Work Work Centers

So this summer I did a lot of planning and a lot of prepping for my word work centers.  I wanted them to be fun and challenging for my second graders.  So, I came up with a plan to have my students have the option to do four different things during word work time.  Also during this time I will pull a small group to work on reading strategies.  I am always needing extra time to work with a small group.

I started out by teaching my kiddos the four different options for Word Work.

1. Practice spelling words.  I have two different lists each week.  My students are able to take the test Monday to find out whether they will be practicing the on-level list for the week or the advanced list.  I have both lists posted in the room and students will refer to these words when they complete the spelling word center.

I have 6 different spelling activities they can do at this time.  I currently am using the following activiites:

*rainbow write the words

*put the words in ABC order

*write the word and stamp the word

*write the words on dry erase boards 

*roll and write the word

*use pipe cleaners to make the words

I keep the activities in a pocket chart on the back of my easel.

Spelling words are posted on the reading  wall.

Students take these to their desk and complete the activity.  They must turn in their work in the turn in basket for me to check. 

So far the students love this!!! They are so excited to practice these words and they are able to come more comfortable with the skill we are focusing on for spelling that week. 

Grab some of the word work worksheets for free below!

2.  There is a green basket that has a fluency poem and worksheet.  I am using the fluency first book to get my activities from.  They read the poem and complete the worksheet to go with it.  It is great practice for them.  It reviews several skills and helps them be more fluent.

I am using this book to get my fluency papers.  My students are at a high level this year so I am using the third grade book. 

3.  I also made a fluency center.  This is one of my favorite spots in my room.  The students sit at the stools with a partner.  They have to use the timer to time one another.  They are to read the phrases in less than a minute.  Once they are able to do this successfully three times, then I will test them.  If they pass, then they are able to move to the next set of cards.

The students fight over this center!  They are also pretty good at it, so I am currently working on fluency passages for them to complete once they have mastered all the fluency phrase sets. 

Check out my fluency packet below!

Grab your free fluency tracking sheet by clicking here!

4.  The last option (my favorite!!) is the special sounds center.  This is where students will complete 3 different activities for each special sound.  I call them special sounds because it is easier to group them altogether that way. 

Here is a breakdown of the sounds they will practice:

Ai/ay

Ee/ea

Au/aw

Ou/ow

Igh/y

Oi/oy

Oo

Or 

Ar

Ir/ur/er

Ough/oa

Ew/Ui/Ue

Air/Are

I store all the activities in this drawer system.  I found this at Sam's club for $20! 

They will play a game or complete a center activity, then each one has a worksheet to check for understanding.  Then, the third activity is a book that focuses on this skill with a comprehension worksheet to go with it.  

If they are able to complete each activity correctly, then they will take a quiz.  I use engrade to set up quizzes.  The students will take the quiz and if they pass they will move on to the next sound.

Each sound has a badge that goes with it.  If they successfully pass they will have a badge placed on their locker.  The kids won't stop talking about this.  All they want is a badge for their locker!  I'm thrilled something so simple can be so motivating.  

Once they have passed all these, I am going to move them on to vocabulary activities.  I am working on this also.  Hopefully I will have some time to get that  put together since I am still working on completing my special sound packets. (Eek!! I need to get moving!) 

Check out below to see what packets I've completed so far.  I hope to have the rest finished by the end of the month! 

       

    

  

Grab a free special sound tracking sheet by clicking here! 

Check out some fun photos of my kiddos at work!!

I would love to hear how you do word work in your classroom!  As you can see, I am all about allowing my students to have some choices and to make learning as much fun as I can.  I also want then to work at their own pace and this allows them to do so.  We are off to a great start, but I will keep you posted on how well the students do.  Thanks for stopping by! 

I Made it!

I saw somewhere how people were putting ribbons in their composition notebooks to use as bookmarks.  I thought this was genius!! So, I went in to school one night and put ribbons in all of my composition notebooks for my kiddos.  I am so excited about this because they always lose their place or they waste pages by skipping over half of them when they open their journal to write in it.  I think this will makes things so much easier.

I use two notebooks with my kids.  One is for writing and one is for reading. 

So, you need a composition notebook, ribbon, scissors, and a hot glue gun.  

First, you open to the back of the notebook. 

Then, you put a small strip of hot glue on the back of the notebook.

 You don't want it to be too thick! 

Then, place the ribbon on the glue.  

Then, I pull the ribbon over the top of the notebook.  I let it go past the bottom of the notebook just a little bit. 

I cut the ribbon!

I place it in the front of the notebook to mark the page!

Tada!! You have a notebook with a bookmark.  

I love them and so do my kids! Super easy! I did 20 notebooks in about 20 minutes.  You should give it a try! :) 

First Week of School

We just finished our first week of school!  Wow, it was a blast.  I absolutely loved getting to know my students this week.  Check out what we focused on this week!

We primarily focused on the 7 Habits of Healthy Kids.  We are a Leader in Me School and our focus the first week of school is on teaching the 7 Habits to our students.  

We learned about Habit 1 - Br Proactive 

We used The No David books to help us discuss being proactive and taking our own actions into our own hands.

This is such an important habit because it teaches students how to take responsibility and do their best. 

We wrote about Peacemakers and Peacrbreakers.  We even sorted them on our pocket chart!

Students made their own David and wrote about how they are proactive. 

We also read Pete the Cat and talked about his great attitude!  Pete never got upset and was in control of his actions. 

We also briefly talked about the characters, setting, problem, and solution in the story.  We did some WBT to help us remember what question is being asked for each of these topics to help us remember what to record. 

We also reviewed Havit 2-Begin with the End in Mind

We decided to make some Mac and cheese and discuss the importance of looking ahead and making a plan.  This was extra important since I had to bring the materials to school so I had to remember every item.

As you can see, the kids loved the Mac and cheese! 

We also wrote our class mission statement - we were making a plan for the year and beginning the year with the end in mind. 

Each student wrote a goal on a post it note.  We then placed them on the chart paper and grouped them based on topics.  Then, we wrote a statement together.  I let the students tell me what to write. They did a great job!

Then, we reviewed Habit 3 - Put First Things First.

We discussed how it is important to always do your homework first before playing.  We also talked about completing chores before playing.  Students were then given homework to complete the All About Me bag and return it the next day. They were to practice getting their homework done before playing.  

I really enjoyed getting to know the kids!  The All About Me bags give a nice quick introduction before we begin our Cathch of the Week activities. 

We reviewed Habit 4-Think Win-Win.

I talked to the kids about making compromises and allowing for things to happen so that both parties win. I brought up the importance of taking small breaks and using exercise to give our brains a break!  So, I introduced Go Noodle to my kids. We loved it! They are quick little videos where they can do some exercise and get on their feet.  This was a win-win for us because the kids get to do something fun and I get to encourage them work harder if I allow them to participate in Go Noodle. 

We will focus on the other habits next week!

Here are some miscellaneous things we worked on this week also:

Getting to Know each other

Procedures

Routines 

Special area classes

Morning Routine 

Our morning routine is my favorite! I'll share about that this week.

We also made name mosaics to display our work in the hallway and glitter names for our word wall.

We had a great first week!  Thanks for checking out my post.  Please check back this week to see what we have planned! :) 

Dog Days of Summer Dollar Sale

Woo hoo!!  We're having a dollar sale for the end of August!  It is today and tomorrow.  Check out these great deals.  I am filling up my shopping cart with lots of goodies.

Here are three items I've placed for $1.00 - check them out and grab them while they are on sale!

This is my Bee on Time Differentiated Pack.  It is perfect for practicing telling time.  I've placed various levels in the pack to meet the needs of each of your students.

Click on the image below to grab your set today!

Here is my second product for $1.00.  Ocean themed guided reading level labels.  You can place these on baskets in your library to separate your books by level.

Click on the image below to grab your set today!

My third product for $1.00 is my Student of the Week forms.  There are three different forms available to be used in your classroom.  This is a fun way to get to know your students.  I've used these for 3 years and love it!

Click on the image to check them out!

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check out all the items for $1 today and tomorrow!

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