Constitution Day

  Next week will start off with Constitution Day on September 17. While planning the day, I was careful to balance learning about the Constitution with the standards to be taught according to my curriculum map.

  I am sharing a page I created to go with the School House Rock Video that another blogger shared. I provided the link to the video below along with the link the freebie. 

  What activities are you doing in your classroom on Constitution Day?

  Keeping it all Balanced

  
Tammi

 Our Constitution Freebie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pIKhRERqPS4&noredirect=1#!

I Can Writing Statements

 I just created a set of I Can Common Core Writing Statements, due to the popularity of my I Can Common Core Reading Statements,

  I display the statements in the front of the room while teaching or reviewing the standards. The children can refer to them as a resource while engaged in their writing. They serve as an anchor while I am helping other students.

  My students also have Language Arts binders divided into the sections of Reading, Writing, and Working with Words. The I can statements are easily copied and fit into the binders to serve as a resource once we've covered that standard.

 Keeping it Balanced              

     Tammi                      

       




                         

Friday Fall Freebie

I love fall weather, cool at night and warm through the day. It is the perfect season for theme planning, also. A Fall Theme can run from September-November. There are so many possibilities from Johnny Appleseed to Halloween to Thanksgiving. Pumpkins, apples, leaves, turkeys, bats,...oh my.

    I had a three day weekend last week and spent the days planning lessons around Fall Themes. I put together a Fall Themed Packet based on common core ELA standards that I will be teaching in the next four weeks.
  You can download my Preview for free titled Perfectly Plural. I hope you enjoy it! 

Tammi

       

Fabulous Fables

  I'm excited to begin my fable unit this week. I'll start it off with the story What About Me?  from our Reading Street Series. The children will explore fables from my theme box and share their favorite.
  We will of course read The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The story is also good timing for our Character Education week kick off to emphasis honesty.
  After my fable unit I transition into folktales in time for Johnny Appleseed's birthday. Keeping it all balanced!
  I have created a page to practice identifying the moral of a story using details in the text. CCore RL 3.3 This is the freebie I am sharing this week.
 I now have a complete unit for Folktales, Fables, and Myths available at my TPT store. 
                                                                                         
                                                                   Fable Freebie
                                                                

 
                        
Tammi 

Freebie Friday!

   TBA Freebie Friday is a great way to end a busy week! I am looking forward to all the fabulous freebies out there. The freebie that I'm sharing are specials signs that I post in the front of the classroom so the children know what special class they are going to that day. I designed the signs to match my class theme of polka dots.  Click on the picture below. Enjoy!

                         

                                                                                  

Tammi 


                                                            

Creative Comparison

       

   The first week of school I read Chrysanthemum and Odd Velvet  to my class. Both books contain similar themes of being different.  We discussed how the experiences of both characters were similar along with differences of both characters.

      I then led the children in creating a flip book to be used as a Venn Diagram. The children illustrated the faces of Chrysanthemum and Odd Velvet on the front of the book. Inside the flap of each character the children wrote how the character's were different. Inside the middle flap the children wrote the similarities.

  I didn't take a grade on this particular activity, however I will in the future with two different stories. I have created a rubric for assessment of the activity that I am sharing. The common core standard it assesses is at the top of the rubric.

   This  activity allowed the children to be creative, practice the skill taught, and incorporate written answers. The perfect balance.

Venn Diagram Flip Book Rubric

Tammi