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Connect learning with real life using projects and activities in upper elementary!

Fast Finisher Challenges

“I’m done.  What do I do now?”  Have you ever heard this phrase?  Better yet, have you heard this phrase during a guided reading group or math intervention group?  Aargh!

One of the most important things you can do is to teach students what to do so you never have to hear that phrase.

Decide what works for you with the materials you have.  Here’s what worked for me.

  1. Finish all Classwork.
    This is huge for me.  If you have unfinished work, you don’t have free time.  Students who have unfinished work often end up taking it home as additional homework (and incentive to finish classwork during the allotted time).  When students finish up their work early, I am happy to allow them to work on any unfinished work they may have.  They are continuing to learn in the process, and less homework to take home, feeing up precious after school time.
  2. Work on Homework.
    I’ve had different systems.  I’ve passed out homework on Mondays and it was due Friday and I’ve also passed it out Friday and homework is due the following Friday.  Regardless, I allow students to work on their homework when they’re finished with the current assignment.  I have found that this is a huge motivator because student’s have less to do when they get home after school, which means more free time with their families, sports, clubs, etc.
  3. Learn a Mastery Club Challenge.
    I can’t say how much Mastery club has saved my sanity over the years!  Mastery Club is student directed and very open ended.  Students get to choose from 86 challenges in 5 different subjects to further their knowledge base varying from name the 7 continents, name 15 mammals, score 100% on a grade level addition test, etc.  I allow students to learn and study and challenge that interests them and work in any order they choose.  Students love choice.  I also allow students to suggest personal challenges.  My personal favorite is the addition of the hall of fame. When students mastered 16 challenges, they received their name on the hall of fame wall.  I kept mine posted all while I taught 4th grade (it even made the move as I changed schools within my district).  This was a fabulous motivator as students loved to come back to my classroom year after year to see how they continued to rank on the hall of fame wall.
    Hint: You can get the whole Mastery Club unit ready to print and go unit here!
  4. Read Independently
    Encourage independent reading!  It doesn’t matter what book, picture, kids magazine, novel, etc.  As long as students are reading, I’m one happy teacher!  I also think it’s important to have a robust classroom library, because it makes picking out a book that much easier.  To start collecting books, check around at local garage sales, they are a very affordable place to pick up books.  I have often been able to get books for a quarter or less.  If you do book club orders, that’s another great way to build class sets of novels and books for your library.  Use your book order points.  I used Scholastic, Troll, and Lucky Book Clubs to build my library.  Another way to encourage independent reading is to bring in fun seating for reading.  Bring in camping chairs, a reading bench, carpet rectangle samples, and other fun spaces to allow students choice of reading location.
  5. Practice Math Facts
    When students are finished with work early, I love encouraging additional math fact mastery.  I use a variety of instructional techniques.  I find that flash cards, math “coloring” projects, and just plain and simple math worksheets are one of the most effective ways, but they have to be FUN for older kids to actually use them.  For online practice, I like Xtra Math.  It’s a free online math program where the teacher creates a classroom account for each student that allows them to practice their basic math facts online.  Then students log onto their individual account and do customized multiplication practice. Best of all, the teacher and parents get a summary of the child’s progress. Students can log on from home, too, so parents are happy to encourage math practice.
    Hint: If you’re looking for flash cards that kids think are “cool” check these out that encourage addition and subtraction fact mastery, and multiplication and division.
    Hint: If you’re looking for coloring sheets that reinforce math multiples, check these out here.
          
  6. Play an Educational Game Online
    I love when kids are learning without realizing it.  I have found that my students LOVE to play online games.  I have compiled a list of student friendly websites and games sorted by subject ranging from math, science, social studies, and beyond.  The best part, it’s all FREE!
    Hint: For the full list of FREE online student friendly educational games, click here.
  7. Organize your Desk (quietly!)
    We all know there are two types of students.  Those who keep their desk immaculate, and those who have stacks on stacks of paper, pencils, and books crammed in their desk where the lid barely closes.  For some students, getting time to clean out their desk and organize is great motivation, for others, well…you get the hint.  This one is hit or miss.
  8. Help a Classmate
    I allow students to buddy up when they are finished to help coach a friend through the remainder of their work.  The key here is coach.  I make sure that students know they are not doing the work for the friend but assisting them and answering their questions.  I find it helpful to have these helpful students sit at the front of the classroom as designated student ambassadors.  When students have questions they need assistance with they can approach the ambassador, and if the ambassador is unable to assist, students can then come see me.  This helps free up my time as well. I find this helps foster friendships and develop leadership qualities within my students.

How to Teach Scientific Inquiry and Prepare for Science Fair

It all starts with a question.  When you teach Scientific Inquiry the essential component to enforce with your students is to question everything.  All of our big discoveries, innovations, and new ideas come  from someone questioning the current beliefs with hopes to gain new knowledge, make something better or different, discover something new, etc.  In my classroom, that’s the most important ingredient.  When students start to question and wonder, they automatically start creating their own hypothesis, testing it, coming up with conclusions, and even re-testing their hypothesis.  Read on for some ideas to get students questioning, teaching the whole scientific process, and ideas for simple less mess science projects!

  • How to Introduce the Scientific Method
  • How to Teach Students to Question– This is the essential step in the inquiry process.  All science starts with a question and a “what if”.
    • Use everyday objects and ask students for other uses of a common item.  I like to get kids thinking by presenting with an everyday object as asking them what is it?  I further their questioning and thinking by asking what else it could be?  Example:  Start simple with a tennis ball.  Other uses could be a dog toy, something to go on the bottom of chair legs to make it quiet, a coin purse if you cut a hole in it, etc.
    • Use a common read aloud and question why the characters did what they did in the story.  A great book that I love to use the Jack and the Beanstalk.  There are many things that you can use as examples in the story to teach questioning, and surely your students will being to question too.  Example: Why did Jack trade beans for a cow?  What was he thinking?  Why did Jack think it was safe to climb the beanstalk?  Why did Jack break into the Giant’s home?  Why did Jack think it was okay to take things from the Giant?
      Hint: Here is a link to a youtube video of Jack and the Beanstalk.
    • Use demonstrations to spark questions.  A fun and visual lesson involves comparing densities of different liquids like water, oil, and corn syrup.  Have students pour each of the liquids into a jar and see how they layer on top of one another.  To add pizzaz, use food coloring to the liquids.    Use this to get kids asking questions.  Have students do this experiment and walk them through the scientific process as they conduct the experiment.
      Hint: Here is a link to a detailed lesson plan for comparing densities of materials.
  • Easy to Teach Hypothesis & Scientific Process
    • Present students with the question.  This takes one of the tasks away from students so they can focus on the hypothesis and experiment.  One that I find easy to implement in the classroom is the classic paper airplane.  I fold a typical paper airplane, and we measure how far the plane flies.  Then I ask students, how can we get the plane to fly further?  Students then make their predications/hypothesis.  Some ideas I’ve found kids like to test are changing how the plane was folded, the weight of the paper used to make the plane, cutting the wings of the plane, adding weight to the plane with paperclips, etc.  Then as a class, we pick a few options to test and again measure the distance.  Once we have our distances, we compare and draw conclusions based on the changes we made and either support or refute our hypothesis.
  • Teach Students to Record Evidence as they Conduct their Experiment 
    • Write it down!  Record it!  To have a good science experiment it must be repeatable.  This means students need to write down the steps precisely and accurately.  Start with an expository writing assignment and ask students to explain how to make something like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a veggie wrap, or how to cook French toast, etc..  Then, bring in peanut butter, jelly, and bread. (**Be cautious of peanut allergies before doing this with your class.)  Have the student who wrote the  steps read them while a classmate follows directions exactly as they were written.  Watch the laughs!  This is fun and helps demonstrate the need for precise writing.
    • Use the analogy of a defendant and his/her attorney in court using evidence to convict or prove the innocence of someone.  Before the jury can decide the guilt or innocence of the defendant on trial, the evidence presented by the attorney must be enough to tilt the scales of justice.  The evidence in the forms of written statements, photos, physical evidence, data, charts, and anecdotal notes helps build the case in court.  It’s the same in science inquiry, you have to have evidence to support your hypothesis in order to support or refute, just like in the judicial system.  Scientists don’t just say, “Trust me, I know t’s true.”  They have to have PROOF to back up their claims.
  • Give Lots of Opportunities to Practice Doing Experiments
    • Hand washing: Connect with your school nurse and ask him/her to help you do a hand washing experiment to see how germs are spread.  Nurses may have access to a special UV light foam that kids can put on their hands to simulate germs.   Prior to touching anything shine the UV light on it to prove how clean it is.  Then ask students to touch the object and repeat shining it with the UV light.  You can also have kids put the foam on their hands, then wash their hands to see how good of a job they do washing hands.  They’ll know they did a good job if their hands don’t react to the UV light, if they do, they need more hand washing!  You could also use this as an opportunity to ask more questions, does the length of time washing my hands impact the cleanliness, will just water clean my hands does the kind of soap used change the cleanliness of my hands, etc.
      Hint: Here is a link to a CDC lesson on hand-washing.
    • Another idea is to see how germs on our hands affect bread, a slice of cheese, and a potato slice.  Get three slices of bread, three slices of cheese, and three slices of potato and nine zipper plastic bags (three for each food type).  Use a glove to place one slice of bread into a bag.  This is the control group.  For the second slice, wash your hands and then place the bread into a bag.  For the third slice, allow each student in the group to touch the bread before placing it into the bag.  Repeat this process using a slice of cheese and then again using a potato slice.  In students’ science journals, ask them to record the date you began the experiment, the steps you took to do the test, and write daily observation notes in a table.  Take photos if you can and post them day by day.  Watch what happens!
  • How to Tie it All Together
    • Throw a Class Science Fair!  Allow students to come up with their own question and hypothesis.  Then let them carry out their experiment and draw conclusions.  Kids have a blast creating their own project.  The key ingredient to this is ensuring that it’s simple enough for kids to complete on their own without parents.  Here are a few ideas to spark student interest: .  Once students have completed the process, they document their findings, and present their project at your class science fair.
      Hint: Need help throwing a science fair but not sure where to start?  Here is a link to a science fair lesson ready to use.

Christmas Activities in the Classroom (and Other Holidays)

The holidays are quickly approaching…and student attention spans are quickly fading.  Do you notice more behavior issues around the holiday season?  Decline in attention span?  Decline in engagement in activities?  Kids are just so excited for the holiday season and break from school…can you blame them?!  Below are a few ideas to keep kids engaged and learning all the way up to Christmas (& other holidays) break. I found that these few simple, easy to implement, and free ideas help to bring attention back to the classroom in a fun and engaging way during the holiday season.

  1. Adopt a Buddy Class and Read Together
    I taught fourth grade, and we had first grade reading buddies.  During the holiday season, we buddied up our first graders to do buddy reading.  I let my students pick any book to read, because it allows for inclusion of all holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, and those who choose not to celebrate a holiday.  Students practice reading their chosen book to a classmate during reading time.  This allows them to hear a book, and also practice their reading skills.  Once they have practiced, we have a “buddy reading party” our first grade partner class.  The students LOVE getting to buddy up and “teach” their little buddies, and their first graders look up to them like they’re celebrities!
  2. Countdown to Holiday Vacation
    Embrace the time prior to vacation by counting down the days with themed days in the classroom!  I like to start about 1-2 weeks before vacation.  Theme each day, such as wear red day, bring a stuffed animal to school day, thank a staff member day, etc.  My personal favorite to include in the countdown is thank a staff member day.  It reminds students to be thankful during the holiday season, and allows them to express thanks to someone they appreciate (all while sneaking in those writing skills)!
  3. Compare and Contrast a Holiday Movie and Book
    My personal favorite to compare and contrast is using the Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.  I just love that book and movie!  They’re so different, this task is perfect to sneak in some reading skills.  I like to read the book first to students as a read aloud then show the movie.  Try using a simple Venn diagram and challenge students to fill in their diagrams, then have a class discussion.
    Hint: Here is a link to a reading of the Polar Express on YouTube.
  4. Decorate a Christmas Math Tree
    Put up a butcher paper Christmas tree on your bulletin board.  Then challenge students to create presents to go under the tree.  Each  student designs their own present made out of graph paper.  Ask them to calculate area and perimeter of the present they have designed.  You can use 3D boxes and incorporate fractions, asking them to calculate what percentage of the package is a certain color.  You could also calculate what percentage of the package is covered by ribbon.  The possibilities are endless.  Decorate ornaments for the tree in geometric shapes, and have students again calculate area and perimeter.
  5. Make a Class Wishes Paper Chain
    Have students each decorate a strip of paper to add to the class paper chain.  On the strip of paper have students write down their wishes (either for presents they want to receive or things they hope happen on vacation).
  6. Teach About a Famous Artist and Have Students Emulate the Artist’s Work
    My personal favorite was to teach about Grandma Moses & Norman Rockwell.  I like to use this as a time to introduce the artist, their accomplishments, and life.  Once students have learned about the artist, I have them create an art piece using the same style that the artist drew or painted in.  You can use the completed works of art to make a holiday themed bulletin board.
    Hint: Here is a link to Grandma Moses’ biography.  Here is a link to Norman Rockwell’s biography.
  7. Create a Gift/Craft for Students to Give Their Families
    In my classroom we created something that all kids could create no matter what holiday they celebrated, think snow related crafts.  We made pine cone skiers.  I used a pine cone as the body, popsicle sticks for skis, a wooden bead or glass bead for the head, pom-pom for the hat, pipe cleaners for the arms, and then placed a variety of other materials out for students to embrace their creativity.  There are many other crafts you can do, such as snowflakes, handprint art, clothes pin snowmen, etc.
  8. Give Students the Chance to Color!
    Allow students to get their creative juices flowing and color.  I liked to use math multiples that ask students to color in spaces based on the multiple or common multiple.  Kids don’t realize that they’re learning because they’re having so much fun coloring!
    Hint: Here’s a great Christmas/winter coloring set that integrates math multiples!
  9. Implement a Reward System for Good Behavior
    When behaviors spike during the craziness of December, it’s time to implement a brand new behavior system that kids love. It’s called the Holiday Bonus Box.  Who doesn’t love to enter a drawing and win something?  That’s what the Holiday Bonus Box is all about!  It’s a simple program that saves your sanity and keeps things positive during December.  Get a big (Costco size)  cereal box, cut hand-size hole in the top of the box and wrap it with a shiny red red holiday paper.  Add notes printed on red paper for fun rewards students will draw and win, things like sit by a friend for the day, use the teacher’s roller chair all day, be the line leader all day, and so on.If you’re up for some more fun, you also work to help your students with less than desirable behaviors to give them a chance to turn something negative into a positive.  You can implement the Grouch Box.  This box only works if you are super positive with this and know how your students tick.  It’s is not a punishment; rather, a fun way to get kids laughing and making better choices by doing a good dead to “undo” the grouchy deed.  Wrap this box with a grouchy green paper.  Add notes telling students thanks for being a good sport and to do something nice for others, like go wish the secretaries a happy day, to thank the custodians for all they do keep our school shiny and clean, and help the librarian organize books, etc.  Choose fun things that are acts of  kindness and other good deeds.  Kids love this and if they love it too much, (if you know what I mean!) you might need to pack it away until next year.
    Hint: Here is a link to an easy to implement Holiday Bonus and Grouch Box Behavior program
  10. Teach the Math and Language Arts of the 12 days of Christmas
    Use the holidays to sneak in tons of math, grammar, and geography review!  It’s a different twist on learning, and the thinking skills and review are much needed and are well received when it’s  holiday themed.  Best of all, when you use themed curriculum, students stay engaged and working right up until the holiday break.  Students go on vacation with positive vibes and smiles on their faces.
    Hint: Here is a link to a great 12 Days of Christmas Language Arts Lesson.
    Hint: Here is a link to a great math lesson about the 12 Days of Christmas.
    Hint: Here is a link to 12 days of Christmas Problem Solving

Enjoy time off and spend time with your loved ones.  Happy holidays, everyone!

Reasons to Teach Word Stems and Roots

Are you feeling the pressure of “teaching to the test” to ensure passing scores on those standardized tests?  I was too, until I stepped outside the box, and thought, why am I not teaching word prefixes and suffixes?  There is just no practical way to teach my students all of the vocabulary words they may possibly encounter when taking a standardized test OR in their reading novels.  Cue the entry of…WORD MASTERS.  I started teaching my students word roots and stems from day 1, and the results I saw were incredible, much improved test scores, and significantly improved reading comprehension, and confidence.   If you aren’t already convinced that word roots and stems are the best way to teach vocab, read on…

  1. Improved vocabulary comprehension.
    The English language is derived from Greek and Latin and many words that we encounter have meaning behind them that help us understand the word. By having an understanding of prefixes and suffixes, students can break apart the word into its roots, and make their best educated guess on the meaning of the word, no matter how familiar the term is.  For example, say a student is reading their favorite novel and comes across the word, barometer.  With understanding of roots and stems, students can deduce the meaning of the word, baro- meaning pressure -meter unit of measurement. Ah ha.  A barometer must be something relating to measuring pressure.
    Hint: Check out this 50 common roots and stems, meaning, and example photo below.  These word stems are included in my handy ELA lapbook for easy and quick student reference.
  2. Increased number of vocabulary words mastered.
    This is one that really hits home with me.  I used to teach 5 new vocabulary words each week.  In a 36 week school year that’s just 180 words.  And how many words are there in the english language?!  What in the world was I thinking?!  By using word stems and roots, students learn 5 new word stems and roots a week.  Okay, so they they still learn 180 new prefixes and suffixes a year…BUT how many words have the root aqua-, bi-, bio-, circum-?  A ton!  So in theory, students may learn the meaning of 20+ words a week by unlocking the meaning using prefixes and suffixes, that’s 720+ words a year vs. 180!!
  3. Improved test scores.
    Let’s face it, as teachers we constantly feel the pressure to improve student test scores.  Our success as a teacher is often defined by the test scores our students get.  The pressure was just too much for me to handle, and I knew there had to be a better way.  Far too often there are vocabulary words that tend to come out of left field on a test, and you’re thinking, shoot we didn’t learn that word!  Have no fear.  Using stems and roots allows students to unlock the meaning of those tough words, and make their best guess.  While they may only know a piece of the word, they can make an educated guess, rather than just sitting and staring.  Example: A student comes across a passage talking about pathology.  But with the help of Greek and Latin stems and roots, they know that -ology means “the study of.”  The student is able to deduce that the passage is talking about the study of something.  While they may still be stumped, kids are a few steps ahead in picking the correct answer, by understanding even just a part of the word.  This method has helped me improve reading scores tremendously.
  4. Word stems and roots transfer to other content areas. 
    It’s all about reading and writing right?  Think again!!  Word stems and roots cross all subject areas.  Math?  You bet!  Think about, centimeter, centi- means one hundredth, meter means measurement.  Voila!  Science?  You got it!  Hemoglobin, hema- means blood.  History?  Of course!  Antebellum, ante- means before, -bell means war.  It’s amazing how useful word stems are roots are for ALL content areas!
  5. Improved confidence with reading.
    With stems and roots, kids can stretch outside of their comfort zone with novels.  We all know that the range of reading levels in a classroom can be tremendous.  In my 4th grade classroom I had readers at the 1st grade level all the way to 8th+ grade level.  By learning word stems and roots, my readers started reading at a higher level, challenging themselves, because they were confident in their reading abilities.  Students knew that they could comprehend a harder text than what they were currently reading because they were confident that they could understand the vocabulary.

Helpful Hint: Are you ready to start improving student vocabulary skills but not sure how to get started?  Check out the Word Masters Unit featuring 36 weeks of lessons ready to print and go!  Here’s a little sneak peak at what’s included.

Helpful Hint: Want to try out Word Masters, but scared to take the leap?  Try one week FREE!

Understanding Story Elements

How do you help students understand story elements?  The plot diagram is a go to classic…but HOW are you using it?  I’ll give you a few tips to really knock this one out of the park.  Hint: It starts out with a read aloud picture book.

  1. Read a short picture book to your class (yes a picture book!)     
    I like to read my class a short little picture book that is interesting and captivates their attention (you will use this book to later teach the concepts of story elements).  Read the book before introducing the lesson.  It allows students to really enjoy the book and listen to the story without thinking about the lesson and story and getting lost.  This also helps to reinforce that reading ANY book is positive.  I find this really helps with my struggling readers, as they often attempt to pick up books far beyond their ability level, and spend more time staring at the pages than they do actually reading.  When students feel comfortable, they will read and reading helps them become better readers.  If you want to learn more about why I love picture books, See my previous blog post
    Hint: Here is a list of a few books that I enjoy teaching with along with a link to aYouTube read aloud.
    – “A Case of the Bad Stripes” by David Shannon.  Click here for YouTube read aloud link
    – “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister.  Click here for YouTube read aloud link.
    – “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!” by Jon Scieszka.  Click here for YouTube read aloud link.
    – “The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf.  Click here for YouTube read aloud link.
  2. Introduce the concepts of story elements
    I like to start out by introducing a plot diagram with all of the main story elements labeled and defined.  This helps give students a visual understanding of what they are going to learn.
    Hint: Click here for  a free story elements planner, and click here for a great ELA lapbook for quick student reference, with plot diagram. 
  3. Re-Read the picture book
    When you re-read the book, be sure to ask students to keep in mind the story elements they just learned.  I like to re-read the book again because students are now able to focus on story elements, rather than the suspense of the book, because they know what to expect.  By re-reading they really get to focus their skills on listening for the story elements.
  4.  Discuss the story elements
    Have students participate in a small group or partner discussion regarding story elements that they heard during the re-read of the story.  Then have a whole class discussion and sharing time.  I like to put a blank plot diagram on the board and write in student answers.  When students give answers regarding a part of the story and story element it goes with I ask them to explain their reasoning.  This helps guide dialogue in the classroom.
  5. Watch a short film
    I also like to reinforce story elements with a short film.  It’s another way to get their gears turning, and really helps your students who have a hard time connecting with reading, books, and written language.  I find that a video often really helps my struggling readers grasp the concepts, and my students have a BLAST watching a movie in school (all while learning, but shh we’ll keep that our little teacher secret).
    Hint: Here are 2 short films that you can find on YouTube that would be great to show your class, and have a good message behind them, “Soar” and “The Present”
  6. Give students book buddy partners and plot diagram a new book
    Buddy up students of varying reading levels. I prefer to buddy up my low readers with middle level and my middle level with high level.  This allows my students to mentor each other through the process.  I encourage students to pick out a second picture book to plot diagram.  At this point, students have had 2 chances to diagram out a story, and have improved confidence.  They also have a buddy to assist and help fill in the pieces they might be missing.  It also allows for a great opportunity for students to lead and guide others who may be struggling.
  7. Start a novel study
    Now that students have a good grasp on how to use a plot diagram and really understand story elements, they are ready to give it a try with a book that’s a little longer and more challenging.  Always remember to keep the novel within each students reading ability level to decrease frustration level and help foster the love of reading.
    Hint: If you’re looking a good way to start novel studies, check out this resource.

Make the Most of Indoor Recess

It’s the dreaded call over the loudspeaker…rainy day recess.  All sense of being productive, a moment to breathe, and a second to scarf down my lunch, out the window.  Or is it??  Here are few tips and tricks to make the most of rainy day / indoor recess to keep kids busy and give you back a few seconds of your precious time.

  1. Put on an educational video. 
    My personal favorite is Bill Nye the Science Guy.  It’s a wonderful show that teaches kids to love science and sparks their interest.  It also helps to keep their attention.  By the end of the year, I have kids begging for indoor recess to watch Bill Nye.  So much so that we started watching Bill Nye during lunch hour in our classroom!  I also really like the Schoolhouse Rock series and there’s tons of PBS Kids videos that sneak in some science, too!
    **Hint: Bill Nye Episodes are on Netflix if you have an account!
  2. Pull out your math manipulatives. 
    Why not make indoor recess an educational moment?  I love pulling out the base 10 blocks, tangrams, snap cubes, fake money, etc.  I find that kids get really excited about free play with the manipulatives.  After all, they are unlike any other “toy” they might have at home, and with a little luck, they are even learning and reinforcing math skills!  It’s a win-win for all.
  3. Allow kids to access online math games. 
    I was fortunate enough to have classroom with multiple classroom computers, and my students loved the opportunity to play “games” on the computer.  Again, squeezing in so much education during the rainy day recess.  How perfect is that?!
    **Hint: I have compiled a list of my favorite student friendly sites, check them out here.
  4. Allow silent reading in reading corner. 
    I find rainy day recess a great excuse to let kids curl up with a good book and read away.  I let kids pick any book, picture book, short story, novel, etc. because it helps build their confidence and curiosity with reading.
    **Hint: Interested in my favorite picture books to read?  Check out this post.
  5. Put on a just move video. 
    Losing time to run and play, kids often get squirley in the afternoon and have a hard time paying attention.  I typically notice more behavior issues in the afternoon after indoor recess.  How do I combat that?  Before we start work again, I find that kids like to move around.  I love putting on a video that kids can move and dance to.
    **Hint: Check out “The Learning Station” on youtube for lots of kid friendly song and dance.
    **Hint: Check out “Go Noodle – Get Moving” on youtube for more kid friendly song and dance.
  6. Allow students to be creative.
    Letting students be creative is the best way to nurture their growing minds.  I let kids use colored paper and white computer paper, crayons, markers, etc.  I try to limit the use of scissors during craft time, as my room looks like someone threw confetti all over at the end of the day if I let kids use scissors as they please.  Seriously, why do they love cutting paper into the tiniest of bits?!  If you do allow use of scissors, I try to create a very small “craft station” to limit the mess, and I set a timer 5 minutes before recess is over to ensure everything is cleaned up.
  7. Encourage Independent Learning.
    Indoor recess is a great time to let kids take charge of their own learning, however, try not to use indoor recess as a punishment to catch up on late or missing work.  So how do I get kids to use their time wisely and independently choose to catch up on late work?  I use Mastery Club in my classroom which allows students to learn about 86 different topics of their choosing.  Once they have researched and learned about the topic they can demonstrate their mastery.  Students love using the extra free time at recess to master their topic and add their name to the hall of fame.  Most students are so motived to participate! If a student has late work or missing work, they must finish that before they can “master” a challenge in Mastery Club.  I won’t ever stop a child from learning and researching, but the motivation is there to finish their late work to earn mastery of a challenge.
    **Hint: Interested in learning more about Mastery Club?  Check it out here.

Read Picture Books to Your Fourth Graders the First Week of School

I’m going out on a limb with a message I feel is super important. Don’t read a novel to your upper elementary students the first week of school.  Yes, really!  Don’t do it!

Instead, read picture books!  Read lots of them!  Picture books are fun!  They aren’t just for little kids.  Picture books are for big kids and adults, too.  Your school year together is going to be fun so shout it out by reading fun books (keep reading to find out my top 10 favorite picture books).  Model it by doing it.

The real reason to read picture books is to encourage students to read independently at their reading level.  Some of your students are not going to be good readers.  Some of your new students are excited for the new year but scared because they’re not good readers.  They know it, but they don’t want their friends to know it.  By reading picture books you take the focus off individual reading skills by asking ALL of your students to read picture books the first few weeks of school.  Silent reading can be silent torture for students who hold a novel of a much higher reading level than they are capable of reading.  It helps them “look” like a reader. But silently, they are staring at pages of words without meaning.  They are just waiting for the time to turn the page, timing it with their peers.  Silent reading is torture for struggling readers trying to save face.

During the first week of school, take all of your students to the library to check out and read picture books.  Tell them that’s their homework for the first week of school.  Have students fill out a story elements planner (get yours free here).  Picture books are a great way to teach and reinforce story elements.  Have kids record reading minutes in a reading log.  Back at school, don’t do “sharing”, do book reviews and let students tell their friends what their favorite picture books are, and why.Next, use picture books to teach literary story elements.  As you read, have students identify the setting, plot, characters, theme, conflict, resolution.  Discuss these when you’re finished.  Finding story elements will become second nature in no time.  (Click play to see inside the flip book.)

You can teach character traits through the use of picture books.  Picture book authors describe their characters in a short time period, so as you read aloud, have students identify the character traits and point to them on your character traits word wall.  This is a great way for you to point out the traits you expect for your year together.

As you read, connect the text and pictures, and ask students to relate the story to their lives (text to self).  Relate the story with other texts (text to text), and with the world (text to world).  Connecting deepens comprehension.

MrsRenzClassTopPicksBookList

Save a spot on your bulletin board to post an, “Our Top Picks Books List.”   Allow students to nominate, review and rate their books.  Have students fill out a short book review which they sign and rate from 1-10.  Students complete the information on the wall chart and add their rating sheet to the ring so others can flip through and find the written review.  Students LOVE to add their name to the wall and you will find that students read each others’ reviews to get book suggestions.  This gives struggling readers to great reason to read more books.

Keep reading to find out what books are my favorite and WHY!

Here’s my top picture books to read aloud to your third, fourth, and fifth graders the first few weeks of school.  NOTE:  I have links to Amazon.  I am not an Amazon Affiliate and receive no compensation. I am offering the links to help.

1)  Math Curse, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.  Math lovers will enjoy this book.  At the beginning of the year, I always poll my students on their feelings about math.  I’m always discouraged to hear that many students either don’t like math or it is their least favorite subject. I accept that as a personal challenge to turn that attitude around.  This book helps.  Math Curse is a fun story where a boy wakes up and sees math problems in everything he does.  Read it and point out real world math problems as you read it!

2)  Bad Case of Stripes, by David Shannon. This book tells of a girl who worries what others think of her as she picks out her first day of school outfit and later develops a case of the stripes. This story has a great theme, and in the end, she learns to be herself and not worry what others think.  You can talk about fitting in, being embarrassed, and trying to impress others.

While you’re reading, ask students to listen for the “great word choice”.  There’s lots of it!  Listen for similes and find the vivid verbs and awesome adjectives.  Listen and watch a video of the book at Storyline Online (12:00)

3)  The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith.  This book is just plain fun.  Students love the title.  I love it!  What kind of author says stuff like this?  I think it’s important as a teacher to have fun with your students.  You can accomplish a lot and gain trust with your students using laughter and by having fun.   Point out the writer’s use of voice.  If you’re teaching reading genres, read this when you’re studying fairy tales, folk takes, and fables.  Read the traditional stories and then read the versions in Stinky Cheese Man for a fun comparison.  See the book Amazon.

4)  Yo!  Yes?  by Chris Raschka.  This book has very few words but the message is big;  be a friend!  After reading the book, have a community circle talk about the message and its importance to a developing a positive classroom climate and culture.  Have students write a journal entry about what how to offer friendship to someone new.  See the book on Amazon.

5)  Thank You Mr. Falker, by Patrica Polacco.  This book tells the story of the author as a struggling reader.  At the height of the her struggle, the girl is a fifth grader and other kids are making fun of her.  Mr. Falker, her fifth grade teacher, works with her and helps her become a good reader.  The theme is never give up and hard work pays off.  The book is written from the third person point of view, but the story is actually about the author herself (first person), Patricia Polacco.  I love the message of this book.  You will have many students who can relate to the girl’s struggle.  Listen and Watch at Storyline Online (16:50):

6)  One, by Kathryn Otoshi.  This is a great book that highlights the importance of friends standing up to bullies. The characters in the book are colors, with blue being be main character and red being the bully.  The colors stand up and count.  This is a fun book with a great message.  Listen to Kathryn Otoshi read her book, One, while students act it out.

7)  That is NOT a Good Idea!  by Mo Willems.  This book is another simple, fun book that you will catch you off guard as it doesn’t end like you think!  Will the fox catch the hen?   It is great for making inferences. Be sure to have students predict how the book will end before reading it aloud.  You can have thoughtful discussions about assumptions of book. Relate it to making assumptions about new classmates as well.  Amazon link so you can see more of the book.

8)  What Do You Do With An Idea?  by Koki Yamada.  I suggest this book for the important message it sends.  You can change the world with an idea.  It teaches students to listen to their inner self and believe in their own ideas.  Our students have great ideas if we encourage them.  We don’t know it all, and can learn a lot from the students we teach.  See the book on Amazon.

9)  Salt in His Shoes, Michael Jordon in Pursuit of a Dream,  by Delores Jordan with Roslyn M. Jordan.   Michael Jordan’s mom and his sister tell this great story of Michael’s hard work, determination and courage to achieve his goal of being a great basketball player.  Michael’s mom puts salt in his shoes and has faith that Michael will grow taller and be a great player. Definitely relate this book to the struggles students may encounter during your year together.  Stress the importance of never giving up and continuing to work even though things may get difficult.  Winners never quit!  See more of the book on Amazon.

10)  The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein.  Shel Silverstein is a great writer.  I like the theme of this book. The tree loves the boy in the story unconditionally.  The boy takes from the tree until the tree has nothing left to give.  You can talk about the tree being generous and selfless and what it means to give to another in this manner.  Talk about point of view from the boy’s perspective and how it is different from the tree’s point of view.  Discuss the boy’s motives and discuss how he takes and takes from the tree and isn’t the best friend to the tree that he could be, yet the tree is truly happy in the end.  Again, good discussion to be had with your students.  Excerpt and short video from Shel Silverstein’s website.

~ What to Read Week Three and Beyond ~

After a few weeks of reading picture books, begin reading novels.  I like to read novels that students won’t typically pick up and read.  I like to assign novels that build background knowledge for science or social studies units.  A favorite is Bound for Oregon, by Jane Van Leeuwen, teaching about westward expansion and the Oregon Trail.  It teaches of life and difficulties along the trail and talks about trail landmarks so when we study the unit, students have a great foundation.

Periodically throughout the year, reintroduce picture books.  As you read great picture books, make note of what you could teach using the book and repeat it next year, too.  You will soon have a great read aloud program interspersed with picture books.

~ Accountability for Reading ~

   

Be sure to stress the importance of reading for fun and lifetime enjoyment.  Ask students to read at home and fill out a monthly reading log.  Students record the number of minutes they spent reading or the number of pages (your choice).  You can incorporate math skills by having students graph their results.  These reading logs also make great data collection tools!

What are your favorite picture books for reading to upper elementary students?

Don't Read a Novel to Your Students the First Week of School

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Celebrate Independence Day!

Extra, extra, read all about it.  There’s a FLASH 1 day only sale coming your way!!  In celebration of Independence Day, I am offering freebies and sales for followers of my blog, Facebook, and Instagram.  It pays to be a Mrs. Renz Class insider!!

These offers are good at Mrs. Renz Class TpT Store, and are good on July 4th, 2017 only.  Hurry in and grab your FREEBIES and discounted U.S. History and Presidential items while the deals are still hot!

Are you wondering what’s on sale?!  Check it out. 🙂


 

Happy Shopping!!  Please feel free to share this post with friends and co-workers and remember to leave positive feedback on items that you love, so these sales and freebies can continue.  🙂

Multiplication Mayhem – Teaching Multiplication Strategies the Easy Way

Are your students having a tough time grasping multiplication?  Do you find that your students are struggling to understand the basics?  I’ve watched far too many students walk through the door of my classroom saying,”I hate math” or “math is my least favorite subject”, which just broke my heart.  Math is near and dear to my heart and something that I find…dare I say, FUN?  Math is all around us, and multiplication is an essential skill that all kids should know.  Without multiplication, how are you going to tell how much you save from that spectacular sale at your favorite store?  Or how much you’re going to tip the waiter at dinner?  Or how much sales tax you’re paying?

Without the basic and fundamental skills to master multiplication, students get frustrated, defeated, shut down, and in turn dislike learning and school.  NOT in this teacher’s classroom!!  When students understand how to use their skills, they begin to feel confident, excited, and motived to continue learning.  And they too start to think math is FUN!!

So…I’m sure you’re asking HOW do I make math fun?!  HOW do I get students to understand multiplication?

  1. Teach the basics.  Yes, students do need to learn their times tables!  My best advice, practice, practice practice!  Paper and pencil, task cards, online math multiplication games, Boom Learning games, etc.  One of my favorites is giving students a pair of dice, rolling, and completing the multiplication fact based on the numbers on the face of the dice.  You can also do this with dominos!  Flash cards also work great to help students master their facts.  It’s also imperative that students understand their basic addition and subtraction facts prior to moving on to mastering multiplication as addition and subtraction play a role in multiplication with borrowing and carrying.  Try spinner addition and subtraction flash cards to help those struggling students master their facts (and it helps when the flash cards look the same so they fit in with their classmates)
  2. Connect math to real life!!  Help students make sense of WHY they are learning multiplication.  Motivation increases 2 fold when students understand the real life connection.
    Examples: Calculating how much an item is on sale, how much sales tax you are paying, how much to tip your waitresses
  3. Don’t teach tricks to get an easy answer.  Teach the math!  Tricks will be forgotten.  Logic will remain so students can reason out the task at hand.
  4. Put easily accessible references at their fingertips.   Help students become independent with their learning and take ownership rather than constantly asking for help, such as multiplication charts.  I also strongly believe in posting math vocabulary words on my wall.  This helps students understand the language of math.  If they understand what they are reading and being asked they are much more likely to be successful.  I LOVE my math word wall for this reason, and I know my students do too.  I constantly catch my students looking up at them and referring to them.  Ahh the beauty of allowing students to be independent learners. 🙂  Another great reference tool to put at the fingertips of your students is a math reference chart.  It is jam packed with all kinds of math reference tips.  This will help your students become more independent.  I also like sending reference charts home with students, so that parents can help their child with math skills that they may be more uncomfortable with.

  5. Provide students with ample opportunities to practice their skills in a non-graded way.  This helps provide students with the ability to practice without the associated pressure.  Math centers are a great way to do this. Students receive a task card at the center, solve, and self check using the answer key.
  6. Teach multiplication with body movements, visuals, stories, and manipulatives. Teach area when you teach the times tables.  You can relate words like 7 “by” 8 as 7 x 8.  For great visuals and stories, I love using Times Tables the Fun Way!  It’s a visual program with stories that students can relate to and remember the math facts.
  7. Teach other ways to multiply!  Use Lattice multiplication.  Area method.  Arrays. Partial Products. Grid method.  Traditional method. Using different methods allows students to choose the one they prefer. 

And remember….Make math fun and relevant!

Free Memory Books

I can’t even believe it’s THAT time of year again…the end of the year!  As you prepare to send your students off for the summer and on to the next grade, you want to make sure that you send them off with their memories in hand.

These FREE half page memory books are ready to print and go.  Students will reflect on the last year (and you get in some last minute writing practice!) and look back on their academic improvements, best memories, and can get signatures from their classmates.  As the year winds down, we know that teachers have so much to do with tons of things to do to get ready for report cards, end of year records, and readying your classroom for summer.  When you hand out memory books, students start busily writing down all of their memories and filling out all of the pages, which gives you so previous time to prepare for the summer!

Teacher Tip: Does your school do a yearbook signing day?  Do you have students who didn’t get a yearbooks and feel left out?  Problem solved!  I have found that when yearbooks come out there are always a few students who didn’t get to purchase a yearbook.  I printed off some of these memory books, and handed them to the students who didn’t have a yearbook.  On yearbook signing day, these kids felt included and were excited even though they didn’t get the official school yearbook.  They had their memory book that were able to ask their classmates to sign, and still had a great keepsake from the school year.Teacher Tip: Budgets running low at the end of the year? Paper supply running low?  We were always under a paper or copier count shortage at the end of the year so the smaller size was a fun size and helped our school budget!  I used whatever paper was left in the copy room, random color papers, and students loved that their book was multi colored!

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