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.

In Their Own Words

I try to integrate reading and writing into every aspect of my students' schoolday. At the beginning of the schoolyear, when we review and discuss expectations and procedures, I always read the book Hattie the Bad (so funny). Our school has five schoolwide expectations to follow and the students work in cooperative groups to write a book that illustrates and describes the five expectation.

I think class books are a wonderful way for students to take ownership and create authentic literature.

Morning Discussions

As students arrive each morning I like to have an activity for them to work on until everyone arrives.  This year presents two challenges.  The first: our buses are arriving at school later than in the past so some children do not get to class until the last minute so I can't hold them accountable for the work they miss.  The second: with a balanced literacy framework they have more time to read during class so giving them extra time in the morning isn't necessary.  The new Common Core Standards helped me solve this dilemma about morning work. 

Students created books titled Morning Discussions. Each morning I pose a question on the Smart Board.  Students write and/or illustrate their responses in their Morning Discussions books.  While they are working they share their responses with their neighbors.  Students who come in late will often ask someone for the question and work on it later in the day. I truly feel this is CCSS for Speaking and Listening being put to use in an authentic way.

I get my questions from a set of conversation starters called Chat Pack for Kids.  This is a wonderful product because each Chat Pack has been carefully packaged by special-needs adults who work for Ability Building Services in Yankton, South Dakota.

The Sticky Notes

As my students have been learning about their new reading lives in our balanced literacy framework, they have heard about the use and importance of sticky notes.  They have looked at the sticky notes I use in minilessons and read alouds.  I have refer to our anchor charts to remind students when and how to use sticky notes during reading.

 

I laminated my first set of anchor charts for the year so that I could reuse them. Now that they are hanging up in the room they have a terrible glare, so I don't think I will laminate any more of them. I will just take great care of them!

 

 

I found during my teaching on how to use sticky notes that it is best to scaffold the implementation.  First I showed how to just put a blank sticky note on the page. Then I introduced using the symbols. Finally I shared my sticky note jottings in my books that I read to the students.  I think the scaffolding motivated my readers because it allowed all levels of readers to be successful. Students who do not enjoy writing or who struggle with writing don't feel overwhelmed with the strategy.

 

The students went above my expectations with their jottings today.  These are some photos from just their first day using sticky notes in their reading lives. I am looking forward to what they jot as the year progresses.

 

 



Finding Your Sweet Spot

My students' jaws dropped when I told them they didn't have to sit in their seats during reading workshop.  They were hesitant to even sit on the floor the first time.  Now that they have found their sweet spots for reading, it is like they have marked their territory.  They have taken ownership of their reading spots. I told them about my favorite spots for reading.  I acted out how I stand at the stove while cooking and reading with my Kindle since I can turn the pages with the flick of a finger.  I told them that if I am upstairs I sit in a chair that belonged to one of my very best friends. They enjoy when I tell them about my reading life.  The next day I had them stop and sketch the sweet spot they found at home and they shared how many of the parents wanted them to sit at the table and read.  They said it was fun telling their parents that they were wrong and that if they wanted to be successful readers they needed to feel comfortable when reading!  Ha!   

 I used an anchor chart I got from Pinterest to use as a talking point for the lesson.  As you can see in the picture, I used correction tape to add a new idea onto the poster--this one was thought up by the students and they asked if I could add it on! They are proud of their new freedom with reading.  A group of girls came over to me during RW one day and asked if they could bring in a blanket or pillow if it was small enough to fit in their cubbies.  I am so proud of how my readers are planning for their reading lives.

 

Here are some photos of my students in their sweet spots.  I captured the idea of turning the chairs over from a Pinterest post.

 

 

This next sweet spot belongs to one of my special needs students. He is most successful when he makes his boundaries known to others.  He likes spatial boundaries to feel safe and protected. He chose his sweet spot and we labled it with his name and taped it off.  He has 2 other areas in the room for his writing area and his personal meeting space for minilessons and read alouds.

 

 

 

 



Be a Reading Celebrity for Your Students

During the introductory lessons about building a reading life in the Lucy Calkins series, the students hang on my every word when I am sharing stories and tips about myself as a reader.  Several parents have contacted me to ask about exact book titles their children come home telling them about! One of my students said that he has been lining up his toys in his bedroom to make a meeting area and he reads to them at night.  Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

 

I want to share with you the idea of being a reading super star with your students. Please read the link below that will take you to a blog that talks about branding yourself as a reader as if you were a Kardashian sister.  The point that stuck most with me after reading this blog was that girls across the world think that if they look like the Kardashians they will will be as beautiful and successful as these sisters.  So as teachers, why don't we become rock stars and super models for these kids?!  Chris Lehman, the author of the blog, post has some valid points! 

 

What the Kardashians Taught Me About Reading Instruction (No, for Real) by Christopher Lehman

Just Right Books

I have been using Lucy Calkins' Guide to Reading Workshop. The lessons have been a great way to get my students excited about the new balanced literacy framework.  The students in my class have been taught using the Imagine It series since kindergarten. They participate in Accelerated Reader.  So previously in their reading lives, they have had strict choice guidelines as to which books they can read.  Our third grade literacy team has not determined beginning of the year reading levels yet, so we have been allowing our students to choose books that interest them. We have their DRA levels from last year, but levels usually decrease over the summer break.

I taught the lesson about choosing a just right book.  I created my anchor charts using the sample ideas in the book and a creative analogy about riding a bike that I found on Pinterest.

 

 

I think it is important to use the anchor charts in your lessons as speaking points, not just as posters that you read to the class. Think about all of the trainings you go to where the presenter just reads Power Point slides to you...do you remember what it was about?  Or do you remember the presentations where you heard a story or did an action?  I took my time and talked through a scenario of riding a bike and the difficulties you have if you choose a course that is too hard or too easy. 

 

Then I shared two of my own books with my students.  They know I love to cook so I used cookbooks as an example of how I chose a just right book instead of a too hard book.

 

 

 

I modeled how I decided the Greek cookbook was too hard (I couldn't pronounce the names of the dishes, I didn't know what some of the ingredients were, there were no pictures to look at to see if my recipe turned out right). I used talking points from the anchor chart to explain why the Sandra Lee book was just right (I could read all of the words, it made me feel hungry when I read the recipes, the recipes sounded delicious, I was able to tell my sister about the recipes).

Our Reading Lives

My school is using the Lucy Calkins Guide to the Reading Workshop as the foundation for our lessons.  The first unit in 3rd grade is Building a Reading Life.  During the first minilesson, I shared with my students times in my life when reading was the worst for me and times when I was being the best reader I could be.  They enjoyed my stories and couldn't believe the times when I told them that sometimes reading was the pits!  At the end of Reading Workshop, during the share time, I had them write on a sticky note what kind of reading day they had today.  They had to tell me if it was the pits or if it was the best and why.  Here is my anchor chart and some of the sticky notes students posted.

 

I am not an artist, but I did learn how to draw people very simply at a link called chartums! The website also has great ideas for anchor charts.

 

My day was the pits because I wanted a book about dogs.

 

It was an ok day because I could(n't) get comfortable near the bookshelf.

 

Good because it was so quiet.

 

The book was interesting. I had peace and quiet.

 

 

One of my special needs students dictated this to me.

 

My goal is to be a better reader. My goal is to be respectful with the book.

 

 

Good because the first thing I got my book. I was reading. I was comfortable and interested in the book. I can't wait to see what happens next.

 

I think this was a successful lesson because as you can see by the sticky note responses, all students were able to voice their feelings no matter what level of reader or writer they were.

You Are Special

During the first week of school I used the book You Are Special by Max Lucado for a read aloud lesson during Reading Workshop.  After discussing what made each of them special, student discussed in groups what attributes a special student should have and what attributes a special teacher should have.  Then we worked together as a class and created word clouds on Wordle.  We posted them near our meeting area to remind us how we should be special students and teachers.

A Change Will Do You Good

Change happens all of the time in education.  For several years my school district used the Imagine It textbook program to teach literacy.  No comment... I am a whole language girl at heart.
 
Last year I decided to publish this blog with all of my literacy centers that I used during workshop time to differentiate learning for my students. 
 
Well, this year the change came around again...for the better this time! My school is piloting a balanced literacy framework to meet the demands of the new Common Core Standards. I intend to be able to use some of my literacy centers during word work or during times when I need to do assessments and even possibly (gasp!) when we just need a break from the norm. So now I have decided to add on to my centers and share some of the organizational tools, minilesson ideas, read aloud ideas, and anchor charts that I use in my classroom.  Thank you for reading and I hope I can give you a little something new each time you visit me.

 

Organization

 

 

 

This is my meeting area for Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, and read aloud. I need this open space in the back of the room because I have a student in a wheelchair and she needs an open traffic pattern.   I hotglued clothespins to the wall to hold my anchor charts for teaching since I am not near the board and I don't have an easel.  On the cart next to me I have a basket of supplies (markers, pins, scissors, post its, correction tape), a basket of books (including my Reading Notebook), and some questioning cubes I can use for reluctant sharers--you can read my post titled Rolling Out the Questions to see how to make the cubes.

 

 

 

 

 

My classroom library is arranged by topics, genres, and levels.  I have two bookcases that have baskets of books sorted by similar topics.  This year my students like animals so we have several different animal baskets.  The books have the Fountas and Pinnell levels written inside of them, but I also write the range of levels on the outside of the basket.  You want to read about pigs and you are a level R...sorry there are no books in the basket for you.  I also have a bookcase where the books are put into bins that are simply all of the same level...an entire basket of L, one of M, etc.

 

 

 

  

 

I have an area in my room with leveled Social Studies books and leveled Math books.

 

 

 

The books I plan on using to teach minilessons, read alouds, skills groups, and writing connections are housed on shelves and sorted according to the Common Core mapping units for 3rd grade. 

 

 

 

I am not an ornate font and glitter with bows and decorations teacher, so my Focus Board is nothing fancy. I made it to be easily updated and maintained.  You can visit Pinterest and Google images for cuter and fancier versions! The mini pocket charts are from the Target Dollar Bins!

 

 

 

Next to my focus board I activated my students' schema by having them make mini books of their favorite stories since our first unit is Stories Worth Telling Again and Again. This is a little link to the previous years when they were used to making a Question/Concept Board.  I wanted to feel a little something familiar amid all of the new things being introduced.