Narrative Elements FREEBIE

This week we worked on Narrative Elements. I explained that a narrative was just a fancy word for story and then we went through each element using these anchor pictures.

 I don't use problem/ solution anymore because I found that although many stories have one, not all do and the students were at a loss as to what to write. I did make sure to use those terms as we were identifying the beginning, middle, and end though.  I also like that this way of writing the plot supports the skill of summarizing more effectively.

Again, I used the back white board as my teaching area.We read a few stories and practiced identifying the narrative elements together.

 

We also identified the Author's Purpose referring to last week's board. I finally got a better picture.  

Then I asked the students to try using the same story map to plan their own narrative. I explained that a narrative can be fictional or personal and I let them decide which type they wanted to write.

You can download the anchor pieces and the story elements sheet {here} for FREE.

I also introduced the writing process this week using my posters.

   I had them brainstorm to decide if they felt like writing a personal or fictional narrative.

We discussed how we would be using a story map to plan this week.

As they were ready the students moved on to the draft stage.

Next week we will move on to read, edit, revise, etc. These posters are available {here} with a variety of different options.

We went on a fun field trip this week that I will have to post about later because I am off to a hair appointment. How often do you get your hair cut? My split ends have been driving me nuts so I am thinking I may need to visit a  little more often...

Author's Purpose ideas

Boy, I've forgotten how much work it is to start all over at a new school! Juggling the new curriculum, different expectations, commuting, and my boys' flag football schedules is keeping me rather busy!

This week I taught Author's Purpose to both my 1st and 2nd graders. I have VERY little bulletin board space so I used the whiteboard by my read aloud area to display these posters as an anchor chart. Please forgive the awful phone pics, I am lucky I managed a pic at all this week! The kids LOVED the PIE acronym! Thanks Cindy for the cute posters that saved me much needed time!

 I held up various books from our class library for the students to identify the purpose. Persuade is more difficult but I found some examples of letters on Readworks.org that worked well.

We also read I Wanna Iguana and discussed how the boy was trying to persuade his mom in each letter.

I love Gail Gibbons books so I chose Alligators and Crocodiles as an example of Inform but any nonfiction will work. I also took the opportunity to front load about text features.

We enjoyed Shel Silverstein poems as examples of Entertain. My favorite is "Sick" what is yours?

During writer's workshop, the students each chose their own purpose for writing. I have one first grader who is very down on his academic abilities but he was extremely motivated when he realized he could write all about cars. This kid can spout off car stats like an obsessed male adult. Unfortunately I forgot to grab photos of the first graders writing :-( but here are some of my second graders.

INFORM EXAMPLES

Can you tell I have some plane boys?

This guy knew so much about his subject he ended with to be continued... ;-)

ENTERTAIN EXAMPLES

All the authors got a turn sharing their work and the class identified their purpose at the end.

It was a good week.

Lakeshore Learning at Home

Do you have a favorite teacher store near you? My go to store is Lakeshore Learning. Not only do I buy many teaching supplies there, but I purchase gifts for my nieces and nephews as well. 

I was super excited when I was contacted by Lakeshore Learning and asked to review an item from their new Learning Starts at Home collection that is now in all 57 stores and online.

I chose Let's Play School because this is definitely something I would have bought when my son, Casey, was five. He went through a "playing teacher" phase and I searched around town for a bell, pointer, chalkboard, etc. This would have been so much easier and there is so much included!

 Look at all this great stuff! 

Lakeshore did an amazing job including everything the child would want to play teacher.

I couldn't believe they even included a reward system with prizes! Rolling a reward cube was a brilliant, easy idea for a child to incorporate.

A stack of different certificates with a variety of stickers.

A calendar with a write and wipe pen.

A roll book!

Report cards and a red Fair pen! Do they know what teacher's like or what?!

Spelling tests, a teacher pencil and self-inking stamps!!!

Name plates, bell, whistle, and a hall pass!! 

A chalkboard, chalk, pointer, clock, and American flag with stand! I didn't take another picture of the United States puzzle since it showed up well in the first photo.

Lakeshore thought of EVERYTHING! 

My son would have gone crazy for this set! 

The other Lakeshore Learning Starts at Home products look equally amazing. Click HERE to go check them all out. (The Read Around the House Treasure Hunt was a favorite of my boys.)

How would you would like to pick up an educational Christmas present for your child (or niece/nephew in my case) at 20% off?
 Click HERE to get your coupon good until October 31st. 

Now the only hard part is deciding who gets what. I am determined to get my Christmas shopping done early this year.

Said No Teacher Ever VIDEO

We've all seen the posters on Pinterest. Have you seen this video entitled Said No Teacher Ever.
I laughed out loud.

BIG news and classroom pics

My BIG news is .......I changed schools at the last minute!

A week and half before school started I was offered a teaching job I couldn't pass up. The K-12  private school I started my career at was in need of a 1st and 2nd grade Language Arts teacher (they departmentalize.) My husband recently went back to work there in June (we met there and he even proposed on campus, but that's another story.) He is the Technology Curriculum Director and we were able to get our two boys to attend as well. I am so excited that they will receive such a stellar education and get to experience the small, family atmosphere that we LOVED when we taught there 13 years ago!

It was a crazy whirlwind to pack up one room, move in to another 25 minutes away (without traffic), be trained in a very specific program (Spalding) and get my boys registered, uniforms, etc. It was pretty stressful, I will admit.

We just finished our 2nd week and Back to School Night so I finally feel like I can breathe! The new staff is really nice and my teammates are so sweet they have been doing the copying for me with sticky notes to indicate which is homework and which is classwork (pretty set curriculum.)

I am really enjoying just teaching Language Arts. Even though I miss the other subjects, it is such a relief to be able to solely focus on one subject! The best part though...one class has only 14 students, the other 16. That is HALF as many kids as I am used to teaching!!! And I have no behavior problems. Don't get me wrong, I have some blurters and some chatters, but no REAL behavior problems. The biggest issue I deal with is the students with a lack of focus. I know, you are crying for me. :-) It is such a relief after the stressful last few years I've had. I noticed I have not been nearly as tired in the evenings. I remember I usually feel completely wrung out the first week but I didn't this year.

The funniest thing is some of my former students are now parents at the school. (No, I am not that old! I used to teach 7-9th grades and I was just starting out, remember?!) I have one girl in my class whose mother I taught. CRAZY!

Ready for some pics?

My campus is just K-2 and tiny. I love it! 

My 6th grade son attends the Middle Campus (3-6) just down the street. My husband and 8th grade son are at Upper Campus (7-12) 5 minutes away.

Parents drive in two lanes and students are loaded in/out of cars for efficiency.

Kinder wing

Theater

My wing. I am on the first floor thank goodness.

Building on the left is the office, staff room, etc.

View from my door. David's are from Fall Into First

The mishmash of colored bins were already here. I'm sure my OCD will compel me to do something about it when I have more time...

Those old laptops were being used to Star Test until I told them we could use the 10 ipads in my closet it we just downloaded the free app!

Yippee!!!! I finally have a Smartboard! Now I just need to figure out how to use it well.

I haven't had desks in rows in soooo long!  ;-) 

Walk-in closet and more storage here!

The Spalding beige posters are drab but part of the program.

It is amazing that 1st and 2nd graders switch classes like High School! They come in,  grab their supply tray and slide it into their desk. That way the same desks can be used for different classes. These trays were all different with orange, purple, and red but the rainbow was too distracting for me so I was able to switch them out to just 3 colors for a more calming effect.

Maybe something like this? Pic from U Name It!

I want to get a painted teacher chair for this reading corner.  

This would match my current theme!  No link :(

If you have any links to cute chairs please send them my way. They don't have to be red and black, that was just a coincidence. 

I hope you are all having a TERRIFIC return to school!