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woot woot

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Grammar and writing can be a tedious subject to teach. Fortunately, there are so many amazing free games available to make teaching them fun. Until now, you had to Google your heart out to find them. No more! Below is an organized list of FREE grammar games for teaching parts of speech, punctuation, sentences and writing. I've described each game so you can decide if it's for you. Following each section is a Pinterest board including those games. Follow them and be sure to pin this post so you can reference it later.

More Grammar Game Sanity

None of these games are online games. For a great list of online games, instruction, and quizzes for grammar, see The Best Free Grammar Websites. Many of the following games are appropriate for both classroom and homeschool use. I love to use games that require multiple players in our family co-op.

Free Parts of Speech Games

Adverb & Adjectives Game - Players must correctly identify adverbs and adjectives and use them in sentences to keep cards.

Go Fishing for Grammar - Play Go Fish with parts of speech cards.

Grammargories - Students compete to write words for parts of speech the fastest.

Jenga Review - Students have to answer a corresponding grammar question before placing it on top of the tower.

Play the Bag Game - students win a point for each part of speech (drawn from a paper bag) used correctly in a sentence.

Grammar Hopscotch - Students have to think of an appropriate word for the part of speech when they stop to pick up their marker.

Hot Potato Grammar - a cross between the Hot Potato game and musical chairs to identify parts of speech.

M & M Challenge Code - A chart for M & M colors and parts of speech that could be used for games of your choice.
Noun and Verb Charades Parts of Speech Bingo Parts of Speech Tic-Tac-Toe
Penguin Parts of Speech Game - Students move around the game board after identifying the part of speech in the sentence.

Race Around the Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives Game - players must move to a word on the game board that fits the part of speech drawn.

Roll, Say, Play Adjective or Adverb Game - Students roll a die and write a word using dry erase marker in the correct column. Winners have the most cards correct.

Solve It! Parts of Speech Game - this game treats parts of speech like a mystery to be solved.

Spaced Out Adjectives and Adverbs Game - two teams divide into aliens and spaceman. Drawn cards must be identified as adjectives or adverbs. Words modified must be identified as well. Players who draw a planet card lose all their cards.

Students as Props - Three students have either noun, verb, or adjective taped to their foreheads. Other students tape appropriate words to each student.

Word Dominoes - Cards with words and parts of speech on them are played like dominoes.

Word-Eating Whale Game - an empty milk jug is transformed into a whale and is used to eat caps that have verbs on them (and not nouns) in the tub.

Nouns

Basketball Pronoun Game - basketball-themed board game teaching he and she pronouns to young or special needs learners.

Make it Plural! - Students have to give the plural form of nouns in this board game.

Post It Note Noun Hunt - Players find Post It Note nouns and sort them into person, place, and thing categories.

I Have...Who Has? Plural Nouns Game - This game is played like Go Fish.

Irregular Plurals Card Game - This game is played like Go Fish. Students ask if the other players have the singular or plural form of the noun to make a match.

Grammar Game for Plurals and Possessive Nouns - Students compete with different colored markers on a dry erase board to write the most plurals and possessives in categories.

Pick a Dot Pronouns - Students remove a dot to reveal a pronoun that they must then use in a sentence.
Plural Nouns Four Corners Game
Possessive Nouns Game - Uses illustrated cards.

Possessive Nouns Sorting Game - Students can time their sort to make it a game.

Pronoun Slap Down - identify and collect types of pronouns.

Pronoun Word Detective - Includes a matching a board game to teach pronoun identification.

Proper Noun Sit Down, Stand Up - Power Point slides of common or proper nouns are used to have students sit down for common nouns and stand up for proper.

Proper Noun Tic-Tac-Toe - Players must write a proper noun for the listed common noun as their X or O.

Pumpkin Common or Proper Noun Scavenger Hunt - players look for pumpkins hidden with common or proper nouns on them and record which they are when they find them.

Shining Plurals - Players must identify the plural form and can then keep the card. If they draw a string of lights, they have to return their cards to the pile.

What Gets a Capital Letter? - Students use this board game to determine which words should be capitalized and why.

Verbs

Gator Grammar - Players must identify the past, present, or future tense verb to finish the sentence. Drawing a gator results in loss of cards.

Grammar Sandwiches - Can be played as a matching or Go Fish game for irregular verbs.

Phineas and Verb - Students have to use the correct verb tense in this card game based on the Disney show.

The Verb Game - Students compete to write as many unique verbs that can be associated with a place as possible.

Slap It! Irregular Past Tense Verb Game - Students compete to be the fastest to slap the past tense form of the verb and win the cards underneath.

Verb Balloon Pop - Students pop balloons that contain paper slips with verbs that must be taped onto the correct tense. This could be a race or just for fun.

Verb Race - Students have to write the correct past tense form on dry erase boards to advance on the game board.

Verb Relay Race - Each leg of the relay uses a different action verb.

Verb Freeze - Students act out verbs like charades.

Verb Vine - Players must make the changes to the verb directed by the game board.

Adjectives

Adjective File Folder Game - Students use picture adjectives to prompt them to give thorough descriptions.

Adjective Game Time Filler - Players answer questions about themselves. They sit down if the adjective doesn't apply, leaving one winner.

Adjective Mystery Bags - Students use adjectives to describe objects in mystery bags.

Alphabetical Adjectives Connect the Dots - You could have students race to complete their pictures by connecting the adjectives in alphabetical order.

Apples to Apples Adjectives - Players draw picture cards and try to submit the best to match the adjective card drawn.

Monster Adjectives - Monster picture adjectives board game.

Roll the Dice Adjectives - Students have to use 10 vivid adjectives to describe the noun picture they roll.

Adverbs

Adverbial Action - Students play charades with adverbs

Adverb Jeopardy - Played like Jeopardy with students identifying the adverb in the sentence.

Adverbs of Time Snakes and Ladders - A Chutes-and-Ladders type board game for adverbs.

Adverb Sort - Players time themselves as they sort adverbs by the questions they answer.

How Often Adverb Game - Board game in which players must answer personal questions using adverbs of time and frequency.

In the Manner of the Adverb - One player leaves the room. The remaining players draw an adverb and act it out when the missing player returns. The returned player must guess the adverb.

Miming Adverb Game - The student draws a verb and adverb card and acts them out. The remaining players must guess both words and use them in a sentence to describe the student's action.

Walk the Walk Charades - Another adverb charades game

Prepositions

Back to School Prepositions Bingo - using pictures of school-related objects

Bug Prepositions - bug themed cards can be used for Go Fish or Lotto.

Cowboy and Cowgirl Preposition Game - cute board game using a cowboy and cowgirl moving around based on preposition cards.

Games for Teaching Prepositional Phrases in Middle School - Games include Knock Once, Sentence Wars, Weave a Tale, Bad Day Charades, Prepositional Phrase Jeopardy, Drama Time and Sing It.

Motor Skills Preposition Game - a game that lets young children work the wiggles out while teaching prepositions.
Preposition Bingo
Prepositions Board Game - game requires players to use the correct preposition in a sentence. Great for ESL students.

Where is the Bunny File Folder Preschool Preposition Game - players choose the sentence that describes the pictures of the bunny's location.
Follow Dr. Melanie Wilson @psychowith6's board Parts of Speech Games on Pinterest.

Free Punctuation Games

Comma Relay - A comma is exchanged between runners who must correctly punctuate a sentence for their leg. Contraction Bingo - this two-player Bingo game teaches contractions. Contraction Concentration - Students match contractions in sentences to the words that form them. Dinosaur Bones Punctuation Game - Players move to the space on the board with punctuation that matches their sentence card. Green Eggs and Ham Punctuation Game - Seuss-themed board game. Players must choose the ending punctuation of sentences on cards. Minion Contractions Game - Players help each minion find the two words that make up his contraction. Missing Punctuation Game - Cards contain sentences mission punctuation. Players locate the punctuation marks on the game board. Name That Punctuation Mark - Students are given clues to use to identify the punctuation mark. Punctuation Car File Folder Game - Young students match the punctuation marks to sentences. Punctuation Mark Tic-Tac-Toe Punctuation Present - This game is played a lot like Bingo. Punctuation Red Light, Green Light - Students play Red Light, Green Light and must follow commands associated with punctuation marks. Types of Sentence Baseball Game - Players catch a crumpled up sentence and determine what punctuation mark it needs. Quotation Mark Showdown - Teams compete to correctly identify and punctuate quotes. Follow Dr. Melanie Wilson @psychowith6's board Punctuation Games on Pinterest.

Free Sentence & Writing Games

The Better Editor Game - a game I created to teach students to self-edit (and gives parents a way to edit their students' work too!)

Citation Hunt - Students have to find quotes in a book to support assertions about the book the teacher has made to earn points and beat the teacher.

Consequences - A group writing game with funny consequences.

I Have...Who Has? Subject / Predicate Game - This game is played like Go Fish.

Four Corners Sentence Type Game - Students go to one of four corners corresponding to a sentence type. They sit down if the sentence read matches their type.

Four Kinds of Sentences Game - Identify what kind of sentence is on the card and advance on the game board.

Interactive Games for Sentence Fragments - Includes Words on Strips of Paper (students try to find someone with an independent clause to go with their dependent clause); Pairs Game (students work in pairs to transform sentence fragments into the best or most humorous sentences); and Song Game (teams compete in determining whether song titles are fragments or sentences).

Frog Punctuation Capitalization Activities - Students look for frog-themed sentences around the room, add a capital letter, punctuation, and put them in order.

Guess What Writing Game - Have a student write to describe an object and another player has to guess what it is.

Law & Order Sentence Structure Review Game - Students compete in this game that reviews sentence types and common sentence errors.

Main Idea and Details Game - Teams race to identify the main idea of a group of sentences.

Matching Topic Sentence to Paragraph - Students try to find the other player who has the topic sentence to their paragraph.

Musical Papers - Students edit their peers' papers until the music stops and then they move to the next paper.

Paragraph Mix Up - Cut up a paragraph into sentences and mix them up. Have students race to put them in correct order.

Poof! Sentence Types - Players draw a strip and identify if it's a sentence or fragment. If correct, they keep the strip. If they draw Poof!, they lose their strips.

Random Words Poem - See which student can include the most dictionary words in a poem that still makes sense.

Snowy Sentences - Features snowman-themed word cards that have to be put in order to form sentences. Could be done as a race.

Tabloids - Students creative a factual news story and a tabloid-type story. Other players guess which is which.

Telephone Oracle - A group writing game with writers answering questions and then attempting to guess the question that goes with the answer.

The Sentence Game - A great family game. Players fold paper over and add sentences or illustrations with funny results.

Type of Sentence Game - Players try to guess whether a declarative sentence is true, answer interrogatives, perform commands, and reply to exclamations.

What Kind of Sentence is It Scoot Game - Students move around the room determining which type of sentence each is.
Follow Dr. Melanie Wilson @psychowith6's board Free Sentence Games on Pinterest.

Want More Ultimate Lists?

Check out my Ultimate Guide to Classical Conversations Resources and more lists from the iHomeschool Network bloggers.

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The Ultimate List of Free Grammar Games - Psychowith6

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Grammar and writing can be a tedious subject to teach. Fortunately, there are so many amazing free games available to make teaching them fun. Until now, you had to Google your heart out to find them. No more! Below is an organized list of FREE grammar games for teaching parts of speech, punctuation, sentences and writing.

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I love picture books!

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When you think of teaching grammar to your elementary student, does the word "boring" pop into your head? Maybe not your head, but your children's perhaps?
Well, I have two pieces of good news for you!

1. Formal grammar lessons aren't all that important in elementary school! Really. A little here, a little there and you can hold off on daily grammar instruction until middle school.

2. You can get in a whole lot of gentle and efficient grammar teaching by reading with your children! Seriously. Reading instructional picture books can be a fabulous way to teach grammar concepts. Especially if your read the same books several times over the course of a few years. And, especially if you make conversation about the concepts at other times - you know, as you run across examples during other lessons or in real life.
(This post contains affiliate links and links to my products.)
Okay, here's my living literature disclaimer. You know I'm a BIG fan of living literature, right? Well, not all of these grammar books are perfect examples of what one might consider "living." Many of them have some forced rhyming text and goofy story lines. However, I've personally found enough value in their teaching, that I've been able to look over a bit of twaddle. Not to mention, they've kept my children engaged and motivated - and that's a big deal.

And now, here's the list of books I've used to help teach an intro to grammar in the early years.

Nouns

Merry-Go-Round: A Book About Nouns by Ruth Heller

A Mink, A Fink, A Skating Rink: What is a Noun? by Brian Cleary

A Lime, A Mime, A Pool of Slime: More About Nouns by Brian Cleary

A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns by Ruth Heller

Verbs

It's Hard to be a Verb by Julie Cook

Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs by Ruth Heller

To Root, To Toot, To Parachute: What is a Verb? by Brian Cleary

Slide and Slurp, Scratch and Burp: More About Verbs by Brian Cleary

Adjectives

Many, Luscious Lollipops: A Book About Adjectives by Ruth Heller

Hairy, Scary and Ordinary: What is an Adjective? by Brian Cleary

Quirky, Jerky, Extra Perky: More About Adjectives by Brian Cleary

Adverbs

Up, Up and Away: A Book About Adverbs by Ruth Heller

Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What is an Adverb? by Brian Cleary

Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More About Adverbs by Brian Cleary

Pronouns

Mine, All Mine: A Book About Pronouns by Ruth Heller

I and You and Don't Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun? by Brian Cleary

Prepositions

Behind the Mask: A Book About Prepositions by Ruth Heller

Under, Over, By the Clover: What is a Preposition? by Brian Cleary

Contractions

I'm and Won't, They're and Don't: What's a Contraction? by Brian Cleary

Synonyms and Antonyms

Fortunately, Unfortunately by Remy Charlip

Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know: What is a Synonym? by Brian Cleary

Stroll and Walk, Babble and Talk: More About Synonyms by Brian Cleary

Stop and Go, Yes and No: What is an Antonym? by Brian Cleary

Straight and Curvy, Meek and Nervy: More About Antonyms by Brian Cleary

Comparatives and Superlatives

Breezier, Cheesier, Newest and Bluest: What are Comparatives and Superlatives? by Brian Cleary

Homonyms and Homophones

Dear Deer: A Book About Homophones by Gene Barretta
Truman's Aunt

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Picture Books to Teach Grammar - Our Journey Westward

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When you think of teaching grammar to your elementary student, does the word "boring" pop into your head? Maybe not your head, but your children's perhaps? Well, I have two pieces of good news for you! 1. Formal grammar lessons aren't all that important in elementary school! Really.

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I don't suggest you print off a book and have kids fill it in, but a nice reference for what grammar should be covered in each grade.

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I first posted about the free Scott Foresman grammar & writing curriculum around 2010. It was very popular with many of you, but then the site was taken down. This caused quite a panic for homeschooling parents who were mid-way through the curriculum. I searched for other alternatives, but couldn't find anything exactly like this. But finally! We found it again!

This grammar curriculum was created for grades 1 through 6th, with a separate "handbook" for each grade. The materials are available as Adobe Acrobat .pdf files and may be downloaded, saved or printed.

There are two options for you:
Option 1:
At this source, the books are broken down into lesson-sized links, making downloading (to .pdf) quick, and printing convenient. The lessons are written in a large font with black and white graphics included.
Scott Foresman Grammar & Writing Handbook, Grade 1 Scott Foresman Grammar & Writing Handbook, Grade 2
Scott Foresman Grammar & Writing Handbook, Grade 3 (this is a different source than the others)

S cott Foresman Grammar & Writing Handbook, Grade 4
Scott Foresman Grammar & Writing Handbook, Grade 5 Scott Foresman Grammar & Writing Handbook, Grade 6 Option 2:
A reader wrote: " Here is a link to a Dropbox with all 6 of the Scott Foresman Grammar and writing Handbooks. It's always nice to have more than one location to find them. It is on Google Dropbox. The link was found on the forums for Welltrainedmind.com Jan 2015. It worked today on 4/13/17."
For reference, here is what the original site looked like:

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Free Grammar & Writing Curriculum for Elementary Grades | Freely Homeschool

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I first posted about the free Scott Foresman grammar & writing curriculum around 2010. It was very popular with many of you, but then the site was taken down. This caused quite a panic for homeschooling parents who were mid-way through the curriculum. I searched for other alternatives, but couldn't find anything exactly like ...

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It does not have to be one or the other.... Good read

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Suffice to say, the gap between this and the last post is a tad embarrassing. Miniposts in Facebook don't quite do it but at least there is some excuse there! This particular post has been a while in the making. And it still doesn't feel quite right. But, uncharacteristically, I have decided simply to put it out there in all it's not-quite-there-yet glory. I have made so many attempts to write posts about inquiry and evidence of effectiveness or about the troubling characterization of inquiry as a kind of 'teacher-free;' approach. I find the process of writing about this enervating. I am not sure why. Anyway.....would love your thoughts....
I did my initial teacher training in the early eighties (yep - I'm THAT old!). At the time, the work of Donald Graves was beginning to have a strong influence on our thinking about the teaching of writing. I was so inspired by the prospect of working with children as genuine authors. I learned about the importance of rigorous drafting, conferring and reflecting in the writing process. I knew the importance of conducting what we called 'clinics' - small group, targeted, instructional sessions to address specific needs and issues we noticed as analysed children's writing. In these clinics, we focussed on aspects of punctuation and grammar needed to strengthen the writing. Along with Donald Graves, I was introduced to the work of Lorraine Wilson (here in Australia) who championed the power of language experience in growing the young reader and writer. I learned about listening. And I learned about documenting the language children generated through experience and how to 'harvest' that language to stretch and build vocabulary and phonemic awareness. I learned that language instruction worked best when children had ownership over what they were reading and writing and when there was true purpose and authenticity in my approach. I also took it for granted that explicit teaching of phonics, punctuation and grammar were part and parcel of what it meant to be a whole language teacher. It was a no brainer. Or so I thought.

I still remember the bewilderment I felt when, early into my career, I started hearing people identify 'whole language' teachers as different (in fact, in opposition) to those who 'believed in phonics'. Huh? I was baffled by the ' or' in this debate - you either taught phonics OR you were a whole language teacher. All I had ever known was AND. When it came to helping build children's capacity as writers I had a holistic, integrative, learner-centred view but it included careful, strategic, explicit instruction. This was my first experience of what I still believe to be a 'false dichotomy' and, as the years went by, I noticed it happening again and again. It was either X OR Y, either black OR white. It either worked or it didn't. It was effective or ineffective. Us or them. I came to see that teaching was riddled with false dichotomies and unhelpful, divisive labels.

It's now over 30 years since I was that earnest, wide-eyed, early-career teacher but I still find myself baffled by the discourse that emphasises OR rather than AND. I have never let go of my commitment to teaching in ways that value the experience and voice of the learner. I agree with Kathy Short when I say that inquiry, in its most simple iteration, is a stance. For me, inquiry is about giving the learner opportunities to question, to play and experiment, to explore, wrestle with and clarify ideas, to figure things out, to problem solve, to make connections, to reflect on and change thinking, to share and test out theories in the pursuit of making-meaning. Does this happen in a teacher-free zone? Of course not! Do inquiry teachers simply ... 'let kids learn by themselves? Well, sometimes that is exactly what they do - but, the vast majority of the time, inquiry teachers are right there: questioning, nudging, prompting, observing, stepping in and knowing when to step out. And inquiry teachers are instructing. Rarely does a lesson goes by without a careful moment of explaining something to a student or a small group, perhaps modelling a process or demonstrating a technique. But we to do this when (and if) we assess the moment is right. I am regularly amazed by what learners DO figure out for themselves (and how deeply satisfying that is for them) when given the right conditions, opportunity and challenge AND I have in my repertoire, the technique of timely, direct explanations or demonstrations when required.

So when I read statements like: "The idea that children learn best when they discover things on their own is believed by many educators - but it is a myth" (Visible Learning) or hear pronouncements like "evidence shows inquiry learning doesn't work" I feel like I am back in the world of "or". Firstly - who are these 'many educators'? If a teacher truly sees inquiry learning this way, then they have much to learn about the approach!! I work with hundreds of teachers all over the world who use inquiry based approaches in their classrooms. They would be the first to say the students are far from 'on their own' and they would rarely expect them to learn this way. Like the simplistic characterization of 'whole language', inquiry is too often described in somewhat monochromatic terms, eg: kids ask questions and are then left to research their questions. If 'learning on their own' means a teacher-free, entirely student-led and always-interest based approach then I would agree the impact would most often be low (that being said, let's consider the countless things that kids learn on their own, before coming to school and outside of school!... hmmmmmm)

Can we start thinking less about the OR and more about the AND? Can we agree that it is entirely possible for classrooms to be places in which students own their learning, make choices, are deeply engaged and care about what they are learning AND interact with teachers who know when to step in and instruct, explain, demonstrate, model? Can we agree that inquiry is a teaching stance that emphasises questioning and listening AND requires some demonstration and explaining?

A cautionary note.... I am well aware that embracing the 'and' can be seen as a bit of a 'have your cake and eat it too' position, Make no mistake. I am not saying 'anything goes'. The underpinnings of inquiry remain steadfastly true to a constructivist view of learning. What I am trying to do here is, perhaps, dispel a myth about a myth. Inquiry as an approach to teaching and learning depends on thoughtful, strategic, nuanced, and highly intentional teachers.

AND

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Suffice to say, the gap between this and the last post is a tad embarrassing. Miniposts in Facebook don't quite do it but at least there is some excuse there! This particular post has been a while in the making. And it still doesn't feel quite right.

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A self reflection tool for your students! By Lucy Serravalle, big literacy name right now Serravallo

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Common books that you can use to inspire philosophy conversations!

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Teaching Children Philosophy - Prindle Institute

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Ready to try your hand at having a philosophical discussion with children using classic picture books? Check out our collection of over 200 modules, each designed to spark an exciting dialogue.

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A lot of similarities to the IB's approaches to learning....

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Some links on this site are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission to keep this site running at no cost to you.
Is your child learning the life skills they need to become independent adults? Once you complete these life skills checklists you might be surprised!!

We've all heard stories about kids going off to college never once doing a load of laundry or preparing a meal for themselves. I remember my freshman year of college living off take out and Ramen Noodles because it was the only thing I knew how to cook. It didn't take long for me to surpass the dreaded Freshman 15 as I skyrocketed to my highest weight ever.

I wish my waistline was the only thing that grew, but my credit card and student loan debt were also through the roof. I didn't know much about managing money outside of spending it. Words like interest rate, taxes, and late fees didn't mean much to me back then. These days when I pay my student loan bills I keep telling myself, "man, I wish I knew then what I know now."

I don't want my children to have the same regrets when they get older and that is why teaching them essential life skills is so important to me and my family.

UNICEF defines life skills as "psycho-social abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life." So basically life skills help you to adapt and cope with the daily challenges life throws your way.

There are a wide range of life skills that you can teach your child. Listed below are the seven life skills I believe are the most beneficial for children to learn in order to be successful in school and life:

Self-Care Skills

Self-Management Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Decision Making Skills

Time Management Skills

Money Management Skills

So how do we teach children these life skills?
Check out my latest eBook, Life Skills For Kids: Preparing Children For Success. You will find step by step guides, activities, and numerous tips and strategies on teaching children the seven life skills mentioned above.

In the meantime,I've put together these Life Skills Checklists for Children and Teens I hope you find them useful! Below is a sample of two of my life skills checklists.

I hope you find these life skills checklists useful. What are some life skills you teach your children?

If you like this article, you might also like How To Raise Responsible And Independent Children.

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Life Skills Checklists For Kids And Teens - Kiddie Matters

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Some links on this site are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission to keep this site running at no cost to you. Is your child learning the life skills they need to become independent adults? Once you complete these life skills checklists you might be surprised!!

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Her cycle is a bit different to Kath Murdoch, but also very cool. Good language in there for elementary inquiries.

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Free prefix and suffix interactive notebook activity. 

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Free prefix and suffix interactive notebook activity. 

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If you need something for word work...

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Hi Friends.... The past two weeks we have been working on Prefixes and Suffixes in our second grade classroom!...

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Kids love this! Great idea for promoting poetry. Hard country to get paint chips though, I'm guessing.

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I love using paint chips! I have used them in the past for books marks, reading incentives, and for brainstorming synonyms. I used them last week to write Color Poems. The kids wrote a metaphor and three similes describing a color. They came out awesome!

The next thing that the kids did was pick a paint chip.

They used the following sheet to brainstorm their ideas.

The kids wrote similes using their senses.

They picked three similes that fit their metaphor.

(I did conference with them, although the mistakes reappeared!)

Here are some published poems:

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I love using paint chips! I have used them in the past for books marks, reading incentives, and for brainstorming synonyms. I used them last week to write Color Poems. The kids wrote a metaphor and three similes describing a color. They came out awesome!

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This teacher wrote about a lot of things, but I liked her reading notebook!

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This teacher wrote about a lot of things, but I liked her reading notebook!

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I have no idea how teachers have time to maintain blogs.

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More for the upper grades. You can download them to a PDF.

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Using pictures to teaching reading skills

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Using pictures to teaching reading skills

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For years, I have witnessed, over and over again, the value of using pictures to teach reading skills in my classroom. I always use them to introduce reading skills like inference, story elements, cause and effect, compare and contrast, etc. I have blogged about it extensively, and you can read six more blog posts with examples of how I use them in my room HERE or you can click the image below.

This summer, I thought a lot how I could take this even further in my classroom. I had always used pictures as a guided introduction to the skill or whole group practice, or by using task cards in centers or small groups. Both of these were (and are still) great, but I wanted to have an option for independent work, assessment, homework, etc. that would continue to strengthen their skills.

That's when this little gem was born...

I created each section of this document with a specific purpose in mind. I wanted the students to use the pictures in a variety of ways while still practicing the specific focus reading skill. They have the opportunity to observe a picture and make inferences, ask questions, make predictions, etc., practice a reading skill based on the picture, and apply the reading skill to a short passage.

There are three components to EACH page of this resource:

Observe It: This section includes the picture with plenty of white space around it. The white space is for students to make literal AND inferential observations. Take as many notes as you can, encourage students to stretch their thinking, and watch their inference skills grow with EVERY picture you observe! Examples of observations are included.

Answer It: This section has a task to complete that focuses on the reading skill AND relates to the picture in the "observe it" section.

Apply It: This section has a short story that loosely relates to the same topic shown in the picture (but does NOT represent the picture) and includes a task that relates to the reading skill focus.

Every time I introduce a new skill, I use one of the pages whole class (the inference and sequencing examples above came from a whole class lesson), and then I have them work on one with a partner. Eventually, they take a page home for homework or do one independently in centers or as an assessment. I know it sounds silly, but these pages have TRULY changed my classroom for the better. Why?

Students are now better able to concretely understand these reading skills. The pictures make the skills real life, so they are able to make connections outside of the classroom, outside of the reading skill itself. They look at things a bit differently now, and instead of memorizing how sequencing or cause and effect or compare and contrast relate to reading, they know how it relates to the real world, so it becomes second nature for them when they are asked to do it when reading. They are constantly making these observations through the pictures, so they just KNOW how to do it intuitively. This type of initial practice takes the pressure off of the reading portion so that they can be successful with the skill first before diving into the "nitty gritty."

You can purchase this pack of reading skills pages at my TpT store by clicking the image below. It includes 7 key reading skills with 5 pages of practice for each skill.

I followed almost the same basic format for this set of printables, but left less white space for observing and added a new multiple choice section to add a little extra challenge.

Here are two examples of pages I've done with students as a guide, one with metaphors, and one with similes. They still make their observations, but then they have to identify and write similes and metaphors of their own. They LOVE these, too!

This one always makes me laugh. Coming up with their own figurative language is always the hardest part for students, and the one they came up with to describe the girl's glasses is so silly. :)

You can purchase this pack of figurative language printables at my TpT store by clicking the image below.

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Using Pictures to Teach Reading and Writing Skills

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For years, I have witnessed, over and over again, the value of using pictures to teach reading skills in my classroom. I always use them to introduce reading skills like inference, story elements, cause and effect, compare and contrast, etc.

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Word inquiry is a bit of a buzz word at the moment.

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(Bowers & Kirby, 2010 ). If you read that article, you will see that from the start the guiding principle of this instructional approach was that it was about using the principles of scientific inquiry as the basis of word level literacy instruction.

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An example of how the learners interact with the process by moving their names across independently. The traits have been aligned with the Writing Process

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An example of the one I have in my room, does not have to be this specific one. My students benefit from the explicit explanations of the parts of the process.

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Some lesson ideas that have been organised by trait, along with a picture book to match. A few worth while things to look at here.

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WritingFix: Picture Book as Mentor Texts for all 6 Traits!

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Members of the Northern Nevada Writing Project's Technology Team created and demonstrated eight brand new picture book lessons to the first 100 teachers who signed up; they then gave away 100 copies of each of the picture books so that class participants could teach any of the lessons back in their classrooms without needing to purchase the mentor text.

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Good quality picture books read aloud by 'celebrities'. Some good texts for tuning in during literacy time!

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I love Christopher Frost's PYP blog. He is an IB practitioner and teacher in Tokyo. Does the writer's workshop model fit with the PYP?

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​I work at Tokyo International School (TIS) an IB World School. TIS is a rare breed: it is one of only three, PYP authorized schools in the world which are also officially recognized by Columbia University Teachers College (NY) as a 'Reading and Writing Project School' (TCRWP). The others are Frankfurt International School, Germany and Victoria Educational Organisation, Hong Kong (Neville 2015). For a current list of all 'Project Schools' outside of America scroll to the base of this post.

Many international schools use a reading/writing workshop approach. Several of these use the Columbia University Teachers College materials. Some even send teachers to the college's Summer Institute. But to be recognized by Columbia University as an official 'Project School' means going one step further. It requires truly buying into the approach. It means all of the above and also building a relationship with the Teachers College. It involves being assigned official, Columbia Teachers College literacy developers to work on an annual basis with your school. We have just had two developers in our school for a full week facilitating very costly, but exceedingly rich professional development.

The TCRWP is a reading and writing, teaching & learning methodology and written curriculum. It demands a specific lesson structure and it provides a series of detailed, written units and a large resource bank of teacher rubrics, continua and student check-lists. The units and assessment materials come in grade level packs and are organized as text types. The units are presented in detail right down to a script to follow should a teacher choose to do so. A workshop lesson is divided up into four main parts. There's a mini lesson followed by independent and guided tasks which involves some conferring or coaching on the part of the teacher, there's a mid lesson teaching point and a final sharing session at the end.

​That's a good question. As an IB Consultant, a PYP Workshop Leader and a IB Visiting Team Member this question has been praying on my mind. My professional integrity is at stake and more to the point so is the student learning at my school. I really need to be able to get a handle on this stuff so, I've been doing some thinking.

One of the most common criticisms of TCRWP is that it is not transdiciplinary. But the notion that the TCRWP units have to be taught in isolation is a myth. Students apply the skills and strategies of a reading and writing workshop across the curriculum. The text types complement certain subjects and certain transdisciplinary themes. For example explanations and procedures correlate to science investigations for example in How The World Works.

There is also scope to make rich, conceptual links between concepts in language and other subjects irrespective if you are using TCRWP or not. Take AUDIENCE in Reading, Writing, Music and Art, PATTERN in Poetry, Art Gymnastics and Mathematics or STRUCTURE in Music, Reading and Writing. Languages share the same concepts of course, so our native Japanese classes learn the same text types ( which are concepts) as the homeroom often simultaneously.
​

The TCRWP reading and writing units are carefully sequenced to maximize learning. Student learning is a crucial point here. PYP schools are not being transdisciplinary just for the sake of being transdisciplinary. IB asks us to make connections across the curriculum because (when done well) it improves student learning. Logically though we ought to first evaluate student learning before we jump in and spend time on being more transdisciplinary - perhaps the juice may not be worth the squeeze!

There there's a general obsession in the PYP with the programme of inquiry being the sole place for integration. This is cultivating disjointed learning in some PYP schools. Creating invitations for Sport Day or writing an enticing menu for the school canteen is just as authentic, motivating and purposeful as writing about a unit of inquiry might be. Both contexts transfer skills and strategies and promote learning. I wish more people would think outside of the POI box! The IB ( IB 2014) demand language right across the curriculum and application to the real world ( IB 2009).

Incidentally, our school has done a pretty good job at ensuring our reading and writing units align to our programme of inquiry. Our TCRWP staff developers are behind this - they support us on this path.

With that said, we probably rank logical scope and sequence above being transdisciplinary. Both practices are encouraged by IB. Our school chooses to follow much of the published scope and sequence of the TCRWP units: it dovetails our curriculum. Most importantly it improves student learning: developing confident, independent readers and writers. And we have the data to prove it!

Would IB support our decision? Of course, IB is interested in the best decisions for student learning!

Here's the second most common skepticism coming from IB-ers: TCRWP isn't fitting with inquiry. Let's first agree on what we mean by the term inquiry. I like the definition advocated by Art Costa: 'inquiry is the methodology of constructivism'. The IB ( MTPYPH 2009 p29) provides us a definition and very useful indicators. I'll critique each section of a workshop through this IB inquiry lens.

This is a ten minute section of instruction usually with students seated on the carpet. The TCRWP expects the following components: a CONNECTION, TEACHING POINT, INSTRUCTION, ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT and LINK.

This is the bulk of a reading & writing workshop. Careful class management facilitates a great deal of independence and choice during this time. For example in a writing workshop each child may be at a different stage in the writing process. During this time children are building a repertoire of strategies and working on their own personal targets. The teacher's role is a facilitator and coach discussing and setting personal targets. The teacher may conference with individuals or small groups. The way a teacher coaches and confers (e.g. questioning techniques, visible thinking strategies) determines the depth of inquiry.

My understanding of this section is somewhat limited - I am still a beginner. So with that backdrop: the TCRWP 'share' is mainly a celebration when students share aspects of their reading and writing with the class. To promote inquiry I would prefer further emphasis on reflection about both what and how we have learned.

Another key aspect of TCRWP which is perhaps not apparent at first is that the the Teachers College explains that 'workshop' is only part of balanced literacy (e.g. word study, shared reading & read aloud). Of course your word study can be inquiry based (take programs such as Words Their Way or Structured Word Inquiry. Also for example the way you read aloud to your students: modeling your thinking and making your thinking visible is part and partial of inquiry methodology: "I'm wondering whether that glint in Danny's father's eye means he's hiding something or excited about something" .

The IB (2009) states:

"Inquiry, as the leading pedagogical approach of the PYP, is recognized as allowing students to be actively involved in their own learning and to take responsibility for that learning. Inquiry allows each student's understanding of the world to develop in a manner and at a rate that is unique to that student." (IB MTPYPH p29)

​Well for certain a reading and writing workshop is exactly that!

In the 'classic' TCRWP workshop approach individual student/teacher reading and writing conferences are paramount. Individual assessment and individual target setting is the primary role of the conference. This is all moving students along their personal continuum.

Where TCRWP fails in my mind is in its assessment OF learning. Teacher rubrics and (more to the point) student self-assessment checklists, state the USA grade level which the child is currently working at. Benchmarking against grade level norms is appropriate data for a teacher, school and parent to be able to access and muse over, but I see no benefit in informing a Grade 1 child that he's still working at Kindergarten level. Such information has no place in primary school and is contrary to research on a growth mindset.

The good news is that with the simplicity of a black marker pen you can 'erase' the grade level from the TCRWP assessment tools; effectively producing a developmental, learning continuum. Our TCRWP staff developers have absolutely no issue with us doing this so... problem solved! The workshop approach thus is entirely fitting with PYP assessment practices.

The final issue many IB informed critics have with the TCRWP approach is unit planning. The TCRWP reading and writing units of study come in detailed, scripted packs. Some of these packs are contextualized using USA-centric case studies such as the American Civil War. They are hardly relevant to our Japanese context!

My second response is that the TCRWP units of study can be transferred onto PYP planners in exactly the same way I blogged about in the past. Tokyo International School has this projected on our PYP action plan for the future: we have other priorities right now.

Is the Columbia Teachers College Reading and Writing Project compatible with an IB education? ABSOLUTELY: IB is all about drawing upon best practices to enhance student learning! The key is thinking critically and finding common ground. If you are a teacher who feels the same I would love to hear from you; we are always looking for kindred spirits at TIS! I also would love to hear other, different opinions as I constantly evolve my thinking and learn from others.

One last plea, if you feel this is a debate worth sharing I would be really grateful if you could tweet or share this on social media. I'd love to keep the discussion going. Please leave a comment and do let me know if any of my facts are wrong - I'm new to TCRWP so I may well have made a blunder!
﻿

Thank you,
Tokyo International School
Twitter
Christopher Frost
Primary School Principal
@FrostChrissy

1. American School of Barcelona

2. American School of Paris

3. Chinese International School - Hong Kong

4. Colegio Nueva Granada - Bogota

5. Concordia International School - Shanghai

6. Frankfurt International School

7. International School Nido de Aguilas - Chile

8. Shanghai American School

9. Taipei American School

10. Tokyo International School

11. United World College-Singapore

12. Victoria Educational Organisation, Hong Kong

Source Kathy Neville
Reading Writing Project Network, Columbia Teachers College, NY
12th November 2015

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PYP & Readers Writers Workshop: Are They Compatible?

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​I work at Tokyo International School (TIS) an IB World School. TIS is a rare breed: it is one of only three, PYP authorized schools in the world which are also officially recognized by Columbia University Teachers College (NY) as a 'Reading and Writing Project School' (TCRWP).

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List of books connected to the 6 plus 1 traits. 

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List of books connected to the 6 plus 1 traits. 

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A list of picture books that have been matched to the traits. Great for mini-lessons and providing mentor texts for young writers.