Among the Hidden

Bulletin Board for the book; Among The Hidden
Students used metacognitive stem; I'm Wondering before, during and after they read the book. Each student wrote what they were wondering on sticky notes before they started reading the book, after each chapter, and when they were done reading the book. After each chapter we viewed the questions from the sticky notes and the students answered the questions that they could. The students discovered that their comprehension improved when they asked questions as they read! Also, view the post on my blog; Thoughtful Readers Ask Questions As They Read for ideas on how to teach this strategy.

Student blog on ways Luke could try to change the law

After the students wrote the blog, other students made comments on sticky notes.

Synthesis

Teachers and students can create lessons using this app; Educreations. This is an app that is a whiteboard that you can create lessons by drawing or you can use pictures like I did below. Students can make lessons: such as explaining place value etc 

My students watched the short video on synthesis from Educreations that I created. Next,  I modeled the strategy using one of Chris Van Allsburg's books.  As I read the book, I used metacognitive stem, I'M THINKING, and stopped at various parts and said "I'm thinking  _______, Now I'm thinking ______, Now I'm really thinking _______, I'm getting it now, I'm thinking _______".  Then, I read another Chris Van Allsburg's book and stopped at various points and had students write on whiteboards what they were thinking.  Finally, students will practice the strategy during guided reading.

Comprehension/Aha!

Checking Comprehension Using Highlighter Tape

Figuring out the answer to a question is like turning on a light bulb.  Aha, now you know the answer to that question.  I call it the aha moment.  To aid student comprehension I have students predict or infer what they think the title of the chapter means. When inferring, they are to use the clues from the book.  The clues encompass words in the title,  pictures, and what has been happening in the story up to this point in the book.  The students are each given pieces of  highlighter tape and are instructed to put it on parts of the book that explains the title of that chapter.  Students may have different answers, that's ok if their answer makes sense. Then each student explains their reasoning for where they put their tape. This is an easy way to check comprehension using a manipulative.  

Higher level thinking: have students create a new title for the book or chapter.

Teaching Compound Words Using Tae Bo

Teaching compound words with the movement of tae bo.
Tell students if they come to a compound word that they don't know how to read, they can figure out either part of the word first.  Cover up one part and read the other part.  In the video the students punch out each word part and then put their hands togethers, because when you write a compound word there is no space between the two parts.
Use higher level thinking and have students create a new compound word.

Thoughtful Readers Ask Questions As They Read

Uses Metacognition Stem: I'm Wondering
To introduce the strategy of students asking questions when reading, or what they are wondering; place a bag with something in it and show it to the students.  Ask students what are you wondering?  Students will say; I'm wondering what is in the bag? I tell students that when they ask questions, their brains are thinking. I then tell students that  asking questions or stating what they are wondering as they read is a strategy to understand the story. I model the strategy by reading a picture book and stopping at various points and telling them what I am wondering.
This is a video of a teacher introducing the strategy of asking questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGio3Bk1wj4
Next, give students sticky notes.  Tell students that thoughtful readers ask questions BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER reading.  I read the book; Maggie and the Pirate by Ezra Jack Keats.  Students wrote questions, or put I'm wondering if... BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER the reading of the book on the sticky notes.  They placed the sticky notes on the poster.  Example of questions; BEFORE:  Where do they live?  Are the pirates mean?  What do the pirates do? I'm wondering how old the pirate is.
DURING:  Why do they live in a bus?  Will they find the cricket?  Why did the pirate take Niki?
AFTER:  I'm wondering if  they going to all be friends?  Will she like her new cricket?  Is Maggie happy now?
 After reading, have students take  the sticky notes off and answer the questions.  GREAT MANIPULATIVE!  Students will be able to answer the questions and understand the story by this strategy.

Character Traits

Teaching character traits gives students insights into what a character might do.  In the Magic Treehouse Books; Jack writes notes about the places they are going to visit and likes to be prepared.  We see this trait through out the books where he is cautious before going to a new place and as he travels around in the new place.  To teach character traits, I read the book, The Farmer, by Mark Ludy and used the anchor chart above.  I told the students that what a character does, gives us evidence to describe a character trait.  I read a page or two of the book, The Farmer, and stopped and asked the students; what did the farmer do, and what character trait would that be.  Examples from the book would be; he scratches the cow and is affectionate; he pulls the weeds and is a hard worker; he replants his crops and is persistent and patient; he takes care of the animals when a disaster strikes and is brave and caring; he gives food to his neighbors and is helpful and unselfish.
After I read the story we discussed if the farmer and the Frumps were flat or round.  Flat means the character stayed the same, and round means they changed.  We thought that the farmer was flat because he always worked hard, was loving and caring throughout the story.  We thought that the Frumps were round.  In the beginning of the story they were careless and selfish.  At the end of the story they were giving and kind.
Ex. of character traits are: silly, honest, selfish, gentle, considerate, hostile, cruel, friendly, creative, inventive, lazy, persistent, bossy, daring, adventurous, brave, timid, mischievous, wise, and cunning.
Also, discuss with your students the motivation of the character. What did the character want, and what did the character do to try to get it.  In the book Swimmy, the fish wanted to survive.  In order to survive they worked together as a team. WHEN DISCUSSING CHARACTER TRAITS AND MOTIVATION OF THE CHARACTERS, IT WILL IMPROVE STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY!

Character traits from Swimmy using wordle
Next, read a different book and have students come up with character traits.  Above, the students made fish out of paper plates and wrote character traits using wordle.  Then I put them up on a bulletin board. 

Character traits of Pa Ingalls

Anchor Chart: Books Follow Patterns

This anchor chart is made with a file folder and post it notes.  Tell students that our brains are like file folders.  Everything we know is stored in our brains. This is called our schema. There are things that we know.  We know that if we go to a grocery store, there is food.  We know that libraries contain books.  We know that a zoo has animals.  Fiction books contain patterns.  We know they contain; characters, setting (the problem is influenced by where the story took place and when; such as in the past / present/ or future), conflict (CLIMAX), resolution (not all stories have resolutions / pay attention to how the characters try to solve the problem) and author's message.  The post it notes can be taken off of the file folder and a student can identify part of a story, such as the characters, and put it back on the file folder.

Comprehension Check with Eggs

Comprehension Check With Eggs

Put questions into plastic eggs. Great manipulative! Questions:   What surprised you about this book?  What could be another title for this story?  What is the author's message?  What words helped you to visualize this story?  Was the main character flat  (stay the same) or round (change)?  What are some character traits of the main character?  What was the conflict of the story?  What connections can you make to your life?  What connections can you make to history or the world?  What is the resolution in the story? What is the setting? What is another problem the character could of had? 

Word Work With Wiki Sticks

Students practice  spelling words by making them with wiki sticks.  This can be done on paper or a plastic mat.  Next, students place a white sheet of paper over the wiki sticks and make a crayon rubbing.

Visualization

Visualization

Visualization is seeing images in your mind as you read. It involves all of your senses.   It is like seeing a movie in your mind.  Visualization will enhance students reading comprehension.  To teach visualization, read a book and stop periodically and describe to students what you see. Next, read a book and have the students describe what they see.  This is a great site with videos to enhance your lesson.   http://reading.ecb.org/teacher/visualizing/index.html 
A visualization activity to do after reading a book is called split image.    Have students draw an image from the book with oil pastels.  The students then take a Kleenex or Qtip and smear the colors around.  This is a link to a video that teaches how to use oil pastels.  http://www.ehow.com/video_2381514_blend-oil-pastels.html  When they are done, they cut the picture into thirds, making straight cuts down.  Next, they paste it onto colored paper leaving a space between. These pictures can then be used as a class bulletin board with visualization as the heading.

Split image art activity

Another art activity that corresponds to visualization involves character puppets and paper bag setting.  Students draw the setting onto paper bags.  Then they draw the characters on paper and glue them onto a popsicle stick.  Next, the students  retell  part of the story  with the puppets and setting.   These pictures can also be used as a bulletin board.

Character puppets and paper bag setting

Stamp A Story: Teaching word choice

The multicolored rainbow glistened in the blue sky.

First, read aloud a book that is rich in word choice and point out the descriptive language to students.  Next,  students look up synonyms in a thesaurus and write them down on a foldable. Then, I write sentences and model for them how I would change the sentences to make it sound more interesting. Then, the students make a picture with stamps and crayons and  write 3 sentences to go with their picture. The students edit their sentences by adding or changing words using the thesaurus and their schema. Last, the students make a picture with ink stamps and crayons.  Then, they write a story and edit it with a thesaurus and their schema. Stamp a story can then be used as a center or daily five activity!

                                                  Students write synonyms on a foldable

WORD WORK WITH SANDPAPER

It's easy, fun, and increases retention!  Students put sandpaper underneath white paper.  Next, the students write spelling words with crayons on top of the white paper ( the sandpaper is underneath). The students take away the sandpaper and trace over the letters with their fingers and say the letter names or letter sounds. They will be able to feel raised bumps when they trace the letters.  Students can: trace and chant, trace and whisper or trace and say. 

students write spelling words on top of white paper with sandpaper  underneath

students trace with their fingers and say letter names

Sticky Hand Prefix Game

STICKY HAND PREFIX GAME; WORD WORK

TEACHER:   First, I wrote words with  the prefixes pre, un, dis, mis and re on heavy paper.  On the back of each card I wrote the prefix and the meaning; pre/before, re/again, un/not, mis/wrong and dis/not. When teaching the students I explained that adding words in our schema (learning more words) helps us to be intelligent (helps us to be smarty pants).   I told the students that a prefix comes before a word and changes the meaning of the word.  Then the students repeated, " a prefix comes before a word and changes the meaning of the word."  Then, we read the words on the cards as a class and discussed their meanings.  Ex. Re means again; Rewrite means to write again. Ex. Un means not,  Unwise means not wise.  Then, I showed this video from utube on prefixes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRdMYuNeAng&feature=related
Next,  I had students partner up and teach each other everything they know about prefixes.  During this time, they look at each other and take turns telling the other everything they know about prefixes.  They would say what they remembered from the lesson I taught, what they learned from the video and everything else they know about prefixes.  GAME:  Students went in groups of 7. I spread the words out on a table or floor.   One student picks up a word with the sticky hand ( I bought them from Oriental Trading Co.),  keeps that card and passes the sticky hand to the next person.  Then, that person is  to write a sentence using the word they picked up.  They can look at the back of the card if they can't remember what the prefix means.  When they are done writing their sentence, they put the word back on the table or floor with the other cards in order to get another turn.  The sticky hand is passed around in a circle to each person.  They miss their next turn if they don't have their sentence written. This was one of the best authentic  activities I've done this year.  

Sticker Story

Sticker Story; students love, love, love this!

Students make a picture with 4 stickers, crayons and markers.  When they are done with their picture, they are to write a story to go with their picture.  Students love to do this and are motivated to write a story. When they are done writing their story, they are to use the thesaurus to make their story more interesting.  

How to teach Nonfiction Books

Anchor Chart for Teaching Nonfiction   

Students need to be taught how to read nonfiction books!
The author's purpose for writing nonfiction is to give information and sometimes to persuade the reader. I made this anchor chart by utilizing pictures from books, you could also obtain pictures from the net.  

Bulletin board using anchor chart

Bulletin Board Using Deeper Meaning Anchor Chart

HIGHER LEVEL THINKING; ANALYSIS OF THE TMEME OR DEEPER MEANING

To make this bulletin board I utilized deeper meaning anchor chart above.

Next, I read the picture book, The Librarian of Basra,  to my students.  On one paper the students wrote down the conflicts of the story.  On another, they wrote down the setting of the story.  On another, they wrote down character traits of the librarian. To figure out the character traits the students focused on what the librarian did and that translated to a character trait.  Ex. She saved the books even when the governor told her not to; so she was brave. On the bottom of the board, the students wrote the deeper meaning of the book. To find the deeper meaning the students focused on what the characters did that was good and bad.  Ex. A war was started, so the deeper meaning was peace.  Ex. The librarian saved the books, so the deeper meaning was that books are the key learning. This bulletin board can then be used as a spring board, when teaching comprehension of other books.  It is easy to do! It  is meaningful, and the students have ownership in it.  Most of my bulletin boards this year relate to reading comprehension and can be used K-12th grade.

Author's Message

Teach author's message with this anchor poster.  

Higher level thinking analysis.

I made this poster with bubble letters from the computer and colored it with crayon. When teaching author's message I refer to the anchor poster above. I tell the students that the author's message, is a message that they can apply to their own lives. The author's message is the big idea of the story.  Even though a book may have animals as characters in the book, the message from the book can be applied to their lives.  To figure out the author's message, the students need to think about what the characters in the story did right and what they did wrong.   When teaching the author's message, practice it by reading several short stories.  It will take practice.  There can be several answers for each story and students may think of a message that the teacher did not (that's exciting).  When teaching author's message, you are teaching higher level thinking skills!
Examples of books and author's  message:
The Little Red Hen: To obtain things in life, you need to work hard ex. if you work hard in school you will obtain a great education ; the golden rule
The Farmer by Mark Ludy : Persevere when something is difficult and you will get through it; be kind to others even when they are not kind to you; hard work pays off; help others; be kind to people and animals; be thankful to God for what you have; pray in good times and bad times
Swimmy by Leo Lionni:  When you have a problem try to solve it; enjoy nature; teamwork
Little House On The Prairie by Laura Ingals Wilder:  Don't judge a whole group of people by the actions of some; persevere; you can get enjoyment out of the simple things in life

Doubling rule using wikki sticks

STUDENTS LEARN THE DOUBLING RULE IN  SMALL OR LARGE GROUPS USING MANIPULATIVES; WIKKI STICKS AND SMALL SQUARES OF PAPER WITH V (FOR VOWEL) AND C (FOR CONSONANT) ON THEM!

Teacher directions:  If you are doing this as a center; write the rule on an envelope and give an example.  If you are doing this as a large group, write the rule on the board.   IF THE WORD ENDS IN VC (vowel/consonant), DOUBLE THE LAST LETTER OF THE ROOT WORD AND ADD ING (THE SUFFIX). IF THE WORD ENDS IN CC (consonant/consonant)  JUST ADD ING (THE SUFFIX) TO THE BASE WORD. Next, if you are doing this as a center, write words on paper strips that you want them to  add a suffix to. Ex. slip, swim, walk.   If you are doing this as a large group, you can write words on the board.  Next, cut wikki sticks the length to underline 2 letters. Then, cut 3 small squares of heavy paper for each student. On  one square write the letter V (for vowel),  and on 2 squares print the letter C (for consonant) on each.

Student directions:  Students underline the last two letters of the  base word with the wikki stick from one of the words written on paper strips.  Next, they put the small squares on top of the two letters they underlined ( VC if the last two letters are a vowel/ consonant or CC if the last two letters are both consonants).  If it is a VC the students double the last letter of the base word and add ing (the suffix). If it is CC the students just add the suffix. Students write their answers on white boards or paper.  Next, they turn the paper  strip over and check it.  They make corrections if they need to and then write a sentence with that word.
Accountability:  The teacher checks their answers from the white board,  or paper. Therefore, if they use a white board they put all of their answers on the board and don't erase it until the teacher checks it.

Doubling rule 

Plurals center s or ies: check with magnetic wand

Fun, students check with a magnetic wand

Plurals center with magnetic wand

Teacher directions:  On the outside of an envelope write the rule.  If the word ends in a vowel y (VY) students add s to the word.  If the word ends in a consonant y (CY) students change the y to i and add es.

Next, write words on strips of paper that students are going to change into a plural, and write the answers on the back for students to be able to check.  PUT A PAPER CLIP ONTO EACH STRIP SO STUDENTS CAN TURN IT OVER WITH THE MAGNETIC WAND TO CHECK / THE FUN FACTOR.

Student directions: A group of students write the word on a white board or paper and underline the last two letters and put the code on top (CY OR VY).  NEXT, they add s or change the y to i and add es. Next, one student turns it over by touching the paper clip to the magnetic wand.  Students make corrections.

Teacher accountability:  Teacher check papers or white boards.

Plurals s or es Center

Plurals Center:  s or es

Teaching strategy:  Teach the students if the plural word makes a sssss sound like a snake, such as pots,  they just add s to the word.  If the plural word word makes an is sound, such as watches, add es.
Student directions:  Students say the plural word and listen to the sound.  They put a golf tee in a punched hole to indicate their answer.  Next, they turn it over and check. A star on the back indicates if it is correct.  Students can do this in groups where they all write their answer on a whiteboard and they take turns checking it.

Pancake Contractions

PANCAKE CONTRACTIONS CENTER:
Students can learn contractions in a fun way without doing a worksheet using paper pancakes, spatula and a fry pan!
How to make the center: Cut out white and brown circles and glue them together so that one side is white and one side is brown.  Next, on the white side, write two words that make up a contraction such as did not (uncooked side).  On the back, brown side, (which is the cooked side), write the contraction such as didn't .  I also write the student directions on the outside of the envelope that the pancakes go into.   I use a different color marker for the apostrophe so it will show up better.  Next, purchase a small fry pan and spatula.
Student directions: Students can do this center in groups.  Students need white boards, markers or paper and pencils.  One student puts the white side up of one of the contractions on the fry pan.  All of the students write down the contractions.  Then, the same student flips the pancake over, to the brown side.  The students check their answer and make corrections if they need to. Next, the students create a sentence with that contraction on paper.  The students take turns putting the pancakes in the pan and flipping them.  Students keep all of their answers on the white board.
Accountability:  The teacher checks the papers or white boards to make sure the students have them all correct.