New Word Cloud

An assistant principal in one of my sessions in Brandon, Mississippi last week shared a new web site with me for creating unique Word Clouds.  I've been sharing wordle.net and wordsift.com, but tagxedo.com is unique in that it allows word clouds in shapes---whatever shapes the words relate to: Abe Lincoln's face, your own face, a house, etc.  As with all word clouds, there are a million ways to use them effectively in the classroom!  Give them a try!

Daily vocabulary lessons!

Scholastic says they're really excited about the release of my newest series this summer, and I am too! Fun, fast interactive daily lessons that teach language concepts while helping students develop fluency in reading, writing and speaking.  Titles: Systematic Word Study for Grade 1, Systematic Word Study for Grades 2-3, and...you guessed it!...Systematic Word Study for Grades 4-6.  You can pre-order by calling Scholastic at 1-800-Scholas(tic).  The books are scheduled for release in August---just in time for the school year!  With even 10-15 minutes per day, these lessons can make a difference!  

Important Summer Reading Recommendations

If you have a chance to recommend some summer reading for your students, don't overlook what's available on the Internet.  Why not add these good sites to your reading list:  www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news, www.weeklyreader.com/featurezone, kidsblogsnationalgeographic.com/kidsnews, and www.sciencenewsforkids.org.  In the 21st century, online reading skills are important to develop!  

Mining Your Heart

I "love" Nancy Atwell's idea of having students "mine" their hearts for writing ideas.  Model for them by drawing a big heart shape.  Then, begin to fill it in with whatever you hold dearest to your heart.  What do you care most about?  Put those things in the center--family, births, deaths, experiences.  There are always important things on the edges, too--your favorite chair on the porch, a dark chocolate candy bar....  Cram in as much as you can.  Then use those bits as springboards to writing.  Have the students do the same and fill their hearts with rich ideas to write about from now until the end of school.  I do believe what Donald Graves said, "Kids write best and most what they know best and most about."  And that is their lives and what's in their hearts!  

 

Multimedia Vocabulary--Easy and powerful!

Here's an activity that is guaranteed to help your students develop depth of knowledge about their vocabulary words.  Go to gotbrainy.com where your students can create posters that define words in a number of ways.  Let them choose and upload a picture that represents the word they've chosen (or that you've assigned) and write something that succinctly explains/defines it.  Allow students to present their words in this multi-media format.  The words are sure to stick with the creators as well as the class members to whom they're presenting them.  By the way, there are lots of good examples on the site for you to see.  It's easy to get started!  Let me know how it works for you!  

Allowing Students to Co-Teach

This is a great time of the year to acknowledge that your students have all become experts in some area of writing.  During your conference time in your Writing Workshop, zero in on whatever area of expertise a child exhibits---great leads, superb use of exclamation points, perfect groupings of paragraphs, lively use of dialogue, etc.  Use one of the child's writing pieces that demonstrates that feature and plan together to use it as a mini-lesson for the class.  When the time comes for the mini-lesson, have the student stand upfront with you at the overhead projector or electronic board to show his piece and to explain the feature.  Then, add his or her name to a chart in the room that proclaims him to be an expert.  Encourage other students to see the listed experts if they want to try that feature in their writing.  They can all be experts at something!  

End of the Day

In classrooms that are self-contained, if you've never tried an End of the Day Journal, it's not too late to try it this year.  At the end of the day, gather your students and write an entry into your "journal"---which could be at your overhead projector or on a flip chart.  Summarize the major things that you've accomplished that day.  Not only does this reaffirm to your students that their time has been well-spent with you, but also students are more likely to respond to the parent who asks, "What'd you do in school today?" since they've just thought about it with you.