Vocabulary Study Update

Well, my first full week of instruction was this past week. OH.MY!!

I have a lot of things that need adjusting... like the amount of work I have planned. My classes are about an hour shorter this year, so I found myself having way too much to do and not enough time to do it. Needless to say...  I was a little stressed!

I did manage to get my first week of vocabulary complete! It took a little longer than expected, but I'm hoping the time will shorten once we get the hang of it. If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably saw this picture!

Many were asking about my vocabulary planning sheet and how I use Chromebooks to help my students with vocabulary. To be honest, it was one of those times when you have an idea at the last moment. I really didn't want my students to search through dictionaries to find the definition, synonyms, antonyms, and other ways to use the words. I grabbed my Chromebooks, paired my students together, and sent them to www.merriam-webster.com. I tried to look for other sites, but this one was simple enough for my 5th graders and had everything they needed.

Here are some other pictures of them working.

 They absolutely loved this lesson! Here's what we did each day! It only took us 3 days to complete the work, but I'm hoping to get it down to 2!
Monday- we read the sentences and decided which words went where (close style). We then determined the meaning of the words by using context clues.
Tuesday- the students worked on chrome books and found antonyms and synonyms for each word.
Wednesday- the students used the kid-friendly definition we came up with together, the sentence on the chart, and synonyms/antonyms to create their own sentence.

Before I gave the vocabulary planner to my students, I wrote out kid-friendly definition for each word OR you could have them write it.

Here's what our chart looked like after our vocabulary work days!

 I have decided that I really need 2 black pocket charts since I am teaching two different books. Right now I am switching them out with each class (I teach 4 classes and we are doing 2 different books) and it is a pain! I think I'm going to take down the orange charts and replace them with a full-size. I'm planning on putting the orange charts near so I can place our words in as we finish each cycle.

 Are you interested in my Vocabulary Planner? Grab it in my store for free! It is adapted from Word Nerds. You can click on the image below to go directly to the page.

Word Nerds: Chapter 8 & Epilogue

Chapter 8 is all about assessing. Let me start off with the quote that started the chapter!

As teachers, I think we sometimes get caught up in the hustle of teaching, assessing, and giving grades that we often times forget the true meaning of assessing. I know I am guilty of this. It's a super busy time of the year, you grade the weekly assessment (I'll talk more about this in a minute), get your data/students together you want to meet with, then something comes up the following Monday and your reteaching groups gets pushed each day until you totally forget about it. It's not Friday again, you finally remember, but it's a little too late to get that group together. Before you know it, you are two weeks behind. Does this sound familiar?!? Please tell me I'm not the only one!

As teachers we have great and powerful intentions, but sometimes the to-dos get the best of us! This quote is something I'm going to place very near to my desk. It's something that I DON'T want to forget!

This chapter has also made me really think about the assessments I give in my own classroom, not just with vocabulary instruction. Every week I give an in-depth reading comprehension/skill assessment based on a skill we worked on as well as some from the past. The passages are usually 1-1.5 pages and the questions have at least 3 constructed response answers. It takes my students any where from 45 minutes to over an hour to complete. Is this what is best for my students?

This year, I'm going to try and do things a lot differently. My ELA time will be cut into almost half the time I had last year! I'm really going to try and make as many things work together as possible. Most of my reading assessments will come from my class novel we are reading. I'll talk more about this later! I just wanted you to know that chapter 8 had me reflecting on ALL forms of assessment, not just vocabulary!

The remainder of the chapter was really about different types of formative assessments (during learning, to inform) that I already use in my classroom. Here are some that were mentioned and explained:

• Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
• Observations (very useful & important)
• Analyzing Student Work
• Teacher Questioning (focusing on student response)
• Student-Generated Questions

I'm going to end the post with two more quotes I found useful!

 This again goes along with what I was saying before. We need to slow down and really focus on what our students NEED from us!

One of my professional goals a few years ago was giving my students effective feedback. To improve/meet this goal, I read a PL book, How to Give Your Students Effective Feedback. It's a great read to anyone who is interested in this area. It goes right along with this quote. Our feedback needs to be two things! #1: it needs to be timely (ASAP) and #2: it needs to be effective. Your feedback should provide and describe a way they can be a better student or specifically stating what they did well on. Here's what the cover looks like if you are interested.

When we give our students feedback throughout the learning process, we are assessing what they know AND teaching at the same time... how awesome is that?

I would personally like to thank Leslie Ann from Life in Fifth Grade for motivating me to finally read *and finish* this wonderful PL book! I can't wait to take everything I learned back to my classroom. I desperately needed some direction in vocabulary instruction... I finally have it! :)

Vocabulary Routine {Based off Word Nerds}

If you have missed my Word Nerds post, be sure to click here. Trust me, you don't want to miss out! Especially on the post from yesterday! Chapter 2 really got my gears turning in terms of vocabulary instruction. You can read that post here.

In my chapter 2 post, I promised to go into more detail today about what my plans are for vocabulary instruction based on Word Nerds. Keep in mind that these plans may change! I'm only on chapter 3 :)

Remember this picture from my post yesterday, Instagram, and Facebook?

It has received so many shares and likes {which I love, by the way}! First, let me tell you what my classes and schedule are like. Here are a few things you should know!

• I teach ELA to the entire 5th grade
• I teach 4 classes of ELA
• I have an advanced gifted class, an upper average class, lower average class, and a co-teaching special needs class
• I only have 70 minutes to teach reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary

I know, I feel the same way! How am I going to make all this work? I'm really not sure, but I have something in the works that I will be sharing soon!

Here are my plans for vocabulary instruction. I'll try to present it in a way that makes sense! To be honest, I was just writing things as they came to me.

 Since time is of the essence this year, I am pretty much going to be teaching everything through my read alouds. Last year, read alouds were just a time for the students to come together, relax, and listen to a great story. We are going to be working with these novels this year and that is where my vocabulary will come from!

Have you ever read either one of these books? They are both excellent. I still haven't decided what to do about the 2 different texts. Elijah is a more mature book for my upper 2 classes and Homer P. Figg is easier to follow for my lower 2 classes. I really don't want to do the work for two books at a time, but I really want to keep the two separate... decisions!!!

 Most of our vocabulary instruction will come on Mondays. We will still work on vocabulary through the next 2 weeks (my cycle will be 2 weeks meaning we test bi-weekly) but most will be finished by our very first day, so students can work with these words and use them. The handout mentioned here will be similar to the teacher example they have on pg. 33, but mine will be for the students :)

Please note, the text should read, "Before **our** read aloud"

Last year, we studied morphology HARD! We had 10 words that we worked on for 2 weeks and then the students had a quiz. This summer, all the 5th grade ELA teachers in the county came together and chose 5th grade morphology words that we felt our students needed to study. There are only 12-15 per quarter, so they will be included in our vocabulary study. I will include around 3 words per cycle.

There you have it! I can't wait to read chapter 3 to gain more insight and other great ideas!

Word Nerds: Ch. 2... WOW!!

I don't know what it was about chapter 2, but it has really inspired me. It may be that I finally sat down and paced out my year and focused on a weekly plan for my 1st quarter. I'm really not sure but WOW!! Here are some take aways I got from chapter 2.

This was something I feel like I'm already doing. However, it WAS something I had an issue with! I'm a control freak! I have a certain way I like things, and I like for them to stay that way. When I first started teaching, I had all the supplies hidden in a closet and expected the students to use them ONLY when they asked. After a few years of teaching, I finally decided that I wanted my students to feel a sense of community in my classroom. It's a very laid back atmosphere where anything goes! Now, my supplies are by my front door in labeled containers.

Ummm... hello?!? Do you really need any other rules? These three, simple rules cover the basics to have a class of students ready to learn!

I've always done this. This aligns with the number of multiple exposures students need in order to reach mastery. If they are using and reading it... they are learning it! I try to keep the really BIG ideas up all year.

This was something I was guilty of. I knew we needed to be working with Tier 2 words more, but there wasn't enough time. This year I have even less time because I'm teaching 4 classes instead of 2! But I'm going to make it work!

I'm going to be working on some cute posters/student handouts for these. We will have these posted in kid-friendly terms and the students will have a handout in their binder. I want them to know the standards!

I am all about routines! This part of the book is where a huge bulb went off in my head! If you follow me on Instagram then you probably saw this picture!

I was like... perfect! This is a plan I have right now! Keep in mind, I have not read ahead. I am just on chapter 3. Some things I have in mind may change a bit. I'll be sharing that post tomorrow! You don't want to miss it! How in the world will I fit vocabulary in a 70 minute Reading/ELA block? FIND OUT!

Don't forget to go check out what Ms. Leslie Ann has to say over on Life in Fifth Grade. She's a chapter ahead of me, so I try not to read hers until I have mine done! However, her post on Instagram kind of gave away some things she's planning on doing in her class. They look very similar to what I shared here... great minds DO think alike!

Common Core ELA Vocabulary Cards & 'I Can' Statements

I tell ya right now!  These will be the death of me.  When I created these for 4th grade math, I didn't know I would have people from all grade levels wanting them.  Which was fine... it was not bad at all.  Then, I had people also wanting the ELA as well for all grade levels.  Again, I don't mind at all because these.have.paid.off.BIG.TIME!  I can't even begin to explain just how much of a blessing TpT has been to my family.  The math cards are my #1 seller right now on TpT.  I FINALLY got around to printing my own set after having them for about 6 months.  I do have to say that THEY-ARE-ADORABLE!  I don't have the 'I Can' yet because folks at my school have went a little crazy with the color toner and lamination.  ANYWAYS- I am writing all this to say this...

I AM SO SORRY THE ELA ARE NOT COMPLETE YET!  Ya'll... life with two babies under the age of 3 is CRAZY.  I promised the cards with hopes that I would have ALL this free time in the summer.  Well, it didn't happen.  It just didn't.  I tried and tried, but every second of my time is consumed with my small ones.  And, I'm okay with that.. I just hope you all can be okay with that.  I am going to do the ELA, and I hope to have them ALL out by the end of December.  So, for my planning purpose and to answer all your questions about when your grade level is going to be available, I have created a schedule that I will keep... I promise!  So, check out your grade level and when the cards {vocab & 'I can'} will be available in my TpT shop.  After these, I will not be taking any custom orders at this time.  Ya'll, I miss creating things just for fun...

4th Grade: September 1

1st Grade: October 1

3rd Grade: November 1

2nd Grade: December 31

I'm assuming that these all will be out earlier than listed here.  These dates are the latest they will be available.  Once I complete the first set and see how long it will take, I will adjust the schedule accordingly.

Thank ya'll for understanding.  It really means a lot.  Also, I've had a lot of people commenting that the definition font on the cards is difficult to read from afar.  After printing these off, I agree.  After the ELA cards are complete, I am going to update all the math files with two versions, the original and the new version with easy to read font.  Don't worry, the ELA will come with both as well for those of you who are already using the current math version in your classroom.

We started school on Friday and this week is my first full week.  I am looking forward to this school year, and I can't wait to implement and use all the adorable things I purchased off TpT today.  I hope ya'll have a great week!

Updates, Curriculum Binder, & Vocabulary Walls

To say that I have been 'out of the loop' of blogging is an understatement.  So, what have I been doing??  Well, my wonderful husband gave me a 4-hour gift certificate for here...  {ah-hum.. that's Urban Sanctuary Spa in Athens, GA in the Boulevard Historic District}.

This isn't the best picture... I was too relaxed to really take any!

It was my graduation/mother's day present.  It sure made all those hours I spent on my Ed.S. degree worth it!  I chose to be 'Queen for a Day' and it was W.O.N.D.E.R.F.U.L.!  I got a full body massage, a body scrub, a facial, a scalp massage, lunch, and a pedicure/foot massage.  Ahhhhh... I didn't want to leave!

I have also been here....

My two year old insists on going swimming every day.... FINE.WITH.ME!

I have also been super busy working on math vocabulary wall sets like a crazy woman.  I've had the sweetest teacher buds asking for their specific grade level, and I'm just too sweet to say no.  With that said, I wanted to share the ones I have available so far.  I DO NOT have K or 2nd grade and I really do not know when I will have these.  I love making these things, but there comes a time when you have to say no.  I want to enjoy my time with my sweet boys because I only have a month left of summer.  WHAT???  That's just crazy to me.  These are all available in my TpT store along with coordinating 'I Can' statements {I do not have 5th grade 'I Cans' right now... I will have them before August.. hopefully}!  You can click each picture to go to my store.  Wait.... THERE IS MORE.... A FREEBIE FOR YOU!

 

CURRICULUM BINDER

Do you have/use a curriculum binder?  I started using one last year, but it didn't work for me because I didn't take the time to organize it and get it the way I wanted it.  This year, I am determined to make it work because it is such a useful tool.  I already have a school-wide assessment binder that I use for my data team meetings.  My data team binder can get pretty thick towards the end of the school year.  I want a separate binder where I will store my everyday things like lesson plans, standards, etc..  

So... what will I use this binder for?  I plan on using my curriculum binder EVERY DAY! This will be my go-to place for standards, lesson plans, weekly & benchmark assessment results, guided math plans, etc.  Anything I need for planning will be in my binder.  During my Ed.S. program at The University of Georgia, I read A LOT about taking the time to plan your differentiated lessons.  When differentiating the RIGHT way, it SHOULD take anywhere from 45 minutes-1 hour to truly differentiate a weeks worth of plans.  Since I only teach math, I have an advantage.  This is something I REALLY want to work on this year.  I believe that having this binder will aid in my development of this.  I also plan to look at each and every assessment closely and closely monitor EACH child's progress on pre/post tests.  

I am starting to get things together, and I wanted to share a few things about it.  First of all, I bought a heavy duty 2" binder from Office Max.  

I am picky about my binders, the rings had to be flat on one side so it would close without me having to adjust my papers.  I also like the one touch open/close clasp.  

I also like the tiered pockets on the sides... I don't really have a reason for this.. lol!  

I would show the rest of my binder, but I don't have it completely ready yet.  I do want to share the sections I plan on organizing.  I created some cutesy title pages that I will put in page protectors and place behind each divider tab.  I bought the divider tabs you can write/erase.  Even though I use a sharpie to write on them with, I have found that you can use a magic eraser if you ever need to change them. 

It's obvious here that I have A LOT of work to do!  I used post-its to jot down ideas of tabs as I went through my pages.

So... here is what I have so far.  The sections I plan on including (and have included here in this link for you to have... for FREE) are

o lesson plans 

o curriculum map

o pacing guide

o common core standards

o georgia performance standards (I did not include this one since it is state specific...    we still have to teach the GP standards this year ALONG with the CC)

o standard examples

o grade level alignment (vertical alignment)

o teaching vocabulary

o birthdays

o parent contacts

o notes

o classroom records

o book issue list

o weekly assessments: pre/post

o benchmark assessments: pre/post

Previously, I posted a freebie that included a birthday, parent contact, notes, classroom records, and book issue list that you can use in your binder.  Once I get my binder complete, I plan on posting again with a detailed look inside as well as any additions I may have added, and MORE FREE FORMS.

Again, don't forget your TITLE PAGES and your CURRICULUM BINDER FORMS.  

So, now I have a question for you.  What are some other things you include in your binder if you have something similar?

One last thing... I also need to include my guided math plans.  I have created a lesson plan template just for guided math because it deserves so much more than just a small box.  That's another thing... small boxes make you feel that your plans need to fit inside that small box.  Well, I just don't think that is enough room!  You can get the guided math template by clicking the picture below.  You will be directed to my post where I talk about it more.

Whew!  That was a long post!  Don't forget to leave any additions below!  I look forward to hearing from you.

Free Lesson Plan Template & Common Core Classroom Helpers: 1st Grade

Hey, Ya'll!  This summer has been super busy.  It's amazing at the difference of your free time when going from one child to two!  I actually think I had more free time when school was in.  However, I am SO enjoying my stay at home time with my two sweet boys! I have managed to find a few moments of time here and there to think about next year.  I saw a guided reading plan on Pinterest and thought it would be a great idea to incorporate these in my guided math planning.  It is so easy to have all three groups do the same exact activity, but to modify it in ways to help them understand.  Listen to me carefully...THIS.IS.NOT.THE.WAY.IT.SHOULD.BE.  Although this way is fine, I want to truly differentiate for my students.  I'm thinking the only major difference will be between my struggling group and my other two.  One of the two is to remediate at a higher level, and the third group will be to remediate & advance.  So, I figured that if I MADE myself plan that way, then it will get done.  So, here's what I have come up with.  It's free.... you can have it!  Click the format you would like to download below the photo.

PDF                 WORD

I used Pea Celestial Creation font from Kevin & Amanda.  Get it {FREE}!

I have also been hard at work creating Common Core Essentials for classrooms.  Right now, I have fourth and first grade.  I've previously posted about 4th grade.  Last night I completely finished my 1st grade.  Here's some previews.  You can buy the vocabulary cards and 'I Can' statements separate at $6 each, or you can buy them bundled for $10 and save.

Common Core Vocabulary Cards, $6

Common Core 'I Can' Statements, $6

Here's the bundle.  Both coordinating resources for only $10.

My next set is 3rd grade.  Then, I will be working on some 4th grade ELA sets. If you have a grade you would like me to create, please comment below with your request.  Enjoy ;-)   Due to the amount of requests received via email, I am currently not accepting any new requests at this time.  I hope you all understand.  Thanks so much for your support!  It is greatly appreciated.

Common Core "I Can" Statements Wall Set: 4th Grade

Well, I am super excited that summer has officially started because I have so many wonderful things I want to create.  I know I'm crazy, but I love making things for other teachers to use in their classroom.  A few weeks back, I created a CC vocabulary wall set for 4th grade {I am currently working on a 1st grade set}.  I wanted to create a whole package of resources teachers could use to teach the CC.  I just finished up the CC "I Can" statements for 4th grade math and you can find them in my TpT store.  You can also click the preview below.  There are about 80 "I Can" posters that you can use in your classroom.  You can buy this individually, or you can buy the entire Common Core math set which includes the vocabulary cards and the "I Can" statements.  Before the conclusion of summer, I will also include Essential Question posters.  If you buy the set now, you will receive a free updated version once the EQs are complete.  I'm super excited about these because I can't wait to use them in my own classroom!  They are SUPER cute and both sets match!  Go ahead.... check them out!

A combined set... just for you!

**THIS IS NOT READY AT THIS TIME... I AM STILL WORKING ON IT.  I WILL UPDATE THIS POST WHEN THE PACKET IS AVAILABLE.**

Grad School Devotion Time... yuck!

Okay, so my husband made me promise that I wouldn't blog or create anything until I finish grad school... which is only a few weeks away!  YAY!  I was super bummed, but I do have to finish my literature review paper.  I'm going to keep my promise... partly! ha!  My lit. review is over math vocabulary strategies to help students understand vocabulary.  The great thing is that these strategies can be used in any classroom.  So, since I am working on my lit. review, and I think the teaching of vocabulary is so important, I'm going to devote a page on my blog for my findings.  I'm gradually going to be adding to it when I can get a spare moment.  All of the strategies and things will be research-based so you know they work!!!!

I know some of you are {eagerly} waiting on the 1st grade vocabulary cards.  I am still going to get them together.  It just will not be until May.  My last class is April 26th and then I will be in full swing with the first grade wall set and my second edition of spring math journal prompts.  Until then... I will still be around wishing I was done already!  I tell ya, it's going to be a real miracle if I ever go back to school for my doctorate!  Maybe my math endorsement ;-)

Common Core Vocabulary Wall Set: 4th Grade

First of all, YAHOO!  This is my 100th post!  I never knew that blogging would turn into #1- something I love, and #2- a complete addiction! :)

YAY!  I am SUPER excited about my newest product!  Why? you might ask!  Because I can use it in my own classroom of course!  I am so eager to print these awesome vocabulary cards, laminate them, and get ready to use them {probably next year}!  I use vocabulary cards with every unit I teach.  Currently, I use my closet door as my word wall.  You may have seen this picture before....

This is currently what works for me..... but not anymore!  Not since I've made this awesome NEW wall set.  It will look more like this.....a standard header with cards that correlate with the standard {they are also color coordinated too!}.

Right now, I just have these available for 4th grade, but I am planning on adding them for each grade level.  My next venture will be 1st grade!

You can view the 4th grade Common Core Vocabulary Wall Set in my TpT store by clicking the picture below.  In this packet, there are 5 circle headers and around 100 vocabulary cards!  Most with cute pictures :)

And... because I like a good giveaway (which I am also doing with my Spring Math Journal Prompts & Fraction Packet, click {HERE} for more info.)  I will give this away to the first two who..

1) blog about my vocab wall set with a picture (the one above) and a link to my TpT store and blog

2) come back to this page and comment with a link to your post. 

Remember the first two are my winners so be quick!

Lastly, I have an awesome giveaway that I have coming up.  It will be a few weeks before I get it together, but you don't want to miss it!  I will have two giveaways that are worth $300 combined.  It's awesome, and I am so excited to be a part of it.

2 Products

2 Giveaways

2 Lucky Winners

$300!

Here's a hint.... it's technology!