White (like snow) Bundle

I am so impressed.  My students' reading levels keep growing, even though it is the last month of school.  There may be a reason my kiddos don't have spring fever yet.... check this out. You'll never believe it, but today - May 2nd - is a snowday for us.  We got 8+ inches of snow!
Does this look like May 2nd?  It really is!

With less than a month left of school, I have over half my class reading at the White (3rd grade) reading level and so making the White Bundle was high on my "To Do" list.  Now that it is made, we want to share it with you.  It has been so helpful as I meet with my students to focus their learning.  (I hope you agree.)

At the White level, the first thing I do is make sure the students have their phonics mastered.  I play games and make them read words with specific patterns to ensure their decoding ability. 
Then the focus turns to the make-up of the word - such as prefixes and suffixes, root words, vocabulary and figurative language.  Once I know what each student needs to work on, we read books, read word lists and have activities to help practice and become comfortable with the skill.  I move each student to the next skill when they are ready.  Using this bundle allows me to differentiate in such an easy way.

So, check out our White Bundle, focused for readers at the 3rd Grade reading level.   

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Bossy R Words

Ahoy fellow followers!  Arrrrr you ready to work on “Bossy R” words?  This is a 1B (Action 100) foundational skill we focused on last week to help our students become more familiar with r-controlled words.  Included in the pack you will find 10 word cards for ar, or, er, ir, and ur. 

On Day 1 students were sent on a treasure hunt around the classroom to find six of each bossy r word and write them into a word sort. 

On Day 2 students found two of each sort and wrote them into sentences.

On Day 3 students made words using word cards.

On Day 4 students made words with cups.

On Day 5 we played a game as a class where the teacher said a word sort "or" and students needed to get to a word in the room quickly.

We had a fun week learning about bossy r words!  We wish you Godspeed (Good Luck)!

Fairwinds! (Good Bye)

(click on the image to grab this great activity!)

Working with 2R Readers

This week, one of my readers reached the 2R level.  He was filled with excitement as I introduced some of the books he can read at this level.

While reading with him, I found there were still just a few phonic areas that needed to be reviewed.  I pulled out the practice page and game in the 2R bundle for his specific skill and was able to show him exactly the piece he needed.  He had a blast playing the new game and even asked to stay in from recess with a friend to play.  (Yes, we are in Minnesota so students do ask to stay in on cold, cold days.)  I sent the word list and game home with him to practice at home.  When learning is fun, it doesn’t feel like work.

I love that I am able to focus my instruction on exactly what students at this level need thanks to the 2R bundle.  This is an extensive bundle - with 103 pages.  This bundle includes: rules of syllabication, tricky vowels, tricky consonants, abbreviations, prefixes, suffixes, adjectives, adverbs, high frequency words (outlaws).

2R Bundle

 

Check out our free sample from the 2R bundle - prefixes and suffixes.

Prefix and Suffix

 

What fun things do you do to teach prefixes and suffixes?

President's Day

Mark your calendars, President’s Day is just around the corner.  We just finished taking our NWEA test and I saw some of the questions that were being asked.  My brain started ticking and Walla, here is what I’ve come up with! First, our  class will read biographies about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln around Presidents' Day. We will take time to dive deeper into the information. I have created a  file to explain what a biography is and to look at the details of their lives - in timelines, looking at their character traits (both inside and outside), as well as comparing and contrasting the Presidents.  I like that the students can be involved in their learning with this interactive lesson!

President Biography

During our Daily 5 and Guided Math lesson, I  plan to incorporate stations that align with the standards our students will be assessed on.  We have been working on number patterns and finding the  rule.  We also are working on long vowel patterns and r-controlled words.  I plan to use the activities found in our Presidential Pack to help my students learn in an engaging manner.

Math and Reading Common Core Packet

President's Day Comprehension Set FREEBIE

NEW year, NEW ideas!

Have you heard what all the buzz is about?  We have had a productive winter break and are pumped to share with you FOUR more bundles (2G, 1B, 2B and 1R) to help support you with Action 100 in the classroom.  These  bundles include supplemental assessments, activities, games, take home   practice word lists and organizers that help you stay focused during student conferencing.  We wouldn’t want you to leave our blog without a quick glance at what we are so excited about. So take a look below.....

2G “Freebie” SNEAK PEEK #1:

 



 

2G Bundle:

1B “Freebie” SNEAK PEEK #2:



1B Bundle:

 

 

OOH Yah baby, here’s another.....

2B “Freebie” SNEAK PEEK #3

2B Bundle:

Stop, stop…there is one more…..

1R “Freebie” SNEAK PEEK #4

1R Bundle:

Can you see what we are so PUMPED about?!  We are very excited to come to a new year, organized and ready to teach!  So start your New Year right and head over to our TPT store to help make your life simpler and keep checking back for more bundles!  OH and LIKE us on Facebook to stay connected! Happy 2013!!