Writer's Workshop: Paper Choices

So many options for PAPER in Writer's Workshop, right? You of course could just have your students write in a notebook, but we miss a lot of opportunity to scaffold the writing kids do by providing the paper. And- with paper- you could also DIFFERENTIATE the paper... just sayin!


So... I recently collected a lot of paper options for teachers in a district I work with and I am sharing a link to those resources here...

                                                         https://tinyurl.com/somuchpaper 

Keep in mind... some of these paper options may also be for fun publishing ventures! I personally love the door hanger!

Happy Writing!

Author's Craft and Mentor Texts

There are all kinds of buzz words in education, aren’t there?  I mean, you hear about differentiation, rigorous learning, best practice, anchor charts, balanced literacy, mentor texts, collaborative learning, models, word walls, and so much more.  Sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with what exactly it all means.  Let’s dig a little deeper into mentor texts and how they can be used to truly enhance reading and writing in your classroom. 

I cannot tell you how many teachers, from various grade levels, have told me that they don’t feel like they are good writing teachers because they don’t feel like they are good writers themselves.  I get it!  Not everyone enjoys curling up with a journal and getting lost in thought for hours on end.  But that does not mean you are not a good writer, nor does it mean that you are not a good writing teacher!  There are amazing writers out there who have already done the work of creating GREAT examples of writing and various writing skills for you!  Hallelujah!

So…what exactly IS a mentor text?  And why should we use it to support writing in the classroom? 

Mentor texts are written pieces that serve as powerful examples of good writing for your students.  Teachers select texts, read them to the students or have the students read them, and then use the texts to study and reinforce a specific skill the author achieved.   You are the one who selects the text, based on the reading/writing skills that you need to teach during your Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop mini-lessons. 

Now, before you go and just grab a book off of the shelf, there are a few things to consider:

LOVE IT- you have to love it!  If you don't love it, lose it!  This also needs to be a text that you can see yourself returning to over and over again for a variety of reasons. 

Now, let’s think about how Mentor Texts fit into our classroom instruction:

Before using a mentor text for a specific look at Author’s Craft, make sure your students are familiar with the skill (craft) that you are trying to point out in this chosen text. For example, your students will struggle to understand how the author’s use of sensory details helps them to visualize the setting if they are not familiar with what sensory details actually are.  So, it needs to be defined and discussed before leading students into the text. We typically will do this work in our Reader’s Workshop in Shared Reading opportunities.  

So, where do you even START to look for quality texts that could serve as mentor texts??  SURPRISE!

Here is a basic list of just a few books that serve as great mentor texts for narrative writing!   J 

Also included in this post is a form that could be used as an anchor chart and a potential record of mentor text work for students in their Reader's Notebooks! 

It may look like this in your classroom...

Happy reading AND happy writing!

TOP TEN Document for the New ELAR TEKS from Leach

At this point, you are all quite aware that Texas has adopted and is in full implementation of the new ELAR standards for the upcoming school year.  There will be oodles of trainings on the new standards, the way that they’re organized, what some of the key features are, etc.  If you are anything like any of the teachers I have worked with along the way, our brains are swimming by the time we are done with all of that learning. 

Leach’s Literacy Training can relate!  We are LEARNERS right along with you, having attended a training on the new standards this past spring.  Can you find us???

We worked hard that day, working through each of the strands, looking at the differences and similarities, key changes, and thinking about what would be most important for us to help our amazing Texas teachers navigate new waters.  It’s been a while since we have been on this journey, with new ELAR standards.  And Leach's Literacy Training is here to help!

First of all, there is a little booklet that we received at our training that really is a great tool.  It is a Vertical Alignment Book for the standards K-English IV.  Do you want one of these pretty books too? You can order one here from the Print Shop at ESC Region 12! They are only $5.00!  If ordering more than 101 they are only $3.50!  

I tabbed my book for easy reference and have written all over it.  There were so many great things that we noted during the training…and all of it fits into a Reader’s Workshop and Writer’s Workshop model!  HALLELUJAH!  Go Texas! And Go Texas Teachers who are going to be doing this kind of teaching for the first time this year!  Again, we are here to help! 

After leaving the training, we spent some time reading through the standards, looking at the alignment, and we have a Top 10 Document for you for easy reference on some key things to remember while getting familiar with these new standards.  Print this out, put it in your lesson plan book, post it next to your desk, you name it.  Use these to remind you of what the learning is meant to look like when working to plan amazing academic experiences for your students!  

What have you noticed about the new TEKS? Please share! 

Here’s to a great 19-20 school year, filled with rich, literacy-based learning designed for our Texas students!

Do You Ever Have Technology Problems?

Howdy! 

How are you utilizing technology in your classroom? 

Whether you have a classroom brimming with 28 iPads or you have two stone-age desktops, our job as teachers is to make sure students know how to best use the technology for learning during Literacy Work Stations or any other time of the day!

In their book Amplify, Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke say, ‘Using technology doesn’t mean that we throw out those strategies that we’ve found to be successful with students.  It’s not the tools - it’s what we do with them that counts.”

I couldn’t agree more!

When introducing technology in our classrooms, it is important to teach students digital citizenship, internet safety, and problem solving skills. 

And just like we do for EVERYTHING else at the beginning of the year, it is important to ‘train the troops’ when it comes to technology.  We spend countless minutes (hours?) practicing, modeling, and practicing some more... how to get from the rug to the desks, why shouldn’t we spend time practicing, modeling, and practicing again how to properly use the technology as well?  WE MUST!

If you have iPads (or tablets/devices) in your classroom, spend the first week or so with students practicing how to properly handle the technology.  

I like to get iPads in the hands of kids right away, BUT leave the device OFF!

First, we learn the handle and proper care.  And only when students have proven to me they can be responsible with the (oh-so-precious!) technology, can we turn it on!  

The first week or so of school is spent practicing how to carry the iPad from the desk to the carpet, how to practice ‘dark and down’ (a phrase I use when I need students attention on me instead of their device), and how to put away the iPads at the end of our learning time.  We go about our days, just like normal - with technology in our hands - but the technology isn’t ON just yet.  

My students need to prove they can be respectful of the technology before any on button is pushed!

Once students have the hang of how to properly handle the devices, we have a magical day of turning on the iPads.  (insert rainbow and unicorn emojis) 

JUST KIDDING.  It’s less ‘rainbows and unicorns’ and more ‘chicken with its’ head chopped off’.

You see, students are SMART when it comes to technology (way smarter than me), but sometimes the technology at school looks and acts a little different than the technology at home.  Which leaves students with a lot of questions - and needling a LOT of help. 

In order to save myself time later (and sanity now) I front load some problem-solving tips with my students.

We know that technology is technology.  Things will break, stop working, or just simply act funky.  It’s important for us to help students become independent with technology problem solving skills so that we can continue doing our thing at the guided reading table or whatever else may be happening! 

JUST like we used to teach our students what button to push at the listening center (cd player or tape player anyone?) we STILL need those charts but we need them to reflect the current technology.

I take time going over each ‘button’, modeling when or why you might need to push it and what to do if something doesn’t work. 

This saves me so much time (and headaches), if I teach these things up front.

I’ve included a free download for you to teach from in your classroom as well!

Click HERE to access the Technology Tips freebie!

Did I miss anything?  Are there other MUST TEACH buttons for your little techy learners? 

Feel free to add your ideas in the comments below!