Independent Reading Bookmark - FREEBIE

FREEBIE ALERT! :)

Today I am adding my Independent Reading Bookmark to my collection of free resources for you to print and use.

This is a great tool for students to use to practice their "during reading" skills that we know improve comprehension - and they have one place to put their thoughts that stays with the book...so they can use it anywhere they are reading.  The bookmark includes space for:

• Information about the book and author
• Specific information pertaining to fiction and nonfiction reading.  The first focuses on genre and the elements of fiction.  The next section provides space for information about a nonfiction text.
• Once folded, the inside of the bookmark provides space for questions and predictions the student may have while reading and a space to answer or validate their thoughts with details from the reading.  There is also space for new vocabulary.

Click on the image above to get a closer look. You will also find that there is a page that gives direction for how to copy and fold the bookmark as well.  I hope this is a useful resources for you and your students.

  

Halloween Freebie

This past weekend really put me in the Halloween spirit!  We went to our first costume party of the season and everyone - kiddos and parents alike - had a great time!  I was so inspired by the "spooktacular" event that I  decided to create a freebie that you might be able to use as treats for your students next Wednesday.

With or without an edible treat added by you, these BOOKMARKS will hopefully encourage your readers to "scare up" a good book!  With 4 different designs, just click the image or the link in the line above, copy (probably on cardstock, if possible, would be best) and cut apart to use these as a gift or prize on Halloween day.

Thanks for stopping by Middle School Matters Blog!

Jigsaw Puzzle Book Project

October is not only the start of what really feels like fall in the northeast, but it is also the season of Open Houses, parent conferences and midterm reports.  Knowing this, I love to have a creative project for my students in the works.  The Jigsaw Puzzle Book Project is a great example of a reading project that is not only aligned with the Common Core and a fantastic review of the elements of story that combines reading and writing, but it's a creative way for students to share what they are reading that can be displayed for both peers and parents.

As the Common Core requires, for this project students are expected to show they can:

• identify the specific elements of a story and analyze how they interact.
• determine the theme or central idea of a story.
• provide an objective summary of a story.

 

This 9-page packet includes step-by-step directions for students to create an 8 piece puzzle - the front of which is a visual representation of the book that the student chose to read.  Once the puzzle is cut apart, the back of each piece has a specific writing task that addresses each element of the story - plot, character, setting, theme, conflict/resolution - as well as summaries and recommendations.

Students have a self- assessment rubric that corresponds with the rubric that is used by the teacher for grading.

The packet also includes planning pages for each of the writing tasks.

The finished project can then be shared with the class.  I have had students present to the whole class in the past, but last year I set my room up as a book fair and it was so much more fun!  Over a 2 day period, half of each of my 7th grade sections displayed their books and puzzles for the other students to see.  Much like a science fair, they talked about the book they read, showed their puzzle and answered questions.  Then the next day the students switched roles - again with half of the class presenting and the other half viewing the displays.  Left set up, the puzzles can be a great display for Open House or to share at parent conference days.

This just may be the creative alternative that you've been looking for to supplement the assessments that are being given to monitor reading comprehension.  If you would like to see more of this project and download a preview, please click {HERE} to visit this product page at my teacher store.  While there, feel free to look around at some other products that may be helpful as well - including FREEBIES! (My Work Order for students is a great freebie to accompany this project!  It will help your students budget their time for long-term assignments.  Featured in this month's The Cornerstone for Teachers Best Teacher's Freebies collection, this simple form can help your students begin to develop a very important life skill.)

Reading for Information - Common Core

I've just completed my next part of the Common Core project I'm working on! Yay! :)

(Click the image above to go to my TPT store.)

RI.7 - Reading for Information at the 7th Grade level has now been broken down into student-friendly "I can..." statements. In addition, I've defined key terms for each standard in the strand AND included a Reading Response for Nonfiction printable for each standard (except RI.7.10).

Please consider clicking on the image above to go to my store and have a better look.  I hope that this pack is a helpful tool to use for planning and checking for your students' understanding. Writing and Language Strands are on their way, as well as similar packs for 8th grade.  Check back soon! :)

Common Core, Here We Come!

As an educator in New York State, I've been very aware of the The New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards, which were adopted by the New York State Board of Regents in January 2011 for both ELA & Literacy and for Mathematics. The overall implementation of them, however, is new this year to many in our state.  When thought of in its entirety, a daunting task to be sure.  Yet, with a little help in breaking these standards down into manageable chunks, the overall goal for every state that is implementing Common Core - that of ensuring our students are graduating from K-12 schools college and career ready - seems much more attainable. 

It is with this in mind that I have begun tearing down the Common Core Learning Standards for ELA.  My first project is working with the 7th grade standards, as I am most familiar with those.  The first "bundle" I have completed in this project is the Reading Standards for Literature Strand.  

In this bundle you will find each of the Reading Standards for Literature for 7^th grade (RL.7.1 - RL.7.11).  I have taken each standard and created “I can…” statements in simpler, student-friendly language.  You will also find that next to each standard, taking into consideration the “I can…” statements, I have included definitions of terms that your students may need to help them truly understand what is expected.  Once our students know what they need to do, reaching the standards will be much easier! J

 Standards - "I can..." - Definitions of Key Words

The next part of this bundle is a collection of graphic organizers that I have made to help students negotiate meaning from literature and make connections following the learning standards of the Common Core.  I call these Stop, Think and Share Sheets, as I often use these to facilitate classroom discussion and, of course, as a means of formative assessment while I'm monitoring who's "getting it." While your students are working on stopping and filling them out...thinking on paper BEFORE they share, you can easily monitor and intervene with one-on-one attention when necessary.  You’ll know for certain who may need some extra help, and your students will feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts with others.  You will find that there is one graphic organizer for each standard, save RL.7.8 and RL.7.10, for which graphic organizers are not useful.  At the top of each graphic organizer students will find the standard, an “I can…” statement and any necessary definitions that will help them understand the task at hand.

Examples of Graphic Organizers 

I am also including a copy of my Daily Plan Template.  This tool is a freebee also found in my first post here and in my store, but I feel that the tips I include with the template may be helpful with incorporating the standards into you teaching, so I am attaching my template to this bundle as well.

I hope that you find all of these resources to helpful tools as you start your school year.  I am planning to make similar bundles for each strand of the Common Core for ELA at both the 7th and 8th grade levels.  Be sure to click here for an even better look if you are interested in the first of many Common Core resources I have planned.  Let me know what you think below.  Feel free to suggest other ideas as well.  If I know what other teachers are looking for, I can more easily create resources that will fit your needs for your classrooms.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller