July 31, 2023
Favorite Back to School Teacher Goodies
Soon I'll be heading back to the classroom and I personally can't wait. I know there are a ton of teachers out there who love to squeeze every last moment of their summers before even thinking about the school year ahead...I'm just not that teacher. Even 12 years later I am always filled with a buzzing excitement and I hope that never fades...
So, as I eagerly await the email from admin that lets us know we can get into our classrooms, here's a list of my favorite goodies for the back to school season!
Half-Gallon Water Bottle
Last year I got on the "drink more water" trend with my very own half-gallon water bottle. Right now everyone has to have the Stanley mug...and I don't doubt it's great...I just need a little more...
So, I am a person who finds themselves drinking more water when I have a straw. So, this one from Amazon has been a great option. So far I've been happy and the half-gallon has been do-able for me each day. Some teachers I know opt for the gallon bottles...but for me that's just a little too advantageous. Another great option is this bottle...
New Speckled Apple Watch Band & Earrings
A fun gift to myself to start the year last year were these cuuuuute Mo Willems earrings! I also picked up this speckled Apple Watch band. The seller is a teacher as well and I love supporting small businesses like these. Be sure to stop by her little online boutique for some teacher goodies yourself!
New Badge Reel
My first year back I went with a cute necklace badge holder and I found it made a lot of noise when I walked and just got in the way. This last year I upgraded to the badge reel and it's been perfect for me. I opted for the olive green with leopard print and it's lasted me all year. I love the silicon beads and I love being able to place it wherever I want.
Teacher Tees
Who doesn't love a good teacher tee? I love browsing all over for new shirts to wear during the year. This one is one of my favorites and the seller makes them for all grade levels. I love finding quality shirts (think Bella Canvas) from Etsy and for simpler tees (think Fruit of the Loom or Gildan) I use Tees2UrDoor.
Gifts for Teammates
Nothing says "welcome back" like a few goodies for your teammates! My own shop, Red Oak Lettering, has a few items that can be personalized. Here are a few popular items teachers love ordering for themselves or their teams:
Personalized Pencil Keychain
Keychains are a fun way to add some flair to your lanyard or backpack. Each one comes personalized with a name as seen here.
In My Teacher Era Glass Can
Another popular choice are these glass cans with a bamboo lid. I love having a set of glassware/mugs in my classroom for those moments where I need an extra boost of caffeine.
Stickers!
I have a few stickers in my shop, but I love finding new teacher-specific stickers from all over Etsy! Created By Christine Co is one of my favorites for finding cute teacher stickers! She's a fellow elementary teacher (who somehow manages to do it all!) and I love supporting fellow teacher-sellers!
That's it for now! I wish you all the most relaxing of final summer days and best of luck as you head into this school year!
July 30, 2023
35 Weeks of Scripted Reading Lessons!
At the end of each year I always set out to explore my district's curriculum and see what I can do to create a pacing guide for myself no matter the subject. I teach the best when I'm able to look ahead and see what it is we'll be covering - especially in that first grading period. My district curriculum developers are ah-mazing! They really have done a wonderful job with how the pacing will look for kindergarten reading instruction, which made my job easier when it comes to planning the day-to-day.
Although the TEKs and learning targets were there, there wasn't much else and if you're anything like me...when the school year starts we're off to the races. When you're in the thick of it, it can be difficult to pick the read-aloud, pick the activity, and make sure it all aligns. Yes, that's a huge part of being a teacher, but let me tell you....it doesn't have to be all consuming of your time and PLC with your team.
That's why I set out to create a FULL YEARS WORTH of scripted lesson plans that are TEK and Science of Reading (SoR) aligned! I have already picked read-alouds that best fit as mentor texts for each lesson's learning objective. I have also provided teachers with guiding questions during the reading as well as extension activities for after reading where students demonstrate their understanding.
Awesome, right? Let's take a peek!!
35 Weeks of Scripted Lesson Plans
The goal of creating this resource was to, most importantly, free up planning time for myself and my team. By having our reading block planned, we can dedicate that time elsewhere as teachers. For us in my district we have 35 weeks of school and this resource takes us from the first to the last day of instruction. The other focus for this resource had those new teachers (or new to kindergarten) in mind. On our own team we were blessed with one of the best "new" teachers and it's been amazing to see her flourish. My hope for resources like this helps gives teachers like her a place to launch from. And we know beginning in planning can be the hardest.
Each lesson is tailored around the learning objective/learning target for that day. I scoured to match the best mentor texts that lend themselves to those learning objectives. Of course, you can always supplement your own read-alouds as you wish...but for me, selecting the read-aloud was always the hardest (I mean, there's so many perfect texts out there how to choose just one!). I love that step is already done for myself as is the lesson.
Each lesson begins with the introduction which just introduces the learning objective statement and intros what students will be focusing on in their reading that day. I wanted to incorporate a stating of the objective in the beginning and at the end because it can easily be a step to miss. (And we all know our admins are looking for this when they come to observe us). By stating the focus students begin to have ownership over their own learning. It's amazing to see and feel the shift in our littlest of learners when we state the focus of their learning (who knew?! Haha).
Each lesson follows the framework of:
- I DO (the modeling and think-alouds by the teacher)
- WE DO (guided reading/writing), and finally,
- YOU DO (the independent activity that aligns with the day's lesson).
Students have the opportunity to see the learning target skill be modeled and thought-aloud by the teacher during each lesson. Also, students have opportunities to pair-share (turn-and-talk...whatever you call it in your classroom) their thinking about their reading. The pair-share is a huge focus in my lessons because it's not only engagement, but communication skills are key. Students will be practicing collaboration and effective communication (active listening/speaking skills) all year long!
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| Using text evidence to support inferences. |
Note that there won't be worksheet activities for all lessons, however. Some lessons lend themselves for students to take work to their seats to demonstrate their understanding, but others are discussion based. This is intentional as it depends on the learning target. After digging through the TEKS for reading in kinder, a lot of them ask students to "discuss" their learning vs completing a worksheet or craft. This is great because it, again, focuses students on their ability to share about their learning which is an important skill in itself.
Then, finally, you restate that learning objective. ;)
Time for Reading Centers
At the beginning of the year you are just beginning to lay the foundation to what your reading block will look and feel like. Students are not diving right into the heavy content to begin, but rather are actively exploring what behaviors are expected during this learning block. Each lesson for the first six weeks or so has students practice and build their stamina for reading workshop. They spend a lot of time learning to be effective listeners and speakers, then build upon that as content is introduced.
However, the mini-lesson isn't your whole block! Naturally, you are going to begin to slowly introduce reading rotations or centers. Whether you are using Daily 5 as your framework or have another system that works, students should be spending time building their independent work stamina.
What are FLEX DAYS?
Flex Days/Weeks are built into the curriculum and they are exactly what they sound like: flexible days for teachers to use at their discretion within the grading period. Some of the ways I use these flex days include:
- assessments, assessments, assessments: whether they are district or state required or your own assessments as a grade level, it's important to track your students and keep a record of their understanding of the learning objectives in reading for that grading period.
- tracking data/RTI: keeping up with your students who may need some TLC require a touch more data points. So these flex days are great for extra time in your block to collect these data points.
- revisiting content: some lessons need more than one day or maybe you had a fire drill that completely ate your reading block. Either way, we need the flexibility to revisit content as our students need it.
- preparing for a break from school: breaks and holidays cut into instructional time and flex days provide teachers with the ability to fill in thematic lessons or activities, prep for upcoming school events, etc.
Flex Days are great for all of these reasons. With this resource you are able to still have control over how your block will look and feel while hitting those required learning targets. Use these Flex Days consecutively or break them up and sprinkle them in here and there.
Happy Teaching!
I hope you find this resource as helpful as I do - I wish you the very best as you begin to plan for your reading block this school year!
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