tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28708792678071856772024-03-07T20:47:30.246-08:00Tales of a Fifth Grade TeacherI have created this blog to share my experiences as a fifth grade teacher.Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-69814778110663349862012-12-26T09:49:00.003-08:002012-12-26T09:49:59.583-08:00ChangeA semester is done, and inevitably change has occurred. The thoughts, ideas, and organization of August have slipped into something new. Does this happen to you? Each year, it does to me.<br />
In just the last couple of weeks I've instituted two major changes: YOGA BALLS and TABLES.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LyXH7g_YvLc/UNs2N253IkI/AAAAAAAAAG0/pWFCog7xxlU/s1600/balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LyXH7g_YvLc/UNs2N253IkI/AAAAAAAAAG0/pWFCog7xxlU/s320/balls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Writers Workshop time</td></tr>
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YOGA BALLS - I've been reading about their uses in classrooms for at least five years. I've even said to more than one parent: If you purchase a yoga ball for your child, I'll let them sit on it. No one has ever taken me up on that. So, two weeks before Christmas, I tell my class: Let's get yoga balls, instead of buying me a gift, buy a gift for the classroom. So far, we have 18 balls. Several were donated by our gym teacher, principal, and myself. The rest were brought in by students. I've set up a rotation, and everyone gets to sit on a yoga ball at least half the day!<br />
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TABLES - I've been wanting tables instead of desks for awhile. They're a hot commodity in my building. Several of us have told our principal that in the future, we'd like to move to tables. She's receptive and open to it. So, I approach her before break about making the switch now. I'm known as an honest (ok, maybe blunt is the right word) and if I try tables out, teachers will know I will give all the pros and cons. One 2/3 High Ability teacher is using them with success. All the Kindergarten teachers have them and love them.<br />
My principal said IF I could find the tables and convince the custodial staff to store my desks to go ahead! Well, I literally had to beg, borrow, and steal (okay, not steal, but coercion was used) to find six tables, enough for all 24 of my students. Then, I had to literally make my case to the custodian. She originally said no. Then we talked, toured the storage space and came up with a deal. She could store some of the desks - I'd have to find a place for some of them. (By the way, I used my computer table as a classroom table, then put the six laptops on their own desk!)<br />
Then Friday afternoon before break the students cleaned out their desks, and put everything in their cubby. (I have cabinets in my room, with small cubbies that books can fit into.) Then , I partnered everyone up. Each pair will share a crate that will be kept at their table. It will have their practice books, math books, folders, dry erase boards, and other essential items. Each student will also keep their pencil box at their table. <br />
I'm optimistic about the change, although there are a few worries. What if some don't deal well with such a shared space as a table? I figure if need be I can always grab a desk or two back.<br /><br />If there wasn't a winter storm advisory in my area, I'd post pictures of my new tables. Alas, I'm staying put at home and enjoying the quiet at home with my kids.<br />
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Other changes are on the way too: I'm working on my National Board Certification (Generalist - Middle Childhood) and I haven't started my entries yet. I'm still planning. In fact, I should be planning now, but will get to that soon. I'm looking forward to tackling that challenge. I've also committed to blogging every Wednesday - as a challenge with my school's Instructional Coach. We've promised to push each other. So, with change comes more writing for me!<br />
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I wish all of you a happy break!Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-63293863639197466432012-12-19T16:06:00.001-08:002012-12-19T17:36:43.922-08:00Writer's Workshop<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RtcIqyCqpmo/UNJrH_s8o4I/AAAAAAAAAGY/Y0fw_-MAW24/s1600/Class+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RtcIqyCqpmo/UNJrH_s8o4I/AAAAAAAAAGY/Y0fw_-MAW24/s400/Class+Photo.jpg" width="400" /></a>Ahhhh....first semester is winding down and the kids are wound up! I've tried hard to maintain a level of learning with a level of fun. I'm feeling ready for break, and if I'm not motivated, then I'm sure my students aren't!<br />
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So, instead of lesson planning, or working on my National Boards, as I told my husband I was doing when I kissed him and the kids by for the evening, I'm going to blog! LUCKY YOU! :)<br />
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I've decided to reflect on how my writing has changed this year. And, it has changed. In Indiana we've had all kinds of reforms, and one of them that trickled into the classroom this year was creating a personal goal to work on. Mine was writing. In fact, my entire team is working on this. <br />
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As I started the year, I decided to look at my day differently. I now do writing first thing in the morning. That is a change. It makes me more purposeful in planning writing, and not to let my content time continually takeover my writing time.<br />
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A big plus also, was this resource I found online: <a href="http://www.youblisher.com/p/366813-Lessons-from-Americas-Choice/" target="_blank">The First 30 Days: 5th Grade</a>.<br />
Even if you don't use it verbatim, it's very helpful to get your gears spinning on what you want to do. For me, just having this as a safety net was a huge help! My team also used it with success.<br />
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Also, I follow <a class="js-nav" data-send-impression-cookie="true" href="https://twitter.com/katsok"><span style="color: #0084b4;">Katherine Sokolowski</span></a> on Twitter. She has great ideas. I especially liked her <a href="http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/2012/08/slice-of-life-defining-greatness.html?m=1" target="_blank">Greatness Writing Activity</a> I found on her <a href="http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/?m=1" target="_blank">Blog - Read, Write, Reflect.</a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nz3mjErP6hk/UNJV5R70K-I/AAAAAAAAAGA/L6Q3OYlgOS4/s1600/Alex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nz3mjErP6hk/UNJV5R70K-I/AAAAAAAAAGA/L6Q3OYlgOS4/s200/Alex.jpg" width="150" /></a>I spent the first nine weeks building my Writer's Workshop. Since then, we've published three pieces this nine weeks. I spent several weeks on mini lessons for each one, then rounds of working and editing together. We've written an editorial, a personal narrative essay, and a free choice writing piece with the goal of varying sentences. Now, for some of you, this probably doesn't seem like much. In the past, that was how many published pieces I'd have in a year. Maybe.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdArx6G_oTc/UNJrmRNQjrI/AAAAAAAAAGg/hKbvnWJELgI/s1600/rubric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdArx6G_oTc/UNJrmRNQjrI/AAAAAAAAAGg/hKbvnWJELgI/s1600/rubric.jpg" /></a>I feel much more confident in my writing instruction. I've even created rubrics WITH the class which is a big step for me. I'm finding that it really does help them be more purposeful in their writing, and in turn, I'm more purposeful in my conferencing. My secret for rubrics: Print off ones you really like to have as a starting point. Make sure you've done mini lessons on what you expect of the piece, THEN do the rubric whole group. They know what you want from your focused mini lessons. One time I even passed out sample rubrics to the class and asked what should be on our rubric! Another great fact, it makes it easier to conference with students when I know exactly what I'm wanting them to do! I keep a copy of the current rubric in the front of my binder for easy reference!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LddJue-G4Ng/UNJV7AltieI/AAAAAAAAAGI/WTGOi6Rf25c/s1600/Alex+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LddJue-G4Ng/UNJV7AltieI/AAAAAAAAAGI/WTGOi6Rf25c/s640/Alex+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I'm meeting with Alex. I have my conferring notebook out, he's reading his piece to me. The post-its have 1-4 on it, and it's great for passing back with what they need to work on!</td></tr>
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Next quarter I will be focusing on my National Board writings: One expository piece and one narrative piece. I've decided to do the expository on writing a literary review and the narrative on writing to a prompt as we prepare for our State Testing at the end of February.<br />
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Thanks for visiting my blog! Feel feel to tweet or write questions in the comments section. I hope your year has started off great and that you have a joyful holiday break!<br />
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Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-91261667842685346592012-12-11T20:09:00.003-08:002012-12-11T20:09:58.210-08:00Hello, Again!I'm sorry I've been away for so long! I enjoy reflecting on my teaching and sharing ideas, but sometimes I worry no one wants to hear it!<br />
I've decided to not worry about those details, and write for me. Hopefully you'll find something interesting to you!Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-49567707094277348232012-04-01T20:11:00.000-07:002012-04-01T20:11:06.579-07:00More Camp Read-a-Lot<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sobG52UHkvQ/T3kTn0oLIGI/AAAAAAAAAE4/gqpkQO3h5UI/s1600/DSCN1218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sobG52UHkvQ/T3kTn0oLIGI/AAAAAAAAAE4/gqpkQO3h5UI/s320/DSCN1218.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Purdue Softball - They read another Mo Williams book. It was an Elephant and Piggie book - it was great for two girls to read together!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_CQlsTcGkg/T3kTzIt534I/AAAAAAAAAFA/7PyL4WuL_i0/s1600/DSCN1219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_CQlsTcGkg/T3kTzIt534I/AAAAAAAAAFA/7PyL4WuL_i0/s320/DSCN1219.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Purdue Softball Players!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gcK67PD3qp4/T3kT9p5iZUI/AAAAAAAAAFI/9oWwTxGX9Hs/s1600/DSCN1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gcK67PD3qp4/T3kT9p5iZUI/AAAAAAAAAFI/9oWwTxGX9Hs/s320/DSCN1220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They read another Mo Williams book - one of the Pigeon books.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sl531JH0D50/T3kUHgGpn8I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/PpQJpdZ2L9E/s1600/DSCN1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sl531JH0D50/T3kUHgGpn8I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/PpQJpdZ2L9E/s320/DSCN1221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out - Reading!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-irNHsTghgho/T3kUQoq33FI/AAAAAAAAAFY/-jZenpXdRu0/s1600/DSCN1222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-irNHsTghgho/T3kUQoq33FI/AAAAAAAAAFY/-jZenpXdRu0/s320/DSCN1222.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We put desks against the wall, and then created "lanes" for students to stretch out in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LmjM4OQ121o/T3kUaInNsyI/AAAAAAAAAFg/vxXmiiABKBo/s1600/DSCN1225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LmjM4OQ121o/T3kUaInNsyI/AAAAAAAAAFg/vxXmiiABKBo/s320/DSCN1225.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread out!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lDjgYLDmQjI/T3kUvYd3WEI/AAAAAAAAAFo/R7Th3bTMwnQ/s1600/DSCN1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lDjgYLDmQjI/T3kUvYd3WEI/AAAAAAAAAFo/R7Th3bTMwnQ/s320/DSCN1230.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mrs. George - she is the Southwestern math teacher. She read a Humpty Dumpty book.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyjkIVmtlFk/T3kU6UW69oI/AAAAAAAAAFw/JdIPG04JcGU/s1600/DSCN1232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyjkIVmtlFk/T3kU6UW69oI/AAAAAAAAAFw/JdIPG04JcGU/s320/DSCN1232.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cory Marshall - he is the principal of Wea Middle School, where the other 15% will go. He read <u>Pirates Don't Change Diapers</u>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's me - reading my Kindle! Of course, I was reading today too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-22633701931393259182012-04-01T19:47:00.001-07:002012-04-01T20:13:22.340-07:00Camp Read-a-Lot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our entire school does a mini-economy. Students earn money and can lose money based on jobs, attitude, behavior, and effort. This year the fifth grade teachers have added "incentive" parties for them to spend their money on at the end of each nine weeks. This time we decided to do <strong>"Camp Read-a-Lot"</strong> where they read, or were read to all day!</div>It cost $200 for everyone to attend (mandatory). Students could also purchase if they wanted: <br />
<ul><li>wear pajamas for the day</li>
<li>bring a pillow</li>
<li>bring a sleeping bag or blanket</li>
<li>wear slippers</li>
</ul>We emailed our superintendent's office and invited him, plus all the assistant superintendents. My sister happens to be the baseball/softball/women's soccer secretary at Purdue University, so I was able to ask Purdue athletes to come visit too! Since we're fifth grade, we invited next year's middle school principals, and one sixth grade teacher. It was fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AuVjU1K2fV0/T3kLmK7lw8I/AAAAAAAAAD4/Xm1jHxRJ40I/s1600/DSCN1211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AuVjU1K2fV0/T3kLmK7lw8I/AAAAAAAAAD4/Xm1jHxRJ40I/s320/DSCN1211.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Hanback - Tippecanoe School Corporation's Superintendent. I asked him to read <u>Yes Day!</u> He told the students if they did really well, he would give them a surprise. They did, so he said they had the whole next week off! My fifth graders were quick though, they responded, "That's Spring Break!" </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dTm4Kv8Wq0U/T3kLzm20IDI/AAAAAAAAAEA/c1OJTBCxqUE/s1600/DSCN1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dTm4Kv8Wq0U/T3kLzm20IDI/AAAAAAAAAEA/c1OJTBCxqUE/s320/DSCN1205.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim Fox - TSC's Chief Financial Officer. She read <u>Crazy Like a Fox: A Book of Similes</u>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ox-g7h5DXgQ/T3kMADp8IqI/AAAAAAAAAEI/-2YKBo1oGgA/s1600/DSCN1209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ox-g7h5DXgQ/T3kMADp8IqI/AAAAAAAAAEI/-2YKBo1oGgA/s320/DSCN1209.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mindy Higgins - Mayflower's principal. She read a Skippy Jon Jones book.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PO9KMRJUGAE/T3kMK6x7EPI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/-Cl_iolHJeQ/s1600/DSCN1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PO9KMRJUGAE/T3kMK6x7EPI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/-Cl_iolHJeQ/s320/DSCN1214.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lexy Moore - Purdue University Softball Player. She is a freshman from Missouri and read a Mo Williams Pigeon book.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_lNUyG6Fx1c/T3kMVfjxf1I/AAAAAAAAAEY/aKJKJ_iQaUM/s1600/DSCN1216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_lNUyG6Fx1c/T3kMVfjxf1I/AAAAAAAAAEY/aKJKJ_iQaUM/s320/DSCN1216.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen Smith - Principal at Southwestern Middle School where 85% of my class will go. She read a Lemony Snickett book.<br />
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</tbody></table>Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-31405138628934946542012-03-06T14:55:00.002-08:002012-03-06T14:59:42.215-08:00I Love you, but I'm not IN love with you! A tale of Twitter....I'm a self-proclaimed junkie when it comes to Reading Instruction! I love reading and learning new ideas about it. Twitter has been absolutely phenomenal in feeding that addiction the last month or so. <br />
But, don't you hate it when it backfires? You know what I'm talking about, when you start reading all those fabulous things you should be doing, but aren't always a part of your daily lesson. When you know what's best practice, but it's gone by the wayside. (Right, Gina Boyd?)<br />
Well, that happened in spades to me this week.<br />
I've always known that as a fifth grade teacher I really need to be up on great novels, graphic novels, and interesting picture books. In turn, we can help find good fits for our readers. Or, introduce them to something new, or .... (Submit your own reason!)<br />
I have NOT done that this year. I've barely bought any books, let alone read any to share with my students. Of course, I already have <u>Hunger Games</u>, <u>Harry Potter</u>, <u>Percy Jackson</u>, <u>The 39 Clues</u> all going around, but nothing new or fresh. <br />
Cue Twitter - I follow <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/" target="_blank">Donalyn Miller</a> (<u>The Book Whisperer</u> author) and she is constantly tweeting books she is reading and giving ratings. Also, from following her, I have started following the <a href="http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Nerdy Book Club</a>. So, in this I found some really great books to read and share with my students. <br />
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Getting to my point, I shared these books with my students at the beginning of CAFE. I explained what each book was about, and what I had enjoyed about it. In the two days since I have shared most of the books I bough and have had more conversations about these books than I have about books this whole year. <br />
WHAT HAVEN'T I BEEN DOING THIS ALL YEAR?!!!?? <br />
So, Twitter - I love you! I do, but at times you break my heart, so if it's OK, I can't be IN love with you. I love your ideas, professional development, testimonials, etc., but I hate how you make me feel when I read all these fabulous things that I only dream of doing.<br />
Love,<br />
Andrea<br />
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If you're interested, here is what I bought:<br />
<ul><li><u>The Strange Case of Origami Yoda </u>by Tom Angleberger (Great, short book)</li>
<li><u>Darth Paper Strikes Back</u> by Tom Angleberger (Great follow-up!)</li>
<li><u>Wonder</u> by RJ Palacio (A real tear jerker - great story about hope and friendship)</li>
<li><u>The One and Only Ivan</u> by Katherine Applegate (Great book over perspective)</li>
<li><u>Smile</u> by Raina Telgemeier (A graphic novel that is hilarious and true to real life)</li>
</ul>These I found from either Twitter or Nerdy Book Club. I also bought a few others for me:<br />
<ul><li><u>Storm Runners</u> by Roland Smith (Fabulous, I was mad that I didn't have book 2 to see what happens next)</li>
<li><u>Wonderstruck</u> by Brian Selznick (Haven't read yet, but I'm sure it's fantastic)</li>
<li><u>The Big Time</u> by Tim Green (Didn't read, but have some big Tim Green fans in my class)</li>
<li><u>Best of the Best</u> by Tim Green (Ditto!)</li>
</ul>Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-61015450638689011762012-03-06T13:28:00.000-08:002012-03-06T13:28:42.469-08:00More Test MotivatorsBy request, here are some more test motivators. I cannot claim any credit for these!<br />
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<ul><li>Crunch those numbers! (With a Crunch bar) Credit Nancy Nargi</li>
<li>Don't Get Nutty! Take a deep breathe, relax and show me what you know! (With a Nutty bar) Credit Alisan Clayton</li>
<li>I think you are <strong>M</strong>agnificent <strong>& M</strong>arvelous Do your Personal Best (With M&M cookies) Credit Alisan Clayton</li>
<li>SKOR candy bar - SKOR big! Credit Alisan Clayton</li>
<li>Your effort this week is worth a $100 Grand! (With a 100 Grand bar) Credit Alisan Clayton</li>
<li>I give my students a small bag of cookies and give them a paper that says: Remember, you are a SMART cookie<br />
S- stay focused<br />
M- mark the right choice<br />
A- always do your best<br />
R- recheck your work<br />
T- take your time </li>
<li>SMARTIES-Have some SMARTIES to Super-Energize your brain cells and help you to do your best! </li>
<li>SNICKERS-No time for SNICKERS yet! You're almost finished with testing! </li>
<li>Gum: "CHEWS" your answers carefully on the test</li>
<li>EXTRA gum: Work EXTRA hard to make the best choice on the test</li>
<li>Cheerios - Cheering you to success or I'm CHEERing you on</li>
<li>Super Bubble Gum - I know you will do a SUPER job</li>
<li>Lucky Charms - Good LUCK today on your test</li>
<li>Starburst - You are a STAR or Shine like a STAR today</li>
<li>Licorice Twists - Don't let the test TWIST your mind</li>
<li>Hershey Hugs - A HUG from me to you to do the best that you can do</li>
<li>Millky Way - Success all the way to the Milky Way</li>
<li>Gum with a note that says: Blow the top off the test!</li>
<li>1 Peppermint for every test.... to boost your brain power!</li>
<li>Eraser... to get rid of those brain freezes (what I call mistakes in my room)</li>
<li>2 Pencils... to record all the knowledge you have learned</li>
<li>1 stick of gum for each test... to remind you to stick with it!</li>
<li>1 highlighter... for highlighting of course!</li>
<li>1 Hershey's Hug.. for all your hard work!<br />
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<li>Credit to Proteacher.net unless otherwise noted</li>
</ul>Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-43884761667347814732012-03-04T18:29:00.000-08:002012-03-04T18:29:39.206-08:00Test MotivatorsThis year to kick off ISTEP+ testing, my principal did a "Rock the Test" assembly for grades 3-5. She invited a teacher's husband, Matt Call and a former Mayflower Mill student turned musician, Mike Kelsey. They played a fun, motivating hour set. Our kids really liked it! We have banners in the main hall that say: Rock the Test! <br />
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Here are other motivator's you could do in your classroom:<br />
<ul><li>a mint: You are 'mint' to rock this test!</li>
<li>a starburst: You're a rock star! </li>
<li>a smartie: Show how 'smart' you are as you rock the test!</li>
<li>a cookie: You are one smart cookie!</li>
</ul>There are a lot of other ideas online. I have the parents of my students send in a sealed letter to wish them luck. For the students who don't bring one, I make sure and provide on. I got the idea from ProTeacher about 5 years ago and have done it ever since. <br />
Here's a link: <a href="http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showpost.php?p=497987" target="_blank">Letter to Parents for Motivating letter</a><br />
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To everyone who is starting standardized testing, otherwise known as "March Madness" in the education world: Good luck! Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-87965832833456679472012-03-04T18:03:00.000-08:002012-03-04T18:03:38.338-08:00Here Comes ISTEP+Well, the time has come. ISTEP+ testing is here (Indiana state achievement test)<br />
This week my students will take the open-ended portion of the ISTEP+: English/Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies.<br />
I get nevous every year right now. What if I haven't yet covered what's on the test? What if my kids don't read carefully enough and write down a wrong answer? What if.... I could go on! I always tell my students "We're not playing the 'what-if' game. We could do this for hours!" Yet, undoubtedly every year, I play the same game. <br />
Have I prepared my students? I think I have...but what if....Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-23358125082045467692012-02-27T17:13:00.000-08:002012-02-27T17:13:23.014-08:00Back to MathSo, way back in September when I started this blog, I focused on small math groups and how I would operate them. Now is time for some reflection:<br />
<ul><li>They are only as good as you are prepared. If you don't have a GREAT, SHORT lesson, it isn't valuable.</li>
<li>Only one hour for small math groups is not enough time to do it right. My math is one hour - we start at 9:15 and go to special at 10:15. Due to my inclusion students who leave after special, I cannot get back to math. I have a block the last half hour, but it is really hard to get back into the math rotations groove, so I choose to do math remediation at that time.</li>
<li>To be effective, you SHOULD do a minilesson before you break into small groups. I try, but am not successful, and I think it would have a big impact on my lessons.</li>
<li>Change up your groups every now and then. I changed at semester and it has been helpful.</li>
<li>Something I need to be better at is varying the rotations that aren't with me.</li>
</ul>What I would like to do in the future:<br />
<ul><li>Utilize my smartboard more for games/activites for students to do in their group.</li>
<li>Allow more choice in the centers. (I have two independent - fact fluency and skill review)</li>
<li>Have SuccessMaker be 12 minutes instead of 15 minutes. (This is a computer program purchased by out corporation. You can change the time, but our corp. is mandates 15 minutes.)</li>
<li>Have time built in to go over previous night's homework.</li>
</ul>Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-21510389968582815682012-02-27T17:00:00.000-08:002012-02-27T17:00:54.697-08:00Someday is not a day of the weekI keep saying that "Someday" I will get back to this blog. Well, someday never seemed to arrive. Then, my principal started blogging and is really encouraging me to get back at it! So, Mindy - this is for you!Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-20974455878104217062011-09-06T13:35:00.000-07:002011-09-06T14:20:57.653-07:00Day 1 of Math WorkshopWell, not too bad! All but two students say they like it better than large group! I did notice several things: the group that did the Daily Skill Review were not working as a group as I wanted. Also, the fluency group worked together more than I wanted. Several groups were done before the 20 mintues was up and didn't know what to do. <br />
I think tomorrow I'll go over my expectations again. Groups that finish early can get out flash cards and practice multiplication or division.<br />
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Here it is in action:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ5H5eSsS30/TmaDEi6GJTI/AAAAAAAAADc/VMNE5OC8RPs/s1600/DSCN1068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" nba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ5H5eSsS30/TmaDEi6GJTI/AAAAAAAAADc/VMNE5OC8RPs/s400/DSCN1068.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am working with a small group. They have dry erase makers and boards. They also brought a pencil, because I had a worksheet to work on together.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="color: red;">Click the link to read more!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These students are working on SuccessMaker.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This group is working together on Daily Skill Review.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9aBYfOmvPTs/TmaELcye4CI/AAAAAAAAADk/M64KMPL3ErY/s1600/DSCN1070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" nba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9aBYfOmvPTs/TmaELcye4CI/AAAAAAAAADk/M64KMPL3ErY/s400/DSCN1070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These students finished Fact Fluency and are working together on Task Cards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eoqzdWBKRUk/TmaFDo7KrZI/AAAAAAAAADs/CLicxTejZyI/s1600/DSCN1074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" nba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eoqzdWBKRUk/TmaFDo7KrZI/AAAAAAAAADs/CLicxTejZyI/s400/DSCN1074.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two are working together on Daily Skill Review.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-81843719779963621622011-09-05T16:41:00.000-07:002011-09-05T18:11:16.482-07:00Math Groups...Oh My!Well, it's done. I've created my math groups, activities, and centers. Best laid plans... We'll see how it goes! Thanks to my partners-in-crime Alisan Clayton and Katie DeBoy - we worked together to get this up and going!<br />
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Here's what we've done:<br />
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CREATED BOARD<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2v2oBjCt5Y/TmVYVham78I/AAAAAAAAACc/mcE8Dz1nSnY/s1600/DSCN1054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2v2oBjCt5Y/TmVYVham78I/AAAAAAAAACc/mcE8Dz1nSnY/s320/DSCN1054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Totally stole this from my colleague - Alisan Clayton. At the top are my four stations: "Mrs. Lawson," "SuccessMaker," "Fact Fluency & Games," and "Daily Skill Review." The students are placed in four groups. Keep your fingers crossed that these groups get along! <br />
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<span style="color: red;">Click to see more of what Math Workshop looks like!</span><br />
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Here's Katie's organization:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CIFby2Y8dZU/TmVdbaxGz-I/AAAAAAAAAC0/yv8kKJ5QFOo/s1600/DSCN1064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CIFby2Y8dZU/TmVdbaxGz-I/AAAAAAAAAC0/yv8kKJ5QFOo/s320/DSCN1064.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is Katies organization. I wish I could turn my picture, sorry! She put labels on cards, and put them in this pocket chart. It doesn't take up as much room!<br />
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TASK CARDS - Goes with "Fact Fluency & Games"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WR-iKuTMxvs/TmVV-_HpD6I/AAAAAAAAACY/KjH-n3KDArs/s1600/DSCN1056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WR-iKuTMxvs/TmVV-_HpD6I/AAAAAAAAACY/KjH-n3KDArs/s320/DSCN1056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here are some "task cards" I found on Proteacher.net. The creator is "unseen0001" She makes many skill based task cards. These task cards are previously introduced skills. They will do with a partner.<br />
If you <a href="http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?t=361347">click here</a> it will take you to a post by Unseen0001 with a link to a PDF of all her task cards. You need to be a member of Proteacher to open, but it is free. It is a great website!<br />
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Fact Fluency<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-02Z6mwUnQcY/TmVaLyvS6MI/AAAAAAAAACg/5uSv8qWrlE8/s1600/DSCN1060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-02Z6mwUnQcY/TmVaLyvS6MI/AAAAAAAAACg/5uSv8qWrlE8/s320/DSCN1060.JPG" width="320" /></a>I found these Dry Erase Pockets in the School Speciality cataog. I hope they are easy to use! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xs8CZ8W9SOA/TmVayXPNHQI/AAAAAAAAACk/lTzhMo3we8I/s1600/DSCN1061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xs8CZ8W9SOA/TmVayXPNHQI/AAAAAAAAACk/lTzhMo3we8I/s320/DSCN1061.JPG" width="320" /></a>I've found multiplication and division worksheets, and students will use the dry erase pockets to practice their facts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1sTsBYgqlcY/TmVbL46GQRI/AAAAAAAAACo/wnf9uzqCGHk/s1600/DSCN1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1sTsBYgqlcY/TmVbL46GQRI/AAAAAAAAACo/wnf9uzqCGHk/s320/DSCN1062.JPG" width="320" /></a>I've stored them all in this tote, students will pull out during stations. I've also put dry erase erasers in there.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPEesn3MTnc/TmVbtdBHKaI/AAAAAAAAACs/mgfSmra1xZA/s1600/DSCN1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPEesn3MTnc/TmVbtdBHKaI/AAAAAAAAACs/mgfSmra1xZA/s320/DSCN1063.JPG" width="320" /></a>I've also placed a key of the worksheets in the tub, so students can self check.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">DAILY SKILL REVIEW (DSR)</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My team also uses a DSR every day. This is a standards based math (for Indiana) review. We were able to get this from another school, which they created from scratch. I don't feel comfortable sharing their work. I think any type of review (Drops in Bucket, basal review, etc.) would be beneficial. I will have a key ready for students, and they will work together on it in their groups.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">SUCCESSMAKER</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our corporation has bought a program that is called SuccessMaker. It places each student at their level and goes through skills. They are required to be on it 4-5 times a week. Each session takes 15 minutes - so it's a natural fit for stations.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">MRS. LAWSON</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For my station, I will be teaching the main lesson in small groups. I hope it goes well!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wish me luck! I hope to post pictures soon of this in action - and - an honest report on how it went!</div>Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-78280812169992609762011-09-03T07:28:00.000-07:002011-09-03T07:28:51.631-07:00I want to do CAFE - now what?My biggest struggle when I decided to do CAFE two years ago was where to start! I do a great job teaching the framework of Daily 5, but how do I start CAFE?<br />
I spend over a week teaching and practicing Daily 5. When I felt they could go 15-20 minutes so I could conference with students - I started pulling students.<br />
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Here is what I've done this year and I've been very pleased:<br />
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<ul><li>First, I had my students take a STAR test. This is part of the AR system and is one tool to level students for their reading level. I then found a chart that correlates STAR levels to Fountas and Pinnell levels.</li>
<li>Our building has invested money into buying Fountas and Pinnell leveling kits. There are many brands out there, such as Rigby and DRA. Use what you have. If you have nothing - find a grade level text and do a running record (record fluency, accuracy, and comprehension.)</li>
<li>I have students read the passage aloud, doing a running record. I do time them, just to get an idea of their words per minute.</li>
<li>The students finish the text on their own, and then I ask them to tell me about the story. Fountas and Pinnell have their kits with three levels of comprehension. </li>
<li>As students finish reading the text, I mark down how I think their accuracy and fluency was on the front of the packet. Then, after their comprehension part, I'll jot a note or two about their comprehension.</li>
</ul>I did this will all of my students. I did not devle into finding instructional level (yet, but my instructional coach and principal REALLY want me to go there) because usually I find I have a good idea of what strategy I want them to focus on.<br />
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After I get them all done, I call them back one by one and have them fill out a Reading Interest Survey. I'm sure you can find them all over the net or in books about reading. Find one you like, or create one. I think mine came from the book <u>The Reading Zone</u> by Nancy Atwell. I don't have it in front of me, so not sure. Donalyn Miller also has one in her book <u>The Book Whisperer</u>. Fountas and Pinnell have one too, but it's more of an end of the year reading survey.<br />
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The survey I use asks for strengths and weaknesses on it. It's interesting to see what they put. (I typically give 3 to 4 students the survey, have them start it and say "Answer what you can, if you don't understand a question, we'll go over it together."<br />
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After I go over it with them and talk about it, I tell them what I noticed about them as a reader. I will pull their running record out and share. For example, "You did a great job reading all the words, but I noticed you're fluency was stop and go. At times, you read smooth, and then it would be word for word. I thought you did a great retell of the story, so you understood what happened, but when it came to higher level comrehension, like understanding what the author's purpose was, you struggled a little bit. What do you think?" And the converstation contiues. I then open up my conferring notebook and record their strengths and their goals. I have a little basket with lots of fun post its and markers, and the students write their name and put their goal up on the CAFE board.<br />
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I hope this was helpful in starting CAFE. Please let me know if you have questions! This was my biggest challenge when I started, and I feel so confident now about my placement. Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-50316676846279015082011-08-29T18:19:00.000-07:002011-08-29T18:19:40.304-07:00Introducing CAFE and Daily 5This will be my second year implementing CAFE and my fourth using the D5 Framework. Here are some of my key tips to get you going:<br />
<ul><li>Sign up for the sisters "Tip of the Week." <a href="http://www.thedailycafe.com/">Click here</a> to sign up. It's on the right hand side.</li>
<li>Start small and make it managable. </li>
<ul><li>Introduce "Read to Self" the first week, and practice Stamina</li>
<li>Introduce "Read to Someone" if you want and again practice it</li>
<ul><li>The Sisters maintain that "Read to Someone" is not as important in upper grades as it is in primary. If it's not something you want to implement, then don't!</li>
</ul><li>Introduce "Work on Writing" and practice it</li>
</ul><li>Do these seperate weeks to get comfortable and confident</li>
<li>Even now, I still use "The Daily 5" book when I'm teaching the procedures. I use it as a resource and explain to my students that it's part of my tool kit to teach. Plus, I think it's important that students know that I use books and that I don't have answers to everything.</li>
</ul>I don't do "Working With Words" or "Listen to Reading" in Fifth Grade. I do lots of read alouds, and that's what I use as my "Listen to Reading."<br />
<br />
If you're comfortable with your management, and want to start implementing CAFE, I suggest following the sisters plan in the appendix of the book. It starts with 10 strategies. It gives you a guide on how/when to implement the strategies. Guess what? Last year, I only did the first 10! I didn't really start hitting CAFE under second semester. Do what's right for you!Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-52646376020942283912011-08-27T19:54:00.000-07:002011-08-27T19:54:28.202-07:00Reading LogAfter Reading Donalyn Miller's book <a href="http://bookwhisperer.com/">The Book Whisperer</a> I decided to do a Reading Log for students to record the books they've read. Their goal is to read 30 books - in Miller's book her sixth graders are asked to read 40. I have two copies on a page, and I print them on a full page "Shipping Label." The students then stick them inside their notebook.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"><u>My Reading Pledge</u></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">3</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> poetry anthologies</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">3 </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">traditional </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">literature</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">4 realistic fiction</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">2 historical fiction</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">2 fantasy</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">1 science fiction</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">2 mystery</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">2 informational</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">2 biography/autobiography/memoir</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">9 chapter books (Free choice)</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><br />
</div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">I created a PowerPoint document that explains the genres as "My Reading Pledge." Then, under it I wrote an example citation:</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><u style="text-underline: single;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span></u></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"><u style="text-underline: single;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">How to record your books</span></u></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><br />
</div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"> <u style="text-underline: single;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Title</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">, Author, Genre, Pages, Rating</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><br />
</div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"> <span><span style="mso-special-format: "numbullet3,1";">1.</span></span><u style="text-underline: single;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">The Last Olympian</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">, By Rick Riordan, Fantasy,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>381 pages, 10/10</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"> </div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.38in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> </span><span><span style="mso-special-format: "numbullet3,1";">2.</span></span><u style="text-underline: single;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">The Billionaire’s Curse</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR CENA"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "AR CENA"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">, By Richard Newsome, Fantasy, 344 pages, 2/10</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> </span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.38in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span> </div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.38in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 13; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Finally, I made a tally chart that is printer on a shipping label that fits four to a page. It looks like this:<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableLightListAccent1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD 1.0pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 333px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: -1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><td style="background: rgb(79, 129, 189); border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: solid none none solid; border-width: 1pt 0px 0px 1pt; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;">Type<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(79, 129, 189); border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid none none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 0px 0px; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 1;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;">Tally<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: solid none solid solid; border-width: 1pt 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">3 Poetry Anthologies<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 1pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">3 Traditional Literature<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid none none; border-width: 0px 1pt 0px 0px; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: solid none solid solid; border-width: 1pt 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">4 Realistic Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 1pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Historical Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid none none; border-width: 0px 1pt 0px 0px; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: solid none solid solid; border-width: 1pt 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Fantasy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 1pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 Science Fantasy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid none none; border-width: 0px 1pt 0px 0px; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: solid none solid solid; border-width: 1pt 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Mystery<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 1pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Informational<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid none none; border-width: 0px 1pt 0px 0px; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: solid none solid solid; border-width: 1pt 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Biography/<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Autobiography/ Memoir<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.5pt;" valign="top" width="167"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">9 Chapter Books<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Free Choice)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(79, 129, 189) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.25pt;" valign="top" width="166"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 6.3pt 0pt 0in;"><br />
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</tbody></table></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"> </div><br />
Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-71251037172906247542011-08-27T18:56:00.000-07:002011-08-27T18:56:42.322-07:00Beginning of Year ActivitiesIf you are looking for a beginning of year idea, I found this one of Proteacher called <a href="http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?t=360521">Fifth Day of Fifth Grade</a>. Students have lots of activities to do with the number five.<br />
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Speaking of Proteacher, I found <a href="http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?t=359653">Summer Writing Narrative</a> under this discussion. Scroll down to find the download.<br />
Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870879267807185677.post-61619702284926949512011-08-27T18:24:00.000-07:002011-08-27T18:24:04.767-07:00Welcome!Hello! Welcome to my blog. I hope to post often with ideas and things I've found that work great in a fifth grade classroom. Stay tuned!Mrs. Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368476633060946444noreply@blogger.com0