4-Square Writing for March

I've been on medical leave for three months and I'm FINALLY able to get back to school next week!  I was thinking how important it is for my firsties to really improve their beginning writing skills, so I put together a March 4-Square Writing Organizer and Papers packet.  

4-squares are a quick and easy way for your students to plan out a basic paragraph. I love using these simple writing organizers with my first and second grade classes! They provide needed scaffolding for beginning writers. You can use these as a whole class, during Writer’s Workshop, or your students can choose to use them during “Work on Writing” time. This is what I'm going to use on Wednesday for "Read Across America Day!"

As with each topic in the pack, there is a color cover for making a class book, 4 differentiated 4-Square Organizers, and 5 different coordinated writing papers for their paragraphs.

Each writing topic is differentiated so that all levels of writers are supported.  I included some pages without a topic, so you can use your own ideas, too.  Here are the topics included in the pack.

You can pick up a 10 PAGE FREEBIE by downloading the preview file at Teachers Pay Teachers.  It is the Rainy Day Fun writing papers.  I hope you like it!  Enjoy!

Reading Comprehension Lessons Made Easy!

I want to thank you for finding my blog again after my long blogging-hiatus!  I'm going to try to get back on track with my posts! :)

I wanted to share a wonderful website that has so many free things to share with teachers! ReadWorks.org gives teachers the tools to improve the reading comprehension achievement of their students.

ReadWorks provides research-based units and lessons to educators--for free! The curriculum is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and the standards of all 50 states. You just type in where you live and all of their lessons are sorted by your location's standards! 

You can click on a comprehension strategy that you need ideas for and grade-specific lessons are listed for you to choose from. 

I love that they all are literature based lessons using classic books that you probably already have in your personal or school library! 

They have step-by-step lessons, included what your shared reading session will look like, plus reproducibles for your students. They aren’t cute, but we don’t always have time for cute, right?!? 

The other feature I love is that you can click on a list of lots of other books that lend themselves to teaching the comprehension strategies and skills. Plus it gives Lexile Levels &/or Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Levels!

I hope you'll find this site as helpful as I did!  What are some of your favorite mentor texts for teaching comprehension strategies?

Happy Teaching!

Corinna

Writing Informational Text with 1st & 2nd Graders

Reading and writing Informational Texts are an important part of the Common Core Standards.  To make these Informational Text Features more meaningful for my students, I created an Informational Text Features book that each child researches and writes.  My “I Can Write All About Science” is my favorite writing project that I do with my students each year.  I have done this project for many years with first and second graders.  This project is so versatile that you will be able to use it for any topic you’d like!  In the past, my classes have made books on sharks, whales, fish, and penguins, but any topic that interests your young scientists will work!   You can include some or all of the pages, picking and choosing which text features are appropriate for your students.

We start by learning about a text feature each day and I have the kids search through informational texts to find examples.  I read aloud about penguins (or whichever topic we were learning about) and the students use the new information for their writing project.  Depending on the needs of your students, you may need to spend 1—3 days per text feature.  This past year, my class had to go slower due to so many students being pulled out for Speech, LD, ESOL, and RTI.  Kids who finish early have the option to make additional pages with illustrations and captions.

 I put the definition on the document projector so that kids can copy it into their own books.  My students who are pulled out a lot during the day get a copy of the definition and they just cut them out and paste them into their books to save time.

When we finish the books, I have the kids make Eric Carle style painted papers to make the animal for the cover.  Before putting them on the covers, we use them in the hallway for a big bulletin board display.  Be sure to have the kids make some penguins small enough to fit on their cover, in addition to larger ones that they can take home.

Click the title page above or HERE to check it out at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

What are your favorite writing activities for kids in the first or second grade?  I'd love to hear some new ideas!
Happy Teaching!

Corinna

A Snow Day in Oregon!

We finally get to enjoy a snow day in Forest Grove, Oregon!  Yay!  Our kids haven't had snow like this in a long time!  So, that means I have time to make more freebies and products for Teachers Pay Teachers!  Have you already "Liked" Teaching Fabulous Firsties (& Second Grade Smarties!) on Facebook?  If so, you can pick up an exclusive six page reproducible math pack that has addition with regrouping practice!  You can make copies or use them in centers using  C-Line's 9x7 Reusable Dry Erase Pockets from MyBinding.com (see an earlier post about these by clicking HERE).   So hop on over to Facebook and "Like" my page so you can get extra freebies!  If you like what you see, it would be great if you wanted to share or pin about TFF! 

What are you working on in math right now?  Maybe I'll whip up some more freebies with your ideas!

Time for watching it snow and some cocoa!  Enjoy your weekend!

Corinna

Happy New Year and a Freebie, Too!

Happy New Year, Everybody! I have a new freebie for you to celebrate selling 1,000 products in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! It is a 4-Square writing activity called, “So Sweet!”
I think it is good to have kids reflect on the nice things that people do for us and to be thankful for them. It is also a good opportunity to share how we’ve made someone’s day better (“bucket-filling!). I included different versions that you can choose from. Two are about something sweet the kids have done for someone else. Two others are about something sweet others have done for them. I also included a blank version for you to use with your own prompt. There are versions with transition words and without. I included symbols reminding students to indent and to write a feeling statement/wrap-up sentence on some sheets. A variety of versions of handwriting-lined papers are included for the final copy.  Here are a few of the pages!

CLICK ON THE COVER TO GET  YOUR FREEBIE!

I really enjoy using 4-Square writing organizers with my students! The organizers provide extra support for my reluctant writers. This is a quick and easy way for my students to plan and write a paragraph. On the first day, the kids fill out the 4-Square. The next day, students check each sentence for capitals and punctuation, tracing over the first letter of the sentence with a green colored pencil and tracing the ending punctuation with a red colored pencil. Later, we use our "spell checkers" (high-frequency word lists) to fix basic spelling errors. The kids work with a buddy to reread the writing for any revisions before writing the paragraph on the handwriting paper. My kids are always excited to share their writing in class.
I hope you enjoy this freebie! If you like what you see, please Like/Pin/Share! Thanks! Have a great week!
Corinna

Cyber Monday Sale! Woo hoo!

It has been ages since I last blogged. I had to take a self imposed blogging break because there was just too much "life "going on.  I had to take a mental health break to save my sanity (or what was left of it).  Can anyone relate?  :-)   So after doing a lot of nothing for Thanksgiving vacation, I'm back!

I had an iPad funded through Donors Choose!  So, I am having fun trying new things on it. I am even writing this blog post for the first time on the iPad.  Woo hoo!  This microphone gadget is a hoot!  I like dictating my words, but I think typing is more my speed.

Have you been getting ready for Teachers Pay Teachers' big sale?  I'm afraid I have been doing a LOT of shopping and getting my cart ready for checkout tomorrow.  All of my items will be 20% off!  Be sure to use the promo code: CYBER to get up to 28% off!

December is so busy and it often is hard to keep my kids involved in rigorous learning!  So, I created a Common Core-Aligned Winter Math and ELA print and go pack that has a fun winter theme.  I love to have the kids do math centers, but sometimes you just need something fast and fun that you can whip out in a minute, right?  Click on the picture to check it out on TpT!  Be sure to download the preview, as it has a couple of freebies included!

Earlier this year, I added "Jumping in with Number and Base Ten Second Grade Mega Pack." It has really helped my kids with the tricky Common Core State Standards!

If you are looking for some more winter activities, check these out!

“Winter Math and Literacy Activities: Quick and Easy Reproducibles & Centers”

“Snowy Sight Word Bingo & Blizzard Game”

“Pauly Polar Bear’s Common Core Commutative Property of Addition”

If you would like to see some Christmas-themed activities, here you go! 

“Santa’s Christmas Math and Literacy Centers”    

“Christmas Sight Word Bingo & Naughty and Nice Games”

    Happy Shopping and have a great December!

Corinna

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Hey, Teacher Friends!

I have not been able to keep up on school, blogging, TpT, and family!  So to make up for my extended absence, I'm putting my latest product on TpT as a Flash Freebie for my followers!  Hopping to 1,000 practices  number writing to 1,000, plus pages for evens and odds, and multiples of 2's, 5's, and 10's.

So, how are you all able to manage (or try to manage) your personal life and teaching (&/or blogging and creating for TpT)?  Have a great weekend!

Corinna

Anchor Charts & Focus Walls--plus a FREEBIE!

Sorry, Friends!  I had to take a break from blogging due to technology issues, then because of curriculum meetings, then because my house needed a MAJOR organization/cleaning frenzy!  I’m back with a freebie because you put up with my sporadic blogging!

 

Did you get a chance to see my new Second Grade CCSS Beginning and End of Year Math Assessments?  The First Grade Common Core Math version is the TOP seller at my TpT store and now that I'm looping up to 2nd grade, I thought it would be good to do this new product.  Check out the preview HERE or click on the picture.

I knew it would be bad not to have Internet service, but after 3+ weeks of only having random minutes of service, I was seriously technology starved!  But, we now have Fios, so I have my fast Internet back!  I had to (*whimper*) bravely delete all of the Bloglovin and TpT notifications that came in my email because I knew service would only happen after trying ten times to get on, then get bumped off after 30 seconds! So, I’ve missed all of my bloggy friends’ great new products and posts.  So, in the meantime, I worked on my new second grade common core statements for math.  Our district is crazy for  wants to see all of the standards on the board that we’re teaching—there’s almost no room for any anchor charts or other teaching related visuals, so I made small anchor charts.  Since I’m doing a beach/ocean theme this year, I made them with cute beach-themed graphics.  They are on standard-sized paper for your bulletin boards.  Here are a few of the pages.

I also made one with half-sheets of paper-sized posters you can use in a pocket chart to save space.  They can go with any classroom décor and aren’t theme-specific.  Here's another peek at some of the pages.

I had a jungle theme last year and I really liked having my zebra themed focus wall.  This year, my Daily 5 signs will be the same Zany Zebra from Scrappin’ Doodles, but he’s at the beach!  Here is a copy for you if you have a jungle &/or beach theme…or if you just like them.  Click on the pictures below to grab your freebie!  If you download them, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!  Thanks! 

 

 I only have 3 more days until our official back to school day.  YIKES! Did I mention that I haven't been in to work on my classroom yet and I'm probably the only one?!?  Then, the kids arrive on September 3^rd.  How about you?  Have you already been back to work?  Are you with kids yet?

Happy Thursday!

♥Corinna