I use what I call “Build-Write-Say” spelling to help my students master their weekly spelling words. During my reading center rotations, I present the words to the students (my spelling words are differentiated according to what phonics skill the group is working on) during the teacher-led group. Then, for a follow-up center, I give each student in the group a tub of letters, a tray or magnetic board, and a piece of handwriting paper. The students have to “build” each word with the letters, write each word 3 times, and then say each word to a partner. The students’ spelling test scores greatly improved after using this method–most of the students make a 90% or better each week.

A great way to help your students master their sight words is to play “Sight Word Tic Tac Toe.”

Materials:

~index cards or flashcards

~game pieces or markers of two different colors or shapes (I just cut out squares of colored paper)

Prepare the game:

1. Write at least 9 target sight words on the index cards (one word per card as in flashcard style).

2. Cut out squares of construction paper or gather game pieces of two different colors.

Play the game:

1. Have the student repeat each word after you until he/she is reasonably familiar with the word.

2. Lay the flashcards face up in a 3X3 grid style (just like tic tac toe without the lines).

3. Give the student 3 seconds to correctly say one of the words. If the students answers correctly, he/she will put their color marker on the word.

4. The first person to get three words in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) wins!

***I play this game every day with my struggling first graders. The students not only beg to play the game, but they are learning an average of 35 new words each week!!!

Here’s something important to think about: Recently there has been some talk going around about Barack Obama and his church, which he released the name of after being questioned about his Muslim faith. Obama’s church, Trinity United Church of Christ, is founded on a “non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA, and all members are “committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA” (Diaspora refers to any people or ethnic population who are forced or induced to leave their traditional homelands). A February 6 Chicago Tribune article reported that “conservative critics have seized on Trinity’s 12-point Black Value System, especially the portion relating to ‘middleclassness,’ as evidence that Obama is a divisive candidate who rejects mainstream American values and is primarily focused on the black community.” Carlson pointed to the “disavowal of the pursuit of ‘middleclassness’ ” in the church’s tenets, calling the church’s mission a “racially exclusive theology” and “a theology that ministers to one group of people, based on race.” Carlson claimed that Trinity’s theology is “racially exclusive” and “wrong,” adding that “it’s hard to call that Christianity.”

Obama is running for the President of the United States, yet no where on the church’s website is America even mentioned. Obama, and his financial partner Oprah, seem to be focused on the well-being of the people of Africa, not America. Obama refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance, wear an American flag pin (like the rest of the candidates), etc. Our children’s future is at stake. I’m not against change, but our country was founded on some basic principles that need to remain in place (i.e. as evidenced in the Pledge of Allegiance). Our country needs a President that loves the American people as well as America itself. Obama claims to be someone that cares for all people, yet his devotion to an obviously racist church seems to say otherwise.

Church Website: www.tucc.org/about.htm

Article mentioned above: http://mediamatters.org/items/200702090009

Here’s a little laugh to get you through the last few days before the much needed Christmas break.

Here’s a quick and easy way to get the students involved in decorating the classroom for holidays and special occasions. Find a simple outline of a character or object that goes along with the current holiday or celebration (i.e. hearts for Valentine’s Day, Christmas trees and ornaments for Christmas, and four leaf clovers for St. Patrick’s Day) and copy it onto construction paper. Most school copy machines can copy onto construction paper with a few simple adjustments. Have the children use crayons, markers, glitter sticks, etc. to make each shape unique. Then, simply staple the shapes on a piece of yarn about 3-5 inches apart and hang it from the ceiling, in the window, or across the wall. The students love knowing they had part in decorating for the holidays–and it looks great too!

Here’s an idea of how to help your students create their own Christmas (or Holiday) cheer. Instead of having a traditional “Secret Santa” gift exchange this year, which most of your low socioeconomic students could not participate in anyway, have a “Secret Santa” greeting card exchange instead. Have each student draw a fellow student’s name, and then create him/her a greeting card for part of their homework. You can even send home a bag of materials (i.e. construction paper, stickers, etc.) to eliminate all costs for the students. The students will love receiving, giving, and making the cards. A better parent-child relationship will also be established as they create the cards together!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

*Description

Students will learn how to sort objects by their attributes and then indicate the results on a simple graph (tally table).

*Literature Review:

Grandma’s Button Box, by Linda Williams Aber

Grandma has been collecting buttons for years. When Kelly accidentally knocks over her grandma’s box, she and her cousins scramble to sort the buttons like Grandma had them. At the end of the story, Grandma reveals that she had never sorted the buttons in the first place. Kelly and her cousins, nonetheless, learn valuable lessons about sorting, classification, and attributes.

*Grade Level:

Second Grade, 7-8 year olds, average mathematics ability

Click here for the entire lesson plan, including assessment rubric and tally table.

Please bare with me as I try to get everything back online after our web server crashed. Thanks.

Grade Level: 3-5
Sunshine State Standards:

SC.G.1.2.1
The student knows ways that plants, animals, and protests interact.
SC.G.1.2.2
The student knows that living things compete in a climatic region with other living things
and that structural adaptations make them fit for an environment.
SC.G.1.2.6
The student knows that organisms are growing, dying, and decaying and that new organisms are being produced from the materials of dead organisms.
LA.A.1.2.2
The student selects from a variety of simple strategies, including the use of phonics, word structure, context clues, self-questioning, confirming simple predictions, retelling, and using visual cues, to identify words and construct meaning from various texts, illustrations, graphics, and charts.
LA.A.1.2.3
The student uses simple strategies to determine meaning and increase vocabulary for reading, including the use of prefixes, suffixes, root words, multiple meanings, antonyms, synonyms, and word relationships.

Behavioral Objectives:

1. The students will be able to read the new vocabulary words (e.g. abdomen, larvae, cannibals,
offspring, molt, gossamer), identify the part of speech of each word, use each word in a
sentence, and define each word.
2. The students will be able to recall at least eight characteristics of the black widow spider
from the article.

Materials Required:

~ “The Black Widow” article (one for each child and the teacher)
~ Black and orange construction paper
~ Vocabulary word cards (a set of vocabulary words for each group—four-five students)
~ List of vocabulary words and their definitions (one for each group)
~ Red, yellow, blue, and white paper squares (one of each color for each group)
~ Plastic beach ball with four sections (one for each group)
~ Clip board with a record-keeping chart
~ Scissors (at least one per group)
~ Glue (at least one per group)

Procedures:

1. Large Group—Introduce each new vocabulary word by writing the new word on the board, pronouncing it, and dividing it into syllables. The students should then pronounce each word after the teacher. Next, provide the definition, part of speech, and a sentence with the word in it for the students on a transparency. The students should then read each word and its definition in unison with the guidance of the teacher. (Time: 7 minutes)
2. Guided Practice—Form groups of four-five students and play “Beach Ball Vocab” to engage the students in pronouncing each word, giving its part of speech, using it in a sentence, and defining it. The game is played as follows: Give each group a beach ball (divide the ball into four sections by coloring a portion of the ball in blue, red, white, and yellow), a paper square of each color (write the following words on the indicated color: red—pronunciation, yellow—definition, white—sentence, blue—part of speech), a set of vocabulary word cards, and a piece of paper with each word and its definition. The students in each group will take turns tossing the ball to each other, drawing a vocabulary word card, and “blindly” picking a color card which he/she will answer the corresponding question about the word. For example, student one tosses the ball to student three. Student three “blindly” draws a word card from the word stack, and a color square from the color card stack. If the student picks the word “abdomen” and the yellow color square, the student must give the definition of the word “abdomen.” After student three gives the definition, he/she should replace the word and color cards back into the appropriate stacks and toss the ball to another student. (T: 8 min.)
3. Develop Background for Comprehending Selection—Guide the students through a spider KWL chart to set a purpose for reading to enhance comprehension. On an overhead transparency, make three columns with the following headings: “What I Know,” “What I Want to Know,” and “What I Have Learned.” Allow several student volunteers to fill in the first two columns on the transparency prior to reading the article. (T: 5 min.)
4. Silent Reading of Passage—Distribute “The Black Widow” article to the students and
instruct them to read through it silently. Tell the students to look up when they are finished
reading. When all of the students have finished reading, ask for several student volunteers to
fill in the third column on the transparency (“What I Have Learned”). (T: 10 min.)
5. Discussion and Independent Practice—The students will demonstrate what they have learned
from “The Black Widow” by creating a “Spider Hat” (refer to the attached page for directions
and an example of how to make the “Spider Hat”). (T: 10 min.)

ESE Modifications:

I will allow the students classified as ESE to work with a buddy. The buddy will read the article to the ESE student and help him/her complete his/her “Spider Hat” if necessary.

ESOL Accommodations:

I will provide beginning ESOL students with a copy of “The Black Widow” in their native language. I will also allow the ESOL student to work with a buddy while completing his/her “Spider Hat.”

Evaluation:

The teacher will observe the students’ responses during “Beach Ball Vocab” to check for their understanding of the new vocabulary words. The teacher will put a check on the record-keeping chart by each student’s name that he/she hears answering a question correctly. Mastery of the vocabulary lesson will be answering at least one question correctly.
The teacher will also evaluate the “Spider Hat” to check for comprehension of “The Black Widow.” Mastery will be listing at least 6/8 facts about spiders correctly on each leg of the “Spider Hat.”

“Spider Hat” activity directions:

Materials:

~ white crayons
~ black and orange construction paper
~ glue
~ scissors
* Cut eight strips of black paper 1 1/2″ x 9.” Cut one strip of black paper 2″ x 22″ (you could substitute two 11″ pieces glued together).

Use the picture as a guide and cut the following:

~ Large black circles
~ Medium orange circles
~ Small black circles

* Glue the orange circle to the edge of the large black circle. Glue the small black circle to the edge of the orange circle.
* Measure the 22″ piece around the child’s head, overlap and glue the ends together. Glue the eyes to the hat band with black eyes touching as shown. * Instruct the children to write one fact about spiders that they have learned from the article on each leg strip (use a white crayon). Fold the leg strips in half. Fold one end of each leg strip back 1″. Glue the straight end of each leg to the inside edge of the hat band.
*You will have four legs on each side of your hat as shown.
Vocabulary Word Cards:
abdomen, larvae, gossamer
offspring, molt, cannibals

I personally recommend beaconlearningcenter.com to anyone needing inspiration for lesson plans or professional development information. I have used lesson and unit plans from Beacon on many occasions. The site allows you to search by learner level, subject area, or topic. All of the plans included on this site are standards-based. This site is an awesome time and sanity saver!