It’s that time of the year…

One sure sign of the beginning of the school year is when my local Target starts to stock back-to-school items in their $1 section. Some of these items cost $2, or $2.50, but they are still great finds for organizing your classroom. What bargains have you found this year? Share your story in the comments section and if you have a photo, send it to d.diller@live.com

Great for organizing pencils , markers, and other supplies at small group tables or work stations

All sorts of great bins and buckets — for books, for supplies, extra paper. The only limit is your imagination!

More great bins and step-stools — for stepping and sitting!

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Sorting phonics materials

Often, primary teachers have many phonics materials available in their classrooms. One teacher I worked with had write-on cutouts for students to use for working with word families. These are good materials for literacy work stations. However, don’t put out too much at once. And differentiate the materials so the right kids are working with the right word study patterns.

Here are photos of materials we recently sorted (and color-coded) for students in kindergarten (or grade 1):

Dont put out all the phonics charts at once. Less is more!

These word study patterns are the easiest ones from the set. Use these with students reading easier books at DRA levels 5-6.

Other students at DRA levels 5-6 might use these cards with more challenging patterns after they show mastery of easier ones.

For kids working at DRA levels 3-4, provide CVC activities, such as these write the CVC word picture cards with Elkonin boxes or Word Sliders from Lakeshore (after youve taught with them in small group).

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Planning for literacy stations in Randolph Co., NC

In Randolph Co., NC, we focused on how to plan for literacy work stations. First, we looked at space and teachers mapped out their classrooms using paper and sticky notes. Then we examined quality whole group teaching based on state standards for reading. FInally, teachers worked in teams to plan and chart what kids would practice at literacy work stations. The photos tell the story!

Teachers work in pairs to map out space in their classrooms using paper and sticky notes

Working in teams, educators chart what they’re teaching, materials they’re using, and how they’ll apply that practice to literacy work stations:

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New letter ID kit from RGS

My new letter ID kit (for small group instruction) is finally being released by Really Good Stuff. This kit includes severals sets of magnetic letters (in soft, touchable foam) with blue consonants and red vowels, so students who are having trouble learning letters can touch and feel how letters are made.

Also included are letter formation cards, sorting mats with multiple ways to sort letters, and a letter ID folder for keeping track of which students in your group need what. The kit includes lots of help for you, including cards with many ideas for teaching letter identification in small group instruction. Check it out at Really Good Stuff!

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Decluttering

All the elementary teachers in Republic, MO are moving classrooms this year. The district is reconfiguring schools. After we set up several classrooms there, two charts appeared in the school office the next morning. One says, “I Have Extra….” and the other is titled, “I Need…” Teachers jotted down notes to communicate with each other about their needs. Great idea!!!

 

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Cool back to school stuff at Target

Walked into Target the other day and was immediately greeted by their dollar store bins, right by the front entrance. Gotta love it! Look at all the cool stuff they have for teachers setting up their classrooms. Get there quickly! The good stuff goes fast. Warning; buy ONLY what you need for this year… even if it is just one dollar! (:

Great containers! Bought some of the small dry erase boards with pens and built-in erasers for math stations (for students to record their thinking)

Stickers and stamps abound. Nice for your writing work station.

Totes work nicely to hold community supplies for table groups

Little stepstools are great for kindergarten classrooms. Place one by your pocket chart (for little ones who have trouble reaching the top pocket). A small can is nice to put in a writing work station.

These open up into sturdy cloth box-like storage cubes. I think they were $2.50 each, but still a bargain. (...only if they fit your color scheme)

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Whisperphone fun at IRA

This photo was taken at IRA. Steve is showing me the kinds of fun kids can have with the Whisper Phone. Check them out that http://www.whisperphone.com!

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Flexible Small Groups Reading Folder Has Finally Arrived!

If you have read my book, Making the Most of Small Groups, you might already know about the flexible small groups folder I recommend making to keep track of your reading groups. It helps you organize and keep track of who is in each group and what you might focus on in teaching. There are pictures of this folder on the book’s cover and in chapter 2.

 

Great news! This folder is now available (already made) from Really Good Stuff . All you have to do is write each child’s name on a card and insert it in a precut strip. Everything you need is included… the strips telling what to focus on in each small group, the color-coded file folder (one color represents each small group), and the little name cards. It is a huge time-saver. Hope you like it as much as I do!

 

Front cover of the Flexible Reading Groups Folder from Really Good Stuff

 

The inside of the folder is color-coded and includes strips for what to teach at each level and name cards to show who is in that group

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Thinking about anchor charts

While in Maine last week, I met with about 400 teachers at the Elks Lodge in Waterville. As part of our work together, we thought about anchor charts we’d make with children this year. Before creating an anchor chart with children, it’s a good idea to think about what it might look like. So we made some samples together. What an engaging process this was! The pictures tell it all.

The Elks Lodge in Waterville

Cause and effect anchor chart

K-2 anchor chart about deep comprehension

Morning routine anchor chart for K-2 classroom

A math anchor chart

Making anchor charts for an upper-grade class

Teachers working together

Upper-grade teachers check out each other's work

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Literacy work station task cards are finally here!

I just found out that my Literacy Work Stations Task Cards have been released by Really Good Stuff for the fall. Many teachers have been emailing and asking when these will be available again. The answer is now!

The cards are available in three different sets, including one for emergent readers (with simple text and lots of picture support for Pre-K, K, and early 1st grade). There is also a fluent set with more detailed instructions and higher level tasks (for middle to end of first grade into second grade and possibly third grade for some classrooms). And there’s a set that includes all the cards, emergent and fluent in one package.

I’ve created a variety of task cards for 8 different stations, including Big Book, Buddy Reading, Classroom Library, Drama, Listening, Poetry, Word Study, and Writing. There is a chapter on each of these stations in my book, Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work, available from Stenhouse Publishers to give you more information.

I love the new art and look of these cards! They’re in full-color and are in English on one side and Spanish on the other… for all my bilingual friends! They are already laminated, hole-punched and include an O-ring for assembly.

To use them, just start by teaching with one task in whole group. Then move it to a station after you’ve taught with it. Model, model, model! Add new cards over time, as you teach with new tasks. These task cards can be used in conjunction with an “I Can” list. Simply have one item on the list say, “I can use task cards.”

Let me know how you like them! I’m excited that they’re ready for back to school. For those of you who have been asking about my out-of-print book, Beyond the Names Chart, it is in production and will be coming out soon from Really Good Stuff, too.

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