Close Reading Book Study Chapter 3

Happy Sunday, all! It was our first week back with the kids and I am exhausted! But I have a SUPER sweet class so I am looking forward to this year! It is our third week with Falling in Love with Close Reading, and I like it more each week! Back to the book :)

This chapter was awesome! It is titled "A Way With Words", a quote from this chapter definitely hit home with me, "looking at word choice allows us to get to the heart of what people are saying and thinking" (p.33). There is a direct correlation with the common core standards that requires students to interpret the words and phrases as they are used in the text. What better way is there to address this standards than through close reading? To begin doing this the author offers the same steps as before, the repetition of using the same steps allows the students to become independent within the realm of close reading. While they do follow the same steps (looking through the lens, find patterns, develop a new understanding of the text) the specifics located within those steps have changed. A few examples would be choosing specific words to gather that evoke strong emotions, images, a clear idea. I think the idea of reading closely to examine word choice is something that I have never heard of, but I think students would really enjoy it. One of the best things about this book is that the authors provide specific examples that teachers can follow withing the classroom. The show different situation that students can teachers are able to examine and consider when thinking about implementing this type of close reading within this book. Please check out the links of others that are participating within this blog study!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole

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An InLinkz Link-up

Falling In Love with Close Reading Chapter 2

Hello!! And welcome back to Week 2 of our group read of Falling In Love with Close Reading!! I have fallen in love with this book and I know you will! Please excuse the late post, back to school week so we have had been busy. We had open house on Friday and I came home and just slept!

As I read this book, in particular this chapter, I realized that I have been doing close reading SO wrong! The authors believe that when close reading we have to pick a purpose, this chapter focused a lot on Text Evidence. When asking students to complete a close read while looking at Text Evidence there are several steps that should be done. The first step is to read through the lenses (p.12). When you are reading through the lenses there are specific details to look at: what the characters say, think, and do, relationships, setting descriptions, and time period. After picking a particular lens, you should use that to find and establish patterns. Decide which details fit together and how they do. And finally use the patterns to develop a new understanding of the text. They demonstrate this through showing how to find text evidence in everyday things among us. This was done by using a SONG! This is something I know my 4th graders would LOVE.

The authors also delve into the topic of non-fiction and how we can use text evidence for non-ficiton, they still provide the exaaples of the lens, but this time it looks at something different with each lens.

If you have not considered purchasing this book, it is worth it! I have enjoyed it and plan to implement the lessons as soon as school starts back..... TOMORROW!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole

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An InLinkz Link-up

Close Read Book Study: Chapter 1

Wow! It has been a while since I have written anything! It was a rougher year for me than I care to admit. Between having “that" class, grad school, and my regular life I had to take a break on something! So hopefully, I’m back! I am hoping to build up the blog and my TPT store.  One of the ways I am getting more involved with the active online community of wonderful teachers is through participating in the book study on Falling in Love with Close Reading!

Each week there are 13 participants that will post our thoughts, feelings, etc. about this book. This is being led by Diana at Sassy, Savvy, Simple Teaching! So yay to her for a wonderful idea! During this book study we were given some answers to contemplate the answers to! But can I first start by saying that when I started reading this book, I LOVED it! It really takes a closer look at Close Reading and explains some things that I may have been missing in my reading block in regards to reading instruction involving close reading. Each week we are asked to look at questions pertaining to those questions.

Question 1: What is close reading? I LOVED how this book answered this question. Close reading is a powerful, in-depth study of a particular selection of text. Close reading allows for the readers to really understand the selection. I loved the comparison the authors made of close study when speaking of monks and how they would study religious texts. They would pore over pieces of text over and over. Close reading, when given a purpose, helps the readers to understand and maybe fall in love with a piece of text.

Question 2: What is powerful close reading? Powerful close reading happens when students not only understand their purpose of the reading, but the purpose of close reading (in my opinion). This allows students to realize there is a reason for the process of close reads. Close reads should help to “improve the joy” of reading. I totally agree to this! In order for this to happen students must be taught the process of close reading, they must develop an understanding for the different processes that accompany a close reading. In order for close reading to be powerful, it must be a part of your literacy instruction. The authors quote Donalyn Miller during this piece, letting readers know that the toolbox of literacy instruction must be varied! If only close reading is being done the joy of this process will go away.

Question 3: What are we currently doing in our close read instruction? Currently I teach 4^th grade, we are at the beginning of close reading. In my classroom I have developed a routine within close reading and I am interested to see if anything that resembles my routine will make its way in the book.

I hope you join us for the rest of the summer for this wonderful book study!

Click on the links below for our giveaway and to read the other entries in this book study!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole

An InLinkz Link-up

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Mentor Text Linky With Collaboration Cuties

I am so excited about this linky!

I am talking about one of my favorite mentor texts: Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco! It is such a great read, it talks about a sensitive subject and sheds light on it in a new direction. This book features the Civil War. It is about a young African American boy (Pink) who helps an injured young soldier (Say). They are both seperated from their units, and Pink takes Say home to see his mom, Moe Moe Bay. I read this book, and I started crying in the middle of it (as did ALL of my boys!) There is such a great way to make a wonderful, deep connection with this!

During this discussion we also incorporated many literacy skills with this unit. We discussed cause and effect primarily, but we also incorporated some character analysis, inference, summarizing. I loved this unit so much I created my own unit for teachers pay teachers. Click the link below to check it out!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pink-and-Say-Unit-1130423

If you haven't read this book before, you should! It is truly wonderful!

Patricia Polacco tells this story for a very particular reason, and you have to read it to find out!

I hope you are able to read it and love it like I do!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole <3

Giveaway!

As a newbie to TPT, I didn't realize everything that went into creating products and editing and making them look nice! Now that I've started, they don't pop out as quick as I thought they would! So please bear with me as I continue plugging along. I have some awesome projects planned and I can't wait to see what you think! a Rafflecopter giveaway Above is my rafflecopter giveaway! Please join!! Let your friends know! This rafflecopter is for a free copy of my Annotating the Text pack (which is 5 bucks on teachers pay teachers!) All I ask is that the winner rates it on Facebook! Let me know what y'all think! Bye Y'all, Nicole <3

Giveaway

As a newbie to TPT, I didn't realize everything that went into creating products and editing and making them look nice! Now that I've started, they don't pop out as quick as I thought they would! So please bear with me as I continue plugging along. I have some awesome projects planned and I can't wait to see what you think! 

<a id="rc-a2c1310" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a2c1310/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>

Above is my rafflecopter giveaway! Please join!! Let your friends know! This rafflecopter is for a free copy of my Annotating the Text pack (which is 5 bucks on teachers pay teachers!)

All I ask is that the winner rates it on Facebook!

Let me know what y'all think!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole <3

Annotating The Text

When my county implemented the common core, one of the first things that they discussed were close reads and annotating the texts (with a little text dependent questions on the side!) I had no idea what they meant so I was TOTALLY unsure of what they wanted from me and from my students. When I began, my close reads were haphazard. Not only were my close reads haphazard, so were my students annotations. Through several hours of research, I finally semi-understood close reading! However, annotating the text was driving me crazy! My students often lost their sticky notes, or misplaced them, they were falling out of books and off desks! We are limited a certain amount of copies, so copying whole selections were tough. Since we implemented so many new items (on top of being on a brand new grade level), re-typing them was not going to happen!

One day after school a co-worker and I were complaining discussing :) how annotating was working in our room. That's when our annotating the text sheet was born! I eventually developed two others (nonfiction and poetry) and have been using them ever since!

They are wonderful tools to track student thinking, clarifying what they understand, and understanding what they still need help on! I will have students work on these independently. with partners, as a group, etc. They can be implemented in so many different ways. They are free in my store, if this is something you like, please comment! I have included the link below.

Annotating the Text-- Freebie

I am currently creating an Annotating the Text pack, based on all Common Core State Standards. Each standard has its own sheet, each question pertains to that particular standard. I am hoping it will be in my store by Friday! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday! 

Bye Y'all, 

Nicole

Just as a little side not to everyone! My math station is currently on sale for only 1.60! And I will be switching to bloglovin! Also, I have some exciting blogs scheduled for this week!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11703019/?claim=pakm52xjh3r">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Bye Y'all,

Nicole <3

Currently!!!

Good Morning everyone! I am currently linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade and completing a currently for this month!

Listening: Last night my mom and my nephew stayed the night with us! When all the cousins get together, the grown-ups are often left thinking "Was this a good idea" they love to get into trouble and do things that they normally wouldn't do. Today's example: playing catch in the living room! They are 2 (my daughter), 3 (my nephew), and 7 (my son) and they love each other, and love to get each other in trouble, lol!

Loving: I live in NC, so when we get snow we MUST buy bread and milk and prepare for the worst, this year the worst was 4 inches. But lost of ice! We southerner, (at least most of us) CANNOT drive in this! There were tons of accidents, we don't have the right equipment for buses, and I have quite a few students that don't even have jackets. It's crazy. So we haven't been to school since Monday. My personal kids and I have LOVED it! 

Thinking: I am always thinking about grad school it seems! I always have something due, and it seems like with school work, family stuff, work stuff, community stuff, and house stuff that I don't have enough time to get them all done the way I do. I'm muddling through it!

Wanting: I have recently opened a TPT store (the link was in my last blog), and I wan to create so much stuff! I see a lot of great clip art that would go with it, but we are currently "saving money" to pay for grad school.  SOOOOOO, I guess we must see if it will play off with the clip art I currently have!

Needing: It's done! No more procrastination, lol

2 Fibs and a lie: 1. I do NEED coffee, I told my husband I was going to give it up for fasting at church and he said NO, I wouldn't be able to live with you, lol.

2. I am NOT into being super fit. I want to be! I always have GREAT intentions, but then they fizzle out. I'm hoping I catch the fever for real this time, lol.

3. I am married to my high school sweetheart, we have been together for 14 years (married for 7 of them!)

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Check out my TPT store, I added a new product on there! This one deals with equivalent fractions!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole <3

Good evening, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Teaching wise, this has been a rough week. I have a few students that are challenging. It is hard because I had such a wonderful class last year. So I have been doing the naughty thing of comparing, I know, I know bad me! As I said in my last post, I started a Teachers Pay Teachers store recently! Below is the link!

 Southern Love Teachers Pay Teachers Store

I have made several freebies and am working on many other products. As I use them this week, I will take pictures showing how I implement them in my room. I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday! They're mentioning snow here, in North Carolina (the Southeastern part) that means stock up on Bread, Milk and Water!

Bye Y'All!

Nicole <3

I'm Back!

Hello! It has been quite a while! But, I am back and determined to make this successful (it's a goal for this year, lol). Not only am I restarting this, I have also started a Teachers Pay Teachers store!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Southern-Love

I have added a few products and am currently working on a Valentine's Day product based on "Enemy Pie"! I'm excited to unveil the hard work! I am also working on an easy to implement Writing Workshop unit, this may take a little while (I just started it!). I plan to take pictures of anchor charts, add the option for printable anchor charts, adding as many resources as possible, and options! I hope you check back soon!

Bye Y'all,
Nicole

Find of the Day!!

So, since I am at a year round school my back to school shopping and bargain hunting literally begins the day we're out of school! I have been eyeing some storgae containers (there like a 9X12X4) from a favorite teacher supply magazine. Unfortunately I cannot justify to myself (or Mr. S, for that matter!) 6.99 for a storage container! Yes, 6.99!! Today while at Target, I found the same size on clearance for 4.24, too irresistable! I had to buy them, so I bought 6!

Test Prep?

Hello! Long time, no type! This is, of course, the busiest time of the year. In North Carolina (at least in my county) we will begin testing next week and so everything seems to be in an intense worp speed time zone! This always brings up test prep. I often wonder how different schools or districts prep for tests? I have taught at two schools, one of the schools I taught at  had an INTENSE test prep. An hour a day per subject of straight problem solving, working on passages. I tested in three subjects, so our day (for a month before testing) was devoted to test prep. At my new school it is based on the teachers decisions and how they feel test prep needs to be handled. How about your school? How does it work in your district or school?

Currently!!

OK... as stated before, I have NO idea how to do linky's, work on them, link them, create them! Nothing! I attempted to complete Farley's linky for the "Currently"!! I have no idea if I did it correctly, but can I get an A for effort?

I have no idea!

Listening- I have two awesome kids! Louis is 6 and currently in the first grade and Samantha is 2 and she is a little pistol. I love listening to them and hearing all the crazy things that kids like to talk about at home!

Loving- I LOVE TeachersPayTeachers. I have found such wonderful resources and blogs through this amazing site! As soon as I can link up to people (when I figure out how) I will definately be giving some shout outs to some awesome teachers!

Thinking- I have very recently started considering this option, I wasn't too sure for a while about what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to do it in. But I have a serious passion for reading. I love to read, I love to teach reading, and I love to teach about reading. So I'm thinking of starting a Masters in Reading program at the local university, Methodist. I received my undergrad degree there and really loved it!

Wanting- What girl doesn't always want new shoes?!?!? I wear a size 12 (WHOA!! Right?) and shoes are so hard to find in my size! So I feel as if I am always wanting/needing new shoes!

Needing- Currently we are very involved with differnent community organizations between baseball and church, being on the board for our local baseball league, and just plain old work that I feel like I NEVER get enough sleep!

Summer Bucket List- I currently teach at a year round school, which means only 4 weeks of summer vacation. So during the summer my bucket list is never that long, but I really want to have more station ready (you know, printed, cut, laminated, etc.) before school begins for us, which will be July 18th!

If you want to read more Currently's, check out Farley's blog (oh' boy 4th grade) and read some awesome blogs!

http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/

And in some wonderful news, I won a giveaway! I feel as if I should give some background. I never, and I mean never, win anything! I was having pretty bad day (I caught some kids doing the big c.... cheating), I just so happened to check Antonia's blog over at forkin4th and saw that I WON!!! I was so excited! I can't wait to get my email of goodies! If you haven't checked out her blog, you should! It's wonderful.

Bye Y'all!!

Nicole

I have to start this by saying, it has been hard to transition from a blog stalker follower, into a full fledged writer! I wish I would have been a little more "on it" about writing blog posts! But new goals can be made, right? I have TRULY enjoyed this year so far in the fourth grade, it has been such an excellent adjustment from where I was before. I really love my school, team, and students. This year has given me such a boost about the teaching field, my expectations, and the successes of my students. I am looking forward to continuing. I'm so excited now, compared to where I was, I am even going to graduate school. A lot of the happiness I have with teaching comes from stalking the blogs and reading about experiences other teachers have. Also being able to take some of the ideas (okay.... A LOT of the ideas) that have been posted on the different blogs I am reading and adjust them to how I teach!

Please bare with me during this blogging evolution, I have no idea how to participate in linky's! So things like currently, fab five for friday, etc. I am going to try!!! But I'm not sure what to do! Most importantly I'm looking forward to the comrardie I read about between the different bloggers! Welcome and I hope you stay with me :)

Hello...Anybody out there?

Hello! This is my first ever blog post, in my life and I'm not quite sure what to put! So I'll tell y'all a little about me :) My name is Nicole, I am currently a fourth grade teacher at a year round school. (We started back July 16th, but we get a break for three weeks at the end of September and 3 Weeks for Spring Break). I previously taught 5th grade for 3 years. I recently started at a new school, and figured I could start this blog to document all the changes I am experencing in educaiton this year. New school, new grade level, and a new curriculum!
That's right, we now are teaching The Common Core! My county went from being strict about following the basil to the letter, and making sure we were regminted, to where we're kind of floundering. I'm hoping this blog will be helpful to me over the next few years in building up resources and ideas. I have been a blog stalker follower for a while! And I love reading what so many of you wonderful teachers write about and talk about!
A little about me, I have a wondeful husband, Mr. S, we've been together since we were 15. I have a son names Lous, who has recently turned 6, and a daughter named Samantha who is 16 months old. I hope that this blog is helpful to me, and hopefully we can collaborate and share ideas!