Anchor Charts for Our Writer's Sparks Notebooks!

Developed by Wendy Melzer

Developed by Wendy Melzer

          

     These anchor charts are located in all of the fifth and third grade classes as a support reference to guide the use of the Writer's Sparks Notebooks that I created for these grade levels to use. Thank-you to all of the fifth and third grade teachers for their openness in incorporating this idea this year and applying their own creativity in using the writer's notebooks. I get so excited when the kids are motivated, curious, or proud of something they've written! Keep up the AMAZING work! :)  

Developed by Wendy Melzer

Highlighting Professional Texts: The Daily Five and The Cafe Book from "The Sisters"

   

   The Daily Five and The Cafe Book are best selling practical professional development books from Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.  You will also see these ladies often referred to as "the sisters." Through the generosity of our grant funds towards staff development materials, I was able to secure 8 copies of the popular Daily Five, as well as a copy of The Cafe Book! Currently, there are still five copies available of The Daily Five for borrowing from my reading resource room. If you haven't borrow a copy, come on by and you can explore it at your own convenience all school year!

     

The Daily Five revolves around five components to a literacy block:

• Read to Self
• Read to Someone
• Listen to Reading
• Work on Writing
• Word Work

     
       These are already the foundational components of our literacy program in the primary grades at MW. However, it's great to refer to a source for that bit of inspiration and a spark of thinking to make what we do great even better! :) It's like having a conversation with a colleague that gets your way of thinking about best practices when you read their books, since they are very conversational in tone.

      Although "the sisters" website is primarily for paying subscribers, they do provide some free resources that you can find through the links below.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/public/department27.cfm

      The Daily Cafe's public and free archive link is here:

http://www.thedailycafe.com/public/department2.cfm

      One of the free resources available on the Cafe site is a PDF file of the "Cafe Menu."

http://www.thedailycafe.com/CAFE_Menu_New.pdf

      On their other site, "The Two Sisters" have an archive of information as well that is worth exploring as well.

http://www.the2sisters.com/archives.html

      You can sign up on the main page for the free weekly emails from the authors. This link takes you to the Daily Cafe's archives of their weekly emails:

http://www.thedailycafe.com/public/department13.cfm

     You can preview the text The Daily Five online by clicking here to go to Stenhouse publisher's official website. Also available through Stenhouse is their second book, The Cafe Book, which you can preview by clicking here. These books are all about teaching smarter, not harder. They are very popular with classroom teachers across the country for their blend of best practice and practicality in application!

Get the Kids Geared Up for Nonfiction Reading with National Geographic for Kids Resources!

      National Geographic for Kids is a fantastic series of nonfiction books and reference resources from National Geographic.  These various kid friendly articles and photographs can be tied into content area studies as well the teaching of specific nonfiction reading strategies. What a great way to tie in technology and researching skills, too!

This is the main website link:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

Recent M.W. Book Room Acquisitions:

National Geographic for Kids - Great Migrations Readers (on the 5th grade shelf) sets of 10

      Elephants

      Butterflies 

      Whales

National Geographic for Kids - Easy Readers (2nd and 3rd grade shelves) sets of 8 (except for Penguins, which is a set of 16 that is great for whole class nonfiction shared reading lessons)

        Penguins

      Sharks

      Frogs

      Snakes

National Geographic for Kids - 2011 Almanac

     Great news! We currently have acquired 16 copies, and I was able to order eight more to make a set that is a total of 24. Soon, any teachers in grades 2-5 will be able to check this set out for whole and small group lessons using the almanacs!

                                        

Magazine Articles:

      These archived, high interest articles are perfect for nonfiction, short read alouds on a specific subject area using the classroom computer projector. There is also an option for listening to the articles being read aloud to a viewer, which can be set up with headphones at the computer classroom pod. 

• Young Explorer for K-2 Archived Magazine Articles
• Explorer for Grades 2-5 Archived Magazine Articles

Additional features for more learning and exploring:

• Online Glossary - Again, this is great to show on the classroom screen and discuss the general features of a glossary.
• United States Atlas for Young Explorers companion site to the reference book - This is great for tying in geography, map skills, and research.
• Word Atlas for Young Explorers companion site
• Kids write to kids on the NGK's many interactive blogs. (Keep in mind that if there is a particular website or blog that is blocked at school, you can put in an IT help desk ticket request, and if they find it educational and safe, it can be unblocked.) There's:
• The Global Brothers - two boys exploring the globe
• Green Scene - on "going green"
• Dogeared - for book reviews
• News Bites
• Hands On Explorer
• You are Here - country explorations
  

A Few Examples of Teachers Using National Geographic for Kids in Reading and Writing:

      Recently, third grade teacher Ms. Katie Schultz has started using the online student magazine articles to share with her students on how to read nonfiction online and how to search for kid safe, specific content within the website's search engine. Her students are doing independent animal research projects inspired by both their recent visit to the Virginia Living Museum and their explorations of various quality nonfiction trade books. They are getting really excited about the sense of independence that they are experiencing!

     Another example of a recent incorporation of a NGK source is from a fifth grade writing and geography teacher. Ms. Sarah Creamer was so excited to use the newly acquired 2011 almanacs that she saw I had just received! She had her students explore the books by having them respond on sticky notes and share with peers what they had discovered on their exploration. They wrote:

• When would you use an almanac?
• Describe some of the things you notice about the text.
• What are some interesting facts that you found?

      As you can see from the photo, they exploded and didn't want to stop at the end! :) Ms. Creamer used that excitement to help motivate the students with their current geography research projects that they started after their exploration. Here is the online preview of the 2010 NGK Almanac that is available on Google Books. If you "flip" through this version, you can skim and get a feel for the setup of the text. The kids really enjoyed them!

I would enjoy hearing about your creative ideas and success with one of these nonfiction print or online resources for NGK. Please leave a comment, and I would be happy to share your savvy ideas!

Writing Teacher David Stoner's Great Collection of Inspiration for You!

      Hi MW! This is a writing site that you MUST save to your "favorites" and bookmark on your computer! It doesn't matter your grade or years of experience. :) There is something for everyone on this site that was created by teacher David Stoner. He is the co-director of Indiana University Southeast Writing Project. Stoner is truly passionate about sharing his knowledge and experiences on best practices in writing with other educators.

David Stoner: http://zzwriter.com/

Here are just a few examples of the many lessons and inspirations that you can unearth on this site:

• "31 Mentor Texts and 360 Possible Uses" 
• "Six Ways to Start a Story" -This lesson is a complement to the varied lessons in grades 3-5 which I have shown different ways to begin a narrative writing piece.
• Anchor Chart for "Taking Good Notes"
• "Thirty Ideas for Writing" - From the National Writing Project
• Example Mentor Text Lesson for Mama, Where are You From? by Marie Bradby
• Example Mentor Text Lesson for What If? by Regina Williams
• Photos for Stoner's anchor charts for writing workshop

      Stoner recently revamped and updated his site. I still find interesting sparks on the site, and it's been a "favorite" for awhile. :) Enjoy exploring!

Quick Links: PALS Literacy Workstations Presentation and Resources

      In W-JCC, the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (or PALS) tool is utilized in Kindergarten up to third grade to assess literacy development. These are two links which are provided by the developers of the PALS assessment at U.Va. to guide best practices with literacy workstations. Perhaps a reminder or a fresh idea might inspire you in this short presentation you can find by clicking here:

PALS Literacy Workstations Presentation

Also, there are classroom activities given for Kindergarten and learners in K-3 the following areas:

• Comprehension
• Alphabet Recognition
• Concept of Word
• Letter Sounds
• Print Knowledge
• Vocabulary
• Word Recognition
• Oral Reading in Context and Fluency
• Spelling
• Writing

      Check out this link to see concise lists of activities which support the respective areas of literacy development. This is particularly helpful to use for teachers who are new or new to their grade level, as well as student teachers. You can bookmark these as "favorites" and refer to them when you need a source of suggestions for Tier One intervention and individualizing in your classroom. :)

PALS Activities Listed by Skills

Gifts of New Read Alouds for the Media Center's Professional Book Shelf!

      As you can guess, I really enjoyed our school's annual book fair! I love discovering and reviewing brand new titles and thinking of what would make good additions to our school. Due to the generosity of Mrs. Wilson's help, we were able to secure five new hardback books that will soon be a part of the teacher's read aloud collection to support reading and writing mini-lessons. This collection is housed behind Mrs. Pauley's check out computer. I have written how these books can be used for lessons inside of the front cover, and you can get a sneak peek of those ideas below.

In the Garden with Dr. Carver Written by Susan Grigsby and illustrations by Nicole Tadgell (Albert Whitman and Company, 2010) 

     In this story, the reader is taken on a realistic account of one of the many visits that Dr. George Washington Carver made to the Alabama countryside to educate people on how to enrich their farmland's soil. In particular, Dr. Carver educates some children on how to naturally develop the nutrients in the soil at a school, and fosters an appreciation for the bounty of nature.  

     This book can be used to highlight several concepts in reading, including:

• an example of "hybrid nonfiction" - narrative realistic fiction that also delivers factual information
• Cause and Effect - Because Dr. Carver traveled throughout the Alabama countryside on weekends to educate people on how to enrich their soil, the effect was that many farmers were able to grow better crops on their land.
• Problem/Solution - Problem: poor soil that resulted in poor quality crops; Solution: Dr. Carver taught people how to enrich their soil to grow better crops
• Examples of Metaphors: comparing the soil and caring for it with medical terms doctor, patient, and an operation
• Examples of Similes: "Quick as a hummingbird"  and "sticks to you like a little burr"

     From an interdisciplinary perspective, George Washington Carver is an important person in American History for First Grade's SOL Social Studies 1.2. Students are tested on this in the Third Grade SOL History test.

Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak Written by Kay Winters and illustrated by Larry Day  (Dutton Children's Book, 2008)

     

       This historical fiction story was recently recognized by the Virginia State Reading Virginia State Reading Association's Virginia Readers Choice List for 2011-2012. The story's main character is a young boy named Ethan, and the reader accompanies him through Boston in December of 1773. This text lends itself wonderfully to colonial life studies in history, as well as aspects of economics with the various professional trades that are explored in the town by Ethan. From the mini-lesson perspective in reading, this text can be used for:

• highlighting a form of hybrid nonfiction, where historical fiction also provides an avenue for learning factual information.
• showing an example of a story told in a free verse poetry format
• giving examples of various points of view of a variety of characters all experiencing the same moment in history
• showing how font is sometimes used to highlight the main idea in a page spread and how placement of text can lend emphasis
• providing an example of historical notes and a glossary at the end as nonfiction text supports for deeper comprehension

Climbing Lincoln's Steps: The African American Journey Written by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Colin Bootman (Albert Whitman and Company, 2010)

     This beautifully illustrated text captures the historical events that have occurred on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and their significance upon the history of African Americans.  This text is wonderful for tying in applicable historical studies. It can also be used to:

• highlight how an author uses placement of text and dashes for effect in pausing and digesting the text in a thoughtful manner
• show how the "echo" or repetition of phrases for emphasis of the main idea of the text
• give examples of the effective use of adjectives in writing
• show the passage of time, indicated with dates, years, and historical time frames
• correctly sequence events
• act as an example of cause and effect (For example: Because....happened at the Lincoln Memorial in history, the effect is....change occurred.)
• serve as an example of a narrative nonfiction text
• practice using inferential skills in order to use the clues and context to figure out what isn't explicitly told to the reader
• show an example of a text which as additional information in the form of an author's note and a timeline at the conclusion of the story

Henry Aaron's Dream Written and illustrated by Matt Tavares  (Candlewick Press, 2010)

      This text from Matt Tavares shares a true story about Henry Aaron, an African American baseball player who was able to fulfill his dream of playing in the major leagues through his determination and the positive influences of the pioneering Jackie Robinson. Be sure to click on the title above to go directly to the author's home page for this text. It is a neat way to show how an author researches factual information to tell a narrative version of a person's life. You can also use this site to show how as the illustrator drafts his drawings as a means of sticking to supporting the main events of the story effectively. In addition, you can use this book to:

• make text to text connections after reading Sharon Robinson's beautiful book on her father Jackie Robinson called Testing the Ice
• show a real example of a character's traits of determination, perseverance, and being successful
• read the "Author's Note" in the back to understand the author's inspiration and motivation
  (for additional interesting information on the author, check out his blog by clicking on his name here: Matt Tavares)
• Note: There is a strong word used in the book once, so preview the story and skip reading that word aloud

Word After Word After Word  by Patricia MacLachlan (Katherine Tegen Books, 2010) 

      It's great for grades 3-4 for supporting the tone of children as authors in writing workshop. (See my previous post on Patricia MacLachlan's books for additional information. :) It's a great venue for:

• discussing purposes for writing
• finding your voice as a writer
• showing a story that shares mentor texts IN THE STORY! :) (It's like MacLachlan visited one of our classes and wrote about a day in our reading and writing life in the classroom!)

Check them out and enjoy using something fresh to energize your teaching!

Mentor Text: Crab Moon By: Ruth Horowitz

                                                                       Crab Moon is a beautiful mentor text written by Ruth Horowitz and illustrated by Kate Kiesler. In this story, a young boy named Daniel travels to a cottage by the shore to vacation with his family. His mother shares with him memories of her special times of observing horseshoe crabs spawning during the "crab moon." I used this text with the third grade classes, and the classroom teachers help to chart responses made during the interactive read aloud. I started the lesson by "zooming in on a moment" and noticing how the story's main idea is a snapshot memory for the main character. We also noticed how the author used other words besides "said," fabulous vocabulary, and "golden threads" of text. The main focus of our lesson was on how Horowitz "shows" and doesn't explicitly tell the reader. This fosters conversations of inferential thinking by using what is shared to figure out what was not stated. This text was also recognized as an "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children" and is a great example of a narrative hybrid nonfiction text, where factual scientific information about the life cycle of the horseshoe crab is learned within the context of a realistic fictionalized story. I purchased this text for our professional read aloud picture book collection housed in the Media Center. Complimentary mentor texts include Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan and The Seashore Book written by Charlotte Zolotow.  Be sure to check it out! :)  

Scaredy Squirrel: Quite a Character!

      If you are not familiar with the Scaredy Squirrel series by Melanie Watt, you have to check it out! I love this little squirrel, who frets and worries about the silliest things! This is an activity that I did with Mrs. Pegram's first graders back in September. The document camera actually makes this read aloud come alive so you can zoom in on portions of the illustrations. The kids think Scaredy Squirrel is hilarious, and love to predict the text structure of the books in the series after hearing the first one. The students brainstormed ways of describing Scaredy Squirrel with neighbors at their table. Then, I guided them to support their thinking with evidence from the story. We had so much fun talking about this overly worried but almost completely prepared squirrel. :)  

 

Quick Links: Ready to Go Inspiration for Lessons Using Predictions

Activities That Can Be Used/Adapted for Kindergarten and 1st Grade:

Read Works: Kindergarten Predictions with The Grouchy Ladybug and The Very Busy Spider

Read Works: First Grade Prediction with Wemberly Worried and No Roses for Harry!

Read Write Think: The Wonder of Leo Lionni: Increasing Comprehension with Prediction Statements

Activities That Can Be Used/Adapted for 2nd-3rd Grade:

Read Works: Second Grade Predictions with Two Bad Ants and The Stories Huey Tells

Read Write Think: Circular Story Structure Predicting Activities
Accompanying Circular Story Structure Interactive Graphic Organizer

Read Works: Third Grade Predictions with Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One



Activities That Can Be Used/Adapted for 4th-5th Grade:

Read Works: Fourth Grade Predictions with Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt and Marvin and the Meanest Girl

Read Works: Fifth Grade Predictions with Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Maniac Magee

Quick Link for Florida Center for Reading Research - Practical, Ready to Print Word Study and Comprehension Activities!

T/TAC of W&M

      I want to say "thank-you" to Mr. Bryan Cole for coming down to my room today to show me this fantastic website full of practical, ready to use resources to supplement your word study and comprehension activities in reading groups and classroom centers. It is from the Florida Center for Reading Research. Mr. Cole was so excited to share it with me after going to conference held by the Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at the College of William and Mary! I actually clapped my hands with excitement, as I appreciate things which blend suggestions for best practices with practical and instant application! :) Here is the link to the FCRR's index page for student center activities:

http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/SCAindex.shtm

      This link takes you to the "Student Center Activities" main page. From here, you can choose to explore your appropriate grade level span: K-1, 2-3, or 4-5. When you scroll down the page, you will see the five major components of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. There are many ready to go lessons and copy masters for a variety of lessons and activities for word study! Also, you will find numerous graphic organizers and ideas for general applications for various types of comprehension studies. I know that I'll be exploring it this weekend to find some ideas. I hope you check it out, too! It's another way to teach smarter! Thanks SO much Mr. Cole! If anyone else has additional resources or links that they would like to share, please post them. :)

Reading Like a Writer with the Work of Patricia MacLaughlin

      Here is third grade teacher Ms. Katie Schultz, who is one of the teachers that I have been collaborating with this fall on writing instruction. In this picture, Katie is reading from Patricia MacLaughlin's book What You Know First. In this book, a girl reflects on how her life will change once her family moves from their prairie farm. Her father tells her that "what she knows first" in her life will be things that she will always remember. Katie charted the fabulous discussion she held with her student in their interactive read aloud.

     As an extension of the study of MacLaughlin's craft, I made a delivery of a "book borrowing gift" of MacLaughlin's newest chapter book, Word After Word After Word. This short chapter book features an author, Ms. Mirabel, who begins to visit a class of students to help them develop their writing skills. The way that she mentors five students is highlighted in the story, and the reader is shown how these characters find their inner author's voice. It's a great way to model how we foster the empowerment of writers in our own classrooms. It's available at the book fair, the media center, the public library, and I own a copy as well.

Additional Links for Patricia MacLaughlin:

At Dr. Johnson's ning for The Joy of Children's Literature, I started a discussion on Word After Word After Word. When you check it out, you can post comments on other books that you think are great for writing mini-lessons. :)

http://thejoyofchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2010/08/nings-thing.html

Here is a link to example "Golden Threads" from mentor texts by Patricia MacLaughlin.  (There are also examples on this same link by author Jane Yolen who I will be sharing about in numerous upcoming blog entries. She is one of my favorite mentor authors! :)

http://www.writingfix.com/PDFs/Chapter_Book_Worksheets/Sarah_Plain_Tall_Mentor_Texts.doc.pdf

Sarah, Plain and Tall

Extract example "golden thread" lines from this mentor chapter book text that describe nature:

http://www.writingfix.com/Chapter_Book_Prompts/SarahPlainTall3.htm



Here is a graphic organizer that can be used with this book:

http://www.writingfix.com/PDFs/Chapter_Book_Worksheets/Sarah_Plain_Tall_Organizer.pdf

All the Places to Love

A Great Mentor Text for Sentence Variety

Lesson: Special Places to Love - "Improving Sentences with Thoughtful Prepositional Phrases: 

http://writingfix.com/Picture_Book_Prompts/AllPlacesLove1.htm

Lesson: Introductory Prepositions and Places of Three

http://writingfix.com/Process/Revision/All_the_Places_to_Love.htm

All the Places to Love Lesson Mentor Text Mini Lesson from David Stoner

Richard Peck On Reading and Writing

     One of my favorite quotes from Richard Peck is: "Nobody but a reader ever became a writer." Reading and writing are so interdependent! :)

Tomie dePaola: Why Reading is Important

      One of my favorite quotes that I used to post in my room as a second grade teacher came from author Tomie dePaola. At the end of our official author study of dePaola, I would show a DVD of a visit to his house and studio, and he would talk to the viewing children about writing as if they were right at his side and equal to his writing ability. In this short video clip, dePaola shares that wonderful statement: "In order to be a writer, you must be a reader. In order to be a reader, you must be a writer." How true Tomie! :)

 

Blogs to Check Out on Science Tradebooks

     I'll continue to post quality links for planning, inspiration, and resources in relation to content area reading throughout the school year in support of the literacy team's nonfiction focus for our staff development. The first blog, called Wild about Nature Writers, has great suggestions for wonderful nature related books that are both narrative and expository in their style of writing. The second blog, Simply Science, reviews a wide variety of science books. It also gives some practical suggestions for teaching with the text and topic.

     I'm certain that Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Pauley can guide you to some of the selections mentioned in this blog right in our own media center. Also keep in mind that our fantastic Williamsburg Regional Library is just a couple blocks down the street, which makes for a perfect stop on the way home. It's easy to look online on the the card catalogs for either place to save you hunting time. You can always send me (or the whole staff) an email asking if someone owns a particular title, too. Use technology to help you teach smarter, not harder! :) You are all such a tech savvy staff! Also, remember that blogs can be subscribed to by clicking the orange square at the top in the toolbar on your home computer. Then, you'll have all the blogs you are interested in bookmarked and you can keep up with them on one page! :)  

http://wildaboutnaturewriters.blogspot.com/

http://simplyscience.wordpress.com/