- Start each monthly writing choice board by going over the choices and what your expectations are for each option.
- Next have students write in their goal. Differentiate as you see fit. Ask students to number their entries in their notebooks so that you can make a quick check of their work. A star gets colored in as each option is completed.
- Explain that students should use the choice boards during writing times if they finish an assignment early or they are waiting for the teacher's help. With this system in place, students can keep writing and you may no longer hear, "I'm done!"
4th Grade Frenzy
February 16, 2021
Classroom Management for all Types of Writing
February 3, 2021
Improving Student Writing
Using task analysis may help students improve their writing. Task analysis involves breaking a process up into smaller learning components. If writing is broken down into manageable parts, students may progress to a finished product with greater confidence and success.
It may be helpful to model steps 1 - 5 with a class writing sample before students try the process on their own.
1. Brainstorming
Once students are given a topic or writing task, give them an opportunity to brainstorm what they know and thoughts they have about a topic. This can be done on a brainstorming worksheet or even a sticky note.
2. The Best Ideas
Have students circle the ideas they think are the best.
3. Graphic Organizer
Provide a graphic organizer that has boxes to place each sentence. The sentences will not be in paragraph form yet. If just starting out, have students work on just one paragraph.
4. Rough Copy aka Sloppy Copy
Students write a paragraph in proper form using their graphic organizer as a guide. Give students an opportunity to read their paragraph first to themselves and then out loud to a partner. Students are able to find and correct errors when they read out loud. Make a quick check of the sloppy copy before students write a final copy.
5. Final Copy
Students write their paragraph(s) out neatly on colored paper, fun writing paper, or type and print.
6. Craft
Select some writing assignments for display. Have students create a craft after the writing is complete because a hallway or bulletin board is a great place the display the work of these young authors!
Here are a few writing resources that include graphic organizers to help students build confidence:
A few years back, I asked students to begin writing, and the class looked at me with that collective blank expresssion. One student asked, "But where's our organizer?" That was all the proof I needed that this tool was helping students become successful writers!
January 19, 2021
Teaching Long Division
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
January 5, 2021
A Strategy For Leaving School On Time
Lesson Plans
Hallway Displays
Meeting Notes and Minutes
Copies
Learning Centers
Field Trips
Visitors
Parent Communication
Ceremonies
Class Parties
Focus Walls
Review Games
Projects
Homework Assignments
Behavior Management
Assessment Creation
Each situation is unique and this is just a guide to get started. Brainstorm your own list and consider dividing up the larger tasks into smaller ones. For example, one teacher may write the math plans and another may write the science plans. Tasks can be taken on for the month or for the entire school year as desired.
Some teachers may struggle with giving up control, but each individual teacher can adjust a final product to their liking. For example, if one teacher creates a hallway display for the month, the basic project is done. An individual teacher can add their own spin to it.
Letting go of control can be difficult at first, but the reward is great. Once this system is in place, a team can work more efficiently resulting in teachers who have a life outside of school!
November 30, 2020
Benefits of Read Alouds in the Classroom
My only memory of 4th grade is listening to my teacher, Mrs Haker, read the Little House on the Prairie series to us every day after recess. This sacred time provided a feeling of calm following the chaos of recess in the '70s. I remembered wishing that she would just keep on reading all afternoon. Today, the time after lunch and recess is still marked by beloved read alouds in many elementary classrooms. The benefits of read alouds are worth every minute.
1. Read alouds expose students to many curriculum standards.
A read aloud can be used to informally discuss genre, author's purpose, literary elements, and text structure, to name a few. Rather than teaching these skills in isolation or in the context of a reading book, students can experience these ideas outside of the literacy block.
2. Read alouds promote the joy of reading.
What is more endearing than hearing, "I found the same book you're reading to us!" from a student in the library. Often students will try to find the same book you are reading or books from the same author. During a read aloud, students can simply enjoy a story with no other required tasks.
3. Listening skills are developed.
Students are listening and visualizing the story which is a skill that can transfer to independent reading. Sometimes, students may enjoy drawing what they visualize as you read.
4. Read alouds help students form a common bond.
The read aloud is a whole class activity experienced by all students. The class will always have the memory of this time together.
5. Fluency and expression are modeled.
As students learn to read, they need to hear what smooth, fluent reading sounds like. Fluency is important for comprehension.
6. Read alouds spark curiousity.
When students listen to a story, they may discover a new interest. In addition, read alouds can be selected to introduce a concept in science, social studies, or other curriculum area.
7. Students make connections.
Stories enable students to make connections to other books, to themselves, and to the world.
8. Read alouds can be used as a springboard for writing activities.
Craftivities with a theme around the read aloud are motivating to students. There are plenty of ideas worth a look on Pinterest or you could try these time saving resources:
Need some ideas for read alouds? Of course, it is recommended that you read the books first to make sure that they are appropriate for your students!
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Niagara Falls, or Does It? by Henry Winkler and the rest of the Hank Zipser series
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Holes by Louis Sachar
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Looking to mix it up during read aloud time? Try:
- Poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends or Falling Up
- Joke books for kids
- Picture books that are just silly and seasonal
- Picture books to introduce a new topic
Why not squeeze in a few minutes after lunch for a quality read aloud? It just may be what your students remember about your class years from now!
*Please note: Fourth Grade Frenzy is not affiliated with any of these books. This post is informational only.
November 9, 2020
5 Benefits of Craftivities
Crafting can be extended beyond learning the ABC's. When students make a craftivity, they are developing important skills that are in great need of attention.
1. Fine Motor Skills
2. Following Directions
3. Chill Time
4. Motivation To Write
5. Pride And Acomplishment
October 11, 2020
4 Effective Instructional Strategies That You Can Use This Week
Effective instructional strategies withstand the test of time, and even some learned in my college years remain useful. While I can be quite sure that Dr. Green never imagined how far technology would advance or that students would need to continue learning during a pandemic, her course introduced me to the ways students experience the world and learn. The best of these strategies involve giving students time to manipulate and process new information.
1. Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers range from Venn diagrams to timelines and can help students make connections and remember information. I once asked my class to complete a rather simple writing assignment. A student asked, "But where is our organizer?" Even though I neglected to provide a writing organizer with this lesson, the students clearly knew that this tool helped them do their best work.
2. Movement
Research shows that kinesthetic activities have many benefits to learning. When it comes to movement activities, we tend to think about preschool and early elementary age students. However, movement activities continue to benefit learners at any level. One way to add movement to a lesson is to incorporate an educational brain break during a lesson. For example, in the middle of a geometry lesson, you could play Simon Says Geometry. Students use their hands and arms to show right angles, acute angles, obtuse angles, parallel lines, intersecting lines, points, lines, line segments, and rays. If you try this game with your kiddos, remember to throw in some sillies and enjoy the laughter!
3. The Anticipatory Set
An anticipatory set is a set of prompts that get students ready to learn. The goal is to activate prior knowledge, build background, or make connections. An anticipatory set can be set up as a gallery walk, mystery bags, or simply a series of questions. Considered to be somewhat time-consuming, their importance is sometimes overlooked. Perhaps adding an anticipatory set to one lesson per day or a couple per week to build your library of this effective strategy would prevent overwhelm.
4. Sorting Activities
Young children sort physical objects by color, shape, size, etc. School-age students can sort pictures, words, phrases, and sentences into appropriate categories as they process information and build upon prior knowledge. Sorting activities can be used for individual assignments, partner work, small group activities, or assessments.
The art of teaching includes the selection of instructional strategies to use in each lesson. Have you incorporated any of these strategies into your lessons recently?