Blog – Page 19

Send Out Search Party!

August 5, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 4 Comments

Just kidding! Here I am!

With less than three weeks to go until we report for new teacher induction, the mister and I decided that we needed a break. A change of scenery, a change of pace, and most importantly… some time to really have fun with our family on Long Island since we haven’t seen many of them since Christmas, and likely won’t be making a holiday trip up this year.

So we packed in under 90 minutes, hopped in the car, and made the six hour trip from Virginia! I’m so glad we did because I feel recharged already! This was a great move for us, as we’re going to come home refreshed and ready to really kick our preparations into high gear.

I brought a few things to work on — mainly things to cut out while we’re all sitting around laughing and watching TV — and a few professional development books to finish up… and of course, my famous “to do” book. I’m going to sketch out a master plan and schedule for the rest of the time before we report so that I make the most of it!

I’ll be back Monday for Monday Made It! (yes, even while on vacation) tomorrow! In honor of the amazing time I’m already having on Long Island (wish you all were here enjoying the Italian food, beaches, and laughs with me), I’m throwing a 20% off “Hooray for Vacations!” sale on my TPT store.

I had too much fun with this!

August 2, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 16 Comments

Really, I did.

I had a lightbulb moment for my lightbulb moments.

I was work on first week activities, and was working on craftivities related to my “rules to live by” — one of which is “use your brain: be a learner” and represented by a lightbulb.

I was almost finished and then I realized, ohmyword, this is the perfect companion to the stress relievers.

So then I decided to make a sample and see if it made sense in action.

Then I thought… well, what if I laminate these and students keep them to refer to? But I wanted something to display, too… so…

When students have a breakthrough or a “lightbulb moment,” we celebrate it. And one way to celebrate it, is to commemorate it and display that accomplishment (because it is an accomplishment).

(It’s totally like one of those perpetual mirrors. I had a lightbulb moment in Target about lightbulb moments and then had a lightbulb moment about my lightbulb moments.)

I’m going to have a focus area in the classroom to display all of the moments that allowed kiddos to join the “Thomas Edison Club” — where hardwork and determination yields successful “lightbulb moments”! Of course I’ll have to explain who Thomas Edison was and what he invented first… but that’s part of the fun!

So there you have it! Two lightbulb craftivities to use with your kiddos! I’m working on a “world of possibilities” version for my husband’s classroom (since their social studies focus is geography, and well, I took all of the lightbulb stress relievers for myself!).

If you’d like to pick up this craftivity for yourself, I’ve listed it in my TPT store for $1.50! There are multiple options included, as seen below:

A big congratulations to posters #16, #23, and #41 on my Monday Made It post — Amber, Laura, and Cristy, I will be e-mailing you your word wall packs shortly! For everyone else, I’m putting it on a flash sale for $2.50, so head on over and pick it up!

I can never resist a giveaway, so the first three people to comment below will receive the lightbulb moment craftivity in their inbox — make sure you leave your e-mail!

What day is it? (Mondayyyyyyyy!)

July 30, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 48 Comments

Another Monday! On the upside, I get to spend a good chunk of my Internet time today looking at all of the amazing things bloggy friends have come up with. On the downside, this means I’m running out of time. Eeeeeeek! I know some of you are heading back into the classroom much sooner than I am, so I don’t feel too bad, but I’m starting to get a bit nervous. I even had my first school-related nightmare! (I showed up at the wrong school and wrong classroom on the first day and it. was. a. trainwreck!)

So: word walls. Let’s talk about them.

In some of my practicum experiences, they were just kind of there. They weren’t talked about or used, they just kind of took up space. In some of my practicum experiences, they weren’t there at all. There wasn’t really an alternative, either, so it was a constant struggle of students not being able to have the independence they craved during writing.

There were some awesome word walls I saw, however, and the ones that were awesome were used. Frequently. They weren’t just an “if you don’t know it” reference, either, they were a centerpiece of learning and kind of the pulse of the room. So that’s what I had in my head when I started on this project: something that is, above all, going to be supportive for my kiddos (especially my ELL’s), and something that made sense with what my goals are this year (see the trusty sidebar).

I need a dynamic word wall.

First, I made these:

*sigh* These colors make me happy.

These are my headers for my word wall, which is going to be placed above the windows, here:

I still can’t believe I have a classroom.

While that’s a readily accessible place from anywhere in the room and has plenty of space for lots of words, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for what I want to do alone. Enter this:

You knew it was going to be Oz-related, right?

The idea is this: my students need to experience independent success in their writing, and I want to remove as many obstacles to that as possible. At the same time, I want to support my ELL’s that may need some visual cues, while also encouraging my wordsmiths to expand their vocabulary. This is where my mobile word wall fits in!

Clear plastic pencil pouch, blank color-coded cards, A-Z dividers, and trading card protectors.

Smaller versions of the word wall headers are on each divider to create a visual link.

Students can have the independence they need and can contribute at their own pace, on their own time using this resource. They can encounter a word that they think should be added — perhaps a content area word or fabulous vocabulary word — and select the correct colored card, write the word, and then add a visual or other thought to make a more concrete connection.

Front of the cards; note the color-coding for content areas.

Back of the cards, with a visual or example.
This can be expanded to include a definition, a sentence, etc.

The color-coded cards open up a lot of possibilities; they can be used to denote spelling patterns, level of difficulty, or as I’ve used them — for content areas. I’ll be taking the lead from my content-area binders and using purple for science, green for math, blue for social studies, and then using red, orange, yellow, and black for the various parts of speech.

These are the blank mobile word wall cards for student use.
There are matching larger cards for the full-sized word wall.

I got through all of the words on my district’s list for second grade, and am now working on expanding it to include words that I know will come up during the year for the various units. The full-size words are more of an undertaking since I’m laminating them for durability.

The mobile word wall will not start out the year with us, but will slowly be introduced as we begin to use our word wall and I model a lot about how to use it to my students’ advantage. This will work well with my implementation of Daily 5 and CAFE, as I can see this hanging out in our word work or writing center!

Whew! That was a lot of post. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I’ve packaged all of my materials and listed this Dynamic Word Wall pack (including editable PPTs for you to customize with your word lists) on my TPT store. Here’s what is included:

I would love to give this word wall set away to three people! Leave me a comment with your e-mail, and I’ll choose three random winners on Wednesday night!

(Speaking of winners, a big congrats to The Meek Moose for winning the Discovery poster — I look forward to seeing it in action in your school!)