Research Differentiation for Students

With Black History Month and Presidents' Day both in February, it's a perfect time to introduce our younger students to research. Think primary students are too young for a research project? Guess again! Continue reading for resources and ideas for differentiating research.

Every year in second grade, we do a Famous Black American research project. I created research sources for students to use. I like to have students use both the QR Codes and books to locate information and facts.Click on the picture below for a closer look at this product in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

This product is designed to be used and broken apart as needed for your class. Each research passage includes two graphic organizers, and an optional interactive notebook page. 

I look forward to seeing these posters every year! The students work so hard on putting it all together just right. I'm always blown away by the dedication and hard work that goes into the finished products.

Students can use the research passages individually, or work with partners. Look at the amazing work one third grade class did with my MLK Jr. Research Freebie!

I love how the groups were able to personalize their posters! This year, we'll dive deeper into research for Presidents' Day. 

Each website linked through the QR Codes are from kid friendly websites. If you're looking for quality picture books this month, click on my Amazon affiliate links below of my recommendations. 

                                         

                                                       

100th Day Activities

We may have just returned to school from winter break, but another holiday is quickly approaching. Believe it or not the 100th day of school will be here before we know it! Over the years I've definitely began a collection of 100th day favorites.

Here's a quick look at some of my must haves for the 100th day of school that are free or low cost. You can take a closer look at some of my favorite read alouds by clicking on my Amazon affiliate links.

      

One of the easiest activities is to have students make a picture out of the number 100. All you need is construction paper or card stock and die cuts!

Check out this awesome monster truck!

Just an ordinary girl, boy, and their pet dinosaur ha!

Add some STEM challenges to the 100th day of school by having students build a structure with plastic cups or unifix cubes.

In addition to STEM, how about adding some technology to your 100th day of school activities? My 100th Day QR Code Challenge is perfect to get your students up and moving!

Students work in pairs with an iPad to complete 12 challenges in increments of 100 seconds.

For some laughs, have your students draw a picture of themselves when they are 100 years old! 

Want even more laughs? Use the free AgingBooth app to instantly transform you and your students into 100 year olds.

I may be wrinkled and gray, but at least I'll still have hair when I'm 100!

No 100th day celebration is complete without some pictures. It's quick and easy to create a picture frame with a few low cost materials.

I bought a cheap, large picture frame from Wal-Mart and spray painted it. Add a black chalkboard piece and some bulletin board letters for a cute frame you can use all year.

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate the 100th day of school? 

End of Year Technology Ideas

Happy Sunday!! I hope you're able to get in a few hours of rest and relaxation today. If you're like me, you love your class of precious minis but OH MY WORD  ready for summer too! We have 14 days of school left.
We teachers know classroom management is crucial in these last few days, and we'll try just about anything to keep our kids engaged. Today I'm going to give you a quick rundown of some tech ideas we're doing in our classroom.

First up, we're using the app Pic Collage to create some thoughtful end of year memories for each other. I've paired up students to take pictures of each other and think of three adjectives to describe their partner. When each student has their own collage, I'm going to have it added to our end of year slideshow.

After playing around with the app, one student suggested combining pictures to make a thinking map. Brilliant!

This group decided they wanted to create a double bubble map of themselves. The app itself is free, with some optional paid add-ons. There are so many fonts, backgrounds, and shapes included that will give you students choices. 

Next up, we're sharing our favorite second grade memories using ThingLink. This app allows students to create interactive images. 

Each target or point on the "Thing" is something different added by a student. The bullseye design is plain text, while the play button is a recording from a student or a YouTube link. 

I love that one student added giving a present during Teacher Appreciation Week as one of her favorite second grade memories. Complete heart melting moment!

We LOVE a good QR Code scavenger hunt in our classroom. QR Stuff makes it easy to create QR codes for all types of classroom activities. 

One activity my students worked on this past week is my End of Year Scavenger Hunt. Click on the picture below to learn more. 

'

Students worked in groups to complete the 16 tasks on QR codes and record their answers. The tasks range from reviewing adjectives, to estimation, and recording their favorite memory for a specific subject.

Some of the QR codes were in the classroom, while others were in various places in the hallway. 

What are some of your favorite ways to keep students engaged during the end of year craziness? Hang in there!

Welcome Spring!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your day, and have had a great weekend. I think the cooler weather in my part of Texas is finally over for the year which means plenty of sunshine and sandals ahead!
In honor of Easter, a few teacher friends and I are throwing a TpT sale! Stop by our stores and check out all the amazing resources we have for you.

Here's a sneak peek of what we're learning in my class.
Tuesday and Thursday of this week is STAAR testing. We don't take the test in second grade, but we're going to spread some encouragement to our class of fourth grade buddies. I just posted Treat Tag Freebies in my store. Simply fill a baggie with cereal or cookies and you're done!

We're also tackling the skill of telling time on an analog clock. Telling time is one math skill that certainly takes practice and patience to master for students. One way the minis are practicing time on an analog clock is with Time Task Cards.

In addition to tackling the basics, we're digging deeper and learning about elapsed time as well. Spring Forward can be used during any time of year to teach or review elapsed time skills. 

Check out two of my minis working in small groups. They LOVE using the iPad to self check their answers.

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! 

Fluency Fun!

Happy Sunday! I'm FINALLY getting around to my fluency post after weeks of delaying it. Today, I'm going to share some of my favorite ways to practice fluency in the classroom. It's one of my favorite things to teach. Why? Because it's so easy to make engaging, exciting, and differentiated for all your students! One of my main goals for fluency is to lay a foundation while also providing engagement and fun activities. Prepare for tons of pictures!

First up is an app that's quickly become a staple in my classroom. One Minute Reader is a free iPad app similar to the program Read Naturally. Teachers set reading levels for their students based on how they perform on a quick placement test.

Here's a screenshot of two different reading levels. Who doesn't love an app that can work for multiple students? Each student's progress can be saved so you don't have to start over.

Students work through different activities with each story such as a cold read and read along, just like with the program Read Naturally.

Each level has one free story, with additional stories available to purchase. It takes a lot for me to spend money on apps. I can say with confidence additional purchases for One Minute reader are well worth the price.

Next, is one of our FAVORITE activities to do in the classroom, Fluency With a Twist. It's guaranteed that I'll hear tons of giggles when my students do this activity.

Students scan a QR code to read the stories in a special voice or while doing a certain task. No story is read the same way twice in a row.

Even the most shy, reluctant reader can find their inner actor/actress!  A little tech combined with movement is a winner combination! There's also an  October Edition now available in my store.

Cara Carroll, one of my favorite bloggers has a wonderful set of products called Rock Your Fluency. I have both the first grade and second grade editions. I love how the fluency phrases are divided into sets. The dice games are a favorite in our weekly fluency station. There's just something magical about students getting to use a highlighter while working!

Miss DeCarbo has two wonderful products to practice sight word fluency.I laminated my copies to save paper. Students draw their illustrations with a dry erase marker. Repeated reading certainly does help with fluency. I also love that students get a chance to practice expression in their voices with the different end punctuation in the passages.

Sorry for the lamination glare! I use the fluency passages for my intervention groups. My struggling readers gain confidence each time they read. 

What are you favorite resources for fluency? Have a fabulous week!

TEXAS Size Link Up

Hi everyone! I'm linking up with The Little Ladybug Shop, Planet Happy Smiles, and more fabulous teachers for a big 'ol Texas size link up! Get ready for lots of inspiration, organization, tips, and of course some fabulous classroom swag! 

Since I've returned from Vegas, I've been working like a mad woman giving products in my store much needed face lifts. Do you love giveaways as much as I do? I'm excited to have a little giveaway for the link up!

One amazing and very much deserving teacher is going to get $25 credit to my TpT store! Since returning from Vegas I've been working like a mad woman revamping products! My personal favorite products I've redone are Fluency With a Twist.....

and the QR Code Coin Challenge.

Enter the giveaway below, then visit all the other wonderful bloggers for more to help you get ready for back to school! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway