The Sky is Falling

The Traditional Tale of  The Sky is Falling is such a fun story to read and there are so many versions. Take this opportunity to compare texts to each other!


I broke the story apart with beginning, middle and end with the different characters.
I included a blank form also so you can pick what fits your needs.

Click on the worksheet to pick up your free copy!

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Click Clack Moo Making Words Freebie

I just love the story, Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type!!  I wish I was as creative at writing as Doreen Cronin!!

Our school uses the Treasures Reading Series.  Second grade uses this story in the third unit.  To practice their spelling words I made this easy to use making words activity!  I like to give them clues about the word but not the actual word.  Such as "sprain", this is what happens to your ankle when you twist it.

When having them write their complete sentences review what you expect from them.  For those that are better writers encourage them to use adjectives in their sentence to spice it up!!



Get this for free by clicking on a picture.  Have a beautiful Christmas!
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OO Center Freebie





  

Here is a quick and easy center for /oo/.  Students "write the room" looking for the words and put them in the correct column on the recording sheet.  When everyone is done you have the students take them down and add them to an anchor chart with the rolling pin headers.  

Or you may choose to make this a matching activity and then they write the answers on the recording 
sheet.  Either way it's Free!!  Click here to pick it up and leave a little love in the comments please.
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Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise Literature Companion

This year my adventure in second grade has been a lot of fun!  I forgot how much I love teaching second graders.  They can do so many more things with deep thinking and writing!

These last few weeks we have been reading Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise.  This is my first time reading a chapter book along with the class.  Our library and book room has a lot of class sets of books!  We are so lucky.  As I read the chapters, the students are able to follow along.  Then they get to reread it with a partner.

To make this process go a bit easier I developed a student booklet for each chapter.  Each chapter has 2 half-pages of skills that we have been working on.   I also developed text dependent questions that require some deep thinking.  There are some basic questions but my goal this year is to really get the kids thinking!  I like to use "turn and talk".  Partners talk about the oral question and then I ask for the answer.  I try to call on students that don't normally answer questions because they have had the chance to listen and talk about the answer.  If you're interested in this booklet and question set, click on the picture.



For a closing writing activity I borrowed Mrs. Lemons fabulous directed drawing.  I was going to develop one and wahlaa she already made one!  I love how great minds think alike!  Click here to go to her site.







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Annotations for Close Reading

This year I am taking a focus on Close Reading with my professional development.  I was able to attend a Smekens Workshop on Close Reading and gained a great foundation for this process.  I have a lot more to learn!  You can take this adventure with me.

One of the things students get to do in Close Reading is spending a lot of time evaluating the complex text that we are reading.  For me this works best when each student has their own copy of the text and especially a paper copy.  This allows for the students to write on it and explore their thinking.

When we read a trade book I type up the words and add paragraph numbers so it makes it easy for us to share where we are reading.  This then allows the students to add their annotations.


I'm starting out with some easy annotations.  I've seen many lists shared and some just have too many to remember!  I want the students to focus on the comprehension, not worry about what annotation to use.


Hope this helps you out!

I'm currently reading TDQ; Text-Dependent Questions by Douglas Fisher.  So far it's a great book and what I love most about it is the video links that are included so you can watch teachers in action!  There are 2 grade levels available; K-5 and 6-12.

Text-Dependent Questions, Grades K-5

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Increase your Holiday Book Order

This year for my class Christmas Party we are having a book exchange as 
I have done for many years but with an added twist.  


Click on the letter below to get an editable google doc.


So if you have 20 students that is $100 in orders.  You then receive an extra 200 Bonus Points, $10 to spend right now and 5 free books!  Plus, place your order by Dec. 11 with the code 50443 and earn an additional 100 bonus points. What a great gift for everyone.

I work in a low income area so for those that can't afford I will use existing bonus points to buy them a book!  I only had a few.

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Word Order Cut and Paste Freebie


I made up these simple cut and paste sheets to use in my guided reading groups and literacy centers. We did one in small group and then the next week it was in their center.  

They are leveled A=Approaching, O=On Level, B =Beyond in the top left corner so you know which group to use them with.  These levels were based on my first grade class but you can adjust them to fit your needs of your students.




You can use the lines for the students to rewrite the sentences and work on the handwriting at the same time or you can increase the difficulty by having them write a continuation to the "story"!

Please leave some feedback if you download this.
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Thank you for stopping by!


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Vocab Center - Multiple Meanings

This week the students had fun looking up a word in the dictionary and looking for multiple meanings of the word.  I loved when they told me their word wasn't in any dictionary they looked in!!

Using a 9x12 piece of construction paper fold it in half short of an inch from the bottom.  This leaves space for the vocab word. 

Then cut a slit to the fold so the student will have 2 flaps.

The student writes two different definitions for the word after they look it up in the dictionary.  On the top of the flap they write the part of speech (noun, verb, etc.)

Students illustrate the two meanings on the front of the flap book.


I pre-made all the flap books and programmed them with words of my choice so I knew they had multiple meanings.  The words varied in difficulty.

Such an easy center to put together and the kids loved it!

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Character Day



Character Day was a great completion to the end of a character unit.

All week we explored character traits of Raffy from the book Moon Sandwich Mom.  I forgot to take pictures of my other anchor charts.  We brainstorm characteristic traits that were on the outside and personality traits that were in the inside, such as loving, disobedient, and kind.

Students had an assignment to read a book of their choice at home and make a list of character traits associated with their character from the book.  On Wednesday, they dressed up as they character.  Some forgot to come dressed up but they still participated in the activities.






They colored these adorable characters and added what the character thinks, says, likes, does, and going to do.  I was impressed with how indepth they were with their thinking.  They not only colored the character but the surrounding with items that involved the character.


Have you done a character day?  What did you do?







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Pumpkin Science Continued Day 12

Day 12:
Pumpkin Jack - outside
 
There is definitely more mold today! 

Jack's mouth had red mold.  I've never seen that before.  This mold was describe in the
 Rotten Pumpkin book we read. 

Pumpkin Penny has lost her teeth!


Time for Pumpkin Penny to go into a bag.  We do not want all of the mold spores all over the room.  I have one student allergic to mold.  She spent the weekend in a bag and it's beyond gross.












 We cut 2 pumpkins in half and left all the pulp and seeds inside.  These are not molding very quickly.  They are drying out.  The students thought it was very interesting.
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We brought in a vine that contained flowers, green  pumpkins and over-ripe pumpkins.  They got to explore and it was fun to watch them.






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Pumpkin Science Continued Day 5 and 8

Day 5:  Both of our pumpkins are starting to show signs of a little mold.  Pumpkin Penny who is inside has a bit more than Pumpkin Jack who is outside!

 

 

Day 8:  Wow after the weekend the mold in Pumpkin Penny really started to grow!  Yuck!




We didn't see much change in Pumpkin Jack!  They are starting to draw conclusions as to why that is but it not a complete discovery yet!




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