HANDS ON - Jamie O'Rourke Character Analysis Project

It's officially the week of St. Patrick's Day! That means it's time to really ENGAGE the kids so we aren't peeling them off the ceiling! I started some St. Patrick's Day themed stuff a little early. Last week we read the book, "Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato." This is such a great book! I highly recommend you add it to your classroom library collection!

When we first began reading this book on Monday, we did a simple prediction and confirmations of predictions lesson. Tuesday, we did a nice little retell. I love starting the week off that way to get the kids to really understand the story. Wednesday-Friday we were all about analyzing the two main characters: Jamie and Eileen!

We started analyzing the characters by discussing their outside traits, what we see with our eyeballs.

We wrote down their outside traits.

After writing their outside traits I gave the kids body outlines for a boy and a girl. Students were instructed to use the outside traits to draw Jamie and Eileen as best as they could. Students had to really attend to the outside traits of the character in order to draw Jamie and Eileen. It was an awesome way to see who notices key details. We don't just need to practice it when reading, but in all areas of our lives. This was a great way for the kids to see that.

On Thursday, I read the book again to students. This time our purpose was to identify inside traits for the two characters based on their actions and words. We stopped and had a LOT of discussion. The students came up with amazing words to describe both characters. Naturally, I forgot to take a picture of it! Anyway, after we came up with words to describe the characters inside traits, the students wrote the outside trait on a note card folded in half. Then, on the inside students provided evidence from the story to explain why they chose that trait for the character. They had so much fun. They were aloud to work by themselves or a with friends during this activity. I let them choose. There was all sorts of great conversations going on during this activity. Students were referring back to the book to look for evidence. I mean, what more can a FIRST GRADE teacher ask for! 

As you can see above, the note cards for inside character traits went inside the bag. Then, students also labeled the outside traits on the outside of their bag.

On Friday, students compared and contrasted the two characters. I didn't snap a picture of their writing but I gave them the following sentence starters:

"Jamie and Eileen are the same because..."

"Jamie and Eileen are different because..."

The students used their knowledge of the characters to compare and contrast. They wrote these in a pot of gold writing template. This activity was done at the very end of the day on Friday and they wanted to take their projects home to show parents so no picture! Oh well, you get the idea!

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping by! 

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You Think it's Easy Being a Tooth Fairy? - Reading and Writing Unit!

Hey guys! I am so excited to show you a unit series that I've begun simply called, Reading and Writing for First Graders! Each month, I'll be introducing two read alouds to you with full blown reading and writing plans for the week, including 3 literacy stations! 

This unit uses the story, "You Think it's Easy Being a Tooth Fairy?"

I just LOVE this book!!

You'll get full blown, visual lesson plans inside the unit to walk you through how to carry out this unit throughout the week. I kept our busy schedules in mind so pacing for the week was actually manageable!

Inside each unit, you will find a 5 day reading unit that focuses on a particular comprehension concept or skill. This unit, includes activities to help first graders identify who is telling the story. It's a tough concept for our friends to learn, but I've made it very attainable and engaging for the kids!

This unit includes fun matching activities and writing activities to work with identifying who is telling the story!

In each unit, you'll also find something I call, Quick Writes! These focus on general comprehension of the story. These are great discussion starters to use with the book. You can have the kids make their flaps at the beginning of the week, bring their reading journal to the rug for your mini-lesson and as you read the text, you ask them a question. Students can write the response under the flap and you can share! Short, simple and effective!!

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In each unit, you'll also find simple vocabulary activities. Much of the time, you'll find prompts that allow students to make real life connections with the vocabulary from the text they're reading. I think it's so important to teach the vocabulary from the text. 1-the kids gain a deeper understanding of the story. 2-the kids learn to use the words in context which is turn.... does exactly what we want it to do--EXPAND VOCABULARY!! 

Inside each unit, you'll also find a full blown writing unit. You can be as involved with it as you want! I've included everything you need to allow your students to flourish with their narratives. The book I chose for this unit, lends itself perfectly to a narrative about when the students lost their first tooth. 99.8% of firsties have lost a tooth and LOVE to tell their stories!

Here's a look at what the kids final writing would look like! Nice little craftivity and all!

Last, those literacy stations I told you about! Here they are!!

They are designed to allow students to complete independently!

They're included inside the unit so you don't have to go purchase stations to match the theme separately! I like to place 2 in my word work stations and I always use one for a guided reading activity for the week to review a skill!

If you're interested in seeing more of this unit, click here!

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Tooth Trouble Activity Ideas

Welcome another edition of Books Teachers Love! This month, I'm introducing a book "Tooth Trouble."  I have read this book every year since my first year teaching. I don't remember how I found out about the book, but I fell in love with it. It makes the kids (and me) giggle all throughout!

The book is about an adorable kid walrus, named Wibur. At the beginning of the story, we find out that his tusk hurts. Everyone keeps telling him to go to the dentist, but he just doesn't want to. He keeps wanting to play with his friends and do everything they do but he can't with a sore tusk. Eventually, Wilbur talks with his grandpa who doesn't like the dentist either. His grandpa actually has a broken tusk. Talking to his grandpa caused him to change his mind about the dentist. The story ends with Wilbur realizing that goes isn't so bad. Then, he tries to convince his grandpa to go!

 ;) It's adorable!

I always use this book to model making inferences. 

There are so many opportunities to practice! 

First, I like to read the book with the kids and have them focus on Wilbur. 

We work to describe his inside and outside character traits.

After we work on describing Wilbur, then we work to provide evidence!

I also like to allow students to think about a particular part of the book to practice their inference skills.

There is one part in the book when Wilbur realizes that he should probably go to the dentist.
It's when his grandpa tells him that he never wanted to go with the dentist either. Students can really infer here by looking at the characters face and grandpa's missing tooth! :)

You can grab the printables here.

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Books Teachers Love: December Edition

Welcome to another monthly edition of Books Teachers Love!!

Make sure to visit all of the blogs! I can't tell you how much these posts help me plan out my month!

This month I am sharing activities to do with the book, "The Gingerbread Man: Loose in School." I absolutely LOVE to read this book to kids! You can get all silly with it!

This book has such fun pictures and it's so humorous!

If you haven't read it, then definitely check it out.

It's about a little gingerbread man that is left behind when a class leaves for recess.

He doesn't stay behind, but instead heads out to find the class. He runs into all sorts of problems on his adventure!

When I read this book to students, we work on retelling and inference skills.

In the book, "Gingerbread Man: Loose in School," the Gingerbread Man has to use his inferencing skills in order to find his class. I thought, "What a better way to teach inferencing then to give kids a bag of clues to help them find our very own Gingerbread Man?"

So, after I read this book the first time, so we know what's going on, we work on retelling skills!

 I just do this in a whole class setting with my all time favorite tool! 

The Beach Ball!! The kids are always SUPER engaged!

After we work on retelling skills, I pull out a friendly little letter from a girl named Cinnamon.

She needs our help!! Her class made a gingerbread man just like the class in the book, and the same thing happened to her class! The gingerbread man ran away! She gives us clues that the gingerbread man left behind to help her find him. The kids EAT this activity up!

When I do this activity, I put students in pairs. Each pair gets a baggie full of clues that could help them figure out where the gingerbread man went. The students write down their clue and what they think it means. Students then connect the clues together and come up with a destination for the gingerbread man. 

Here are some examples of things I would put in a bag:

Book

Library Card

Book Mark

Library Book Receipt

-Final Destination that can be inferred: The library!

After students look at their clues and determine a final destination, they write a letter to Cinnamon to let her know where the Gingerbread Man went.

This year, I will have students (or my long term sub) attach a craft to their letter to Cinnamon!

Then, to top off this fun activity, we eat some yummy Gingerbread Man cookies!

But... not until we talk and write about about our 5 senses!! ;)

We do a TON of other gingerbread activities too in December. We compare/contrast books, retell, write stories and complete all sorts of Gingerbread Man stations!!

You can find the activities above and more by clicking here.

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Now, onto more ideas! Check out these blogs below for more great December Read Alouds!

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Books Teachers Love: November Edition

How is it that we are already thinking about November? This school year is already flying by so fast! Anyway, the girls and I are back to give you more ideas for great read alouds in November! Be sure to hop around to each of us to grab some great ideas for the month of November.

My book this month is one that I LOVED reading to my third graders last year! These ideas are most appropriate for grades 2-4!

The book is called, "Thank You Sarah."

You can find it online for free here.

It's an awesome book that totally SHOCKS the kids! It changes everything they THOUGHT they knew about Thanksgiving!

Last year, we did a whole slew of comprehension activities with this book! It is PERFECT for synthesizing, characterization and digging into those deeper comprehension skills.

Here are a few of the activities that we did!

The kids made this simple, but fun characterization wheel.

Then, students made a little comprehension foldable to identify the main events in the story.

The next day, students answered opened ended comprehension questions in another foldable. The kids worked with partners on these and the conversations were just amazing! 

Then, there are also additional, simple written comprehension activities!

They go over things like author's purpose, story elements and even a fun activity on Mad Libs!

You can find this entire unit here.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to enter below to win four books for the month of September.

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To find more great books for November, click on the bloggers below!

   

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Thanks for stopping by!! Happy November Prepping!!

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