Daily 5: Work on Writing & Reading Comprehension, plus a Giveaway!

Longest title ever? 

Maybe :) , but I have a lot to say today!!!!

I have been implementing my own version of Daily 5 in my classroom for a good two years now.  Last year it was a lot harder with our schedule, so I am extra excited about using it again this year.

As I said before I use a modified version of Daily 5 {and honestly, who doesn’t}.  In the past that meant that I did not do Work on Writing.  I didn’t much see the point if I did Writer’s Workshop on a {semi} regular basis.
 
But I’m going to be honest: I was not getting to writing nearly as much as I wanted too and not nearly as much as I needed to.  My kids just weren’t writing the way I wanted them to by certain points in the year.

I decided that this year they just need to write {and write and write}!  Yes, I will still do WW, and hopefully a lot more of it because our schedule is a MILLION times better this year, but still I want opportunities for them to write on the days I won’t get to WW.
Here’s how I plan on doing it {with a little help from my friends}!

First, you need to read my friend Tracy’s recent post on D5: Work on Writing {but finish reading here too, okay???}.

{These are FREE by the way!}

I will be using her list resources, and I love her writing prompts idea.  I have a book at school of writing prompts and I’m going to go pick it up so I can get started on typing them up. 

I also need to get to IKEA pronto {maybe I can talk my hubby into a whole new kitchen while we’re there :)}

I also have a FANTASTIC resource from Lori over at “Teaching with Love and Laughter”.  She is just the sweetest and has such amazing products for K-2. {Not to mention she has a pretty sweet giveaway going on right now too!}

I will be using her “Topics to Write About” Resource.

{Click the picture to grab it from TpT}

I actually got the idea to use the topic cards as border around my writing bulletin board so that’s the plan for when I get into my room, but they would also be darling on a key ring or in a binder.  What I love is that you can display certain cards at certain times to keep it fresh and keep your students interested.

To give my little authors guidance and support with their writing, I’ll be using Jen Jones’ “Hello Writing” sheets.  I love them because she uses word banks and illustrations to guide young writers as they write independently.  Scoop them up by clicking that pitiful thumbnail above {sorry I couldn’t grab a better picture…but they are SO WORTH checking out! Click the picture above!!!}

My students will also be writing on seasonal paper that I recently uploaded to my little shop.  What I love about this “stationary” is that there are no prompts or titles on top, so they can use the paper for whatever topic they choose: maybe a narrative, or a fiction story about a haunted house, or a friendly letter to another classmate?  

I also made each monthly set with different handwriting lines to accommodate my students’ handwriting as it progresses through the year.

{Click the picture to grab it rom TpT}

{{My monthly stationary was actually a “flash freebie” on Facebook a few days ago…make sure you’ve liked me so you don’t miss out in the future!}}

That about sums up how I plan on implementing Work On Writing this year.  Stay tuned for pictures…believe me, I’m probably more excited than you are to see how my set-up turns out!

Speaking of Daily 5, there’s another product that I use over and over again when I meet with my small groups: my Common Core Reading Comprehension Passages.  I assign them as homework to some of my higher-leveled kiddos, but I often use them in small groups with my below-level loves.

They’re perfect for practicing open ended questions and supporting your answer with text from the passages.  My kids were SUPER STARS with this by the end of the year last year!!!

I just put up a mini-edition of Back to School Passages.  My Back to School Edition has 8 passages {as opposed to 12 or 13 like my other editions}.  I did a Back to School Edition because I had too many ideas for stories to include them all in my Fall Edition {coming soon!}

If you haven’t tried my passages out yet, the mini-edition would be a great way to get your feet wet, so to speak! 

I have also decided to bundle all my passages together!!!!  If you don’t own more than one version but you think you might like too, I strongly suggest buying the bundled version now.  The price will go up as I add to the bundle {Fall and Winter Holidays Edition coming soon with plans for a non-fiction edition too}, so you’ll save a ton now and update your file as new passages are released.

{Click the picture to grab it from TpT}

Now for the fun stuff!!!  I will give away your choice of my Monthly Stationary or Back to School Reading Comprehension.  All you have to do is comment below and tell me when you go back to school! {Me, not till after Labor Day!!!!} Don’t forget to leave your email!!!

And be sure to come back tomorrow and link-up for my “Favorite Things” Linky! Tomorrow’s topic is “Feels Like Home”.  Share all your favorites for your home {designs,  decorative items, furniture, dream homes, whatever!}

And here’s the schedule for the rest of summer:

See you tomorrow!

~Halle

What We’ve Been Up To

We’ve been up to our necks in knowledge in 2nd grade!  On top of our regular instruction, our little kiddos have been taking MAPS.  This is our first year with the MAPS assessment, and the kids loooooove it.  I’ve never seen them so excited about a test!  I know myself, Jenna, and our grade partner Erica are anxious to get the reports back and really dissect the data, and come up with a plan of attack. 

Do you MAPS? What do you think of it?

We’re also doing a major overhaul of our report card.  We used to give letter grades, but we’re moving to Progressing {P}, Developing {D}, and Needs Improvement {NI}. 

 I’m curious…what do you do for report cards where you teach?

Here’s a peek into our week in pictures.  We’re really getting into a routine with math games and Read to Self.  I am loving seeing my kiddos so engaged in everything!

Our book boxes on display.  They <3 their book boxes.

Read to Self on the carpet. I am loving this picture...everyone is reading, really reading!!!!

Our adorable I-Pick Chart from The Teacher Wife

Our current math games {Surviving the Little People and Live Laugh Kindergarten}

Our EnVisions math games can be pretty fun too!  I always laminate the Topic Openers from EnVisons because of the games on the back, and let them play them for the rest of the unit.

I also wanted to show our torn paper collages we made, and hung up for Back to School Night.  They’re too cute!

Adorable, right?

I’ll be back sometime soon with a post on how Halloween has thrown up in decorated our room.

Here’s a little sneak peek ;)

Happy {Almost} Friday!!

-Halle