It's STILL March - grab a book to relieve stress!

 

It’s STILL March.   Our clocks have sprung ahead and allegedly, the seasons have switched from Winter to Spring.   Yet so many of us feel the days dragging on and feel what many have termed to be “Teacher Burnout”.   Oh it’s real alright.   The stress of Testing, the pressure of the year counting down and so much material still to cover, and quite frankly, simply the monotony of the daily routines can be enough to make March feel like the month that never ends.   But what if we could change all of that and help your students too?

Why not try?

Sometimes Reading can feel more like an accumulation of skills to be assessed (fluency, accuracy, word speed, comprehension, reading level) than the Gift that you are passing along and refining for the next generation.   We, as Teachers, have to step back from time to time and remind ourselves that Kids Who Read Regularly Become Better Readers.   So how do our students do with the love of Reading?   Elementary Teachers are tasked with igniting a Love of Reading that needs to be blazing because it frequently dies out as kids reach 8th grade and beyond.    In all honestly, most kids these days read very little because they are on screens.   Pages in a book are supposed to compete with social media, video games, short texts and posts exchanged between friends, and the increasingly popular graphic novels.   Consequently, attention spans are becoming shorter and books are losing their intrigue with this generation.

We need to work to change this while we can!

So what does Reading have to do with alleviating Teacher Burnout?   It’s simple.   Great Novels can transport us to new places and introduce us and our students to new people and sweep us off onto wonderful adventures!   

I will never forget the first time that I read Because of Winn Dixie.   It was over a decade ago and I had not yet seen the movie.   I had wanted to preview the book to see if my students would enjoy it.   It didn’t take me long to get caught up in the book and I literally read it cover to cover in one sitting!   What a fabulous story!   Even if your students have seen the move already, I guarantee that the book will still delight them!     I love this book so much that I have all kinds of great resources on my TpT store just ready for you to jump right in!  

Maybe you teach older kids, who like you, are bothered by the ever changing weather from snow to rain and often gray and chilly, then you might appreciate being transported to a society that has figured out how to make everything just perfect.   It feels so ideal… so predictable… so problem free.   But things aren’t always what they seem.    Readers will soon discover that there is a peculiar old man who can unlock a whole new perspective for all of us.   He is known as The Giver.   Lois Lowry is a master at storytelling in this classic and unforgettable novel.   Dive right into a great Novel Study with my The Giver Novel Study Resources available on my TpT store!  

Another great way to expose your students to great books is through a class Read Aloud.   If you’re not sure what books to read out loud to your class, I highly recommend the book entitled The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.   It’s a game changer for Educators and Parents.   (Note:  the book has gone through significant changes in recent years as Jim was no longer able to oversee it.    Despite newer editions being available, the older 6th edition is still my favorite!)  

I hope that diving into some timeless classics will help alleviate some burnout for you.    Books can be very therapeutic for teachers as well as students!   Novel studies can be amazingly refreshing for everyone!   Open a book and enjoy the adventure!

Let’s Get Reading!

Martha

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The Tests are Coming! The Tests are Coming! 

It just doesn’t seem fair, right? At this time of the school year, we’ve already passed the 100 days hurdle and so many of us are feeling the struggle to hang in there. There used to be a donut commercial which featured an employee who would roll out of bed early every morning and utter, “It’s time to make the donuts.” Sometimes we can feel that way at this time of the year. “It’s time to go teach.” And then just when we’re battling to stay focused and passionate about teaching, that tiny season called Testing emerges between Winter and Spring and forces us to rethink our strategies. 

Yes. The Tests are Coming. But let’s get ready NOW. 

We’re going to explore some practical strategies that you can put in place to help your students feel prepared for testing. Some of these are just common sense, but we all need simple reminders! 

1. Your Students are Special, Unique Individuals with Intrinsic Worth that is not tied to test results or even grades. REMIND THEM OFTEN. Many kids suffer from test anxiety every year and so many of them have inferred that since there is so much hype about Testing, then surely their test results must be a reflection of their worth. They need trusted adults to help them think rightly about the tests. These tests are just tools that help educators determine how teachers and curriculum are working towards our shared goals of educating. 

2. Introduce your Students to the Common Test Vocabulary. Make sure that your students regularly see and more importantly, UNDERSTAND the common test vocabulary. Deliberately define and explain words like: Choose, Define, Compare, Contrast, Summarize, Describe, Explain, Conclude/Conclusion, Infer, and even Most Likely and give them lots of practice answering questions with them. 

3. Provide lots of opportunities for Test Practice! Everyone does better with practice. Practicing different types of questions will allow your students to feel more at ease when they sit down to take their tests. (If you’re looking for an easy way to practice, check out my Test Prep Task Cards over at my TpT store!) 

4. Equip your Students with Practical Tactics for Tackling Multiple Choice Problems! These simple steps help students feel equipped to tackle each problem! 

    * Reread the question. Make sure that you know what it is asking. 

    *Try to silently answer the question on your own before you look through the choices provided. 

    * Read through ALL of the answers given and (if allowed to mark on the test), cross out the answers that you know aren’t right. 

    *(If you’re allowed to mark on the test booklet), underline the part in the text that seems to support your choice of answer. If you can't mark on the test booklet, or your students take their tests digitally, make sure to teach them how to use the highlighting tools and other functions of your testing site.

    *Watch out for similar-sounding answers! Read them through and select the one that is the best answer. 

    *Choose “All of the Above” if it’s an option and you feel that 2 or 3 answers are correct. 

I hope that these strategies have you excited to start some test prep NOW! We’re going to continue to provide more strategies for test prep and for rallying our best so that we can finish the year strong in the coming weeks! Don’t miss out! Don’t forget that St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner! You don’t need the luck of the Irish to grab my FREE St. Patrick’s Day Mystery Picture resource! While you’re there, check out my other super St. Patrick’s Day downloads! 

Take A Deep Breath! We’re in this Together! 

Let’s Chat Again Soon, 

Martha

6 Strategic Steps to a Rewarding Readers' Theater Experience

Sometimes we all just need what my neighbor likes to call “Fresh Eyes”. We need a new perspective for what we’re doing, a renewed purpose for how we’re persevering through our days. Remember that we are ideally equipping our students to be Readers for LIFE!

6 Strategic Steps to aRewarding Readers’ Theater Experience!

A few years ago, I heard a staggering statistic that most kids (especially boys!) will stop reading for enjoyment by 8th grade! 8th grade! That means that this Elementary and Middle Grades window of time is CRUCIAL to winning kids over to becoming readers for life! Of course, WE KNOW that becoming lifelong readers will help them to be more successful overall in so many areas of life, but they don't know that and they aren't able to think that far ahead. 

That's why creative strategies like Readers’ Theater are so important! We as teachers can build our students' fluency and strengthen their internal reading voices alongside them, while demonstrating that reading can be FUN! I’ve heard a lot of teachers say that they hear a lot about Readers’ Theater, but they are just not sure how to actually pull it off in your classroom. Honestly, successful Readers’ Theaters always start with a solid, usable script! I've created some of my own for both primary and upper elementary that I think work very well. (You'll find them over at The Owl Spot ) 

So I want to give you 6 surefire great steps towards a rewarding Readers' Theater experience! Here we go! 

1. Do some planning ahead of time! Choose a high interest script and make sure that everyone gets their OWN copy. Plan your timeframe. (Most teachers like to start on Monday and wrap up on Friday! Just 15-20 min per day works great!) 

2. Model reading the script out loud for your students. (Feel free to pull in some colleagues like a librarian, lunch aide, secretary, or principal to add that extra boost of fun!) 

3. Divide your students into Readers’ Theater groups so that everyone in a group has a part. (Plan your groups ahead of time and assign parts ahead of time! Most teachers prefer for each group to have at least one strong reader.) Encourage your students to go ahead and highlight their own individual part. 

4. Read through the script several times to ensure correct pronunciation and to model fluency, intonation, and good oral reading practices when there is punctuation. Students should always be following along with their own script to build their own sight word recognition. 

5. Allow each group to practice at their seats and then again in front of the class. Provide appropriate, constructive and helpful feedback to your students. Remind them that there is no need to memorize their parts! The whole concept behind Readers' Theater is that they will be READING their parts and working through a script! 

6. Allow for your students to perform their Readers' Theater as a wrap up. There is no need for costumes, but some simple fun character name tags or simple accessories seem to go a long way to boost enthusiasm and interest! (We all have those students who love to be creative! Why not task them with some simple character tags for the different parts?) Feel free to invite a younger grade in to enjoy your Readers' Theater. Audiences give a greater sense of purpose to the readers. 

I hope that you are as excited as I am to get my students improving their reading skills through Readers' Theater! Next time, we'll be looking at more specific strategies to squeeze out even more benefit from the time spent using Readers' Theater in the classroom! 

Have Fun and Get Reading! 

Martha 

 ****Because you have been a loyal follower, I want you to be one of the first people to know my big exciting news!! The Owl Spot is opening on Etsy! My Etsy store is currently under construction, but I am so excited for all of the phenomenal resources that I will be able to make available to all of my teacher friends! Check out The Owl Spot Shop on Etsy!