Text-Mapping

Oh. My. Word. Do you ever come across an idea that you know you are going to LOVE? Well, that happened to me. And that idea is text-mapping.

I follow a blog called Teaching My Friends because of the text-mapping pin I found on Pinterest (see the blog post here). I love to read this teacher's blog because she has so many wonderful ideas! As soon as I saw the text-mapping idea, I knew I had to steal it.

For the last two days, I've been teaching the students how to text-map in small groups. We used a two-page article from a current Scholastic News Magazine issue. The plan was to teach them how to do it in small groups because next week, they will be mapping a 6-page text to review our economics unit!

Here are some pictures, then I'll explain.

All you need to do is copy the text you want the students to use. It could be any nonfiction text, but it's a double bonus if it's content the students NEED to learn. We are currently discussing the upcoming 2012 Presidential Election, and this series of issues is talking about topics the presidential candidates will be debating. The kids are interested in it, and it's relevant. Like I said, the next time, we'll do it on a social studies lesson.

This one was two pages; I just gave them both copies and had them tape them together so you can see the whole article there at once. If you do more pages, tape all of them side-by-side like a scroll so they can see the entire lesson laid out.

I chose to use markers instead of highlighters because there are more color options. I went step-by-step through the article, asking students to locate these items:
*Title
*Heading
*Illustrations
*Captions
*Timeline
*Glossary (it was really a "Words to Know" box, but we discussed how it acted as a glossary)
*Bold words
*Concluding sentences
*Topic sentences

As the students found each thing, instead of "highlighting" it, they drew a box around it. The students talked together about why each thing was correct or incorrect. They did a lot of discussing and helped each other when needed (see the first photo above).

It was really nice to search for topic sentences because we also discussed supporting details. It was a wonderful review lesson.

The students made a key at the top of the page as they were working. Afterward, the finished text-maps were mounted on large sheets of construction paper. They are posted all over the room! They are beautiful!

The students really enjoyed this activity, and they learned much more from the article than if they had simply read it. Students DID have to read the article in order to find topic sentences and supporting details.

Here are some more up-close pictures of the text-maps:

I am glad I taught this in small groups to introduce the activity. I think it will help them when they do the BIG project next week. They will work on this with partners. There was a lot of excitement in the air this week!

If you are wondering what others did while I had the kids in small group text-mapping, here are some photos of that!

These students are reviewing the 19 amendments we've learned this year. They had to ask 3 questions for each amendment: 1) What does it mean in your own words? 2) Why is it important? 3) How would life be different if we didn't have it?

These students are creating a timeline for the ratification of the 19 amendments we studied this year (can you tell we're reviewing amendments?!)

These students just finished a Study Island quiz on the amendments, and they are now playing an amendment sleuthing game

These students are blogging about books they are reading

These students are watching several Brain Pop videos about voting and presidential elections, making bubble maps as they watch, discussing and adding to their bubble maps, then taking the quiz after the video "for fun"

We've been doing this for two days, and the kiddos LOVED it! A TON of learning occurred, and the kids didn't feel like it was regular ol' school work. I even really enjoyed it! BONUS! Let me know if you have text-mapped or if you are interested in it, then try it and let me know how it goes!

A Literary Take on Pi Day

When I first started teaching, I celebrated Pi Day. The mathematical definition of Pi is generally known as 3.14, and March 14th is 3/14. I taught third grade for my first two years as a teacher, and I taught math. Therefore, our March 14th celebration revolved around circles and their circumference! I'd ask the students to bring in pies, and we'd measure their diameter, find the radius, and compute the circumference and area of the pie. Then, of course, we'd eat the pies! Too much fun!

For the last three years, I have not been a math teacher. I moved to 5th grade and became a reading/social studies teacher. I haven't really done Pi Day since teaching 5th grade because putting Pi into a literary context seemed a little bit of a stretch. But I have missed doing it because I'm a sucker for puns, and any holiday that revolves around one just sets my heart aflutter. (I do love saying, "Pi, Pie? Get it?!")

Well, I had a revelation a week or so ago. I was looking over some resources I'd purchased, and found these great author's purpose task cards and posters (purchase the cards here and the posters here; then see my blog post about how much I love these activities here).

As I was looking over these resources to help the kids review and get ready for the big (pardon my French) TEST, I noticed that both of them said PIE - 3 main author purposes are to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain. Then it hit me - I could do a literary version of Pi Day, but make it Author's Purpose PIE Day! Eureka!

So here's how this went down:

• I asked parents to send in pies. I got 14 of them. Holy canoli. That's a lot of pie.
• Students took notes from the posters about author's purpose and discussed the purposes in small groups. (What does it mean in your own words? What are some examples you've read?)
• I set out all 24 task cards and the kids played a version of SCOOT (read about it on the blog post I linked to above)
• I planned an activity for the students to complete at my small group table (totally unrelated - it was text-mapping; I REALLY hope I will find time to post about that tomorrow)
• I let the students play "Roll-A-Pie"

I loved the Roll-A-Pie. This was my version of an activity in the resource with the posters I linked to above. I just used materials I had in the room to play instead of printing out the activity and having students cut and make their own. 

Using dice and small plastic containers with lids I found at the Dollar Tree, I put out some of the little containers, each with one die in it. I then wrote a little set of directions (wish I'd taken a photo) for the kids to use to play. Here's how it worked:

I wrote out 15 different objects on the poster (all of which started with P, just to practice alliteration which we've been working on - I try to combine as many things as possible to kill multiple birds with one stone). The objects were things like pizza, picnics, pencils, ponies, pink, pickles, popcorn, the principal, etc. The students were to choose a topic, then roll the die. If you have a die (or dice) in the container with the lid, they just shake the container, then turn it upside down (so they can see through the clear bottom), and the number they see is what they've rolled. This keeps the die (dice) from rolling all over the classroom and driving you nuts.

If the student rolled a 1 or 2, they had to write a persuasive paragraph about the topic he chose. So, if I chose principal, and I rolled a 2, I had to write a persuasive paragraph to or about the principal. If a student rolled a 3 or a 4, he had to write an informational paragraph about the topic. If a student rolled a 5 or 6, he had to write an entertaining paragraph about the topic. The students could play this as many times as they liked. They all had to do it at least once.

The students played the author's purpose "scoot" game around the table (3 minutes at each card; one responsible student had the timer). We had 5 students at time at my little round table playing Roll-A-Pie. I had six students at the table working on their text-mapping project. Plus, while they were working and having fun, they got to eat pie! See some more of my pictures below. We had such a blast! I hope you can use some of these ideas to do a literary version of Pi Day next year! (You really could do it any ol' day! We just did it to coincide with Pi day for math.)

Dear student, please don't choke on your pie!

All gone!

Some cool cats - doing text mapping!

More coolness and more text mapping

Roll-A-Pie - this kiddo shakes it wicked fast!

More Roll-A-Pie

Essay of the Week

In our fifth grade classes, we implement one of Rafe Esquith's (author of Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire) favorite things - Essay of the Week (or as our kids refer to it, EOTW)!

Every week, students are required to write an essay. The topics vary. Sometimes they are based on the social studies the students are learning or writing techniques. Oftentimes, those are combined. Here are some examples from this year.

• Do you support the bombing of the Lusitania, or do you think it was uncalled for? Support your opinion with evidence. Consider the opposing point of view.
• Compare and contrast the Roaring 20s with the Great Depression. Create a Venn Diagram or Double-Bubble Map to plan your writing.
• Imagine that you show up at school one morning, and there is a sign on the front door saying, "School is closed." Why did the school closed? What is the conflict? What will you do about it? Include descriptions of setting, protagonist and antagonist, three major plot events, and the conflict and solution.

Essays don't always have to be five-paragraphs. Sometimes we provide an outline for the essay so that students have the support they need to have writing success. Sometimes we just let the kids go with it and see what they come up with. We've even had students write poems for essays of the week, especially on a short week or a testing week.

This week, we're wrapping up our study of Modern America. We're covering from about 1985 until today. Here's our EOTW for this week:

Imagine you are YOU, but you live in a time when these things don't exist:

• personal computers (laptop or desktop)
• the Internet
• cell phones
• video games

What will you do on a typical Saturday? Be sure to include good descriptions of character, setting, and plot. Have a clear beginning, middle, and end.

My students are flabbergasted! I overhead one of my students say, "Oh my gosh! That must have been, like, during the 1920s!" *Sigh. I had to go tell him that I grew up without all of those things! My students looked at me like I was an alien.

But you may ask why we have an essay every week. We feel that writing is a lot like riding a bike - the more you practice, the better you'll get. We just had our statewide writing assessment, and the kids felt confident and have done a great job on the practice. I hope that our test scores will confirm our beliefs about writing and essays of the week! I started this last year, and my students did a great job on the writing assessment. 

I think that this will really pay off for them in the long run as well. Another of my students said last week to the rest of the class, "Do you realize that when we finish 5th grade, we'll have written over 40 essays?" The kids were amazed. Then another student replied, "That means we'll be REALLY ready for middle school!" 

So, my students might think I'm an outdated alien life form, but at least they seem to understand whey we have them write so much! And it appears that some of them actually appreciate it - LOVE!

Adventures in TPT

Nerdy, Nerdy, Nerdy has opened a Teachers Pay Teachers store! Have you visited this teacher-heaven-land before? I'm obsessed. I've been a TPT buyer for a while, but we decided to take a leap and create a store. I've put up some of my favorite freebies - Six Hats bookmarks and SCAMPER bookmarks. These are great for critical thinking and are best-practices for gifted learners. I've found that they work great with all learners in my regular-ed classroom.

Well, starting a TPT store, like I said, is a huge leap. We have had to redo some things to give out the best product we can possibly sell, but we are learning. It's scary to put yourself (and your ideas) out there for the world to judge, but we are trying and doing our best! We look forward to growing in this new chapter of our nerdy teaching lives.

But this post isn't really about our store - it's about two amazing stores I shop from all the time! If you teach upper elementary grades or even middle school, you HAVE to check out these two sellers!

The first seller I love is Rachel Lynette. OHMYGOODNESS! I feel like I've bought almost everything in her store! Her task cards are AMAZING! We love to play them in the game she calls "SCOOT." Here's how it's played.

You set a card out at every seat (on average, each purchase has about 24 cards). The students have a designated amount of time to work on the card (the last one we did, students had 3 minutes at each card). Once the timer went off, I shouted "Scoot!" and the students all scooted over one seat to the right. They all got to do all of the cards, and it kept them busy and moving. It was great for a Friday afternoon review of some literacy skills we've been working on. It's also great for students with short attention spans! 

Today, I set some cards out (we used the Figurative Language set) for a poetry rotation. Students had 25 minutes in each station. So, during this 25 minute station (rotation?), each student could choose from any of the cards to complete, but they had to complete at least 5. They loved it! These cards are a great change of pace. I recommend them highly! Here's a link to her store: Rachel Lynette One of my favorite things about her store is that all of her products are so reasonably priced! Most are between $2 and $3.75, and a lot of them are FREE! (Extra love for that!) She also has resources for younger elementary grades if you teach those littler kiddos.

The other seller I love is Ms. Runde from Runde's Room. She has two must-have items, in my opinion - the Literary Elements Resource Binder and the Reading Comprehension Strategy Resource Binder. Oh heavens! I use both of these fantastic resources to plan my small group reading, centers, conversation activities, as well as formative and summative assessments. The posters she includes are also amazing to have handy! You need to download the previews for these IMMEDIATELY. If you love them, they are worth the $9.99 each! These resources will be used again and again in your classroom. I suggest you print these bad boys out and stuff 'em in a binder. Keep them handy, and maybe you should put them in page protectors. I have a feeling these are going to get used A LOT!

Here is the link to her store, and also a link for the Literary Elements binder and the Reading Comprehension binder (so you can download those previews)!

*If you want some of our freebies or to check out the things we have for sale, here's a link to our Nerdy Store. Please remember that we are new at this, so we'll say this: we'd love to have suggestions, but please be kind! :)

Test Confidence Posters

After my corny (punny?) post earlier about a testing confidence poster I made for my writing class, I truly enjoyed spending more time making more! Here are the posters I created for 5 days of testing for my students.

On each day of testing, I'll have the poster projected on my promethean board. Then at each student's seat, I'll have the designated "treat" of the day waiting for them. The students always give a "hardy-har-har" and think the puns are lame, but I think they really love them!

Here are all 5 posters, designed for 5 days of testing for the CRCT:

Testing Confidence Boosters

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm REALLY corny. Hokey, even. I just can't pass up a good pun. Now that testing season is upon us, my first lame test-taking confidence booster is going up on my board first thing in the morning.

Tomorrow morning, my students will be taking the statewide fifth grade writing assessment. It's a two-hour writing session, starting with reading and understanding the prompt, moving through prewriting, a rough draft, revising and editing, and ending up with a beautiful final copy and proofreading.

This test a little nerve-wracking, but my students have been working SO hard this year. All of my fifth-grade team teachers and all of our students have been working incredibly hard in writing. I know they are going to do a great job! 

When my students walk in the classroom in the morning, they are going to have a golden napkin at their seats (to symbolize getting the GOLD prize) with two vanilla cream cookies. They will also be greeted by this sign on the promethean board:

It's so lame. But that's why I love it! Now I'm going to get started working on some other posters for our CRCT. Are any of you out there as cheesy as I am?!

Because I care, the 'Care Monster' appears every March

I feel like at about the same time every year I turn into the 'Care Monster'.

The state test is coming up faster than I like, spring fever (in both teacher & student) is happening faster than I like, and my patience is running out faster than I like.

I am not going to say that I never raise my voice

- I DO! (kidding) It just seems that March is the month I find myself saying, "If I didn't care, I wouldn't be yelling." It is my passion that is expressed in my 30 second rants about getting busy, listening, doing homework, and being active in learning.

I have decided to call March the month of the 'Care Monster'. The monster is not yelling all day at everyone. The monster is not handing out huge assignments or unrealistic punishments. The monster just knows what a little bit from those that struggle could and would to improve their performance.

As I reflect on this and try to breath through not allowing the 'Care Monster' to take control, I think how bad is it really? Is it okay for my students to know that I care about them and to be passionate about learning? Is a glimpse of irrationality something that will harm them or impact them in a positive way? (Maybe I will use Edmodo to survey my students next week - get their thoughts. Nerdy, Nerdy, Nerdy - I know it!)

I would not be upset to have any of my parents, administrators, or peers observe the 'Care Monster' in action. I am sure in fact, that some of them probably have.

What does your 'Care Monster' do?