tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65413976862897247662024-02-18T17:36:26.725-08:00Create●Teach●ShareI love teaching, collaborating, creating, and thinking of new ways to make teaching simple, easy, and fun. Although it's crazy and very time consuming, I spend a lot of time reinventing the wheel, and creating new resources for teaching. It is my hope that others can benefit from my ideas. Enjoy!Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-20560776240731808642018-07-19T11:24:00.000-07:002018-07-19T11:24:19.380-07:00Getting Started with Interactive Math Notebooks<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I have been using interactive math notebooks in my classroom for as long as I can remember. Math notebooks are a great place for students to take notes, record definitions and sample problems, and practice new skills. They are perfect to use for direct instruction and guided practice, in small groups or as a whole class. But what I love most about them is that my students are able to use them as a reference tool throughout the school year. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b>What to Include in Interactive Math Notebooks</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You can customize your math notebooks to meet the needs of your students and to align to the concepts and skills that you teach. Here is a list of things you might include:</span><br />
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<li>Definitions and explanations</li>
<li>Rules and algorithms</li>
<li>Formulas</li>
<li>Sample problems</li>
<li>Math models</li>
<li>Illustrations</li>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>My Math Notebook Pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the years I have created templates to use with math notebooks for grades 2nd to 5th. These teaching pages can be used to introduce and teach new concepts
and skills. They also provide students with definitions, explanations,
rules, and algorithms that address the common core math standards. Sample
and practice problems are also included to be used for guided practice. These pages then serve as a reference tool for students to refer
back as they complete math assignments for classwork or homework throughout the year. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOb064zGVqbrJpjvQk4b4JkqiqVzu1GZ66N_6_OFmlQ7IkVtaeoqC5GIlj6sQ5PHl48d92TUxmA7SJc8C4UnpAoDQ36P9y2wkPyLZx64B9B7liVk4PpbpbT6H7O2QgOmhVQRjZjDve4s/s1600/ACS_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOb064zGVqbrJpjvQk4b4JkqiqVzu1GZ66N_6_OFmlQ7IkVtaeoqC5GIlj6sQ5PHl48d92TUxmA7SJc8C4UnpAoDQ36P9y2wkPyLZx64B9B7liVk4PpbpbT6H7O2QgOmhVQRjZjDve4s/s640/ACS_0093.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>How I Use Math Notebooks in My Classroom</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When introducing or reviewing a new concept or skill, I first have students cut out the pages and other pieces and glue them into their notebooks. Then, with my guidance, students take notes and work out practice problems
related to a given concept or skill. Students can then highlight or add
color to their notebook pages.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Notebook Setup</b></span></div>
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I suggest devoting some time at the beginning of the year to have students set up their notebooks. This gets them excited about using their notebooks and encourages them to take ownership of their notebook, and see it is a valuable tool.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Covers</span></b>:</div>
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Provide students with a cover page for their notebooks. I have included one version in my FREE Starter Kit, and one is also included with all of my math notebook resources. However, you may also choose to allow students to color or create their own covers, to give it a more personal touch.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Number Pages & Table of Contents:</span></b></div>
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Before your students start working in their notebooks, have them number all of the pages. This will help them to locate past standards and skills as they need them throughout the year. It's the perfect beginning of the year homework assignment. Also, be sure to have students leave the first few pages of their notebooks to use for a table of contents. My starter kit and math notebooks include a template that can be glued into student notebooks. It includes a place for the standards, lesson titles, and page numbers.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Divider Tabs:</span></b></div>
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You may also want to have students use divider tabs to organize their notebooks. I have included divider tabs in my starter kit that are based on the CCSS math domains. These tabs can easily be glued onto the first page of each section. You can also have students use sticky notes if you want more options and flexibility.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Math Tools</b></span></div>
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You may also want to have students include a page of math tools in their notebooks. I have a included a selection of tools in my starter kit, along with a pocket for students to keep them all together in one place. This way students have them ready to go as needed when working on different concepts and skills. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Download a FREE Math Notebook Starter Kit!!</b></span></div>
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Many of the items I mentioned throughout this post are available in my FREE Math Notebook Starter Kit. If you are interested, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter below to download your FREE copy!! The Starter Kit includes covers in color or black and white, a table of contents template, CCSS domain divider tabs, and a selections of math tools.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Learn More About Interactive Math Notebooks</b></span></div>
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If you are looking for READY-TO-USE pages for your math notebooks, click on the cover pics below to explore the different grade levels.</div>
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Once you get started with math notebooks, you will never go back. You and your students will love having a place for them to record their learning and practice new skills, while slowly creating a math reference tool that will be available to them throughout (and possibly beyond) the school year!!</div>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-31878110002976477722018-06-22T14:03:00.001-07:002018-06-22T14:03:27.714-07:00Reflect and Plan: Routines and Procedures for the School Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite things about teaching is that every year is a fresh start. Whether you are new to teaching, or someone who has been teaching for many years, we all can admit that we have plenty of room to grow. After 13 years of teaching, I am still making changes each year in how I run my classroom. Summer is the perfect time to reflect on the previous school year and to plan and make changes for the next.<br />
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Every year I spend a lot of time in those first weeks of school establishing routines and procedures. I set aside a great deal of time to teach, practice, and reinforce them. Doing so sets the foundation for a smooth and productive school year. With that being said, it is important to go into each year with a solid plan. You should definitely know what those routines and procedures will be before students step foot in your classroom.<br />
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For this upcoming school year, I created a reflection and planning guide for teachers to use to start thinking about the different routines and procedures they would like to use in their classrooms. I encourage you to download and print this FREE guide to help you start thinking about the new school year.<br />
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This guide starts with two questions that encourage you to reflect on the previous school year:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What worked?</span><br />
Start by thinking about all of the things that worked in your classroom during the previous year. This is a great place to start because if something worked well for you, then it's definitely worth giving it a try next year as well. In the guide I provide a list of routines and procedures to consider as you're reflecting. You might realize that you were really successful in getting students to follow your morning routines, or that they followed directions well during dismissal time. If certain areas were a success for you, then you know that these routines and procedures do not need much tweaking, if any at all.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What did NOT work?</span><br />
Next start to think about the routines and procedures in your classroom that might not have gone as well. Maybe your students had difficulty with transitions, or you felt you were ineffective in getting their attention when needed. These might be areas that you want to revisit for the upcoming school year. Again, refer to the list of routines and procedures to think about and reflect on those areas that you felt could have been better this past year.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Brainstorm and Collaborate</span><br />
Once you have identified the areas of classroom management that you want to change or modify, start searching for new ideas. Reach out to colleagues and ask them about strategies that have worked for them in their classrooms. You can also search Pinterest for new ideas. Teacher bloggers are always posting and sharing ideas for how they handle different routines and procedures with their own students. You might also want to join some Facebook teacher groups to seek ideas from other teachers in your same grade level. There are so many amazing groups out there, where you can pose questions and share in the expertise of teachers from all over the country.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Start Planning</span><br />
When you are ready, take some time to complete the "PLAN" section of the planning guide. Start writing down your thoughts, ideas, and plans for the upcoming school year. It is so important to have a strong plan in place before those first days of school so that you know what expectations to set.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The First Week of School</span><br />
During the first weeks of school, be sure to explicitly teach your routines and procedures. Model expectations for students and discuss what each procedure looks and sounds like. Also be sure to discuss what procedures should NOT look and sound like! Have students practice routines and procedures every chance you get, and provide tons of feedback and positive reinforcement. Once you get your routines and procedures established, you are ready for a smooth sailing school year!!<br />
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Be sure to download this FREE guide for planning your routines and procedures for the upcoming year. Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T5Hq0W85ELqEB1ktAN6KG3ZbfXsnNyFE/view?usp=sharing">HERE</a> or on the pic below to download!!<br />
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If you're looking for Back to School activities to help ease you into the next school year, be sure to check out my Back to School pack in my teacher shop!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Back-to-School Planning!!</span></div>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-86536229686058054562018-01-01T11:43:00.000-08:002018-01-01T11:44:25.269-08:00Martin's BIG Words for BIG Kids!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Picture books aren't just for little kids!! As an upper grade teacher, I love to incorporate picture books into our literacy block, especially as a way to encourage my students to think, discuss, and reflect.<br />
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To celebrate the extraordinary life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I love using the book <u>Martin's Big Words</u> by Doreen Rappaport. Martin's words were so powerful and this book weaves them in with a short biography of his life. Along with the beautiful illustrations by Bryan Collier, this story is a favorite of my students each and every year.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have created a few different activities to use with my students to help bring this book to life and to encourage them to think of the powerful words of Dr. King.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These activities start with reading the picture book aloud to students. If you do not have this book or have never heard of it, use the affiliate link below to learn more!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1423106350/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1423106350&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=046a9ff606ca164e61745a12b8450a48" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1423106350&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1423106350" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Click the pic to learn more.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Part 1: Read Aloud</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As you read this story aloud, ask students to listen for evidence for the following main ideas:</span><br />
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<li>MAIN IDEA #1: Martin used his words to inspire others.</li>
<li>MAIN IDEA #2: Martin used peaceful action to bring about change.</li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Encourage students to raise their hands when they find evidence of one of the main ideas.
Allow students to share and discuss evidence </span><span style="color: black;">and
details to support the </span><span style="color: black;">main ideas</span><span style="color: black;">. </span><span style="color: black;">Students
should each have a copy of the recording sheet. Give them time to record </span><span style="color: black;">the
evidence discussed on </span><span style="color: black;">sticky notes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Part 2: Group Discussions</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Break students into small groups of 3 to
5. Pass out Quote Cards with other famous words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Ask students discuss each of the quotes using the discussion prompts provided.
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Part 3: Reflection</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After students have discussed each of the
Quote Cards, have each student choose 1 of the quote cards to use to write a
reflection. They should glue their card on the reflection page and
independently answer each of the questions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Part 4: Write</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can also have students take their
reflection a step further by completing a final writing assignment. </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Students should refer to the evidence
they collected while reading </span><u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Martin’s
Big Words,</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> and ideas from their group discussions when completing their writing assignments.</span></div>
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I love these activities because they incorporate elements of reading, writing, and speaking and listening. These activities are also easy to prep, and easy to implement during one literacy block. But most importantly, these activities help us to recognize and celebrate the life, words, and legacy of Dr. King!!<br />
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If you would like to take a closer look at this resource, click on the pic below to visit my teacher shop on TpT.<br />
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-58619960813461118162017-05-25T05:00:00.000-07:002017-05-25T05:00:00.158-07:00Smashing Strategies for Guided Math: Daily Reflections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is our final week of sharing Smashing Strategies for Guided Math!! In my previous two posts, I discussed different options for <a href="http://www.createteachshare.com/2017/03/smashing-strategies-for-guided-math.html">Math Warm-Ups</a> and <a href="http://www.createteachshare.com/2017/04/smashing-strategies-for-guided-math_27.html">Incorporating Interactive Notebooks</a> into Guided Math. Today I am excited to share how you can use Daily Reflections to wrap up your math block!!<br />
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For my final post on Guided Math strategies, it is only fitting that I share ways to wrap up or end your math block. Daily Reflections are a great way for students to think back to what they learned, practiced, and experienced during math. Prompts for math reflections can take many different forms. Here is just a selection ideas...<br />
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<ul>
<li>Pose a math problem for students to solve that is related to a concept or skill covered during the math block.</li>
<li>Ask students to rate their understanding of a new concept or skill.</li>
<li>Ask students to share challenges or successes from the day.</li>
<li>Discuss new math vocabulary.</li>
<li>Ask students to describe a strategy.</li>
</ul>
Daily reflections are very powerful in getting students to talk about math, while also changing their mindset and feelings about math. Daily Reflections can be done in a few different ways...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Whole Group Discussion</span><br />
Your daily math block often gets very busy!! There's lots of movement throughout the room, transitions from one activity to another, and a lot of groundwork that is covered in just one math block. Sometimes it's nice to come back together as one big group to discuss what was learned and what was accomplished during math. Whole group discussion is a great time for students to share and discuss new strategies that they learned that day.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Small Group Discussion</span><br />
Small group discussion can be a lot more personal and a lot less intimidating for struggling students, or those that are reluctant to share in a whole group setting. Small groups might be table groups, or just seat partners. This is a great time for students to share challenges they faced, ask questions of their classmates, and share what they learned.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Math Journals</span><br />
Following whole group or small group discussions, it's always beneficial for students to reflect and write down their thoughts and ideas in a math journal. Math journals are usually a place where students solve problems and take notes. However, it's a great idea for students to have a space in their journal where they can record their reflections each day. Group discussions often serve as a catalyst for getting students to think and reflect. However, journals allow students to share more personal reflections. Journals are a great way to connect with students when you conference, in order to see how they are feeling about math. <br />
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Here is a FREE printable to guide group discussions and student journals!!<br />
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I hope that you will be able to incorporate Daily Math Reflections into your own math block. Be sure to check out the other links below for some great ideas related to Guided Math!!<br />
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-35937477949414881312017-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-27T05:00:01.005-07:00Smashing Strategies for Guided Math: Incorporating Interactive Notebooks <br />
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We are back this week to bring you more Smashing Strategies for Guided Math!! In my last post I discussed different options for <a href="http://www.createteachshare.com/2017/03/smashing-strategies-for-guided-math.html">Math Warm-Ups</a>. Today I am excited to share how you can incorporate Interactive Notebooks into your math block!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What are Interactive Notebooks?</span><br />
Interactive Notebooks can take on many different forms. Some teachers use them for taking notes and drawing illustrations and examples. Other teachers use more structured templates, including foldable pieces that require cutting and pasting. I prefer a balance of the two. When I refer to notebooks in my classroom as being "interactive", I am referring to them as a tool that my students will "interact" with throughout the year, whether it be when they are taking notes on a brand new concept, or using them as a reference when solving problems independently.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">How to Use Interactive Notebooks:</span><br />
I have been using Interactive Notebooks for math in my classroom for the past 5 years, and I am constantly changing the ways that I use them. Interactive notebooks can be used in a variety of ways...<br />
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<li>You can use Interactive Notebooks to <u>introduce new concepts and skills</u>, in which students take notes and include sample problems and illustrations. </li>
<li>They can be used to <u>review or reinforce</u> previously taught concepts and skills. </li>
<li>Interactive Notebooks are great for <u>test preparation</u>! They can be used as a countdown to standardized tests, reviewing different concepts and skills each day leading up to the test. </li>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Interactive Notebooks in My Classroom:</span><br />
As with any teaching tool or strategy, you have to make them your own in order to meet the needs of your students and your personal teaching style. About four years ago, I created my own notebook pages to be based on the common core standards, and to meet my own classroom needs. Each of my notebook pages include the following:<br />
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<li>An explanation or how-to for each concept or skill.</li>
<li>Sample problems to be completed as a group.</li>
<li>An additional page of problems for guided or independent practice. </li>
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These notebook pages then serve as a reference tool for students throughout the year. My students always have their notebooks handy to refer to as they complete current tasks or review material. They are great for revisiting right before all assessments, big or small!!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Incorporating Interactive Notebooks into Guided Math:</span></div>
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<b>Prep: </b>My Interactive Notebooks do require some prep. Students need to cut out pages or pieces to glue into their notebooks. I like to have students prep their notebooks for the day during Math Warm-Up. Pages or pieces needed for the day are distributed while they complete their task for Math Warm-Up. As soon as they complete their task, students transition right into prepping their notebooks for the day. That way, whether they are used for whole group instruction, or during small groups, the pages will be ready to go!</div>
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When deciding when to use Interactive Notebook pages, one thing is certain: They should NOT be completed independently. Depending on how your Guided Math block is organized, notebook pages should be completed with teacher direction. </div>
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<b>Small Group: </b>When introducing a brand new math concept or skill, Interactive Notebooks are best used in small groups. This way the teacher can differentiate the lesson to meet the needs within each group. This gives you the chance to make sure that each student is receiving the material in a way that is meaningful to them, and you get to see how well each student is able to grasp the new concepts. </div>
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<b>Whole Group: </b>When reviewing previously taught material, Interactive Notebooks work great in a whole group setting. Students have already been exposed to the material and have had opportunities to practice the concepts and skills. Therefore, it may not be necessary for the teacher to complete the pages in a smaller setting.</div>
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<b>Independent Practice or Center Work: </b>The nice thing about Interactive Notebooks is that they can continue to be used as a reference tool for students. Often times during a Guided Math block, a teacher will be working with small groups or conferencing with a student. This requires students to work independently at their desk or at centers. So when students are unsure about a concept or skill, their Interactive Notebooks serve as a tool that provides them with notes, explanations, and examples, that they can refer to. </div>
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If you are interested in learning more about my Interactive Math Notebooks, feel free to use the links below!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Createteachshare/Category/3rd-Grade-Interactive-Math-Notebooks-167378"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFbd0al1lwCX_chNizMN1lR9_LR3VIeRyGQoE6mxv_j2zqpBRq5FGiCdhTt4Y5Yi6tqPvHCSdu37UTkNhbZn3CW2SlALePSLfdUwyUB4bSHNw77PieywwSfymD066sAdbC47XyOoKNAY/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-23+at+1.16.08+PM.png" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Createteachshare/Category/4th-Grade-Interactive-Math-Notebooks-167377"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1FplkCO2CW845amaW_iW0B2meoqTH7zpJQgqYkUqceE6mOTH0hFrwX9I4UL8_bagqYeLMHBKcNn69BKPihenFnjz0Jga3aHfgMaDUlVAF0zW-kW9UEelqS2Sj9qrc2rkxpElZPwYFxQ/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-23+at+1.17.25+PM.png" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Createteachshare/Category/5th-Grade-Interactive-Math-Notebooks-167379"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFItlu1TJwXFb73gZrZNdVM2vU5KUkrDAnX3mxFNAfa-xJU8Ckbqqb4zSNw5WjwKdVi8VyVmo6SbniUdgjC408gESEWDdUxDv6JC-XUF1x5DrnWqXQX_wHzn5P2ebo2bhklohKftrRaWI/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-23+at+1.17.51+PM.png" width="199" /></a></div>
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I hope that you will be able to put some of these ideas and activities to use in your own classroom. Be sure to check out the other links below for some great ideas related to Guided Math!!<br />
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-49371317881574035042017-03-30T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-24T14:16:07.728-07:00Smashing Strategies for Guided Math: Starting the Day With Math Warm-Ups<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am thrilled to be joining a wonderful group of teacher bloggers to share a variety of ideas related to Guided Math!! This is my first post in our Smashing Strategies for Guided Math series, and I thought I would start off by sharing ideas for starting the day with Math Warm-Ups!!<br />
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Math Warm-Ups are a great way to start your math day! This time at the beginning of your math block is perfect for getting students to start thinking about all things numbers and mathematics!! When used effectively, math warm-ups lead to great thinking and great conversations. Here are a few tips for selecting activities for meaningful and effective warm-ups...<br />
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<b>Tip #1: Choose activities that students can complete independently. </b><br />
It is important that students are able to complete these first math tasks of the day without help. This will help them to feel confident in math, and ready to tackle whatever the day brings. Being able to complete a math task independently sets a nice tone for the rest of the math block, especially for those students who struggle.<br />
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<b>Tip #2: Choose activities that build on new or past learning.</b><br />
Reinforcement of recently or previously taught skills is the key to mastery. It is so important that students continue to practice concepts and skills well after they are taught. Some of the activities that I talk about below are perfect for students to demonstrate different concepts and skills they learn throughout the year.<br />
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<b>Tip #3: Choose activities that will lead to meaningful math conversations.</b><br />
Math Warm-Ups shouldn't just be worksheets that are completed, corrected, and then put away! You want to choose activities that are going to lend themselves to meaningful conversations between students, whether in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class. These conversations are perfect for exposing students to new ideas and new understanding.<br />
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<b>Tip #4: Choose activities that are routine or familiar to students.</b><br />
I like to use activities that students are familiar with and which are a part of our weekly routine. Time is wasted when we have to spend too much of it on directions or explaining an assignment. When students are familiar with an activity, they are able to get started right away, use their time effectively for thinking and recording ideas, and also know exactly what is expected of them.<br />
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I have put together a collection of some of my favorite activities for Math Warm-Ups. You can download them for free by clicking <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Warm-Up-FREEBIE-3084922?utm_source=My%20Blog&utm_campaign=Math%20Warm-Ups%20Post">HERE</a>!! You can also read about these favorites....<br />
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<b>Activitiy #1: Incredible Equations</b><br />
For this warm-up students come up with 4 equations that equal the number of the day. I like to use the number that goes with the number of days we've been in school. What I love most about this activity is that it is easily differentiated, as students will choose to write equations based on their own comfort with numbers, and understanding of mathematical operations. A student who struggles might choose equations with small numbers and simple operations, while a student who needs a challenge might use larger numbers and more complicated operations. After students have some time to write their own equations, I like to have students share their equations, by writing them on the whiteboard and explaining how they equal the number of the day. This gives students the chance to see numbers and operations in a variety of ways, and may introduce them to new ideas and understanding.<br />
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<b>Activitiy #2: Number Talks</b><br />
This activity can be used in a variety of ways. I like to use this with operations with large numbers. I write a problem on the board, like 52 + 69, and ask students to use any method(s) they can to solve the problem. I have them record their thinking using drawings, equations, and written explanations. Then we come together and students share the different ways they solved the problem, using the document camera to show their thinking. This allows students to see a variety of methods for solving the same problem, and helps broaden their understanding of numbers and operations.<br />
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<b>Activitiy #3: Math Terminology</b><br />
I like to use this activity to review key terms that students have recently learned. First, students record the term and find the definition in their math book. Then they have to re-write the definition in their own words, show an example, and draw a picture or diagram. I usually have students share these in small groups, so that they can add additional details as they converse with their classmates.<br />
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<b>Activitiy #4: Show What You Know</b><br />
This activity is one that I like to give at the beginning of a new unit, or before teaching a new concept or skill. For this activity, students can use words, pictures, diagrams, examples, and/or explanations to show everything they know about a given subject. For instance, at the beginning of a fraction unit, I may ask students to show me everything they already know about fractions. When we come together, to share, I like to record students' thoughts and ideas on the board or on an anchor chart. This activity is great for activating prior knowledge, getting students thinking about a new concept or skill, and also gives me an idea of where students are at with a certain subject. This activity also works great at the end of a unit, when students can demonstrate everything they have learned throughout that unit.<br />
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<b>Activitiy #5: True or False?</b><br />
For this activity I like to give students an equation or comparison, such as 5.9 < 5.89, and have them determine whether the equation or comparison is TRUE or FALSE. Students then need to go on to defend their answer, and explain why it is true, or why it is false. I then give students time to share their answers and explanations with their seat partners. And finally, we come together as a class to discuss. This is a great way to get students to PROVE and EXPLAIN their thinking.<br />
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I hope that you will be able to put some of these ideas and activities to use in your own classroom. Be sure to check out the other links below for some great ideas related to Guided Math!!<br />
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-76884448577106244172017-03-29T17:26:00.000-07:002017-03-29T17:26:17.619-07:00A New Favorite: We're All Wonders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This little gem was just delivered this morning and I am already in love!! This newest addition to the Wonder collection is a picture book called <u>We're All Wonders</u> by R.J. Palacio, featuring everybody's favorite inspirational 5th grader. I can hardly wait to share this with my own 5th grade class after Spring Break!!</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</span></i></span></div>
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For the last few years, I have started off my school year with the book <u>Wonder</u> by R.J. Palacio. It is the perfect book for the beginning of the year because it is truly engaging, and opens students up to understanding and accepting the differences of others. It covers important themes, such as friendship, kindness, and acceptance. It's the type of book that will have students laughing and crying, and one that they will not want you to stop reading!! </div>
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If you are not familiar with the book <u>Wonder</u>, use the affiliate links below to learn more about this book and others in the collection:</div>
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I am excited to share the picture book, We're All Wonders with my kiddos when we get back from Spring Break!! This will give us the perfect opportunity to revisit the themes and character traits that molded our first weeks of school. Check out this book for yourself by clicking on the affiliate link below...</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1524766496/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1524766496&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=1fb0cf8723c616db12e142cf3936cdcb" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1524766496&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="243" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1524766496" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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When we get back from Spring Break, I plan to share this book with my class right away!! They're going to be so excited. (That is unless they picked up a copy of their own over break!!)<br />
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After discussing the story and making connections to the novel, I plan to have them do a little writing about what makes them different and unique, and what they think makes them a "wonder". I also would like to have them write about what they can do to change the way they see others...<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Were-All-Wonders-Writing-Assignment-3086637?utm_source=My%20Blog&utm_campaign=Wonder%20Post"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusadXu2QvStLOlLOfeKe1vzO9FPGqGJsN3zTRxD2PLDpD_jukpEFj2w4-QKiXNyhY5_TorPEQ3qdM-wbbBeD1L1K8-CbAtJ5pm20MuoY3iYiztq0QbITdQKFGse4NOq7cvEw8Sj8Cyp0/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-03-29+at+4.26.45+PM.png" width="488" /></a></div>
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{Click the pic to download!!}</div>
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I can't wait to share this book with my kiddos and hope that you will be able to share this activity with yours!! Happy Reading!!</div>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-85338697942356373992017-03-21T16:45:00.002-07:002017-03-21T16:45:24.319-07:007 Ways to Celebrate Poetry in the Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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April is National Poetry Month, and what better time is there to teach our students all about poetry?! There are so many ways to celebrate poetry in your classroom, and today I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to teach and explore this fascinating genre!!<br />
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<span class="s1"><i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i></span></div>
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1. Read Poetry Aloud</h3>
When starting out with poetry, I like to start by simply reading poetry aloud to my students, and exposing them to a variety of poets and styles. Depending on the age of the student, you may want to start with poems that appeal to their interests, and which they can relate to. Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky are two poets that students always enjoy!! Use the affiliate links below to see some of my favorites...<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060248025/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060248025&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=78f8578b432630cde4ae43eb220804ad" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0060248025&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="152" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060256672/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060256672&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=85bb4f08c04502b30c394b8501dc3b92" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0060256672&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="152" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0060256672" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062239503/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062239503&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=10ae046e445fe00dbcd9638d13b10810" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0062239503&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="161" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062239503" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060763906/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060763906&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=9fe19619bd56596e79f0564b04978768" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0060763906&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="156" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0060763906" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Shel Silverstein's poems are classics and are always fun to read aloud and hear, and Jack Prelustky writes poems that students truly can relate to. In upper grades, when we start to really analyze and respond to poems, the language gets a bit tricky and can be intimidating. That's why I like to start out with the fun stuff!!<br />
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National Geographic has also put together some great poetry anthologies that kids enjoy...<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426310099/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1426310099&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=b78949ae7951e0295af339079972936a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1426310099&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1426310099" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426320949/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1426320949&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=637ee8965f22d4d82086d4c8184c3ed1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1426320949&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1426320949" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </div>
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One last favorite is a book that I was recently introduced to. The poet, Joan Bransfield Graham visited our school and shared this book with students. <u>The Poem That Will Not End</u> is a picture book written in poems. The narrator can't stop writing poems, and uses them to tell all about his day. I love this one because it shows students that you can write a poem about just about anything!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1477847154/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1477847154&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=6eb6ba68991dd983b917151565a2bced" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1477847154&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1477847154" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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2. Explore & Respond to Poetry </h3>
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When first starting out with poetry, I like to have students complete a K-W-L chart to determine their background knowledge and curiosities about poetry. Then we share, discuss, and chart any new learning. I like to use an anchor chart, but I also have students complete their own!!<br />
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As students become more familiar with poetry, they begin focusing on "analyzing" poetry and reading response. I try to provide them with as many tools and graphic organizers as possible, to make it easy to understand and reflect on the poems that they read.<br />
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3. Teach Poetry Patterns</h3>
I love teaching my students to write their own poems! However, students are often intimidated my this genre of writing, and often don't know where to begin. I have found that it helps to introduce them to specific poem types, that follow specific patterns. I created this Poetry Patterns Tab Book to introduce my students to some different types of poetry and to guide them in writing poems of their own.<br />
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<br /><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Toolbox-3071889?utm_source=Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=Poetry%20Toolbox%20"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYu4I5Zw0JZYGqWcVKsvFelywL2Y0LKR0xUTTNMiKH1ddItF887r7b0ePpSKRZM5oMSPpVhNfj75OW9IeM9rVbO2gnQOIjGu0YexOlbrJ8aF0xVujDRcog-YfmKXPNQHdwtPKYUmTczuk/s400/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Toolbox-3071889?utm_source=Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=Poetry%20Toolbox%20"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9TdyUAlk-zznhwPz_zz367a9mr-nWvCM01k9BZnO0__TTQueYalLKOlQbaBvKw8GgTKUC56S6azcDxSCM0lc7oa3qPfeIcb2jPv-OlSZGs1rPQEPR1Cw-75wZVbnNlAbE0qcCt9MRDk/s320/Picture1.png" width="297" /></a></div>
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4. Take a Haiku "Hike"</h3>
This book was written by a class of 4th grade students. The students in the book go on a hike and take Field Notes about the different things they observe while on their hike. They use their notes to write haiku about their observations in nature.<br />
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I love to read this book to my students after they have already learned about the form of haiku. After reading the book, they grab their spiral notebooks and we head outdoors for a "hike" (really just a walk around our campus!). They take their own "field notes" on the different elements of nature that they encounter. Then later when we are back in the classroom, they write and illustrate haiku poems based on their field notes and observations. These poems make an amazing class book!!</div>
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5. Recite a Poem</h3>
Reciting a poem was one of my favorite activities as a 5th grader!! I can still remember every word of the poem I memorized all those years ago. During the month of April, I ask my students to choose a poem that is at least 10 lines. I have them memorize and practice their poems throughout the month. During the last week, I have the student recite their poems for their classmates. Shel Silverstein is always a favorite for this assignment!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Toolbox-3071889?utm_source=Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=Poetry%20Toolbox%20"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaguRmOnKXHvV5XLs1V73hpx7d8Y6ZouFGjxoaC0FA5xxgife4RtoHqzYBxi8UMXY2fydQmd73mjz96KgkHVoA5R66AQjAdn4R8AyVC39lYXxtiGSh8RI2cQ6FpI7yI_iv91ZkC9tjrI/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-03-21+at+10.57.28+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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6. Celebrate "Poem in Your Pocket" Day</h3>
April 27th is Poem in Your Pocket Day!! I love to have students copy down a favorite poem to carry around in their pockets. This craft is perfect for students to "wear" their pockets around shcool, and encourages them to share their poems with friends and classmates throughout the day.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Toolbox-3071889?utm_source=Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=Poetry%20Toolbox%20"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lyhGppNCHfy1QaaQQcUu8aGijETTI0niIIBde84e88BVHbIvV7yXe_g80rHcb6Wp5abU2jzYh68uti6Gr_q3RkWBNUeKW_t599x6dL82tAF3xwB-NL0EAhuxH8msiv8NSsE9H6zAa1o/s400/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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7. Write to a Poet</h3>
The official page for National Poetry Month offers some great ideas for celebrating poetry in the month of April. One of their ideas is to write to a poet. You can click <a href="https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/dear-poet-project">HERE</a> to learn more about their <a href="https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/dear-poet-project">Dear Poet Project</a>. With this project, students have the opportunity to watch videos of different poets reading their poems, and then write those poets a letter in response! This is a great way for students to learn more about different poets and to practice their letter writing skills!!<br />
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Poetry can be tons of fun for students, especially when they are able to participate in engaging and meaningful lessons and activities. You can learn more about many of the resources from this post by clicking on the pic below. <a href="http://poets.org/">Poets.org</a> also offers amazing ideas and resources for celebrating <a href="https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home">National Poetry Month</a>!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Toolbox-3071889?utm_source=Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=Poetry%20Toolbox%20"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkQ751CEIEOG-vZxu9X7kOUUp17G_R2UxUsxb04e4gdwf79Ka5iGhDeJ6MO4O7e9i4-YN5Z242X-fGMhFIobLw8XkpCHleat8r6zshZMbmLIDdvksZbSmuEooo1y65U_IQBS480GagUY/s400/Thumbnail.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hope that you are as excited about celebrating poetry in April as I am!! I would love to hear in the comments about what you do to celebrate poetry in your classroom!! Thanks for stopping by!!!</div>
<img height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-31832511780871493512017-01-20T03:00:00.000-08:002017-01-20T03:00:07.813-08:00Character is Key: Promoting Character in the Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBwybomfUb3Ivn0mGEEyNusqqQ_9Zn7t8paswDGSlppGqrnIVR2Xo1zjyI5SWi8vI6kXKrDWMPZVc7jbQyqFwUtOlP5cTtnTnls4qGrtjT7gebvLs68QDR2kWmjaInBIRgOwtPqGLr3w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-17+at+9.15.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBwybomfUb3Ivn0mGEEyNusqqQ_9Zn7t8paswDGSlppGqrnIVR2Xo1zjyI5SWi8vI6kXKrDWMPZVc7jbQyqFwUtOlP5cTtnTnls4qGrtjT7gebvLs68QDR2kWmjaInBIRgOwtPqGLr3w/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-01-17+at+9.15.49+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As teachers, we are tasked with teaching so many different concepts and skills. We spend countless hours planning and implementing academic lessons that will prepare our students for the lives ahead of them. But for me personally, there is no task more important than teaching my students to be good people.<br />
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While there may be no standards for kindness, no curriculum to teach empathy, and no lessons on courage, teaching these character traits should not be overlooked in our classrooms. If we want to prepare our students to meet the world with confidence and success, we need to teach and show them how to be good citizens.<br />
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During uncertain times, we find that our students look to us for answers on how to react to the words and actions that they see from others on the news, and in their own lives. While we may not always have the answers, we can help them to build strong character traits, to face the world around them, and to make good choices about the people that they hope to become.<br />
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Today I am joining fellow Teacher-Bloggers and TpT Authors in sharing ways to promote kindness in students throughout our nation. Throughout social media, you may already be seeing the hashtags, #kindnessnation and #weholdthesetruths appear in your feeds. These hashtags will lead you to FREE resources that you can use in your own classroom to teach and promote kindness and tolerance.<br />
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Today I am sharing a tab book that I created to promote positive character traits in my own classroom...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiT17GXxSiXqVhFUEUH5K6BudLhy_9yTzyOO-BXy9alHDbI7NHvNT-qkQK0l1ODy7LVRXMMgXgDTdYmEWhPRlCHqp94riIjX46-qqb0-CU9wvuqisPcnkgRAWD7NsUJBFO0lM0d44m3h8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-17+at+9.19.00+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiT17GXxSiXqVhFUEUH5K6BudLhy_9yTzyOO-BXy9alHDbI7NHvNT-qkQK0l1ODy7LVRXMMgXgDTdYmEWhPRlCHqp94riIjX46-qqb0-CU9wvuqisPcnkgRAWD7NsUJBFO0lM0d44m3h8/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-01-17+at+9.19.00+AM.png" width="576" /></a></div>
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[Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Character-is-Key-Tab-Book-kindnessnation-weholdthesetruths-2955891">HERE</a> to download]</div>
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This resource covers seven different character traits. It is meant to encourage students to discuss these traits and reflect on what each trait means to them. Each page provides a title, quote, and space for a definition. Students can also draw an illustration to show what each trait looks like to them. There is also space for students to list ways to show each character trait....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ1wByR2SzzxhE3cXS8t9N-wcfoyU_y1RvAvbjXqAQI2vO1X1e24AiqydOTGucaGXznWn4qf_nKb2KUVlmwCaaQ7qNYLTZUmuJaaZci-J6sMdhcZLLWegIU13fD6RztqJvnVMFlkX9BQ/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ1wByR2SzzxhE3cXS8t9N-wcfoyU_y1RvAvbjXqAQI2vO1X1e24AiqydOTGucaGXznWn4qf_nKb2KUVlmwCaaQ7qNYLTZUmuJaaZci-J6sMdhcZLLWegIU13fD6RztqJvnVMFlkX9BQ/s640/Picture2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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In implementing this resource, I would suggest focusing on one trait per week. I would encourage you to read a variety of picture books on each trait, throughout the week to encourage and facilitate discussion. You may want to complete a different part of these pages each day, ending the week with ways to show the trait from that week!<br />
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I hope that you will find this resource valuable in teaching and fostering these character traits in your students. Be sure to visit TpT and search #kindnessnation and #weholdthesetruths for other great resources shared by so many!!<br />
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<img height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-18774070029995447872016-10-06T17:35:00.000-07:002016-11-06T13:22:17.107-08:00Setting the Tone with Scary Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love a good scary story!! Especially during this time of year. The weather is starting to cool down, leaves are falling from the trees, and the days are getting a bit gloomier!! With Halloween upon us, it's the perfect time to break out those scary stories in the classroom. I am thrilled to share with you some favorites from my 5th grade classroom!!<br />
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<i style="text-align: center;">This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Old School Scary Stories</span></b><br />
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The books from the <u>Scary Stories</u> series are classics, and although they've been around FOREVER, my students still gravitate to them each and every year around this time. If you have been living under a rock, and have never heard of them, these books are retellings of popular folklore, and they are downright scary!! (At least they were for me as a kid!!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW__Xt6wWzfDXkztIQHai3NrJ4LnLqTfEZSmDQCP5ug-_rvvywpByhdDnDwO5N1AfH3uadptC29xsKL1_5SElD5kf25PO1mSNTqs3xnP4Eca7SA6xKiRL0QTWoJ6wkSzhhcpKu1H2egg/s1600/510fj5baV4L._SY210_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW__Xt6wWzfDXkztIQHai3NrJ4LnLqTfEZSmDQCP5ug-_rvvywpByhdDnDwO5N1AfH3uadptC29xsKL1_5SElD5kf25PO1mSNTqs3xnP4Eca7SA6xKiRL0QTWoJ6wkSzhhcpKu1H2egg/s640/510fj5baV4L._SY210_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1484123069/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1484123069&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=a807ac7917686d8419beca3ad32ce936">Affiliate Link</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1484123069" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Gives Me the <i>Goosebumps!!</i> </b></span><br />
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My students go CRAZY for the <u>Goosebumps</u> books all year long, but especially around Halloween!! R.L. Stine has a knack for writing scary stories and there are tons of them to choose from!! Click the affiliate links below to learn more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545035171/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0545035171&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=5de2fcd3719cb0e49b1f2138f821ae3d"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0545035171&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0545035171" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BE7JHK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002BE7JHK&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=aba87b47ab8408c1a24a1a4fa990e7e2"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B002BE7JHK&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B002BE7JHK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439774756/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0439774756&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=d7b4c64dbba65cc86ad1b45b7c781f49"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0439774756&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0439774756" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Short and Scary!</b></span><br />
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<u>Short & Shivery</u> is a collection of 30 short stories that work great as read-alouds for the month of October. I like to read one a day set the mood and tone for our upcoming Harvest Festival and Halloween!! Click the affiliate links below to learn more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440418046/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0440418046&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=bb1654f701b7d14115dcda76c837bda4"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0440418046&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="217" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0440418046" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440418577/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0440418577&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=7adb4229cd8db5ef5fdb05149afe6fe6"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0440418577&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="217" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0440418577" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>New Scary Favorites</b></span><br />
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These are the newest additions to my scary stories collection!! A fellow teacher blogger from <a href="http://literacyforbigkids.blogspot.com/">Literacy For Big Kids</a> recently shared these on Instagram, and of course, I ordered them right away!! They just arrived and I already have a waitlist!!! I am loving the descriptive stories and black and white illustrations!! Click the affiliate links below to learn more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250018870/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250018870&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=78f5253871df237581d0990973675f93"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250018870&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250018870" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250040957/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250040957&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=caecdaee346578b0b10aa069376bafc6"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250040957&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250040957" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250018897/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250018897&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=0e32a3b5545eef503f5eb9cc16537432"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250018897&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250018897" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250018935/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250018935&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=81810eab80d57d7d3cd8c49be17cb59f"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250018935&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250018935" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>43 Old Cemetery Road</b></span><br />
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Students of mine have been reading the series <u>43 Old Cemetery Road</u> for the past several years. Each book in this series contains a collection of letters, postcards, newspaper articles, and other documents and means of correspondence, which are weaved together to tell a story. Students absolutely love this format and the stories that are told!! Click the affiliate links below to learn more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547398484/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0547398484&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=781bea67dd52b0135361d1f49e4ea322"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0547398484&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0547398484" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547577133/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0547577133&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=51c6b04e69005e53722bc598abfb2848"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0547577133&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0547577133" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547850816/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0547850816&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=bb6b4e4ce6b1946eed3e0c354c40336c"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0547850816&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0547850816" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Ghosthunters</b></span><br />
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One final scary stories series is the <u>Ghosthunters</u> series by Cornelia Funke. While I have never read any of these, my students swear by them, especially around Halloween. These stories tend to be both scary and silly!! Click the affiliate links below to learn more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439833086/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0439833086&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=a0f6b3d30dfbba50079aa20192031376"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0439833086&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0439833086" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545028930/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0545028930&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=3dd4e8a42089bd5e1a54abe670e4d4de"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0545028930&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0545028930" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439833094/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0439833094&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=f4a3d9d049351c5a87c584db88dae3e2"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0439833094&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0439833094" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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I love having scary stories available in my upper grade classrooms for my students to enjoy in October, and even throughout the school year. <b>Of course it's important to keep in mind that scary stories (and even Halloween) are not for everyone!!</b> I always do a quick discussion with students about how or if they want to read these stories. Overall, my students tend to devour these scary stories in the month of October, and can never seem to get enough!!<br />
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I would love to hear about any favorite scary stories that you or your students might have!! Please share them in the comments!!<br />
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<img height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-74629182136567384062016-08-29T14:24:00.002-07:002016-08-29T14:25:16.157-07:00Exploring Non-Fiction in the Elementary Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu4D-O6gHF6IYwxf7j-uWXp5J0rbaDGXuQaNhnLAJS9OhT0hAAz-ePhS5MBgUCfBSggFCfyJPVmdYZMfduAvUPBvcHaF4NOwGs2MWBUNwOIyg67BVf9_8T3APdr3BNi7235PQ0p8DzH4/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu4D-O6gHF6IYwxf7j-uWXp5J0rbaDGXuQaNhnLAJS9OhT0hAAz-ePhS5MBgUCfBSggFCfyJPVmdYZMfduAvUPBvcHaF4NOwGs2MWBUNwOIyg67BVf9_8T3APdr3BNi7235PQ0p8DzH4/s640/Picture1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
I had the great honor and pleasure to write a blog post for the <a href="http://blog.teacherspayteachers.com/ideas-exploring-non-fiction-in-the-elementary-classroom/">Teachers Pay Teachers Blog</a>. I chose to write all about how I use and teach non-fiction in my upper grade classroom!! Click <a href="http://blog.teacherspayteachers.com/ideas-exploring-non-fiction-in-the-elementary-classroom/">HERE</a> to learn about how I make non-fiction come to life for my students!!<br />
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<img height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-3571134657736056212016-08-14T15:00:00.000-07:002016-09-12T07:07:14.741-07:00Classroom Must-Haves That I Can't "Picture" Myself Teaching Without<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;">Every teacher has those few supplies, books, and resources that they couldn't possibly teach without</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;">! Along with my fellow bloggers over at Upper Elementary Snapshots, we decided to share all about our Classroom Must Haves. We are sharing the things that we simply could not "Picture" ourselves teaching without! Before you go today, be sure to also check out the "Must Haves" of the fabulous bloggers below, and enter our Giveaway at <a href="http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/2016/08/Must-Have-Classroom-Resources.html">Upper Elementary Snapshots</a>!!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYgNeELSdywqETRJ8i9ItazM2iD6ZDoem4q3nFfYv_Wnac8LPenwzNGViZ1FIgrdC6A639nX_0lVJf14uZN49n2RrkW3O2zp5crDYmNEp_WWmUEBCKGJU2SdNCfEz-HKSsvcoCwtPbfM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+12.00.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYgNeELSdywqETRJ8i9ItazM2iD6ZDoem4q3nFfYv_Wnac8LPenwzNGViZ1FIgrdC6A639nX_0lVJf14uZN49n2RrkW3O2zp5crDYmNEp_WWmUEBCKGJU2SdNCfEz-HKSsvcoCwtPbfM/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+12.00.30+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">My absolute favorite classroom supply is my Teacher Toolbox. About 5 years ago I decided to get rid of my teacher desk. I never sat at my desk and it took up so much valuable space in my class. So, I ditched the desk and switched to a kidney table, that doubled as my new desk and table where I could easily work with students. My teacher toolbox was the perfect place for me to organize and store all the rest of my favorite supplies!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxEtCH0M5TWbQIbMhb81yRFhsH5U9U0_0jtCpABHL-iz-yHE3xa-5nKfCI1eDkDsir2gkxqL51yHyz7jcV2EJCgI5pr6v-N-49w15ucjL9fqc6Jrt_AWwNYdgr3cbXdaYxWxuShm9L5c/s1600/IMG_1910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxEtCH0M5TWbQIbMhb81yRFhsH5U9U0_0jtCpABHL-iz-yHE3xa-5nKfCI1eDkDsir2gkxqL51yHyz7jcV2EJCgI5pr6v-N-49w15ucjL9fqc6Jrt_AWwNYdgr3cbXdaYxWxuShm9L5c/s640/IMG_1910.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can download the labels that I used by visiting my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Teacher-Toolbox-Printable-Labels-1365155">teacher shop</a>. You can also find this fabulous toolbox at your local hardware store, or use the picture and affiliate link below. Just click on the pic to learn more!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PS9S3M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000PS9S3M&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=8b6641c24d450507ced4d081068c6c04"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B000PS9S3M&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000PS9S3M" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2UXaNngq-5R28NPfVfDsn3sxVdbbA6LMl3ctfgs_wxI2w5HssGcm1fZ3jqNt8RLc2ByhRcUuWNVYdBsN713wWZmUoJ7gircoacUVjRl_8FDiNxUpWxdoBntmetNF2e7GA_A4_xx4UI0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+12.00.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2UXaNngq-5R28NPfVfDsn3sxVdbbA6LMl3ctfgs_wxI2w5HssGcm1fZ3jqNt8RLc2ByhRcUuWNVYdBsN713wWZmUoJ7gircoacUVjRl_8FDiNxUpWxdoBntmetNF2e7GA_A4_xx4UI0/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+12.00.50+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395353939/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0395353939&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=daef8c0ea529404c65c88e3595adb02c" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0395353939&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="331" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I have used the book <u>The Mysteries of Harris Burdick</u> by Chris Van Allsburg in my classroom for the past 12 years!! The mystery behind this book and the stunning illustrations make it a great book for teaching inferences, and for writing narratives. This book is a HIT each and every year, and I always look forward to teaching with this book with each new class. You can learn more about how I use this book, and other wordless picture books by visiting this <a href="http://www.createteachshare.com/2016/04/narrarive-writing-with-picture-books.html">past blog post</a>. Plus, click the pic and affiliate link to learn all about this wonderful book!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wRxgPKCu5HN2TO0EQTpSZdo3_DhLclO3Dv5I9wJTL457dzI4megxHHU3UTQOYP-086k3ALSqMjP4QvKtDFzGj9Jle683pcsSW7SF4ueigku8eSL8K7qHTxBBfK7NpcsYbEooejDUT2E/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+12.00.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wRxgPKCu5HN2TO0EQTpSZdo3_DhLclO3Dv5I9wJTL457dzI4megxHHU3UTQOYP-086k3ALSqMjP4QvKtDFzGj9Jle683pcsSW7SF4ueigku8eSL8K7qHTxBBfK7NpcsYbEooejDUT2E/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+12.00.57+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh2Im3VSQwRTJMgL9bHsim39rN1hx2T4Vg1NTRIqOP_VcQcXvFIGOcbLnYehoivpm_W5u-vxrn_oE6oAypkLE6VcFGRh0VQhqp4id7SQA4b-V7-j76qa4pxn7eW5Xb9NtF3xuiyL9bdQ/s1600/Cover+Pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh2Im3VSQwRTJMgL9bHsim39rN1hx2T4Vg1NTRIqOP_VcQcXvFIGOcbLnYehoivpm_W5u-vxrn_oE6oAypkLE6VcFGRh0VQhqp4id7SQA4b-V7-j76qa4pxn7eW5Xb9NtF3xuiyL9bdQ/s400/Cover+Pic.png" width="308" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Reading Response Journals have been a staple in my classroom since day one!! My students use them every single day to respond to the different novels that we read aloud in class. I recently updated the way my students set up their journals, by adding tabs for organization and anchor charts for my students to refer to as they respond to texts. I can't imagine teaching language arts without our favorite read-alouds and reading response journals!! You can learn more about my Reading Response Journals <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Journals-2612523">HERE</a>!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am so excited about this FREEBIE, and can't wait to use it in my own classroom this year. These Close Reading Toolboxes are perfect for engaging students in close reading. They include a highlighter </span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-size: large;">to highlight important words or phrases, a pencil for text marking, sticky notes to record important ideas, and magnifying glasses to search for text evidence!! </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">You can learn all about how I put these together for my class, and download the free printable labels, by clicking <a href="http://www.createteachshare.com/2016/06/close-reading-toolbox-freebie.html">HERE</a>!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After you've downloaded my freebie be sure to visit each of the blogs below to add </span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">12 more FREE RESOURCES</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> to your own collection of things you can't picture yourself teaching without. Afterwards swing by our collaborative blog, </span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/2016/08/Must-Have-Classroom-Resources.html" target="_blank">Upper Elementary Snapshots</a></span></u></b><span style="font-size: large;"> for lots of great content and ideas you can put into practice in your own classrooms as well as a chance to win gift cards to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Teachers Pay Teachers so you can stock up on your own Classroom Must Haves.</span></span><br />
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I would love to hear in the comments below, all about your own Teacher Must Haves!!<img height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" style="text-align: center;" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-38785555954098203962016-07-22T16:58:00.003-07:002017-07-12T10:29:02.567-07:00Reinventing Reading Response Journals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As teachers we are constantly REINVENTING THE WHEEL!! Although it can be time consuming, one thing I love about my job, is that I get the opportunity to learn, grow, create, and RECREATE year after year!! I have been using Reading Response Journals in my classroom for over 10 years, and each year I make slight changes in the process, style, and implementation. The Reading Response Journals that I am about to share are a culmination of ideas from the past 10 years!!<br />
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I have found that reading aloud to my students is the absolute best way to teach them different strategies and skills. I choose highly engaging texts that get them thinking and practicing those strategies. Reading Responses are a great way for me to see what they have learned and what they are thinking about as we read.<br />
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Each day after I read aloud to my students, we discuss different characters, connections, themes, and ideas. Students then write their own ideas in a Reading Response Journal. For me, it is important that their responses include ideas from the story, student thoughts, and evidence to support those thoughts and ideas. In my 4th and 5th grade classes, students are expected to write a short paragraph daily, based on the specific strategy or skill that we might be focusing on that day.<br />
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Of course, writing quality reading responses does not always come naturally to students. This is something that I teach very early on, and which I model, and they practice throughout the school year.<br />
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To start the year off, I always teach my students different reading strategies and skills from the very first day of school. I choose different picture books to use as mentor texts for each of the different strategies. When I created this resource, I put together a collection of my favorite mentor texts...<br />
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I usually stick to focusing on one strategy or skill a day and will use different picture books to model, discuss, and practice whatever that focus might be . During our mini lessons, I will usually introduce a strategy or skill by creating an anchor chart and by having students take notes about the different ideas we discuss. Next, I will read a picture book aloud, modeling and discussing a reading strategy. Afterwards, I work with students to write a meaningful reading response. I ask students for input, but also model the process of writing a thorough and thoughtful response. We usually write all reading responses together for the first two to three weeks of school. I slowly release responsibility as students are ready to write them on their own.<br />
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What I love most about my new Reading Response Journals is that they include anchor charts for students to glue right inside their journals. In the past, I have kept anchor charts that we have created as a class, accessible for students to refer to as needed. However, I often found that most of the time, they wouldn't take the time to find and reference the charts. I have also tried making loose-leaf anchor charts for students to keep in their folders, so that they have them handy to refer to. However, I often found that they would misplace these charts. With the charts glued into their journals from the very beginning of the year, they are accessible to students when it's time to write their reading responses.<br />
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The nice thing about these anchor charts is that they also serve as divider tabs for students. This helps them to keep their journals neat and organized!!<br />
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One of the biggest changes that I made to my reading anchor charts are the Sentence Frames and Sentence Starters for students to use to write their reading responses. Every year, when we first start with reading response journals, I find that my students do not have the language to write thorough and meaningful responses. As I mentioned before, I usually write responses with my students for the first few weeks of school. When doing so, I will often use sentence frames to get us started. However as the year goes on, I have found that students appreciate having sentence frames available. Sentence frames and sentence starters give students a starting place, help them to structure their responses, and gives them the confidence to write responses on their own!!<br />
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I always set guidelines for my students when it comes to their reading response journals. This resource is no different. However, instead of an anchor chart that I create at the beginning of the year, and that eventually gets filed away, students have the guidelines right inside their journals.<br />
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I am often asked if I grade or score my students' reading response journals. The answer is OF COURSE!! Students put a lot of time and effort into their reading responses, and they are such an important tool for me to see their thinking and understanding as we read. I use a scoring guide each quarter to "grade" students' journals. I will be honest and say that I do not read each and every response. I will usually tell students to choose their five best responses from the quarter and to mark them with a star. Then those will be the responses that I read and score. This process has two major advantages: First, it saves me time. But more importantly, it gives students the chance to read back through their responses and critique themselves as they choose their five best!!!<br />
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I am so excited about these Reading Response Journals and can't wait to introduce my new class of students to them in just a few short weeks!! I would love for you to visit my shop on Teachers Pay Teachers to learn even more about them!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Journals-2612523"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiVlAems1odxFGKFleZzDJ55cNLoVnvK9Koyam1k7MagvKkx92me5nk6P4BvjLUuUzqNdG3zsCZV58xYiIzG-fqUGxeS4jrwv1HCpI3BRjiOYgy8Yqgjr196If9O_y-YTVN0AHni-5IU/s400/Cover+Pic.png" width="307" /></a></div>
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Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Journals-2612523?utm_source=Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=Reading%20Response%20Journals">HERE</a> to learn more about my Reading Response Journals!!<br />
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Also Available for Non-Fiction Texts<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTR070nlDkIsiIiDcfpyINEEcDMjEnqEgseO_vNcxkQWcx8O_gayuu45YpArNG-ZcmcY3Ik8lgsbOt6vrdFxG9yZJyZzGiZBAbHnHpmdDDSG5qqB5eYF-60P-On1rlsNX3C2R89IMTKY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-15+at+2.11.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTR070nlDkIsiIiDcfpyINEEcDMjEnqEgseO_vNcxkQWcx8O_gayuu45YpArNG-ZcmcY3Ik8lgsbOt6vrdFxG9yZJyZzGiZBAbHnHpmdDDSG5qqB5eYF-60P-On1rlsNX3C2R89IMTKY/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-11-15+at+2.11.57+PM.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Journals-Non-Fiction-2878733?utm_source=Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=Reading%20Response%20Journals%20NF">HERE</a>!!</div>
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Looking for more reading ideas for your classroom, follow my reading board on Pinterest!!<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="800" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="240" data-pin-scale-width="90" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrsrojasteaches/reading-in-the-classroom/"></a>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-88887215430749184792016-07-20T20:50:00.000-07:002018-06-22T14:04:31.222-07:00Must-Haves for Back-to-SchoolEEK!!! This is one of my favorite times of year!! I must admit that although I love and value my summer, I am HUGE school supply addict and I LOVE shopping for Back-to-School!! Thanks to the wonderful world of social media, I have discovered some amazing supplies that I absolutely MUST HAVE for this school year....<br />
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<span class="s1"><i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i></span></div>
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Hello. My name is Rebecca, and I'm a school supply addict!! I still have three weeks until I go back to school, but just could not resist ordering this beautiful box of goodies....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppgtH6pjsJo6c1ybzsxr8y_39mnSH_DPPgqhSirvDW01ZIk0ptTp8K5wIKBCrLvDCky9A0Qkut4QY9wR_htnCyjnssDEbAV12nZeJVOkVfEUR4YOi6wgEAAClmE0XmkQzU5SALzutE3w/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppgtH6pjsJo6c1ybzsxr8y_39mnSH_DPPgqhSirvDW01ZIk0ptTp8K5wIKBCrLvDCky9A0Qkut4QY9wR_htnCyjnssDEbAV12nZeJVOkVfEUR4YOi6wgEAAClmE0XmkQzU5SALzutE3w/s640/Picture1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, if you're like me, and looking for some new additions to your school supply collection, I thought I would share my favorites for the upcoming year!!<br />
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Be sure to click the pics and affiliate links throughout this post to learn more about any of these products!!<br />
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So, I must admit, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to dry erase markers!! I only like to use Expo brand!! I like the way they write, they erase better than any other dry erase marker out there, and I love so many of the colors. Last year I came across another brand of markers with magnetic strips. I was so excited to be able to have magnetic markers that would stick straight to the board. In the past I have used velcro, but that doesn't always work so well. The magnet was a huge plus!! The only bummer was that the markers themselves were terrible. So I was thrilled this summer when I found EXPO Markers with Magnetic Strips!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019QC6QW8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019QC6QW8&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=29301925c903760642f759760bbee48c"><img border="0" height="303" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B019QC6QW8&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B019QC6QW8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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I have already tried them out and they work great!! I purchased a more colorful set, as shown above, but they also come in black and standard colors!! These will be such a nice treat for the coming school year!!<br />
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Speaking of Dry Erase, I keep seeing this Dry Erase Tape all over Facebook and Instagram!! What I love about this tape is that it can be adhered to student desks or workspaces and can be used in so many different ways!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NBL3YR6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00NBL3YR6&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=a45ee4712c6c30722c47678692bee065"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B00NBL3YR6&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00NBL3YR6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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I bought this tape in white, pink, and turquoise!! All which go with my classroom colors. I plan to add a strip to each of my students' desks to write names at the beginning of the year, leave notes when I have a sub, and for students to use to jot different things down!! I just can't tell you how excited I am about this!!<br />
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I LOVE using Mr. Sketch Scented Markers!!!! They are the perfect markers for anchor charts, and my students absolutely love when I use "smelly markers" to correct or comment on their work!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019QBOTKK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019QBOTKK&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=45c70272bef94cb57c081ce4ff6f3049"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B019QBOTKK&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B019QBOTKK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018HB43KG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B018HB43KG&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=5e6e300be0781cae3f8824f8587e05c9"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B018HB43KG&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B018HB43KG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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I was so thrilled to find these new colors and scents to change things up a little bit!! The first set is neon colors with scents like Cosmic Pink Lemonade and Rotten Melon Alien Ooze!! How can you beat that?!?! The second set has pastel colors with flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip and Stinky Cheese!!! These are going to be a huge hit with my kiddos this year!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaivdCkZGjGXSfF2NHCaAMvqyBc9LqwHLQTp97dSCiE-WCB8ZPQeuYMm1-vhwLvGKBowvCuVBbhl7NqCiOxGi3bndp18ENDdZ0QN0wz0c0K8HWABDHt9DRhyLpbY_6tv7sG3vYMHRC1gA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-17+at+10.24.55+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaivdCkZGjGXSfF2NHCaAMvqyBc9LqwHLQTp97dSCiE-WCB8ZPQeuYMm1-vhwLvGKBowvCuVBbhl7NqCiOxGi3bndp18ENDdZ0QN0wz0c0K8HWABDHt9DRhyLpbY_6tv7sG3vYMHRC1gA/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-07-17+at+10.24.55+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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InkJoy gel pens are nothing new!! In fact, I have been using them for years!! However, I am absolutely IN LOVE with the new design of these fabulous pens!! First of all, I love the color variety. The colors are bold and the pens write so smoothly!! They also have an awesome grip, and a new sleek design.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019QBOG3U/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019QBOG3U&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=7a8da951b47ca5a255988e4f009842c5"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B019QBOG3U&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="312" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B019QBOG3U" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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These pens will be my OFFICIAL teacher pens for the year!! Hands-off kiddos!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI8xYBOryFekDpgoKqlNYsaiimDnEXv6LSzC_xRplEoVYjzdHK0OTJhMWFJ-ryQo_xY6LfJ-cBcwBKA9wGcklI9KnpZWiltcBzVEEOiKZT-JmDvSZWy-GU69EdyrIV3OX8f99HeaCHg8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-17+at+10.25.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI8xYBOryFekDpgoKqlNYsaiimDnEXv6LSzC_xRplEoVYjzdHK0OTJhMWFJ-ryQo_xY6LfJ-cBcwBKA9wGcklI9KnpZWiltcBzVEEOiKZT-JmDvSZWy-GU69EdyrIV3OX8f99HeaCHg8/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-07-17+at+10.25.08+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Astrobrights Paper is another hit year after year!! I love copying anything I can onto this fun, bright, eye-catching paper!! Astrobrights are on my Must-Have list every year!! However, I love this particular combination of colors, especially Terrestrial Teal, which is my absolute favorite!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A2I71E/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003A2I71E&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=bafcf9f2b40b7aa4658bb25c99ab9d0f"><img border="0" height="400" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B003A2I71E&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="400" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B003A2I71E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Unfortunately, this paper doesn't come cheap, so I am very selective with how I use it. I usually use it for student anchor charts, word lists, and other important handouts that I want students to hang on to!! This coming year, I am using Astrobrights for my Reading Response Journals....<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Journals-2612523"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfO_2yVpJLPsRHCg-lquUC7EAmBixOmN9GyufiMmY7bf3ZFefl31SkTrhOzJwncYQmSFNr0UAR4Wwk7bEv5ZLvHWW9eKudMUkzCaFstmIwaDKq05jMgmlw_zIkmrEdu-SAO7HwQBuBkU/s400/Cover+Pic.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBglCiT9e-NYaOR6U-Xoi9XGk4b8Zprba5ldwTzivfb0C8kHtF_Piw3U9p_Qvj4FoLFGffS9VS2CkqXxxPVJbhEdhwuWRTGqWdFIqrB4VJQBlnQaXGiRiQ6qeuzuiVzwVMSOPMdD4rQrk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-17+at+10.25.17+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBglCiT9e-NYaOR6U-Xoi9XGk4b8Zprba5ldwTzivfb0C8kHtF_Piw3U9p_Qvj4FoLFGffS9VS2CkqXxxPVJbhEdhwuWRTGqWdFIqrB4VJQBlnQaXGiRiQ6qeuzuiVzwVMSOPMdD4rQrk/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-07-17+at+10.25.17+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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These Plastic Photo Cases are sure going to come in handy this school year!! I have bought them in clear plastic, and now COLOR!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H2NWHYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01H2NWHYE&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=472c62904e1c644ccab29a0ce11b0a90"><img border="0" height="220" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B01H2NWHYE&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01H2NWHYE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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I first used a set that I found in my cupboards to create <a href="http://www.createteachshare.com/2016/06/close-reading-toolbox-freebie.html">Close Reading Toolboxes</a>....<br />
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<a href="http://www.createteachshare.com/2016/06/close-reading-toolbox-freebie.html"><img border="0" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEC5dbvMag_7YBjHHPJsuvzBVkRv4TOMbxuZnskOLXG1SRLuSI4VGOh9uf_he215vFoEU7VrQHhB8mbN9m9OnRncQPEkasjO7v-nS4GmDb3OrnK0a9_UoalaqhRZaw9g1oQD1NxsOcOs/s400/Picture5.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I now plan to use the colorful cases to make <a href="http://teachingtoinspire.com/2016/07/math-tools-lots-freebies.html">Math Toolkits</a> from Teaching to Inspire....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTU39ehFFUG_vQzP3PKUr1oG_uOzzh1cX5YL36m-skwko5UBNcBy4ntztlC6QnsrqVaMnqh9Vk5wMBqOIG5TlMbOJRMO4qKZC4v-CGrZ2uO6o6qVbzjy7ad4PpxqOs_nhj6V2El80P2Y/s1600/math-tools-with-anchor-charts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTU39ehFFUG_vQzP3PKUr1oG_uOzzh1cX5YL36m-skwko5UBNcBy4ntztlC6QnsrqVaMnqh9Vk5wMBqOIG5TlMbOJRMO4qKZC4v-CGrZ2uO6o6qVbzjy7ad4PpxqOs_nhj6V2El80P2Y/s320/math-tools-with-anchor-charts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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While these work great for toolkits, they have so many other uses!! They are perfect for task cards, storing and organizing math manipulative for small groups, and so much more!!<br />
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I am so excited about my Back-to-School Stash for the upcoming school year!! <span style="text-align: center;">I would love to hear about your Back-to-School Must-Haves in the comments below!!!</span><br />
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For more ideas for Back-to-School 2016, be sure to follow my Back-to-School board on Pinterest!!<br />
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<a data-pin-board-width="700" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="180" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrsrojasteaches/back-to-school/"></a>
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<img height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-3567707228476500142016-06-20T09:42:00.003-07:002018-06-22T14:05:31.659-07:00Monday Made ItAwww!! Sweet, sweet summer!! This is the time when I come back to life, and finally have the time to design, create, and share!! Today I am linking up with one of my favorite teacher bloggers over at <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/">4th Grade Frolics</a> for her linky, <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2016/06/monday-made-it-hosted-by-inspired-owl.html">Monday Made It</a>!!! I am sharing two projects that I am currently working on!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-SQ6zQnmSmm9CzANDQd1r617ACk_kWVNtvpQlbULG9Et3ponyPaGGBCvjhK1AZbqMFvdqKzDXGV_AjVcMHU6r0RnTa7tJpl2vR5rEAvbcAw3xDfdZvU7qB9SyKCVUqZv1vmZTTyfoZs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-18+at+5.35.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-SQ6zQnmSmm9CzANDQd1r617ACk_kWVNtvpQlbULG9Et3ponyPaGGBCvjhK1AZbqMFvdqKzDXGV_AjVcMHU6r0RnTa7tJpl2vR5rEAvbcAw3xDfdZvU7qB9SyKCVUqZv1vmZTTyfoZs/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-06-18+at+5.35.01+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CjCrsOl3TjCAosBUuVKgfKOMkScB6pC4SuBPP7vD5I99_pnM-Yo0HkKoO49E2JSKzZtH4cHHPZebdXeBZO_Bj5bsnHgk-HdZAyXoht9qmygWZC0FihxajZcn1ideuSvFPeercCwEn1U/s1600/Button+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CjCrsOl3TjCAosBUuVKgfKOMkScB6pC4SuBPP7vD5I99_pnM-Yo0HkKoO49E2JSKzZtH4cHHPZebdXeBZO_Bj5bsnHgk-HdZAyXoht9qmygWZC0FihxajZcn1ideuSvFPeercCwEn1U/s1600/Button+1.png" /></a></div>
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First, I am totally jumping all over the current LIGHTBOX CRAZE!!! I love this as a classroom decor piece to encourage and inspire students!! I love how you can use it to leave messages to celebrate holidays, birthdays, themes, and so much more. I also love how it can be used to share inspirational messages with students. And of course, it is just SO DARN CUTE!! I found my Heidi Swapp Lightbox at Michaels, however you can also click the pic below to use my affiliate link to check it out on Amazon!! </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019X1D8EQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019X1D8EQ&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=184875c9fe3ba2ca9b9dc08ce19e7fe8"><img border="0" height="400" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B019X1D8EQ&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="400" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B019X1D8EQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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With this Lightbox you can find tons of letters and accessories to create the perfect message. Click on the pics and affiliate links below to find tons of options!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019X1D4M2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019X1D4M2&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=17342cd1dc9e33044ec4585535de1ca6"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B019X1D4M2&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="200" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B019X1D4M2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019X1DBZ2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019X1DBZ2&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=a39b0f47172922afac2bfd619ae6a61a"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B019X1DBZ2&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="200" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B019X1DBZ2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019X1DEN6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019X1DEN6&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=12fc0d495c940463797497aa71eb226f"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B019X1DEN6&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" width="200" /></a><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B019X1DEN6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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While I love all of the different options that the letters have to offer, I was also inspired by the designs created my <a href="http://www.learninginwonderland.com/">Learning in Wonderland</a>!! She created (and continues to create) adorable Lightbox Designs that are perfect for the classroom. I purchased this GROWING set, and can't wait to start using them next year!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wvgry5B1hYE90v1MY3VW1GkoF7OLcjDRpg77ujL6xDKHLTHaZfAy5bK0-6Wz5Zwj3nclzh0QxoMHTts-g526CXjgux8UOj5tepTfOeQs9WkNFBsIInsIE0ey3XNDM-xd5OBgYHLIKvM/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wvgry5B1hYE90v1MY3VW1GkoF7OLcjDRpg77ujL6xDKHLTHaZfAy5bK0-6Wz5Zwj3nclzh0QxoMHTts-g526CXjgux8UOj5tepTfOeQs9WkNFBsIInsIE0ey3XNDM-xd5OBgYHLIKvM/s400/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Light-Box-Designs-2590526">HERE</a> to learn more about these fabulous Lightbox Designs from Learning in Wonderland!!! </div>
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These designs inspired me to make some of my very own!! I am moving to a new school and a new grade level next year and thought, what better way to welcome my new students to our class!!! I created the following two designs to welcome my future 5th graders!!</div>
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To make these, I used the blank template that was included in Learning in Wonderland's set. I printed on TRANSPARENT VELLUM, since I had some on hand. However, I also ordered TRANSPARENCY FILM to give that a try!! However, once the light is shining through, I found that the vellum works just GREAT!!! Affiliate pics and links below....</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040YC7FI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0040YC7FI&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=d5375e27f62b48588b853468194dca4e"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B0040YC7FI&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B0040YC7FI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KNHRTE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000KNHRTE&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=2b5bafc8fe2066009593c5b5401dfac0"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B000KNHRTE&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000KNHRTE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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I am having a BLAST creating new designs for my new Lightbox!! I can easily see myself doing this ALL summer long!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAQDr86y28OwToDpD1iqnW4i8Wpqsnq0BjMXk4esmCDl_ecE-kPXn6AYZjDEsknumtzL5ISZZO56VGuRje9q9tLzDtzhpAI2Wk8dxGykffF_zLJnpqP6HZt0AUuQK7b_O3qdEqaU4I1s/s1600/Button+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAQDr86y28OwToDpD1iqnW4i8Wpqsnq0BjMXk4esmCDl_ecE-kPXn6AYZjDEsknumtzL5ISZZO56VGuRje9q9tLzDtzhpAI2Wk8dxGykffF_zLJnpqP6HZt0AUuQK7b_O3qdEqaU4I1s/s1600/Button+2.png" /></a></div>
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My next project was a Back-to-School project for my own daughter. My youngest will be starting Kindergarten in the fall, and we are really working with her on being more independent!! I put together these hanging cubbies to organize her outfits for the week!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8_RmVe6XyYDDIkZPzw7yCEB5MUG7xS-EgbpLZAThBpSCqQFou8CEGV4DG1pNvnpwAkNP0EQcb1UfS7QYiUoRBtOpK2xPhesXli35JiHMlZ7lBbR2GZL9OdtCC2fF5egLws4QBS8ZfbE/s1600/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8_RmVe6XyYDDIkZPzw7yCEB5MUG7xS-EgbpLZAThBpSCqQFou8CEGV4DG1pNvnpwAkNP0EQcb1UfS7QYiUoRBtOpK2xPhesXli35JiHMlZ7lBbR2GZL9OdtCC2fF5egLws4QBS8ZfbE/s640/Picture3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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My plan is to check the weather on Sunday night and have my daughter help me pick out her clothes for the entire week. Then each morning she will know exactly what to wear!!! </div>
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I found these HANGING CUBBIES and ADHESIVE LABEL POCKETS at Target's Dollar Spot!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO630PAEPjKhe-747ovjzbqIjN8Ba-sraNoOlfle5LVVyW8bHZFI6GTz2NoxDTN7n4UUmrpkTMJLZPAf57VFtmg_uEqp-xWkxhf0GcXXv6aNAws46FduJAHPMA4n8NHS70FBLCRYjr8Vc/s1600/Picture4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO630PAEPjKhe-747ovjzbqIjN8Ba-sraNoOlfle5LVVyW8bHZFI6GTz2NoxDTN7n4UUmrpkTMJLZPAf57VFtmg_uEqp-xWkxhf0GcXXv6aNAws46FduJAHPMA4n8NHS70FBLCRYjr8Vc/s400/Picture4.png" width="296" /></a></div>
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The I created labels for the school days to fit inside the Adhesive Label Pockets!! The Adhesive Pockets stick nicely to the cubbies, and it turned out adorable!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMXHzQveJUju3rHCDKM6LJtzD1XNbUcEQrMnbv19W6BKuxCXuU3Qotm6Yit0Qh9qdUhF1piN-JUyKTbhEguGlSFoCO-QWO8r-Mhp3wLM6QVGODRXaThEYlo6iouDZJpWvVQotS6d0itI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-18+at+5.12.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMXHzQveJUju3rHCDKM6LJtzD1XNbUcEQrMnbv19W6BKuxCXuU3Qotm6Yit0Qh9qdUhF1piN-JUyKTbhEguGlSFoCO-QWO8r-Mhp3wLM6QVGODRXaThEYlo6iouDZJpWvVQotS6d0itI/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-06-18+at+5.12.56+PM.png" width="355" /></a></div>
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Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdUC1EeG1USlhVX3M/view?usp=sharing">HERE</a> to download!!</div>
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I think I will definitely get my daughter started with this routine over the summer so that she will have it down by the time school starts again!! </div>
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Thanks for stopping by and learning about all of my fun projects!! I hope to be back next Monday with even more!! <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2016/06/monday-made-it-hosted-by-inspired-owl.html">Click here to visit 4th Grade Frolics</a> to check out all of the other wonderful Monday Made It projects and to share some of your own!!!</div>
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<img height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-20204806197140848612016-06-01T13:26:00.000-07:002016-07-06T13:31:37.833-07:00Close Reading Toolbox FREEBIE!!Well, my school year has <i>barely</i> ended, and call me crazy, because I am already planning and creating for next year!! I have a list a mile long of new ideas that I can't wait to try out for next year. My first one?!?! Close Reading Toolboxes!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKRdzJfThV_nAdOsvz8veokIFE-Ju7-g6VQHm2yhzDV2HO_j7lEcNSXXmJrnD2Nn5i4RUdAUgA6lpSFzp8zOEryLcTwCy50ER8yjjP_yqOPkvbkkVHFG5N70iGZT4XGqD88Oauw-g9Bk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-01+at+11.56.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKRdzJfThV_nAdOsvz8veokIFE-Ju7-g6VQHm2yhzDV2HO_j7lEcNSXXmJrnD2Nn5i4RUdAUgA6lpSFzp8zOEryLcTwCy50ER8yjjP_yqOPkvbkkVHFG5N70iGZT4XGqD88Oauw-g9Bk/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-06-01+at+11.56.12+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i><br />
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Close Reading has become a huge reading practice in my classroom, and has helped my students to get through those challenging informational texts. Since it has become such an important part of my reading routine, and I wanted something to spice it up and make it more engaging for students. I keep coming across Close Reading Toolkits on Pinterest, and have been really wanting to make something for my students to use when they sit down with an informational text.<br />
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While cleaning out my cupboards last week, I came across these photo cases that I never ended up using for anything. Instead of adding them to the pile of staff room giveaways, I decided to use them to create Close Reading Toolboxes!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeglgLd1WU0Cg0Ta1eyI2wb1QnyOfrW4pSxiSrMS_pw6FUg64f3MFVGzbi4AF4j1RcMHY6wnUHUmsy_nsqOjsTYFEy-Sd8Vl3weJgahCQ-1nrJyouItQlbHXfb599WYM87GZOZwGaC6c/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeglgLd1WU0Cg0Ta1eyI2wb1QnyOfrW4pSxiSrMS_pw6FUg64f3MFVGzbi4AF4j1RcMHY6wnUHUmsy_nsqOjsTYFEy-Sd8Vl3weJgahCQ-1nrJyouItQlbHXfb599WYM87GZOZwGaC6c/s640/Picture1.png" width="617" /></a></div>
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These photo boxes come in a larger plastic box, which holds six individual photo boxes. These are perfect for a set of Close Reading Toolboxes to be used at a Literacy Center or in Small Groups.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWn_yV5EHH4C6JHuBglafXR8CLHG-KFszaxwgxqobt2ZG3FwSmzYTGzt8nV2TT-XSKmfyXRChjTcr-75SB9KjV3ajv1V8YlKzkGEICkg5WPuHPUu5Fy3VO3awzYuSMC9q2NqWOooHaGI/s1600/Picture4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWn_yV5EHH4C6JHuBglafXR8CLHG-KFszaxwgxqobt2ZG3FwSmzYTGzt8nV2TT-XSKmfyXRChjTcr-75SB9KjV3ajv1V8YlKzkGEICkg5WPuHPUu5Fy3VO3awzYuSMC9q2NqWOooHaGI/s640/Picture4.png" width="626" /></a></div>
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I created two labels for the outside of the larger plastic box, just to keep it fancy. ;) Then I created a label to put on each of the individual plastic boxes...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lWOFlVALlOPmYr2vQCaRLp6V8t31FcRdHKprVq4R9Edv8w8qsiDjpJ_S6C57OwGnXQ-S70ISmdBFY4okkwpdvz66lx_8IfaRYdWAfURTF_MufW1uKWZdrmA0A5QG9Wjh9yhqC4tjbGg/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lWOFlVALlOPmYr2vQCaRLp6V8t31FcRdHKprVq4R9Edv8w8qsiDjpJ_S6C57OwGnXQ-S70ISmdBFY4okkwpdvz66lx_8IfaRYdWAfURTF_MufW1uKWZdrmA0A5QG9Wjh9yhqC4tjbGg/s640/Picture2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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On the inside cover of each box, I created a reference sheet for the different tools that each box contains.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e_MGwNWXLMRui_m3FmIFlf5dUzhEZ1mJNBUebm21WiaVMTG1gXEZKMEGqHw9ZHgvQMCcTuvbEjEZSBs08Q59E5ybIvohYNLHqnucGoP2zawbKD8k470SIPLyc5tEkdz7zalzJyqJHt8/s1600/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e_MGwNWXLMRui_m3FmIFlf5dUzhEZ1mJNBUebm21WiaVMTG1gXEZKMEGqHw9ZHgvQMCcTuvbEjEZSBs08Q59E5ybIvohYNLHqnucGoP2zawbKD8k470SIPLyc5tEkdz7zalzJyqJHt8/s640/Picture3.png" width="516" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What Goes in Each Box?!?!</span><br />
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<li>HIGHLIGHTERS to highlight important words or phrases.</li>
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<li>PENCILS for text-marking.</li>
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<li>MAGNIFYING GLASSES to search for text evidence. I found these at my local party store, but they can also be found on Amazon through an affiliate link. CLICK <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C7IVXK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004C7IVXK&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=3H2CNERSHXLNAJ2K">HERE</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004C7IVXK" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> to find them!!</li>
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<li>STICKY NOTES to record important ideas.</li>
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<li>TEXT MARKING SYMBOLS FOR CLOSE READING</li>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Putting it All Together!!</span></div>
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The idea started with this plastic box of individual photo boxes. <b>Click the pic to find them at amazon!! </b>(The following is an affiliate link.)</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VFDZWO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000VFDZWO&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=7FW2XWJ6LKBEJ72V"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000VFDZWO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="305" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000VFDZWO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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{CLICK PIC FOR MORE INFO}<br />
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I printed each of the individual pieces and laminated them. Then used double-sided tape to attach each of the labels.<br />
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Finally, I filled each photo box with a highlighter, a pencil, a magnifying glass, sticky notes, and a list of Text Marking Symbols for Close Reading.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And....TA-DA!!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEQOz7SBwxE9lohfCHJF_E_J3Vpx7Jt50VikTjbBPy1w8TfqVJndvXztXpD892vvO3sMXuIaQfzeg03jm_eNV3fkoMC7Om6d7BCgyvhcftpX5sjHlo-XHNrcZDQGc9Qc326s4EoEBC_0/s1600/Picture5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEQOz7SBwxE9lohfCHJF_E_J3Vpx7Jt50VikTjbBPy1w8TfqVJndvXztXpD892vvO3sMXuIaQfzeg03jm_eNV3fkoMC7Om6d7BCgyvhcftpX5sjHlo-XHNrcZDQGc9Qc326s4EoEBC_0/s640/Picture5.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Click the pic below to download the labels for these Close Reading Toolboxes!! This will make such a fun summer project for getting ready for next school year!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Close-Reading-Toolbox-FREEBIE-2575311"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBABT3MLX1tfvJPkK84vA0cEqZ0aRLAPgxb2IG5gs2xto3Gh1N5Mhs56s79MnNDKeGouZtBvYgPsTJcTWl63clyIe0FnuzJ-eNz46SnCo0Tg8yqJaGXfBM_Fn1nYBaOrcQOgjttri1rs/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-06-01+at+12.47.22+PM.png" width="307" /></a></div>
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Looking for more ideas for Teaching Non-Fiction?!?! Follow my Pinterest board below!!<br />
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<a data-pin-board-width="800" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="250" data-pin-scale-width="150" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrsrojasteaches/teaching-non-fiction/"></a>
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I absolutely love how my Close Reading Toolboxes turned out!! I can't wait to make more for all of my teacher friends!!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s1600/Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out this post featured on the <a href="http://blog.teacherspayteachers.com/close-reading-toolbox-freebie/">TpT blog</a>!</span><br />
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-18969062509839722052016-05-16T11:49:00.001-07:002016-07-22T16:49:36.871-07:00Social Studies Projects for the End of the Year<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFiwPXXodcJcii0vjbe2_btvlWhigqYLLXpqoyGTw2gD4STBNDMbpaPubTQTiHuJ5SNS_ZMq1jd0HIbaM2V8gfLjuW5LoJvyyGDrEdvE8oPnu1Wrjwg1iWgPPxkKByHRUu0hEnyR-1TY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-16+at+10.09.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fun and engaging social studies projects to use throughout the school year. Perfect for upper grade students in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade!!" border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFiwPXXodcJcii0vjbe2_btvlWhigqYLLXpqoyGTw2gD4STBNDMbpaPubTQTiHuJ5SNS_ZMq1jd0HIbaM2V8gfLjuW5LoJvyyGDrEdvE8oPnu1Wrjwg1iWgPPxkKByHRUu0hEnyR-1TY/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-16+at+10.09.47+AM.png" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love spending the final weeks of school working on projects with my students! While we complete a variety of projects throughout the year, my students become project-making machines after testing!! And we love every minute of it!! At this point in the year, the stress of fitting in curriculum has vanished, students have become project-completing experts, and frankly I just need some great content to fill our final days!!<br />
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Social Studies is one of my favorite subjects to teach. But sadly, my kiddos go to another classroom for this subject. Luckily, once testing is over, I get to steal them back!! By this time in the year my students are experts on California History!! Their S.S. teacher has done well, but I finally get the pleasure of working with them on fun projects!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Great Seal of Your School</span><br />
<a href="http://www.triedandtrueteachingtools.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACQ07zLvX-CMiLj0OLPNVEPcJw-aWYCph16WCWpvihj7mXi0Z05Dcfo66o3K7Djho8mEG2znUTm2I39Cry69RUDYYbmPzyBAMjat1y6e8jiQzq3xFo-baBfO2Hzs3fBASGhKMTr5EFek/s200/tried+and+true+teaching+button.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
This year I wanted to try something new, and was inspired by a fellow 4th grade teacher from <a href="http://www.triedandtrueteachingtools.com/">Tried and True Teaching Tools</a>.<br />
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{Side Note: If you have never visited <a href="http://www.triedandtrueteachingtools.com/">Tried and True Teaching Tools</a>, then you must head over there ASAP!! She has so many fabulous ideas for fun, hands-on activities to help students learn!!}<br />
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One resource she shares in her TpT Shop, is her <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Great-Seal-of-Your-School-876090">Great Seal of Your School</a> activity!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Great-Seal-of-Your-School-876090" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkIGt311gEqvUbUcjVv8pQE3qh0wSEF36HiRpe5pYZ9Zb5WI7TOGHvVh98yMD4CyDrMzMpePf3kwtNYZ5thsyXvgTkoBpl8HyPA9ZPfwTwDmk3z1vM__vTqOoN8mBlxzcqjbS9l7YOtw/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-16+at+10.20.43+AM.png" width="244" /></a></div>
This is a great end-of-the-year project, because my students have already learned all about their state's history!! Our state seal incorporates so many symbols that relate to what they have already learned.<br />
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I had to modify this project just a bit, since I am currently between projectors. Instead of projecting our state seal, I had my students use their iPads to do an image search. Then they worked in pairs to discuss the different symbols that they noticed on the seal. Next, we came back together as a whole group and continued the discussion!<br />
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I asked my students what they would include in a seal for our own school. Students spent time discussing important things that represent our school and what our school means to each of them. Students used their ideas to create rough drafts of their "School Seals".<br />
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After sharing with their table mates and with me, students worked on completing final drafts, complete with detail, and tons of color!! I absolutely LOVE how they turned out!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w4Q6v6sml8OOUKyf3Xkbb36_aoLzKPHtl5ydVLqR5BYJ5uBIwmb1ns2cNBaRvsCCG5AZo9f7ejqDlqxxZLpzilSJHdxDyd1C3v0JSKT40qZ8Varw7iesoY_Vf03Fc95yVTKkTiRU-P4/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w4Q6v6sml8OOUKyf3Xkbb36_aoLzKPHtl5ydVLqR5BYJ5uBIwmb1ns2cNBaRvsCCG5AZo9f7ejqDlqxxZLpzilSJHdxDyd1C3v0JSKT40qZ8Varw7iesoY_Vf03Fc95yVTKkTiRU-P4/s640/Picture1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Overall, this was such a fun and engaging project for my 4th graders this year. The wonderful thing about this project is that it can be used in any state, and with any school!! Our plan is to transfer our school seals to t-shirts before the end of the year. Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Great-Seal-of-Your-School-876090">HERE</a> to learn more about this fabulous project from Tried and True Teaching Tools!!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">iProjects</span><br />
In previous years, I have used the following project as a culminating social studies project!! For this project, students research different state symbols and create an iPad!! They draw the symbols on the outside of each app, and then write a brief summary about the symbols on the inside.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUCpUkRlWDiISEJah7WTweDKFM9H6ntiL4VausJBM0-0jDWODNyPT74VkLZHjZ9CAdWDjTEyAg_91uVxKwYLNggMbeIBDWg5fUonYf6vlpKxIaMVaegr4M0kLUoadxj7ksPLzhHtf2Lo/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUCpUkRlWDiISEJah7WTweDKFM9H6ntiL4VausJBM0-0jDWODNyPT74VkLZHjZ9CAdWDjTEyAg_91uVxKwYLNggMbeIBDWg5fUonYf6vlpKxIaMVaegr4M0kLUoadxj7ksPLzhHtf2Lo/s640/Picture2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last year I taught a 4/5 split class, so my 5th graders completed an iPad with American symbols!!<br />
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Below are the templates that I used, along with links to download each:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuPv-JujQfVlMQu7lF7HvRH97Nv3trsKKNnj4biwKXTzQASE9QCtnMQY84HbnXdJ9uW-qwxqwFNigeZFhuPB_O_nQ9u43B2vEVRy7iIdDfG2MVee6-uAmUfQdZUZ4ppN5oWZTauo43nk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-14+at+11.15.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuPv-JujQfVlMQu7lF7HvRH97Nv3trsKKNnj4biwKXTzQASE9QCtnMQY84HbnXdJ9uW-qwxqwFNigeZFhuPB_O_nQ9u43B2vEVRy7iIdDfG2MVee6-uAmUfQdZUZ4ppN5oWZTauo43nk/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-06-14+at+11.15.33+PM.png" width="244" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBb3JwBHcJyMRw_HSn80IC1zBIaVV8npY-Xms4ctDzjm-bquGSOcUeKeSNY_z0pUlROQFV6NPHIaES5X3YDE2X616Yf1OVqKaLGfp1W9PNa-JzSjr1UvGFKCy7kpXvkUFFJCk2Yn3TSE/s1600/ipad+template.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBb3JwBHcJyMRw_HSn80IC1zBIaVV8npY-Xms4ctDzjm-bquGSOcUeKeSNY_z0pUlROQFV6NPHIaES5X3YDE2X616Yf1OVqKaLGfp1W9PNa-JzSjr1UvGFKCy7kpXvkUFFJCk2Yn3TSE/s320/ipad+template.png" width="244" /></a></div>
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iPad Template: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdWFJBR1QwSnF2UEE/view?usp=sharing">POWERPOINT</a> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdZkkzUmRRd3BvdHc/view?usp=sharing">PDF</a> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdMll0OFZ2MjhjLUE/view?usp=sharing">PNG</a> App Template: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdZmEtZzZTZUJhSEk/view?usp=sharing">POWERPOINT</a> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdLURJOVMwb09wR3c/view?usp=sharing">PDF</a></div>
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Last year I wrote a more detailed blog post over at Upper Elementary Snapshots. Click <a href="http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/2015/06/i-mazing-end-of-year-project.html#.VYGhsFVViko">HERE</a> to learn more about how we put these projects together!!<br />
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Both of these projects were a ton of fun, and my students learned so much from both. I am so glad that I stumbled upon the School Seal project. It's definitely going to become a permanent fixture for my end of the year project collection!!!<br />
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<img height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s200/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-35921602684959334062016-05-09T14:07:00.000-07:002016-07-22T16:49:27.598-07:00Encouraging Summer Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5I2u_EYBvD-JZPklY16EmAIBm9SWe0NuX3OHIf1sLYjI_QulVhQI_RiRLWFmfUxrgD2d1UE8lqs0_6M44RXgHXJXX_UKTMHt30XS5e-n86ydnwXj8VvMClr6Plbnzf47TfLNPGF18tM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.27.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5I2u_EYBvD-JZPklY16EmAIBm9SWe0NuX3OHIf1sLYjI_QulVhQI_RiRLWFmfUxrgD2d1UE8lqs0_6M44RXgHXJXX_UKTMHt30XS5e-n86ydnwXj8VvMClr6Plbnzf47TfLNPGF18tM/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.27.34+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I spend the entire school year working to instill a love of reading in each and every one of my students. It certainly is not an easy task!! I have to choose just the right read-alouds to engage all. I work with students individually to establish reading goals and to find books they love at their reading levels. We practice responding to texts in meaningful ways, teaching them important reading skills, while still loving to read. By the end of every year, I am such a proud teacher, when I see how much my students have grown, and how much they absolutely LOVE to read!! But, I still worry that summer is going to come along and wipe away all of their hard work!! (and mine!!)<br />
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This year I am trying a few new approaches to ensure that my students continue to read over the summer. We are starting off with a Summer Reading Bucket List. My students always have a running list of books they want to read. By the time the school year ends, there are still many titles on their lists. The plan this year is to transfer those titles to their Summer Reading Bucket List, and brainstorm more titles to add to it, as well. This is a great time for students to share with their classmates the different books they read throughout the year, and LOVED!! I also like to make recommendations for students too!!!<br />
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SIDE NOTE: I personally allow students to borrow books over the summer. I know that this is risky business!! But I hate the idea of all of those books sitting in my classroom over the summer, not being read!! I simply keep track of who is taking what, and make sure parents sign an "agreement" to return the books at the start of the new school year. Of course, I always lose a few. However, I rarely have a problem, and love knowing that my books are in the hands of eager readers!!<br />
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Click the pic below to download this freebie!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Reading-FREEBIES-2544387"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBj3LJg4pgT8-gLiNOvbP0Z8cjd9YSdYJobe8ILBC0Syoc4-kpQ55wlBrjE8bUDHYQRj7w2E9sNH3LqIHAWrh4aNd8Uo7md3rIc3z-UcwzzBLYIXicjp8ZjAjUMUgMVbU9z6VfeEEgsjw/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.35.27+AM.png" width="498" /></a></div>
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This is something new that I am also trying this year!! I am challenging students to read different reading materials, to different people, in different places, at different times, and in different ways!! My kiddos are going to have a ton of fun with this one!!!</div>
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Click the pic below to download this freebie!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Reading-FREEBIES-2544387"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jmJ1icaE8VAaJRtLYYRjjceCGYykjijIiRqbKEYxZWNpgKgAdfi54DPWvCJoF_EhhTX-8Ydm_tG0o2W-8LujdZh7gpRl_IGxxTz6nTtGZzniF1ukBTfZeOC1sFZsoP33eVA0xguQtlk/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.35.11+AM.png" width="498" /></a></div>
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Finally, if your kiddos are up for an additional challenge, as I know mine are, I put together an additional Summer Reading Challenge Tab Book. This tab book is available in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Reading-Challenge-Tab-Book-2535322">TpT Shop</a>!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Reading-Challenge-Tab-Book-2535322"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3y9ukYyrN7MFOJTvpI9sL9O5vTcHXfhhEzRmm21Rw1rK0QZJilWGTF_sJNu7XhJYTyLV_3blpvAezBPbFPrrC1XpLESAV2C3Yj_H4s_K9gyC-zhqsOx_FYcTvubWvFxLbziE4P6CPRo8/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-02+at+10.10.42+PM.png" width="494" /></a></div>
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With this tab book, I am challenging my students to read 20 books this summer!! They can be picture books that they read to a younger sibling, novels they check out from the library, or comic books that are recommended by a friend.<br />
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They will use the first page in their tab book to keep track of the 20 books that they will read over the summer!! Then they will use the additional pages to respond to the different books they read. Page 2, "Story Summaries", asks students to write a 1-sentence summary for each book that they read.<br />
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On pages 3 and 4, students will draw pictures and write responses about their favorite characters and settings from their favorite reads!!</div>
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On page 5, students record new words and their definitions, and on page 6 they get to collect favorite quotes from the different books they read.</div>
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The final page is my sneaky way of squeezing in a tiny bit of grammar!! Throughout the year, we love to "collect" different parts of speech that stand out to us in our reading. This page will allow my students to continue that quest!!</div>
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I have included two different cover options, one for boys and one for girls! Although, I always give them the option! ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywoveYzrCzF4XSNVVWYj2tx1nYhyphenhyphenQ-YjDfb4Cp13XmuXuX3QrazqsndXkmaxn_z7SbZ8vkPxRy0Lojl1P9MXNEJr9iLlwAbrh1CONmcgRaFHg6zWFpeUgPv3JkoIP4Kf-qFmsyGD9lzM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.38.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywoveYzrCzF4XSNVVWYj2tx1nYhyphenhyphenQ-YjDfb4Cp13XmuXuX3QrazqsndXkmaxn_z7SbZ8vkPxRy0Lojl1P9MXNEJr9iLlwAbrh1CONmcgRaFHg6zWFpeUgPv3JkoIP4Kf-qFmsyGD9lzM/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.38.58+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally, when students return their completed tab books at the start of next year, I will have these handy little certificates to pass out to them!! (Most likely with an additional treat!!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMjMdDeLf9r9We0uyNtK3X1zcNQ6jV_5XSjxlXshDE3mGMMqG4dEay-ekzQqWKWAf0v2bC2v1UCJ95UG6PY9OpcXzEoeEiROyxJc9ejAI4dku9W0LYB_aaL1pc81untmiUuT8WdMP8cc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.39.11+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMjMdDeLf9r9We0uyNtK3X1zcNQ6jV_5XSjxlXshDE3mGMMqG4dEay-ekzQqWKWAf0v2bC2v1UCJ95UG6PY9OpcXzEoeEiROyxJc9ejAI4dku9W0LYB_aaL1pc81untmiUuT8WdMP8cc/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-09+at+11.39.11+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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While I created this resource with my current students in mind, I also plan to share this with the other teachers at my school, particularly the grade level before mine. I would love it if my new students for next year came back to school fresh off the READING CHALLENGE!!!</div>
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Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Reading-Challenge-Tab-Book-2535322">HERE</a> to visit my shop and learn more about my Summer Reading Challenge Tab Book!!</div>
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Follow my End-of-the-Year Pinterest Board for more fabulous end-of-the-year ideas!!<br />
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<a data-pin-board-width="900" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="300" data-pin-scale-width="115" href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrsrojasteaches/end-of-the-year/"></a>
<span style="font-size: large;">I hope that along with your students, that you will also get to enjoy some much needed SUMMER READING!! I know I will!!!</span><br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPH0iyCSfYjiC7ct9WtTN7pcBFCKPZZhlO9fSBmaP9od7lDIxU28vahQLnpNTE_GqLwtr0jETdRKkyl-t2YTXIiLcsnfYFI67By9OuR3HYE5vdyty0onvUMbZwyQl-4iXia9SlBlD_4k/s1600/Signature.png" /></div>
Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-64090995865269081092016-04-21T17:29:00.000-07:002016-07-06T13:33:38.152-07:00Engaging Lessons To Explore Geometry<div style="text-align: left;">
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Geometry is one of those wonderful math subjects that can be so much fun to teach!! It lends itself to engaging HANDS-ON and UP-AND-OUT-OF-YOUR-SEAT lessons!! These are some of my favorite lessons for teaching geometry!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgytc4z4YuAtVLz8YXklhzJECXAx453rzyWMfJ15_7GwOb8Nth9q_CttVfmQ4dvE8aeUI6Is3bGG8FKWK1HnvR9YLoKLxzJG-Fsk3gxETE8fHboHAiNGNugmtwHKl2CgvMrGmqJykalfI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-21+at+5.37.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgytc4z4YuAtVLz8YXklhzJECXAx453rzyWMfJ15_7GwOb8Nth9q_CttVfmQ4dvE8aeUI6Is3bGG8FKWK1HnvR9YLoKLxzJG-Fsk3gxETE8fHboHAiNGNugmtwHKl2CgvMrGmqJykalfI/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-04-21+at+5.37.07+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Picture Books</span><br />
In my classroom, everything starts with picture books!! Mentor texts are a great way to connect students to content and to help provide background knowledge. Mentor texts in math are no different. I love to read these books throughout our unit when introducing different concepts.<br />
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Click on the pics and affiliate links to learn more about some of my favorites...<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545042208/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0545042208&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=CWQL2RPUTX5GI4YI"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0545042208&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="160" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545042208" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823416380/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0823416380&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=BYAJS4JLWFA5EEBD"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0823416380&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="177" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0823416380" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157091169X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=157091169X&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=VOZLW7SS2YCIMY3M"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=157091169X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="180" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=157091169X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618152415/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0618152415&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=CAV32ZEYD4OIHYNZ"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0618152415&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="198" width="200" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0618152415" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1404856900/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1404856900&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=NJN7EZG4WHCMHSIP"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1404856900&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="163" width="200" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1404856900" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570918767/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1570918767&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=MZFGXTZ7X2UZUICZ"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1570918767&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="178" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1570918767" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Wikki Stix</span></div>
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If you have never heard of Wikki Stix, then you are MISSING OUT!! Wikki Stix are pieces of yarn coated in wax. The wax makes them bendable and easy to manipulate. </div>
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In my class, I like to have students use the Wikki Stix to form different geometric figures, including lines, angles, and shapes. The following activity is great for introducing or reviewing geometric figures. I like to keep these activities is sheet protectors, which the Wikki Stix easily stick to, and so that these can be used year after year!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEmxNHHlDF20Gnxq2hMAo5S_j2rk3ERVYrASVU-jE4rtmML-A0hmgKxZCG4cjMbInXM7hfvyaKPDPewXZ2bEEpi5QDUo_ijwWXQfI5rtaKA-fmBmczMNVP8v4wbG-ujdrVoCRzCUWiMA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-21+at+5.12.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEmxNHHlDF20Gnxq2hMAo5S_j2rk3ERVYrASVU-jE4rtmML-A0hmgKxZCG4cjMbInXM7hfvyaKPDPewXZ2bEEpi5QDUo_ijwWXQfI5rtaKA-fmBmczMNVP8v4wbG-ujdrVoCRzCUWiMA/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-04-21+at+5.12.48+PM.png" width="534" /></a></div>
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We also like to take it a step further by using them to form and measure angles. In the activity below, students use the Wikki Stix and a protractor to form given angles. Then they get the chance to form and measure some angles of their own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIQo01DXzOP-bO2mNJhFuE-zu4DdwyO5usgjfzgRCEvM7BlDHzZPGdkBru7f8TPIXb43cBpR0NwJLHSXIz1KATSH3R1KO4aGycjeZA58O0LzEkTelTgKVyLocafVvYlLm-dCNv6YjjzE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-21+at+5.14.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIQo01DXzOP-bO2mNJhFuE-zu4DdwyO5usgjfzgRCEvM7BlDHzZPGdkBru7f8TPIXb43cBpR0NwJLHSXIz1KATSH3R1KO4aGycjeZA58O0LzEkTelTgKVyLocafVvYlLm-dCNv6YjjzE/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-04-21+at+5.14.15+PM.png" width="524" /></a></div>
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Wikki Stix can be found on Amazon. You can buy them in large packs or in individual packs. The individual packs are nice, since they are presorted and easy to pass out to students.<br />
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Click the pics and affiliate links to learn more...</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011E2S7C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0011E2S7C&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=QS54T275LDXV3BLH"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0011E2S7C&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="320" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0011E2S7C" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BC73Y2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001BC73Y2&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=7JBTY7EU7BIFBT4N"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001BC73Y2&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="320" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001BC73Y2" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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You can also click the pics below to download these FREE printables, PLUS MORE!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wikki-Shapes-2514003"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY__H1glz2LEE-6uRjLv1EG5VmhPj6aKhe8jQD4nH3hfG1HpKKOlS5ssl77yaIyoqwiCxyk-Q1LzHnS7T3n26FRBYmiTxuNRxOcvMhKTg9F1QlueFzNCD0UsaqitaO559GJ-H4PYYzHzo/s640/Picture1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Simon Says</span><br />
This activity is for your kinesthetic learners. We play a game of Simon Says, in which students need to use their hands and arms to form different geometric figures. I use this activity to introduce or review types of lines, angles, and more. When forming lines and segments, students use an open, pointed hand to represent an arrow, and a closed fist to represent a point. They have tons of fun with this one!!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Shape Search {A Digital Scavenger Hunt}</span><br />
To integrate a bit of technology, I send students on a PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT. In groups they are given a checklist with clues to represent different shapes. They need to use the clues to find and snap pictures of shapes that they find throughout our classroom and school. I love the team work involved in deciphering the clues and finding real-life examples of the different shapes.<br />
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Click the pic below to download this FREEBIE!!<br />
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No Technology, No Problem!! If your students don't have devices to snap pictures, you can always have them draw pictures of the real-life examples that they find!!<br />
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As you can see, geometry can be tons of fun!! I am always on the lookout for new ways to bring geometry to life for my students!! If you have any ideas to share, I would love for you to leave them in the comments!!<br />
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-31108857080934358772016-04-17T05:00:00.000-07:002016-07-06T13:34:30.552-07:00Narrarive Writing with Picture Books Without Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even though I'm an upper grade teacher, not a single day goes by that I don't read a picture book to my class. I love using picture books to teach a wide range of reading and writing skills. Even though they are older, my kiddos still love to come down to our rug to hear a great story.</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some of my favorite picture books are those WITHOUT WORDS!! In these books, THE ILLUSTRATIONS TELL THE STORIES!! These books are perfect for helping students to write narratives. The pictures help to spark their </span>imagination<span style="font-family: inherit;">, and provide details to get their ideas flowing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my favorites is the book <u>Journey</u> by Aaron Becker. This book includes beautiful illustrations that tell a story about a young girl on a journey. One thing leads to another through the detailed illustrations, making this a great book to explore sequencing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. To start I bring my students down to our rug and show them the cover. I ask them to predict what they think the story will be about. After they share their predictions, I open up the book and flip through it, so that they see that there are no words on any of the pages. They all gasp and start whispering: What kind of book is this?!?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Then I explain that this is a book without words, and that the pictures tell the story. We flip through each page, and I ask questions along the way to get them thinking about the story.... What do you notice? What stands out to you? How is this character feeling? What do you think is happening? And, so on!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Next, I explain that we are going to go through the book one more time, and that this time they get to write the story!! I give them a list of sequencing words and a page to record their stories.</span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdaUpJNVdmT0x1Mk0/view?usp=sharing" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xF4xy0H3quV9uO8eZlE3lqOez7C9SUXzlDhYVUhkxXhDuAVhiNuqqhXSfUUsCGyZHwf9IH1GXoe35VbZYQkrzsxPILc0lQ26_tfsxRM9xID-PyF61MUCckzoUq1Me_O0cnc4Oyup6wk/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-04-12+at+3.51.06+PM.png" width="308" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdd3NnQWpnQTN2UkE/view?usp=sharing" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7vRlAWQzxtjr2v2JXPS8LSaLGNKd2OsXBYeCfGnhMw0LcceuPBEKgfxs_XDV-trvcN_7J4VjMqLqLJCsHwtRhD2ZPeEPqAFpErjO881dZ8KcP9m9SwE1EganI9zPbX_OsqXFh-Tsk8g/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-04-12+at+3.52.41+PM.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">{Click the pics to download!}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. I display the book using my document camera and projector, and flip from one page to the next. As we go through the pages, my students write the story in their own words with their own ideas. Each student connects to this story in their own way. I give them about 2 to 3 minutes per page to jot down a few sentences. We continue through the end of the book until they have complete story, from beginning to end!! (It's a bit lengthy, so it may need to be done in two parts). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0LPRggPAfVhgk7JoFGQikVBK2lofUiWg84T0b27XicczXXaUQMgBguzI-vLzebSrgjArmKwbl34lKxaZVvtzZcC5GHyzA1duf7edEoC_S40peYWWHw3UrnL-9tMJCkJ_JxHGT0903nA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-13+at+4.06.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0LPRggPAfVhgk7JoFGQikVBK2lofUiWg84T0b27XicczXXaUQMgBguzI-vLzebSrgjArmKwbl34lKxaZVvtzZcC5GHyzA1duf7edEoC_S40peYWWHw3UrnL-9tMJCkJ_JxHGT0903nA/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-04-13+at+4.06.34+PM.png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. When we have gotten through the whole book, my students go back to their tables to share their stories. It's amazing how different their stories are!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">6. Finally, I give them a chance to revise, edit, and write a final draft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My students love this activity!! They love how they get to use the details from the illustrations with their own imaginations to craft beautiful stories!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If your students are like mine, then they will be begging for more! Luckily, this wonderful story continues in the book <u>Quest</u>, and Aaron Becker has another masterpiece, <u>Return</u>, coming out at the beginning of August.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Click the pics and affiliate links to learn more...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_1408102167"></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763660531/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0763660531&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=ND4WRFAIVEKX3W5K"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0763660531&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="178" width="200" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0763660531" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763665959/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0763665959&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=E4AU7YHYVRE2JS2M"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0763665959&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="177" width="200" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0763665959" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763677302/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0763677302&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=BQC7HR6GE3APB2LF"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0763677302&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="179" width="200" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0763677302" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another one of my favorite (almost) wordless picture books is the <u>Mysteries of Harris Burdick</u> by Chris Van Allsburg. This is a book I have been using in my classroom since my very first year of teaching. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EZWEEiJpdxbDxu0MoV_-E5UP_ddIHa7QoJQiR0Xf-8IdeuQm2IL9TC7KIxIfjR5S0eR_JV1tpzfO3E0AO9O368mfej39s6FW5y7nuByCIpZb9EjMmnuZn1VxyOzIhlgn5UuNjO04a5M/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EZWEEiJpdxbDxu0MoV_-E5UP_ddIHa7QoJQiR0Xf-8IdeuQm2IL9TC7KIxIfjR5S0eR_JV1tpzfO3E0AO9O368mfej39s6FW5y7nuByCIpZb9EjMmnuZn1VxyOzIhlgn5UuNjO04a5M/s640/pic1.png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">The Mystery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The idea behind this book is that a man named Harris Burdick brought to a publisher a collection of illustrations that he drew for 14 different stories. Burdick promised to return the next day with those stories. However, he never returned and was never heard from again! The book contains his 14 illustrations, and a title and caption to go with each. The mystery... What were the stories behind the stunning illustrations?!?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. I turn the lights down real low, bring my kiddos down to the rug, and quietly share with them the mystery behind Harris Burdick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Then I share each illustration one-by-one. As we go through each illustration I first ask students: "What do you notice in this picture?" As they point out the different details, they begin to piece together a story for each illustration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Finally, I allow each student to choose one illustration. I give them a copy and they get to take it back to their seats to write their very own story. It's interesting, because each student connects to a different illustration, and they are almost compelled to tell the story of that illustration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Afterwards, I have students share their stories with their classmates, either to the whole class, or in small groups. They love to hear each and every one!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9wAT-I-JwlhRDkFIXx-srK9zfYsIAR7Aj3i_11ZVV0_a8n9E-Fff4PKxxrQM6iuF1kUoun9przJuFABoYnTDjXkQunUsn_cQNiG3BlBfiMPcz8JXuzTRGlNUOcnZGJ-I1sxtTJgjYro/s1600/hb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9wAT-I-JwlhRDkFIXx-srK9zfYsIAR7Aj3i_11ZVV0_a8n9E-Fff4PKxxrQM6iuF1kUoun9przJuFABoYnTDjXkQunUsn_cQNiG3BlBfiMPcz8JXuzTRGlNUOcnZGJ-I1sxtTJgjYro/s640/hb.png" width="636" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In recent years, a collection of stories, inspired by the illustrations, was actually published. The book, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick includes stories by other famous authors including Kate DiCamillo, Stephen King, and Louis Sachar. I will usually read one or two of the stories aloud to the class, and then leave the book available for some of my more serious readers!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Click the pics and affiliate links to learn more...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395353939/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0395353939&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=AI22VXA7TXH4TJ2U" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0395353939&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="320" width="265" /></a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547548109/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0547548109&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=ZFBX4EG5KKSNFORR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0547548109&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="320" width="256" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The possibilities are endless with wordless picture books!! They encourage students to use their imagination, and to look for clues to figure out the story. They are great mentor texts for narrative writing, teaching sequencing, and even, drawing inferences!!</span></div>
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<br />Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-65048381471970718622016-04-12T17:17:00.001-07:002016-04-23T09:02:22.909-07:00Earth Day Case File {FREEBIE!!}Earth Day is the perfect time to get students thinking about the world we live in, the threats to our environment, and the different ways that we can all work to take better care of our planet.<br />
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Last year, I had my students create Case Files for different environmental causes. It was a great way to recognize Earth Day and practice research skills at the same time!!<br />
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We started by brainstorming and discussing the different threats to our environment. We had some great "cause and effect" discussions!!<br />
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Next, my students chose one environmental cause that they wanted to research further. Being from Southern California, many of my students chose to explore water conservation, as we were experiencing a severe drought at the time.<br />
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My students mostly used online resources to gather their information. As they explored different websites for their cause, they took notes, focusing on the following....<br />
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<li>What is the cause? </li>
<li>How can I help and get involved?</li>
<li>What are some important statistics to support my cause?</li>
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Once they had enough information compiled, my students wrote about why they chose their cause, and also wrote a paragraph describing their cause. They shared how they could help and get involved, and listed important statistics. They put all of this together in "case files" and added color to make them pop!! We finished them off with labels with their "case numbers" AKA student numbers! Here are a few samples....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboOA-FFpqBc8fLHUUjAjcvqSL7eVFB1ZwTsNR0Rmt3cqYe2ZI-Dp0T4FnNaB3qzrI4CaszZlcRVVo2n7Tg19jcVMgFmHjrKYjY5hI17JMCoVc8NWb8rd4sitTI8u4PBi0fkRppX1FRdk/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboOA-FFpqBc8fLHUUjAjcvqSL7eVFB1ZwTsNR0Rmt3cqYe2ZI-Dp0T4FnNaB3qzrI4CaszZlcRVVo2n7Tg19jcVMgFmHjrKYjY5hI17JMCoVc8NWb8rd4sitTI8u4PBi0fkRppX1FRdk/s640/Picture1.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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If you're looking for a way recognize and celebrate Earth Day with your upper grade students, this is a great project to get them involved!! I know that my class will definitely be doing this again this year!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Case-File-FREEBIE-2498451"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnf4KlKDDk-_UayfNaoIXWVHGbPaJuE3rpdxt8BMC0S44s4qHe1r2D-W8QPxUEQ4qHKSMPbnHbKKBJh_eoBr5aFmUalIHTOnU9HJJF78KMFNN-bal6vtDnv1oETV16pJCOrxLRwiIKm0/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-04-12+at+10.11.55+AM.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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{Click the pic to download this FREEBIE!!}</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Earth Day!! </span></div>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-68181184023050584702016-03-29T15:09:00.000-07:002018-09-22T09:54:56.375-07:005 OF MY FAVORITE NON-FICTION SERIES TO ENGAGE READERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love exploring non-fiction texts with my students!! Non-fiction can be fun, fascinating, and extremely engaging for students, especially when presented the right way. Unfortunately, as an upper grade teacher, many of the non-fiction texts that are "grade-level appropriate" for my students tend to lack such excitement, and although they might be rigorous, they can be somewhat daunting.</div>
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So when we first begin to explore non-fiction in my class, I love to find the perfect texts to pique their curiosity! I love texts that they are free to explore, and which keep them coming back for more!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjweG6Q38J-CIe7N53s1s67V11C-uIDsZSQFiIu4KumV-AjE4db0tJAVwQbRNljzX4zP7N3OBdPVlYC-gpVOugIbaq4JZmqVpNrV7tFwpOkcp9xX4G6_6ooNLb01uEL5NXzhUwYk1h59M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-11+at+3.42.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjweG6Q38J-CIe7N53s1s67V11C-uIDsZSQFiIu4KumV-AjE4db0tJAVwQbRNljzX4zP7N3OBdPVlYC-gpVOugIbaq4JZmqVpNrV7tFwpOkcp9xX4G6_6ooNLb01uEL5NXzhUwYk1h59M/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-04-11+at+3.42.21+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you make a purchase from amazon.com through the links on this page, CreateTeachShare will receive a small commission. This helps to support the blog, and allows me to continue creating and sharing educational content with my readers.</i></span></div>
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Here are five of my favorite non-fiction series, along with activities to go with each! You can <a href="http://bit.ly/NFseries">CLICK HERE</a> to download all of the activities from this post.<br />
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These books are a ton of fun!! They explore interesting animal features and give students a glimpse of what it would be like if they had these features!! My students love learning about the hair, ears, teeth, and feet of different animals, and then pondering what it would be like to have these features themselves!! For these books, I ask students to pick one animal whose feature they would like to have. They draw a picture of what they would look like , and then tell about what life would be like with this feature. Of course, they need to use DETAILS from the text when completing their picture and explanation. These are great texts when teaching students to find important details to support their ideas.<br />
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Click on any of the affiliate links below to take a closer look at some of my favorites...<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545630851/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0545630851&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=E6JK2M4KK3KJITAI"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0545630851&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="158" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545630851" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Who Would Win? is the perfect series to engage readers, and to focus on the TEXT STRUCTURE: COMPARE & CONTRAST. These books compare two species of predators in a variety of different ways, eventually giving readers the chance to decide "who would win"!! My students love to make PREDICTIONS about who they think would win, and then read to find out whether or not the EVIDENCE supports their predictions. For these books, I have students take notes along the way, as they read about the different features of each species. In the end, I have them use the evidence they collected to make a final decision about who they think would win!!<br />
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Click on any of the affiliate links below to take a closer look at some of my favorites...<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545175720/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0545175720&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=DY7G45VHAUOLPKCO"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0545175720&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545175720" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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The "You Wouldn't Want to Be" series are perfect for exploring history!! Each book focuses on what it was like to live during a specific historical event or time period! They are presented with a bit of humor, which my students always appreciate! These books are perfect for helping students come up with reasons for an OPINION ARGUMENT! The argument is right in the title, and students need to look for REASONS, DETAILS, and EXAMPLES to support that argument.<br />
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Click on any of the affiliate links below to take a closer look at some of my favorites...<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/053128025X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=053128025X&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=Z4WC5473QYEAZTGL"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=053128025X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="175" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=053128025X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0531238520/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0531238520&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=CJLCT3X34MZY4RGM"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0531238520&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="177" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0531238520" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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This series of books really plays into students' natural curiosity about the world. It is perfect for ASKING and ANSWERING QUESTIONS. These books include a series of questions about a given topic, questions that a kid would ask!! Then those questions are answered in a way that is easy for students to understand. With this series, I ask students to choose 3 questions from the text, and to answer them in their own words. </div>
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Click on any of the affiliate links below to take a closer look at some of my favorites...<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0753465248/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0753465248&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=R4IC6JI26V3GWKYC"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0753465248&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="160" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0753465248" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Finally, you simply can't go wrong with National Geographic Kid's EVERYTHING books! These books are so much fun for students to explore. They are filled with so much color, detail, and TONS of TEXT FEATURES!! These books are perfect for teaching students about different text features, which is why I like to use them with a Text Features Scavenger Hunt. Students explore the books and find different features that help them to better understand the subject being explored!!</div>
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Click on any of the affiliate links below to take a closer look at some of my favorites...<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426307683/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1426307683&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=M52A4RBF4QNMCFHM"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1426307683&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="168" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1426307683" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426320744/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1426320744&linkCode=as2&tag=creteasha-20&linkId=SEV45I6YQVMXQT2V"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1426320744&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=creteasha-20" height="200" width="168" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creteasha-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1426320744" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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There's no reason that non-fiction should not be a TON OF FUN for our students!!! These books are the perfect bridge toward helping students to be able to read, understand, and most importantly, LOVE reading non-fiction!!</div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/NFseries">CLICK HERE</a> to download any of the activities from this post!!</div>
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Looking for more resources for Non-Fiction?!?! Check out some of my favorites!! <br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Journals-Non-Fiction-2878733?utm_source=CTS%20Nonfiction%20Favorite%20Series%20Post&utm_campaign=Nonfiction%20RRJ"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndOd4q49TCOvN8L5ZPjNE-8yJItrxVs9YmXjUQkHhY5pKyIxwW49jJkle0BNTLjFsR1AN_U-R9iy_HBa7vzKnzprD9E_uk9qwAsXg3mIOXLAJD7DPwKTm_dY8js8eDLjIBVtRMgxct7M/s320/New+Cover.png" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Non-Fiction-Toolkit-1616897?utm_source=CTS%20Nonfiction%20Favorite%20Series%20Post&utm_campaign=Nonfiction%20toolkit"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpKRwxiF3Ua3OqCqyL3eP-5N9AKm38HiaF_G2Kx32CYivPPwJbX9iso_R46u96AAQJ5Fl5vTGYmSL1RJ_8jJ5pVFGy98Y97VTl1SWFVDLH5VomOeEp3xFviA1WE2z_ln3B2wdRLX_isc/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-01+at+12.24.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-36890401137215884922015-10-26T11:58:00.001-07:002016-04-13T16:58:36.787-07:00DIY Text Feature PostersI have fallen in love with Non-Fiction over the past few years. I used to find it so challenging to incorporate into my reading instruction. Now, it seems that there are endless tools, strategies, and resources for teaching non-fiction. I just couldn't wait to dive-in to some of our favorite non-fiction texts this year!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YMRJ0PArHhWD7MpiUM9Q61ibyOlZflCDbI2Vv3mCJZiYCLm9M6PaJ2DnySAxwKJwP7mQBQHepKqYM-GCYnJDZNNcnP5WwYyoz7B3yKz2_5K7vuC6eb3Gm7TD0ozUPzJOiOD2GEMcYAU/s1600/pic4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YMRJ0PArHhWD7MpiUM9Q61ibyOlZflCDbI2Vv3mCJZiYCLm9M6PaJ2DnySAxwKJwP7mQBQHepKqYM-GCYnJDZNNcnP5WwYyoz7B3yKz2_5K7vuC6eb3Gm7TD0ozUPzJOiOD2GEMcYAU/s640/pic4.png" width="640" /></a><br />
I always like to start things off with exploring TEXT FEATURES! Last year, I received this very cool poster with my order of Scholastic News....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudCc4Fwm_oUOD3OM5zKnyooTpicGNiE2y7ChMqPnGo-POnQWCQB7GVf0m3sKQ5WykeFYhwf5ay_0MZxD9zyUjxtSjBR8-nC9IXb3EqD8oaiufkL3UEONM58YmjZL9gbTfNx6v30CdjjQ/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudCc4Fwm_oUOD3OM5zKnyooTpicGNiE2y7ChMqPnGo-POnQWCQB7GVf0m3sKQ5WykeFYhwf5ay_0MZxD9zyUjxtSjBR8-nC9IXb3EqD8oaiufkL3UEONM58YmjZL9gbTfNx6v30CdjjQ/s640/pic1.png" width="481" /></a></div>
My students loved how they blew up a page from one of the magazines in order to label the different text features!!<br />
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This year, we decided to have students create their own Text Feature Posters, to provide a more hands-on approach to learning about the different features!!!<br />
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To create our DIY posters, we used our latest edition of Science Spin from Scholastic. At the end of the week, when we were done with the magazine, we got to work!! I had my students cut the pages down the middle, and glue them onto a piece of 12x18 construction paper. Then I provided them with a title and a strip of labels with the different features.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvyGqrH_6P0Z7-KcZAdH_8Ocb1TaoOe8Om15mGeTb34C-16UKMHaEVvR3zFm7ApibP00wgAmLE3k0FTp3wWChIkttxcdicR698ifcUPE7ZKAIb7biesE968OmELEAIK82qDBvjHNgQ4w/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvyGqrH_6P0Z7-KcZAdH_8Ocb1TaoOe8Om15mGeTb34C-16UKMHaEVvR3zFm7ApibP00wgAmLE3k0FTp3wWChIkttxcdicR698ifcUPE7ZKAIb7biesE968OmELEAIK82qDBvjHNgQ4w/s640/pic2.png" width="568" /></a></div>
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Students then colored their titles and labels to make them stand out on their posters...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvotwCzQ_b_HQ4g-Al6o8oofdktLt_H_suZy9kMHdp1eGmKKkhsTLoTRotRbc4FZY3VGl_U95wogywTfMAfm64RiBAVwWKcZe68-8zk45Y8jX3b3f1OSs8XHnGDEK0FAnLP6f70ltX88/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvotwCzQ_b_HQ4g-Al6o8oofdktLt_H_suZy9kMHdp1eGmKKkhsTLoTRotRbc4FZY3VGl_U95wogywTfMAfm64RiBAVwWKcZe68-8zk45Y8jX3b3f1OSs8XHnGDEK0FAnLP6f70ltX88/s640/pic3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally, they glued on their titles, used their stickers to label the different text features, and used black sharpie to connect the labels to each feature!! They turned out amazing, and my kiddos were so proud!!!</div>
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This was such a simple, easy, fun, and interactive way to introduce text features to my students!! Below you can download the labels and titles that I used for this activity....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu34_JAE_ImF-_v2_1uPkAri4o94vtksDyx0UVyUJMgsW_uR0yWMIArCndpLZ8iixkBwPmk-6sdezZil9j1avTa4jvAqiYgLZNNLLRaU0c1uquRk__9Q9Px3H2xl_DLDvfbmD6JE4sEPc/s1600/pic5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu34_JAE_ImF-_v2_1uPkAri4o94vtksDyx0UVyUJMgsW_uR0yWMIArCndpLZ8iixkBwPmk-6sdezZil9j1avTa4jvAqiYgLZNNLLRaU0c1uquRk__9Q9Px3H2xl_DLDvfbmD6JE4sEPc/s640/pic5.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdcXEwTnJUTGRxcGc/view?usp=sharing">HERE</a> to download!!</div>
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I hope that you and your students enjoy this activity as much as we did!!! Looking for more ideas on how to use classroom magazines?!?! Check out the following product in my TpT shop!! Lots of great organizers and activities to explore Non-Fiction Texts!!!</div>
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Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Exploring-Non-Fiction-Using-Classroom-Periodicals-1616897">HERE</a> to learn more!!!</div>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-11205416619333896032015-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:002017-08-27T14:25:37.618-07:00Frightening Figures of Speech<div style="text-align: center;">
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I absolutely love to celebrate holidays like Halloween in my classroom!! However, I always try very hard to keep our celebrations as "educational" and FUN as possible. Today I thought I would share a quick fun activity that I have used over the years to teach idioms, while also celebrating the Halloween season!!<br />
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Last year my students worked with "Frightening Figures of Speech". We spent time discussing different idioms with a Halloween theme.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh034xOpbDPPuLb_qh1hTBzbH5UZl9Hkgvy6iVXt1gEmW_48DadsTyLfQL_KYKPi0eBvFJju5Grql0iX13NHJgw6igx6Wr7q1AMvUirvUu7JTk5eHjO3lvlerL5r_skXz3xWYZubS7nLyM/s1600/pic5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh034xOpbDPPuLb_qh1hTBzbH5UZl9Hkgvy6iVXt1gEmW_48DadsTyLfQL_KYKPi0eBvFJju5Grql0iX13NHJgw6igx6Wr7q1AMvUirvUu7JTk5eHjO3lvlerL5r_skXz3xWYZubS7nLyM/s400/pic5.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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After discussing their meanings, and writing sentences for the different idioms, my students got to spend more time with their favorite Frightening Figure of Speech!!<br />
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They wrote definitions and sentences, and then illustrated the idiom they chose. <span style="text-align: center;">I love how we got to explore one of our language standards, while also having some Halloween FUN!!</span></div>
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You can find this activity, and many others for language arts and math in my Halloween Printable pack in my teacher shop. Click the pic below to learn more!!!<br />
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Hope you and your students have a Happy Halloween!!!</div>
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Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541397686289724766.post-30394429527328849292015-09-28T09:30:00.001-07:002015-09-28T09:30:50.884-07:00Upper Elementary Tricks & TreatsOver at <a href="http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/">Upper Elementary Snapshots</a> we have some TRICKS & TREATS up our sleeves!!!<br />
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We have put together a FREE eBook full of fabulous tricks and treats to celebrate the Halloween season.<br />
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For my contribution, I am sharing a fun Halloween-themed STEM activity. It's a twist on the marshmallow and toothpick tower challenge, using marshmallow candy corns!!</div>
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Students use toothpicks and candy corn marshmallows to build the tallest tower they can in 15 minutes. It's so fun to see what they come up with!! This sheet is great for planning and reflecting on this Halloween-themed challenge!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tricks-and-Treats-ebook-for-Upper-Elementary-FREE-2115585">Click here </a>to grab this fun freebie, along with many other free Halloween goodies from Upper Elementary Snapshots!!</div>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJTn0KfbaFdypZdlV4XFUTSyR6FjpAYQExYuX_Taz70QEpOOf04WcdMNqNxtdlHKmfmW6rXjoKPGeYetLvG5cxBFNNhm1rqHH1ibjx9yxtIZ56ogSwsf9NZRgqAsV3AIgMF0oUYUABec/s1600/Signature.png" />Rebecca Rojashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954567390784345302noreply@blogger.com