Pencil Labels FREEBIE

I went into my classroom for the first time this summer, just to drop a few things that I had purchased for back to school.  I can't believe school will be here in just a few short weeks!  Eeek!

While I was there I started doing a little organizing, including setting up my new pencil cups.  I made these new pencil labels for my classroom earlier this summer and loaded them on TPT as a FREEBIE! 

There are a couple of different label options, depending on your personal preference.

To download a free set of pencil labels, click the photo below...



Enjoy!

It's time for... Super Words!!!!

THIS is it!  My favorite resource that I have ever created for my classroom.  Super Words!

I love it so much that this is the reason I decided to open a TPT store to share it with others.

I'm excited to tell you all about it...

Super Words! is a sight word study resource I came up with a couple of years back.  My students have absolutely LOVED IT.  Really!  And, it's all because of these:

Beads!!  Who'd have thought that giving my students a bead to put on their flashcards ring would be such a HUGE incentive!

Would you love to have your students learn all 220 Dolch sight words over the course of a year?  If so, read on...

Here's how I use my Super Words! resource in my classroom.  Each week my students get a new flashcard to put on their ring with 6-7 new sight words to learn.  Flashcards are printed out and pre-cut by me.  They quickly use a glue stick to adhere to an index card.  I hole punch it and they put the new card on their ring.  This only takes 5 minutes once they have the routine.  These go home with the students with their "baggie books" for nightly practice.  They also use them during reading time during Daily 5 in the classroom.  And, of course, I put the new Super Words on our word wall to practice throughout the week.

Every 4-5 weeks, usually at mid-term, I assess my students.  I DO NOT let them read the words off their flashcards.  (Some students will memorize the words in order...)  I use my Super Words Sight Words Cards, mixed up, to assess (shown above).  If a student knows all the words, I stamp the check boxes on their flashcards, indicating words they've mastered.  I use the eraser from a brand new pencil as my rubber stamp.  (See pic below...)  You could also hole punch, or use a marker to check off the words.

**UPDATE 6/7/18:  I now assess my students on their Super Words using the SEESAW app.  I upload each assessment into the app and students take the assessment independently.  To see this resource in my TPT shop, CLICK HERE.

Then, this is when the magic happens.  They earn a new bead to put on their flashcard ring.  Stop the world!  You cannot believe HOW EXCITED your students will be about this!  I'm telling you!  I talk it up real big at the beginning of the year and make a huge deal out of it.  I keep the color a secret and they get so excited when I reveal which color they'll be receiving each time.  MAGIC!  I can't believe how hard they work to earn those little beads.

You might be wondering, what happens if a student doesn't know all the words when assessed.  No problem.  I simply tell them they did awesome, here's a couple of words you missed and need to work on, and I'll test you again in a few days.  Students can work at their own pace and everyone has the opportunity to earn all the beads.

As I said, I test every 4-5 weeks.  Our school runs on a 9-week quarter, so that is how I set this up.  By the end of each year, my students earn a total of 8 beads.  Plus, a bonus bead if they take my Super Words Challenge.  More on that in a second...  If your school doesn't have 4 quarters like we do, no problem, you can still use this.  I have 36 weeks of words, simply break it up however you wish.

My Super Words Challenge is one final, huge 220-word assessment that I do at the end of the school year.  I have parents test their kids on all the Super Words first, and when they are ready, I test their student.  If the student can read all 220 sight words, they earn a special certificate of accomplishment.  They get super-proud about this!

Let me tell you how successful my students have been with Super Words!  I'd say 98% of my students have earned all 8 beads and an equal amount have taken my Super Words Challenge and passed.  Woo Hoo!  I truly believe my students' success with this program has made them better readers.

If you're looking for a fun new idea to help you teach sight words, give this a try this school year.  My Super Words Flashcard Ring comes with 36 weeks of flashcards, 4 quarterly assessments (which can be used to do a year-end assessment also), and a Super Words Challenge certificate.  Download a copy in my TPT store here.

I also created some additional resources that I use in my classroom.  You might find some of these helpful as well.

Super Words Sight Words Cards

Super Words Games for Practice

Super Words Word Wall Cards

Thanks for your interest in learning more about Super Words!  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Nameplates (aka Desk Name Tags)

This year I am switching from store-bought nameplates for my student desks.  So, I designed some cute ones based on my style and colors for my room.   Then, while I was at it, I designed them in 7 colors, each in 2 patterns.

There are 96 different nameplates in each set! Ninety~six!!!  They vary by boy/girl and skin/hair/clothing colors, so you can customize it to fit your needs.  Oh, and they are editable!  EDITABLE!!  Just type in your students' names and print!  Use year after year!  How cool is that?!



Idea!  You can also use them for general labeling in your classroom (i.e. label closets, drawers, supplies, etc.).

The following colors/patterns are currently uploaded in my TPT store.  Click on the pictures to view them.

 
 
 


This is a sample of what the Red Chevron set looks like...

{BTW, you might be wondering what's up with the number after the name.  I use student numbers for things like mailboxes, clipboards, behavior chart, etc.  Do you all do that?}

Thanks for stopping by today!  You can download your set of Classroom Nameplates at my TPT store!  Enjoy and be sure to let me know how you are using them!

Daily 5 Freebie!

Have you downloaded my Daily 5 Pocket Chart Schedule Cards yet?  They are FREE on TPT!



I thought I would share a little about how I use them in my classroom.  I do Daily 5 every day, but I definitely tweak it to meet my needs and the needs of my students.  Seems like I do something a little different each year.  Generally, though, I do three rounds of Daily 5 each morning and students make a choice using my Daily 5 Pocket Chart Schedule Cards while I meet with a guided reading group.  (I know, that's only 3 choices, not 5... Like I said, I change it up to meet our needs!) 

I have done Daily 5 by allowing students to choose which of the 5 choices they want to work on, but I have also switched to doing more of a rotation schedule where students do not choose, they are rotated to ensure they are actually doing all the stations.  Either way, this is the pocket chart I use and I'll explain how it works.

 



I place the Daily 5 cards at the top for students to choose from.  When something runs out (for instance, "Word Work") that means that station is full and students can no longer choose it that round.

The colored cards you see throughout the chart represent my guided reading groups.  I put removable stickers with the students names on them.  For instance, my "red group" has 3 students in it.  Unless I am meeting with that group, they will make a Daily 5 choice by selecting a Daily 5 card and placing in their pocket.

In the photo below you can see that my "yellow group" will be doing guided reading with me this round (all 4 yellow group students have the purple guided reading Daily 5 cards in their pocket).  Everyone else has made a choice on their own.

 

Sometimes, it works better for me to put the students on a rotation schedule.  It really just depends on how Daily 5 is going in my classroom and what our needs are.  The photo below shows how this chart is used when students rotate.  I have an entire group rotate to a station.  For instance, shown below you can see that yellow group is doing guided reading with me, students in the red group are all doing Read to Someone, while students in the purple group are at Listening Center.  To be truthful, I much prefer this method because it eliminates students wasting time deciding what to do, it keeps kids from choosing the same thing over and over, and because the kids in each group are all at the same reading level, they work really well together.  But, that's just me and my preference.

 

Any way that you implement Daily 5 in your classroom, I hope that my Daily 5 cards will help you and your students stay organized.

Download a FREE set of Daily 5 Pocket Cart Schedule Cards here!