Ask and Answer Questions! {Resources and a Freebie Rewind!}

Well, this week started with the 15th day of school and we're finally trained enough on Daily Five for me to meet with groups!  YAY!

I love Daily Five.  LOVE.  I've been teaching with this system for 9 years and fall more in love every year!

This is what we're doing this week...

We're working on learning how to ask and answer questions.

We used this FREEBIE {rewind!} from my TpT store...

In small groups, we used leveled passages.  We read them and then students randomly drew a question word card.  They had to write a question about the passage using their question word.

Anytime we write on our green circles they are so excited!  They loved this activity!

We added the pages for asking and answering questions to our Reading Response Journals...

And then... for homework this week, students are completing a reading response task {IN THE SAME NOTEBOOK that we put the Interactive Reading Ask and Answer questions in} some ask and answer question practice!  Since we put the response task in the same notebook, they have a resource to refer to at home if needed!  I can't WAIT to grade these tomorrow and see how they did.  The rubric at the bottom will make grading a cinch!  You can check them out for grades 2, 3, 4, AND 5 in my shop!

For independent practice, students worked on answering questions from my newest pack!

Check it out here for RL and RI standards!

Next week, we're going to continue asking and answering questions... but we're going to work on making inferences so we can ask inferential questions!  We'll be completing the inference pages of the Interactive Reading Notebook too!

I'm so glad we're in the swing of things!  Hope ya'll are off to a good start too!

Organizing Pages for Reading Responses

I can't WAIT to start using my new Reading Response Tasks this school year.  They are Common Core connected, fit on one page, and really have students applying their comprehension skills!

I had a parent copy and cut 100 of each task page out at the end of last school year.  She organized them in file folders for me so it will be super easy for students to grab these on Monday morning, glue them in their composition books, and be good to go for their Reading Response task homework for the week!

Looking to beef up your students' comprehension skills?  Check out the Reading Response Tasks for grades 2, 3, 4, and 5!

  

Common Core Connected Reading Tasks for 2nd Grade... It's HERE! {And a GIVEAWAY!}

A week ago, I posted about my Common Core connected reading response tasks for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades...

And now, they are available for 2nd grade as well!

These packs have a reading response activity for each RL and RI standard.

An "I can..." statement is at the top, along with a graphic organizer and then directions for (usually) two writing tasks involving a book and the graphic organizer.  The last task will be graded, using the rubric... OR use the editable PowerPoint included with each file to create your own rubrics!

Everything you need (including a rubric!) is on one page, that students glue into a composition notebook...

 

Task 1 is completed on a graphic organizer and then the rest of the tasks are to be completed on the paper to the right of the response sheet.

These are new for me this year and I can't WAIT to use them with my 3rd graders!

You can win a copy!

Just enter the Rafflecopter below!  It only runs for three days to give the winner time to look this over, print, and get it ready to use in class!  In fact... I'll choose TWO winners!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading Response Tasks {I'm Talking to You, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Teachers!}

We've done RRJs {Reading Response Journals} for a few years as homework.  Students read at home and respond to their reading in a composition book.

I LOVE RRJs.  They help students develop their writing skills.  They help me get a glimpse into students' comprehension.  We've used a simple set-up for a few years... in the beginning of the year, students do practice RRJs in class on half sheets of paper.  They glue them in their RRJ so they have an example to refer to as needed.

Then, students begin responding on their own.  They read and then summarize, predict, visualize, or respond to a question of their choosing.  The questions are Common Core based... "What is the lesson?  How do you know?" type of question.

Students have a reading log in the front that they fill in each night.  You can click the big pic to check out the pack I have been using for the last three years.

  

But, this year, my whole school {grades 3-5} is switching to a more focused Common Core connected RRJ.  Students will complete a task for whatever the standard is that we are working on in class.

We're still using composition books and students will still do RRJs as part of nightly homework {though these would be GREAT for in class work too... accountability during reading workshop!} and students will still respond to the book they have chosen to read... but, now, our RRJs look like this:

Students have three tasks to complete during the week.  My scheduling for RRJs has been very rigid in the past but, this year, I'm going to allow students to complete these as their leisure as long as it is turned in by Friday morning.  I'm hoping this will help families complete homework around their schedule.

So... each standard has one of these pages.  Kid-friendly "I can" statement at the top, a graphic organizer, and (usually) 2 more tasks with the 3rd one being the one that is graded.  A kid/parent-friendly rubric is included so that everyone knows exactly what is expected for the 3rd task.

The first task is always completed on this page- which will be glued in on the lefthand side of a composition notebook.

Tasks 2 and 3 are to be completed on the opposite page on the right...

I'm really excited to see students extend their in-class practice and get better at the standards!

These packs are available in my TpT store for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades!  Each one also includes an editable PowerPoint with NO rubrics so you can add your own if you would like!

 

So, if you're looking for your students to respond to reading in a way that directly connects with what you are working on in class, these might be for you!  Thanks to my colleagues for their input and Beth Wright, my school interventionist, for her collaboration on these too!  We're all excited to implement these!

Aaaaaand... you can get them for over 20% off during the TpT BTS sale, August 3rd and 4th!  My store is 20% off AND you can use the promo code BTS15 for 10% off of that at checkout!

Don't Run Out of Copies... Quick and Easy Idea!

Happy *almost* Monday, friends!  Tomorrow starts my first full week of school (we had 3 1/2 days last week) and I'm so ready!

I spent last week getting my kiddos acclimated to the rules and routines of my room and getting things we'll use all year set up with my little friends.

As we were setting up our RRJs and passing out our nightly reading logs, I just ran tons of copies of the reading log so kids can easily get a new one when their old one is filled.  I have a spot in my room with a pile of these copies and my kiddos are trained to take one from the pile when needed.

What makes me so sad though... is when someone takes the last copy and I don't know about it!

So, I have a quick solution!

The last piece of paper in the stack has this on it:

Last copy!  Do not use... give to Ms. Bainbridge!

And... problem solved!  When the kiddos get to the end of the pile, I know right away and can quickly copy more!

To check out the RRJ pack that this page comes from, click the pic below!  Now is a great time to get this routine established in your classroom... mine could NOT wait to get their RRJs set up and were so happy to know they'd get to start taking them home tomorrow!  I even had kiddos do RRJ entries on notebook paper at home last week and bring them to me the following day... they were so pumped!

What We've Been Up To... in Pictures!

Holy first week of school, Batman!  It's always such a whirlwind and I forget every year how crazy the first few weeks are!

We've been busy setting up routines and getting ready for when we start switching classes next week.  I have a group of super sweeties this year {and one best friend... which is how I always think of my more challenging kiddos!}.

I have had time to snap a few pics of what we've been doing this week...

We did my favorite beginning of the year tradition which is to color in bubble letters of our names, mount them on colored paper, laminate and hang all year!  Usually I hang them in the hall, but this year I'm keeping them in our room...

On the first day, I took a picture of each kid making a "thinking face".  On the 2nd day {Wednesday}, we cut them out and glued them to a piece of writing paper with a thought bubble.  They each wrote in the bubble something they were thinking about 3rd grade.  I hung them in my baggie quilt in the hallway... and love it!

And today we decorated the covers for our RRJs {Reading Response Journals}.  I brought out the scrapbooking paper, stickers, and glitter glue and they had a blast making them look unique!  We started these last year and I LOVE them.  The kids respond to their reading by writing 3-5 sentences at home each night and I love seeing their thoughts about their books.  I really gives me insight into their comprehension and also gives valuable writing practice!  They can't WAIT to start using them next week!  Click either pic to learn more about RRJs!

Find my RRJ pack on TpT!

It's been a good first week.  One thing I'm absolutely LOVING is seeing my kiddos from last year!  Since last year was my first year in my building, I didn't have any former students to wave at all year long... I am LOVING bumping into my kiddos from last year, quick hugs in the hall, fast waves as they walk past my room, and seeing those precious kiddos!

Hope everyone else is off to a good start... but I am glad tomorrow's Friday!

4th of July Winners and Throwback Thursday Linky Party {All about RRJs}

Happy 4th of July!

I have a few things for you today...

First, winners of my little bunting giveaway from yesterday...

I had hubby choose two numbers and, in the spirit of the 4th, he chose 7 (for July) and 4 (for today) and the winners are... Tracey from Third Grade All Stars who gets my patriotic bunting and one of her choice and Michele of Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans who get a bunting set of her choice!  You ladies did not leave your e-mail addresses so please comment with them or e-mail me at christina4062@hotmail.com! :)

Second, everything in my TpT store is 20% off today for a little 4th Flash Sale!  Click the pic to check it out and score some discounted buntings for yourself!

And I am linking up with Mrs. Carroll from The First Grade Parade for her Throwback Thursday linky party!

I wanted to spotlight a post I did last September about Reading Response Journals.  These were a HUGE part of my classroom this year and helped my students grow as readers and writers so much!  It's a nice alternative to a traditional "reading log" and helped me get a glimpse into my students' thinking as they read nightly too.

I hope you'll enjoy learning about how RRJs changed my classroom this year!

****Originally posted on 9/17/12****

We're using RRJs in my building this year to build writing and reading comprehension skills... and so far, the kids are loving them!

What's an RRJ you ask?  They are our Reading Response Journals!

Our kiddos used regular composition books and decorated the covers:

We used binder clips to put reading logs in the front of each RRJ.  The kiddos can remove and turn in their reading logs when filled and then add a new one by clipping it inside.  They have to write the date, title, genre, check the strategy they are writing about, number of pages, and AR color.

Each student also has a reference page on the first page of their RRJ.  I copied mine on yellow paper so they stand out.  The reference page explains how to fill out the RRJ and gives a list of genre definitions because they have to include the genre on each RRJ entry.

Right now, we have only learned how to summarize.  We read a few books together and did oral summaries.  Then we read and wrote a summary together.  Then I read the kids a book and each kid wrote their own summary on a half sheet of paper- this way they have the definition of the strategy and an example of what they are supposed to do.  They glued them in their RRJs.  They must also write their name, date, book title, genre, and strategy at the top of each RRJ entry.

Now my kiddos are summarizing on their own.  They summarize their reading each night Monday-Thursday and I read them during their specials and give a little note of feedback.  They love coming in to find their RRJs on their desks to see what I've said to them!

That particular little lady is quite the writer- most of my kids are doing a small paragraph of about 5-7 sentences.  They have LOVED doing their RRJs so far and I am excited about introducing more strategies in the future so they can have their choice of what to write about!

Hooray!  My first "meaty" post since school has started... YES!


Monday I posted about how we are using RRJs at my school to improve our reading comprehension and our writing and I got a TON of e-mails with questions and people wondering if I would offer my RRJ materials for sale.  So, I've tweaked them a bit to fit more classrooms than just mine and have put it up at TpT. 

You can download the preview file to see what is included... it's 40 pages of stuff to help you implement RRJs in your classroom!  I believe (and having taught it for two years, I am positive) that even first graders could do a modified version of this... even if they aren't keeping their own personal RRJ, the strategy pages would be great practice for printing off when studying different comprehension strategies.  The pack includes RRJ pages for students to practice summary, predicting, visualizing, text-to-self, text, and world connections, inferring, questioning, character traits, and a blank one for you to add your own strategies.

****Back to now!****
I love RRJs.  Yes, I had to make time to read them every day.  It took about 25 minutes to get through everyone's.  But it was so worth it.  And they could not wait to get their RRJ back each day to see what I had written.  Some days it was just a smiley face or a sticker and they were so happy to see that!  It was really exciting to see how their understanding changed throughout the year and their writings became so much more complex and showed deeper understanding of the reading.

I am not changing anything about this for the upcoming year.  It worked out perfectly!

Enjoy your 4th!  :)

100 Club AND Nighty Reading... {How They Work Together in My Room}

Gooooooood morning and happy Tuesday!

First up today- I am helping out the talented Ashley Hughes {aka- The School Supply Addict} with her 4,000 follower giveaway and today my prize is up for grabs!  You can win my "Special People Flippy Book" set with flippy books for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparent's Day!

Click the pic to head to her blog to enter!

And... the meat of the post today...

How my 100 Club and nightly reading work together in my classroom...

Thank you all so so much for your interest in the 100 Club!  If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, this is an optional "club" my students can join by reading books.  They can join the club at 50 books and then get recognized again at 75 books and then 100!

I've gotten quite a few questions about how this works with nightly reading and so that's what I'm going to fill you in on today.

First of all, we don't do reading logs.  What?!  No reading logs?  How do we know our kids are doing their required nightly reading?! 

I should say we don't *JUST* do reading logs.

Students do fill out a log of their reading... it looks like this:

Students fill in the date, book title, genre, strategy (I'll get to that in a second), number of pages read, and the AR reading level (or color) of they book they've read.

Then they write about their reading- telling how they used the strategy they selected.

So, they might summarize their reading, tell a prediction they made, make a connection, or tell how the author helped them visualize.

This is our RRJ (Reading Response Journal).  I LOVE THIS.  It's more than just a reading log because I can see my students' understanding and metacognition.  I can see who is really reading.  I can monitor their thought process as they write about the same book over several nights.  Not only that, but they are writing every single night which is huge!

I read these each morning (Tuesday-Friday) and write a brief comment back to students.  They always race in from their special to find their RRJ at their seat and immediately flip to see what I've written.  Sometimes it's just a smiley face, but they love to see it in there!

So, how do these two things work together...

In my room, the 100 Club is optional.  If a student wants to be in it, they just fill out both forms- their RRJ reading log AND their 100 Club recording sheet.  If they don't want to participate (which most DO!), they just don't fill out the 100 Club sheet.  It's that simple.

Here's a pic of the 1st sheet of one of the 100 Club recording sheets...

I would not use the 100 Club as a replacement for a reading log system; I would (and do) use it in addition to.  When I taught 1st and 2nd graders, they had to write their book title down on their homework sheet every night and they had to do the same thing as my 3rd graders: write it again on the 100 Club sheet to count it for that.

It's not hard.  It won't hurt them.  And no one ever, truly, said anything negative about it.  The funny thing is that sometimes kids would read a book for their RRJ that they didn't love and they wouldn't want to count it for the 100 Club!  I loved seeing that kind of thinking about reading and the pride the students took in wanting to reach their goal in the club... that they wouldn't want to get there reading books they didn't love!

I hope that helps answer some questions.  If you have others, please ask as I'm happy to share!

If you're interested in either item- the RRJs or the 100 Club, they are both available in my TpT store...  Just click the pics to check them out!  Both files include an editable element so that, using PowerPoint, you can customize some things to fit your classroom needs.