Today is our school's Young Author's Day. Since I regularly attend a writing conference each year, I am excited to present a session and share my love of writing with upper elementary students.
Here is a link to my free printable: Heroes and Villains. I want to emphasize developing characters that each want something. This creates conflict in the story. If we have time, we will create a climactic scene with action, dialogue, and description.
I'll let you know how it goes.
When I moved from teaching primary to upper intermediate grades in 2001, I entered a class with a generous classroom library, but no reading or writing curriculum. After reviewing the standards, I decided to organize my lessons across different genres.
The first lessons I created were book reports which eventually became the product 25 Book Reports. Over time, I added non-fiction topics as well as fiction.
Over the last several years, I have completed nine writing units also organized by genre. To see this list in my TPT store look for the Writing Genre series.
If I were suddenly dropped into another classroom without curriculum I could teach reading and writing for a couple of years without repeating units.
From now until Sunday evening, you can buy the whole series for $20. Look for the four featured items in my TPT store.
I have to be honest in this review and say how much I wished that this had been a stand alone book instead of a series. My second choice was having the main character in the first book be the same in the second. I learned so much about slavery during the Revolutionary War. I wanted to keep following the main character Isabel and her sister Ruth and find out what happened to them. Instead, the author chose to follow another character's story line for the next book leaving the reader hanging.
Synopsis: Isabel and Ruth are promised freedom when their owner dies, but another couple take them as slaves. Isabel works for Loyalists, but realizes that the Patriots may be her way to ultimate freedom.
I recommend this book to mature middle school students and above.
For an explanation of my rating scale, click here.
Find me at Goodreads.
Last Friday, a mom sent cupcakes to celebrate her son's birthday. I have asked parents to send in healthier snacks, but I have had a difficult time enforcing that policy. Did I mention that she sent 48 cupcakes for a class of 24? Yes, each student felt entitled to two. Yes, I was mean and told them they could only have one.
Frosting brings out a side of my students I would rather not experience. This is not the first time we have had cupcakes and been reduced to chaos. For some reason otherwise well-behaved students lose seven years of age. Several intentionally smear frosting on their faces. (Yes, I was mean and took away their cupcakes.)
At one point I said, "I hate birthdays."
They responded, "You hate kids." (No, just cupcakes.)
I can top my own story. The year I taught kindergarten I had a mom who brought an ice cream cake and no silverware. She actually told me that she was glad she could have the "party" at school because she didn't want to have the students at her house.
I don't want to take away birthday celebrations entirely; I just don't want to be by myself in a room with twenty-four students hyped up on sugar. So, I'm asking, please, for my sanity...no more cupcakes at school.
"The man who tried his best and failed is superior to the man who never tried." - Bud Wilkinson
As you can probably tell by reading this blog, I like having sets of simple math games that I can play with my students with minimal supplies. You have probably played the game Higher Lower. I often play it as a sponge when we are lined up to go somewhere and the next teacher isn't ready for us. I have found several variations to play this game.
1. If you have students that don't have the number system in their head, start with guessing a number 1-100 and have them use a 100 chart to eliminate possibilities. (Click here for a free 100 chart.)
2. Many teachers are using 120 charts and they can be used the same way. (Click here for a free 120 chart.) This link is now fixed so anyone with this link can download.
3. Play teacher against the class with or without visuals. Challenge the students to guess the number in 10 guesses. (They have to listen to each other.)
4. Play the game completely silently except for the one person guessing the number. Use the arrows on a piece of paper to record higher or lower answers.
5. Play the game 1-1000. Students who need the visual can imagine each box on the chart divided into 10 parts or they can add 0s to a row or two to visually multiply the chart by 10.
6. Play the game 1-10,000. Students who need the chart can imagine each box divided into a hundred smaller boxes. You can even model that on the first box.
7. Use the 120 chart, but expand to 1200 and 12,000.
My students can play this game to 1,000,000 now. They efficiently work together to narrow the range. (I also get to review the statistical term: range.)
Let me know in the comments if you have other variations on this game.
This year (July 2015) I enlarged the squares on my 100 chart so they will fit some of the math materials I have on hand. Click here to download.
Happy Friday!
