Showing posts with label fourth grade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fourth grade. Show all posts

Friday, September 5, 2014

A Whole Year of Writer's Workshop! A-MA-ZING!!!




Can you believe it...A Year of Units for The Writers Workshop!!!  This bundle consists of 6 whole units. Each Unit is made for Upper Elementary 3-5. Each of the units have 12 - 18 Lessons, each with a Connection, Teaching Point, Active Engagement, Link, and Sharing. It also includes Common Core Standards that are addressed, print outs for writers notebooks, anchor charts, poem examples, rubrics, and much more...see detailed list below! The units that are included are as follows:


Unit 1: Launching the Writing Workshop
Unit 2: Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing
Unit 3: Big Dreams, Tall Ambitions Fiction Writing
Unit 4: Breathing Life into Essay Writing
Unit 5: Literary Essays Writing About Reading
Unit 6: Poetry

These products have been adapted from Units of Study for Teaching Writing Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins.

Example of a Detailed List of Materials and Resources Found In The Poetry Unit:
  • Preparing for the Unit Description
  • Materials Needed for Unit: You will find a list of materials that are specific to this unit. These materials should be prepared before beginning the unit.
  • Terms Found In This Unit: These are specific phrases and terms that you will use or are used by Teaching Upstairs that communicate events, moments, or teaching techniques.
  • Writing Workshop Components and Assessments: This is a list that was developed by me for my own school. We use this to determine assessment schedules, grades, and report card items. These are not required in the Lucy Calkins program, but we have found helpful in our years of teaching workshop.
  • Writing Workshop Student Behavior Rubric: This rubric is used to assess student behavior both individually and as a partner. Please see the description on the Components and Assessments Handout for more detailed information.
  • Common Core Standards That Are Addressed In This Unit: A list of the common core standards that are addressed in this unit. 
  • On Demand Assessment Pre Unit, On Demand Assessment Post Unit: This script will give you the information that you need to conduct a pre and post assessment for this specific unit. The pre assessment should be done before beginning any of the lessons. The post assessment should be completed after the students publish their writing. 
  • On Demand Assessment Rubric: Use this rubric for both the Pre and Post On Demand Assessment.
  • Workshop Self Evaluation: Used by student. Please see the description on the Components and Assessments Handout for more detailed information.
  • Tips for Conferring with Writers: Tips on teaching each the student one writing strategy or technique he/she can use in a current piece of writing and continue to use in future writing. 
  • Conferring Examples and Worksheets: Examples of methods that I have found helpful, as well as, an example and blank worksheet that you can record your conferring on. 
  • Student Notebook Labels: These labels are completely optional. I found myself somedays having students copy down the teaching point and anchor chart in their Writer’s Notebook and then there were other days that I handed these out for them to glue or tape into their Notebook. These are just there for convince if you choose to use them. 
  • Example for Parent Handbook: If you need an explanation for your parent handbook at the beginning of the year you may find this helpful.
  • Teacher Self Assessment: An assessment to judge how your workshop is going so far. 
  • Student Poetry Packet: This is a packet for students to use mentor poems from to cut and place into their writers notebooks for inspiration.
  • Poetry Form Posters: 10 posters are in another folder that you are able to print and use in a lesson.
  • Mentor Text List
  • Anchor Charts for Each Lesson
  • 12 Lessons over the Course of 5 Weeks
  • Suggested Poetry Websites
  • Final Copy Rubric
  • Revision and Editing Checklist
  • Partner Editing Checklist
  • Editing Checklist
  • Publishing Checklist
  • Celebration Ideas
Celebration Supplies: In another folder on your download you will find templates for your celebration. If you need a different color or something slightly different please email me at teachingupstairs@gmail.com and I can make them for you!

Grab this unit bundle today!!!  Follow this link!

View other products in my store by clicking the TPT button!
Pre-K, Kindergarten, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Higher Education, Adult Education, Homeschooler, Staff, Not Grade Specific - TeachersPayTeachers.com
 

Monday, September 1, 2014

Back To School FREEBIE!!!

Tomorrow is the day!  We are back to school and it is the perfect time to capture a memory.  This year I will have a Kindergartener and a Second Grader!  In honor of the first day of school I am sending out a freebie for parents and teachers alike!

Printable and Digital Back to School Signs!

In this freebie you will find signs for grades Kindergarten through Sixth Grade in two different colors!  Don't see what you need let me know and I can whip it right up!

Are you already back in school...don't worry you wont miss out because you can use these digitally.  You will see in the example above that you are able to take this image and place it on a picture from the past year.

Here are the specifics:

You can use the signs two different ways...

  1. Print out the sign on a regular piece of paper and have your child or students hold them in the picture.  8.5x11 Landscape
  2. Use the digital image to place on the photo using your computers photo editor or another online editing system like Canva.com or PicMonkey.com
Head over to my TeachersPayTeachers Store  and get your free download today!



Saturday, July 19, 2014

Flash Freebie!!!! Reading Workshop Unit Is FREE for 24 Hours!

Check it out!  Teacher's Notebook has this awesome new feature called Flash Freebies!  For 24 hours, Monday at 8am until Tuesday at 8am Teaching Upstairs is giving away 25 Launching Units for Reader's Workshop!!! This unit is adaptable for grades 3-5 and is based on the work of Lucy Calkins! Other units are available in our store. Watch for more Flash Freebies coming soon!!! 

Monday, January 13, 2014

Is Something On Your Mind?

Human Brain Evolution
I think educators ought to be interested in the brain because they teach brains!  If you're a classroom teacher, you've got about 30 of them in your room and I can't imagine who would teach a room full of brains who wouldn't be interested in brains.  New developments are helping us to understand the teaching and learning process in ways we couldn't have imagined before this...If you're involved in the development and maintenance of a brain you need a kind of knowledge that is more than folklore knowledge."

As educators we have been chosen and called to create environments that allow students to thrive and learn to the best of their abilities.  We go through our daily routines, lesson plan, correct papers, and do our best to stay afloat...but are we stopping to think and reflect?  Do we look at the test scores and since half of the students scored a B or above, move on?
The question is...
How can an educator be effective without looking at ALL aspects of how we learn?  Many educators, including myself, have had times where their theories or practices are not based on research and evidence.  We instead of educating ourselves on current research we mimic the type of educational practices that we experienced.   This has a lot to do with trying to stay afloat and survive the weight that has been put on our shoulders... the bigger concern is 'How is this effecting our students?'
While talking to colleagues and parents I have found that there are some common myths to teaching and learning.  I think it is time we set the record straight and go mythbusters on some of these common misconceptions about the brain.
Myth v
All the facts that contradict the typical classroom setting are based on current brain research.  Researchers have learned more about the brain in the past few years than we had in the previous 100.
We have an old [educational] system that doesn't work for kids. It works for some, but doesn't work for enough students and we haven't clearly formulated a new one.  So it would seem natural to turn to the brain to give us some guidance in how do we develop this new place to go to.
So where do we start?  I think it begins with collaboration.  Scientists, educators, and parents need to work together towards a common goal.  What are you doing in your classroom today to move towards brain based education?

Thursday, December 5, 2013

My First Year of Being a Teacher Bloggess!

It has been an exciting year!  I have just began to explore blogging and selling the products that I create for my classroom in the last year.  During this time I have been blown away with the amount of support and community that is in our online world!

I would highly recommend to ANY teacher that they become a part of at least one online community or at least follow some fabulous blogs!

So her is what has inspired and supported me in my first year of being a bloggess!


+Rachelle Smith at What the Teacher Wants.  This was the very first blog that I started following and inspired me to begin to create materials and introduced me to Teachers Pay Teachers (I will tell you more about that later)! Rachelle and Natalie have done such a great job support their followers with great ideas, tons of freebies, and a great platform for educators!
LadyBug's Teacher Files  This site has great ideas for classroom decor, organization, lessons, tech tips and lots of free things!  I have always found their organizational ideas to inspire me!
School Girl Style- I love this blog!  She has great ideas and awesome links to other bloggers that inspire!!
Here are a few other honorable mentions that I have followed over the year!






 




I love using these websites to learn more about blogging and getting fonts!



As a celebration of becoming an official bloggess (only in my mind) I am giving away a product that is typically sold in my stores for $8.99
For the next week A Reading Teachers Essential Set Up Packet will be free in my Teachers Notebook Shop!

Happy Blogging!



Saturday, November 30, 2013

Reader's Workshop Tips and Tricks Round 2

In the last Reader's Workshop Tips and Tricks #1 I talked about how to get to know your students before you begin your Reader's Workshop.
This weeks Tips and Tricks Round 2 are based around getting the first few weeks off the ground!!
Before a child can have an interest in reading, he must first have an awareness of it.  The child who is unaware of the riches of literature certainly can have no desires for them.

          ~ Jim Trelease 
I have to admit that I am a Reader's and Writer's Workshop junkie...I love scouring the web looking for new ideas to integrate into my classroom.  I have learned a few things over the past years while teaching Reader's Workshop in my fourth grade classroom.  I thought it was about time I put them down and shared some of the tips and tricks that I have been taught.
The most important piece of advice I have ever received about implementing and learning Reader's Workshop is you need to give yourself time and grace!  There is no one that is able to implement it all at once without taking the time to get to know each of the parts in-depth.  Experts say that it takes at least three years for an educator to have all parts of the workshop fully implemented and thriving.
 The best advice that was given to me was to make the first year you do
workshop the "year of the mini".
 
 

Start off really concentrating on getting to know your minilessons.  I find that the best format to organize these lessons and really keep track of all of the parts is using the same format that Lucy Calkins uses.  The only thing I did for my own lessons for the first year...and for those of you that may have some of my lesson is I eliminated the "mid-workshop teaching point".  Then about half way through that first year I was able to grasp how and when to insert that "mid-workshop teaching point". Now a few years in, I have become artful at doing and I know the lessons well enough to really know what the students need and where they are missing pieces.

I have developed a series of Reading Workshop Units for grades 3-5.  They are all on sale starting today on Teachers Pay Teachers and Teachers Notebook!!!!!!  

Example Unit
Reader's Workshop
Launching Unit:  Building A Reading Life

The Reader's Workshop: Launching -Building a Reading Life is easily adaptable for 3-5. 16 Lessons with connection, teaching point, active engagement, link, and sharing. It addresses Common Core Standards and includes anchor charts, minilessons, booklist, conferring notes, partner expectations, parent letter and much more. This product has been adapted from Units of Study for Teaching Reading Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins.
In the Launching Unit some of the very first lessons include...
    Launching Reading Workshop_3
  • Setting expectations for behaviors during the mini lessons, independent reading time, and partner work.

  • Setting goals for reading as a class.  I keep these posted all year.
  • Typical starter mini lessons like "Signs to Watch for When Choosing a Book" and "Reading Fast, Long, and Strong".  During this unit you will be continually trying to build their reading stamina.  Over the past few years I have used Stamina Graphs as recommended by the "The 2 Sisters" who have written Cafe and The Daily Five.

I highly recommend if you are a lower elementary teacher that you check out the linked websites above.  The Sisters really have done a fabulous job giving resources that you can use tomorrow!
  • Setting up partnerships.  These partnerships start off minimal and using them only a few times a week with very specific conversations.  Then during the next unit which is our Character Study, they are ramped up.  By this time they have had a lot of experience with accountable talk and are ready for action!
Launching Reading Workshop_12
Later this week I am very excited to blog on the
Tips and Tricks of Conferring.  We just had an amazing PD day with a woman who had the coolest ideas and set up to her conferring...so get excited for that to come your way!!!