Character Feelings Lists by Categories: Using Precise Language

Character feelings lessons begin in kindergarten and end in . . . well, we still talk about our feelings as adults, right?  Teachers are pros at experiencing a wide range of feelings, LOL. 😬

As students are developing their vocabulary banks, it's easy for them to just use words within their comfort zone:  happy, mad, sad, and scared.  Our jobs are to help them grow their vocabulary and use precise language.  What better way to scaffold the process than with some organized lists!

Re-telling and Summarizing: Strategies and Interventions

So, how are your interventions going?  Are your students making progress in the area of re-telling and summarizing?

As teachers of reading, we all know that if a student cannot re-tell the story, he/she will have difficulty making deeper inferences, answering questions about the text, connecting with the characters, and, most importantly, enjoying the story. And re-telling, along with summarizing, is a skill that can be honed beginning in kindergarten all the way to college (think of all those undergraduate and graduate students who write abstracts summarizing research).  As an interventionist teacher supporting second and third grade students in the area of reading, I am constantly grappling with how to best support my little friends with their re-tell and/or summary {fiction texts...nonfiction texts need their own blog post!}.  After reading a book during guided reading, I would pull out a graphic organizer, and think to myself, "this doesn't really match the story structure," or "this doesn't allow the student to include the most important details."  So I began to look at the results of my assessments more carefully, searched some of the professional literature, and began differentiating my approaches in order to better break down this important component of comprehension.

Learning about characters

This will be one of many posts dedicated to my FAVORITE children's author, Mo Willems.  I think he's a literary genius.  It's the best feeling in the world when you watch children silently read, and they can't help themselves, they need to act out the Pigeon's antics in their seat or whisper, "Aggle, plaggle!" like Trixie.   I have witnessed boys transform from disinterested to avid readers because of Mo Willems' books.  While I read a plethora of books to my students and expose them to as many wonderful authors as possible, I know that I can depend on his literature to hold a captive audience for my mini lesson.

Courtesy of http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/

Determining the author's purpose: What is the author trying to teach us?

Sooooooo...my little darlings are having a difficult time figuring out why the author wrote the book, and if he's trying to teach us a lesson.   Planning is rough when you only have twenty minute increments to teach such a difficult concept, and for these students, I really have to model and break down the thinking process.  So....here goes...gulp...

I first made an anchor chart with the direct teaching point that authors write for a reason:

January Readers Workshop: Back to Basics

First of all, wishing you much health and happiness to you and your family in the coming year!  I hope your break was restful and fun.  As we're trying to figure out what we're actually going to teach this week, I was reflecting on past Januaries, and how I have to throw in a few September mini lessons on classroom procedures because we seemed to have forgotten them in the midst of parties, opening gifts, sleeping late, and eating some extra cookies.  I have this chart that we created earlier in the year that stays up all year long (in case I need to a September mini lesson in April...again).  I like this chart because at the end of private reading and/or partner reading, I can ask them to quickly rate themselves using a thumbs up, thumbs in the middle, and thumbs down.  I can also give out the Reader of the Day, Partnership of the Day, or take away stuffed animals based on this chart.

Building their reading stamina is process, building their reading stamina is process, building their reading stamina is process, I keep telling myself...

So what are you thankful for?

A first grade list of thankfulness.  Who isn't thankful for his Wii??

No matter what grade you're teaching, you're always going to discuss with your students about what they're thankful for in their lives.  Every year when I create this list, it's always fun to hear some of the interesting things they're thankful for...

Along with my mile-long list of personal thankfulness, I'm also thankful to be employed, to be able to work with amazing professionals, and to do what I love...