Here’s a free graphic organizer for your students to practice sequencing, summarizing or story writing. Great for literacy centers. Enjoy!
Click here for the free printable PDF:
First, Next, Then, Last Graphic Organizer
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Tag Archives: Reading
Read to Lead and Succeed! (UPDATED)
I don’t really think I need to justify making these cute reading mini-posters, do I?
Click here to get the free mini-poster pictured above: Puppy Reading Poster 1
Click here to get the free mini-poster pictured above: Kitten Reading Poster
Click here to get the mini-poster pictured above: Puppy Reading Poster 2
Because A Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!
If you’ve never read the kids book Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo (by Rosetta Stone), you’re missing out! It’s adorable! Click here for a short animated video of the book. There are tons of activity possibilities to go along with this book, but here’s my favorite…
Have kids write their own silly story just like it! This third grade teacher had her students write each event in the story on a different color and glue it to black paper. The projects look great and the kids absolutely LOVED reading their silly story to their peers! For younger kids, I’d recommend creating a shared writing (whole class story) in the style of this book. You might also consider having kids illustrate their story in boxes on a page (like comics). Fun, fun, fun… all because a little bug went ka-choo!
Summer Reading Chart
Summer! The time everyone dreams about all year long. It’s the time for swimming, ice cream cones and forgetting everything you learned in school the year before. Wait!? What!? That’s not how summer should be! Summer should be a time when kids (and adults) continue to learn and explore the world around them. If that’s too tall an order, at least read. That’s bare minimum.
Every summer there are a number of programs with rewards systems set up to help keep kids reading and learning. Two notable summer reading programs are the Scholastic Summer Challenge and Barnes and Noble Summer Reading. Many local libraries have something every summer too.
Here’s my printable summer reading chart to help kids set and track summer reading goals. I chose to track Monday through Saturday. Older kids should read for longer periods of time than younger kids. Ask your child’s teacher what a reasonable daily goal is for your child.
To motivate your child, have them choose an activity to do the following week if they meet their reading goal. The top line is for your child’s name. Use stickers, smiley faces or anything else to mark down each day they accomplish their reading. Happy summer!
Fluency in a Flash! (Easy Literacy Center)
Here’s a great way to get more use out of those leveled reader books you use for a week and then have to put back in the box until next year… and make an easy center for your students! After you’ve gone through the books with your guided reading groups and are moving on to the next set of books, place the ones you’ve already used in a box or plastic shoe box. Also include a bunch of timers for kids to use while they do a 1 minute timing. If your kids are on various levels, make a list of which kids use which books (for example, list kids who use the books with the red tab, green tab, etc.). Include copies of some basic story graphic organizers. Here’s what kids do for the center:
1. Whisper read the entire book. They should have seen it last week, so it won’t be killer. If you have those plastic PVC pipe phones, use them for this step too.
2. Fill out a graphic organizer about the book.
3. Turn to the first page of the book and start the timer counting down from 1 minute. When the timer stops, have them use a paper clip to mark where they finished. Have them do it a second time to see if they can get farther the second time.
So here’s the overall supplies list for the center:
- leveled readers from last week (and current list of kids’ levels)
- box/plastic shoe box
- copies of a basic graphic organizer
- paper clips
- timers
- whisper reading PVC pipe phones (optional)
Squarehead Teachers 