Usually my to-do list at this time of year is full of NEW TpT resources that I want to complete and post for the new school year. But with all the uncertainty around COVID-19 and the possibility of extended distance learning, this year’s to-do list is all about updating OLD resources. I’m no expert at digitizing resources, and the whole process bums me out. When making reading workshop resources, I like to envision a lively, humming classroom full of collaboration and interaction. Imagining a bunch of kids staring at screens for hours on end is less motivating. Anyway, if you’re in the same boat as me, here are some resources…
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Understanding Emotions, Social-Emotional Activities, RULER
Last month I completed a series of social emotional activities built around the RULER method for social emotional learning. Over the next few weeks I’d like to share them with you! You can purchase the activities in my TpT store, or use them as inspiration for your own activities. This post will focus on understanding emotions. Read Aloud: There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon Reading There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon by Jack Kent is a great way to introduce this concept. In the book, Billy Bixby wakes up to find a small dragon at the foot of his bed. He tells his mom about the dragon, but she claims there’s no such…
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Display a Daily Reading Prompt to FOCUS Your Reading Workshop
The open ended nature of reading workshop creates opportunities for all kinds of student growth, but it can also make things feel unmoored and chaotic. Even when your students have the routines down pat, you may wonder if your instruction and assessment are a little too free-form. For me, the problem went like this: my reading block was short (80 minutes a day), and I often had to choose between giving students time to read each day (the heart of workshop), or doing some kind of paperwork that would translate into a grade for that week. Time was so limited that losing even one day of independent reading a week…
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Finding Clipart for Your TpT Store
If you’re a new TpT seller looking for advice in the Seller’s Forum, you’ll notice a recurring them: clipart. More specifically, you’ll hear people suggest that you invest in good clipart. I concur, with some reservations. When it comes to Teachers Pay Teachers, the bottom line is this: quality content sells…but only if it’s packaged well. Teachers can’t view your whole product before purchasing, so a good cover and preview suggests something about the quality of the content. Here are my three recommendations for finding clipart. One is free, one is paid, and one can be accessed through a free trial. This is not a sponsored post. Purchase a Clipart…
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Recognizing Emotions, Social-Emotional Activities, RULER
Every school year is emotional, but 2019-2020 took a unique toll. We don’t know what our world will be like in the fall, and we don’t know what our classrooms will look like, but we do know students will need a lot of support–academically and emotionally. Last month I completed a series of social emotional activities built around the RULER method for social emotional learning. Over the next few weeks I’d like to share them with you! You can purchase the activities in my TpT store, or use them as inspiration for your own activities. This post will focus on recognizing emotions, which you can learn more about here. The…
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Genre Study Roundup: 11 Posts to Get You Started, or Up Your Genre Study Game
Whew, this series on genre study has worn me out. But now we have this nice little library of genre study resources! Here are some posts to get you started if you’re hoping to learn more about genre study: If you’d like to preview or purchase ready-made genre units, this free Genre Study Catalogue is a good starting point. Happy reading!
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Are You Teaching Face-to-Face or Remotely? Either Way, These Resources Have You Covered.
There’s so much uncertainty about the upcoming fall. Will most be kids in the classroom, or at home? What will classrooms look like? How will we keep kids and teachers safe? All of this makes the already hectic back-to-school rush even more difficult. For my part, I’ve been updating TpT resources so they can be used in the classroom or at home. My main goal (and hope!) is to provide digital resources that structure meaningful reading in the classroom and at home. As I update products I’ll include them here on this running list. The resource fall into these categories: Reading Workshop Routines Reading Instruction/Genre Study Repeated Practice/Test Prep Social…
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Regulating Emotions, Social-Emotional Learning (part 5)
Here we are the last step of the RULER method–regulation! A quick note before we complete this little series. You’ve probably already noticed that a linear process (recognize, then understand, then label, then express, then regulate) doesn’t completely match how we experience and respond to our emotions. The RULER method is a way of teaching these skills in a logical order, but the steps don’t necessarily need to be carried out in this order. Once students have the skills, they can apply them as they see fit! Okay here we go, on to regulation. What is Emotional Regulation? We regulate our emotions when we try to adjust them in some…
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Design a FULL Genre Unit that You Can Use Year After Year
Last week I wrote about sketching out a genre unit. Today, we’ll look at the nitty gritty of planning a genre unit. Here are my goals when creating a genre unit: Build on the foundation of the last genre unit during mini lessons (spiral review). Immerse students in the genre by delivering daily read alouds. Give students ways to apply new learning to their independent reading (guided practice). Guided by these goals, my planning revolves around mini lessons, read alouds and guided practice. I want my genre units to be useful year after year, so I plan MORE lessons than any one teacher is likely to need. Having a library…
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How to Design Eye Catching Graphic Organizers Using Keynote
Creating your own graphic organizers gives you a lot of freedom. You can design organizers that fit your instructional goals, student needs, and context better than most ready-made graphic organizers. Of course, this takes time, and you may find that you’re not so good at the design-y element. Well, neither am I. Designing resources for TpT has forced me to improve in this respect. Here are three simple things I’ve learned about designing graphic organizers without spending too much time or money: When I began making graphic organizers I tried to dress them up with purchased borders. I felt the same way I did about font–cute font/border makes the page…
