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Vocabulary Graphic Organizer (Based on Frayer Model)

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Based on the Frayer Model for Vocabulary The student fills in all of the boxes either independently or in whole group. Decide if you would like to the student

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Hamburger writing rubric

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UPDATE: As of January 21, 2013 this file now comes in a zip folder with both a PDF and a Word version of this rubric. There were a lot of complaints that the

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Participate in a Kahoot! game!

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Join a game of kahoot here. Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform that makes it fun to learn - any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages!

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Create a Kahoot!

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Resource for Spanish speaking students--structure of language

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When teaching second language learners, especially in Spanish, think about the structure of both languages. Although Spanish is an alphabetic system like English, the two languages have several key differences. The main difference is that Spanish is phonetically more consistent. Graphemes and phonemes in Spanish have one-to-one correspondence. Other phonological differences to keep in mind are:

Spanish has more graphemes (letters) that represent a single phoneme (sound) than English. Spanish has only five vocalic phonemes: /a/. /e/. /i/. /o/, and /u/. Spanish contains fewer sounds. Spanish contains only five different consonant sounds in word endings: d, l, n, r, and s. The following consonant blends never appear at the beginning of a Spanish word: sl, st, sp.

As with dialects in English, there are phonological variations among Spanish-speaking cultures. For example, just as some New Englanders substitute /er/ for the /a/ at the ends of words like tuba, some Spanish-speakers from the Caribbean may pronounce the r at the end of a word as /l/. for example, amol for amor, mal for mar, and comel for comer (Perez, 1996)

Structure of the language

True competence in a language involves much more than understanding its structure. Knowing how and when to use informal slang or how to begin and end a conversation with normal social conventions can be just as important to communication as word order (syntax), grammatical rules of sounds (phonology), word forms (morphology), and semantics (word meaning). In order to communicate orally or in writing, a person must coordinate all of their knowledge of these systems in a way that fits the social context. Language carries meaning through a shared understanding of rules regarding sounds (including pitch, intonation, etc.), word order and word forms. However, as anyone who has taken a language course that focused on grammar can tell you, an understanding of language rules does not empower one to carry on a conversation in that language.

The meanings and forms of words are reflections of the cultures that use them; culture and language are closely interwoven. Linguists tell us that by comparing even the amount of words devoted to a certain item or concept one can tell a great deal about the culture surrounding a language. Consider, for example, the number of words in Spanish devoted to corn in its various forms (and that many are borrowed from the indigenous Nahuatl language) : xilotes (the corn on the stalk newly formed), elotes (from elotl, the ear of corn), mazorca (the full ear), miahuatl (grains from which corn syrup is taken), granos (the grains), nixtamal (grains cooked in water with lime), esquites (soft grains in their own water), masa (the nixtamal ground and mashed), to name a few, and not to mention the dozens of elaborate recipes involving corn: pinole (corn flour with sugar-a candy), atole (corn flour with water or milk, sugar and cinnamon), many types of tortillas (blanditas, tlayudas, totopos, tostadas, sopes, etc.).

In English, rice is rice, while many Southeast Asian languages use different words depending on whether it is in the field, cut or threshed or prepared to eat. In English we eat breakfast, lunch or dinner, while in Cambodia, their words literally mean to eat rice. Other words also reflect daily culture - in English we can carry something, while in Cambodia there are at least 15 words to express the action depending on whether it is on the head, shoulder, a pole, in the hand, on the hip, etc. (Source: Southeast Asia Community Resource Center, 1988). In the U.S. consider how many ways we can express the concept of a transportation vehicle: car, automobile, SUV, compact, full size, convertible, coupe, van, truck, etc., not to mention the names of specific makes and models. Teachers need to consider the possibility of creating an unintended mental image in the minds of students when using words with shades of meaning that are unfamiliar to someone from a different culture.

The semantics can be even more complicated for an English language learner when we consider the many meanings of the same word. For example, in English we can carry on, carry out (a plan), carry a disease, carry over, carry (in addition), carry off, carry our own weight, and get carried away, all different concepts using the same word. Students need to hear this type of idiomatic speech within comprehensible contexts, and teachers need to be prepared to clarify when the context itself has failed to communicate the meaning.

Becoming literate in any language is a complicated and multifaceted task. Children who begin formal reading instruction in kindergarten have already enjoyed thousands of hours mastering the sounds, syntax, grammatical rules and social nuances of their language. They have already developed an expansive oral vocabulary. For an English learner to achieve parity with native speakers in academic language (CALP) requires from 4-7 years. A child who begins the process of becoming literate in a language they know since birth has a tremendous advantage since most of the skills of reading and writing are transferable to our second language. (See the Sound/symbol section for more detail). Children who begin reading in a language they do not yet speak learn to focus on the mechanics of decoding without gathering meaning from the text. This overemphasis on graphophonic cues (and under utilizing of syntactic and semantic cues) often results in comprehension that lags behind native speakers throughout their years in school.

All children (barring physical or environmental barriers) learn to speak their first language without any formal instruction. The same can not be said about reading and writing. Because of the universality of spoken language, Chomsky (1959) theorized that language acquisition can only be explained by an inherent "language acquisition device" (LAD). By first generalizing those rules they come to understand about grammar and syntax (such as adding the plural "ed" to every word to make it past tense-"I telled him a story"), children gradually refine their knowledge by testing and listening. Parents and others help the child to acquire language through "caretaker speech", paraphrasing a child's statements, expanding on their expressions, ensuring comprehension through whatever means. Rather than telling a young child, "Today we are going to learn the present perfect tense", we expose them to meaningful language forms in a natural context.

Current research shows that we learn our second (or third) language much in the same way as we learned our first. Dulay and Burt (1974) examined the grammatical errors made by native Spanish and Chinese speaking children. Their analysis showed that the types of errors, rather than being due to the influence of their first language, were mostly the same types of errors made by young English speakers acquiring their first language. Contrastive linguistics, comparing structural differences between the first language and the second, is less likely to predict the difficulties a child will have with English as a second language than is a knowledge of how young native speakers "creatively construct" the rules and structure of English early on.

Krashen draws a distinction between learning and acquiring a language. Learning focuses on direct and formal teaching of the grammar and structure of a language in an academic environment. Acquiring occurs in a natural context, in much the same way as we learn our first language. According the Krashen's Natural Order hypothesis, we acquire (rather than learn) morphemes in a predictable sequence. Certain morphemes are found to be acquired early in the acquisition process, whereas others may not be mastered until later. Formal learning does little to affect the order.

Students learn a great deal about language through meaningful context. This makes it so important to provide whole texts for authentic purposes. Their syntactic understanding of English builds through interesting reading material to which they can respond in a realistic way.

Word walls can be organized in a number of ways that facilitate the structure of the language. Using different colors for different types of words (blue for contractions, red for adjectives, etc.) is a simple way to remind students of the formal names.

Use "Color Coded Poetry" and other ways to generate word lists that students can use in their writing. Hang five sheets of butcher paper or other large paper, preferably each of a different color. On day one, brainstorm lists of words that have to do with a unit of study, a book, science topic, etc. On one colored paper, list words that are "person or thing" words, on another colored paper list describing words that tell, on another write action words that end in "ing", on the fourth write words that end in "ly", and on the last color list "time and place" words. There is no need to tell students that these are lists of nouns, verbs, etc.; that can happen later during special mini-lessons. For now, leave write these brief headings on each colored paper and save them.
On day two, show examples of how students can create "word paintings" by choosing a word off each color paper (choose a blue word to start, then an orange, etc.). For the second line of the poem, choose different words and write them in a different order (choose an orange word first, followed by a blue word, etc.). The students will add appropriate prepositions and connecting words as necessary, but have them stick as much as possible to words that are or could be on the list. After a unit on the ocean, one English learner used a colored word list to write this poem:

Ocean blue sailing silently at midnight
Barely blowing wet storms by morning
Floating quietly, boats safe in the harbor
Makes me feel alive again

(In this type of writing it is helpful to have a way to end the poem, such as It makes me feel..., or I wonder how...). The parts of speech become clear as the students write and share their creations. After writing this way a few times, the students are ready for mini-lessons that put formal names on each type (color) of word, now that they have experience with using them.

Using a Big Book, cover certain types of words with sticky notes and let students insert words that might make sense. This can be done with or without using the formal names for the substituted words. The idea is to help English learner focus on the syntax of the language.

Jazz Chants for Childrenby Carolyn Graham provide excellent practice that internalizes the forms of words and structure of sentences. Many are organized with special focus on language forms that are chanted or sung. Using these as "performance pieces" greatly enhances their value and make for a more authentic experience, especially for older children.

Have students select a few words from each story or text that they read to become a part of their personalized word bank. Model the many ways that words can be selected and organized- homonyms, synonyms, contractions, compound words, silent letters, by how they sound, or even by how they feel on the tongue when you pronounce them, or visual images they provoke. These word banks can and should be shared with other students on a regular basis so that all can learn from the collections.

The Schoolhouse Rock series of cassettes and videos, especially the language video Grammar Rock (with classics like "Conjunction Junction, what's your function?) provide dual purposes for English learners. For students with enough proficiency to access the meaning of the grammar, the videos allow them to develop their understanding of syntactic and semantic clues as the videos provide ample visual scaffolding. For those with less English proficiency the songs and chants are an excellent tool for acquiring a language through the Natural Approach.

More proficient students can use Mad Libs (A series of short one page stories with words left out that students fill in with random words. Syntactically the random words fit since they are the same parts of speech, but the meaning is sure to come out comical). Initially, rather than saying, "Give me a noun" the leader will ask for a person, place or thing word, or rather than asking for an adjective, the leader will ask for a describing word. Later on the teacher can say, "You know, there is a name for these types of words. They are called nouns", etc. These can be read with the whole class or laminated and left at a center for students to do in pairs or groups.

Help the students to realize any similarities between English and their first language. Spanish and English share many prefixes (re, des, dis, im, in, co, extra, inter, trans, anti) and some suffixes (plural s and es, ado, able), and the concept of compound words (abrelatas, rascacielo, chupaflor, etc.), and syntax.

Much of this will depend on how literate your students are in their native language. A child in the early grades who has never had instruction in Spanish, for example, would benefit little from such comparisons since there would be no background knowledge base with which to compare.

Make explicit certain differences in syntax that may exist between English and the native language. The most commonly known difference is in the position of the noun and adjective. In Spanish we would refer to El papel amarillo, (The paper yellow), while in English the adjective usually precedes the noun. However, the situation is not so simple, since we can also say
"Paint the paper yellow". Another difference involves the use of "have". In Spanish we would literally say, "I have 11 years", (tengo 11 aos) and "I have thirst (tengo sed), and in English, "I am 11 years old," and "I'm thirsty."

Spanish employs double negatives, literally to say "He doesn't have nothing" (El no tiene nada). Other differences also exist. In Spanish, we can literally "open the fawcett" (abrir la llave) rather than turn it on, and "put attention (poner atencion) rather than pay attention. As the child gains experience in English there may be a phase in which s/he uses these literal translated language forms.

For transitional readers, give explicit instruction about items that do not transfer from the first language. Apostrophes in contractions and possessives, use of "s" in simple present (the boy runs), capital letters for days and months.

Non Examples

Using grammar worksheets as a basis for teaching English. The tendency of worksheets is to focus on one structure at a time in an environment that inhibits meaningful interaction between people (which is what communication is all about).

Verb conjugation and substitution drills. The old audiolingual method is still alive and well in foreign language instruction, and still does no better at preparing students to communicate within a language.

An overemphasis on language rules that cause the "language monitor" to run overtime. Aside from the increase in tension caused by this approach, according Krashen's five hypotheses, formal study of a language (learning as opposed to acquisition) leads to a sort of mental grammar monitor that inhibits language expression. Although this monitor is more effective for writing, it is better left for "polishing up" a language rather than its initial acquisition.

Breaking written text into small parts to analyze before giving an opportunity to experience the text as a whole. Give children a chance to hear natural comprehensible language as a whole, especially in stories read aloud. They will not only pick up the subsystems of the language, but enjoy the experience more as well.

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When teaching second language learners, especially in Spanish, think about the structure of both languages. Although Spanish is an alphabetic system like English, the two languages have several key differences. The main difference is that Spanish is phonetically more consistent. Graphemes and phonemes in Spanish have one-to-one correspondence.

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Seems like this week there's been quite a few questions about blends and digraphs. Teachers have been asking and wanting to know what the difference is between a blend and a digraph, which to teach first and the best way to teach these skills. Well, with all these questions, that was motivation enough for me to finish this post that I started literally a year ago. I'm hoping this post can answer some of these burning questions about teaching blends and digraphs.
Question 1: What's the difference between a blend and a digraph? Consonant Blends
A consonant blend is when two or more consonants are blended together, but each sound may be heard in the blend. The most common beginning consonant blends include: bl, br, cl, cr, dr, fr, tr, fl, gl, gr, pl, pr, sl, sm, sp and st. Blends can also occur at the end of words as in the word "last". There are also blends which contain three consonants. Common three consonant blends include: str, spl, and spr. When teaching blends, most teachers introduced them in groups. For example, a teacher may choose to introduce the l-blends first (bl, cl, fl, gl, pl and sl) followed by the r-blends. When introducing the concept of blends and digraphs, cue cards often help. Here's one I made with many of the consonant blends. You can download this for free.

Click HERE to download this freebie from my TpT store
Consonant Digraphs
In a consonant digraph, two consonants stand together to represent a single sound. the most common consonant digraphs are: sh, ch, th, and wh. There are other consonant digraphs (ph); however, most teachers typically introduce these 4 digraphs first as they are the most common. They are often referred to as the "h brothers". Teaching digraphs can be lots of fun. However you choose to introduce this concept, be sure to add visuals as they are so helpful especially for our struggling readers. Here's the cue card specifically for digraphs that I made to introduce the concept. Specific instructions for introducing digraphs during instruction can be found in the Consonant Blends and Digraphs Activity Pack.

Click HERE to download this cue card for free from my TpT store
Question 2: Which should be taught first?
This is a little tricky. Some reading programs do not even teach blends as they are really two separate sounds. Personally, I believe teaching blends is a good idea as they are letters that frequently occur together so students are learning to recognize patterns in words. Many reading programs introduce blends before the digraphs. I would suggest following the sequence presented in your reading series.
Question 3: How do we teach blends and digraphs?
For all learners, but especially for struggling readers, systematic and explicit phonics instruction is critical. "Systematic phonics instruction" refers to the sequence of phonics skills introduced. In a phonics program, there must be a logical order of introduction of skills. "Explicit phonics instruction" refers to how the skills are taught. Students need instruction where the teacher is providing precise directions for teaching the skills. Struggling readers require additional guided practice in small groups and instruction must be differentiated to meet individual needs.

My girlfriend, Jen, made this video in the summer using the teaching cards in the activity pack for me. Jen is now a middle school principal (go figure), but prior to accepting the principalship, she was a Reading Specialists in one of our local schools. There are many ways to introduce the concepts of digraphs. This is just one way and I hope it helps my teacher friends who need ideas for introducing this skill.
Make, Take & Teach Resources for Teaching Blends and Digraphs
Call me crazy, but love digraphs almost as much as I love short vowel sounds. It's so rewarding to see our young readers begin to move beyond just single letters and sounds and move towards more advanced phonics skills. The Consonant Blends and Digraphs Activity Pack contains 10 hands-on activities that you can use to both teach and practice blends and digraphs. The activities are designed specifically for small group instruction and contains a 13 page teaching manual with step-by-step instructions for each activity.

Click HERE to download the Consonant Blends and Digraphs Activity Pack from my TpT store

Volume 5 of the Cookie Sheet Challenge was designed specifically for practicing blends and digraphs. The cookie sheet activities are great for use within literacy centers and contain activities which can be differentiated. Students and teachers just love the colorful graphics.

Click HERE to download the cookie sheet activities for blends and digraphs from my TpT store.

Because I love those blends and digraphs, I have quite a few activities within my TpT store. Click HERE and you'll be taken to the Blends and Digraphs category.

The Make, Take & Teach intervention kit contains 15 activities for teaching and practicing blends and digraphs. You'll receive all the materials (Play-Doh, dry erase boards, etc) and printed materials (color copies on 90lb cardstock) all contained in a sturdy Sterilite container delivered to your front door. Assembly is required.

The Consonant Blends and Digraphs Intervention Kit can be purchased from the Make, Take and Teach website.

If you have any fun ideas for teaching blends and digraphs, please let us know by leaving a comment. To leave a comment on this blog post, just click the title.

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Teaching Blends and Digraphs - Make Take & Teach

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Seems like this week there's been quite a few questions about blends and digraphs. Teachers have been asking and wanting to know what the difference is between a blend and a digraph, which to teach first and the best way to teach these skills. Well, with all these questions, that was motivation enough for me ...

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Comprehension Strategies--What works??

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References

Click the "References" link above to hide these references.

Anderson, R.C., & Freebody, P. (1981). Vocabulary knowledge. In J.T. Guthrie (Ed.), Comprehension and teaching: Research reviews (pp. 77-117). Newark DE: International Reading Association.

Anderson, R.C., & Pearson, P.D. (1984). A schema-theoretic view of basic processes in reading. In P.D. Pearson, R. Barr, M.L. Kamil, & P. Mosenthal (Eds.), Handbook of reading research. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Anderson, V. (1992). A teacher development project in transactional strategy instruction for teachers of severely reading-disabled adolescents. Teaching & Teacher Education, 8, 391-403.

Baker, L., & Brown, A.L. (1984). Metacognitive skills and reading. In P.D. Pearson, R. Barr, M.L. Kamil, & P. Mosenthal (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (pp. 353-394). White Plains, NY: Longman.

Beck, I.L., & McKeown, M. (1991). Conditions of vocabulary acquisition. In R. Barr, M.L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, & P.D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research: Volume II (pp. 789-814). White Plains, NY: Longman.

Beck, I.L., Perfetti, C.A., & McKeown, M.G. (1982). Effects of long term vocabulary instruction on lexical access and reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 506-521.

Block, C.C., & Pressley, M. (Eds.). (in press). Comprehension instruction. New York: Guilford.

Breznitz, Z. (1997a). Effects of accelerated reading rate on memory for text among dyslexic readers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 289-297.

Breznitz, Z. (1997b). Enhancing the reading of dyslexic children by reading acceleration and auditory masking. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 103-113.

Brown, R., Pressley, M., Van Meter, P., & Schuder, T. (1996). A quasi-experimental validation of transactional strategies instruction with low-achieving second grade readers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, 18-37.

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Durkin, D. (1978-79). What classroom observations reveal about reading comprehension instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 14, 481-533.

Durso, F.T., & Coggins, K.A. (1991). Organized instruction for the improvement of word knowledge skills. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 109-112.

Eco, U. (1990). The limits of interpretation. Bloomington IN: Indiana University Press.

Elley, W.B. (1989). Vocabulary acquisition from listening to stories. Reading Research Quarterly, 24, 174-187.

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Gough, P.D. (1983). Context, form, and interaction. In K. Rayner (Ed.), Eye movements in reading (pp. 203-211). New York: Academic.

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Click the "References" link above to hide these references. Anderson, R.C., & Freebody, P. (1981). Vocabulary knowledge. In J.T. Guthrie (Ed.), Comprehension and teaching: Research reviews (pp. 77-117). Newark DE: International Reading Association. Anderson, R.C., & Pearson, P.D. (1984). A schema-theoretic view of basic processes in reading. In P.D. Pearson, R.

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By Jacquie McGregor
The implementation of Common Core State Standards calls for teachers and students to approach English Language Arts, including reading, differently than we have in the past. The core of CCSS philosophy is that reading should be a higher-level thinking activity, with students consistently questioning, critiquing and applying the knowledge they gain from a text. The standards ask teachers to guide students to a more balanced approach to literature, spending as much time reading nonfiction and technical texts as we do on classic works of fiction.

As any elementary teacher will tell you, the success or failure of these standards will be largely dependent on the types of reading instruction students receive in their earliest years. Emergent readers are incredibly pliable, excited to begin reading and enthusiastic about approaching new texts. Using the strategies below, teachers have the ability to tap into this excitement and provide students with the strategies necessary for higher-level reading skills as soon as they open a book.

Taking students on a "book walk"

One of the most important steps in critical reading is to make predictions about a piece of writing prior to the first real reading. For young readers, this step is often referred to as taking a "book walk." During a book walk, students are asked to look over the book before they read any text and make predictions about the plot by analyzing context. For emergent readers, this means looking at pictures and describing what they see.

Teachers can begin by having the student watch while they model reading the title and author of the book, sweeping a finger under the words as they are read out loud. Next, they instruct the student to look at the pictures on the cover. The teacher should then ask the student to make predictions about what he sees and what he thinks the book will be about.

The next step is to walk through the book. The student should be instructed to look at each page in order. Ideally, the book should be in front of the student so that he can focus on the task at hand rather than physically manipulating the material. As each new page is introduced, the student should describe the events pictured, and then make predictions about what will happen on the next page. Teachers can then ask the student the following questions:

What do you see on this page?

What do you think is happening?

What do you think is going to happen on the next page?

Making connections to familiar words

Once the student completes the book walk, making appropriate predictions based on context, teachers should allow time to activate prior knowledge. For emergent readers, the extent of a students' prior reading knowledge is dependent on her skill level. This skill level is typically based on a combination of phonetic understanding and sight-word recognition.

In this stage of the process, teachers encourage the student to go back through the book again, this time analyzing textual cues. The student should return to the cover of the book. This time, it's her turn to state the title of the book and the author, sweeping her finger under each, as was modeled in the book walk. If the student cannot recall, or read, the author and title, the teacher can prompt her by asking her to look at the first letter of the first word in the title. The teacher should then ask:

What is that letter?

What sound does that letter make?

Can you remember the first word in the title? It starts with the sound you just read.

If the student still has difficulty, the teacher can read the title and author to her, and have her model the behavior immediately.

The next step of the process is to go through the book once again, page by page. This time, however, the student is looking for familiar text. She should scan each page for any familiar words or parts of words. If the student cannot immediately recognize anything on the page, the teacher can prompt prior knowledge by helping her look for familiar words, prefixes or suffixes. For very early readers, even pointing out familiar letters will help make meaningful pre-reading connections.

The importance of pre-reading skills

Critical thinking is the ability to make reflective judgments based on observation. For young students, the capacity to activate prior knowledge and to make predictions about a text both provide a significant path towards developing critical thinking skills. The connection is obvious; if we can teach our students to become thoughtful readers, we give them a major head start on developing higher-order thinking processes. As we move toward a unified common core curricular approach, helping students develop these critical mechanisms will be a vital part of the process. If we can begin doing so by guiding emergent readers, the gains we will see in older students will be even greater than anticipated.
Jacquie McGregor has taught a wide variety of subjects in 15 years as an educator, including music, art, language arts and life skills. She currently works in online education as a course mentor, teacher and curriculum writer, at both the K-12 and university levels. She is completing her doctorate in education, with a dissertation focusing on arts programming in educational free markets.

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Reading Strategies for Emergent Readers: Pre-Reading

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By Jacquie McGregor The implementation of Common Core State Standards calls for teachers and students to approach English Language Arts, including reading, differently than we have in the past. The core of CCSS philosophy is that reading should be a higher-level thinking activity, with students consistently questioning, critiquing and applying the knowledge they gain from a text.

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Books and activities that go along with starting up Writers Workshop

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Multi-age Writers Workshop mini lessons

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Home Best Practice Writing Instruction Major Components of Writers' Workshop Minilessons Writing Process Traits of Writing Conferring Classroom Management Resources Videos

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Spelling activities

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Hey Friends!

What is your favorite part of your day? Without a doubt, it is literacy centers for my students and I!

They love to work collaboratively. They love to be independant. They love having choices.

I love watching them. They are helpful. They are hard working. They are capable of so much! My students work like Star Students!

I just finished updating a few new spelling/word work activities and thought I would share them with you!

These activity pages could be used to practice spelling or sight words as a center, morning work, or homework. My students enjoy the variety.

Since I have control issues To be sure my students clearly understand what to do for each activity, I model and my students do the same activity for that rotation of centers. After they have learned all the spelling activities I hang a menu board and they are able to choose whichever activity they'd like during word work.

I also have sight word stamps, salt trays, and writing paper to write spelling sentences but these activities seem to be most engaging for my first graders.

You can grab them FREE { Here}!

How do you teach and assess your students spelling words?

I have been asked some questions since I posted this picture on Instagram and Facebook a few weeks ago.

My district didn't have a spelling program, so my team and I made one many years ago. I love it so much and continue to use this program more than 10 years later!

At the beginning of the week after I explicitly teach the new spelling pattern, I give my students a word list to practice what they have just been taught. It also serves as one way for parents to know the new spelling words to practice at home. (Plus I get a little handwriting practice in too).

During the week we practice the words during mini lessons with our whiteboards, word sorts, and dictation sentences.

My most favorite part of the Spelling Bundle is the assessment. It is clear with this assessment if a student has memorized their spelling words or really understands the spelling pattern and can transfer their knowledge of the pattern in untaught words. I dictate the words list words we have practiced throughout the week. The "star" words are words that we haven't practiced but follow the same spelling pattern.

Students must edit the silly sentence and write it correctly, then finally they read (to themselves) the bottom sentence and draw a picture to show comprehension.

If you'd like you can visit my TpT shop to see more.

Thanks so much for reading! I'd LOVE for you to leave a quick comment to share with me engaging ways you have your students work with words!!! :)

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Hey Friends! What is your favorite part of your day? Without a doubt, it is literacy centers for my students and I! They love to work collaboratively. They love to be independant. They love having choices. I love watching them. They are helpful. They are hard working. They are capable of so much!

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A way to monitor where students are in the writing process through I can statements

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Runde's Room

Hello! My name is Jen. I am lucky to have been blessed with the best family and career in the whole world. I have been teaching full time for 10 years, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my job! I have taught from grades 5 - 8, but currently have a split grade 5/6 class. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE spending quality time with my fantastic husband and three adorable little girls. My life is sometimes crazy busy, but always crazy good!

View my complete profile

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Adding Student Evidence to Learning Goals

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Runde's Room Hello! My name is Jen. I am lucky to have been blessed with the best family and career in the whole world. I have been teaching full time for 10 years, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my job! I have taught from grades 5 - 8, but currently have a split grade 5/6 class.

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Writing strategies to help students edit their own writing

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I don't know about you, but I've had some serious woes when it comes to teaching my students to edit their writing. Many, many times I've had a student tell me that their draft is done and that they've looked it over for mistakes. Then, when I look over it, I find countless capitalization, spelling, and punctuation errors! I've found this to be true even for students who have been taught those skills for several years in a row.

It's hard for young writers to see mistakes in their writing, even when those mistakes may be obvious to us. Teaching students to edit not only involves teaching them capitalization, punctuation, and spelling rules, but also giving them strategies to help them "see" errors.

As I promised in last week's post on teaching revising, today I'll be discussing strategies for teaching editing. I hope you'll walk away with at least one new idea to try out in your classroom!

1. Teach editing in context, rather than through isolated grammar exercises.

Were you forced to diagram sentences in school? I was. Truthfully, I never figured out how to do it very well, but somehow I've managed to become a passable writer (I think, anyway...you tell me :)).

Clearly, there's a disconnect between isolated grammar exercises and using proper grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in the context of real writing. And I've seen this disconnect firsthand with my students.

A couple of years ago, when I was teaching second grade, I had two students who LOVED fixing incorrect sentences. We hardly ever did sentence fixing, but when we did, they were jumping out of their seats to show me mistakes!

Ironically, those two students were the same ones who were consistently forgetting to capitalize "I," the first word in a sentence, and include periods in their writing. And since they were in second grade, they'd been taught those skills for almost 3 years at that point.

The bottom line is (and this is backed by research), editing needs to be taught in the context of real writing, not through disconnected grammar drills. Grammar drills are not only boring for many students, but they do not result in students using writing conventions correctly in their own writing.

So what do you do instead? Teach editing skills in context. And show students examples of correct use of conventions, rather than incorrect sentences. After all, we want them to imitate correct writing!

Let's imagine that you want to teach your first grade students how to use commas in a list.

This skill fits perfectly into a how-to writing unit, so you plan to teach it during that unit.

To get started, you select a published, how-to mentor text that has a list of supplies the reader will need. (Example: To build a kite, you will need tissue paper, string, glue, scissors, and 4 straws.)

Read the mentor texts to your students in its entirety, and discuss the ideas with your students. You want the focus of the first read to be comprehension.

Then, later that day or on another day, bring the text back and show students how the author uses commas in a lis t. Use a document camera to enlarge the text so that students can see it clearly. Discuss the effect that the use of commas has on us, the readers (i.e., we can clearly see each item and understand what is needed for building a kit).

Next, engage in some guided practice with students. This could take the form of them helping you write a list of supplies for a how-to book you are modeling for them. If you use my K-2 Revising and Editing toolkit, you will have kid-friendly how-to texts that you can use for exactly this purpose.

Last, have students try this skill out in their own writing. Have them take a finished or partially completed piece of how-to writing and add a list of supplies (with commas).

Pretty simple, right? Use real texts and have students use the concept in their own, real writing. This strategy makes editing skills "stick" for students.

Of course, not all of your students will have mastered using commas after this lesson! You'll probably have to repeat this a couple of times with different texts and different genres of writing.

And there'd certainly be nothing wrong with having them do a few comma-inserting exercises to follow up on that skill ( my writing units do just that, in fact). Just make sure to prioritize showing students correct usage in real mentor texts, and then having them apply those skills to their own writing.

2. Provide students with clear criteria to use when evaluating their writing.

If we want our students to go back and fix mistakes in their work, we have to clearly tell them what mistakes they need to look for!

The Common Core language standards are a great resources for finding out which editing skills students need to know in each grade level (keep in mind that they are cumulative, so you will likely need to review skills taught in grade levels below yours).

Once you are clear on what you want your students to be able to do, you can create rubrics and checklists to support them with editing. My K-2 Revising and Editing Toolkit has rubrics and checklists that are just for editing, as well as rubrics and checklists that integrate both revising and editing.

As I mentioned in last week's post, it's super important to spend time teaching each part of a rubric to students. Do lots of modeling and thinking aloud, so that they really learn how to use the rubric as a tool. You can cut apart the strips of the rubric to really break it down and make it "digestible" for young students.

In addition to using rubrics and checklists, another great way to provide students with clear criteria is through an editing flip book.

The purpose of this flip book is to give students a reference tool that encourages them to edit one piece of work multiple times.

Here's how it works:

Under each flap, guide them through writing the rules that they've learned in each area (C = capitalization, O = organization - handwriting and paragraphing, not content, P = punctuation, and S = spelling)

Have students keep the completed flip books in their writing folders. If you teach a new skill, have them add it under the corresponding flap.

When students are ready to edit a piece of writing, have them go through the flip book, one flap at a time. They should review what's under one flap, and then read through their work one time, looking ONLY for that type of mistake.

When students are finished, they should have read through their piece of writing FOUR times, looking for a different type of error each time (this helps them focus and find more mistakes overall).

Rubrics, checklists, and flip books all serve to provide clear criteria to our students, so they always know what they are expected to look for when editing their work.

3. Model, model, and model some more.

Students need to see you edit your writing and hear you think aloud as you edit. You can do this when you're doing any type of shared writing throughout the day - it doesn't have to take place during writing time!

My K-2 Revising and Editing Toolkit has kid-friendly mentor texts that you can use for this purpose. You can use the "correct" version of a text to go through and highlight correct punctuation and capitalization in the text.

You can also use the incorrect versions of the text (also provided) to model how you fix mistakes in the work (although again, I recommend placing emphasis on correct usage).

4. Have students get help from their peers.

I would bet that when you are writing something important, you like to have a friend look it over for mistakes. Right? Well, the same thing applies to our kiddos!

In last week's post, I talked about setting up a revising and editing table for your classroom. Please head over to that post to read more about how it works.

Basically, the revising and editing table is something you set up in your classroom during writing workshop time. It's a place where students go to get help with revising and editing their work. The best part is that you don't have to be providing that help! Once you teach the students how to use it and work together effectively, the table runs by itself.

When it comes to having students work on editing at the table, small sticky notes are a great tool. I never have students write directly on their friend's paper - that would not be showing respect to the writer. I also never have students make changes while they are sitting at the table, because that just takes up too much time.

Instead, what I have students do is write down notes about missing capital letters, missing periods, misspelled words, etc. on those small sticky notes. They can place the note directly on their paper and then go back and fix up their work at their seats.

Using a revising and editing table in my classroom made a HUGE difference for my students - they were much more likely to find and correct mistakes in their work! I really encourage you to try one out in your own classroom ( my K-2 Revising and Editing Toolkit has detailed instructions and lessons that you can use to introduce the table).

5. Use visuals as editing reminders.

My last strategy for teaching editing is one that applies to teaching almost any skill...using visuals! Kids forget things easily, but if we support them with visual tools, they will be more likely to use the skills we teach them.

The photo below shows a small binder ring with editing strategy cards. If there are 2-3 strategies you want students to really focus on, you can create these strategy card rings (differentiate as necessary), and give them to students to use during writing time.

A fun, visual way to recognize students for using good editing skills is to use Conventions Cards. These are simple cards that recognize students for using capital letters correctly, good handwriting, proper spelling, etc.

First, copy the cards onto colored paper. Explain what they are, and get students excited about them.

Then, while students are writing, walk around the room silently. Notice which students are using conventions correctly, and slide one of the cards onto their desks.

Not only does this acknowledge students who are doing good editing work, but it also encourages students around them to "clean up" their own work. Kids love getting these cards!!

To download the cards for free, click on the image below. My Toolkit also has additional options for Conventions Cards.

Conclusions

Phew, this was a long post! Thanks for sticking with me! To summarize, you can teach students to edit by:

Using published mentor texts as exemplars and having students try out writing conventions in their own writing (instead of using only grammar drills)

Providing students with clear criteria for editing

Doing lots of modeling and think-alouds

Having students engage in peer editing, and

Providing visuals to support students with their editing

Is there anything that you would add to this list? Please comment below! Or if you're already using my toolkit, let me know how it's going!

Happy teaching!

Resources

Graham, S., MacArthur, C. A., & Fitzgerald, J. (Eds.). (2007). Best Practices in Writing Instruction. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Morrow, L. M., & Gambrell, L. B. (Eds.). (2011). Best Practices in Literacy Instruction (4th ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors.

Ruday, S. (2013). Five Recommendations for Teaching Common Core Grammar to Elementary Students. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

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5 Effective Strategies for Teaching K-2 Students to Edit Their Writing - Learning at the Primary Pond

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I don't know about you, but I've had some serious woes when it comes to teaching my students to edit their writing. Many, many times I've had a student tell me that their draft is done and that they've looked it over for mistakes.

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The core of the 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment is the set of rubrics that specify how to assess the quality of student writing and tailor instruction to students' needs.

The K-2 rubric supports teachers and students as they are starting to write, creating classroom writing processes, building a common vocabulary, and establishing a vision for good writing. The 3-12 rubric is often used in late second or third grades and into higher grade levels.

Newly Revised: Aligned to Common Core State Standards

The rubrics are field tested, research-based, and teacher friendly. The latest versions are designed for easier use across text types (i.e., informative/explanatory, argument, and narrative writing). Throughout the 2014-15 school year, we will collect feedback from teachers, make improvements, and post new versions of the rubrics on this website.

If you are interested in partnering with Education Northwest to provide feedback, please contact Jacqueline Raphael.
* Rubric designed for double-sided printing. Flip on long edge, open to left, and make sure orientation is set manually to landscape.

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The core of the 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment is the set of rubrics that specify how to assess the quality of student writing and tailor instruction to students' needs. The K-2 rubric supports teachers and students as they are starting to write, creating classroom writing processes, building a common vocabulary, and establishing a vision for good writing.

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The 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment comprises 6+1 key qualities that define quality writing. These are:

Ideas

The Ideas are the main message, the content of the piece, the main theme, together with all the supporting details that enrich and develop that theme. The Ideas are strong when the message is clear, not garbled. The writer chooses details that are interesting, important, and informative-often the kinds of details the reader would not normally anticipate or predict. Successful writers do not "tell" readers things they already know; e.g., "It was a sunny day, and the sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy white ..." Successful writers "show" readers that which is normally overlooked; writers seek out the extraordinary, the unusual, the unique, the bits and pieces of life that might otherwise be overlooked.

Organization

Organization is the internal structure of a piece of writing, the thread of central meaning, the pattern and sequence, so long as it fits the central idea. Organizational structure can be based on comparison-contrast, deductive logic, point-by-point analysis, development of a central theme, chronological history of an event, or any of a dozen other identifiable patterns. When Organization is strong, the piece begins meaningfully and creates in the writer a sense of anticipation that is, ultimately, systematically fulfilled. Events proceed logically; information is given to the reader in the right doses at the right times so that the reader never loses interest. Connections are strong, which is another way of saying that bridges from one idea to the next hold up. The piece closes with a sense of resolution, tying up loose ends, bringing things to a satisfying closure, answering important questions while still leaving the reader something to think about.

Voice

Voice is the writer coming through the words, the sense that a real person is speaking to us and cares about the message. It is the heart and soul of the writing, the magic, the wit, the feeling, the life and breath. When the writer is engaged personally with the topic, he/she imparts a personal tone and flavor to the piece that is unmistakably his/hers alone. And it is that individual something-different from the mark of all other writers-that we call Voice.

Word Choice

Word Choice is the use of rich, colorful, precise language that communicates not just in a functional way, but in a way that moves and enlightens the reader. In descriptive writing, strong Word Choice resulting in imagery, especially sensory, show-me writing, clarifies and expands Ideas. In persuasive writing, purposeful Word Choice moves the reader to a new vision of ideas. In all modes of writing figurative language such as metaphors, similes and analogies articulate, enhance, and enrich the content. Strong Word Choice is characterized not so much by an exceptional vocabulary chosen to impress the reader, but more by the skill to use everyday words well.

Sentence Fluency

Sentence Fluency is the rhythm and flow of the language, the sound of word patterns, the way in which the writing plays to the ear, not just to the eye. How does it sound when read aloud? That's the test. Fluent writing has cadence, power, rhythm, and movement. It is free of awkward word patterns that slow the reader's progress. Sentences vary in length, beginnings, structure, and style, and are so well crafted that the reader moves through the piece with ease.

Conventions

The Conventions trait is the mechanical correctness of the piece and includes five elements: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar/usage, and paragraphing. Writing that is strong in Conventions has been proofread and edited with care. Since this trait has so many pieces to it, it's almost an analytical trait within an analytic system. As you assess a piece for convention, ask yourself: "How much work would a copy editor need to do to prepare the piece for publication?" This will keep all of the elements in conventions equally in play. Conventions is the only trait where we make specific grade level accommodations, and expectations should be based on grade level to include only those skills that have been taught. (Handwriting and neatness are not part of this trait. They belong with Presentation.)

Presentation

Presentation combines both visual and textual elements. It is the way we exhibit or present our message on paper. Even if our ideas, words, and sentences are vivid, precise, and well constructed, the writing will not be inviting to read unless it follows the guidelines of Presentation. These include: Balance of white space with visuals and text, graphics, neatness, handwriting, font selection, borders, and overall appearance. Think about examples of text and visual presentation in your environment. Which signs and billboards attract your attention? Why do you reach for one CD over another? All great writers are aware of the necessity of Presentation, particularly technical writers who must include graphs, maps, and visual instructions along with their text. Presentation is key to a polished piece ready for publication.

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The 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment comprises 6+1 key qualities that define quality writing. These are: The Ideas are the main message, the content of the piece, the main theme, together with all the supporting details that enrich and develop that theme.

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Readworks.com is an online resource where teachers can print out articles.

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MobyMax.com is an online resource for students that is cross curricular!

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Reading website for students and teachers

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Amazing list of children's books

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More info on how to organize and implement WTW!

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My original blog post about running Words Their Way, called Words Their Way: MY Way , is my most-visited and most-pinned blog post EVER.

First of all, I'm totally flattered that anyone wants to read anything I have to say.

Second of all, I GET IT! Words Their Way is the monster under the bed that makes you decide that, well, you'd rather stay safely in your bed than risk getting out of it.

I love Words Their Way - don't get me wrong - but it can be completely overwhelming and consuming if you don't have an attack plan.

Thus, I present to you...

If you were directed here from my first post, thanks for reading! If you haven't read yet, I suggest you start there first.

As many of you know, I started at a new school this year.

My new school does use Words Their Way, but I have had to change up my routine a bit to best fit my new classroom.

First of all, my school provides these awesome workbooks for each student:

The workbooks are leveled. Inside are the numbered sorts, which students cut out every Monday. In other words, these books completely eliminate copying or printing different sorts every week and having to keep up with which group is on which sort!

For each sort, there is also a sorting page and a writing page. Students use the sorting page to practice sorting their words all week. On Fridays, they glue the words down so that they are permanently sorted in their workbooks to refer back to when needed.

If you don't have workbooks, you should definitely ask your administration if you can get them! They are such time-savers for teachers and are beneficial for students.

I'm not a fan of generic spelling, during which students practice writing their words in different colors. In my humble opinion, those methods are boring, mindless, and ineffective.

I'm not a huge fan of the games that come designed for Words Their Way, because you have to create them all (print, color, cut, glue, make cards, etc.). That is a TON of work to do for a game that will only be used by one group of kids for one week. Yikes!

So, I decided to create my own line of games that can be used with ANY and ALL word sorts.

Yep, you read that correctly: ANY sort! I have been using most of these games in my classroom for over a year now and have yet to come across a sort that didn't work.

Word Master was my first versatile game for Words Their Way. It incorporates a little bit of all aspects of word study: spelling, vocabulary, and pattern generalization. I allow up to 4 kids to play together, and they love it!

is a line of spinner games including Spin It (Classic), Write It, and Define It. Spin It includes a little bit of everything, while the other spinners target specific skills. Students can play with a partner, and some spinners can be used independently.

Beat Me to the Peak is the new favorite in my classroom. I allow my higher-level groups to play it, because it targets word meaning rather than spelling. I allow up to 4 to play at a time, and I just think it's so cute!

My newest addition is , a twist on the classic memory game. It gets students thinking critically about spelling patterns and generalizations.

All of the games are available at a discounted price in my growing Word Study Bundle .

My team runs word study on a one-week schedule, so I do things much differently than I did last year. Every day, we do word study for at 15 minutes first thing in the morning. Later in the morning, students have a "Word Work" station that they visit during Daily 5 rotations. All students get at least 30 minutes of word study in each day.

Here is what our word study block looks like first thing each day:

Monday: Students cut out new words during morning work. Then they meet with partners in their groups to attempt sorting their words correctly. They are also supposed to make sure they know how to pronounce each word and that they know each word's meaning. During this time, I meander around the room to assist any students that need help with their initial sorts.

Tuesday: I put a timer on the board and kids do speed sorts with partners.

Wednesday: Students do writing sorts in their word work journals for morning work, then meet with a partner to play a word study game that I created.

Thursday: Students do blind writing sorts with partners to prepare for their quizzes.

Friday: I give word study quizzes in leveled groups.

Students get to pick how they practice their words during Word Work time when we do Daily 5. They can practice writing words in their notebooks, or they can practice sorting, or they can pull materials from the bucket, including my games!

If you are looking for more ideas about how to ORGANIZE and IMPLEMENT Words Their Way , please go read Words Their Way, MY Way (Part 1) where I explain all of my organization in depth.

Questions? Ask in a comment below and I'll get back to you!

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My original blog post about running Words Their Way, called Words Their Way: MY Way , is my most-visited and most-pinned blog post EVER. First of all, I'm totally flattered that anyone wants to read anything I have to say. Second of all, I GET IT!

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WTW organizing and planning tips

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I fell in a trap this year. I didn't make every minute meaningful for my students. I followed the crowd even when I knew it wasn't working. It was easier for me.

Although I was very aware of the choice I was making, I decided to over look it. Then Debbie Miller's smart words made me rethink my easy choice.

I am reading the book No More Independent Reading Without Support by Debbie Miller and Barbara Moss. In the book, Debbie (yes, we are on first name basis...jk) writes a section titled NOT THIS, Is There Enough Time? And Is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading? Now I already have independent reading time in my classroom and I don't see giving it up...I've already made the time for it. I'm reading the book to compare it to my practices and to support teachers that are having a hard time with Independent Reading. BUT Debbie's words brought to light some other practices that I have included that aren't meaningful to the whole class.

What I'm talking about is Daily Oral Language. Now I'm not saying it isn't meaningful to all kids but it wasn't/isn't working for my students. It was the first thing we did when we came in the room. The students got it out, worked on it ( by worked on I mean recopied the words with no corrections) and we went over it. When I would circulate the room I noticed it wasn't transferring. We talked about capitals, punctuation, proper nouns, etc. but they still weren't using it in their writing. I realized it was working for about three students. That's only 15% of my class. But I hung on and kept trying and still it only worked for 15% of my students.

Finally I acknowledged it. It was hard to admit to myself that I wasted their time for too long.

I changed the time to a Words-Their-Way ish time. The ish comes in because I have made it work for my class and the time we have. So I have a couple things that I have created that are working for my students.

The students have a notebook with the directions pasted to the front and an envelope (or you could use a baggie) adhered to the back. The students cut the sort on Monday and store it in the envelope all week and glue on Friday.

Now to get back to my original problem...

I decided that the work they were doing during Daily Oral Language was better suited to address during conferring while the students are actually expected to make it transfer. We also admire each others work and this gave me an opportunity to select work in which the students were actually transferring it. Read below to find out more about Admiration Frames.

To begin each writing block, I select a student's work in which I have noted something interesting they were trying, and project it for all the students to see. I give them time to talk about what they are noticing and admiring about the work with a partner. Then students share out what they noticed the student author doing while I write it down and stick it on the paper. This has transformed my students' writing because once they see what their peers are trying out they feel safe to be creative with their own writing.

This strategy is so helpful because it can be used for all areas of writing. If you notice your students need to work on punctuation, you select a piece that is full of proper punctuation. If you want to discuss why an author might use bold words, then you select a piece with that in it. It helps create a seamless shift into your lesson for the day and it creates pride in your students. When I felt that the students were ready to add dialogue in their stories I shared a student's writing that already had dialogue. I never pinpoint why I select the work but the students always seem to admire it. After we admire the writing we hang it around the room. Many times students leave their writing spot to go and look at one of these pieces for inspiration. This strategy really created a classroom full of students that appreciate words and writing and it has become their favorite time of the day.

I know this is VERY late but I wanted to share the rest of our days with our elf, Twinkle.
That silly guy created a slip and slide and at the end he had snowflake rings for all the kids IN THE WATER!

Then he became a hermit crab to keep Mr. Crabs and Roxy company.

When he missed the workshop, he brought in his own.

Twinkle got fancy with a new bow-tie.

He gave the bow-tie to his camel turned reindeer and dressed up like Santa with a beard and sleigh!

Then Twinkle and camel/reindeer started hanging out on the window coverings....

...AND from the garland hanging from the ceiling.

Then, sadly, it was time to say good-bye. So Twinkle and Noel, the elf next door, met in our common area for the big send off. Of course treats were involved!

Here are the pictures from his whole stay...

We sure did enjoy our time with him. I'm thinking of bringing in a lawn gnome to help Twinkle keep watch in his absence!!
Enjoy your break, Jen

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I fell in a trap this year. I didn't make every minute meaningful for my students. I followed the crowd even when I knew it wasn't working. It was easier for me. Although I was very aware of the ch

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Quick link to amazon for WTW resources

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Word wall activities

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WTW curriculum website

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Based on years of research into invented and developmental spelling, the classroom-proven framework of this successful series is keyed to the five stages of spelling and orthographic development. Teachers everywhere have grown to love its no nonsense method for studying words.

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Fountas and Pinnell Reading levels by grade