Summer in the City Virtual Blog Tour: Let the Rhythm Move You!

Summer in the City Virtual Blog Tour:
Let the Rhythm Move You!

I am so honored to be part of Kathleen Wainwright's Summer in the City Virtual Blog Tour! Kathleen is a fellow teacher-author and you may know her from her fabulous blog "The Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher." Her first book, Summer in the City, comes out March 8th and can be pre-ordered now at http://kathleenwainwright.com/ You can also enter the giveaway, below, for a chance to win your own copy of the book! Each book purchase from her website comes with a pair of jacks and a jumprope. The ebook can be purchased on TeachersPayTeachers and comes with free teaching resources.

When I first read Summer in the City I was drawn to the rhythm. The rhyming nature of the lines read just like a poem, and I found myself almost singing it page by page.

Lines like "Taking turns trading skates for the bike, playing from sun-up to sun-down...what every kid likes" combine rhymes with alliteration for a fantastic-sounding sentence brimming with life.

The gorgeous illustrations (by Nancy Devard) add to the beauty of the text and are full of life, as well. Each character is doing something on every page, giving all readers so much to absorb.

And while I absolutely love the poetic nature of the book, I have to admit that my favorite part is that I can relate to it completely. It brings back such fond memories of my own childhood playing with my older siblings. Even though I grew up in an extremely small town in Iowa during the 70s and 80s, I see myself with my sister and friends on our front porch playing jacks and playing "hide-and-seek games" (like kick the can) at the park. And don't even get me started on wearing jellies! I can't stop smiling every time I read Kathleen's book, and I know you won't be able to, either.

Ultimately, I think the best books are those that offer both obvious and subtle details so you are instantly drawn to the pages, but continue to re-read to see what you missed the first time around. Summer in the City is certainly a book that I will read and re-read tirelessly year after year.

To learn more about the book and see a sneak peek, watch the book trailer, embedded below. Also, there are plenty of teaching resources available.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-s-aNO0TpQc

I want to thank Kathleen for letting me be part of her Summer in the City Virtual Blog Tour. Make sure to enter the contest and check out all the other great posts on the tour!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:


Kathleen Wainwright is a dedicated teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. She received her bachelor’s of Science degree in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and her master’s in education with a focus in literacy, from West Chester University, in West Chester, PA. Kathleen also teaches literacy courses to aspiring teachers at Temple University and developmental reading courses to incoming freshman at Delaware County Community College. “This story captures a typical summer’s day for me and my friends growing up in the 80’s! Every time I read it I travel back to some of my favorite childhood memories.” Kathleen recently earned National Board Certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts (Early and Middle Childhood). She enjoys sharing her personal teaching experiences and educational resources in her blog, The Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher (www.notsowimpyresources.com).

Each book purchase comes with a pair of jacks and a jumprope.

Purchase the eBook (with teaching resources) here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/eBookSummer-in-the-City-Written-by-Kathleen-Wainwright

Vistaprint Rack Cards Double as Bookmarks

Are you tired of waiting for Vistaprint to offer bookmarks? I've suggested it many times, but they still do not have that option. Instead of using business cards, I make my own bookmarks. And while I love doing it, the printing and trimming gets tedious. So when I decided to take the plunge and have business cards printed up via VistaPrint, I noticed the dimensions of the rack cards would be a great length for a bookmark. I am sure others have had this idea long before me, but in case you needed to know how to make your own, I created this visual with dimensions. (I use the full bleed dimensions and put those in Photoshop.) I save my images as .tiff files for the best quality.

The great thing about these is that you can have a the back printed in black/white free. I use the back to put the bulk of my information. On my Hunger Games bookmarks I added my favorite quotes from the novel. 

The drawback to the rack cards is that they still have to be cut. I really wish they would offer this option, but until then, I will keep printing with the rack cards. I plan to make additional ones for my students in various themes from throughout the year. 

This can also be something you could do for graduation. I think it would be very cool to have an entire class sign their names (or just use their names in a word cloud, like I did HERE and HERE) and have them printed for your students.

UPDATE: Vistaprint is having a flash sale today (2/20) only until 4 p.m. EST. Fifty percent off everything!

Do you have any Vistaprint tips? Share in the comments below!

Let's Use "Lets" Correctly, Shall We?

Students are never too old for reminders of common usage problem areas. "Lets" and "let's" are easily confused, so here is another chart you can use in your classroom (I promise the whole set and quizzes are coming soon!):

Use lets to mean “allows” or “permits.”

• My dad never lets me borrow the car.

Use let’s as a contraction of “let us.”

•  Let’s walk to class together.

If the word "allows" (or "permits") cannot be substituted in the sentence for "lets," then it is probably the contraction of "let us."

You can find this visual aid (without my blog tag), along with many more, 

in a high-quality download. 

If you'd like to purchase accompanying quizzes and activities, the bundle for all of them are here: 

Common Core Grammar Anchor Charts Visual Aids - Frequently Confused Words - Quizzes and Activities

Have a great weekend, friends!

-Tracee

Do Your Students Struggle With Proper Usage?

Do your students struggle with proper usage, such as when to use there, their, and they're?

If so, here's a helpful visual aid you can print and post in your classroom. I've made several of these for the most common usage errors I see in my students' writing samples (and on Facebook, Twitter). 

You can find this anchor chart (without my blog tag) and many more here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Grammar-Usage-Problem-Areas-Anchor-Charts

I also posted quizzes and activities to compliment the frequently confused words here:

Common Core Grammar Visual Aids, Quizzes, and Activities Bundle

Have a great weekend, everyone! Aren't you glad it's Friday!?

Font by Kimberly Geswein of KG fonts

Writing Prompt for Groundhog Day

You can use this writing prompt Friday or Monday with your students for Groundhog Day (Feb. 2).

The prompt is from my collection of almost 400 prompts to last an entire year: 

A Year of Journal Prompts. 

With the handouts, the prompts align with the Common Core State Standards for reading informational and writing.

Love is in the Air...Valentine's Day Freebie Link-Up

Valentine's Day is less than a month away, so I thought it would be fun to have a link-up of Valentine's Day freebies from my teaching friends. 

I have a new free download I wanted to share with you: 

"Love is Owl You Need" Valentine's Day Bookmarks

Click image to download your freebie on my TeachersPayTeachers store.

I used my new Valentine's Day Owl Clip Art Graphics and

 Kimberly Geswein's heart font to make them.

I also have several additional Valentine's Day freebies. Just click on the links below to download.

Do you have a freebie for teachers that you'd like to add? Please link up below either your blog post or free download and share this post with your followers and friends. Thanks & enjoy!

Brighten Up the Winter Blues with a Poetry Cafe

Host a poetry cafe this winter!

For me, January through March seems to be the hardest part of the school year to get through. The students are either restless (or just plain tired), the weather is always cruddy (I live in the Midwest), and there's really no holiday breaks to look forward to. (Not that I don't love my job, but you know what I mean...)

To break up the monotonous routine and get students excited for literature, my colleagues and I have put on "poetry cafes." The students all gather during their English class period in the media center and take turns sharing their favorite poems, songs, and other literature. Some of them share their own original poems, others read old favorites. The Foods classes make coffee, cocoa, and treats to sell and our librarian put together packages of books, writing journals, candy, and gift cards to give away toward the end of each class period. Every student who reads aloud is given a raffle ticket. Each class period we drew several tickets for the prizes. It has always been a favorite event of students in English classes.

It is important to give students time BEFORE the cafe to actually write some original poems. I like to use my Write Like Poets activities with my students because every single student in my class ends up with an entire book of poems they have written. Yes, it gets even the most stubborn "I hate writing and I'm never going to write a poem" students to actually write poems. Guaranteed!

You can easily host a poetry cafe in your own classroom before doing a school-wide event. We tend to do the school-wide cafe every-other year or once every three years. During those off-years I host my own in my English classes. We move all the desks out of the way and have pillows and beanbags so students can relax on the floor (I do have carpet). Then I put up holiday lights. Students sign-up ahead of time to bring goodies and bring their own beverage. I usually pick up small gifts of pens and journals/notebooks from Target's $1 spot.

Find clearance items in the school supplies section for door or raffle prizes.

This past fall I found some great magnetic poetry kits at WalMart for 50¢ each. They were 75% off from their back-to-school sale. I also picked up some locker white-board kits, cute post-it notes, and locker fresheners. It's so much easier to find things the girls would like, but the boys seem to like anything they could use in their car. Of course, candy always works for them, too. (I teach high school, so if you have any suggestions for other things that boys would like, please share!).

Do you host a poetry cafe? Share your ideas or a link in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!

For more information on my Write Like Poets, click below:

Doodle Clip Art (and More) for Commercial Use

Over the past few weeks I've uploaded several new clip art packages for commercial use in my clip art store. I have so much fun creating these and love seeing them used in different products. :) If you are using them in yours, leave a link in the comments to your product and I'll pin it on my Pinterest board!

Loopty-Loo Doodly-Doo Clip Art Frames

My Loopty-Loo Doodly-Doo Frames are quickly becoming one of my most popular clip art packages. It includes over 50 frames in several different styles. All the frames include a fully transparent image (the center & all traces of white are erased), a white center, a horizontal layout, and a vertical layout. Some will include even more options.

Use the frames on different backgrounds for various looks.

Another bundle, which can be purchased at a significant discount or as separate packages, is my Just a Little Sketchy Doodle Frames package.

Just a Little Sketchy Doodle Frames and Shapes

It is the combination of seven different packages of rough doodle sketches in various shapes. These are great for using in school publications (yearbook, newspaper, literary magazine, newsletters, camp brochures, etc.), as well as in your worksheets or other printables for your class. I think they appeal to a wide range and age of students, too.

The package contains the following shapes: circles, rectangles, squares, and arrows. It also has several "frames" packages: fences, criss-cross, little boxes, jagged lines, and squiggly dots.

I created several new smaller bundles of clip art: Starburst Backgrounds & Frames, Rough Lines Borders & Frames, and Glossy 3-D Buttons & Backgrounds: Rectangles. They offer nice clean looks for a myriad of possibilities.

My clip art terms are:

• You may use these images for commercial, personal, and educational use. 

• You may use them in free or priced products.

• You may use the clip art in editable documents, Smartboard, or PPT files for priced products, but NOT for freebies (see next item).

• If you use the image files in a FREE product, please make sure the file is secure and in PDF format so the images cannot be copied.

• The files themselves can not be resold in a clip art/graphics package, but you may use the images commercially if they are used/embedded in your lessons.  

• Please link back to my website somewhere in your document (it can be in fine print): www.traceeorman.com or my TpT store: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tracee-Orman OR...you can copy this button and use it in your products, if you'd like:

You may copy & paste this button to use instead of a link-back.

NOTE: Some of my smaller packages have more liberal terms that do NOT require a link back. Also, you can use my free clip art graphics in any type of format (Word, Powerpoint, etc.).

You can keep up with all my new graphics and clip art packages by following my "Graphics and More" pinboard on Pinterest. Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoy these new packages!

Common Core Journal Prompts: My Resolution to Have My Students Write More

The only way to become a better writer is to write more. And contrary to popular belief, practicing this skill does not have to be painful for students.

I love journal prompts. They force the students to think about things they may never think about, but they also give them an opportunity to pour out their inner feelings and thoughts they may never share orally. They are a perfect way for students to practice writing without realizing they are "working" on their writing skills.

I have a bundle of prompts that I use in my classroom throughout the year. They are based on current events, historical events, authors, literature, art, music, sports, weather, science, pop culture, holidays, and more. Some force the students to think about touchy subjects that question their ethics. Some are silly. Some connect with the units we are currently studying. No matter what they are writing, they are practicing critical-thinking skills, as well as writing skills.

I use journal prompts as my go-to resource when we have a little time left over or when I need my students to settle down. There's something calming about the activity. I used to have my students write three or four times per week, but I've found in recent years we haven't had as much time to devote to the activity. One of my New Year's resolutions is to have my students journal more often.

I've linked a couple of free prompts from my "A Year of Journal Prompts" bundle (which is aligned to the Common Core State Standards). You can also download a sample of the prompts for August {here}. The download doesn't have the full-page slides, but it gives you an idea of what kind of prompts I use with my students. I try to give my students 10-15 minutes to complete their responses, which means I expect them to write more than just a few sentences. My bundle contains handouts that give students more direction, but I usually just project the prompt on the board and students write in their notebooks or type on their laptops. For students who are gone, I print the page or email them a screenshot of the prompt.

Direct link to prompts:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Year-of-Journal-Writing-Prompts-Common-Core-Standards

Clip art used in images:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doodle-Sketches-Bundle-of-Clip-Art-Graphics-for-Commercial-Use

Fonts used in images:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/KG-Seven-Sixteen-Personal-Use

Homemade Beaded Bookmarks Teacher Gifts

If you are ever looking for an easy but thoughtful gift for a teacher, here's a tutorial on how to make your own beaded bookmarks. I like to make these and give them to my colleagues. There's not a teacher I know who doesn't at some point need a bookmark. :) 

What I love about these bookmarks is that they won't fall out of your book, they won't damage the pages, and they look beautiful dangling out from the pages. I also love their name: book "thongs." Because they go in the crack of your book. 

You can follow the visual tutorial pictures here for making the bookmarks. If you do not have the exact supplies, that's OK. You can improvise or use materials you prefer or are more comfortable with. Feel free to pin the tutorials on Pinterest or link to this post.

Here is the tutorial for making a beaded "dangle" to pretty-up your beaded bookmarks. 

(These can also be used for making earrings, necklaces, fringe, sun-catchers, etc..)

If you are interested in making the personalized charms, which can be attached to the jump or split ring, I blogged about making the charms in a separate post HERE.