SALE!! SALE!! SALE!!

TPT is having a cyber Monday and Tuesday sale on December 1st and 2nd!! Whoop Whoop!!

This means you get to download all of the items off your wishlist!  YAAAAYY!!!

All items in my store will be 20% off....so go stock up!! :)

~Katie

Website Wednesday--Newsela

Happy Hump Day Y'all!!

Today I had a SUPER day---not just because we are over the midweek hump---but because I was able to attend (for free!!) a reading conference.  Not only was it for free (how often do teachers get to go to free conferences---ummm....hello...never) but it was really, really good!!

It was kind of a last minute deal--but I last week I received an email with a "complimentary ticket" for a Really Great Reading presentation on helping adolescent readers decode.  This type of conference was right. up. my. alley!  If you have time you should check out the website, because they have some awesome free resources for teachers.

I promise to blog more about some of the things I learned today--but it will have to be later, so all of my thinking can soak in.

I do want to share another great website.

Its called:  Newsela

Newsela is a wonderful website to supplement your current ELA classroom.  This is a FREE website where students have the ability to read current events that are written at a variety of reading levels.

There is truly something for every student---as students get to pick from seven different categories of non fiction text (War & Peace, Science, Kids, Money, Arts, Law, and Health).  Additionally, there are comprehension quizzes students can take after they are finished reading a particular text.  Not all articles, have quiz...but the vast majority do.

And if I haven't already convinced you to check this site out---there is a place where teachers can track their students progress and see the scores students are getting on their quizzes.  This makes grading a snap!!

Another helpful tool for teachers is this little symbol:

Newsela, puts that in the corner of an article to let teachers know what Reading Anchor Standard their student will be working on while reading the article. Thank you Newsela!

Check it out---it is worth your time!!

~Katie

P.S. I must admit--I didn't find this site.  My district's Director of Learning did---and she passed it on to us. I love how she passes on great websites to us!! :)

Monday Funny

Boy do Mondays come fast.......

I hope everyone is off to a perky and productive start to their day....if not...hopefully the following comic cheers you up :)

Have a super day!

~Katie

Fall Freebie, Interactive Notebook Bundle.....and A KSU WIN!

My oh my do I love this time of year!  I love the weather, the activities, smells, colors and the upcoming HOLIDAYS!!  I wish it was Fall every month of the year!  

In celebration of my favorite time of year, I have posted a new freebie to TPT.  Well, I suppose it is not entirely new.....as it was recently featured in a fabulous blog hop by Jessica at Hanging out in First's blog.

BUT--in case you missed the blog hop....I wanted to put the freebie on TPT.  This way everyone has access to it!

With this fall craftivity students artistically express what they are thankful for by creating a "thankful leaf."  Students will then write a descriptive paragraph about their "thankful leaf."  A large leaf, graphic organizer and lined paper are all included.  If you are looking for a quick, fun and easy activity before your students leave for Thanksgiving break....this is the activity for you!

Anyhoo....this weekend went by entirely TOO FAST!  Yesterday the fam and I attended the KSU vs. TCU football game!!!  Talk about a stresser.....that game was NUTS!  Thankfully with 3 seconds left in the game KSU was able to clinch the win with a field goal....talk about a GREAT game to watch!

 Then....today I was finally able to finish a product I have been working MONTHS on!

It is my Interactive Notebook Bundle.....we are talking 75 pages of blood, sweat and tears!  Okay...more like 75 pages of awesome foldables to help your kiddos with their comprehension!  Included in the bundle are story maps, metacognition, asking questions, making inferences, making predictions, main ideas & details, vocabulary, fact & opinion, compare contrast, problem solution, cause & effect, sequence and description pages. Check it out if you have a chance!

Alright the Chiefs are on.......must. go. watch. football!!!

~Katie

I'm so Thankful Blog Hop and Giveaway (Stop 23)!!

We are celebrating all that we are thankful for and that includes teachers!  We want to show all of you how much we appreciate you.  Teachers do so much and this is our time to give back and say thank you!  Thank you for following!  Thank you for participating!  Thank you for collaborating!  Thank you for sharing!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Join us by hopping through each blog and gathering lots of Thanksgiving and autumn freebies.  In each freebie you will find a picture of a pie with a word on it. That word will tell you something that teacher is thankful for.  Record all of the words on your recording sheet and follow each blog along the way so that you can enter the amazing giveaway at the end!

You may start anywhere along the hop, but if you would like to start at the beginning you may go here.  This is also where you will go in the end, for the giveaway!!

You have made it to blog stop number 23!!

The freebie I am giving away is called Favorite Things About Fall Craftivity!  It is a pretty great activity to have your students do during my favorite time of the year!  In this download your students will complete a "Thankful Leaf" by sectioning off a large maple leaf and labeling each section with reasons why they love Autumn.  Students then color in their leaf and use a graphic organizer to write a complete paragraph describing their "Thankful Leaf."

Now hop over to the next stop on your journey: S.O.L Train's Blog!

3 more days.....

There are three more days until Hanging Out in First's blog hop and giveaway.  :)  Make sure you come back on Friday to get some awesome freebies!  I promise it will be worth your time!!

~Katie

Thieves---Close Reading Strategy

Happy Monday everyone!  It was sure nice being able to turn back those clocks this weekend to get an extra hour of sleep! I do love my beauty rest.....

Last week during one of my small groups I tried out a strategy for previewing text...and I loved it!  The strategy is called T.H.I.E.V.E.S and was posted (free) to TPT by Andrea McEvoy!  It is an awesome resource to use to get your students ready for a close reading of text.  I so wish I could claim this as my own.....because it is seriously great!

One the first side the acronym T.H.I.E.V.E.S shows students how they should preview informational text by using THIEVES.  Students preview the title, headings, introduction, first sentences, visuals, vocabulary and the end of the text.  By looking closesly at theses components of  the passage....students are getting a feel for what the text will be about.

On the back side of the paper, students write what they have found while previewing the text.  

I am telling you this form was great!!  I absolutely loved it....and it was FREE!  Thank you Andrea McEvoy!

Currently November....

Hello November!!!  WHAT...November.....I can't believe how fast this year is flying by!  I seriously feel like yesterday I was lounging by the pool thinking about the school year ahead.....and now....well.....lets just say I am definitely not sitting by the pool. Ha!

First, I want to promote an amazing blog hop that Jessica Hamilton at Hanging out in First Grade has put together.  Starting Friday, November 8th at 8am....you can hop to 25 different blogs and collect a freebie at each one!  Every freebie is Fall or Thanksgiving themed.....how fun is that!  I am stop number 23.....but I have a pretty neat fall activity I created....son don't forget about me! :)

Secondly, I am linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for her series Currently. :)

Farley asked us to provide a yummy pin..... so below is a delicious recipe I made last weekend. 

 The weather was chilly and cold out....so the chicken and dumplings were perfect to warm our bellies.  The recipe was super easy and delicious!!!  I am definitely going to be making it again!  I did add A LOT of seasoning (crushed black pepper, garlic powder, garlic salt and onion salt) to the chicken as it cooked in the crockpot, as others commented on the original recipe that it needed some seasoning. 

One last thing....today I was able to finish another set of interactive notebook pages.  These pages help students make predictions about the text.  Making predictions is a wonderful way to help students increase their comprehension.  I explain to my students that while reading good readers make logical guesses about what is going to happen in the text.  I then tell them they can do this by using text clues (headings, titles, bold print, pictures, captions, etc) and their background knowledge.  Not only do good readers make predictions, but they also revise their predictions when they discover new information.  When good readers are finished, they go back and confirm whether their prediction was correct by using text evidence.  

This download includes six different interactive notebook pages you can use with your class to teach making predictions.  These pages give students the opportunity to explore text features, make predictions, confirm predictions and justify their confirmation with text evidence.  Click the picture below and check them out!

~Katie