Anticipation...It's Making Me Wait...

If I close my eyes, I can go back in time and think about how I felt as a child on Christmas Eve...Oh the Anticipation!  Sometimes if my family was going on a trip that required several hours of driving, my parents would pack the car the night before, and we'd get in bed early.  Around 3 or 4 a.m. we would be carried to the car to lay down in the back-seat-turned-makeshift-bed on the road...Oh the Anticipation...  And then there's that yummy ketchup.....  

Ok....so now I'm really showing my age!  LOL
My point is....that anticipation really gets you excited for the things you love!  So, why not get kids really excited about a story?!?!?!
I love to use Anticipation Guides before reading (even though you can use them during and after reading too).  

• Anticipation guides stimulate students' interest in a topic and set a purpose for reading.
• They teach students to make predictions, anticipate the text, and verify their predictions.
• They connect new information to prior knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic.

1. When preparing an anticipation guide, think simple for younger students. Write four to six statements about key ideas in the text.  When I make mine, I have a place for them to choose if they agree or disagree with the statement before reading...and then the same for after reading.
2. Begin by Modeling!  Introduce the text or reading material and share the guide with the students. Model the process of responding to the statements and marking the columns.
3. Read each of the statements and ask the students if they agree or disagree with it. Provide the opportunity for discussion. The emphasis is not on right answers but to share what they know and to make predictions.
4. Read the text aloud or have students read the selection individually. If reading aloud, teachers should read slowly and stop at places in the text that correspond to each of the statements.
5. Revisit each statement during Closure.

Here's a good video of a teacher with her whole group during an Anticipation Guide.  You could also use a guide in a small group setting, as well.

Anticipation...Is it making you wait???
Chatterbox Blessings, Rebecca

Prefix Gumball Machines, Questions Answered, and a FREEBIE!

I whipped up these cute little gumball machine graphics this evening.  I also created some activities with them as well.  If interested, they are here.

I have had several emails and posts inquiring about my signature tags, as well as, other questions.  Here are some answers to questions I've received...

Q:  Who makes your signatures for you?

A:  ME

Q:  Where can I find your graphics?

A:  You can find them here and now here!

Q:  What can I do with signature tags that I get from the member's area?

A:  You can add them to your blog posts, use them as decoration on your blog, collect them, add them to your emails.

Q:  What exactly is your member's area?  Can I join?

A:  My member's are is full of printables and graphics for the elementary school teacher.  Anyone can join!  It only costs $6.00 for a three months membership or $10 for a six months membership.  Your membership entitles you to access to everything in the member's area...terms must be followed though...and once your membership time is up, you are more than welcome to continue to use anything you got from the member's area, as long as terms are still followed...and YES, you can make a profit of your created items, as long as you give credit back to Teacher's Chatterbox!

I will mention that your membership is only a fraction of what I have put into the member's area!  The clip art that I have purchased alone values more than $30 plus there is my original clip art and lots of printables!  The small membership fee is just to help maintain the site.

There are lots of signature tags for you, as well!

So, if you like classroom printables, cute clip art, website graphics, and a real bargain...then

Teacher's Chatterbox is for YOU!

Now, FREEBIE TIME...

If you would like to have either one of these signature tags...or even both of them...then let me know!  Just post here which one{s} you want and what name you want on your signature tag!  For choice 2, add your hair preference too...see hair samples.  I also need an email addy to deliver them to you!  If you'd rather, you can email me your info privately instead of posting!  If you use or display them, please just link back to my blog!  That's it!

So here they are:

Choice 1

Choice 2

 {Hair Samples}

Sweet Blessings,