Books That Stand the Test of Time?

When I was in school, I remember reading The Boxcar Children as one of my first chapter books.

I remember the suspense of what would happen to these kids ... alone in the woods... living in a boxcar ...

I didn't get into the series, but I remember this book as one I truly enjoyed. 

So, now as a teacher, I was looking for some chapter books for my guided reading group - level M/N - and I saw this book in our book room! I just couldn't pass it up :) I started rereading it and creating a guided reading packet for my students. I was pulling out character trait stuff, cause & effect, sequencing, predicting, mood and inferencing. I am not finished with my packet, but I was pausing to ponder - Will this book be as enjoyable for my students? Is it timeless? Will they relate to it and be as engaged in the characters as I was?

Here is a sneak peek at the packet . . . 

 

What was one of your first chapter books? 

Have you used it with your students? Did it stand the test of time? 

Cyber Sale - TpT

I just finished a new product . . . The Tale of Despereaux Activity Packet. It was long overdue, but this Cyber Sale pushed me to get my act together! So, don't miss out - a great TpT Cyber Sale - up to 28% off!




I will be purchasing some of the things saved on my wishlist . . . what about you?

Here's some pictures of the Tales of Despereaux pack:

           

It will be on sale Monday and Tuesday for 28% off!!

Grades, Reports, Progress . . . Oh My!!

It's that time of year; the end of the first quarter. With that comes a whole bunch of paperwork for teachers. I know for me, this is not why I became a teacher, but, it is part of the trade. I have read a couple posts lately that have focused on the topic of grading students with disabilities. I am always looking for valid, authentic ways to measure my students' performance. I am constantly thinking outside of the box with how to enter that information into the confines of the gradebook. I just haven't wrapped my head around a clear-cut system yet, and it's been 8 years since I started. 

Karen, from EMPOWERED by Them, posted this about grading  . . . 

I like the idea of haing a rubric format for student performance, as Karen mentioned, it is so difficult to grade students with such varying abilities, yet also take into account your knowledge of their personal effort. 

Hailey, from Autism Tank, posted this about the ABLLS Assessment . . . 

I use the ABLLS Assessent for writing ETRs and have found it very useful when pinpointing areas of need. Could this help with grading students who are functioning at this level, making incremental steps within a skill? 

Who has the answer? 

How do you grade students who don't fit within the framework of gradebook?

Concept Confessions: Numbers, Numbers Everywhere!

To start the school year, my students in 5th grade are working on some number sense / place value review. I quickly created some number cards for some basic activities - here they are on google docs.
Number Cards 3-5 digit

I am planning to use these cards for reading multi-digit numbers. The cards are color-coded:
pink - up to the hundreds (3-digit)
green - up to thousands (4-digit)
blue - up the ten thousands (5-digit)

Number Cards - Ordering

I am planning to use these cards for ordering numbers. They are color-coded as well with some sets skipping by ones and others skipping by random intervals. After students put the number cards in order from least to greatest OR greatest to least, have the student read the numbers aloud.

You could use these cards for many other "number sense" activities:
flash a card and ask for the number before
flash a card and ask for the number after
compare two cards - which is greater or less
show a card and ask how close to 100 or 1,000
flash a card and ask for the digit in a specific place value
show two cards and ask which is closer to 0, 100 or 1,000
show two cards and ask how far away they are from one another

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Back-to-School SALE

It's that time again! While you are prepping your rooms and your resources - check out my TpT store & enjoy 20% off my Extended Standard Resources, August 15-18!!

back to school SHOPPING

So, I usually hold out as long as I can for back to school shopping, but when I saw the bins and boxes at Target - I just went for it.

I am trying to go a step further in my organization - each year gets a little better. 

My first purchase was binder holders from Really Good Stuff.

 

I am using these to organize all my thematic units. In special education, using thematic units has been a long-time practice and has recently been re-encouraged at OCALI conferences and workshops. I have been building these units for the 7 years I have been teaching. A bonus this past year was the purchase of Unique Learning Curriculum & Supplements (from the same company as News-2-You) at my school district. This curriculum is based on themes as well - all linked back to the extended standards/common core. It is pricey, but it was really easy to use and implement. SO . . . I have lots of resources at this point and am in need of organizing and refining the materials. Either you are building your resources or refining them :)

Anyway, these binder holders have been perfect. I store everything for one thematic unit in the bin (file folders, flashcards, laminated books, communication boards, visuals, recipes, spelling materials, math task cards, manipulatives, and so on) and when I'm ready to teach that topic - I pull out the whole bin and get busy! Well, that's the plan!

My only complaint is the bottom section is not as wide as a file folder so things sit about 1 inch up in the bin, on a ledge. If it went all the way down, it would fit into file cabinets without an issue. For now, I have been trimming some tall things :(

I also bought some storage boxes, metal shelving, buckets and bins from Target. Some really cute stuff for some really great prices! You can always count on that store!

 

These aren't the exact colors I purchased, but I did grab all these sizes and kinds in matching colors! 

Now that the classroom shopping is almost done, I need to think about school clothes shopping :)

Best of luck as you prepare for your new school year!