Figuratively Speaking GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!   Greetings from Deb in snowy and cold Iowa!   Huh?!  You may be wondering, Deb?! Where’s Kathleen?!  Well, Kathleen can be found over at my blog – Crafting Connections.  We decided we needed a little “excitement” these early days of January, so we decided to swap blogs!  We thought our readers might enjoy getting to meet another upper elementary teacher-blogger in the process. So, stick around and read on… (We’ll make it worth your while in the end!)

First, let me tell you just a little bit about myself.   Personally, I am married to my best friend, and I am the mother to two beautiful little girls- Kayla is nine years old and Brooke is six.

When I have free time, I like to hike (although I don’t get to do so very often…. my side of Iowa is a little on the flat side) and bake.   Here’s a photo of the birthday cake for Jesus that my girls and I made.  I made the cake, and my girls decorated it.  :)

Professionally, I am an ESL teacher in a school district in northeast Nebraska, and I am in the middle of my 16th year of teaching.   For the most part, I co-teach with several third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers.   I love this, as it allows me to provide support to many students and collaborate with some amazing teachers at multiple grade levels as well!  If you’ve visited my blog or been by my store, you’ll know that I LOVE to create “craftivity” resources… and the only thing better than creating them is seeing first-hand how students are engaged by them, enjoy them, and learn from them.  (Check out a post I wrote earlier this year about the benefits I find from doing craftivities with upper elementary students.)

Besides craftivities, I also really enjoy creating PowerPoint lessons.   Where craftivities employ hands-on, tactile learning opportunities, PowerPoint lessons employ important cognitive learning opportunities.  I have a hunch you’ll agree that both strategies have their place in our upper elementary classrooms.   I’ve found that a visually engaging PowerPoint filled with lots of examples is a powerful tool!  I have seen the light bulb come on for students SO many times when I present a visually engaging PowerPoint … and especially when I then follow it up with a hands-on craftivity to “seal in” what students have just learned cognitively.  Ahhh… I live to see that “AHA!” moment!

So, let me go back to Kathleen briefly.  A few weeks ago, I decided that my Figurative Language PowerPoint needed a “facelift”, shall we say – I think my “design skills” have improved a bit over the last year - and while I felt it had great “bones”, I thought it would benefit from a few design tweaks. (I’m really proud of how it turned out!)

Once I finished it, I decided to go on a TpT hunt for a great set of figurative language posters – that’s where I found Kathleen’s set (right).  I decided to connect with her to see if she wanted to team up to do a giveaway of my Figurative Language PowerPoint and her Figurative Language Poster set!  Suffice it to say that she was on board… and here we are today!  (She was actually just finishing up a Figurative Language Interactive Notebook resource, and I think that’s what she’s choosing to blog about over at my blog today…)

Anyway, I love the weeks when we focus on figurative language. I think it’s probably my favorite ELA topic to teach!  There are just so many fun things to do, and it’s SO fun to hear statements like, “Mrs. Hanson, check out the personification I found when I was reading yesterday!” when I walk into the classroom!   I thought I would briefly share how my co-teachers and I intend to go about teaching figurative language this year in 5th grade.

• We will start by presenting the Figurative Language PowerPoint - we want to start with a brief overview of the seven literary devices we will be covering in fifth grade.
• Similes
• Metaphors
• Alliteration
• Onomatopoeias
• Personification
• Hyperboles
• Idioms
• We will go through each literary device independently, using Kathleen’s Figurative Language Interactive Notebook activities as guided practice during class and some of my worksheets as independent practice.  We will also hang Kathleen’s Figurative Language Posters on the wall as we introduce each literary device.
• Students will record literary devices that they find during independent reading in my Figurative Language Flipbook.
• We will play lots of games to review previous literary devices taught as we progress through the unit!  For example, after we have covered similes and metaphors, the next day we will probably play “I have… Who has…? : Similes and Metaphors” at the beginning of the class period before we begin teaching alliteration.
• After all of the literary devices have been introduced, we will do some review activities, including my Figurative Language Task Cards and Figurative Language Craftivity.
• We will assess at the end of the unit by using the review activity in Kathleen’s Figurative Language Interactive Notebook packet. 

Between Kathleen’s two resources and the resources I had already made (and are in my bundle), we determined that we would not even be able to use all of the materials we have!!  However, I suppose that is okay- we even decided that we might be able to use some of the materials for reteaching and/or a review before those spring standardized tests.

I promised a raffle giveaway in the blog title... here it is!   One winner will receive my Figurative Language BUNDLE - AND the resource that Kathleen is featuring over at my blog... Enter at either blog!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finally, thank you so much for reading today - even though I'm not Kathleen. :)   I hope my post today will lead you to consider following my blog as well!

Figurative Language Interactive Notebook

Phew! I just finished my Figurative Language Interactive Notebook before TpT's huge Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale!  It contains a ton of activities to use for the following types of figurative language: similes, metaphors, personification, idioms, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, and alliteration. In the future, I will be doing a blog post about how I teach figurative language in my own classroom. 

Don't forget to enter the code "cyber" for an additional 10% off already reduced prices!

Persuasive Writing Unit-Photo Overload

We've been working on a persuasive unit at school for the last two weeks.  We started it right after Veterans Day.  I revamped some of the projects I've done in the past, and added some new Thanksgiving related persuasive writing activities. The timing was perfect. I think the unit was a total success! I was really happy with my students' writing, and I think they enjoyed the activities that they completed. 

This unit addressed the following Common Core State Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1a Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1b Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1c Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1d Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

I used the persuasive writing bulletin board materials (from my Persuasive Writing Unit set) to create a display for students to refer to during the unit.  I put some great TFK persuasive articles on the board to accompany the set.

My old bulletin board arrangement

My new bulletin board arrangement...

The first step in our unit involved students identifying the important parts of a persuasive essay.  We color coded the parts.  We also underlined the transitional words and phrases that were used. I emphasized the importance of transitional words and phrases and how they helped the essays flow. The first example we did together for practice, and then students did the next example with a partner.

We went over the answers on the Smart Board, and students recorded them in their packets (the passages were also from my TpT unit).

Next, we practiced writing a persuasive essay together.  We wrote about school uniforms.  And, yes, my students chose to write against them....Shocker!

Then, my students chose one of two articles to write a persuasive piece about: "Should Kids Be on Reality TV?" or "Should Trampolines be Banned?" After they read the article they selected, they had to choose a side and convince their readers to agree with it.

They completed their pre-writing using this graphic organizer (also in my set).

After the pre-writing, my students wrote a draft in their notebooks.  They double checked their work by coloring the different parts of their essays to ensure they included each part.  They also had a classmate peer edit their writing using a checklist from my set.

The last phase of their writing process was typing their final copy!

And Voila! Students pasted their final copies on either red or purple paper (depending on if they were for or against the topic being discussed).

The next phase in the unit was applying their new persuasive writing skills to a Thanksgiving related prompt...I chose the book Turkey Trouble because it went well with the prompt I chose.  I had students write a persuasive piece convincing their readers that they were not a turkey. In the book, Turkey Trouble, the turkey tries to disguise himself as other types of animals to avoid being the main course on Thanksgiving. It's a cute story.  Unfortunately, I was not the only one who wanted to use this book, and all of the copies were checked out of the library.  I think I was number 40 on the hold list...haha...So, I found a video of it being read on YouTube (see below).

Image from: http://www.amazon.com/Turkey-Trouble-Wendi-Silvano/dp/0761455299

I told my students in advance that they would hear some baby noises toward the end of the video.  They thought it was hilarious. :)

Click on the image below to go to Katie Adams' TpT store.  That is where I found the template for the turkey figure. 

Click here for a copy of the graphic organizer I made for the assignment.  

Isn't the display cute?  I wish I had room to display them all! They came up with some really creative ideas for disguising their turkeys. Plus, it was a fun way to practice their newly acquired skills.



Here's a closer view!

I'm linking up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughing for "A Peek at My Week" 

November's Currently

I'm linking up with Farley for November's Currently.

Here's my yummy pin.  I thought it was appropriate for the fall.  I love going apple picking! :) Click on the photo below to get the directions for this treat.

Original image from: http://domesticfits.com/2011/10/12/inside-out-caramel-apples/

Using Evidence from the Text to Support Answers and My New Avatar!!!

Today is my lucky day!  I was fortunate enough to be one of the first five people to comment on Educasong & Educlip's Avatar Giveaway, which means I got a FREE avatar!  I've been wanting one for the longest time, so I'm thrilled to finally have one!  I sent my school picture from last year (since this year's wasn't my fav...ha) to Sarah, and she whipped my avatar up in only an hour or two.  And, it's adorable! All of her clip art is super cute and affordable.  Check out her TpT store!  

To spread the love, I am having a flash freebie on my newest product, "Using Evidence from the Text to Support Your Answers-Poster Set"...So, click on the picture below to grab it for FREE!

The new Common Core Standards for Reading Literature and Reading Informational Text require students to "Quote accurately from a text..." to support their answers.  These posters have sample answers using writing prompts.  You can post them in your room during the year to refer to when students are answering comprehension questions.  They're also great for a test review! :)

Our House...In Progress!

My husband I are building a house!  Not us, technically, but you know what I mean ;)...It should be ready in time for the holidays!  I am super excited!!!  We have been picking out paint colors, furniture, and tons of other fun decorative pieces.  I have literally been to more furniture stores in the last couple of weeks than I have been to my entire life! I can't wait to see how all of our purchases come together {The suspense is killing me!}...So while I impatiently wait, I'll be distracting myself with school related work, advising Student Council, taking some more grad. classes, working on TpT products, and frequently looking at Pinterest posts and Etsy items!

Here's a pic. of our former hole in the ground...

This was the house partially framed...

And finally, the house completely framed....

OTES Resouces

I'm linking up with Farley for October's Currently...

If you teach in Ohio, you are probably stressing out about the new evaluation system (referred to as OTES).  I know I was before my first observation! It is really important to be prepared for your pre-observation and post-observation conferences.  The following resources will help you stay organized for your conferences, while showcasing the evidence you have collected for each of the seven standards.  

I have put the OTES resources on sale for 20% today and tomorrow.  Good luck with your evaluations! :)

PREVIEW:

Strategic Reading Posters

This will be a quick post because I need to run to the library....I had an unexpected day off of school, so I thought I'd create some reading strategy posters!  I've been wanting to make them for a long time, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I have decided to put the set on sale for 20% off today and tomorrow! Snag the "We are Strategic Readers!" poster that goes with the 8 strategy posters below!

*Each strategy includes a poster explaining the strategy, mini posters with questions readers should ask themselves, mini posters with ways to start written responses, and an interactive flip book to practice the strategy.

Includes the following strategies:
1. Making Connections
2. Making Predictions
3. Asking Questions
4. Visualizing
5. Monitoring & Clarifying
6. Summarizing & Synthesizing
7. Determining Importance
8. Analyzing Author’s Craft

Interactive Notebook Freebie

This idea came to me yesterday, so I thought I'd whip it up and post it ASAP!  It's an tech. themed interactive notebook FREEBIE!  You can use it for any subject area.  There are three options for the front of the phone: a vocab. page, a famous/important person page, and a dialogue page. There are also three options that you can use for the inside of the phone as well.  Enjoy!

If you are looking for more S.S. related interactive notebook materials, click on the image below! :)

Social Studies Interactive Notebook

Sorry I've been MIA lately.  I've been swamped with everything back to school, as well as having my first observation last week.  Yes, the new OTES evaluation (If you teach in Ohio, you will know why I've been all kinds of busy lately). It's been a crazy first few weeks of school!  In my free time, which admittedly has been lacking, I have been tirelessly working on my "Social Studies Interactive Notebook" set. Check it out by clicking on the image below.  Also, snag a FREEBIE at the end of this post! :)

             

 It includes the following:

Section 1- 8 Strands of S.S.
*1 activity

Section 2- S.S. Skills Pages
*4 activities
*One on primary and secondary sources, one for the 5Ws and 1 H, one yes/no opinion activity, and one KWL

Section 3- Map Skills
*1 activity
*Cardinal directions/compass rose
*See my feature of a map FREEBIE

Section 4- Landforms
*2 variations for the following landforms: isthmus, hill, mountain, basin, mesa, plateau, lake, bay, peninsula, desert, island, and canyon

Section 5- Continents
*2 activities

Section 5- Regions in the U.S.
*1 activity to use for all of the 5 regions

Section 6- Ancient Civilizations
*1 activity for Maya, Inca, and Aztec 

Section 7- Native Americans
*1 activity to use for the following groups: Eastern Woodlands, Great Plains, Southwest Desert, and Northwest & Arctic

Section 8- Christopher Columbus
*2 activities

Section 9- Louisiana Purchase
*1 activity

Section 10- Revolutionary War
*2 activities
*One on important figures: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Betsy Ross, King George, and Redcoats
*One on the taxes for the 13 colonies

Section11- Civil War
*4 activities
*One on important figures: Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee, one on Union and Confederate states, one on events leading up to and after the war, and a Venn diagram activity

Section12- Government
*2 activities
*One on the branches of government and one on democrats and republicans

Section13- Economics
*4 activities
*One on supply and demand, one on goods and services, one on wants and needs, one on economic terms

Section14- Martin Luther King, Jr.
*1 activity

Also, here is a FREEBIE on the features of a map!