Grateful Gabbers

A crazy week is shaping up in many ways!  Most importantly, the approach of Sandy is getting the attention of all of us on the East Coast.  Our schools are all closing and families her hunkering down for the time being.  Before sharing my freebie today, I want to wish everyone in this massive storm's path well.   Please stay safe.

Aside from crazy weather, we also have Halloween this week and, as difficult as it is to believe, November is here!  For this week's freebie, I'm building on a freebie I offered earlier in October.  I wrote a post titled Terrifying Twosomes, in which I included a Halloween-themed freebie and explained how I like to create pairs for spontaneous cooperative learning opportunities during class.  In my post, I also described my rationale and process for making the student pairs. I had really great feedback on this post and want to offer a Thanksgiving-themed chart that can be used for new pairs in the upcoming month.

Here is November's Grateful Gabbers!

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Click {here} for your copy of this freebie.

Make copies on cardstock, if possible, to make them more sturdy.

3-hole punch them along the top so that they can stay in the front of each student's binder for quick referencing. :)

Once again, here's how to use this in your class:

• Have students write their names on the back of their own paper.  This way, if it's lost, they have a chance to get it back.
• Explain to your class that they are going to have the chance to pick some friends to work with for different activities during class.  For some students, it will be as though you just told them they hit the lottery, so wait for the buzz to die down.  Then explain that when they are finished filling out the cards together (They can't go ahead because there are specific directions.), everyone will have 4 different people to work with as partners at any given time.
• It is very important to remind them about being respectful of the feelings of others, and that no one should feel left out when writing down names.  These are for quick tasks that last only a few minutes at a time, so it may be nice to have 1 or 2 people that you don't know as well on their cards, too.  It's a great way to make new friends! 
• Tell students that they are going to pick 4 different people to work with this month.  Explain that when you call out a picture ("turkey," for example), students have 2 minutes to find a friend.  They must exchange papers, write their own name on the line next to the picture that you call ("turkey"), hand the paper back to it's owner and return to their own seat.  Once they are finished, they need to sit down so that people who are having a hard time finding a partner can see who else is still looking.
• If you have an odd number of students, you can pair the student with an adult in the room OR create a group of 3.
• Once everyone is sitting, call a couple of students to make sure they have each other's name in the same spot. (Student A and Student B are partners.  Student A should have Student B's name on the turkey line.  Student B should have Student A's name on the turkey line.  If you were to call "turkey" now, Student A and Student B would know to quickly find each other, follow your directions and then go back to their seats to continue with the lesson.)
• The 1st time through can be a little tricky if students aren't listening.  I have found that if I wait to call an object until the last second, once I've given directions and everyone is silent and waiting to hear which picture they will be working with, it's much easier.
• Once you've completed the 1st picture, fill out the other 3 in the same way.  Stress that they should have different people on each line. 

Now, when you want students to have a brain break, move around, and share with a peer, all you have to do is tell them to find their "turkey" and they will be able to work with someone they've already chosen ahead of time.  Then, when you assign groups for a different kind of task and you hear complaints that they are not picking who they work with, you can remind them that they work with people they choose all of the time!

I hope this is a useful and fun resource for you and your students!  If you happen to be someone who downloaded October's Terrible Twosomes, please consider sharing how it worked for you in the comments below.  Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Bundle - ELA Resources for Next Week

Here's a great opportunity to grab all of my Halloween resources at one time for one low price. These activities are sure to provide opportunities to practice and develop important ELA skills while giving your students an opportunity to have some fun at the same time! 

This bundle includes:

 -Halloween Bookmarks

 -Halloween Cinquain (Poetry Activity) ($1.25)

 -Trick or Treat ELA Vocabulary Game ($2.00) 

 -"The Cremation of Sam McGee" ($3.00) 

_______________________________________ 

 ALL for just $4.50 for a limited time!

Just click {HERE} to find this great deal.  Please feel free to look at any individual product as it's listed in my store and check out its preview. I hope you will see what a great value this bundle is. Happy Halloween!

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!

Making Monday Better...New Peer Editing Freebie!

There is all kinds of research out there about the use of peer editing to improve the quality of student writing. There are even more opinions about the ideal way to manage peer editing.  After trying several, I have found that my students are most successful when the editing step of the writing process in broken into two stages: peer editing for content followed by self editing for conventions.  I have several tools that help with both stages in our writing workshop, and today I am sharing one of them with you as a fantastic FREEBIE!

Here is my Peer Editing Sheet:

It's a simple, one page, three question guide to peer editing.  Once I have two students who are ready to work with someone in editing and revising - for content only - I give each writer a copy of this form.  They each write their own name and date on the top, then they switch papers.  They again write their own name on the line for "Peer Editor's Name" and then talk for a moment about the titles/topics of their respective pieces.  To make sure they are listening to each other, have them write the title/topic of their partner's piece in the space provided and double check with each other to make sure they are correct.

The next step is your call.  Students can either read their own pieces out loud to their partners while their partners listen OR they can exchange papers and read their partners' paper independently.  I like to have have my students read their papers out loud to their partner so that they can start to hear their own writing voice and catch any simple mistakes they may have made right out of the gate.  It's also a good practice for listening skills for their partners.  I then allow them to let their peer editor see the paper as he/she answers the three questions. 

The questions ask for the peer editor to share three things he/she likes (Warm fuzzies make questions and suggestions easier to hear.), two things he/she has questions about (Focusing on areas where more details are needed or the audience/purpose is unclear is helpful.) and one suggestion that, in the opinion of the peer editor, would improve the piece.  Students usually only need a few minutes to reflect on what they just heard or read to answer the questions.  It's important that the author is quiet during this time so that the peer editor can do his/her job.  Once the form is filled out, the students can discuss and then switch roles.

Once both papers have been peer edited, the peer edit sheet goes back to it's owner and the writers now return to writing workshop, where they consider all that was discussed and make the revisions that they choose.  From here, self editing is the next step...a freebie for another day! :)

I hope this freebie and explanation of how I've used it in my own Writing Workshops are helpful!  Please consider sharing how you manage peer editing in your own classrooms in the comments below.

Trick or Treat

New Halloween themed product :

When looking at the ELA Common Core State Standards, regardless of the specific grade level, it is easy to see that the ability for students to understand some key words and concepts that are the foundation of the expectations of the CCSS would be extremely helpful.  I have pulled 28 terms from the standards that are common across 5^th through 8^th grade and created a study sheet that can be given to each child.  It is foldable so that children can quiz themselves by hiding the term or the definition  - just like flashcards, but on 1 piece of paper, rather than 28 separate cards for them to lose. (I Middle School!)

Next, I have created a review game called TRICK OR TREAT.  The setup and game play are both very simple, but the element of surprise makes this game one your students will want to play again and again!

Click {HERE} to visit my online store and get a closer look at this fun way to review the vocabulary that is necessary for our students to be successful with the Common Core.

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.)

My 1st Post on Common Core Classrooms

I'm so excited to say that I am now the newest contributing author to an amazing blog called Common Core Classrooms!  This blog is a place where teachers can go to find tons of great resources, ideas and tools that will assist with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in our classrooms.  Although many of the posts are geared toward specific grade levels, in reading the ideas that the contributing authors have, it's easy to see how to adapt resources for your own instructional needs.

My first post is regarding the importance of providing support to parents, especially those of children who have been in school and may seem to have begun struggling. Although many students are taking the challenges of the CCSS in stride, there are also students who are losing confidence as standards and assessments have become more challenging.   It is the parents of these older students caught in the middle of this transition in education that will need the most support.  As their children come home, frustrated or confused, it is they who need to know how to comfort them, how to guide them in advocating for themselves to get help at school, and how to support their growth and learning at home.  So...now we have the question, "How can we, as teachers, help?"

Click {HERE} for some suggestions and additional resources that you can take a look at to help with informing parents about the Common Core and providing necessary support.

While there, take time to look around Common Core Classrooms - you'll be glad you did! :)

Terrifying Twosomes

We've all heard that collective sigh of disappointment when our students are told they will be working in groups, and no, they won't be choosing their partners.  In middle school, being assigned to a group for an activity - even for just part of a class period - is akin to being in an arranged marriage.  The level of anxiety over who will be working with whom, if not manged effectively, can easily become the focus of the lesson and all good intentions behind the thought provoking, standards-linked instruction that you meticulously planned can be lost in the blink of an eye.

We know, as teachers, that there are reasons for creating the groups that we do. We know that it's extremely important for our students to understand that part of growing up is learning that you don't have to best friends with the people you work with, but you do need to learn to be respectful of the people with whom you work.  This is a life skill that must be learned if our kiddos are to graduate "college and career ready."  We may put students together based on skill levels, learning styles or in an effort to modify behaviors. We obviously need to make these decisions in the best interests of our students, yet - as is often true in middle school - it's remarkably easier if our students feel they have some ownership in decisions that are made...and rightfully so.

I have found that if my students have an opportunity to choose a friend to work with every once in a while, especially when taking part in quick, "Think-Pair-Share" types of activities, they are much more agreeable when assigned to partners at other times. That being said, I also know that if I were to just tell my 7th graders to get up and find a friend to share ideas with for a minute, that minute would turn into ten for just finding someone, not to mention performing the actual task at hand.  I simply don't have that much time to take away from instruction.  So...I have created a way for students to pre-select a few friends that they would like to work with at any given time, and that arrangement lasts for a month.  For October, my students work in Terrifying Twosomes of their choice.  Here's how it works:

• Right in the beginning of class at the start of the month, students are given a paper that has four spots for names.  October's looks like this:

Click {here} for your copy of this freebie.

Make copies on cardstock, if possible, to make them more sturdy.

3-hole punch them along the top so that they can stay in the front of each student's binder for quick referencing. :)

• Have students write their names on the back of their own paper.  This way, if it's lost, they have a chance to get it back.
• Explain to your class that they are going to have the chance to pick some friends to work with for different activities during class.  For some students, it will be as though you just told them they hit the lottery, so wait for the buzz to die down.  Then explain that when they are finished filling out the cards together (They can't go ahead because there are specific directions.), everyone will have 4 different people to work with as partners at any given time.
• It is very important to remind them about being respectful of the feelings of others, and that no one should feel left out when writing down names.  These are for quick tasks that last only a few minutes at a time, so it may be nice to have 1 or 2 people that you don't know as well on their cards, too.  It's a great way to make new friends! 
• Tell students that they are going to pick 4 different people to work with this month.  Explain that when you call out a picture ("ghost," for example), students have 2 minutes to find a friend.  They must exchange papers, write their own name on the line next to the picture that you call ("ghost"), hand the paper back to it's owner and return to their own seat.  Once they are finished, they need to sit down so that people who are having a hard time finding a partner can see who else is still looking.
• If you have an odd number of students, you can pair the student with an adult in the room OR create a group of 3.
• Once everyone is sitting, call a couple of students to make sure they have each other's name in the same spot. (Student A and Student B are partners.  Student A should have Student B's name on the ghost line.  Student B should have Student A's name on the ghost line.  If you were to call "ghost" now, Student A and Student B would know to quickly find each other, follow your directions and then go back to their seats to continue with the lesson.)
• The 1st time through can be a little tricky if students aren't listening.  I have found that if I wait to call an object until the last second, once I've given directions and everyone is silent and waiting to hear which picture they will be working with, it's much easier.
• Once you've completed the 1st picture, fill out the other 3 in the same way.  Stress that they should have different people on each line. 

Now, when you want students to have a brain break, move around, and share with a peer, all you have to do is tell them to find their "ghosts" and they will be able to work with someone they've already chosen ahead of time.  Then, when you assign groups for a different kind of task and you hear complaints that they are not picking who they work with, you can remind them that they work with people they choose all of the time!

This post is linked to Classroom Freebies.  Be sure to also click below to find more great resources!

Thanks for stopping by!