This is Real Life, Folks!

It's finally Spring Break, and I am breathing a big sigh of relief.  I have been working feverishly on a big OAA review shindig for a while, and I can't wait to put the finishing touches on it while I have some time off.  :)  I can't wait to share it with all of you, because I think the kids are going to LOVE it.  {I know this is a really vague and cryptic description of my new project, but I don't want to spoil the big reveal in a few days!}  In the meantime, I wanted to share my ELA Test Strategy Posters with you!  Here's a sneak peek!  There are twelve posters included in the file!  :)

If you're like me, you probably want to relish your break (if you're currently away from work).  However, if you're like me, you are probably running out of test prep time.  :)  Once we return to school, I have fifteen days to work my magic.  Fingers crossed!!!!

In other news, I have to be honest.  I don't have a lot to share with you.  Let's see... I was out again last Friday to grade writing diagnostics and learn more about the upcoming PARCC assessments.  I have been out a TON lately, and it's left me feeling a little disjointed.  

We had to administer our Unit Benchmarks this week and do all of the fluency checks.  Since it's the end of the 3rd 9-weeks,  I also had to give a Social Studies test.  {It was 12 kinds of fun in my classroom this week.  Clearly.}  Once testing was over, I worked with small groups while other kiddos worked on centers... which by the way... I did not  manage to snap a single picture of.  I wanted to really maximize the time leading up to Spring Break by working with small groups as much as possible, and I am hoping the more intensive face-time pays off.  :)  

I also presented for my county ESC this past week.  I presented about writing workshop, and I LOVED it!  I seriously love presenting more every single time I get up there!  :)  I even got to meet another blogger:  sweet Christina from Sugar & Spice!  Small world, eh?  

I walked everyone through how I approach mini-lessons in writing.  Even though there are major shifts with writing in the Common Core Standards, I shared a narrative lesson because I think it's easier to learn the structure of a mini-lesson if you work with a familiar genre.  Then it eventually becomes more transferrable across genres.  So, I shared my strong verb lesson from "Jumanji".  It went pretty well.  :)  This is essentially how I structure my mini-lessons.  Of course, this isn't the exact script that I use, but it should give you a pretty good idea of how writing unfolds in my classroom.

These are a few snapshots from my session... after the fact.  I talked WAY too much after the meeting, and I forgot to actually take pictures on location.  Ha!  This is the anchor chart that my lesson plan (above) refers to... so you can see how it all pans out.  

After reading the excerpt and building the anchor chart, I always have my kiddos look for strong verbs throughout the text.  I copy the text and make it into a scroll, and the kiddos sit on both sides of the paper as a whole group.  It's a pretty quick process, and then we discuss it.  (During the session, I passed individual numbered pages out to each table, and the teachers worked together to highlight verbs.  I just had them share out a bit, but you can always tape the papers together in order after the activity is completed to make the scroll at the end of the lesson.  At this point, more words can be added to the anchor chart too!

I did not include the next part of the lesson in my handout, so you won't see it there.  It was more of an after-thought on Monday night as I was getting everything together.  I started to think about how some of my kids could really benefit from something more visual, so I added this component in to share.  I made copies of several illustrations, and I asked the participants to write a description of the scene like my example below.  They worked in groups to complete the activity.  :)

Here are a few "work samples" from this session. Some of them went home with other teachers, so I am sure there are more amazing samples floating around out there somewhere.  I appreciate that everyone was willing to participate even though we all spent the whole day with kiddos beforehand.  

I have only been presenting for three years, so I am definitely a newbie.  Although there's nothing particularly FLASHY about this mini-workshop, I sincerely hope that teachers were able to walk away with something useful after spending an hour with me.  :)  I hope, if nothing else, that my tips and tricks about writer's workshop were helpful.  I kinda-sorta can't wait until next time... whenever that is! Ha!

Whether you are on Spring Break or school's in session, I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a blessed week ahead!  (Right now, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for warmer weather... SOON!)  Have a good one, friends!