Reading and Writing Workshop and More: June Updates
My tpt shop has been around since 2010 and there's a whole-lotta-updates that I'm working on. As I dip into my resource files, I'm not only refreshing fonts and borders, but for many of my products, I'm adding entirely new content. I don't want you to miss a thing so, monthly updates on the resources that you should redownload if you've ever purchased them and a quick note about anything new that has been added to the store is going to be a new thing for you here at Tarheelstate Teacher.
To be real with you, I think I've got some really useful, amazing {old} stuff in my store, but my design talents have improved tons over the years {think--actually investing in fonts and clip art to bea-utify things!}. If you bought some of my stuff when it wasn't so pretty, you deserve to know that you need to RE-DOWNLOAD and see what goodies are in store for you.
I've received some of the sweetest feedback on these resources as they were, and when I look at them with my newer design skills and all that I've learned over the past few years....ya'll just make me wanna say **THANK YOU** I'm updating my resources as fast as I can to give you the best that I am able to! Personally, when I'm getting ready to teach a specific concept that I know I have purchased resources for, I go to my "purchased products" list and see if any revisions have been made. Often, I print from my computer instead of from a hardcopy anyway, so I automatically get the newest version, but I know some people may need the reminder to check the online version to see if anything has been updated.
So, without further adieu, check out what's changed in my store over the past few months:
1) My Launching the Reader's Workshop Kit with the "Building a Reading Life" theme has received a complete makeover. For a few years now, I have launched reader's workshop with a focus on helping students build THE BEST reading lives possible. I found a ton of quotations that give us insight into other people's relationship with reading and I created journal prompts to elicit information from my students about the good, bad, the ugly and the awesome in their reading lives. This unit sets the foundation for helping students envision their best reading year ever and I've found that the passion developed through our discussions about building our best reading life holds strong for the whole year and beyond!
This kit now includes:
4 designs to choose from for the Anchor Chart Parts. You can click on over to my store and check out the preview for a closer look at all 4 designs! The polka dot design is picture below and I included an ink-saving version of the anchor chart parts that you can just print on brights that will look just as nice!
Better fonts and prettier frames for all of the student journal pages. The old version had two different journal pages on one sheet. I found this to be a pain when I prepared the sheets for my students, so now each journal page {still 1/2 page sized} is laid out with two of the same prompts on a page.
My 15 Quotation posters have been completely revised--out with chevron, in with modern backgrounds! The matching quotations for students to respond to in their reading journals have also had a font face-lift!
Still to come with this resource, I want to write out my Launching Readers Workshop: Building a Reading Life day by day plans for you. This will include which anchor charts, quotations, and journal prompts I use when and which picturebooks I match with each concept. Stay tuned!
2) Since I updated my Readers Workshop file, I went ahead and did the same for my Writers Workshop: Penciling in a Worthwhile Writing Life. These two resources complement each other and are very similar. The aim of my Writer's Workshop Kit is to help students see writing as a worthwhile way to spend their time. I want to create investment in a subject that I've found more students are resistant to than any other subject! Just like we need to develop a love of reading in order to get students to read, we need to help them develop a love of writing to get them to write!
The Anchor Chart Parts come in 4 designs. Shown below is the colorful stripes version. I also included the low-ink version in this resource. If you use both of these, you can choose designs that complement each other beautifully but look different enough that you and your students will be able to keep the anchor charts separate.
The quotation posters also got an update! No chevron and beautiful fonts. I even spent a lot of time working on the spacing of the words! You won't regret having these posters ready to go for decorating your room. I pull the file up on the smartboard to read to students and start a discussion. Then, I give them their own copy printed on bright paper {these student-sized versions are included in the resource!} and ask them to record what the quotation means and their feelings about writing related to what the author has said.
3) I decided to bundle these two resources since they are perfect for Back to School when you set up your reading and writing workshops. These resources have stood the test of time for me and I wouldn't want to start the year in my 4th or 5th grade classroom any other way! The best part is that when you are squeezed for time at the beginning of the year, you can choose a quotation or journal prompt and spend 15 minutes having a quality discussion that still helps you begin your reading and writing workshops. In just a few minutes a day, you can set the foundation for the attitudes you want to develop in your classroom towards reading and writing.
4) My Human Body Systems Encyclopedia/Research resource has been in my store for quite a while. It was perfect for the year that Human Body Systems moved into our 5th grade curriclum. Well, what's been updated??? By popular demand {and a major revival of my common sense} I updated it to include answer keys. Yes, I know you need them. Yes, I would have appreciated it too if I had purchased the file. Now you have it! Please redownload if you ever purchased it for your science unit!
5) Did you catch the freebie for the End of the Year that I uploaded in June? You may want to download my "It's in the Bag" Activity now and stick it in your end of the year file or pin it to your end of year pinterest board. I needed something simple, low-cost, and meaningful for week of school. This activity culminates in a sharing session on the last day of school. {Gush! It was so perfect and fun to relive some of our favorite memories from the year}.
6) Updates coming to my fractions resources is the last thing I want to mention to you. I am working through my task cards to correct the way the fractions are written. Instead of using a / to show 1/2, I am displaying the fractions with the numerator underlined, make sense? I am also re-working the mixed numbers because many of my files have them written like this: 5-1/2. I've had many students think that the dash meant to subtract and although explaining it to them works, it would just be MUCH BETTER if all of the fractions were written appropriately. No need to further confuse students on fractions concepts!! {Yes, bless my heart and theirs too!} I've got a lot of fraction task card sets, so this will take a bit of time, but I've already updated my Subtracting Fractions with Regrouping Task Cards and my Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators.
My Adding and Subtracting Fractions with unlike denominators got a font update and I added 8 more cards to beef up the word problems task cards. I also added more modeling subtraction task cards! {Needless to say, this set of task cards got MUCH BETTER and I hope you re-download and start fresh if you've already purchased!}
My Subtracting Fractions with Regrouping has three levels to allow you to scaffold students through this challenging fractions concept from a whole-number start, a mixed number start, and word problems. It's all broken down for you with three sets of cards to help you differentiate for your students.
In other news, {and then I'll stop--really!}, lately, I've been stepping up my pinterest game. I'm curating a lot of great content for beginning and veteran teachers. I've made new boards called "Just Good Teaching" and "How to Do this Teacher Thing Better" that I'm just so in love with because I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my teaching. If you are not following me on pinterest, I'd love for you to click over to join. I don't want you to miss the Back to School Ideas that are going to be added over the next few months...and I also made a board called "Summer: Mommy is a Teacher" that you just might want to check out now!
If you made it this far, I just want you to know, you're my number one girl! {or guy, you too!} I'm so glad to have you along in this journey with me! I've got lots to share with you, including a much needed ABOUT PAGE that I'm working on {like, WHO AM I already?!?!}, I'm looking forward to TPT Orlando in just over a week, and I've got some special announcements coming soon! I hope you check in to follow along!
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