Fluency Tool FREEBIES and Chocolate Fever: A CCSS Middle Grades Novel Unit

I have been tutoring on Tuesday and Thursday nights in order to keep my teacher mind active and challenged.  My focus with this 3rd grade student has been fluency work: timed fluency passages, chunking text, Big Bubble Breath boxes, and a bit of comprehension work with novels.  A few of the gems I have found: 

1. Bubble Breath Boxes to increase high frequency word fluency: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREEBIE-High-Frequency-Fluency-Intervention-Set-1-Fry-Words-1-25-Breath-Boxes-841363
2. Leveled Fluency Passages for timed reads:  http://www.meade.k12.sd.us/Curriculum/3rd%20Grade%20Fluency%20Passages/ 

I utilized these leveled fluency passages with my 6th graders reading well-below grade level during 6-minute solution time.  It was perfect because everyone could work on fluency from on-level readers to students reading at the first grade level.  Check out this site.

The Bubble Boxes are a tool I just found.  While I bought the package of all 300 FRY words, you can sample the first 25 and practice with students needing repeated practice with high frequency words independently, with a partner, or in a center setting.  The idea is that the student takes s breath and has to read the whole box of words before running out of breath.  Cool tool for stamina!  My 2nd grade son loves the Bubble Boxes because it is a challenge-competition is something he loves.

Pictured below are some of my 6th graders from last year working on the novel unit for Chocolate Fever.  I have just taken some time to update this unit and make it aligned to CCSS.  If you are looking for a fun book and middle grade unit about a boy with a "chocolate problem" that leads him on quite an adventure for a cure, this is a fun tool for you.  A perfect book and unit to fit in between the Thanksgiving and Christmas break!

I would love to hear about the tools you utilize to improve fluency in your middle grade classrooms, as I am always looking for more items to use with my students.  If you leave a comment below and an e-mail, I will happily send you a free copy of the Chocolate Fever unit. 

THANKSGIVING AND HOLIDAY READER'S THEATER FUN PACK and a Holiday Essay Writing FREEBIE

If you are looking to lighten your load with lesson planning for the coming weeks...here are a few items you might LOVE...

For many teachers, two days of planning can be tricky...you don't want to begin novel or a new concept that students will take a longer pause from due to the Thanksgiving break.  I have combined my A Gift of Time: Thanksgiving Middle Grades CCSS Reader's Theater and The Show Must Go On: A Holiday or Any Day CCSS Middle Grades Reader's Theater into a Fun Pack.

If you are looking for engaging Thanksgiving and Holiday focused tools for your classroom, this fun pack is just for you! TWO reader's theaters with reader response questions, word work, journal topics, and a craftivity.

This FUN PACK includes:
-A Gift of Time! Thanksgiving Middle Grades Reader's Theater
This 7 1/2 page, 13-character script focuses on a group of students looking forward to the Holiday Food Strive-the annual school-wide food drive to support the City Food Pantry. The problem is that the students are more focused on bringing in the most items so they can win an ice cream and pizza party, not focus on the act of GIVING.

In addition to the script, this reader's theater Thanksgiving bundle includes:
-word work-as students read they will find 8 words in the text that they will need to determine the meaning of using context clues
-reader response questions to be completed after reading
-two journal topics for students to reflect and write about after completing the script

Also included in this FUN PACK is:
The Show Must Go On...a middle grades reader's theater that your students will love to perform about a group of 6th grade students that are ready to "graduate" from Merna Elementary. During their last day of school before the graduation ceremony they reflect/flashback to a time in the year when they ran into a bit of a problem during the year based on one student's silly actions. The silly actions of this student put the holiday musical performance in jeopardy.

The students work together to come up with a solution so the performance can go on as planned. This high-interest, realistic fiction reader's theater will have your students laughing out loud at the thoughts and actions of the 13-character cast.

The Holiday reader's theater packet includes:
-a 7 page script
-4 reader response questions
-a Snowflake Craftivity your students will love making with just cotton swabs, glue, and glitter

This fun pack will make your students excited for the holidays, but actively engaged in the classroom during this joyful time.

Make holiday writing fun with this essay writing FREEBIE...

 

Enjoy time with your family during these holidays!

Thanksgiving Lessons, a FREEBIE, and a Thanksgiving Reader's Theater: The Gift of Time!

Thanksgiving is always a really exciting time!  The school seems to be buzzing with excitement for various reasons...mainly a 5-day break.  Fall conferences have ended, the second quarter is in full swing, and the winter holidays are also right around the corner.

As much as it is essential to keep everything  "business as usual," it is tricky.  We teachers are just as excited as the students for all of those things.   My plans usually involve the normal structured lessons, but I like to incorporate some other fun learning tools as well.

During this time in November, I like to get my students writing.  With Thanksgiving, it is easy to tackle essay writing-5-paragraph style.  If you are looking for a successful tool for teaching the 5-paragraph essay, grab this FREEBIE...it is 11 pages of the tried and true BING, BANG, BONGO method.  This essay pack will help you take your students from the brainstorm stage to the publishing stage of essay writing.  Your students may even return from college one day to thank you for teaching them this essay strategy!  Simply click the image and download for free!

 Some Thanksgiving essay topic ideas:

1. What are three foods you can't live without on Thanksgiving?
2. What are three foods you would rather poke your eyes out than eat on Thanksgiving?
3. What three things are you most thankful for this year?
4. What three people (famous, dead, etc.) do you wish could join your Thanksgiving table?

The holidays also get people in the mode of giving!  Everywhere you turn, donations are being requested.  For my students this can be a challenge.  Many of the families in my school are just getting by and some require assistance wherever they can find it...food pantries, state services, etc.  Because so many of our school families are struggling to make their own ends meet, it got me thinking.  From that thinking, I wrote the middle grades reader's theater below. 

If you are looking for ideas to incorporate into your lesson plans for the days before Thanksgiving that will get your students thinking about ways they can "give"...check this out!  With word work, reader response questions, and 2-journal topics, your students will be inspired to find ways to give.




Keep me posted on your plans in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.  I would love to hear about anything special you do with your students.

Holiday Essay Writing: The Fun Way FREEBIE

I am getting really excited for the holidays!  The malls are getting ready for Santa, Christmas music has started playing, Christmas lists are getting fuller...I LOVE this time of year! In addition, I know how expensive this time of year can be, so I wanted to give away this holiday essay writing how-to FREEBIE.  If you head over to my TpT store, you can download this for free.

It is a tried and true tool/organizer I have used with my students to help them grasp the organization of a 5-paragraph essay, I have just spiced it up for the holidays with holiday writing topics. 

If you grab it, I would love to hear what you think and how it worked for you and your students.  Feel free to follow and leave a comment/feedback.  Keep me posted and happy writing!

A Holiday or Anyday Middle Grades Reader's Theater: The Show Must Go On

So Deanna Jump has hit her $2 million milestone...can you even imagine?  I am at a loss for words when I think about how in the world she does it all: teaching kindergartners, presenting at all kinds of seminars, and creating enough items to generate $2 million in sales in her Teachers Pay Teachers store.  AMAZING!

Teachers Pay Teachers has an I-Phone app.  It is the most fun thing on the planet because every time you get a sale, your phone goes "CHA-CHING!" I am obsessed with that sweet sound.  I was saying to my husband that Deanna Jump must not be able to use that app because it would be going crazy all day!  Everyday would sound like "Black Friday" in her classroom!  Dare to dream!

While m phone is not going as crazy as I would like it to, my kids love to hear that "CHA-CHING" as well.  In the morning getting ready for school or on our walk to school, it tickles them to hear it go off and they can't wait to find out what "we" sold.

I have created product #22 today...a holiday reader's theater for the middle grades with both reader response questions and a snowflake craftivity that we created with our students last school year.

The reader's theater once again features 6th grade students-I can't help it, I adore teaching this age.  I also feel like I have so many stories to tell after spending so much time with them.  Once again, they find themselves in some hot water due to some questionable behavior in music class when a sub is present for the day jeopardizing the holiday musical.  Your students will love playing the roles of this 13-character cast. 

If you are looking for some fluency and comprehension fun for your students, be sure to check it out.