Literature Circles for Primary

I'm constantly looking for ways to change up my instruction throughout the year. What I start off the year doing, for the most part, ends up changing about a billion times before the end of the year. Part of being a perfectionist is that I'm never satisfied. Which can be a good thing and a bad thing. The.struggle.is.real. 

With my group of kiddos this year, nothing and I mean NOTHING that has worked for me in the past works now. Sigh. So changing things up has become a necessity to find what will work for this group.  After refreshing my knowledge of Reader's Workshop, and looking back through textbooks I used when I was working on my Reading Endorsement, I came across Literature Circles. Of course I had heard about Literature Circles before, but I had never tried them in a primary classroom. I spent Winter Break thinking of ways that I could make Lit Circles work for us. By no means am I an expert, but here is what has been working in my classroom so far {fingers crossed}...

If you're not familiar with Literature Circles, basically students are placed into groups and assigned roles/jobs with the goal that they will read a selected text, respond to the text, and share their thinking with their group members. Often times Literature Circle texts are chosen by students. Therefore, they end up selecting their groups based on the text they have chosen. With my students, at least until they become familiar with the structure and responsibilities of a Literature Circle, I choose the text and groups they are assigned to based on reading ability level. 

I designed my Literature Circles around a camping theme to make it fun and engaging for my students. We talked about how we would be reading text and sharing our thoughts about what we have read with our groups kind of like we were sitting around a campfire sharing stories. The roles/jobs that I assign my students are geared towards reading strategies and standards used in the primary grades. Since this was new for my students, I really spent some time modeling the procedures of Literature Circles. I read aloud Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend and we completed one-to-two job response sheets per chapter to get my kiddos familiar with the expectations for independent work. Also, I wanted them to have our model to refer back to when they began to independently read their own book.

After we went through each job, as a class, we came up with rules for Literature Circles. We've been meeting to discuss Literature Circle time each day and talk about what went well and what needs to be improved. Having an anchor chart for rules let's us add to them as needed.

Each job also has a necklace that students wear to indicate the job they have for the day.

Again, the jobs all have a camping theme. I included Literature Circle roles for both fiction and nonfiction text {not pictured}. 

Fiction Literature Circle Roles: 

-making connections

-identifying the setting

-retelling

-writing a summary

Nonfiction Literature Circle Roles:

-main idea

-main topic

-author's purpose

-reflecting before, during, and after reading {KWL}

-text features

The following roles could be used for either:

-questioning

-finding interesting words

-visualizing

-determining author's purpose

You may be wondering when I fit in Literature Circles. I follow the Reader's Workshop format during my reading block. After a 10-15 minute mini lesson, I have my student break up into their Literature Circle groups. They work for about 45 minutes then, I have them discuss what they read with each other for another 10 minutes. During our closing rime, we come back together as a class and share anything we noticed from independent work time that relates to our mini lesson. This takes about 5 minutes. While students work independently, I visit with individual students and either have them read aloud to me or look through their written responses. I take this time to monitor student reading progress and take notes on what I need to work with students on either individually or whole group.

My Literature Circle packet includes all the printables needed for each job and more detailed instructions on how to get Literature Circles up and running in your classroom.   

You can find this product here in my TPT shop. It's on sale through tomorrow for 20% off!

Best Seller Updated

I didn't quite make my goal to have this product updated by the end of December, but this MAJOR update to my best selling product is now complete!

I updated the format, graphics, and fonts. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out! 

Topics included:

-"How to Make a S'more"

-"How to Make Lemonade"

-"How to Make a PB&J Sandwich"

-"How to Build an Ice Cream Cone"

-"How to Make a Pizza"

For each topic here's what you get:

-puzzles to hook your students on how-to writing {color and black and white}

-anchor chart labels {color and black and white}

-how-to writing flip book template

-how-to writing graphic organizer

-how-to writing paper {primary and intermediate lines}

I also included a flip book template, graphic organizer, and lined writing paper that can be used with any topic. I'm planning on having my students work on "How to Solve a Word Problem" this quarter using the blank flip book template. There are many options included in this product for you to pick and choose which activities would be best for your students.

Here's a peek into this product in action in my classroom...

First, I "hooked" my students with these puzzles to get them guessing what we will be making. I try to bring as many hands-on learning experiences as possible into my lessons, so I purchased the ingredients to make s'mores and had my students make their own. As we were making our s'mores, we talked about the steps we would take and how it might be difficult to make a s'more if we didn't follow the steps in order.

I created a class anchor chart using the steps we came up with together for how to make a s'more. While I charted, students wrote their steps on their own graphic organizer.

Then, I had them combine their steps, along with an opening and closing sentence, and write their how-to writing on primary lined paper.

You can have your students put together this super cute flip book as another option.

After we did several how-to writing pieces together, I had my students come up with a how-to topic of their choice and write their how-to writing in a flip book.

I loved the topics they chose. I think "How to make a Chicken Follow You" just may be my favorite though! HA!

You can check out this product in my little shop and grab it on sale! 

Lately

I wanted to pop in and share my quick, easy, and inexpensive parent gifts from this year. 

I bought the tile from Home Depot for about 15 cents a piece. I used red and green acrylic paint from Michaels for the kids to make fingerprint polka dots or lights {I let them choose which one they wanted to do}. My kiddos added the writing with a Sharpie. Then, we sprayed the tile with clear lacquer. This year I have one sweetie that is a Jehovah's Witness. For her, I let her turn her fingerprints into ladybugs so that she could still participate. I think they all turned out so super cute!

Today I finished wrapping the last of the tiles so that my kiddos could take them home after our class holiday party. I'm one of those people who likes to buy different wrapping paper every year, so I used  my leftover wrapping paper, bows, and tags from a couple of years ago on this project. Don't you just love when you can get extra use out of something you don't use anymore!

My school's focus this year is on improving writing instruction across the curriculum. One thing we have been encouraged to implement in our classroom is Writing Workshop. While I do love using it in my classroom, I often find that the one component that is the most difficult for me to keep up with is the closing. Silly I know, but by the end of writing I always feel like I am out of time and, while I know how valuable the closing to a lesson is, it's the one thing that I find myself leaving out. Does anyone else struggle with fitting it all in too? When I do manage to remember the closing, I choose two students who were working really hard to present their writing in our "Share Chair". Really it's just my chair that I usually sit in during read alouds, so they are always excited to be able to sit in the teacher's chair. I give them these visors to wear while they share to add to the novelty. When they finish reading their writing, the class gives them two glows {compliments} and a grow {a way to improve}. 

For Christmas, I used a reindeer visor that I found at Home Depot for our Share Chair. Oh the cuteness! I hope to find more for other seasons/holidays too!

What do you do to add novelty into your lessons?

Science Experiments in the Classroom

Do your kiddos love hands on science experiments as much as mine do?! Let's face it, our little learners love to play. Science experiments are fun! If you do it just right, kids think they are doing nothing more than playing. What they really are doing is experiencing learning with real world application. 

As much as I love doing experiments in class, sometimes they just.don't.work. I don't have a hot plate to bring to school to melt my chocolate to show how matter changes from one state to another. I don't have an incubator to show my kiddos the life cycle of a chicken. I don't have tiny little race cars to show students the relationship between force and motion. So what do teachers do?... They improvise! If you ever feel like me and have that constant battle between wanting students to experience things in real life and having little to no materials to make that happen here are a couple of things I do instead...

Perform experiments at home and take pictures {or videotape yourself if you're brave}. 

I took these pictures at home, then created a quick Power Point to show my class. As I went through the Power Point, students recorded what they saw and made predictions of what would happen next based on prior knowledge they had. The kiddos were super excited {and surprised} to see me pull out the finished product for them to sample!

Use YouTube! Here is a video that I use to show how trees change from one season to the next.

Neither of these ideas are new, but are just some of the things I use in my classroom to make.it.work!

Teacher confession: Sometimes it overwhelms me trying to figure out how to manage and gather the supplies. At my school, teachers don't get supplies for experiments. Anything we need to perform an experiment has to be bought by the teacher. I'm super lucky in that I have wonderful parents that are willing to donate supplies and/or volunteer their time to our classroom! I use SignUp Genius to help me organize my supplies. It is so easy to use and helps me to stay organized!

Now, I did have the opportunity to perform many experiments with my class. Thanks to parents for donating supplies and coming in to help us with our experiments, our week of matter fun went off without a hitch!

{All experiments come from Hope King's matter unit that you can find here.}

Retelling Fiction Text and a Freebie

Fiction text are so much fun to read, but when it comes down to having your little learners retell what they just read or *GASP* write a summary of what they just read, all the fun just gets sucked out! Am I right, or am I right?! Ha! 

In all seriousness, retelling and summarizing can be a daunting task for a first or second grader. By the end of our study, my second graders were rocking retelling, but that does't mean that there weren't a few lessons that I began to think there is no way they are going to be able to do this on.their.own. Independently and consistently are two words that come up repeatedly on our standards based report card. Those two words can be scary when all you want to do is give your kiddos guidance and support. 

So what do I do to help my kiddos master retelling and summarizing independently and consistently? 

Of course I start off with modeling over and over and over what the expectations are, but I know you already know that so here is one tip that I have to help get your kiddos off on the right track... Start small!

I always begin the year with questioning and I spend many a lesson on each of the six question starters {who, what, when, where, why, and how}. By doing this, by the time I get to retelling, my kids are use to identifying and analyzing characters, setting, problem, and solution. 

I also use a retelling rope to help my kids visualize this process. Here is my pirate style version. No reason for pirates other than this clip art from Creative Clips is just too.darn.cute! 

My retelling rope is next to the "I "mustache" you a question!" poster. 

This is one of my student's retelling ropes. The knot at the top symbolizes the problem and the bow symbolizes the solution. 

I also make an anchor chart to go along with it just in case some of my friends forget what each picture represents.

After reading several books as a class, I let my students choose books from their book bucket to retell on their own. 

First I let them work with a partner to retell their story aloud so they can listen to their retelling and self-monitor if they are missing any important information from their story. Then, I have them record their thoughts on a retelling graphic organizer.

If you'd like a copy of my pirate retelling rope, click here.

{Graphics: Creative Clips, Fonts: KG Fonts}

After my students have a firm grasp on retelling, we move into summarizing the beginning, middle, and end of a story. 

I just used a graphic organizer I had found from another packet, but you could always have your kids write their summary in their reading journal. 

If you'd like a copy of the BME chart labels you can find them here.

{Font: KG Fonts}

What do you do to teach your kiddos how to retell and summarize?

BIG NEWS and a SALE!!!

Oh my, it's been awhile since I've visited this poor little ol' blog of mine. Sometimes life just gets in the way, ya know?! 

Some of you who follow me on Instagram may have already seen this, but we are so excited to announce that we are expecting our first little one {not of the furry kind} in May of 2015! We have so much to be thankful for and feel so incredibly blessed! 

After spending much treasured time with my sweet family over the Thanksgiving holiday, I did manage to get out late Friday night for a little Black Friday shopping. I *may* have went out yesterday for a little Small Business Saturday shopping as well. So, it's only fitting that I indulge in a little Cyber Monday shopping while I'm at it! Personally, I am looking to check everyone off of my Christmas list. {Yes, I'm that person who has to be finished with Christmas shopping three weeks in advance. I just love the way wrapped presents look under the tree, don't you agree?!} I'll also be spending some cash over at TPT. I know my wish list runneth over on clip art. IT'S AN ADDICTION! I guess there could be worse things to be addicted to right?! Ha! 

{Thank you to Jen Jones at Hello Literacy for the cute Cyber Monday graphic!}

My little shop will be on sale for 20% off Monday and Tuesday. That's right... two whole days of Cyber Monday goodness will be happening at TPT. Using the code TPTCYBER, you can get an additional 8% off your purchase! You don't wanna miss this sale! 

This how to writing product is one of my favorites and is my best seller. I'll let you in on a little secret, I will be updating this product with new graphics, fonts, and topics by the end of December. You may wanna go ahead and snag this one at it's original price!

My Noble Nouns product was the subject of my most recent product makeover and I cannot be more pleased with how it turned out! If you head over to my shop to check it out, make sure you download the preview file for a freebie!

As soon as we return from Christmas Break, I will be diving right into our fairy tale unit. I can't be more excited because it's one of my favorite units to teach. I will be using my Little Red Riding Hood supplemental activities to compare different versions of this classic fairy tale. 

This Early Finisher product has been so helpful for me and my students. I believe it is so important for students to reflect on their learning on a daily basis! I've received some of the sweetest feedback from buyers using this in their classroom and it could not make me more happy!

I truly love to blog and share various happenings in my life with others! I am thankful for all my readers and I hope to keep up more regularly with my little slice of the internet!

September Math Centers

I know, I know... the end of September is next week. This month really caught me off guard and flew by! I'm just now uploading my September Math Centers to my little shop, but if you're like me and are going to drag out your apple fun a little bit longer, head on over to check them out. 

Here students will choose one number from each basket. They will then subtract their smaller number from their bigger number to find the difference. I have also included one-digit numbers.

Don't the apple baskets make it more fun?! 

Here students will sort each equation by whether the difference makes the equation true or false. I also included simpler equations that I plan to use with my struggling kiddos.

I also included a place value center, a word problem center and a measurement center. Each center can be differentiated to fit the needs of your kiddos.

Head on over to my TPT shop to snag this product for 50% off! I figured that's the least I could do since I uploaded these centers so darn late! Ha!