Creating Non Fiction Books During Summer School

On Monday, I asked my summer school kiddos what they knew about non fiction books.

"They're make believe."
"No, no, I think they're real"
"Mrs. H?!?!"

I reached for a book about cheetahs. I asked them to turn to a partner and discuss why an author would write this book. I was relieved they found a partner quickly! Progress.

What was supposed to be a short mini lesson on non fiction text features turned into a week-long exploration of cheetahs, research skills, and creating non fiction books.

I know some people beat up on KWL charts, but sometimes tried and true is the way to go. They're not the be all, end all of graphic organizers but when used with intention and purpose, they can be incredibly beneficial to students.. We made our chart Monday with questions and added a bit to it each time we read from the book.

This morning, I passed out a blank book to each student and asked them to create a book about cheetahs. I had planned for about 30 minutes before I would hear, "I'm done!"

They worked on their books for an hour and half. When I finally asked them to stop, I became the least popular person in the room.

I was floored by how impressive their books were! They had tables of contents, headings, glossaries, labeled pictures and facts about cheetahs.

On their way out, I was asked which animal we would be researching next week. I figured one more week of guiding them through research and then they can select an animal to discover. The students are really into creating their own books. I hope we can keep the momentum going for the next to weeks as summer school winds down. It's pretty remarkable how much you can get done with just 12 students in your class!  What do you enjoy about summer school?

Until next time!

Second Grade, SIOP, & Summer School

My last post was in November. That says something. I'll leave it to you to figure out what :).

The First Grade Flair is going to second grade! I'm excited but so nervous. I've taught kindergarten and first grade. Second grade is going to be a new adventure! I will miss my amazing first grade team but I'm staying in the first grade hallway. What a perk! I have the same butterflies I had my first day teaching. Some friendly faces will help!

SIOP, SIOP, SIOP! You've heard the joke right? "SIOP is like an onion, it has many layers and makes you cry." Sorry, I channel that inner dork sometimes. I recently went through SIOP training for the millionth time and this time I learned something! We watched videos of lessons and rated them. It's definitely turned me onto the power of peer observations. What do you think stops some teachers from visitng each other's classrooms?

My SIOP goals for next year (I will have 30 ESL students in my class):

• More randomizing and rotating 
• Trying higher order activities (Jig-Saw, Gallery Walk, 4, 3, 2, 1, reader's theater)
• Increasing time on task (I feel like I worry so much about the schedule...)
• Promoting cooperative learning skills 
• Exit Tickets 
• Informal assessments (thumbs up, thumbs to the side, white boards, student writing)

That brings me to summer school. I have 2nd graders entering 3rd grade. They are as sweet as pie! We have a terrific instructional coach who works with us once a week for 2 hours. We are implementing "The Core Six."

It's a great and easy read (I get nothing for saying this). We have talked about "Reading for Meaning" and "Compare and Contrast." Reading for meaning  promotes a closer reading of the text and using text evidence to support your statements. We have had a blast using it with the "Little Red Hen!"

An example:

The students were able to go back to the text and find evidence for supporting or disagreeing with the statement. We also did a few other activities from my Little Red Hen Activity Set.

I have a few more reading activities planned for next week from my "Reading for Meaning Unit." I will post pictures next week! In the mean time, take a peek at the unit!