Main Idea

Main idea is sometimes quite tricky for my kiddos so I created this product with the idea that it would be useful for my English learners. This is my latest project which I created as a differentiated tool for multiple reading levels that might be in a classroom. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-CAN-FIND-THE-MAIN-IDEA-Comprehension-Passages-for-Early-Readers-4128395

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The Benefits of Themed Projects for English Learners

     I decided to do a Donors Choose project and got funded in August. My goal was to get leveled readers for the coral reef theme as well as supplies for doing illustrations.  My low readers drew and labeled coral reef animals. They also wrote a sentence initially about their chosen animals. After I did a lot of backfilling by read aloud books and animal cards, the kids added some sentences to the first one and created paragraphs. We had a lot of conversation about paragraphs as well as models on chart paper that included introductions and concluding sentences.

     My intermediate students actually did research online, took notes, and wrote multiple paragraphs. Teaching writing to kids is a patience-maker.  We went through all the steps including revising and editing with partners all the way to publishing.

     When we were going through all the steps there were days I wondered why I stuck my neck out to do it with all my students at the same time! However, when my principal's area director complimented my student's work to my principal, it was all worth it. The kids sharpened their skills, too. I am convinced that it will take multiple projects of this type for the steps to come naturally to these kids...if it ever does. It takes a lot of time to teach those steps and shortcuts just don't work. Here is the first shot of what my beginning readers did at the outset.

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Just in Case 

I'm posting this back to school freebie again this year just in case you missed getting it last year. Enjoy!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Writing-Prompts-Portrait-Page-Freebie-2061185

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Animal Habitat Sorts

I'm very happy with this new product that I've been working on this summer. My English learners love cut/paste sorts as a general rule and this one I can see will be a keeper, at least for my purposes. I love animals and reading about them to the kids, so this fits right into the mix. My plan is to do a unit on biomes with read-aloud books, mini-lessons on word work, and lots of writing. I want to introduce each biome and read a picture book pertaining to that biome. I plan to do all the biomes represented in this packet (I hope I have time!) The sorts in this packet will be a culmination for this theme. All throughout I will need to make some judgement calls as to the types and amounts of writing I require for each group. I'm pretty sure I can differentiate this to most of my groups. I'm excited about this one. Here is the link if you would like to pick up the sorts:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ANIMAL-HABITAT-SORTS-for-ENGLISH-LANGUAGE-LEARNERS-3933147

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Don't Ever Give Up!

I taught for many years in a rough inner city school. Kids were in fights there on a daily basis. Many of the parents just didn't know how to help. I always told myself while I was there that if I could help one kid each year, it was worth the effort.I knew I was helping the kids on a daily basis even though I was worn thin much of the time. What I didn't realize was that I made a more lasting impact than what I had imagined at the time. I learned this from a retired substitute teacher.

At the school where I teach English learners now, we occasionally have substitutes whom I have worked with before. Last week, one of these substitutes told me that at an event at my old school, one of my former students, now in high school, came and spoke with a staff member about me. This student told the staff member that I had changed his life. I was dumbfounded. This was a student who had been in trouble on a daily basis. 

I will call this student, William. I saw him waiting outside the office when he was a first grader. He was SO upset. Now I had been told that I was getting William in second grade, so my thought was to try to bond with him before he came to me. I sat down for a few minutes next to him we talked. It did make a difference when I got him in second grade. He knew I would listen to him and not just reprimand him. I had NO idea that my attentiveness had the effect that it did. It's just what teachers do everyday. I am writing to tell you that what you do and how you act towards children CAN change their lives. It's amazing :)

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This is a clickable link to follow my TPT store!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Sellers-Im-Following/Add/Jackie-Crews

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