ELA An Easier Way

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Spring Into Reading. Hook Them for the Summer.

and
Hook Them for
Reading this Summer!

Post spring break to the final day of the school year can be a long haul. Adding some educational fun and relaxation can shorten the haul, give you a breather, and give your students exposure to different types of books and reading. Incorporate story time in to the remaining days of school. Who doesn't like to sit back, close their eyes, and listen to a story?

Below are suggested grade level books with main topic/theme in parentheses. I've included both book series (get them hooked and wanting to read) and favorites. These are merely suggestions, nothing carved in stone. Please use the comment section at the end of the blog to let us know your favorite series and/or book/s to read to your class.

Kindergarten Level Books

(dog in the family) (adventure) (friendship) (adventure)

(other cultures) (mystery) (humor) (fantasy)

1st Grade
SERIES - Get 'em hooked!

(making friends) (independence) (play on words) (comic book lovers)

FAVORITES

(realism) (realism) (liking school) (historical fiction)


2nd Grade
SERIES - Get 'em hooked!

(detective) (trouble and laughter) (enormous dog)    (mysteries)

FAVORITES

(humor) (classic) (realism) (rebels)

3rd Grade
SERIES - Get 'em hooked!

(mischief) (humor) (realism) (pioneer life)

FAVORITES

(making friends) (realism) (fantasy) (humor, words)



4th Grade
SERIES -  Get 'em hooked!

(imagination) (mischief) (humor, vocabulary) (science fiction)

FAVORITES

(adventure) (siblings) (classic) (numbers)

5th Grade
SERIES - Get 'em hooked!

(fantasy) (nature, time alone) (want to be detectives) (want to be royalty)

FAVORITES

(adventure) (historical fiction) (historical fiction) (fantasy)

GIVE THEM

A REASON

TO READ

💙 Share the Love 💙

Use the comment section below to

SHARE YOUR FAVORITE STORIES
TO READ TO YOUR STUDENTS

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Lasting Words

A year ago my mom passed away and I've been thinking about her, my childhood, my kids relationship with her, and such. Most of the memories have one thing in common.

WORDS.

Spoken Words: Mom was always there with the right words, not necessarily the words you wanted to hear, but the words you needed to hear. She'd call both my kids on their birthday, at the exact time they were born, one at 7:04pm and the other at 4:07 am (sometimes she'd wait a couple hours with this call!). Mom often corrected grammar, in a non condescending way that you'd remember the next time. Her legacy continues to do the same.

Written Words: Letters to us while in college, a message on a birthday cake, or an email with a creative rationale why she missed St. Nick's day were well received. Mom was also well known as The Grammar Police, evidenced by pointed letters to the editor of a newspaper or magazine correcting grammar or a postponed college tuition payment until grammar was corrected on the notice were not uncommon.

Read Words: I remember her reading to all five of us each evening. I specifically remember listening to Brighty and the Grand Canyon and Gulliver's Travels, along with so many others. Grandchildren and great grandchildren would almost storm my parents home when they visited looking for the book, Big Dog, Little Dog. Each Christmas everyone received a book. The homes of my siblings, children, nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews are FILLED with books of every sort.

Remembered Words:
"I'd rather you not get along for the childhood years but be friends for the rest of your years." "Try." "You don't give yourself enough credit." "What exactly did your brother say to you to convince you to stay in college? "This is a hands in the pocket store."
(Translation -Don't touch anything).

Playing with Words: The favored games in my family were Boggle and Scrabble. The pinnacle of a young grandchild’s life was when they were able to finally beat grandma in Scrabble or Boggle. To this day, score sheets are still in the possession of the winner. Each household has their own copy of both games and are expected to be played during a visit. Puns and plays on words were also a constant in our lives.

Think about your words and your legacy.

You are writing them everyday.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Just One More Thing...

Just one more thing...

These words can inflict terror in our already too busy days.

Having a stressful and emotional past year coupled with the inability to remain idle left me looking for something relaxing to past the time and remain sane.

I bought a couple sets of markers and some coloring books and dove into my version of
Art Therapy.

You can do it on a plane, you can do it in a train.

You can do it at home, you can do it alone.

You can do it together, you can do it forever.

It will help you relax and and you'll develop a knack.

My Art Gallery was the back of my laundry room door, but has expanded to the garage door, as well.

To get you started on relaxation, I've included some links for FREE coloring pages. A few of the links require an email address, others do not.

Smithsonian Coloring Pages

coloringbliss

thecoloringbook

Do this one more thing.

Do it for yourself.

Do it for your family.

Do it for your students.

But mostly,

Do it for yourself!

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Sunday, February 4, 2018

Stuck in a Winter Rut?

Animated PowerPoint presentations are an excellent way to capture student interest and attention, as well as increase comprehension. Here are a few of my favorites.

FORMING PLURAL NOUNS - Get It Here PAST TENSE - Get It Here

SENTENCE TYPES - Get It Here SUMMER SLIDE - Get It Here

IDIOMS Get It Here

Not ready to take the plunge of a new resource? Now you can try before you buy with a few short samples of the full product.

STRETCH A SENTENCE BUNDLE - Get It Here

STRETCH A SENTENCE WINTER - Get It Here

SENTENCE TYPE FREEBIE - Get It Here

STRETCH A SENTENCE FREEBIE - Get It Here

PAST TENSE PUPS FREEBIE - Get It Here

STRETCH A SENTENCE WINTER FREEBIE - Get It Here

Photos and Images and Pictures, Oh My! Such a simple idea, yet we often forget to introduce a new story, book, or topic of study; we just jump in. Presenting relevant images will get the students involved in their own learning and help them develop better language skills, comprehension, and higher level thinking skills.

USING PHOTOS FREEBIE - Get It Here

USING PHOTOS TO TEACH - Get It Here

At times, every teacher feels like they are drowning; too much to do and not enough time to do it all. Featured are a few of my favorite resources to support you, the teacher. Reading and Writing Cueing System Prompts have both teacher and parent reminders of how and when to assist a reader. Sentence Frame Teacher Task Cards and Student Table Tents are hands-on reminders of how to prompt a reader or writer when they are stuck on how to respond. A great resource for parents during open house or parent-teacher conferences, Supporting Your Learner is packed with helpful tips and tricks for parents. Finally, when you do get some down time, You CAN Create in PowerPoint is a simple, step-by-step introduction to using PowerPoint to create your own lessons.