My first Google Doc! (It's a freebie!)

I recently got a help request from a fellow blogger that I couldn't answer.  I have never used google docs except to download pages from other people.  So I played around a bit today and want to share the fruit of my labor - for FREE!!!

On the first day of school, I have the kids complete this scavenger hunt.  It's a nice brain/body break in the middle of the morning for the kids.  And, after talking all morning, I need a break, too.  This is the first time I get to see who follows directions, how they relate to each other, and their personalities in a less formal setting.  While they are completing the activity, I am on the lookout for positive behavior like quiet feet and voices, and respectful and kind words.  When nearly everyone is done, I call them back and acknowledge the good behavior with stickers for their stickers charts.  I have been doing this so long, I have no idea whose idea it was originally; if it was yours, please comment so I can give you credit!

Click the picture to download from Google Docs.   

The Daily 5. Yay or Nay?

So I just finished reading and rereading The Daily 5.  I have mixed feelings about implementing it in my classroom.  In bullet points, here's what I see as strengths and weaknesses (for me).   **Warning!  This post is a bit 'stream of consciousness' (i.e. - rambling) as I sort out my thoughts.

Strengths:

• I love that the students are taught to be independent and the responsibility for success is put in their hands.  This is something I always strive to do - sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
• It's a proven plan.  I know many teachers who use it and love it.  None of them are near my school.
• The book is set up to be foolproof.  The sisters guide you through nearly every aspect of every lesson for the first 5 weeks of school!  I feel like if you follow their steps, you will succeed!
• Oh, to not have to create and manage centers anymore!

Weaknesses:

• I'm not sure how to fit it into my day - and still teach everything else I have to teach (math, ss, science, religion, specialty classes, etc.)
• My room is S.M.A.L.L., y'all!  I have no idea how to add a gathering space, anchor charts, an easel for creating anchor charts, listening centers, etc.
• We have a new P this year.  No one else in my school does The Daily 5.  Will the new P be ok with me doing something completely different than everyone else? (Not that we teach reading the same way now...)

Well.  How about that?  Writing out these pros and cons has solidified my decision.  I can see now that my 'weaknesses' were just excuses.  I am going to do it!  I have a meeting next week with the new P.  I'll clear it with her, and then I'm going to figure the rest out!  I don't really think I have time to do a true Daily 5; probably I'll do a Daily 3 like the sisters suggest at the end of the book.   It's been a long time since I changed up my plans so drastically, and it makes me a bit nervous, but I know it's what's best for my students - so bring it on!

Meanwhile I found this ridiculously cute owl themed set of D5 posters for free!  Nancy at Joy of Kindergarten offers these on Scribd.  Plus she's from Ohio - just like me!

Click the picture to go to Nancy's blog and grab your set, too.

I Win ~ You Win {Freebies!}

I won a contest!  As many of you know, Michelle @ Making it as a Middle School Teacher just hosted her big birthday bash, and I was one of the winners!   But that's not the best part - there's more! 

So here's how it went down:

• Michelle gave my email to Tracee Orman who had agreed to gift one of her Hunger Games lessons. 
• Tracee emailed me and offered to swap that out if I wanted. (Since I teach 5th grade in a conservative Catholic (redundant?) school, AND I ♥love♥ her clipart, I was more than thrilled by her generous offer.)
• I emailed Tracee back, and said I would love any clip art she chose to send me.
• Tracee emailed me TONS of clip art - AND, as if all that weren't enough (it totally was), a copy of one of her best sellers Creative Activities & Project Ideas to use with ANY Novel, Story, or Unit!  OMGenius - this thing is chock full of great ideas and templates!  She was over-the-top GENEROUS!! 

People ~ You must go visit Tracee's store and check out her stuff!!  And if you do teach older students, you MUST check out her HGs lessons - she's a rock star! 




 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

To spread the bloggy love, I've created two new writing aides for my students and can't wait to share them with you as FREEBIES! 

The first was inspired by Emily at I Love My Classroom.  Don't worry, I asked permission first!  I plan to print these on sticky paper and stick them in the students writing folders.  The file prints two to a page, so they'll fit on the pockets very nicely.

I know it's fuzzy, but I promise the real one is crystal clear.

The second thing I want to share I came up with while I was writing the Rainbow Editing page.  Spelling is always a challenge for my students.  And I liked Emily's idea for using spell check, but I don't want my students to rely on it.  So I created the following anchor chart.  Again I will print these two to a page on sticky paper and add them to the writing folders.

Click either picture to download from my TpT store.

BTW - I love to print to sticky paper rather than glue stick things down.  Glue-sticked (love making up my own words!) papers never stay all year; the corners curl up and get gross.  Sticky paper works better for me and is totally worth the investment!

And, since I made these, I'm  thrilled to be linking up with Tara for the first time ever!

 

Let me know if you download these and what you think!

Clown

 

Clown

illustrated by Quentin Blake

September 1998

This weekend I had a garage sale, and my sister sent a ton of my nieces' forgotten toys and books to sell.  After selling almost all of their old dolls, stuffed animals and most of the books she sent, I was ready to close it up and send everything else to the Goodwill.  That's when I found this gem in the leftover book pile!  I'm soooo stinkin' glad it didn't sell because I {LOVE} it!

Clown is a delightful wordless story about a toy clown who is thrown away with a bunch of other toys.  Determined to save himself and his friends, the clown travels through a city looking for a child willing to help him rescue the other toys.  Despite a series of mishaps,  he and the discarded toys find love with a new family.  Illustrated by Quentin Blake, my students will instantly recognize the artist from his illustrations of Roald Dahl books (always a *huge* favorite in 5th grade!).

Ever since I saw a post using wordless picture books as reading centers, I have been on the hunt for great wordless books.  (Sorry ~ I can't find the post and have deleted the download from the post that led to my fascination!  If you know it, let me know.)  

Anyway... the creative soul from whom I  'borrowed' this idea wrote three writing prompts for each book and differentiated them by color coding them for below level, on level, and above level.  I loved them so much, I made a set of my own for the books I found at my local library.

As soon as I found this book hiding in the stack in my garage, I knew I had to create a set of prompts for Clown, too.  Click the preview to get the preview set for free at my TPT store:

Or click here to get the full version with activity cards for seven wordless books, including my new favorite, Clown.

Buy it at Barnes & Noble