It’s almost that time again…the time of
year that we thought would never come… SUMMER VACATION! I can certainly say (as I typically do every
year) I have never been so ready! So as
we get ready to “sail into summer,” I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’m
already thinking of next year and what I plan to do again, as well as what I’ll do differently.
year that we thought would never come… SUMMER VACATION! I can certainly say (as I typically do every
year) I have never been so ready! So as
we get ready to “sail into summer,” I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’m
already thinking of next year and what I plan to do again, as well as what I’ll do differently.
Something I will do again
I will definitely use task cards again
next year. This was the first year that
I have really incorporated this rather consistently, and I have to say, they were a
huge hit with my students. Not only did
they feel like they were getting somewhat of a choice (even though that wasn’t
necessarily the case) but it was also a great way for students to work
collaboratively with their groups. There
are a number of ways that you can use task cards, depending on what works best
for your students. It’s also a fantastic strategy for differentiation. This is another
reason I love them so much!
next year. This was the first year that
I have really incorporated this rather consistently, and I have to say, they were a
huge hit with my students. Not only did
they feel like they were getting somewhat of a choice (even though that wasn’t
necessarily the case) but it was also a great way for students to work
collaboratively with their groups. There
are a number of ways that you can use task cards, depending on what works best
for your students. It’s also a fantastic strategy for differentiation. This is another
reason I love them so much!
Something I will do differently
I will continue to use Interactive
Notebooks, as this is a strategy our entire ELA dept. is trying to
incorporate. But next year I will use a
compositional journal/notebook, rather than a 3 ring binder, and I will make
sure to include a table of contents!
This was my first year of attempting to use the IN regularly, and so I
was able to identify what worked and what didn’t. Hopefully next year, it will be easier to
use, and I’m also hoping to do this even more often than I have this year. I’d love to hear any advice you have regarding interactive notebooks! What are your “must do” tips?
I also LOVE teaching a novel at the end of the year, that’s also been made into a movie. We all know that our kiddos love watching movies at school. What better time of year to do it, than right before summer break! My class is currently reading The Giver, by Lois Lowry, which is such a wonderful book. I also purchased a terrific unit lesson plan on the book from Presto Plans. Check this out here. Presto Plans has a fantastic TPT store if you’re looking for secondary ELA products. One thing I will do differently next year, is to start teaching this book earlier, so that I’m able to use more of the activities. There is SO much you can do w/ this novel, and it’s a great way to cover multiple Common Core Standards while keeping your students engaged…especially at the end of the year when that’s so hard to do!
As we “sail into summer,” I’d like to wish all of the hard-working teachers a much deserved, wonderful summer break! I hope you enjoy every minute of it!
Notebooks, as this is a strategy our entire ELA dept. is trying to
incorporate. But next year I will use a
compositional journal/notebook, rather than a 3 ring binder, and I will make
sure to include a table of contents!
This was my first year of attempting to use the IN regularly, and so I
was able to identify what worked and what didn’t. Hopefully next year, it will be easier to
use, and I’m also hoping to do this even more often than I have this year. I’d love to hear any advice you have regarding interactive notebooks! What are your “must do” tips?
I also LOVE teaching a novel at the end of the year, that’s also been made into a movie. We all know that our kiddos love watching movies at school. What better time of year to do it, than right before summer break! My class is currently reading The Giver, by Lois Lowry, which is such a wonderful book. I also purchased a terrific unit lesson plan on the book from Presto Plans. Check this out here. Presto Plans has a fantastic TPT store if you’re looking for secondary ELA products. One thing I will do differently next year, is to start teaching this book earlier, so that I’m able to use more of the activities. There is SO much you can do w/ this novel, and it’s a great way to cover multiple Common Core Standards while keeping your students engaged…especially at the end of the year when that’s so hard to do!
As we “sail into summer,” I’d like to wish all of the hard-working teachers a much deserved, wonderful summer break! I hope you enjoy every minute of it!
Good luck with your Giver Unit next year! It's my all time favorite! Thanks for hopping along!
– Julie
Thank you, Julie, for inviting and hosting it! Are you going to be able to make it to the meet-up June 23?