How I Keep Up With Make-Up and Late Work

Ah, absent work.  How I loathe thee!  For a while this past year, I had at least two students out each day for about a month.  That was not a fun time with all the missing grades and papers.  It was enough to make me ALMOST resigned to the fact that I would never keep it all straight.

So what did I do about it?

I made this poster, of course!

 

After laminating the poster, I write the assignments and student numbers in dry-erase marker.  After a student has turned in an assignment, I simply erase their number from the poster.  After all students have completed the assignment, I erase the whole thing. 

You can pick up a FREE copy of the poster by clicking here.

The only thing that could make it any better is if it stayed clean like it looks now, but I'll settle for a neat and concise way to keep it all together.  How do you keep it all organized?

Developmental Word Study

My school uses the Words Their Way program by Marcia R. Invernizzi, Francine R. Johnston, Donald R. Bear, and Shane Templeton. 

Since I am 4th Grade, these are the editions that I use so that the wide range of needs of my readers/spellers are met.

Last year, we also started using Mindful of Words: Spelling and Vocabulary Explorations 4-8 (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) by Kathy Ganske.  This adds a little more of the "word study/vocabulary" piece to the spelling.

I spent the last couple of years tweaking my small group word study and word study packets for independent learning.  Basically, I usually end up with 3-4 spelling groups after I give the beginning of the year pretest. 

Some things I found that do NOT work for my students:

• Weekly spelling tests: Students were "memorizing" words just long enough to pass the test and them misspelling the same words in their writing.  Plus, it takes a lot of class time to give a spelling test.
• Assigning spelling packets for homework. 

Some things I found that DO work:

• Have a packet that explicitly tells students what to do each day during independent word study time.
• Keeping one plastic baggy for "this week's words" and one for "old words"
• Pulling words from the "old words" baggy randomly to see which words need to be practiced
• Holding students accountable for words learned during word study in their writing

This is a sample weekly independent word study packet and the small group rotation schedule.

The packet includes 5 days of activities to be done independently after all the words have been introduced in small group. The rotation schedule is meant to keep the groups "flowing" so that not all students are doing the same activity and thus, have access to all materials as needed.

The packet addresses the vocabulary/writing, as well as the spelling practice components of word study.




This is the basic weekly schedule:

Day 1

Group 1: (lowest group): Introduction of sort and activities in packet (15 minutes)

Group 2: (2^nd lowest group): Introduction of sort and activities in packet (15 minutes)

Day 2

Group 3: (middle group): Introduction of sort and activities in packet (15 minutes)

Group 4: (highest group): Introduction of sort and activities in packet (15 minutes)

Day 3

Group 1: Check-in: clarification of sort, meaning of words, activity expectations (5-10 minutes)

Group 2: Check-in: clarification of sort, meaning of words, activity expectations (5-10 minutes)

Day 4

Group 3: Check-in: clarification of sort, meaning of words, activity expectations (5-10 minutes)

Group 4: Check-in: clarification of sort, meaning of words, activity expectations (5-10 minutes)

Day 5

All groups: open agenda (usually answering questions as a whole group)

Packet collection schedule (provided there was a full 5 days for them to complete the activities):

Groups 1 & 2: Mondays

Groups 3 & 4: Tuesdays

 

You can pick up a FREE copy by clicking here.

 

What about you?  Do you use anything similar to this?  How do you run it?

 

  

Using Sticky Notes for Reading Comprehension

I love using a Reader's Notebook to increase reading comprehension.  A goal I have for myself for next year is to increase readers' use of sticky notes to mark their thinking.  After digging around for a bit on Pinterest and the Internet, I came up with the following visual.

This PDF can be turned into a poster or simply printed and stapled into readers' notebooks. It is designed to help readers track their thinking on sticky notes, which in turn, help the teacher see the areas in which the students need help or have mastered.             


You can pick up a copy by clicking here.

I also felt like this is not solely for reading class, either.  Why not add a copy of it to our Social Studies or Science notebooks?  There is so much reading comprehension that needs to happen for full understanding in these subjects as well.

What about you?  Do you already use this method?  Is there anything you do differently?  I'd love to hear your strategies!