Sequencing Fun

Our comprehension skill this week is sequencing.  I feel like I teach the same things over and over again when it comes to this skill.  Sure the kids can find signal words.  They can turn just about any story into a graphic organizer.  I needed something new to jazz this topic up!  I created a Mixed Up Story for the kids to create and share.  They LOVED it!!  FIRSTJ we talked about signal words and how authors do not use these words in every sentence.  THEN we discussed how each slip needed an event.  These events could be a couple of sentences long.  The students wrote stories and cut them apart.  AFTER THAT, I had the kids Stand Up Hand Up Pair Up. (All of you Kagan teachers know this as SUHUPUJ) After getting with a partner, students traded stories and put them back in order.  Once finished the kiddos found a new partner and repeated.  Fun Stuff!!  I have provided the link to this free template.  I am in the process of creating a Sequencing Unit with more activities like this.  It should be on teacherspayteachers in a week or soJ 

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sequence-Mixed-Up-Story-Reading-and-Writing-Activity

 

Happy teaching,

Emily

Author's Purpose Pie... Yum!

Author's Purpose

At one of our team meetings at school, we discussed Blooms Taxonomy and how to "bump up" our teaching. My mind instantly went into brainstorming mode! The strategy of the week in reading was author's purpose. Of course I was having my students find author's purpose in the passages and did all sorts of games....which are posted on my teacherspayteachers site:) But I realized that I really needed to get my kids to "synthesize" and "evaluate." Gotta love Blooms lingo! I came up with a writing activity which required the kids to CREATE a paragraph for inform, entertain, and persuade from a topic they chose. Then I thought, why not make it into a pie using a paper plate. The kids loved picking their favorite pie flavor to color! To bump it up to EVALUATE on the Blooms Triangle, I had the kids justify their paragraphs as they read it to each other. I am glad to share my Author's Purpose Pie Writing Activity. The rest of the Author's Purpose Unit is on www.teacherspayteachers.com Enjoy!!

 

(Ok, I haven't figured out how to create links yet!  If this doesn't work, please let me know!)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Authors-Purpose-Writing-Activity-Bulletin-Board-FREE

Ok, so I have officially entered the world of blogging but what do I do now?? I have so many great ideas rolling around in my head...hence the name BigIdeasinTeaching!   This blogging stuff is complicated to my simple mind.  I know I will start getting the hang of it but PLEASE keep checking back with me and hopefully I will start figuring out how to get my ideas on here.