Close Reading Tools

This year, close reading has been my main focus. We had a wonderful speaker visit our school not too long ago and she shared so many ideas. I just now got around to digging into all the information she left for us and so today I am going to share with you some close reading tools.

Before I start I want to make clear that all of the ideas I am sharing are from Kathy Bumgardner. She has an amazing website you can visit {HERE}. I have just taken some of her great {free} ideas and added cute fonts and clipart to some. I made most in a color and black and white version. You can download any by clicking on the picture.

The first thing I am going to share are these close reading bookmarks. After my students had practiced close reading for several weeks with me and had become experts at showing text evidence I starting getting them to use the skill with reading partners. That's where these little guys come in handy. They each have one in their book bag to remind them of the steps and what they need to do.

These are guided questioning stems that I laminated and keep on a ring at my guided reading table. I'll pull them out and randomly flip to one at the end or even the middle of our small group time to check their understanding.

 One strand of the common core standards is speaking and listening so these cards I have laminated front to back and they also keep them in their book bags for partner reading. It reminds them if it is their turn to listen what they should be doing or responding with and if they are speaking what they can use to start the conversation.



 

 

This sheet is a step by step close reading guide for teachers to remind you what students should be looking for, noting, and thinking.

 



 

Here are three more tools that I did not have images of, but they are worth checking out. The first are thinkmarks for fiction and nonfiction. My students use these as a reminder of important ideas they should be thinking about as they read. When they finish a book they use their thinkmark to check for understanding.

 

This one is just a reading log we use during class and this one has three summary tools for fiction, nonfiction, and biography in the somebody/wanted/but/so fashion.

 

I hope you were able to find something useful here to help you with close reading in your classroom. There is still so much we learned from Kathy that I want to share with you but at a later time.  

 

If you need passages and text dependent questions for your close reading check out my informational text close reading packet. I'm putting it 20% off for the next three days!

 

 



Pinning Giveaway!

I was blessed to be invited to be part of a grammar bundle on Educents. The product will be on sale for 2 more days at 74% off. You can check out the post all about this bundle {HERE}

I am needing help getting word out about the bundle so I'm hosting a giveaway. If you pin an image from the post from the link I provided above, I will be picking a winner on the 19th to pick any item from my TPT shop.

Thanks and Good Luck!

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Swap Til You Drop!

I was lucky to be part of the Shop Til You Drop product swap. Each of us bloggers was paired up with a partner and we chose one product from our partner's TPT shop to use and review.

 

I have been paired up with the amazing Aimee from Primarily Speaking to review one of her products! She had so many amazing ones it was hard to pick but I decided on her Arrrsome Irregular Verbs packet.  

 

 

The first thing we did was complete this student made book. It actually comes in whole pages but I chose to print 4 per page to save on copies. It has several ways for students to practice using and writing irregular verbs.

 

 

 Next, we completed this color code sheet. Irregular verbs were colored red and regular verbs were colored blue. After that, they sorted them in this flap book.

 

In our small group we played this correct/incorrect sorting game. I passed out the cards to the students and had them read one of their cards to the group. They had to tell us if it was correct or incorrect. If it was incorrect such as throwed or buyed, they had to tell the group what it should be.

 

 I put this concentration game in my word work center. Love that it had a recording sheet!

 

The favorite part of the packet by far for my students was this question and answer mingle. They got to walk around and talk like pirates while asking what the past tense form was of their word. SO. MUCH. FUN.

Aimee chose to try out my Close Reading: Informational Text {Common Core Style}packet, so make sure you visit her blog Primarily Speaking, to read all about it.

Now here is the awesome part.....Do you want a chance to win both of these amazing products plus more?!?! Just follow the directions below!



1. Start anywhere on the map below.

2. Stop by each blog and read about the products swapped between each set of bloggers.

3. Enter to win the resources that are featured by each blog pair. Each pair of bloggers has the same raffle, so you only have to enter on one of the two blogs.While you are at each blog, if you are not already a follower, sign on to follow!

4. The raffles are open until midnight March 15th.

 

Enter our raffle at the end of this post. Good Luck!!

 

SWAP A

      

SWAP B

       SWAP C          SWAP D           SWAP E

     

SWAP F
     

        

SWAP G     SWAP H

   

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Great Ideas for Teaching Grammar!

I love teaching grammar. It's one of those subjects that is so easily integrated into other subjects and there is constantly teaching opportunities coming up during the day to throw in a little review. Now even though this is all true, I still love a good resource to throw in a center or small group lesson.

 

If you really want good resources than you are going to love this amazing deal over at Educents!  I have teamed up with 5 other amazing sellers to load your classrooms with 10 resources to help kids work on grammar!  Click on the picture below to be taken straight to the bundle.

My products included will surely be loved by your students!  

 

One of my products included in the bundle is my Common Core Language packet.

 

 

In this packet you will find something to cover every single common core language standard from games to crafts to mini posters and more.

 

There are tons of games that cover a wide variety of skills.

 

 

6 mini posters to reinforce the skill being covered.

 

 

 Plus lots more......student made books, contraction ladybug craft, capitalization correction sheets, friendly letter writing practice, sorting, and describing/writing pages to name a few.

 

 

The other product of mine included in this magnificent bundle is my Daily Language Warm-ups.

 

 

The way I use these with my class is by putting them up on the projector and my students write their answers on their desk with a dry erase marker. That's not the only option though. Students can write answers on paper or you can print the questions and make copies. I use them to start my language lesson daily. This is a set for the whole school year. It is divided into 4 nine week periods and provides 3 questions per day (that you will repeat for better understanding) that are aligned to the common core standards.  Whether you have covered the skill or not, these daily warm-ups make for a great review of old skills or introduction to new skills. You can also use them to assess what your students know.

 

Here are the rest of the amazing products you will get in this grammar bundle:

 

For a limited time it is $10.99 from Educents which is about 70% off!

And if you have never purchased from Educents before.. they always have a great deal for your first purchase.  Click {HERE} if you are a first time purchaser to take advantage of a  special offer just for you!  

 

You can also take peek at some of the other products included in the bundle at any of the links below!
Have fun teaching grammar everyone!