These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

This is a jumbled post that is meant to share ideas...just give names of apps, books, and games that are at the top of my favorites list in the classroom. Some are at the top of my teacher list, but the majority are favorites of my students as well.

 

 

Decide Now is a customizable spinning wheel app. I use it to call on students. I am currently working on a Q & A spinner set up to resemble the current pop phenomenon know as Trivia Crack.

 

 

This book is wonderfully useful because it gives ready-made anchor charts for a variety of reading strategies, but I love to reference it when creating my own charts.

 

 

 

This app is called Classroom Timer Lite.  I can't remember if it was free or not.  I subscribe to an app called Apps Gone Free which offers me daily deals, so I think I found the timer through that.  If it did cost money I know it was cheap because I normally don't spend much on apps.

 

 

 

This classroom management app is a fantastic tool. I like it because it helps students stay on task. It does not make them stay quiet.  My classroom is rarely quiet because students should be talking, questioning, and discussing. This app allows you to customize your noise level preferenes.

 

 

The following is a list of apps that my students use in the classroom:

• Kids Discover (several topics and titles)
• Baloney! (multiple subjects and grade levels)
• Crazy Machines (science and engineering)
• iTooch (multiple subjects and grade levels)
• Far Faria (books)
• Frontier Heroes (history)
• Geography Drive (social studies)
• Mr. Nussbaum (multiple subjects and grade levels)
• My Talking Pet (I use it for creating talking characters)
• New-o-Matic (current events)
• Puffin Academy and RAZ Kids are programs purchased by my district
• Reading Timer
• Stack the States (social studies)
• Word Wizard (spelling)
• World Atlas

Anomia is a great game to build vocabulary and get the brain revved up for learning.  I use it at the start of class each day. Sometimes we share our ideas orally, but usually students write their ideas in their Reading Notebooks.

 

 

I love using the app Plickers to quickly assess students using multiple choice and T/F questions.  It is paperless and engaging with immediate feedback for students and teacher.

Cut It Out!

This school year I will have two new teachers on my third grade team. They are veteran teachers, but they have not taught third grade. One important strategy I think they should use is being creative with the use of our Social Studies textbooks. We are lucky because our Social Studies textbooks are consumable. This means students can write in them, highlight, circle, underline, and most importantly...they can CUT THEM APART!

 

After reading a chapter in the Social Studies textbook, students may not be able to identify the three regions of North Carolina. They may not be able to describe characteristics of each region. If the students create a brochure of North Carolina by cutting out graphics and textboxes, they take ownership for their learning.

 

Students read about the topic, talked about the topic, wrote about the topic, drew illustrations about the topic. Some designed Thinking Maps. Others used boxes and bullets to state the main idea and supporting details. They read their brochures to each other. They took them home and read it to family members. They created an authentic product which helped them retain their knowledge.

 

A textbook does not have to be boring. You can make it fit into your Balanced Literacy framework.

 

Students who may not be confident artists can cut out photos and maps instead of being pressured to draw illustrations.

Students can be creative and display the information they learn in whatever style they choose.

 

Reluctant writers may decide to use bulleted phrases instead of paragraphs.

Students show that they can summarize text instead of copying directly from the textbook. This is a great opportunity for conferencing during Reading Workshop or Writing Workshop.

 

The box contains the main idea and the bullets list supporting details. What a great link between a nonfiction reading strategy and writing!

Book Hunt

I have been preparing for our next book club, biography/narrative nonfiction, and since this is my school's first year using a balanced literacy framework, finding enough books at specific levels has been a challenge. 

My first step in the hunt for books was to know which levels I needed for the clubs. I know that for nonfiction it is acceptable to go down as much as 2 levels, but I am not sure how this transfers to narrative nonfiction (if you have an answer to this please share in the comments section).

My next step was to check in our school Media Center and see which Guided Reading sets matched my genre and levels.

 

Then I looked on my book shelves to see if I had multiple copies of books that matched my search criteria.

I also looked through the ancillary materials that are part of my Social Studies textbook program. Time for Kids and the Harcourt leveled readers each provided me with a set of books--yay!

Finally, I used the website Reading A-Z since I was not having much luck finding lower level books. Reading A-Z has something called multilevel books which are wonderful because you could have three different groups reading the same book that is three different levels.

 

Now I have an idex card labeled with each Fountas and Pinnell level. I recorded the books I have for each level. Now I can see how many sets I have and how many more I need.  

 

Repurposing Those Old, Boring Textbooks

My school had some old Social Studies big books and Open Court textbooks that were being sent away for disposal. I snatched them and repurposed them for a nonfiction text feature lesson!  I set it up like a scavenger hunt. The students had a list of features. They worked in cooperative groups to cut out the examples, label them, and write a short description. They glued everything down on large pieces of butcher paper and we hung them up as an anchor chart during our Navigating Through Nonfiction unit.

This activity is easily differentiated for students at- or above- grade level and for those students below-grade level or who have a disability of some sort. The work sample above is the average or above-average group. They did the entire activity on their own. 

The work sample below was completed by a group of exceptional needs students with learning disabilities. I had the descriptions pre-written and cut out for them.  I also had the text features already cut out. They had to match the descriptions to the examples and glue them down.

Sticky Note Super Stars

Like many teachers, I was wary of having my third graders use sticky notes to record their thoughts while reading.  I was pleased with their jottings during minilessons and read alouds, but I was hesitant when they started to use them independently.  I hadn't planned on them using the sticky notes so early into Reading Workshop since this was an unfamiliar framework for them.  They asked if they could use them so I just took off the training wheels and let them go!

One of my quiet students had been reading one of the trade books that is part of our Social Studies series.  The book is a Level K so he is slightly below grade-level.  I was so proud and pleased when I conferenced with him and he showed me his sticky notes!

 

Is voting free?

 

This picture is in our Social Studies book.

 

Why does the bell have a crack in it?

 

Why isn't North Carolina there?

 

Why are they wearing weird hats?

 

 

His questions were directly related to the text.  He was making notice of the text content, maps, and photos.  He made connections to previous lessons.  The idea I told him to work on for our next conference time was to try to find other points in his book that stand out besides questions he has about the book.  I reminded him that we had also practiced envisioning.

Thinking Clouds

Over the past week I have been phasing out my word study centers and bringing in literacy centers that focus more on reading strategies such as Reading is Valuable and Cootie Catcher Reading. I turned to my current favorite website The Third Grade Wiki to help me find a way to have my students develop their metacognitive skills while using reading strategies. I found a great resource called Thinking Clouds.

I used the Thinking Clouds as a teaching strategy during Literacy and Social Studies for a couple of lessons before I set the students loose to use them independetly in a literacy center. I simply glued the Thinking Clouds onto paint sample cards and laminated them. As students read they place the cards throughout the story whenever they have that certain thought. If they finish reading and have cards left, they go back and read the story again. If it is a specific reading passage that I want them to read and answer questions with, then the students use a sheet of Thinking Clouds, cut them out, and glue them onto the passage at the point where they had that thought.

Beanbag Toss

I was at an NCTM conference when I came up with this idea.  I was actually working a booth for Renaissance Learning and during my down time I would walk around and visit the other booths.  There was a booth selling beanbags for $0.50.  They were advertised to be used with the Smart Board (which is also a great use), but another idea popped in to my mind.

This is a very versatile activity.  It can be used in the classroom or outside. Students can work independently or with a partner. You can use it as a center or during Guided Reading. Here are some ways to use the beanbags:

• I wrote author's purposes on the beanbags. I doubled up on to inform and to explain because my third graders struggle with distinguishing between those two the most.  I include a variety of laminated passages.  Students spread the reading materials on the ground face up. They scan them and read the titles.  They look at any graphics or illustrations. Then they toss the beanbags onto the reading passages that match the author's purpose on the appropriate beanbag.  They check their answers by flipping over the passages (where I wrote the author's purpose).

• Write content vocabulary on the beanbags. Write the definitions or an illustration on index cards.
• Write Marzano's Questions on the beanbags. Spread passages or books on the floor. Toss a beanbag on a piece of reading material and answer the question after reading.
• Write BOOK and HEAD on beanbags. Write questions on index cards. Students use QAR strategies to decide what type of question is on the card. They toss the corresponding beanbag onto the question cards.
• Write genres on the beanbags. Spread out a variety of books. Toss the genre beanbag onto the corresponding book.

Word Wall

There are numerous activities on the internet and in books that describe how to arrange your Word Wall. I add words that I think my students should know how to read, spell, and use in conversation and in writing after we have studied them.  My wall is organized alphabetically. I write the vowels in red. I cut around the shape of the words. I leave them up all year.  I also have a Social Studies wall that contains content vocabulary.  On that wall, I take the words down after we finish a unit and put them in a baggie.  The baggies hang on the wall so that students can go back and use them later.

These are activity choices that students can do using the Word Walls.

• Use the spinner and do the activities listed on it.
• Give your partner a clue and they have to guess which word you are describing.
• Write a sentence but leave a word blank. Your partner has to fill in the blank with a Word Wall word.
• Choose a word and code it with CLOVER.
• Draw a picture of a word and your partner has to guess it.
• Act out a word and your partner has to guess it.
• Create a Tree Map and sort the words that are on one of the cupboards.

Suitcase Story

I have an old suitcase I got at a yard sale.  I fill it with items and books that all relate to a common topic, usually from my Social Studies lesson.  Students examine the objects and books in the suitcase. They pretend they are the person who uses this suitcase. Then they write a postcard to their friends or family telling them about where they have been traveling and what they have been doing on their travels. Remind students to describe the climate, landforms, and bodies of water they may have seen. The books in the suitcase will help students decide what pictures to draw on the front of the postcard. You will want to include examples of postcards for students to use as samples.

Spotlight on Reading

For this center I have a basket that contains books related to our literacy and Social Studies topics and some small flashlights. It allows students to practice the prosody portion of oral reading fluency.

Students choose a book from the basket and silently Buddy Read the book.  The partners tap each page to signal when they are finished reading  Then they turn on the flashlights and shine light on their favorite part they just read.  The partners must read that part out loud.  Remind students to make sure they turn the flashlights off when they finish.

Reading is a Picnic

Dollar Tree inspires another original center! I was buying paper plates for a party when I saw some plates that were designed with red and white checks...like a picnic blanket. I bought them, put them in a basket with a tablecloth, and added some books.  I switch out the books in the basket to reflect what subjects we are studying in literacy and Social Studies.  I use fiction books for this center.

Students select a book to read from the basket. After reading the book, they select three plates and answer the question found on each plate. On the record sheet, students write the number found on the backs of the plates. Depending on the students that are assigned to this center, I let them know if I want the answers written out or if they can discuss the answers orally.  I make this decision based on the student's ability level.

Here are the questions/activities that are written on the plates:

• Would you want to be friends with the main character? Why or why not?
• What part of the story did you like the most? Why?
• How would this story be different if it happened in winter?
• Pretend that after the story is over the characters go to sleep. What happens when they wake up the next day?
• Add a new character to the story. What is his/her name? How will the story change?
• Describe the main idea in 20 words or less.
• What could be a new title for this book?
• What is one event you would change in this story? How would you change it?
• Would you want the main character in this story to be in your family? Why or why not?
• Which character do you think you are most like? Why?
• Write a new ending to this story.
• How would this story be different if it happened at the beach?

Read Around the Room

This is another common, simple center that many teachers use.  It is useful for students that need environmental print practice, students who need to revisit words they have already learned, and it is an easy way to get unmotivated students up and out of their seats.  I like to use paint sample cards (because they are colorful) and write a special message on it.  Then I hide it somewhere in the room. Students who discover it while they are reading around the room will get a special suprise.  I don't ever tell the students I hid the card...I just let them discover it!

Students select a pointer from the container. Be creative with your pointers--wands, pinwheels, fancy rulers, Dollar Tree has very cool oversized ojects that work well! Then they take a walk around the room and point out important words as they go. They can practice reading the Word Wall. They practice reading the Social Studies vocabulary Word Wall. Students can enjoy reading their classmate's work that is hanging up. They record what they read on the record sheet.

Map It Out

Whenever I go to a tourist destination such as an amusement park or outlet mall, I grab extra maps of the location.  They provide an authentic application of mapping skills for children because they are usually written in a reader-friendly format.  My favorite map I have snagged is of a Harris Teeter grocery store when it had a grand opening celebration.  I put the maps and some books related to maps in a bucket so the materials can be easily carried. 

Students choose a map from the bucket. They write questions using information from the map.  They use their Marzano question stems and also their QAR cues to write their questions.  For some of the maps I have questions premade.  I will put these in the bucket if I assign lower level readers to this center.  Then they exchange questions with a partner. 

Hangman

This game is an oldie, but goodie, that can be adapted to become a learning center.  I use this game as a way for students to practice drawing conclusions and spelling simultaneously.  I also link it to Science and Social Studies content by providing flash cards that have facts about the planets, presidents, geography, and animals. Students can choose either the magnetic game or the paper pad.  Plain pieces of paper can also be used. 

One student reads through the fact cards and reads it aloud. Then he selects a word from the text. Now they follow the normal directions for the game and try to get the other partner to guess the word. Students take turns so each person has a chance to guess. They record the words guessed on the record sheet.

Dinner Time!

This is an original center activity that I came up with during one of my walks through Dollar Tree. Someone left a pile of paper plates and plastic spoons on the floor in the middle of the aisle. I picked them up to put back on the shelf and this center idea sparked in my head.

Each plate contains a sentence with a missing word or phrase.  Students find a utensil that has a missing word or phrase to complete the sentence.  They put the utensil on the plate.  I use sentences that focus on new vocabulary being learned during Social Studies.  With each new chapter we read in Social Studies, I add in the new vocabulary to the center.  The center contains all of the words for the year so that students can have a spiral review.  I store the plates and utensils in a drying rack so the materials are easy to carry.

Dear Diary

Students choose to read one of the diary books that are found in the center. They use scrap materials in the Writing Center to build their own diaries. Then they take time each day to write down thoughts in their diaries.  For a challenge students can pretend they are someone from the book and write a diary that contains the character's ideas and actions.  This center can be used to have students respond to events they are learning about in Social Studies.  It is also one that can be revisited because the students don't have to remake their diaries--they just add to them.

*I added to this center and the revision can be seen at this link--Diary Revisited.

Literacy Centered

My centers are all literacy-based, but several have Social Studies, Science, and Math connections. I teach third graders who range in reading ability from pre-primer to fifth grade so, there are a variety of levels to differentiate for my students' needs.  The centers also accommodate a variety of learning styles.  This allows all children to enjoy the centers and be successful.  The centers are easily adapted to your grade level's curriculum and your students' abilities.

An important component to using centers in your classroom is student accountability. Administration and parents will often ask you how you make sure the students are working and not just playing around in the centers. I hold my students accountable for their work in centers by requiring them to fill out a record sheet.  I show the students that I value their work in centers by displaying their work products in the classroom.  I also take pictures of them working in centers and post them on the class website.

Literacy Center Record Sheet

Date	Name	What Did You Do?