Teaching Character Analysis Using Picture Books

Hi everyone! It's Sarah from Sarah's First Grade Snippets. Today I wanted to share a (not so little) snippet about teaching character analysis. 

For our younger kids, I focus on describing a character and then finding evidence to support  our reasoning. I also talk about the character's feelings, how a character's feelings or traits affect the events in the book, and character changes. 

I put together a list of some books I've been reading lately that lend themselves to a character analysis lesson. The first set is fall-themed and the second set are for any ol' time. 

Thank you Susanna for the cute clip art!

For each book, I showed an example of an anchor chart that you could make on chart paper to support student learning. 

You can use these task cards with these books (or any other books) when you are teaching character analysis. These are just a few questions I find myself asking my students to get them thinking about characters.  

Click here to get these FREE task cards.

Since fall doesn't last forever, I made a short list of books that would work at any point in the school year. Head on over to my blog to read MORE...

AND  to snag these freebies: 

  

5 Easy Paper Crafts for Literacy

Aloha friends! It's Corinna from Surfin' Through Second.  Today I am sharing some easy crafts that you can use in your literacy centers this month.

Each of these crafts is made from a 9x6 piece of construction paper, google eyes and a sharpie. 

(the spider needs extra for the legs)

Just draw out a simple template for your students to use or copy onto colored construction paper.

Contractions

Synonyms

Prefixes/Suffixes

Shape Poems

Halloween Riddles

These simple paper crafts can be added to your literacy centers 

or can be created together as a class.

Stop by my blog for more fun ideas and resources.

Teaching Main Idea to K-2 Students

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by to check out my post! It's Naomi, from Read Like a Rock Star on TpT. Just wanted to share a few tips with you that will hopefully make teaching young students about finding the main idea, a little bit easier.

 Head on over to my blog to read about three easy things that I do that have made my kids pros at finding the main idea and supporting details!

 

ChalkTalk: October Edition

You are cordially invited to our ChalkTalk Vlog Linky!

Who?

Chalkies!

What?

A series of videos that highlight our teaching tips and tricks, and we hope you all love it as much as we do! Oh, and don’t worry, it’s going to be paid product-free! Only IDEAS or FREEBIES will be highlighted!

When?

Look for a new ChalkTalk at the beginning of EVERY.SINGLE.MONTH.  Hit us back up on the FIRST Wednesday of each month! Mark your calendars! Woo hoo!

Where?

You can find the links to ALL Chalkies videos on each of our own ChalkTalk vlog posts, as well as at the bottom of this post. Simple!!!

Why?

Because sometimes watching a blog post is way more fun than reading one J And who doesn’t love to FINALLY hear what your Chalkies actually sound like?! AND who doesn’t LOVE getting something for nothing??!!!

How?

Just click on the Chalkie below whose video you want to watch! You will be taken to our own vlog post that gives an overview of our video, and then you just click on the video. Easy peasy!

We would LOVE to know what you think of our ChalkTalk, so please please please leave us a comment below! We love reading and responding to you!

 Happy Watching!!!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Behavior Tips and Tricks

Hi sweet friends ~ Vicky here from Teaching and Much Moore.  I wanted to share some behavior tips that are easy peasy and seasonal.  Sometimes I think kids need a { pick me up }.  The day to day behavior procedures/consequences are in place but they might need just a little more.  Especially around the holidays or springtime when they get spring fever.

 

 

 

I love using the pumpkin one you see below because parent/teacher conferences are coming up and I have it up in my room.  The parents always comment on how clever or cute the idea is and who wouldn't love that right?!?

 

This is a very simple idea that you can implement in your classroom after a trip to the craft store.  They earn a 'piece' when they are working quietly, engaged/participating, good for a sub or at a special, etc. 

I also thought it would be fun to work on a character trait for a month and add pieces when I see them acting responsible etc. 

Try it out and let us know what you think.  They love seeing the pieces being added and it coming together.  Sometimes they are working so quietly they don't even notice right away if I sneak up and add a piece.  Once we have our creature complete there is some type of reward:  popsicle party, extra recess...you decide!  Have fun with it~  Do you think this is something you would use in your classroom?  For more fun ideas visit me over at my blog too:

 

 

Bye for now xoxox, Vicky

 

Math Exit Tickets and a FREEBIE!

Hi Everyone... Anna here from Simply Skilled in Second!

I have recently added the concept of using Exit Slips in my 2nd grade classroom.  I wanted to start off small and try this strategy with math concepts only.  I decided that after I teach the entire unit on a specific skill, I would give my students an Exit Booklet to be adhered into their math interactive notebooks.  This would be a great resource for the students to look back on if they also need to study for a cumulative assessment.

The Exit Ticket/Slip strategy is used to help students process new concepts, reflect on information learned, and express their thoughts about new information.  This strategy requires students to respond to a prompt, problem, skill, or concept given by the teacher and is an easy way incorporate writing into many content areas.  It is a great informal assessment tool that will allow teachers to adapt and differentiate their planning and instruction.

I deliver my math instruction utilizing a Guided Math Approach where I meet with small groups of children to instruct them on a specific skill based on their ability level with the concept.  Before I teach a specific skill, I always pre-assess on the skill to create my guided math groups.  When I conclude my instruction on a specific skill, I will informally assess using a form of Exit Tickets.  

If you would like to learn more about how I do Guided Math, click the image below...

Many Exit Tickets or Slips are quick one-page check-ins to assess whether the student has grasped or mastered the skill that was taught.  I wanted to take it a little further with my Exit Tickets because I wanted to assess my students ability to remember and apply key math terms, practice the skill that was taught and apply this skill in some type of problem solving question or task.

Here is a quick peek at my All About Time Tab-Its!

After my students complete the Tab-Its Exit Ticket, this will allow me to decipher which children need some additional teaching on a the concept and then I can pull those children during guided math to reteach that skill area.

If you would like to give one of my Math Tab-Its a try, click the image below to download my FREE Place Value Math Tab-Its.

If you would like to check out the entire Math Tab-Its Resource, click the image below....

Thanks so much for stopping by The Primary Chalkboard today!

Hugs,

Anna

Classroom Management Legos Style!

Hi all, my name is Emma Farrell and I blog over at Clever Classroom.  I am so excited because this is my first time blogging here at the Primary Chalkboard and the first time ever on a collaborative blog.  I sure am honored to be in such fine company.

I am here to share with you this exciting and very simple classroom management strategy I cooked up. I hope you find it useful. 

It's so simple to implement and your students will love it.

You will need:

1 x legos board

Colored lego rectangles or squares

That's it!

If you don't have legos, you could use any other construction toys you have like duplo or wooden blocks (the smaller ones).

Each table group (or any other group) will be allocated a color.  If you already use color names for your tables and they don't match your legos, just allocate colors that are close. 

When a table is working towards their goal, on task, helpful, display great manners, working in a team, in pairs or whatever your goal, a student places one piece of lego on the board and each time students add the same colored legos to their tower. 

The team with the highest legos tower is the winning table/group at the end of the day or week, depending on how you want to implement it. 

You can even add half bricks instead of a full brick, depending on what you are rewarding. 

It's ideal if you can outline your expectations and social skills at the beginning of the year to revisit them and have them as your success criteria. 

You could also create an anchor chart with your students about expectations of tables or table work.  Use  such frameworks us; students look like, sound like, have. 

Or students at tables; are, have, can, will. 

I hope this helps your classroom management program this year.

Font in images by Kimberly Geswein Fonts. 

Emma