Teachers Pay Teachers.  

Cheers to TpT!

** please excuse any typos.  I'm only human.  :-)

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Interactive Social Studies Journal and Sale

I make lots of teaching materials, but very rarely do I take on projects that will take me months to complete. That's right, I have created the first part of my interactive social studies journal. Why do I say, "first part"?  Because it is my plan to have a part 2 interactive journal on our government and how it was established.  I designed this journal with 4th graders in mind, but  it could be used with more advanced third graders or weaker fifth graders, too. Actually, because the interactive journal has factual information on United State history, you may be able to use it with other grades. I will let you use your best judgement on that. This journal includes 17 (yes, 17) close reading passages on topics from The Land Bridge Theory, to European Exploration, all the way to the end of The American Revolution. In addition to the 17 close reading passages, you get a set of teacher discussion questions for each passage. Plus, there are over 20 interactive response activities to complete with the close reading activities.  I am very proud of this project.  I know it will get kids excited about social studies.  In the past, my students have taken such pride in their interactive journals, and I am sure your students will do the same.

 Click HERE for more information on this journal.

And now for the second  part of this blog post..... I am having a 1 day sale in my Teachers  Pay Teachers store today only.  I rarely do this, so hopefully you can find you some great deals to use in your classroom.  Happy 'Christmas in July' shopping to you.  :-)

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Beach Themed Classroom Decorations

Decorating your classroom can be lots of fun. Actually, the moment school gets out for the year, I am already thinking about what I want my next classroom theme to be. I have had everything from a  Dr. Seuss theme  to a patriotic theme to a cooking theme. Last year I had a movie themed classroom. If you missed that set, you can find it here: movie themed classroom. I have had a few requests for classroom theme sets, so I decided I would go ahead with the challenge and make some for the upcoming school year.  Here is the beach themed classroom set. I love this set because it has touches of glitter, which really make the graphics pop!  You can get all the details of what is included, as well as purchase the set, by visiting the link to my Teachers Pay Teachers store using the link below.

Beach Themed Classroom

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FREE Editable Lesson Plan Template

I love fun and colorful lesson plan pages. After all, why should lesson plans look boring! With this lesson plan template, you can create and place text boxes anywhere you want them.  Reuse the template week after week by duplicating the slides. Directions are included with the download. I have also included a cover for the lesson plan binder if you like to print yours out like I do.  I hope you can use.  Enjoy!

Click HERE to download the 
free printable lesson plan template.

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How Many Titles Should One Teacher Have?

Sometimes I wonder what has happened over the years? Let me explain.

Years ago, we had a gifted program. Gifted kids were pulled out of the regular ed. classroom for more advanced lessons with a gifted certified teacher. Over the years, many other programs have evolved, such as having ESOL teachers to serve students where English is not their main language. Also, here in the state of GA, we have the EIP (Early Intervention Program), which is for grades 3-5.

So, what do I mean when I say multi-titled? Well, what if you have a regular ed. teacher who also has her gifted certification and even has her ESOL endorsement? Can they be all of those teachers in one? The answer..... yes! Well, at least that is what seems to be happening in some cases. 

Let me create a real life scenario for you. Let's say you have a regular education teacher that has her gifted certification. In her class, she has gifted kids, regular ed. kids, and some weaker kids who also qualify for the EIP program due to low state test scores. Within that teacher's class, she has 24 kids.  Eight are regular ed. with no additional services.   Twelve are gifted and should be receiving additional differentiated enrichment lessons, and 4 have qualified for remediated teaching through the EIP program. 

Please keep in mind that schools receive funding based on the number of kids in given programs as long as the service is being "provided".   Let's now say that of those 12 gifted kids, 8 are going to be pulled out to go to another gifted teacher because they qualified on local  test scores to receive a more advanced reading class.  For that reading block of time, this now leaves 4 gifted kids in the class, along with 8 regular ed. kids, and don't forget about those 4 kids that are supposed to receive some extra services through remediation and review lessons.  Sounds great, right?

Well, remember.... the teacher that those kids have as their homeroom teacher is also gifted certified , so those 4 kids left in the classroom are getting their 'gifted hours' from that teacher during this block of time.  But wait!  What about those 4 kids that are also supposed to be receiving remediation?  Well, in this case, the state allows for a few different models to be used for the EIP program.  One of the models is small group, one is reduced class size with a ratio of no more than 17 kids to one teacher, and another option is pull out sessions with a different designated EIP teacher. 

Can you tell what is happening in this classroom?  The gifted certified teacher is now left with a one  hour block of time where she has 4 gifted kids in class, so she is their gifted teacher for that hour.  The class is now a reduced class size because those other 8 kids left. With a reduced class size of 16 for that block of time, the teacher is now designated as the EIP teacher for those other kids that are supposed to get remediated lessons, and don't forget about those other kids that are just your average kids.  Want to make this scenario even crazier than it already is?  What if that teacher also has her ESOL endorsement?  Well, if a few of those kids were in the ESOL program, she very well could be the ESOL teacher too.

Why in the world are schools doing this?  How can one teacher provide for gifted, remediation, average, and even ESOL kids all in the same block of time.  The answer..... THEY CAN'T!!  Maybe schools are doing it so they get more bang for the buck out of one teacher's salary. You did figure out that the one teacher doesn't get any higher pay for being the robot she is expected to be, right? After all, as long as it can be proven that a child who qualifies for those programs is receiving services from a teacher who is certified in those areas, they can get the funding that the state provides. 

I just don't understand it.  It looks good on paper, but in my opinion, teachers should have one title for any given block of time.  You have basically thrown the gifted program out the door when those students are being robbed of an hour of accelerated learning during their 'gifted block' of time.  The EIP kids are being robbed of their remediated lessons that the state thinks are being provided.  And those poor average kids?  Well, they may be getting what they need and they may not.  Oh, and the ESOL kids, are they getting their lessons modified in order to help them master this new language? 

Yep, it just doesn't make sense. Scenarios like this bring a whole new meaning to the word differentiation.  In this case, differentiation equates to near impossible.  But, I guess there is one good thing.  The state still provides the money because the service is technically being provided. 

Maybe there is nothing wrong with doing it this way.  Maybe someone can help me see the light that I am not able to see.  If so, please do shed some light.  No teacher that I have talked to that has had this scenario of multiple titles thinks it is effective.  Quite the opposite actually.  Like I said, it's impossible to provide all of that, and if you do have a way to provide all of that, you are not sleeping and you have no life outside of school hours because you are having to prepare 4 different activities for EVERY lesson you teach during that one block of time.

And we wonder why the national average for teacher burnout is seven years.  SEVEN stinking years everyone.  It's because teachers are expected to be robotic... to meet unattainable goals where teaching environments are not even conducive to providing the best learning environment for kids of all levels. 

Now, when I write a blog post ....AKA... Vent Post......like this where I express my opinion, I like to always say that I love teaching.  I love working with the kids.  I am meant to be a teacher.  BUT, there are just many things about the education system in my state and nationally that I simply do not understand.  We really truly need to evaluate why our education system is failing in so many areas.  We need to take a closer look at the effectiveness of situations like this that require 'multi-titled teachers'.  I say it's not working!

Now, go make learning fun and do the best you can do with what is expected of you. 

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You Own Everything I Do.... said no teacher ever!

There is a lot of hype lately about teachers profiting from the educational resources they make and then sell on sites such as Teachers Pay Teachers.  Articles such as the one linked HERE (article no longer available) are what triggered this particular blog post by me.  You may want to take a moment to read that article, as well as this recent article:  ARTICLE HERE

Keep in mind, the resources are made after school hours and built using the teacher’s own personal technology that the teacher purchased with her own money.  Despite that, there still seems to be a question as to whether the teacher owns the resources created.  The mere thought of teachers having to give their intellectual property over to the system they work for seems ludicrous, therefore I have decided to address the issue.

Before I go on, I want to say that my coworkers and schools have been completely supportive thus far of my efforts to make materials, which I do sell.  Some I use and others I do not.  This is not the case for many across the county, which is why I felt the need to write this blog post. 

Why do I find this insanely ridiculous?  Well, let me create an analogy….

Just like a baker bakes, a teacher teaches.  A baker specializes in cakes and a teacher specializes in writing up lesson plans to teach. So, let’s say that the baker’s boss has mandated he bake a chocolate cake.  The baker then goes to gather the butter and the flour and everything needed, but unfortunately there is no butter.

Despite the fact that there is no butter, the cake still must be made. The baker decides to tell his boss that he needs some butter to make the cake.  The boss says there is no money to buy any butter, but you must still bake the cake. Being the great baker that he was, the baker  decides to buy a churn to make the butter to then be able to bake the cake.  So, who owns the churn?   Does the baker have to give it to the boss simply because he used it to bake the cake that would be sold at the bakery? 

I say the baker gets the churn and not the boss. After all, the baker bought it.  The boss made no effort to help get the resources needed to get the job done.

What if that baker then decides to make a few cakes on the side for friends to earn some extra cash?  After all, he has this great churn to make the butter, which he did buy with his own money.  He will bake the cakes on the weekends and at night when he is not working his regular bakery job.  But wait!  Does the baker now have to give his boss from his day job the money from the sale of those cakes?  He didn’t use his boss’ recipes nor his equipment.

Should teachers have to give school systems things they buy with their own money?  If a teacher decides to create resources in the summer time or in the evenings, or on weekends, and they use their own materials to accomplish the task, should they then have to  turn over all profits from those materials to their school system?

To help make my point even more clear, let me ask this question.  Should a police officer who decides to make extra cash to support his family by working security at school events or at the mall have to give his earnings back to his police force simply because he is a police officer for his day job?

What about a teacher that tutors on the side?  They can tutor kids in their own home but they must give all profits to their school system? It simply doesn’t make a lick of sense.

It has even come to my attention that some school systems are allowing their teachers to make resources, but those resources made by the teachers can not be used in their own classroom if they are going to also sell the item for profit.  Really? So you can have a teacher that sees year after year kids struggling with a particular topic.  That teacher gets an idea of something she could make that she thinks teachers across the country could benefit from if they are in the same situation. That teacher goes home and at 10 pm when her own kids have gone to bed, she makes the product. She is in her own home using her own computer. She can make the product and earn money, but she can't use it with any child in her own class.  Basically, you could have some of the best teachers spending their own time after work making resources to benefit  students and they can't even use those to help their own students excel?  How does that make sense?

Let's face it, teachers don't make much money.  It's hard to get by on a teacher's salary.  Why not let teachers try to make some extra cash to support their family.  Allow them to use their expertise to do so. Once again, not doing so makes absolutely no sense.

Wouldn't it be great if everyone just thanked teachers for all of their hard work. Appreciate the fact that they are going above and beyond to develop activities instead of just accepting the fact that the resources are not available. For a change, let the teachers have the compensation they  truly deserve.  Have you thanked a teacher today? :-)

In closing, thank you for supporting my creative efforts over the past couple of years.  I enjoy making and creating lessons, and my students love using them as much as I love making them.  I am honored that so many people across the world buy my products and put them to use in their own classrooms.  Thank you for your support.  You are appreciated.

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Test Taking Activities

The count down is on for me.  I have one full week of school, then spring break, one more full week, and then it is time for "THE TEST"... yep, it is state testing time.  In the state of GA, we take the CRCT.  In 4th grade, which is the grade I teach, students have to pass ALL subjects of the test to be automatically promoted to the 5th grade.  This is a county policy where I teach, and if they fail a section, they must go to several weeks of summer school and then retest.... hoping at that point they will pass and all will be good. 

This coming week, the week before spring break, we do what is called Boot Camp.  Several weeks ago we had a half day planning where we met and broke down some recent benchmark data to see what the twenty weakest skills were across the 4th grade as a whole.  Each of the 5 teachers then has 4 lessons they will reteach to the entire 4th grade.  The classes will rotate around throughout this next week for the first ten lessons, and then they will get the next ten the week after spring break.  These are 35 minute intense lessons that review and recap the objectives.  With that said, it is what I often refer to as 'crack down time'.  This is it folks..... it's what we have been working towards....  it's all about "THE TEST"!

Don't you hate that it is all about a test.  I try not to focus on it too terribly much, but in the end, it is the education system that pushes us to focus so much on those dang standardized tests.  Benchmark after benchmark test.  Breaking down data time after time. Even after nearly 20 years in education, there is still some level of stress that comes with this annual test.  You want the kids to do well and you can only hope they will.  I have to remind myself that I taught the material to the best of my ability.  I made learning fun.  I can't work miracles.  When all is said and done and the tests are passed out and their #2 pencils hit the paper, it is going to be all about how the child performs and not how I taught. Why do I think that way?..............I am confident enough in my teaching abilities to realize that I was a damn good teacher this year, and in the end, the scores are what they are.  Some will surpass standards, some kids will meet standards, and  yes, there always seem to be a couple that don't meet standards.  Did they progress?  YES!  Did I help them master two years of material in one year to bring them up to grade level?  Probably not.  Did I try? YES!  Will I doubt my teaching ability based on any failures?  Absolutely NOT!

Here is a fun little poster activity I have in my TpT store that I will have my kids complete this coming week.  It will get them thinking about this very important test.  These posters look great hanging outside the classroom.  In addition, I have a banner that you can hang with these.  Everyone that walks past your display will start thinking about "THE TEST".

Click HERE for Test Taking Poster Activity



Click HERE for Test Taking Banner



Click HERE for FREE Test Taking Motivation Messages. 

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