DK Findout!

AMAZING! I found a new resources that I am loving in my classroom!  I was looking for a way to extend out reading and science work on the topic of plants and wanted to use our classroom computers more often.  In my search, I found this AMAZING website!  DK Publishers has created an interactive website that includes SO MANY topics in the elementary curriculum.  The quality and choice is as incredible as it is with the books put out by this publisher!

It looks like you can sign up for the site, but my class was able to navigate it without signing in.  There is a search page – just like an online encyclopedia.

My class explored plants, but this is an image from the solar system page.

Almost everything is a clickable link.  Students can access definitions to vocabulary, read, access maps and diagrams, and so much more!  I have just started to explore this site, but it seems like it addresses so many of the CCSS that address technology use in ELA.  It would have great to access on a digital whiteboard!

Check out this amazing resource!

***This post is in no-way sponsored by or affiliated with the company/companies mentioned***

Author’s Purpose–Information

Wow!  Two posts in two days!  I can’t lie, I wrote them both and set the post dates.  I’m not avoiding the work I *should* be doing or anything…

My favorite informational author of all time is Gail Gibbons!   She has a book on just about everything and I think her books can be read at almost any elementary grade level.  I am also loving how her style of illustration is evolving.  With all of the digital viewing kids do, I think their idea of what images are interesting is changing and they just don’t gravitate towards the older books.  Here are a few of my favorites:

(images from Amazon.com)

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE the work of Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long!  There books are beautifully written and illustrated.  The lend themselves to teaching so many things!  I also love the description!  The text is written on two different levels – one part is short and more descriptive, then there is additional detail in small writing on the page to give more information.  My students are complete absorbed into listening to these books.  Don’t forget to look inside the front and back covers for a surprise! I see a new one that I need to order!!!

I see these books are available on Kindle, which means they could be projected in the classroom – lots of new options with that! 

The National Geographic Kids Books are fabulous!  They have amazing photographs and sooo many text features. (They are perfect for teaching informational writing and text features, too!)  They are super reasonable through Scholastic, but I have found them at the Dollar Tree, too!

      

I also love bringing in cookbooks, gardening books, newspapers, and magazines to share texts that may not really be thought of in the school.

What books do you like to use to teach author’s purpose”"?

Author’s Purpose–Persuade

Finally, I have something I can post about!  Gracious!  It seems like I haven’t done much worth writing about this year – lots of assessments, worksheets, and workbooks – yuck, yuck, and yuck!  It’s a bit of “This is how you NEED to do this” and personal survival (I’m doggy paddling this year, folks!) during a busy year that is causing this awfulness. I try to sneak the good stuff it when I can!

We have been working on the skill of determining author’s purpose in reading.  I have a few favorite books that I use to teach this skill and I thought I would share the books I use to teach how author’s persuade today.  (These books are also great to use as models for opinion writing, writing with voice, and point-of-view.)

The first set is a pair of books that many teachers use:

Yes, you can guess the writing prompts that would be fun as a follow up!

I found this series by Lois G. Grambling last year and my second graders LOVED them! 

What prehistoric creature would your students like to bring to school or somewhere else?  Another fun topic for writing!

The final set is one that our librarian introduced to my students and I found the books were perfect for teaching how writers try to persuade the reader.  This is The Other Side of the Story Series.  Many of the books are by Nancy Loewen, but there are a few by other authors.  There are 8 in total at this time, and of course I ordered them all!

This is also a great series for comparing and contrasting point-of-view.  I remember writing The Wizard of Oz from Toto’s point of view in 5th grade!

Do you have any favorite books for teaching author’s purpose or opinion writing?

Hopefully I have the time to share some of the other books I am using to teach author’s purpose – fingers crossed!

Snow Day TPT Flash Sale!

Oh.My.Word!  We are having a snow day here in my neck of the woods (the snow calculator says we may even have a snow day tomorrow!!!)  It could not have come at a better time!  March is a bear because we do not have any vacation days this month.  It is rough to go from February to April!

In honor of this glorious snow day, I have put on a 20% Flash Sale at the Leaping into Teaching TPT Store until midnight tonight!  I also have 2 new products going up and they will be 50% off (I will mark them down 30% and then the 20% sale will be added.

Here’s what I added:

The first little goody is a revamped version of my Roll and Respond Reading Activities.  Sticky Note Reading Responses utilizes the same fiction and nonfiction prompts as the Roll and Respond boards in a great new format.  Students LOVE using sticky notes and this provides a great way for students to respond to their reading with prompts that compliment your instruction.  Student choice is also incorporated with the use of the board.  They are great for independent reading, homework, shared reading or listening response, or guided reading groups.

 

The second is a companion product for any unit on Terrific Tall Tales, including the second grade Common CORE module on fairytales and tall tales.

It includes text feature posters, graphic organizers that focus on characterization and structure, writing activities that focus on the three major writing genres, writing and book making paper, and finger puppets for retelling and readers’ theater activities.  My students LOVED these activities!

Stop by the Leaping into Teaching TPT Store and check out these items: