Daily 5 Book Study Begins!

If you have done Daily 5 {D5} or will be doing D5, you know the feeling that I have from within!  I am so excited to start this that I could burst!  lol  I have read about D5 for a couple of years now, but have never implemented it, or even read the book for that matter.  However, with making a move to 2nd grade next year, I thought this would be the perfect time to start.  So, I bought the book and began reading...only to find a wonderful book study here in Blogland! 
Mel, from Seustastic, and Nicole at Teaching With Style, are hosting a Daily 5 Book Study...WITH SOME AWESOME FREEBIES!!!  I am soooooo beyond excited!
So our challenge is to answer the questions that are posed in Chapter 1. So here goes...1.  On pages 4-6, the authors present two different pictures of their classrooms.  In thinking about an dreflecting on your own practice, how would you characterize your literacy block?  Does it look more like the first or second scenario, or is it somewhere in between?  How will you change it?I've been teaching for 14 years in elementary {I taught preschool for 9 years before that, but I'll just focus on my years in elementary in this post.}  When I first started teaching third grade, 14 years ago, I implemented centers in my classroom {and still do}.  My first year, I was the only teacher that did centers, to my knowledge.  When I think back, my kids were pretty much always on task, but what they were doing might just be "busy work".  In my 6th year, our school received the Reading First grant, so came the 90 min. block.  I have to say that it was a great thing for our school, and my students were no longer engaged in meaningless but when the grant was over, there were resources that were no longer available to us.  Also, students were grouped homogeneously, and center were set for them.  I truly believe in my heart of hearts that students will be more involved and enthusiastic if they have ownership in something.  I have heard so many positive comments about Daily 5 that address these issues.  
2.  The typical teacher is very busy having students do lots of different activities.  How is what you are having students do now in your classroom creating quality readers and writers?I feel that I really did well at creating quality readers...but writing?  Not so much!
3.  What sets the Daily 5 structure apart from what you are doing in your classroom?As I mentioned previously, my students have been homogeneously grouped by me with with very little input on what THEY want to do.  Also, I really want to create quality writers, which I don't feel that I have adequately done.
Thanks for Mel and Nicole for providing this awesome book study and great freebies for us!
My teammates and I are really hoping we will be able to attend the Atlanta workshop by the 2 sisters in August.  Anyone else going to that one?
Now, check out what others are saying about Daily 5 Chapter 1.
Waving from The Teacher's Chatterbox, 

Late to the Word Wall Party and FREEBIE

Jen over at The Teacher's Cauldron is hosting a Word Wall linky party...so I had to join in!

Well, this is my Word Wall at the BEGINNING OF THE YEAR...nothing there yet in this pic!  LOLI would have taken a pic now to add but it is covered up due to state testing...we either have to take everything down or cover it up...I'm sure you have to do they same.My Word Wall always takes on the theme that I choose for the year...this year it's OWLS.





Here is a FREEBIE for some Word Wall activities.  Hope you can use them!Sorry I was late for the party...it's been crazy with TCAP.  Now, I'm off to check out everyone that is attending!  

Thanks, Jen, for a wonderful Linky Party!

*amendment*  Through Jen's linky party, I found that April over at Wolfelicious is hosting a Show Off Your Word Wall linky party...so OF COURSE I joined that too!Thanks girls!!!

Lapbooking Lessons

I have such a love for lapbooks.  I have been using this tool in my classroom for several years now.  With  TCAP testing coming up next week, my students have been using their lapbooks for preparation.  These are such a great tool for learning and studying!  They are also wonderful for promoting creativity and creative writing!  LOVE*LOVE*LOVE this idea!

Here are the latest lapbooks that we've created.

*PLANTS*

*OUR GOVERNMENT*

The great thing about Lapbooks is that you can use them for any subject!

I'd love to hear the lapbooks that you use!

Classroom Blessings,

One Teacher's Trash...

...is another teacher's treasure!

Looky what I found!  

I'm so excited!  I found this awesome Theater/Store/Post Office last Saturday...for $25!  I set it up this afternoon after the kiddos left for the day.  They are going to be SO excited tomorrow when they see it!  A few years ago, I rescued a table top theater from a teacher's trash.  It's been well-loved, but this one is much bigger!  Not only can the kids use my ever-growing puppet collection...

but they can use it as a math center {store} 

or a post office...I'm thinking something with our bucket-filler buckets.

So, do you rescue items from other teachers, as well???  If so, I'd love to hear about your Trash to Treasure{s}!

Chatterbox Blessings,

Roll A Cube FREEBIES

Here are some freebies for ya!

Graphics by KPM Doodles











Hopefully you can find a use for these roll-a-cubes for reading and math games.  I'd love to hear what you do with them if you use them.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Christmas Alphabet

Here's a Christmas center that's easily put together.

Provide this Christmas Alphabet sheet and add lots of Christmas books...
Students search for Christmas words A-Z.

Instant center!
Enjoy!

Alphabet Center

When you think of Alphabet Centers, do you think of "younger students only"? If so, have I got a center for you!  I have an alphabet center in my third grade classroom called Alphabet Topics!  My students love it!

In a notebook, I have created divider pages A-Z.  Behind each letter, I have placed pages for topics beginning with each letter.  From time to time, we brainstorm topics that we have covered, and label a page for that topic under the appropriate letter.  Sometimes, I just add topics that we've covered. 

When students visit that center, they can flip through the pages and choose a topic to write about.  Once that topic has been chosen by a student, it can not be chosen again.  However, if a student writes only a small amount of info, and there's space left, another student can add more information to fill that topic up, but can't repeat anything that has already been written.  

As the book fills up, there are lots of topics that students can revisit and read about. 

If I notice some inaccurate info under a topic, I will hold a brief discussion with the class so we can figure out the appropriate info for that topic.  A new blank page is created for that topic, and a student can then choose to write about it.  

Reading, writing, and reinforcing info is addressed in this center...plus my kiddos LOVE IT!

It you'd like the pages to get you started, just download below.  I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine do!

Chatterbox Blessings,

Author's Study FREEBIES

When we are doing an "Author Study", I add an Author Study Center.  Here students get a chance to revisit some of their favorite books by the author, as well as, engage in fun activities focusing about the author.  Some of my favorite authors are:

Jan Brett

Patricia Polacco

Lester Laminack

Tomie dePaola

Kevin Henkes

Here are a couple of FREEBIES for you to use.

Chatterbox Blessings,

Simply Learning Centers

I am sooooo excited and honored to be an author at Simply Learning Centers.  {Thanks, Jennifer!!!}

Head on over to check out all the great info that has been shared so far on centers!  You'll be glad you did!

And check out my very first post on "Centers for the Beginner!"

Chatterbox Blessings,

Prove It!

Yesterday, I shared an Anchor Chart on Anansi that one of my small groups helped me create at center time.  However, it wasn't enough that they picked out words to describe the character.  They had to prove it!  They had to do this by locating things in the reading that supported their decisions.  

So, we came up with a "DOES" list and a "SAYS" list.  Students found sentences in the story that showed what the character did to support their decision for choosing words such as "tricky, or dishonest, etc..  They had to do the same thing to show what the character said to support their word description choices.  They enjoyed working together to find these sentences that would really tell all about this character.  It wasn't always easy for them to locate sentences that really supported certain words they had selected but they stuck with it helping each other.  I love the fact that my small groups always work together to get the job done!  They're the best, and make teaching so much fun!

Chatterbox Blessings,

Word Work Activities

My kiddos LOVE Make-A-Word.  I have several versions, and they never get tired of this!
Sometimes I put letter cards in a pocket chart for a center.  This way they can move and manipulate the letters to make words.  Another way is done in a "cut-n-paste" fashion.  The following one is a "write in" version.

This is one of my kiddos' favorite word activity.
Feel free to grab!

And this word game...

~RaTtLeD~

OMGosh!  My kiddos beg for this one!!!  I use it in a literacy center.
What is your favorite "Word Work" activity???

Share with us, and check out what other teachers like *here*.

Chatterbox Blessings,

I Heart Centers!



Small groups during Reading is one of my favorite times of the day!  Not only are students actively involved in literacy activities, but I get to meet with my students in a small group setting!  Last post I shared how my small group center works, as well as, how my assistant's center works, but I thought I'd show you a little more about what the other kids are doing during the time they don't meet with us.



Word Wall is a center that gets students involved.  {We don't have many words collected yet as we are at the beginning of school...and at the time of this pic, we hadn't even started yet...lol.}  Once we gather many words on the wall, then this center will be introduced, modeled, practiced, and then begun.  I hope this year's students enjoy it as much as former students have!


Computers is a favorite of most!  They aren't playing games here {unless they are literacy games} but are hearing stories online, working on phonics/phonemic awareness or possibly doing a webquest. 

Storyline Online is a favorite to many!  Others are Between The Lions, AOL Kids, Starfall, and Magic Keys.

This is our Focus Board for Reading.  We begin the week here to introduce our new story, vocabulary, skills, and strategies for the week.  This becomes a center during small group where students work with the vocabulary words from the week's words, as well as, previous vocabulary lists.  Sometimes they use the picture cards that go along with our story for retell and sequencing.  This gets students prepared for the vocab test on Fridays, but more importantly our Vocabulary Skits which they dearly LOVE!

Read and Write the Room is always a hit!  I have gathered and collected pointers for years that always capture wonderful words around our classroom!  And KuRazy, FuNkY glasses always seem to work better for spotting words in the room! 


Activities in this center vary from finding interesting words A-Z to locating words with particular  spelling patterns.  Once they have collected a predetermined number of words, they share their words with a partner from their group.  When both partners have shared, they set out to gather more words until that center time is up.

Who says board games don't have a place in centers?!  These games are rich in vocabulary, reading skills, and strategies.  Plus, they are just so MUCH fun!

Other centers that I have are:

Listening Center

Poetry Center

Reader's Theater

Puppet Theater

Pictionary

Recording Studio

BIG Books

Book Nook

h goodness!  I know I've left out some!

Do you use centers in your classroom?  I'd love to hear about the ones that you use and have been successful!  If you don't use centers, I hope that I have peaked your interest!  Like I said, this is one of my very favorite times of the day!
Enjoyed our chat,