Balanced Literacy 101: Interactive Read Alouds

So this year I've jumped in to this thing called "Balanced Literacy". At first, I was a little nervous, unsure of the routines and the layout of the entire program. I always had a reading framework, and never thought I REALLY relied on it as much...until now :) So getting through that initial place where I was a little bit intimidated and all was difficult. But now I have to say, I'm IN LOVE with Balanced Literacy! I love the FREEDOM that I have to decide what MY students need, each and every one of them! I'm going to do a series of posts, but this one will be all about read alouds!!

The important part about read alouds is that they are planned. They are not something we grab off the shelf on the way in the classroom. Read Alouds offer a way to tie in your other subjects. I TRY to do 3-4 read alouds a day.

1 to kick off my reading block
1 math book to kick of my guided math routine
1 chapter book after lunch (just a few pages a day)
1 theme/holiday book

A great interactive read aloud is typically ABOVE your students reading level. This way they are exposed to higher vocabulary and text features. You can use fiction or non fiction books! I like to use a mixture of both!!



I try to use as many cross circular read alouds as I can. I often do not have enough time to spend on social studies or science. So that is the perfect time for me to use a read aloud that hits the skill or topic I'm trying to address. For example, we are learning about Presidents and Famous Americans in social studies. I ALWAYS begin my reading block with a read aloud. Right now I'm using books about Presidents and Famous Americans :)

Abraham Lincoln Read Alouds

Looking at Lincoln is a great book because it allows children to get to know Lincoln as a person, not just a President. The author provides several unheard of facts and the book is very engaging! It is a MUST have I promise! My kids LOVED this book! We made a nice little anchor chart using the top of Lincoln's hat {sorry, I accidentally deleted my picture}Y'all know it wasn't cute anyways bc my hand drawn charts are just awful!!!



We also read "My First Biography: Abraham Lincoln"
Another great book! We compared the two stories and how we learned different facts from each book. The kids loved this!

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George Washington Read Alouds

Another component ( that I'll blog about soon) is integrating writing into your literacy block. I was able to do that SO easily this week with my sweet friend Kelly's from Teacher Idea Factory  Presidential Packet! My kids LOVED The Lincoln Writing activity! They can't wait to finish out our Presidents unit using this packet!

Read Alouds are a great component to ANY literacy program. If you are not currently using read alouds, I encourage you to think about it. They can be very interactive and a great tool. I am able to hit on so many different areas. Modeling my critical thinking is so easy during a read aloud. Students do not even really look at it as learning, more of a discussion. That's what is so neat about it. Especially when you use titles and stories that THEY like. 

Sight Word Freebies!

Hey friends! Need extra resources for teaching sight words? Here are a few FREEBIES!
Just click the pictures to access your FREEBIE!

If you like this game, check out the full packet while it's on sale!!

Sight Word Sampler

Sight-Word-Race

Star-Words-Sight-Word-Practice-

Tunstall Times

Secret-Smelly-Spelling-

Winter-FREEBIE-5-Sight-Words-Game-Boards-First-100-Dolch-976850

I'm on the hunt for more, so as I find them, I'll update this post! Thanks!

Balanced Literacy Plunge

As an elementary teacher, I find that the balanced literacy approach is something that I simply cannot live without.

One approach that I've added to my day is that I try to add at least two content area centers throughout the week. We have seven stations a day, so that's pretty easy for us to do! 

My balanced Literacy routine is pretty simple. I try to incorporate as many content area centers as I can. The past few weeks we've been working on Map Skills. 

My kiddos LOVE floor puzzles! They are such a great tool to help develop important critical thinking skills. My kids do the puzzle, then complete a labeling activity. The puzzle shown is one of my favs from Melissa and Doug! 

Read Alouds for Maps

We've also worked on Rhyming Words this week. These puzzle match ups are great for reinforcing those tricky rhyming words....and they are on a little flash sale :) 

 Here are few other centers we used this week from my Winter Literacy Center Packet (also on sale!)

Primary Guided Math & Freebie

At the beginning of the year, I  was working as a long term substitute in 4th grade. I have always been addicted to "Guided Math", but for some reason, this year my addiction intensified!!!

I have been working on amping my guided math supply kit. I basically needed more hands on centers and had little time (and supplies) to make them! I am not used to being ink deprived, and it's a hard adjustment! In TX, I could get all the ink I pretty much desired! I know that most of you are in the same boat so I apologize for preachin' to the choir. So I decided to do what everyone else does who gets no ink---use colored cardstock! haha! 

My kiddos are practicing telling time to the hour and half hour this week. We had a blast practicing. We use these student hand held time boards over and over again during whole group instruction! 

My kids LOVE these!!

We read the book "If You Were A Minute"

Then, we made a chart of our three favorite things they did in the story and tried to beat the time the characters completed them. 

It's a good thing I've been working out, because 70 jumping jacks in a minute is no easy task ;) haha!!!

After a whole group mini lesson, we break up into small groups for our guided math. I have several "staple centers" I use:

*One bin of Math books. I try to pull as many books related to the subject we are working on!

*Lakeshore Match Up Puzzles

* Math Work Station Cards

*Fold & Solve Math Cards- The Mailbox

You can check out the centers shown here!

We are also using Cara's Time Packet! Which provides so many hands on matching centers for the kiddos! We still haven't finished all the activities in that packet! I'll post about it once we finish!! 

One of my weaknesses is making cute anchor charts! My kids have really struggled with types of sentences, so I made these charts...no judgment okay?? I am NOT very good at these :)

I also created a quick and simple Listening Center Recording sheet--click HERE For the FREEBIE

2014

Hey Friends! I don't know about y'all but I have really enjoyed my downtime the last few weeks.  I've had family here for almost the entire time and I wouldn't have had it ANY other way!

Faith, Family and Love, what more could a girl ask for?

The holidays weren't exactly my *ideal* version because we missed my dad so much, but we tried to make the best of it and keep trucking :) That's what he would want! 

I can not believe it's almost 2014!!!! My goals for 2014..I haven't really had much time to stop and think about it.. but I bet I can come up with something :)

1. Spend more *quality* time with the family. You know, turn off the cellphones, TV's, video games and just unplug. We LOVE board games at my house. So I am making it a mission to have more board game nights, days or whatever else the family wants! 

2. Focus and give God the credit for our many blessings in life. My friend just told me about the "JesusCalling" App and I absolutely love it!

3. Spend more time in my classroom with "free moments".  By free moments I'm talking about leaving the lesson plan on my desk and having free discussions with the kids about their learning and what their goals are. I think this sometimes gets left in the dust with everything we have to do, so I'm going to try and make this more of a reality in my classroom.

4. Create more nonfiction units for my kiddos so that they can enjoy their leaning!

5. Keep up my exercise routine that I started over a year ago. I just recently got back in the gym after a few weeks off, and it was tough, but I'm ready to get back to the stamina I was at before Thanksgiving happened! This is week two of the new start, and I'm feeling more motivated than EVER!

So we go back Thursday! Kinda of crazy. When I made my plans, I was thinking about different sponge and review skills we could do before we start  new material. 

We are going to start off with a review of Place Value. We are going to use my Place Value Interactive Flip Books to review this skill. Our curriculum doesn't call for expanded form yet, but I always like to teach it as young as soon as possible. As a former upper grade teacher, I understand this is an important skill that needs to be taught while they are learning the basics and setting that foundation. My Place-Value-Interactive-Flip-Books are on sale as well as the rest of my store! 

Well, I'm off to cook my New Years Eve Dinner! Happy New Year Friends ! Love y'all! 

13 in '13

Hey Friends!!! I'm linking up with some other bloggers for my top 13 in '13!!!

This will be hard for me to make it to 13 but I'm going to try!!!

*One*

My little one started Kindergarten! My oldest started Second Grade!! They grow up soooo fast!!!

*Two*

I finnnnnnally got a full time teaching job! Like my very own classroom! After a year and a half!!!

I'm LOVING my new class! I'm back with the firsties and I LOVE IT! I have pretty much the dream team, administration and support system! My administration is so supportive and positive! I love it! 

Did I say I LOVE my new job?!?!? haha, sorry y'all

*Three*

This year I managed to pull something off I never thought I could. When the tornados hit OK, I was just devastated. I couldn't imagine experiencing that kind of pain. Losing every single item you have, or a family member. I wanted to help so badly, I just didn't know how. Then something powerful happened. God spoke to my heart and walked me through the steps to put together this amazing fundraiser. I could not have pulled it off without y'all, and my sweet blogging friends! We raised just under $30,000 in five days! I was so proud of the education community!!! 

*Four*

We got to go to our little mountain hideaway for Trout season. We usually only go during *deer hunting season*

Ahhh I love this place!

*Five*

My baby sister graduated college this year!!

*Six*

This year I feel like I've grown spiritually so much. God has given me experiences I would never chose to have on my own. But ultimately these experiences have helped me grow closer to God in a way I never thought possible. I thought I'd grown spiritually to the fullest, but what I realized this year, is I don't think that EVER happens. I think God continues to teach us  and use us as long as we are here. We all have something to learn, no matter what our field of expertise is. I feel like this year, I really learned a lot about applying my everyday life to the word of God. I think sometimes it's easy to read the bible and think "How does this apply to me today"...but what I've tried to learn is that I may not know right now what you are trying to tell me, but eventually, when the time is right, I will!! 

*Seven* 

Something I'm very passionate about is my annual Crusade For Safety

Please take the time to read about this!! It's something very important to me! Teenage Safe Driving is SO IMPORTANT! Now more than ever as teens (and adults) experience distracted driving!!

*Eight*

My favorite song this year is this.. Homesick

Not a song from this year, but I just discovered it, so that counts right :) 

*Nine*

My favorite blog post from 2013...

Co Teaching

*Ten*

Something I'm super excited about is my Donor's Chose project!!

*Eleven,Twelve and Thirteen*

I combined the last few for a lot of reasons. Mostly because of HOW important it is to me, but also because I'm running out of things to say!!!

A few weeks ago, I lost my sweet daddy. It's been the hardest few weeks of my life. Every time before now, that I thought I knew pain, I'm now reminded it was nothing that I have ever experienced before now. Even with all the pain I'm feeling, I'm  still reminded by God that I am a very fortunate young lady. I will always miss my daddy. Every time I hear "That's My Job" By Conway Twitty, I will cry. But I cried when he was here and I heard that song :) 

Yesterday, we had a chance to share God's love and help bless a family . I don't like talking about doing these things, because we do them in order to help them and share God's word, not for us to be recognized. But part of what I saw was so powerful and so moving!!! In all my hurt and pain, I looked into the eyes of little children who were so happy and grateful for our presence and blessings onto their family. All that hurt and pain went away. As I sat there with a young mom and told her about how Jesus has changed *my life* and how special that relationship is, joy overwhelmed my sorrowed heart. 

I want to end this post by telling you all that I'm extremely blessed to have you all in my life! Even though I don't "see" most of you, you are truly a blessing to have! I love y'all and love the friends I've made through this blog!! 

Quick and Easy Math Centers

I don't know about y'all but this time of year is so crazy! I am spending this week pretty much re-teaching skills from the last six weeks! 

I've talked before about my guided math routine. I need to do another post on that as a first grade teacher! Maybe during the break! The reason I LOVE guided math is because the instruction is tailored to each and every student. It is a lot of prep work, but I use several staple centers that are easily differentiated. For example, I use my Number-Order-and-Skip-Counting-Fun- as a staple center. I printed the pages on bright cardstock and laminated them. Some charts only go from 1-50, some 1-100. I also have different variations of skip counting so that my higher students can go above and beyond what our grade level expectations are and my lower students can practice in the areas they struggle with. 

This packet makes several very quick and practical math centers! 

You can check it out HERE