Learn Like You Mean It!

 Check out my blog post about getting your students pumped up about learning those standards!

 

 

 

Read about it over at the iTeach Fifth blog!

Interactive Character Analysis-Makeover Madness

I'm very excited when a "party" motivates me to get some work done! :) I've been wanting to add to these posters for a while now, so thanks to the TPT Seller Challenge hostesses for getting my butt in gear!

NEWLY UPDATED:

Interactive Character Analysis Posters

I've been using my character analysis posters for a couple of years now and I decided I wanted to try to make my teaching of these 50 character traits more explicit. I designed these 1/2 page, quick to model graphic organizers for each character trait.

I think this 5 minutes of direct instruction will prove invaluable when discussing characters all year. The organizers will allow me to quickly go over the trait, definition, and behaviors/actions that a character would demonstrate with each trait. 

The "secret" to getting your students to use these interactive posters and identifying character traits on their own is...

Consistency.

In those first few weeks/months of school, you need to model/discuss these traits with every mentor text you share with your class. For some books you may share one trait, for others you may have more. My students find it interesting how popular tenacious or courageous become and don't want to let the other traits feel "left out", so they start trying to find mentor texts for me to share with characters exhibiting those traits. I seem to share a lot of texts that have characters that are determined, hopeful, and optimistic. As part of MY summer homework, I plan to find new mentor texts that have sly, fierce, or humorous characters. 

These posters are referred to all year-perfect for making connections and comparing characters across texts. They are highly visible in the front of our classroom and each Post-It that is placed on the posters is shared with the class. All thinking must be justified by using text evidence. This sharing time is crucial for all of my learners-it allows my struggling learners to hear that deep thinking and my advanced learners to debate if they think a character has a more prominent trait throughout the text. 

*I promise this sharing and learning  transfers over to their independent work.

Highly visible and USED, the word "interactive" means just that. I like pretty things hanging on my walls too, but if you hang things to be made as a visual or as a reference tool, then you need to model the "use" of them so your students will use them too. They are a tool for me and my students to use in our classroom (the placement of these posters are a constant reminder to all of us). Here are some samples:

There are three things we do in our classroom consistently with each text we share character traits, theme, and figurative language. It just becomes natural for my students to add/find these things on their own after a couple of months of school.

{Insert excited, dancing teacher who is looping with her class next year and should be able to start these things back up again on day ONE!! I can't wait to see how our routines will fall back into place and how we will take it to the next level!} Here is an example I typed up from last year.

This set includes 50 posters, but I only have 35 posted at a time. I change them out as they get filled to expose my students to as many higher level traits as possible. 

If you've purchased this product, download again for the added organizers. :)

Click here to check it out! 

You may have other purchases that have been revised too! Under you purchases, sort by "Recently Revised" and it will list all the products that have had revisions. The product may have additional pages/resources that have been added or a correction made.

Spring Ideas: Craftivity, Organizers, Free Bulletin Board

Spring is here...especially in Florida! I like to cheer up our learning with bright colors and theme related topics/decorations.

 

Even if you add the cuteness factor, you still need rigor! There's no reason not to have both! :) Check out these student theme samples from my Spring & Summer Reading Graphic Organizers pack.

I love their thinking! It's also interesting to me how almost all of my students compared the theme from Red Kite, Blue Kite to a different book we've shared. (Another great reason to have those Theme Boards to refer to!)

 

 

Want to try this Theme Takes the Cake in your classroom? Click the button below to download. If you like it, there's 27 more graphic organizers to enjoy!



Next is our Spring Reading Wreath & our Easter Reading Wreath:

My students complete their spring wreaths before the break using a fiction book (Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch). We will complete the Easter ones this week using non-fiction text.

I've had my students complete them on books read independently and whole class read alouds. My students really have to think to complete these adorable wreaths!

 

 

Pick up all 8 wreaths in a bundle for a huge savings.

Click the button below.

Finally, is a SPRING Into Reading Bulletin Board! Brighten up your classroom or hallway with this easy display. Each student completes a flower after reading and voila...instant bulletin board! A board of full of flowery book recommendations!

 

Are you wondering about the flowers in the corners of the bulletin board??! Of course you are! They're plates from Dollar Tree...aren't they darling?

Print flowers on bright colored paper for a "pop" on your display. Cut flowers and staple onto board!
Easy peasy! :)

Go grab your FREE instant bulletin board! As always, kind feedback is greatly appreciated! xoxo



Hope you found some helpful ideas that will brighten your classroom or motivate your kiddos during Spring Fever! Have a super week! We start our state testing this week!

Fall Reading Organizers, Reading Counts & Accelerated Reader Bulletin Board Kits, Prime & Composite Numbers Scoot, and a FREEBIE

 SERIOUS PIN TO WIN OPPORTUNITIES!!!

5 CHANCES TO WIN PLUS A BIG WINNER!!!

 

New products, an updated product, and a FREEBIE!

I present to you my new Fall Reading Graphic Organizers! These 30 organizers can be used with any text! I know it's the simple things that get our students excited and for some reason, themed organizers do just that! :)

If you already own my Reading Counts & Accelerated Reader Bulletin Board, please go to TPT under your purchases and download again for the added goodies!

***I've added certificates (several styles and for different occasions), parent weekly & monthly progress reports, bookmarks to keep track of minutes read, books read, future reads, and more!

I now how this set available in different colors too! This is perfect for a vertical bulletin board! I made this for my class a few years ago because I wanted spotlight my students, but we had limited space in our classrooms.
 

It's now available in colored polka dot and chevron.

Click HERE for POLKA DOT.                             Click HERE for CHEVRON. 

 
I also made a cute white stitched black banner for under your chalkboard or under your window!

 Click HERE to check out this addition that will match all classroom décor!

 

And, we how have two more Scoot Games added to our collection:

Prime & Composite Numbers-I like this one because it's super quick and an easy way for me to assess my students' learning.
Click HERE!

  

I love to incorporate Scoot at least once a week in our classroom because the kids love it and I love it! It gets the kids moving, EVERYONE is engaged, quick and easy assessment tool, can be used as an introduction, review, or assessment. If they "scoot" individually, it's SILENT! {insert happy face}

 

Are you a "Scoot" fan? Or, maybe you want to try it out? Here's a FREEBIE for you!

Please leave some love if you download. :)
Click HERE.

PIN TO WIN ONE OR ALL! Pin ANY of the images for each product. I will give away one of each product! Winners will be notified/announced on Wednesday! You can enter all pin URLs in one comment. Be sure to include your email if you aren't a blogger so I can send you your prize if you're the winner!
ONE WINNER WILL GET ALL NEW THREE PRODUCTS!!!
1-Fall Graphic Organizers, 1-Reading Counts/Accelerated Reader Kit (Your choice of color) and 1-Prime & Composite Numbers Scoot Game!!

Tried It Tuesday: Bulletin Board Organization

Happy April Fool's Day! Did any of your students play a prank on you? OR did you play a prank on your students??!! I used my friend Nick from Sweet Rhyme & Pure Reason's April Fool's word search (which did not have one single word to be found the word search!) and it was PRICELESS! I could barely contain myself! I have some very competitive students and I literally thought they were going to have a stroke because they couldn't find a single word! They were seriously sweating and looking around the room nervously! I told them it was a contest to see who could find the most words in five minutes. I kept calling the time...3 minutes left, 2 minutes, 1 minute, and with 30 seconds left, one of my students said I think you made a mistake on this Mrs. Miller and I busted out laughing! They laughed too as they threw their crumpled up papers at me! :) So fun!

 

Now I'd like to share why I'm linking up with my sweet BBB Holly for her Tried It Tuesday...an easy and efficient way to store signs and letters for bulletin boards.

All you need is a binder, page protectors, and some labels.

Here is the easiest idea...

I only store letters for bulletin boards I use year after year-saves so much time! I hate having to dig through all those letters to find each one! I just label the corner of each page protector so I know what the letters spell out. 

It's also perfect to store bulletin board signs-all stored in one handy location. I don't hole punch the signs because I don't want them to have holes, so I put them in page protectors. 

Just add your goodies for the bulletin boards you want to use (recycle) year after year! I love that it's stored all in one location and I know exactly where it is! (which can be half the battle, right?)

Hope this little tip helps!

 

Check out all the great ideas linked up at Holly's Tried It Tuesday!

Monday Made It-March

4 Things to Share!

Money Gift Bag: A #1 hit at every party! My friend showed me this gift giving idea two years ago, and now it's expected we bring it to EVERY party! Even my own children want it! We had a birthday party last week, so I whipped one up! Take dollar bills and tape them end to end. Cut a slit in the bag wide enough for dollar bills to slide through. Roll dollar bills up and place in bag. Attach last dollar bill to arrow that says pull here. I've made so many, I decided to save time and make a template! If you'd like it, leave a comment and I'll send it to you!

 

Isn't that fun??!!

 

Reading Counts Point Board: I don't have any extra space or bulletin boards in my classroom, so I came up with this vertical point board. I originally made it to go up to 150 points, but my students are such avid readers this year I had to expand! They were very excited to see the new board last week! (Especially  my students that have been stuck in the 150 point club marker because it was the highest my old board went up to!) It stretches from floor to ceiling, but takes up little space!  I painted the clothes pins and Modge Podged the name labels onto them.

 



 

 

Countdown to FCAT: One of my students came in with this poster board after our state writing test. I think she liked our previous paper towel countdown (see post here) and came up with her own version for our next state testing date (math & reading). It's hanging on the bulletin board outside our door for all to see! Pretty impressed with her motivation!

 

 

Helpful Closet Tip:

 

Before: 

Don't you hate when your boots keep falling over??!!

 

 

Abracadabra!

*****

After:

 

These fun noodles are amazing! I made these before winter, but I want to post it now because the fun noodles are back in stores! (Yay Dollar Tree!) Just cut fun noodles to length of boot and voila! nice and neat boots!

 

Linking up with Tara for Monday Made It! Check out some other great ideas!

 

 

 Make sure you leave your email address so I can respond (some followers are "no reply bloggers which means I can't comment back to you). Have a great week!