Creating Diagrams in Interactive Notebooks

If you are like me there are times where creating a diagram is necessary to show how something works. When I was teaching fifth grade we had so many diagrams and they were up all over our classroom because I didn't know better. This made it really hard for my students to actually use the diagrams to retain the knowledge.

Now that I have been using Interactive Notebooks for the past four years I wish that I had been using my students lab books (composition notebooks) better back then. I remember we had a lab where we talked about weathering, erosion and deposition and my students used their pencils and drew pictures. HOW BORING! Color is so much more fun and can add to their learning.

I love using the Tri-Fold Mini Book Template to create flowing lessons that build upon each other or diagrams with room to identify things.

The front section allows me to title the flippable for Weathering, Erosion and Deposition while also being a little creative. Most of the time my students only do the extra creating when they are at home and studying. Inside class time is used for the actual diagram creation as well as labeling. 

The extra side on one of the flaps allows the students to keep definitions for each of the terms that are involved in this flippable. I love that we can also color-coordinate them with the title words and areas in the diagram.

When you open up the Three-Flap Mini Book it gives plenty of space for the diagram for the process of Weathering, Erosion and Deposition. I only wish this was how I taught my fifth graders (who have now graduated) because I think it could have really helped. Believe me, I have sent it on to quite a few friends who still teach as 5th Grade is a testing grade for Science and any visual the students can use will help!

Do you love using Flippables as much as I do? Would you love to add three more templates to your arsenal so that you can use them as needed? Click the picture below to join my newsletter and you will be given a link to download three new templates in PDF (easy printing) and JPG (editable) format!

Would love to hear from you and see you over on my blog so check me out at

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Fraction Freebies for Interactive Notebooks

Hi, friends! It's Blair, from One Lesson at a Time, here to bring you a fun fraction freebie for your interactive notebooks! If you read my blog, you know that I am now teaching math in grades 1-4 and loving every minute of it! #mathnerd

We are eyeballs deep in our fraction units in 3rd and 4th grade, so I have numerators and denominators on the brain these days. I created this little set of foldable notes to help kiddos remember some key vocabulary and concepts about fractions.

The numerator/denominator flap is designed to look like an actual fraction. Glue the flap along the fraction bar:

Then, glue the definitions of each under the flaps. These are the definitions that we use with our kiddos and I really like them. That being said, if you want to use the template but would prefer your own definitions, just write them under the flaps!

I also created one that mimics the "diagonal" fraction bar. Same idea and same definitions:

Then, I created 2 fraction flip books to help students remember what each part of a fraction means in action - as part of a whole, part of a set, and on a number line. The first one is all filled in, using 1/3 as the example - this one is kind of an interactive anchor chart. The second flip book uses the fraction 3/4, but requires students to fill in the information and draw pictures on their own. Here are what the flip books look like:

Click {HERE} to download these interactive notebook fraction pages free from Google Drive!

If you need more fraction activities for your interactive notebooks, make sure to cheek out my packs for 3rd and 4th grade on TpT. I am also beyond thrilled to {FINALLY} be finished with the 4th Grade Mega-Bundle! Do you hear the chorus of angels or are those just in my head? ;) You can click on the product covers below to check each of them out in my store!

I also just posted a free set of Author's Purpose flippies for interactive notebooks on my blog - check out that post on One Lesson a a Time to grab your set! 

Until next time...

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Tis' the Season for Freebies!

Hello everyone! It's Jennifer from Teaching to Inspire in 5th. I am fortunate to be off this entire week for Thanksgiving..yay! Unfortunately, my boys are sick, so we are on quarantine over at my household.

I know everyone is super busy in the holiday mode...or is the trying to survive another day or two of work before the break, so I wanted to share some quick, fun freebies.

Hopefully these freebies will help get you through the rest of the holiday season!


First up, is a little Fall place value freebie (We are knee deep in Winter weather over here, but some of you might be lucky to be enjoying some Fall weather)

 
This little freebie contains 4 CCSS aligned story problems that are winter-themed and require some higher order thinking skills.

And, finally, some Christmas cheer in the form of a themed fraction sort that has the student sorting fractions based on if they are greater than, equal to, or less than 1/2.

 Happy Holidays! I hope you are able to use the freebies!


Jennifer

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ATUE Freebie Roundup!

I'm forever in awe at the creativity of my fellow bloggers here at All Things Upper Elementary! Seriously, these peeps are the real deal. And if you haven't checked out my friends' free stuff lately, you are missing out. Collectively, the ATUE staff is one lean, mean, fabulous-freebie machine. :) Today, I wanted to do a roundup of some our favorite free items! Every item in this roundup is totally and completely, no-strings-attached freeeeee!

1) Framed Goals Printable from 4MulaFun

4MulaFun is offering these adorable "Goals4All" free printables over at her blog. I love how versatile these are - you can use them in your classroom or at home! There are 4 different colors/designs and they are all super cute. Perfect to pop into a frame or laminate to use over and over. Click the pic to check them out!

2) Order Up! Spelling Patterns from Mr. Hughes

Mr. Hughes has a new line of products in his store called "Order Up!" and they are awesome. Reviewing spelling patterns can be a drag, but Mr. Hughes' interactive game makes it so much fun! Students will snip apart the Order Up strips and arrange them in the correct sequence on their work mats. Such an easy and useful center activity - and my favorite part is that it is self-checking! Click the pic to download it for free at TpT:

3) Math Common Core State Standards 3-5 Checklists from Miss Math Dork

Miss Math Dork's free CCSS Checklists are a MUST HAVE for any teacher currently using or preparing to transition to Common Core. These checklists will help you track when you teach each standard, as well as when each student has mastered each standard. You will want to have these on hand for the start of the next school year to stay organized in your data collection! Click the pic to check them out and download them for free at TpT:

4) Descriptive Adjective Match from the Peanut Gallery

I love this resource for teaching kids to use vivid vocabulary. Students must match each descriptive adjective to its synonym. Then, they use a color code to cross out the adjective in the word bank. I know in my classroom, one of the easiest ways to keep my kiddos happy is to tell them they get to bust out the colored pencils. I love kids...they appreciate the little things. :) Click the pic to download a copy free at TpT:

5) DIY Reading Calendars from Blair Turner

One day, after forgetting to send in for copies of my monthly reading calendars, I had my kids create their own "bingo" style boards and the DIY Reading Calendar was born. :) I love these because kids get to brainstorm their own fun reading activities and are way more motivated to actually read at home. This is a great way to get students to take ownership of their reading - much more fun than just filling out a standard reading log. Click the link to download them for free via my blog, One Lesson at a Time:

6) Mixed Operations Word Problems Grades 4-5 from Fourth Grade Studio

These word problems from Fourth Grade Studio are a great resource for 4th and 5th grade teachers! I love finding ready-to-go word problems. Some great things about this freebie: it's Common Core aligned, the problems are presented in 3 different ways, AND there's even a rubric included! Click the pic to download it from TpT:

7) Math Common Core Addition Rounding Inverse Paleontologist Performance Task Slice from 2 Brainy Apples

My school did a ton of training with Understanding by Design (UbD) this year, so I was really excited to find this great performance task from 2 Brainy Apples. This is a great resource to assess rounding in a meaningful, real-world context. Students will take on the role of interns going on an excavation trip.  This task is Common Core aligned and is designed using the GRASPS model. Click the pic to download it free at TpT:

8) Dice Games - Reading and Language Arts by Common Core and So Much More

This is a set of super-fun dice games to work on reading and language skills. Included are games to work on spelling, dictionary and thesaurus skills, and reading fiction and non-fiction. Such fun and easy center activities! Click the pic to download them free from TpT:

9) Task Cards Frames and Borders Template by Amy Alvis

Amy Alvis's task card templates make creating task cards a snap. I use them in all of my task card products. :) This template has 4 pre-made task cards to fit an 8.5 x 11 inch page. It's super easy to layer on top of cute backgrounds, or leave blank and just fill with problems or text/clip art. Click the pic to get it for free on TpT:

10) Drawing Inferences Printable Bookmarks and Worksheet from Jen Bengel

I love these adorable drawing inferences bookmarks and worksheet from Jen Bengel. This is a great tool to assess student understanding. They can be used during independent reading time, as well as guided reading or center work. Click the pic to download them free at TpT:

11) Back To School: Pre-Teen Style from Jennifer Findley

This packet of back to school activities is perfect for the upper elementary crowd. A great, ready-to-go resource to save you time as you prepare your classroom for the upcoming school year. Included are handouts for class rules/policies/procedures, along with fun activities to help students get to know their classmates. Click the pic to download your copy:

12) My Summer in Tweets by Right Down the Middle with Andrea

This back to school resource will immediately make you cooler in the eyes of your upper elementary students. Get students excited to share their summer experiences with their new classmates by asking them to tweet about it! Click the pic to download it free:

13) Teacher's Back to School To-Do List from Amber Thomas

Get yourself organized for the new school year with Amber Thomas's Back to School To-Do List. The start of a new school year can be so overwhelming, even for a veteran teacher, so this categorized list of what needs to get done is a must download. Click the pic to grab it for free:

14) Writing Feedback Notes from Yearn to Learn

These writing feedback notes are a great way to get organized before launching your writing workshop. These brief notes for editing meaning and content, grammar, punctuation, and penmanship can be written to help guide revisions. Click the pic to download them free at TpT:

Whew! That's a whole lot of free. There are tons more freebies at each ATUE collaborator's TpT store and blog! We hope you'll check them out and find some great new resources to help you as you prepare to enter a new school year. Have a great week!

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Thinking about INBs...What's First?

After my last post about Interactive Notebooks for All, I fielded a lot of questions like, "Where do I begin?" My friends, I am so excited that you are joining me on the journey of continual Interactive Learning in your classroom!

The first step for anything for me is the planning stage. I must take my time and think how I want things to layout cohesively to make them make sense. 

So, I have a FREEBIE for you! I just loaded my Interactive Notebook Planning Sheets for you to use in your planning! They go from page 1-199 and offer you room to plan your concepts and I even had enough room to add in the standard as I am planning some for a special project right now.

And if you are looking for a FREE checklist to go with the Common Core State Standards, MissMathDork has some awesome ones out (you can barely see her logo in my picture up above). You can grab the K-2, 3-5 and/or the 6-8 for FREE from her Teachers Pay Teachers store as well!

So, who's with me on the Interactive Notebook Journey for 2013-2014?

Mathematically Yours,

Jennifer Smith-Sloane

aka 4mulaFun

@4mulaFun

4mulaFun on Facebook

4mulaFun on Pinterest

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Free 4 All Linky Party #4

It's time for another Free 4 All linky party here at All Things Upper Elementary! But first, I wanted to take this opportunity to share one paid resource with you.

"A paid resource?!?" you may be thinking. "On Free 4 All Saturday?!? Say it ain't so!" But wait! This one is special, I promise.

I live in Boston, and our community is still recovering from the recent Boston Marathon bombings. Although it was a truly horrific event, it has brought out the best in the people of Beantown. The entire city is helping to raise money for the One Fund Boston - a fund set up by our mayor and governor to benefit the victims of the bombings.   

I've created a Boston Strong Activity Pack to help out. All the profits from this product will be donated directly to the One Fund. Students will love learning fun facts about Boston while practicing their academic skills. If you can't use it in your own classroom, but are willing to pass on the link to others, that would be wonderful!

And now....ON TO THE LINKY!

Below, you'll find a treasure trove of free resources for grades 3-6. Link up your own free items as well! Link to a blog post or straight to your freebie on Teachers Pay Teachers. 

Make sure to spread the love by sharing this linky with other teachers via Facebook, Pinterest, your blog, etc.  And in the spirit of collaboration, don't link and run! :) Leave comments for the 2 posts before yours, and come back and leave a comment on the post after yours. 

Thanks for sharing with us and HAPPY LINKING!

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Free 4 All Linky #3

 

Once again, another awesome linky party for grades 3-6 full of FREE resources for you to download and use immediately!

Link up your freebies below and grab some freebies from others! Link up a blog post or the TPT product page.

After you link up, make sure you follow the rule of 3! Leave comments on the two posted before you and then come back and leave a comment on the one after you.

One more thing...don't forget to promote this linky on your Blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest!

Happy Linking!

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Fun 4 All Linky Party- Anything Goes

Welcome to another fun Linky Party here at All Things Upper Elementary! This week's Linky Party is for you to share any product that you have created and are proud of! ANYTHING GOES!

Now you ask, does it have to be themed? Nope! Can it be something I personally LOVE? Yep! See how easy that is? Simply link up your products (yes, products- limit yourself to 3, paid or FREE), give a grade level and put a $ or FREE to indicate in the title.

Example: St. Patrick's Solve and Snip (Gr. 5-6) $ or Spoons Game for Prefixes and Suffixes (Gr. 3-5) FREE

So, what are you waiting for? Add your links! And don't forget, we all love Comments and Feedback! Don't forget to share the linky party on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more! :)

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Fun 4 All Linky Party: Love is In The Air

Welcome to another fun Linky Party here at All Things Upper Elementary! This week's Linky Party is for you to share any product that you have for the month of LOVE!

Now you ask, does it have to be themed? Nope! Can it be something I personally LOVE? Yep! See how easy that is? Simply link up your products (yes, products- limit yourself to 3, paid or FREE), give a grade level and put a $ or FREE to indicate in the title.

Example: Valentine's Word Problems (Gr. 4-6) $ or Spoons Game for Prefixes and Suffixes (Gr. 3-5) FREE

So, what are you waiting for? Add your links! And don't forget, we all love Comments and Feedback!

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First Free For All Linky Party!

Are you ready for our first "Free 4 All" Linky Party here on All Things Upper Elementary? So what's it all about you may be asking. Well, do you have an awesome FREEBIE to share with other 3rd though 6th grade teachers? Well then, feel free to link up below so we can all share in the goodness!

Now, what else can you do? Promote the Linky Party on your blog, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!

Don't forget to leave comments and feedback for participants in the Linky Party if you add a link! Rule of Three Works for Me!

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Common Core Persuasive Writing: Pre-Writing and Building Background

Since Massachusetts transitioned to the Common Core standards, I've had to rethink my writing block. The Common Core really emphasizes persuasive writing and this is an area that had been lacking in my previous instruction.

At a staff meeting last year, I had a big "ah-HA!" moment. We were asked to brainstorm a list of real-world sources of persuasive writing. As our list got longer....and longer....and longer.....we realized that persuasive writing is EVERYWHERE. In order for our students to be successful in higher education and beyond, it is so important to equip them with the skills to share their opinions clearly and convincingly.

I'd like to share some great resources to help teach persuasive writing. My absolute favorite resource is Karen Caine's book, Writing to Persuade: Minilessons to Help Students Plan, Draft, and Revise, Grades 3-8. If you do nothing else as a result of this post, get your hands on a copy of this book. It is AWESOME. Our writing lead was able to order one for each teacher in the school. If you can't get a copy of your own, check it out from the library. Caine does a great job of mapping out realistic, engaging, and easy-to-implement minilessons to help you plan your unit from pre-writing to publishing. 

Click to grab these prompts for FREE!

Now, let's get down to brass tacks. Pre-writing! I've found that students need a lot of opportunity to practice persuasive thinking before diving in to a full writing unit. To help build background knowledge and develop persuasive thinking skills, I created 24 prompts to get students thinking, talking, and writing. You can find them for free at my TpT store!

There are a million ways to use these. I like to put one prompt up on the document camera at the beginning of writing each day. I give students a few minutes to silently think and jot down notes. Then, students find a partner and get back-to-back. When I say "turn and talk", students discuss the prompt with their partner. At the next "back to back" call, students find a new partner and discuss the prompt again. After several rounds, I ask students to return to their seats and record how their viewpoint was reinforced or how it changed after talking to their peers. 

I also make sure to give students tons of exposure to persuasive writing in different forms. I bring in newspapers, show videos of political speeches, and read mentor texts. One of my FAVORITE sources of persuasive writing? Facebook. I print out my friends' persuasive Facebook statuses--e.g. a friend that posts a picture of a dog asking people to consider adopting him from a local shelter, a graduate student asking people to take a survey for her, etc. Persuasive writing really is EVERYWHERE!

Here are a few ideas for some good persuasive read-alouds:

I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff

Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

Click, Clock, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Earrings! by Judith Viorst

Can I Keep Him? by Steven Kellogg

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

Hey Little Ant by Phillip M. Hoose

My Brother Dan's Delicious by Steven L. Lane

Should We Have Pets? by Sylvia Lollis

Should There Be Zoos? by Tony Stead

What are some of YOUR favorite strategies and resources for teaching persuasive writing?? 

                           

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Happy Teaching!

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