21 February 2013

Poetry Journals

We finished our Poetry Journals not too long ago, and I was super proud of their hard work.  This post is going to be photos galore, but I just fell in love with their poems.  I kept the format of the poetry journal fairly simple on purpose, because I really wanted their writing and illustrations to shine.

The Poetry Journal has 10 12 different poem templates that can simply be copied and put together in a booklet.  I wanted to keep it both teacher friendly and student friendly.  They really enjoyed the unit and I may have to keep adding to it, because they were super excited about writing each day!!!  They really looked forward to what type of poem we would learn about next.

You can get it in my TPT store, simply click on the image below to head straight there.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Journal-Templates-to-Teach-Poetry-538886

  This is the cover:
 
 Here are the types of poems included in the set:

Heart Map 

Acrostics






 Color Poems


 Shape Poems



 -ing Poems


I Like... Poems


 I Wish... Poem



Important Poem


Haiku
  
 Free Write Poem
(We used the template to write an adjective poem together about second graders)

There is also a description of each of the poem types included.  They could be included in the poetry journal or even used on a bulletin board with student samples.  I left them black and white, so students can color them if they choose.  This is a sample of one:

17 February 2013

Punctuation Posters-Polka Dot Pizazz

Language and grammar are a huge part of my daily instruction, and my students really refer to my punctuation posters a whole lot!   I was looking at the set on my wall awhile back,  and noticed they were extremely worn and tattered.  I'm sure you can relate to those posters with the lamination peeling off, and staple holes everywhere!!!  I think they were one of the first poster sets I bought when I was a newbie teacher looking for things to hang on the walls in my very first classroom.

I knew it was time to update!!! I seem to have a polka dot theme going on, so it was my natural first choice.
 
There are a total of 10 Posters.  
Included are:
Period, Question Mark, Exclamation Mark, Comma, Apostrophe, Quotation Marks, Hyphen, Parenthesis, Semicolon, and Colon.

Simply click an image above, to head to my TPT shop.

10 February 2013

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

I recently got the book, Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, and I absolutely loved it!  It has such a great message and is really a heart warming story.  If you haven't read the story, it's a must read!
I knew I was going to have to get to work creating some fun-filled activities to go along with the story before Valentine's Day.

Included in the set:
*  Character traits printable for students to describe Mr. Hatch at the beginning and end of the story. 
*  Story Map
*  Writing activity for students to explain the theme/message of the story.
*  Heart shaped valentine to give somebody they love.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Somebody-Loves-You-Mr-Hatch-Story-Activies-553402


You can get this resource in my TPT store by clicking the image above.

Here are a couple pics from my classroom.




09 February 2013

Writing Clips


I really needed a new way to get my students to fix up their writing.  We talk about transition words from the start of the year and even have a list in our writing folders, but I wanted to be sure they were actually being used in their writing.  I decided to make clips for the most common transition words we use.  I also made a set of clips that listed alternatives for the word-said.  These clips have been a huge hit in the classroom.  My students simply grab a clip, use it to spell the word(s) correctly, and then return the clip to the ribbon.



It also gives them the chance to get up and move a bit, which is perfectly fine with me, if it means they are improving their writing in the process.  I love watching them get up to look for just the right clip for their writing piece.

They were a cinch to make, too.  I only needed ribbon, clothespins, and binder clips, which I already had at home.
I have the labels attached.  They aren't the cutest, but they get the job done!

02 February 2013

Story Snapshot

A FREEBIE for today...
My second graders keep a reading journal.  I have them do a variety of activities that correspond to our story for the week.  My favorite activity is the Story Snapshot.  I usually complete it whole group a couple of times and then it becomes a weekly station activity.  My students simply glue it into their reading journal (spiral) when it is complete.  I love it because it's a quick snapshot of the story, and my students can complete it independently and fairly quickly.  You can click on the Story snapshot image below to get it FREE at my TPT store.  The adorable border for this activity is from Hello Literacy. 

   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Story-Snapshot-A-Sweet-Reflection-536323