I have switched my blog over to a new website - Team J's Classroom Fun. Be sure to head over there for new posts, ideas, and more!
NEW Blog Site
Hey everyone!
I have switched my blog over to a new website - Team J's Classroom Fun. Be sure to head over there for new posts, ideas, and more!
I have switched my blog over to a new website - Team J's Classroom Fun. Be sure to head over there for new posts, ideas, and more!
Five Fun Valentine's Day Books
I love reading different books around the different holidays. Here are my Five Fun books to read with your class for Valentine's Day.
Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff - You can never go wrong with a book by Laura Numeroff....
Love Monster by Rachel Bright - Super cute story with many craft options on Pinterest.
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Collandro - I love the Old Lady series and love how they have them for different holidays!
A Crankenstein Valentine by Samantha Berger - My class loved the original Crankenstein and they now also have a cute valentine book too!
Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat - a cute Valentine's Day book that also can remind students about the importance of being kind.
What are your favorite Valentine's Day books to use with your class? Comment below...
Literacy Stations - Teacher Time
Today as I bring my Literacy Stations blog series to a close I'm going to share some ideas for what you can do with small groups while the rest of your kiddos are at Literacy Stations. The nice thing about Literacy Stations is all of your students will be busy with their partners or small groups working on their Literacy Stations, which will leave you free to pull small groups. Yes, this will take time to get to this point and it won't happen Day #1 (see Classroom Management blog post), but you will get there.
Thank you for checking out my Literacy Station Blog Series.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Here are some ideas and things to check out to use with your small groups....
Florida Center for Reading Research:
FCRR has many great activities that you can use in your small literacy groups. They cover all of the Big 5 areas - Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension and span multiple grade levels, which is great for differentiation. I highly recommend you check them out.
Readworks:
I absolutely love Readworks. Teacher accounts are free and there are tons of reading comprehension passages and questions on there. They have them broken down into different skills and reading levels. Perfect to use with students who need comprehension practice.
Book Studies:
I love using book studies during small groups. I pick or have the kids pick chapter books and then they do a book club with their group and myself. Great way to practice independent reading, working with a group, comprehension and writing skills. I have many book studies in my TPT Store including: Jake Drake Series, Ivy and Bean (Books 1-3), Nate the Great Goes Undercover, Nate the Great and the Lost List, Cam Jansen The Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones, Flat Stanley Framed in France, I Survived, The Great Chicago Fire, Surprises According to Humphrey, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and more coming in the future. You can find them in my TPT store...here...
Grammar Fix Its:
Another skill I work on with students during small groups is grammar. I have Grammar Fix Its in my store that cover: capitals, end marks, commas, apostrophes, verb tense, quotation marks, and high frequency spelling. These are quick practice cards that can be worked on in a small group or a station. You can find them in my TPT store...here....
Other Activities for Lit Groups in my TPT Store:
Synonyms and Antonyms Sort - Great practice sorting word pairs.
Short and Long Vowel Tree Maps - Great phonics practice with short and long
Pick a Word - Spelling Changes with Plural Nouns - practice identifying the correct plural noun.
Thank you for checking out my Literacy Station Blog Series.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Literacy Stations - Other Stations Ideas
Today I'm going to be sharing some ideas for other Literacy Stations I have used in the past. Most of these I've used when I taught first grade and they could also work for Kindergarten. Some of them can also be adapted to work for 2nd grade and up.
Boggle Station: I used this station in first grade and second grade and it was a lot of fun! Great opportunities to practice word building. I did make my own Boggle Chart with foam board and cardstock, but there are many paper options available too.
Here are the I Can options for Boggle Station:
Handwriting Station: Another great station for Kindergarten and 1st Grade. Handwriting is a skill we were constantly reviewing so having it as a station for review was perfect.
For this station, I made sure we had our alphabet with proper letter form available on a page so they could see how the letters were supposed to look. The Letter Wipe-Off boards were handwriting practice pages that I laminated. Students could trace with a white board marker and then erase when finished. I had a list of class names at this station so kids could practice writing their friend's names. The poems and sentences listed below often fit our story or phonics skill for the week so they were able to work on 2 skills at once.
I Can Options for Handwriting Station:
Thank you for reading my post about Other Station Ideas. Check back Sunday for the last installment of the Literacy Station Series. On Sunday I'll be sharing what I do with small groups while my kids are at Literacy Stations.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Here are the I Can options for Boggle Station:
- I can find words on the Boggle Board.
- I can record my words on my recording sheet.
ABC Station: This station would work very well for Kindergarten and 1st Grade. I had ABC puzzles at this station and alphabet books too.
Here are a few I Can options for ABC Station:
- I can make a letter booklet.
- I can put sight word puzzles together.
- I can put ABC puzzles together.
- I can practice flashcards.
- I can read ABC books.
- I can create my own ABC Book.
Handwriting Station: Another great station for Kindergarten and 1st Grade. Handwriting is a skill we were constantly reviewing so having it as a station for review was perfect.
For this station, I made sure we had our alphabet with proper letter form available on a page so they could see how the letters were supposed to look. The Letter Wipe-Off boards were handwriting practice pages that I laminated. Students could trace with a white board marker and then erase when finished. I had a list of class names at this station so kids could practice writing their friend's names. The poems and sentences listed below often fit our story or phonics skill for the week so they were able to work on 2 skills at once.
I Can Options for Handwriting Station:
- I can write my letters on paper with a pencil.
- I can write my letters on a white board.
- I can practice letter on the wipe-off boards.
- I can write the class names on a paper or a white board.
- I can write the poems or sentences in my best handwriting.
Write the Room Station: I don't have pictures of this station, but I loved using it in 1st grade because it got the kids up and moving.
Write the Room Station Ideas:
- I can search for words that have a certain letter in it.
- I can search for nouns around the room.
- I can search for short vowels, long vowels around the room.
- I can fill out the around the room response sheet and write sentences with the words I found.
Listening Station: Another great station for Kinder-2nd grade. At listening station, you could use cassette tapes or books on CD if you have access to a CD player with multiple headphone option. I've also had iPods in a classroom before and iPads and loaded books on CD onto them for the kids to listen to.
Listening Station I Can Options:
- I can listen to my story.
- I can talk with my partner about the story when we're done.
- I can complete my reading response (draw a picture of my favorite part, write about my favorite part give my opinion of the book, story map, cause/effect, etc).
Making Words Station: Another great station for Kinder - 2nd. I have the Making Words book and have used many of the letters and word options from there. You could cut up some letters or have some letter tiles available at this station and see how many words the kids can make. The nice thing about this is you can fit the letters you pick to fit the spelling or phonics skill of the week.
Making Words Station Ideas:
- I can take my letters out of the envelope.
- I can move the letters around to make words.
- I can record the words I find on my recording sheet.
- I can use those words found to create my own sentences or story.
Poetry Station: Poetry station would work with any age group because you can differentiate the poetry material you provide.
Poetry Station I Can Ideas:
- I can read the poems (poetry books at the station or binder of poems).
- I can write my own poem.
- I can illustrate a poem
- I can compare and contrast two poems.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Literacy Stations - Spelling Station Ideas
Today I'm going to share some ideas for Spelling Station. This could be used for most grade levels with any list of spelling words.
Spelling Station has always been one of my favorite stations. In second grade, I have my students complete their work in a spiral notebook that it for Literacy Station activities. Students could complete these activities on a blank page of paper or on a white board, too. I've also used many of these activities in first grade. For this station, I do print our list of spelling words each week and put them in a sheet protector. Students take the spelling list, task cards, and their notebook and get to work!
Here are some I Can options for Spelling Station:
Thank you for reading my post about Spelling Station. Check back Thursday for information on Other Station Ideas that you could use in your classroom including: Boggle Station, Making Words Station, ABC Station, and more.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Here are some I Can options for Spelling Station:
- I can decorate my spelling words. (students are able to use markers and crayons and write their spelling words with block letters, bubble letters, designs, etc.)
- I can practice my spelling words on a white board.
- I can write my words using magnets. (This was a popular one in 1st grade)
- I can use my words in a sentence or a story.
- I can put my words in ABC order.
- I can stamp my spelling words. (Another popular option in 1st grade).
- I can write my words three times.
Thank you for reading my post about Spelling Station. Check back Thursday for information on Other Station Ideas that you could use in your classroom including: Boggle Station, Making Words Station, ABC Station, and more.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Literacy Stations - Informational Station Ideas
Today I'm going to share some ideas for an Informational or Nonfiction Station.
Thank you for reading my post about Informational Text Station. Check back Tuesday for information on my Spelling Station.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
These ideas I have created or compiled from research, Pinterest, blogs, etc.
Here are the I Can options for Informational Text Station:
- I can read a nonfiction book.
- I can look for text features in the book and fill out the text feature page (tons of options on TPT and Pinterest with different text feature pages).
- I can write a report about a topic I read about.
- I can write a newspaper article about a topic I read about.
- I can write interview questions to interview someone about a topic I read about.
- I can write 4 facts or more that I learned from the book.
If you are interested in a quick Info Text Facts Printable - check out my FREEBIE in my TPT Store...here...
Thank you for reading my post about Informational Text Station. Check back Tuesday for information on my Spelling Station.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Literacy Stations - Writing Station Ideas
Today I'm going to share my ideas for Writing Station. I have used Writing Station in my first and second grade classrooms. I have also seen this station used in Kindergarten and older grades.
Thank you for reading my post about Writing Station. Check back Sunday for information on my Non-Fiction/Informational Station.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Writing Station will typically be a station with lots of materials. If possible, it's great to have it at a set desk or table so all of the materials can be accessed and it's easy to get to. Currently I do not have a dedicated table or desk. I house my materials in Sterilite drawers on a bookshelf. Students come over and get out what they need. I also have a caddy that has markers, crayons, etc that they can take to their seats to use.
Here are materials that I include at my Writing Station:
Markers, crayons, stickers, blank paper, stationary/fancy paper, note cards, envelopes, postcards, letter writing paper, list paper, and comic strip paper.
This picture is from my old 1st grade classroom. I had a designated table area for Writing Station. You can see the drawers and items available for the kids to use.
Here is a table set-up in one of my second grade classrooms...
Here are the I Can ideas for Writing Station:
- I can write a story.
- I can write a letter or a card to a friend.
- I can make a list.
- I can write an opinion using the opinion prompts.
- I can write to answer other writing prompt cards.
One of my favorite writing prompt task cards that I use at Writing Station are my Opinion Writing Prompt Cards. Students are able to write their opinion and provide the reasons for multiple prompts.
My kids also love the Would You Rather Opinion Writing Prompt Cards. Here they get to choose which they'd rather do and then give reasons why.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Literacy Stations - Vocabulary Station Ideas
Today I'm sharing some ideas of what I include in my Vocabulary Station. I have had a Vocabulary Station in my 2nd grade classroom, but haven't used one in earlier grades yet. These ideas would be great for 2nd-4th grade students.
When I have used Vocabulary Station, I often use it with our reading vocabulary words. Each week we have a different story and each story has it's own set of 8-10 vocabulary words. I have these words posted in the classroom and we go over them throughout the week. At Vocabulary Station, students may complete the I Can activities using those words. You could also have students use these activities with vocabulary words from math, science, social studies, etc.
Here are the I Can options for Vocabulary Station:
- I can create and play a memory game (Matching Game) with my words and definitions.
- I can write a story using my vocabulary words.
- I can find synonyms and antonyms for the vocabulary words.
- I can create a crossword puzzle using vocabulary words and definitions.
- I can create a vocabulary flip book.
Memory/Matching Game - Here is the I Can card for this activity...
Vocabulary Flip Book...
On the front of the flip book/flap book, students pick 4 vocabulary words to use and write one on each flap.
On the inside, under each flap, students use the word in a sentence. You could also have students write the definition.
On the back, students draw a picture to represent each word.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Literacy Stations - Reading Response Station Ideas
Today I'm going to share the tasks that are included in my Reading Response Station. I did not use Reading Response Station in first grade, however it's worked really well in 2nd grade and up. I think younger kids could use it, the tasks would just need to be differentiated.
For Reading Response Station, students write their responses in a spiral notebook. They can write about a book they are currently reading or a past book. I've found these ideas online over the years and compiled them into one list. So, I cannot take credit for the ideas - just know they are a compilation of research online for reading response ideas.
Here are the I can options:
Thanks for reading all about my ideas for Reading Response Station. Check back Tuesday to see what I include in my Vocabulary Station.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Here are the I can options:
- I can write a diary entry from the perspective of one of the character's in my book.
- I can write a letter to the author telling them what I like and didn't like in their book.
- I can write a newspaper article about an event in the book.
- I can write a new ending to a book that I have read.
- I can write interview questions to interview a character in my book.
- I can write my opinion of my book or one of the characters.
Thanks for reading all about my ideas for Reading Response Station. Check back Tuesday to see what I include in my Vocabulary Station.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
Literacy Stations - Fluency Station Ideas
Today I'm sharing some ideas for Fluency Station with you. Fluency Station is one of my favorite stations and the kids enjoy it too. It gives them lots of practice with all of the fluency skills - speed, accuracy, expression, etc.
Thanks for reading all about my ideas for Fluency Station. Check back Sunday to see what I include in my Reading Response Station.
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up
For a Fluency Station, I highly recommend checking out the Florida Center for Reading Research. They have tons of great activities that can go in a station that are perfect for hitting all of the reading areas including fluency. They are also broken down by grade levels and make it very easy to differentiate. Some of the activities in my Fluency Station are from FCRR.
Here are the I Can options for Fluency Station:
- I can read a book out loud to myself using the whisper phone.
- I can practice the phrase cards (from FCRR).
- I can practice the build-a-story cards (from FCRR).
- I can read the reading expression cards (pictured below).
- I can read the jump rope rhyme cards (pictured below).
My task cards for this station have photos of the activities and items to add a visual to the card.
Here's one example...
Whisper phones are a must have for Fluency Station. I got mine from Lakeshore Learning. I'm sure other teacher stores sell them and I have also seen some people make them out of PVC pipes.
The jump rope rhyme cards are fun for students to practice at fluency station. They are often familiar rhymes or songs that they have heard, which gives them a chance to focus on speed and expression. I just took some jump rope rhymes and nursey rhymes - typed them up - and printed them on cardstock. Students can read the card to their partner or read it out loud to themselves using the whisper phone.
The Reading Expression Cards are great for students to practice different characters and trying out different types of expression when reading. Students pretend they are the character and read the card with the emotion/feeling presented. They really get into this one and it's fun to see the actors and actresses come out!
Check out past Literacy Station blog posts:
Introduction
Set-Up