Showing posts with label common core standards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label common core standards. Show all posts

Teachers Are Heroes Sale on TeachersPayTeachers




IT'S EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER DAY! SALE THROUGH FEB. 26th!

We all know that teachers are heroes. Every day there are countless acts of heroism by teachers: complimenting the student who has a low self-esteem, providing a snack for the student who forgot hers, giving an encouraging smile to the shy student as he begins his speech, stopping a bully from picking on another student, standing up to and speaking out to an administrator or board member about an unfair policy, grading 150 essays in record time, and so on. 

Teachers often don't realize how these small acts can make a huge difference in the lives of their students. And it's time to give back to all of those who work hard to make each and every day in a child's life worthwhile. 

That's why TeachersPayTeachers will be having a site-wide sale Wednesday, Feb. 25th. Use the code HEROES at checkout to receive 10%, plus get an additional 20% off from the following secondary sellers' stores. (See list, below.)

I will also be having 20% off EVERYTHING in my store. If you haven't checked out my newest resources, please do. I think you and your students will enjoy them!





Check out all these great Secondary teacher-authors, who will be having a sale in their stores on Wednesday:





















































Using Bell Ringers and Exit Slips for Quick Assessments

Bell Ringers & Exit Slips for Quick Assessments (www.traceeorman.com)

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Implementing the Common Core State Standards does not have to be a difficult chore for teachers. There are many ways you can quickly assess student learning and measure their levels of understanding.

While teachers will see a push for more writing, the samples need not be lengthy essays. Quick writes—a paragraph summary or a few sentences that show evidence from a tex—count as a writing activity. This is where bell ringers and exit slips can come in handy. The smaller size is less intimidating for students, yet they still practice essential skills.

I've included some examples of how I use quick writes in the form of bell ringers (given at the beginning of class) and exit slips (due at the end of class) to gauge student learning. These are from my two Common Core Bell Ringers  & Exit Slips bundles: Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Implement the Common Core with Bell Ringers and Exit Slips
You should NEVER sacrifice creative thought; it should still be encouraged alongside other skills.

Both bundles have received rave reviews by teachers and students alike. One unique feature I include: the Common Core Standard on every single slip, so you (and your students) know exactly which skills you are practicing or assessing.

Using bell ringers and exit slips in class for quick writes.

Use prompts that practice the Core standards, yet still encourage creative thought. Your students will be more engaged and will put more thought and effort into the activity. The activity above practices the third reading standard, which asks students to analyze the characters actions over time. By asking students to eliminate a character, they must think both critically and creatively to understand how that character impacted the plot and other characters.

Using bell ringers and exit slips in class for quick writes.
Above, students are asked to relate a famous quote with the text. By forcing them to make those connections, they have to synthesize the information they've read.

Using bell ringers and exit slips in class for quick writes.

Another quick assessment is my "What's Hot? What's Not?" activity. Students must select parts from the text that display both positive and negative aspects or connotations. 

If you find yourself stressing about implementing the Core standards, DON'T! I have over 200 different activities to practice every single reading standard for both literature and nonfiction that can be implemented immediately. (See Volume 1 and Volume 2.) 

I've been using the activities in my classroom for several years with great success. Feel free to comment or ask a question below. Thanks for stopping by!

Cyber Monday...Need Common Core Resources?


Cyber Monday Sale www.traceeorman.com

Day two post for sale...

It's shopping time for teachers again: Cyber Monday (& Tuesday) Sale on TeachersPayTeachers! 

Last night I started a post about teaching resources that you'll want to put in your cart. I'm continuing today with additional products--especially those geared for aligning your curriculum with the Common Core State Standards.

Part two of the essential products you'll want to add to your cart include (middle and high school teachers):
Sale! Common Core Reading Grades 6-12 www.traceeorman.com



Common Core Reading Assessment www.traceeorman.comCommon Core Reading Graphic Organizers for Grades 6-12 - My grades 11-12 bundle contains organizers for all the reading informational & reading literature anchor standards for grades 6-12. The 9-10 bundle contains organizers for grades 6-10, and the 6, 7, 8 bundle has the organizers for those specific grades. Because the 9-10 standards build upon the 6-8 and the 11-12 build upon the 9-10, it's essential to practice the skills but take it to a higher (deeper) level as students age. My organizers are great for daily work while reading, along with formal and informal assessments.




For my elementary friends:
Editable Vocabulary Activities - Common Core Aligned http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Vocabulary-Graphic-Organizers-Grades-2-5

Common Core Vocabulary Organizers & Prompts - Everyone has graphic organizers...why these? What makes mine unique is that they are provided in Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, along with a PDF copy, so you can customize them with words, differentiate for certain students, and make adjustments to suit your needs. Besides being a great resource for vocabulary/language practice, students will practice reading and writing skills at the same time. All the standards work with one another so I designed my handouts to utilize and capitalize on it; while your students are practicing vocabulary skills, they are also building their reading and writing skills. For grades 2-5. Coming soon: a packet for older students!
Common Core Language Standards http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Vocabulary-Graphic-Organizers-Grades-2-5



What will I be buying? (Or perhaps already purchased early!)
My friend Kristen, owner of Secondary Solutions, has awesome literature units. When I was assigned to teach regular English IV this year (I had seniors before, but the general/remedial class, which follows a different curriculum) I knew Beowulf would be one of the units I would have to teach. I must admit I hated reading it in college and was dreading teaching it. Secondary Solutions to the rescue! Here's Kristen's Beowulf unit--aligned to the Common Core, of course--that will save me much time (and agony!): http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beowulf-Literature-Guide-Common-Core-Aligned-Teaching-Guide

See you tomorrow for some additional finds to put in your shopping cart!
Post below links to your favorite items that you'll be purchasing Monday & Tuesday.

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The Power of a Talking Dog


The Power of a Talking Dog: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go By Patrick Ness


Conversation with a student...
“Is this the book about the talking dog?”
“Yep.” 
“Is it any good? I heard it was good.”
“Oh yes, it’s very good. You should read it. In fact, you should read all three.”
“There’s three?”
“Yep. Here’s the first one.”
“Oh...wow...that’s a lot of pages…”
“Give it a shot. I know you’ll love it.”

A couple of years ago I was in Mockingjay-withdrawal. I had a hard time finding good books to read and was tired of reading one then waiting a year for the next one. Then a fellow Hunger Games fan/teacher suggested I read Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking trilogy (all three books were already published!). And at first, I wasn’t really getting into the whole “New World” setting and the narrator’s vernacular was annoying. But after a few chapters, I was once again hooked. You know what did it? Manchee, the talking dog. Well, he doesn’t really talk, but you can hear his thoughts. And they are funny. And real. And exactly what the story needed. Just read the first paragraph and try not to laugh out loud.

Conversation after same student is almost finished with the first book… 
“I hate you for suggesting this book! I refuse to finish it!”
“I know...I felt the exact same way. I threw it across the room, I was so mad.”
“Yeah...that’s what I did, too.”
“It helped me writing about it.”
“Well, I’m not finishing it. I’m done with this series.”
“I know. It’ll be here if you want to finish.”

Next day, student waiting at my door in the morning…
“I need to finish it! I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about it.”
“I know. I know…

The student came back the next day and checked out the next two books, The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men (yep, funny titles. But they make perfect sense in the books.). She read over 1,200 pages in a couple of weeks. More than she had read the previous year. 

The Power of a Talking Dog: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Best opening lines. Ever.
It's a powerful series and one that I will be talking about later this week on my other blog, Hunger Games Lessons. There are many comparisons to The Hunger Games--both being a dystopia about teenagers who must fight for survival. And I just completed my teaching unit for The Knife of Never Letting Go, so look for some great teaching materials that go along with it in my teacher store, as well. I correlated everything with the Common Core State Standards, which is why it has been a work in progress for almost two years now. 

I highly recommend the trilogy. It's geared more toward high school, but mature 8th graders should be able to handle the language and violence. If you teach younger students, you MUST read A Monster Calls by Ness. Once you do, I think you will see why I love everything he writes. He has a way of bringing you into the story and feeling exactly what the characters feel. 

You can find both books on Amazon here: Author Patrick Ness
And his website: http://www.patrickness.com/

And...The Knife of Never Letting Go has been selected as one of the books that will be given out on World Book Night (April 23, 2013)! Are you convinced now it may be worth the read? :)


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Common Core Tips: Using Transitional Words in Writing

Use Transitions Anchor Chart www.traceeorman.com
One of the keys to writing is using appropriate transitional words and phrases. For students who struggle with writing a cohesive essay or paper, it is essential that they use words that not only create a natural flow or progression, but link each point together.

Using transitions is also a key aspect in each type of writing in the Common Core State Standards. For example, read the following writing standards for grades 9-10:

For Writing Arguments
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. 

For Writing Informative/Explanatory Texts
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

For Writing Narratives
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3c Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
(source: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10)

Each type of writing piece will require certain types of transitions. The narrative transitions will vary from the types of transitions used for clarifying the relationship between claims and counterclaims in argumentatives.
Transitions for Narratives Anchor Chart www.traceeorman.com
The transitions for conveying a sequence and building suspense differ in a narrative from the counterpoints (or counterclaims) transitions in the argumentative chart.
Transitions for Arguments Anchor Chart www.traceeorman.com

To make it easier for you and your students, I've created anchor charts of example transitions that are aligned with the writing standards for transitions for grades 6-12. You can download a free PDF copy in my teacher store here: Common Core Transitional Words Anchor Charts

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Transitions for Informative/Explanatory Anchor Chart www.traceeorman.com

The free download has charts in black/white and in plain text worksheet format, as well.

In my news writing expository presentation (shown below), I give examples of unbiased transitions to use in objective writing pieces. Writing objective summaries is a staple in the Common Core State Standards for writing.
News Writing Example - Objective Transitions

I will be posting a bundle of Common Core writing resources soon, which will include graphic organizers and various exercises. In the meantime, I already have several excellent writing resources that help students through critical phases of the writing process, such as the news writing bundle above and the following resources:

Narrative Writing, Short Stories:

Informative Writing, News Writing:

Writing Style Rules: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Style-Rules-Rubric-Self-Peer-Editing-Checklist-Journalism

Creative Writing, Poetry:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Like-Poets-Teach-Your-Students-to-Write-Presentation-PPT
Writing Anchor Chart Common Core www.traceeorman.com

Informative/Explanatory and Argumentative Writing:
FREE: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Writing-PEEL-Anchor-Chart

Thanks for stopping by my blog. If you find these helpful, feel free to "pin" them and pass them along to other teachers. :)

It's The Lesson Cloud Dollar Days Back-to-School Sale AND a Giveaway!

The Dollar Days Sale & Giveaway sponsored by The Lesson Cloud!

The Lesson Cloud authors are presenting a big Dollar Days sale this week! PLUS, you can win a $75 gift card to Really Good Stuff in our Back-to-School Giveaway!
You can get great deals on so many teacherspayteachers lessons, activities, printables, and other teaching resources for just $1 or $2. But it's only happening Sunday, July 29th and Monday, July 30th, so you'll need to put those items on your wish list or add to your cart so you don't forget.

To see all the great resources that will be marked down and to enter the $75 giveaway gift card, go to 
There you can click on the grade-level resources that are marked at super discounts and enter our giveaway!

Clip Art:

Thanks to Hilary Lewis for designing the cute logo at the top!
Check out her blog {HERE}.


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Two Holiday Freebies for Download



I just posted two holiday freebies you can download in my teacher store right now!

"The Day After Halloween Creative Writing Activity" 
(or it can be done anytime!)

"Thanksgiving Creative Writing Activity"

Both can be quick bell-ringers or exit slips, or used as journal prompts. They allow your students to be creative, which is always a good thing. And I like that you can use these for upper elementary students through seniors in high school. I know my older students had fun coming up with their responses. :)

Enjoy!

Oh, and they ARE aligned with the Common Core Standards.  Bonus!

Common Core Standards for Literature Graphic Organizers & Worksheets

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Do you need to implement the Common Core Standards into your curriculum? These graphic organizers are written for each individual anchor standard for Reading Literature, grades 9-10, and will work for any piece of literature: short stories, plays, novels, poems, etc.. Just select an organizer for the literature you are reading to practice that particular standard/skill. They are all labeled clearly with each standard.

You can download the samples, below, FREE.

This full set, which can be purchased here, includes 24 different organizers for the 10 anchor standards in reading. Many of the organizers will practice the skills in the Reading Informational Texts, as well. However, the majority are written specifically for the literature standards.

UPDATE: I completed the graphic organizers for grades 6, 7, and 8, as well. You can find those here:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fiction-Non-Fiction-Reading-Graphic-Organizers-Common-Core-6-7-8
Because the anchor standards are the same, many will be similar to the grades 9-10. However, they are customized to the specific standards outlined for each grade.  For example, the third anchor standard for reading literature for each grade is:
RL.6.3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
RL.7.3. Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).
RL.8.3. Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
I provide several different organizers for each standard so you can decide how deeply you want your students to practice this skill. You can use these for assessment, as well.

Skills practiced in the organizers include: inference (inferring), complex character analysis, theme and plot development, compare/contrast two different works of same subject matter, understanding of cultural experiences, figurative language meaning and purpose, author's point of view, role of character, understanding author's purpose and choices, how language affects the tone and meaning, how an author uses allusions, and reading comprehension.

Students in advanced classes in 8th grade/middle could also utilize the worksheets for grades 9-10 or use the grades 6, 7, 8 organizers.

Free Common Core Standards Graphic Organizers

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