Monday, August 1, 2016

Open House Was Great and Loving TpT Sale!

I hope you have had a chance to shop today and tonight for our back to school BEST YEAR EVER sale!  TpT is an amazing resource for teachers...one that I wish I had when I started teaching many years ago.  I love the fact that there are so many choices for resources at my fingertips.

If you haven't checked out my Mentor Sentences for the 1st Nine Weeks of School,   I would love for to do so.  I am thrilled with the amount of work/energy that went into making this resource and can't wait to use it starting this next week.   In addition to everything you need to introduce a book, ask meaningful comprehension questions and follow the mentor sentence format...I've also provided everyone 4 extra activity/skills pages per book.  LOTS of resources for the money!

Today was Open House for my school and I loved meeting my new second grade babes and their parents.  Before everyone arrived I took a few pictures of my room...


This one is the bulletin board that goes with my Class Meetings Scenario Tickets...Helping Kids Solve Their Own Problems!  As we begin to learn how to come up with solutions to "pretend situations", students will keep a notebook of the problem and solutions webs as a resource for future problems.  I have used this in the past and IT WORKS!  I  have seen my students look in the notebook and use the table of contents for similar problems to their own.  They read the possible solutions from the web and try to solve their problem.  I'd love for you to read what all is included with this packet.  I have to be honest...it made me chuckle when I typed the made up scenario tickets because I could see different kids faces for all of the problems I put in this packet.  I guess after 24 years of teaching...I've seen quite a bit! :)
Anyway...I love the posters and hope you can use them too. :)
Have a great start to your school year and don't forget to shop for your goodies tonight and tomorrow.   Here are some other pictures of my classroom...with my new reading area with goodies from IKEA.  Enjoy the pics!  I am thrilled with the way my room looks this year.  I think it will work well for me and my students.  
 Love y'all!-Yvonne





Sunday, July 31, 2016

Back to School Sale

Tonight is the big night!  All summer long I have been wishlisting everything I need to start my year off.  Make sure you check out my new products as well and grab any goodies you might need for yourself.  I will have everything 20% off and with the TpT discount you will get up to 28% off your purchases.  I've just posted my newest product I'd love for you to check out... Class Meeting Scenario Tickets!  Veteran teachers will chuckle at this one.  I've included 40 pretend class/school problems that we've ALL seen or dealt with over the years.  New teachers will love it because it will give them tools to use when these problems arise!  Here you go...
I have been using class meetings for years and absolutely LOVE using scenario tickets.  The made up problem scenarios allow my students opportunities to discuss social problems without the fear of being "Put on the Spot". :)
I have open house tomorrow and am thrilled with my classroom this year.  I plan to take some pictures and share with you all tomorrow.  Included you will see my Class Meeting Bulletin Board where we post our problem and solution webs.  We then take them down and place them in a notebook for a problem solving resource in our classroom.  
I hope you have a great time shopping on TpT tonight starting at midnight!  I know I will.  Have a great start to your school year!-Yvonne

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Ready for a New School Year! Mentor Sentences Here We Come!



This summer I have so enjoyed spending time with my family!  I am loving my granddaughter, went to Bar Harbor, ME and even went trout fishing with my hubby!  This is what it is all about...but in between I've been thinking about ways to help my second grade babes with their ELA and writing skills.  The buzz around our school this past year was the implementation of mentor sentences.  I had heard about them before but never "really" gave them a try.  Here is a packet that I am excited to share with you all.  I am using it the first nine weeks of this school year as a morning mini-lesson to help improve ELA/writing skills with my students.  I am excited to share with you my Mentor Sentences 1st Nine Weeks Posters and Lessons.  I plan to make four total packets for the school year to assist my team with ELA instruction.  Check out the posters and interactive notebook sheets below.  I've also included 4 printable worksheets per book to assist with skill instruction/additional practice. I would love for you to give this a try in your own classroom!  Let me know if you have any questions. :)-Yvonne




Ready for a New School Year! Mentor Sentences Here We Come!



This summer I have so enjoyed spending time with my family!  I am loving my granddaughter, went to Bar Harbor, ME and even went trout fishing with my hubby!  This is what it is all about...but in between I've been thinking about ways to help my second grade babes with their ELA and writing skills.  The buzz around our school this past year was the implementation of mentor sentences.  I had heard about them before but never "really" gave them a try.  Here is a packet that I am excited to share with you all.  I am using it the first nine weeks of this school year as a morning mini-lesson to help improve ELA/writing skills with my students.  I am excited to share with you my Mentor Sentences 1st Nine Weeks Posters and Lessons.  I plan to make four total packets for the school year to assist my team with ELA instruction.  Check out the posters and interactive notebook sheets below.  I've also included 4 printable worksheets per book to assist with skill instruction/additional practice. I would love for you to give this a try in your own classroom!  Let me know if you have any questions. :)-Yvonne




Thursday, July 2, 2015

FREE! Surveys in a Snap! (Summer Activity Survey for Graphing)

Hi friends!  I just finished making a graphing packet that I can't wait to use this school year!  Here is a sample of the type of survey from the download...

TODAY ONLY for an introductory discounted price (15% off) you can grab the complete packet to have this school year!

  I love to do graphing activities once a week with my students and sometimes struggle to find all the resources on the run.  This should make my school year MUCH easier!!!  I am going to project the surveys on my Smartboard to collect our class data.  Then we will decide which type of graph we want to build together (bar graph, picture graph, pictograph, or line plot).  Students will also have templates to create their own graphs.  I love that there are ready to print/cut colorful choice tickets for pocket chart graphing as well.  I have a title card and graph labels for each.  Once all graphing activities are complete and we've reviewed our parts of a graph, students will complete their question sheets.  The survey questions are fun and meaningful!
 Let me know if you have any questions.
Enjoy your summer!
 Yvonne

Saturday, August 23, 2014

W.O.W...For Teaching Vocabulary!



“Vocabulary instruction to improve language skills:  Hmmm…which vocabulary words do I use?”
This year our school made it a school improvement plan goal to focus on vocabulary instruction to implement research based approaches school-wide. 

At the beginning of the summer I asked myself…”How do I know which words to focus on in my classroom?  I already teach vocabulary directly through the usage of word walls and student dictionaries (not to mention interactive vocabulary activities in Reading Groups, Math, Science, and Social Studies).  What else can I possibly do that we are not already doing?

The problem I quickly realized once I started to read and research is I have focused too much on concept words for content instead of conversational words that teach students meaningful and rich language skills.  For years I have posted words on the board that focus on Science and Social Studies topics as the basis for vocabulary instruction.  In reading groups I have introduced science terms and lists of words that are embedded in stories in order to enhance story meaning.

Basically… I have been focusing mostly on concept words instead of words that enrich student vocabularies for speaking and writing.  After reading, I learned that direct instruction of “conversational” words (Tier Two Words) is just as important (if not more important) to teach directly.  Tier Three Words are concept or content words that are appropriate for subject matter, but not as necessary for conversations or written expression.  Click on the pictures below to read about the Three Tier Model of Vocabulary Instruction (by Beck, McKeown, and Kucan):

So… How do I best teach Tier Two Words?
After looking at the suggested strategies for instruction of Tier Two Words my first thought was, “Wow…this makes so much sense and is so age-appropriate for what we are already doing!”  As a second grade teacher we teach how words work and how we use them in language.  Tier Two Word instruction focuses on exposing the conversational words over and over again through conversations, writing, and usage.  Skills and strategies are taught directly through the Tier Two Words.  Marzano’s steps to teaching vocabulary is powerful for teaching these Tier Two Words:
1.Description
2.Restate
3.Drawing
4.Activities
5. Discussion
6. Games 

I decided to develop a weekly lesson format and interactive notebook (W.O.W Book) that would work best for me in my classroom.  I have always loved the idea of teaching W.O.W. (Words of the Week) in a classroom! 

I knew… I needed a structured format that allowed for planned instruction throughout the week.  It needed to be quick and to the point due to lack of time in our daily schedule.
I knew… my students did well with interactive notebooks to use as anchor charts or resources during writing workshop or reading groups. I wanted to provide a resource for them to make their own.
I knew… vocabulary instruction should require my students to link new words to their already “known or existing” vocabularies.  Basically, the vocabulary should build and be integrative.
I knew… repetition and usage of the words needed to be integrated into the lesson format.

I am tickled to share with you my…
Words of the Week Interactive Vocabulary and Spelling Notebook!
On Sale Today! (20% Off)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/WOW-Words-of-the-Week-Vocabulary-and-Spelling-Interactive-Notebook-1357208

It is loaded with everything I need to teach Tier Two Vocabulary Words and more this year!  All I have to do is pick 2 words a week from the list…and follow the sample lesson plan provided in the packet!  Lessons are quick and to the point!

This 315 paged-packet gives all the tools needed for my easy 7-step program of direct vocabulary instruction.  Included are all the resources a teacher needs for weekly vocabulary instruction (K-5 Tier 2 word lists and teaching posters) along with spelling ideas and a second grade spelling list. Here is what all is included in my W.O.W. Book download in my store on TpT:

• W.O.W. Student Notebook Covers 
• W.O.W. Seven Steps to Teaching Vocabulary (Weekly Teaching Guide)
• Parent Letter
• W.O.W. Student Pledge
• Vocabulary Word Prior Knowledge Chart
• W.O.W. Seven Step Vocabulary Tickets
• W.O.W. Seven Step Teaching Posters
• Tier 2 Word Lists (Grades K-5) *Choose two a week from any list 
• Word Wall Word Cards for Each List
• Science Vocabulary Word List
• W.O.W. Vocabulary Test Template
• Notebook Tabs and Dividers (A-Z or by the month)
• Notebook Spine Labels
• Optional Spelling Cover
• W.O.W. Spelling Tickets
• Spelling Word List (Second Grade)
• W.O.W. Spelling Test Template
• Spelling Word Dictionary Pages (A-Z)
• W.O.W. Notebook Anchor Charts (Prefixes/Suffixes/Multiple Meaning Words/Antonyms/Synonyms
• Cut & Paste Pockets of Words (A-Z Notebook pockets for Vocabulary Flashcards)
• Vocabulary Word Flip-n-Fold Booklet
• Vocabulary Word Writing Page
• Vocabulary Word Splash Web (Semantic Concept Map)
• The Root of It All (Interactive Notebook Templates)
• Shades of Meaning (Interactive Notebook Templates)
• Movie Night Word Meanings (Interactive Notebook Template)
• Crazy Daisy Word Meanings (Interactive Notebook Template)
• Hop on the Vocabulary Bus ((Interactive Notebook Template)
• Word Ladder Links ((Interactive Notebook Templates)
• Vocabulary Flips (Interactive Notebook Template)
• Multiple Meaning Words (Interactive Flap Booklet)
• Antonyms (Interactive Flap Booklet)
• Synonyms (Interactive Flap Booklet)
• Vocabulary Words T Chart (Comparing Word Meanings)
• Vocabulary Word Venn Diagram (Comparing Word Meanings)

We’ve spent the last two weeks getting our W.O.W. Books assembled and had a blast this last week starting our lessons!  Here are some pictures of my students cutting their tab dividers and letter pockets for their word cards.  Yes…the students cut and put EVERYTHING together in their 2-inch binders!  I could see them taking ownership of their notebooks more than if I had put them together ahead of time!
This kiddo is cutting out his tab dividers and lining them up in ABC order to assemble.
This kiddo is cutting out his pockets for vocabulary flashcards.
The first thing you see in their W.O.W. Notebooks is the Student W.O.W. Pledge!  We did this first thing together on Monday and discussed what each check meant before they all signed!

We only focus on two words a week!  Our words this week were friendly and ownership.  I chose these words because we are working on character education words as well.  I clipped my sample lesson plan to my board and followed it daily to keep me on task each day (I have a tendency to overteach and lessons can run too long).  Lessons were short and sweet…but powerful!

I’d love for you to check out my W.O.W. Notebook and let me know what you think.  Watch for updates as I let you know how the W.O.W Books are going.   I can’t wait to see how my students “use” their words in their conversations and writing this year!  Thanks so much friends and let me know if you have any questions! 
                                                                Yvonne


Sunday, August 3, 2014

Time for the Back to School Sale!

The 2014 TpT Back to School Sale is on and ready!  As of midnight tonight, everything in MY STORE will be 20% off and you can save an additional 10% by using the TpT code...BTS14!
  I hope you and your students have a great school year!  Our school has made it a school improvement goal to work on vocabulary so I spent my summer creating a resource that will help me teach vocabulary and spelling routinely!!!  I hope you will check it out...
Take a peek at the preview:
Included are Tier 2 vocabulary word wall cards for grades K-5...
I am sooo excited about this notebook!  It is loaded with over 300+ pages at an excellent price for what all is included!  

Because vocabulary is my focus at the moment...I've created a little FREEBIE for you as well.  

This is a sample of some of the great resources you will receive when you purchase the W.O.W. notebook.  Enjoy and happy TpT shopping friends!
-Yvonne