Check out this comprehensive book companion to be used with the book "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt. If you don't know this book, it is an adorable book for elementary students. Each crayon writes a persuasive letter to its owner, convincing him to change the way it is used. It's a really cute, fun way to work on Author's Purpose, as well as many other literacy precursors.
Find it HERE on tPt.
The download is 37 pages and includes:
-Describing/ attributes page for each crayon
-30 Comprehension/ Auditory Memory Question Cards (laminate
and shuffle)
-3 Compare and Contrast Crayon Venn Diagrams (with choices
page included as a branching strategy)
-Cause and Effect Matching and Writing Activity (includes anchor
chart)
-Author’s Purpose Anchor Chart
-Persuasive Writing rough and final draft pages
-Bulletin Board Title Templates (with and without backgrounds)
Enjoy!
Read more »
I LOVE books. I love using books in therapy. There are so many amazing children's books out there. I love watching students really engaged in a story. I love working on literacy precursors (retelling, comprehension, sequencing, cause/effect, predicting) after and while reading a story.
Enter the problem. I love books so much, I want a ton of them. But books can be expensive.
I recently moved and found that my public library has an amazing used book program called "Friends of the Library". They are constantly collecting, sorting and selling used books. They sell hard cover for $1 and paperback for $.50. You don't even need to join the library to take advantage of this. Here is my latest score for under $5!
I highly recommend calling local libraries in your area to see if they have programs like this.
Happy book hunting:)
Read more »
I'm FINALLY starting to get organized for September....aaahhhhh! This includes updating weekly themes, monthly lesson plans, pursuing the Target Dollar Spot constantly and updating some of my own materials.
Last year, I used "Reasoning with Rain", an activity to target facts versus opinions, A LOT! My kids loved the activity and really "got it" after a bit of practice. I even made a cute bulletin board from the activity when we were finished!
I strive to make the best activities I can, but the font I used on this one gave some of my kiddos extra difficulty. And let's face it, most of my students struggle enough, they don't need a silly font to hinder literacy abilities! I just updated the FREE download with a fresh, easy to read font. Grab it HERE on TPT:)
Have a great weekend!
Read more »
When I walk into classrooms, many students raise their hand in anticipation and say "Me??! Is it my turn?". I just LOVE that feeling. As much as I would like to think they want to come to speech to learn, let's be honest, students need motivation. I have created a system of rewards that keeps students on track and progressing throughout the school year. I'm ready to share it with you!
First off, I buy a notebook for every student. I keep the notebooks in my speech room and have them organized by grade. Every morning, I pull out the notebooks for the students I am seeing that day.
On the inside cover of each notebook, I tape a motivational "sticker chart".
When I pick up new students for the first time, I explain that every time they come to speech and do their work, they will get a sticker to place on the chart. When the chart is full, they will get to pick a prize from the TREASURE BOX!
I also put full sticker charts on the "Speech Hall of Fame" hung on my door! Students love finding their old completed charts.
Now that I set the hook, I explain the rules. If a student is not doing the "right thing", I will give a warning and state the behavior I expect. If I have to give three warnings, that students will not get a sticker for the day. That's it! It's all about structure. Students know exactly what is expected of them, and what they can expect from me.
I have found this system works really well. Every day I hear things like "Look I'm getting close!" and "I only need 7 more stickers to get a prize!". On the flip side, some students say "I got two warnings today, next time I will follow directions."
Dollar tree and Target Dollar spot are my go-to places to make this reward system budget-friendly. I spend $1 on each prize. I have 50-55 students on my caseload. It takes 25 speech sessions for each student to win a prize. With the majority of mandates being twice weekly, most students are choosing 2-3 prizes per school year. So for about $150 for the year, students are motivated! Priceless:)
Tell me Tuesday...what kind of reward system do you use?
Read more »
