Friday Freebie: Reading in Different Voices

Here's another idea for the Fluency Work Station! Reading in Different Voices

K-1 version and one for older kiddos too! Visit my store for your FREE copy!

Also be sure to check out the FREE clip art at this site!
http://www.mycutegraphics.com/graphics/graphics.html
If you click around enough, you might find some other "voices".



Remember, fluency is MORE than rate/speed of reading! Have fun with it!

Friday Freebie: Lots of Lists for the Writing Station

It's still Friday right? So it still can be a Friday Freebie? Whew!

I had a LOOOOOOOOOONG list of things I was going to get done today... and while I did a lot, it was NOT stuff from my list. Alas...

In preparing for another week of presentations I was looking at some things for Work Stations!

How 'bout this for a Friday Freebie?  LOTS OF LISTS!!!!!!

Students can be challenged to think of lists of things from this list!  Simple. Fun.  Those are the BEST kinds of Stations right? You try it- things that are cold?  GO!

Click here to print for FREE from my TpT store! Please take a minute to follow my store while you are there so you won't miss another Freebie!

Cheers!

Friday Freebie for Fluency

I've been busy working on a presentation for a district in Texas and in doing so, I've been creating a lot of new things! That means new and FREE things for you blog readers out there and lots of Friday Freebies!


Today I'm sharing a Friday Freebie for FLUENCY!  Fluency, the forgotten part of reading! Fluency, the thing we hope students just attain. Fluency, the skills of rate, accuracy and prosody, that NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT in order to be mastered with today's kiddos!

If you follow my blog, you know I believe in a Work Station/Center focused on Fluency work for students every week.  This is a FREEBIE that could easily integrate into a work station.

Introduce the activity using this text...

Then put THIS in the Work Station.

Once kids have mastered this practice, allow them to create their own. Try the same with sight words and sight word phrases!  Visit my TpT store for YOUR FREE COPY!

Cheers!

It's JULY Y'all!

WOO HOO! July! July is summer... July is HOT... July is the 4th! July is family and friends and a roller-coaster of professional development and travel for Leach's Literacy Training.  I'm on vacation right now, but in 13 days I will be hitting the ground non-stop until teachers go back to school! I'm getting my REST now!

So it's time to blog for Farley's Currently.  All the bloggers are getting excited about the big conference in Vegas. I worked that conference for five years in a row.  I don't go anymore... but hearing everyone gearing up and packing certainly makes me miss it!  Have fun y'all!

Listening: There's this girl on HGTV who is from Detroit- accent and all- and she likes to bring old houses back to their original beauty. They are usually houses about to be condemned or torn down and I just love her show! That's what's on the TV, but the TV is right by the door to the porch, which is open (screen door closed) and the birds are making all kinds of noises at the feeders.

Loving: July means a lot of things and it also means a trip HOME TO MY MICHIGAN. Affectionately called the Mitten!  Oh Michigan!  The cooler temps! The green grass! All the trees! The sounds, smells, events, of my childhood. Every summer brings a trip home and I couldn't be more in love with my sweet state!

Thinking: So.... I'm pregnant! Yep!  Due early November! When I sit still (which isn't very often) but is happening now, that's when I feel him move (which only started a few days ago) and it is just amazing.  I'll be seeing some of you this summer and I will be big as a house! Just wait!

Wanting: So for the reason above (so much to do before November) and because I'm on vacation- time just needs to slow down!

Needing: I have a bunch of material to prepare for my summer trainings on Literacy Work Stations for teachers across the state of Texas... I have the files ready... I just need to print... but there is nowhere to print in this town! I'm in a small town Up North in Michigan... I have time to do it later... but I just want to do it NOW and have it off the to-do list.  Oh well.  I will just have to wait.

All STAR:  It is so hard to think of things I'm good at and could post without y'all thinking I'm full of myself.  I guess I could say that I'm good at laughing!  I love to laugh! And it's LOUD y'all! If you get embarrassed easily- I wouldn't hang out with me- or my laugh!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Just wanted to say... I appreciate you! All the hours before and after school. All the money out of pocket on school supplies. All the work you do in the summer to get ready. All the time you spend pinning and planning for your classroom.  All the blogs you read to be a better teacher!

I appreciate you!

I hope you have a great week- and I hope so many other people show their appreciation for you too!

Currently May

Thanks Farley for another month with Currently! Another month! Another month closer to SUMMER! I'm so looking forward to summer this year! Can't wait to meet new teachers with Leach's Literacy Training! I will be out there... and traveling all over the place!

Listening: It's one of the few things my husband and I can agree on. I'd really love to be vegging out with this season of Scandal... as I haven't seen a single show... but he hasn't gone out to mow the grass yes so I am "watching" diy while I work on my computer. 

Loving: Oh the weather is so beautiful.  Mid 80s... sunny! It's heaven!  

Thinking: I worked Saturday morning, so that made the weekend go by way too quickly if you ask me.  Trying to figure out how to make the most of the few hours I have left. 

Wanting: So my husband was supposed to be gone with work until mid May, so we thought this would be a good time to have the boat get some work done.  BUT... husband didn't go away. And the weather is gorgeous. If the boat wasn't in the shop we'd be in the water. 

Needing:  I have a STACK of books I want to read! I just can't bring myself to start! 

Summer: So excited to be going home to Michigan this summer. We always go, but this year we'll be there for almost THREE WEEKS!  Woo hoo!   I have a work trip to Hawaii that I am hoping works out.  And, the husband and I know we want to move, and I'm really dreaming that this summer (or like September) will be when the move actually happens?! One can dream....

Friday FREEBIE: Poetry Pals

Hey y'all! Happy FRIDAY! Did you hear me? It's FRI-DAY! Have you counted how many MORE Fridays you have this school year yet? I have. I have a countdown!

Since it's Friday, it's time for a FREEBIE!  I've been working on a professional development on Literacy Work Stations at night on the couch and in doing that, I've been creating some new resources to share with YOU!

I'm sharing Poetry Pals with you today!  I've used Poetry Pals for years in my classroom. I had a Poetry Station and this was always a choice along with other things of course!  Kids love it!

If you are a Daily Five person, this would be a perfect choice for Read to Someone! If you are in DC and use the Fluency Work Station- this is for YOU! You can get your FREE copy in my TpT store.

I hope you can use it/adapt it for use in your own classroom! Cheers! keep doing what you do!
Only ___ more Friday's!

Vocabulary Work Station

Hey y'all! I'm posting this on Easter evening. Hope you all had a very HOPPY day with family and friends.   Having that ONE extra day of the weekend really makes such a difference doesn't it?

Let the Sunday-itis begin... but before I go to bed and watch more television that I should (that's always my Sunday-itis symptom) I will give you guys a quick freebie!

Vocabulary has been a hot button topic with a few teachers in my districts lately.  And with the Common Core State Standards, it's something we need to be aware of as teachers and be explicitly teaching to our students.

More about vocabulary instruction and what words to teach can be seen in the document.

But hopefully, this document gives you an idea for a Vocabulary Work Station that will sustain itself for the rest of your school year!

Click here to get your FREE copy!
Cheers!

April Currently

It is APRIL y'all. I was so caught up on the April FOOLS part of it that I forgot all about the Currently side of things.  I did spend the night making some cool new freebies for my blog! Be on the lookout in April...

Vocabulary Work Station

Poetry Pals Work Station

Book Pic of the Week

Now I digress. The reason I'm here is to post a currently... not tease you with FREE things that will be coming.  

Here goes...

Listening: This song is my theme song this week. I may listen to it 20 times today.  "I smile, even though I hurt, see, I smile. I know God is working, so I smile!"   

Loving: It is SPRING in Texas! You know what that means? If you are a Texan you do! It means Bluebonnets! Everywhere! It's truly beautiful to see these wildflowers.  If they grown in your yard, on the highway, wherever, people don't mow! Can't wait for pictures again this year. Happy SPRING Texans!

Thinking: We are moving into research in our curriculum, so I need to do some research on research for my teachers.  My goal is that they teach the specificity of the standards for research, not just research- there is a BIG difference.  

Wanting: For many reasons, that I can't go into on this blog, July 1st cannot get here soon enough! NO- it's not a due date for those of you always trying to hear that from me! HA!

Needing: Don't I say that every month on these blog posts? Sigh.  

EGGS-plain:My maiden name is Douglas.  It's a strong name! And God love my husband, and his family, but Leach... well... it's not as great as Douglas! But, in the blogging world, it did allow me a very cute blog name... LEACHTEACH.  

STAAR TEST FUNK

Have y'all SEEN THIS??!!! OMG! I just love it!

Keep it moving! Share with a friend! I think our kiddos need to see this on Friday!  I put a copy of the lyrics (written by a teacher in Denton) in my Dropbox. You can download them here.

‘Cause STAAR test we’re gonna give it to ya’
It’s testing day and we’ve learned a lot
Don't believe me just watch (come on)