Tackling BULLIES in School! A Teaching Resource and a FREEBIE!

Your school year has begun, and you have a new crew of students that you are working to learn more about every day!  You have created a seating chart, learned student names, taught those first lessons, and things seem off to a successful start.  Then out of no where, you get wind that things aren't as copacetic as you thought, your students are having issues and bullying behavior is under way.  What do you do?

I have found the first days of school to be magical, but quickly learn that negative peer interactions and strained friendships can derail a school day for my students before they have even gotten started in the classroom.  So I have armed myself with a few tools that I can utilize on the fly.

I have found that many of the novels I LOVE to share with my students incorporate bullying, which inspired this teaching resource. I want my students to 1) recognize bullying behavior, and 2) have tools to respond. These CHIT CHAT cards will encourage both of those goals.

While you don't have to read these novels, I have found various scenarios of bullying from popular novels and shared these scenes in order to generate discussion with my students through these CHIT CHAT CARDS. I want them to be able to identify bullying behavior and determine how they would respond if they were a witness or observer. Students will simply: read the scene shared on the card, discuss the scenario, and respond based on the focus questions on the chit chat cards.  You can utilize these with partners, small groups, or for whole class discussion.  You will have nothing to grade, but everything to gain in the positive peer relations you will help develop in your classroom environment.

 As a language arts teacher, bullying is a topic that also inspires strong feelings in writing.  Capitalize on that with these FREEBIE journal prompts.  

If you are looking for novels that incorporate bullying into the plot, check these out...

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Crash by Jerry Spinelli 

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

We can't change that bullying exists, but we can do everything in our power to help our students see the impact and work to change a bullying culture in a positive way.

Best of luck this school year!

Daily 5: Tried and True Resources for Grades 4-6

Have you read this book?  

I can promise that it will transform the way you teach in your ELA classroom. The premise of this must-read resource is "students select from five authentic reading and writing choices, working independently toward personalized goals, while the teacher meets individual needs through whole-group and small-group instruction, as well as one-on-one conferring."
The Daily 5 choices include:

Read to Self is a time where my students focus on their own independent reading of a text and incorporates novel units, close reading passages and poetry.  While we utilize novel units, close reads, and poetry for whole group instruction as well, students need to be able to read independently and engage with text that is at their reading level for age-appropriate periods of time. I have created as many novel units as I can create in order to engage my students in their Read to Self time.

Read to Someone is a favorite time of my students because they have the chance to interact with a text and a peer.  They can share ideas, insights, and discuss the text they are working to navigate through.  I LOVE walking around the classroom during Read to Someone and listening to the thoughtful commentary taking place between my kiddos.  I will have students partner read novels and other close reads. 

Listen to Reading is essential for my 6th graders.  I utilize reader's theater scripts, picture books that I share, and novel read alouds for Listen to Reading.  While many of my students are on-grade level readers, hearing fluent reading and listening to text being read aloud enhances their listening comprehension and imagery skills.  I LOVE when we are getting ready to switch classes and my students are bummed and wanting me to "just read one more page!"

Word Work incorporates both spelling and vocabulary in my classroom setting.  Word Work begins our class with morning or bell ringer work and is a focus in various texts we read.  Students need continued work with vocabulary-using context clues, identifying synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, and roots  in order to tackle more difficult texts and comprehend what they are reading.  For Word Work I target instruction with Word of the Day, Context Clue Task Cards, and BOGGLE.

Writing is always taking place within my 6th grade classroom.  There is always a piece in progress, a response getting evidence gathered, or a prompt being considered.  It is necessary for students to be able to respond to text, respond to prompts, and share their ideas and insights on paper.  I utilize end of book projects, writing units, and journaling in order to cover all of the elements of writing my students must grasp before moving on to the next grade. 

I am certain that you are incorporating each of these components into your daily ELA work with students...the tricky aspect is allowing students to have the opportunity to choose what they want to work on during a given amount of time, which is a Daily 5 concept to promote independence and choices. This aspect continues to be a work in progress for me, as well.  That is my work for this summer-strategizing the best way to help my students work to become more independent with their Daily 5 choices where I feel as though they are working and not wasting the time that is given...I, like my students, am a work in progress...

 

While I am still working to implement all of the components using the choice method with my students, what I have nailed down and want to share are the resources I have created to coincide with my work with the Daily 5 in my classroom.  I want to make sure students are getting all 5-components and are finding success through their growth as readers, writers, and listeners.  You can click on the cover image and grab the preview...

Within this 20-resource bundle, I have included each of the tools and how I utilize them with my 6th grade students to enhance their work with the Daily 5.  Take a peek at how I have organized this Daily 5 Bundle of Resources for Grades 4-6...

  

  

I would love to hear how you help your students make the best choices while working to instill choice and independence through your classroom Daily 5...Keep me posted and share any insights you have below!  I am all ears!

Educents, a Giveaway, and A FREEBIE!

I am SUPER excited to be participating in the NEW Educents Marketplace, an AMAZING on-line spot to find even more FREEBIES, deals, and the most perfect tools for your students.  While this used to be a spot for parents and educators to find deals, the deals would expire and could no longer be purchased, but starting today, that isn't happening anymore.  Educents has always helped me save money on educational resources, but now their deals don’t have an expiration date!  In addition, you will find teacher-created resources, at the lowest prices available.  

Click the image below to grab MY Essay Writing Freebie from my Educents store, and check out some of my other tried and true, student-tested ELA resources that will motivate your students and make your life a whole lot easier from now until the end of the school year!  I can't wait to hear what you think!  If you want to be the first to know about new resources I add to my Educents store, click the heart in order to FOLLOW ME.

Are you looking to differentiate novel work with your students over the coming weeks?! I also have this Novel Unit BUNDLE deal taking place right now!  10-Print and Go Novel Units with ANSWER KEYS to simplify your life as the school year winds down. 

Educents Marketplace $50 in Edubucks Giveaway #9 - 5th & 6th Grade Stores

An InLinkz Link-up

A Spring Break Personal Narrative Writing Resource FREEBIE!

Are you headed on a fun spring break adventure?  We are not, we have a trip to Disney World planned for May, so we will be staycationers over the next week.  I am hoping all three kiddos are healthy and we can take some mini-adventures around Cincinnati.

As an upper elementary to middle school teacher in an urban setting I find that my students don’t tend to travel anywhere for spring break, but they always have a bazillion stories to share about how they spent their days off from school.  Instead of asking them all to share about their break, which I want to hear about, but can’t take such an exorbitant amount of time when we need to get back into a routine, I created this Spring Break Tales: A Personal Journal.  You can make this resource as elaborate or as minimal as you see fit.  This can be utilized as a full-blow narrative writing resource with the brainstorm, writing prompt, writing organizer, and rubrics, or you can utilize it as a morning work resource for students to complete upon their return.  Check it out, I promise your students will have a lot of fun reflecting.

Click the image below to snag this FREEBIE...

Safe travels if you are heading off on your own fun adventure!

Thematic Thursday Linky...Friendship Themes in Upper Elementary Novels and a FREEBIE

I am linked up with my friend, Carla from Comprehension Connection this week for the Thematic Thursday Linky on FRIENDSHIP!  I love the following quote...

Such truth about those friendships that are so essential in our lives, right?!

As an upper elementary teacher, mom, wife, sister, daughter, coach, troop leader, and friend, I find that friendship is a focus of so much of my day.  If you teach 6th grade, you might spend a great deal of your planning time, lunch time, and after school working out friendship issues.  This might take place between girls or boys, problems arise no matter the gender.  Some days I feel more like a counselor than a teacher of a content area, but working out issues comes with our territory.  If this sounds like you, be sure to grab the FREEBIE below!

I try to be proactive with the texts that I select and share with students in order to give them examples of true friendships.  Here are a list of books that are ideal for upper elementary that I love to share with my students because the theme of friendship is so apparent...

Crash is about a boy named John Coogan, AKA Crash who struggles as a bully for the majority of the novel.  Crash struggles to recognize the selfless acts of Penn Webb, until his family is dealing with his grandfather's health scare. He then realizes he has been wrong all along about Penn and that he has always shown how to be a true friend.  It is a hilarious and heart-warming novel that will have your students reflecting on their own friendships with others. Grab the novel unit here... Crash Novel Unit

The Lottery Rose is a book about a lost soul, Georgie Burgess. He is a little boy that is abused and has never learned to read because no one has ever taken enough of a liking to him in order to get beyond his tough exterior.  Finally, he is shown kindness by others and he begins to thrive even when he tries to push them away.  Your students will be cheering for Georgie and the strides he makes once he is given- a new place to live, food to eat, books in his hands, and the kindness he has always deserved.  Get your tissues ready! Grab the novel unit here... The Lottery Rose Novel Unit

Wringer is one of my all-time favorites.  Palmer LaRue is a boy that is dreading turning ten because that is the age he must become a wringer-a boy that wrings the necks of birds that are shot and downed at the annual Family Fest.  He wants desperately to fit in with others, but it is an unlikely friendship with a pigeon and Dorothy Gruzik that get Palmer through his peer pressure struggles.  Your students will definitely rethink those friendships that are most important after reading this text.  Grab the novel unit here... Wringer Novel Unit

Be sure to check out each of these AMAZING novels with FRIENDSHIP themes to engage your upper elementary readers!  Finally, here is a FREEBIE! I find that I am always dealing with friendship issues in my 6th grade classroom.  Friendships among students can be tricky at this age and I am always in search of ways to help my students navigate their friendships as optimistically as possible.  Click the image to grab this resource and keep me posted on how you utilize it in your classroom.

I would love to hear about any texts you LOVE that focus on the friendship theme in your upper elementary classroom!  My students can use all of the tools I can get!  Happy February!

Jumpstart January Blog Hop and $50 Target Gift Card Giveaway

My Lesson Delicatessen friends and I wanted to make sure that you were set and ready to get back in action with your students, so we are giving you the Jumpstart January Blog Hop and GIVEAWAY.  Follow through each of our 10 posts for an AMAZING FREEBIE, personal blog giveaway, and at our final stop, enter to win our $50 Target gift card giveaway and find the links to all of our $1 deals! 

My January always seems like a bit of a blur...the students come back from the break tired, but excited, and I need to get them right back into the swing of things because we have a TON to accomplish!  In order to meet their needs to share, along with my needs as a persistent teacher, we begin with writing.

Jumpstart your January with Me...in 2015!  This self-relection writing resource will engage your students and encourage them to get right back into the swing of things.
 
When my students return from the winter break inspiring them can be very overwhelming tricky.  They have been out of the school routine for just long enough to need redirection and motivation.
In addition the school year is almost half over, and I want to engage my students and get them thinking about what they are hopeful to accomplish in this New Year, but remaining time of the current school year.  I often refer to my students at this point in time as 6 ½ graders!  So I created this Me…in 2015! resource.

Directions...
This writing resource is a tool I print out for each student, hole-punch, and help them navigate through to complete.  It is a tool that we then place in our writing binders as a reflection of what we hope to accomplish. Grab it here and check out the other great uses...

Here are a few more perfect ELA resources to Jumpstart January in your classroom for only $1...

 

  

Enter my giveaway and then check out another amazing FREEBIE from my Lesson Deli friend, Karen, and the other grab and go resources from my other teacher friends.  Best wishes for 2015!

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