The Owl Spot's Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) SALE!

Yep, that's right! The Owl Spot is on SALE for Cyber Monday and Tuesday.   If you're like me, you're sitting on your couch, DREADING going back to school tomorrow. Thanksgiving break was way too short, and Winter Break seems too far away.

I have the solution for you, though. I just finished a new Christmas product that I'm quite sure will help you get through these next couple weeks, all while keeping your students occupied and engaged while still learning.

(drum role....) CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS READING PASSAGES AND ACTIVITIES
Click the image link for a preview...

I loved researching about these fun holiday traditions (hanging stockings around the fireplace, sending Christmas cards, finding the "Christmas Pickle"). I know your students (and mine) will love reading about them, too.  

Here's my SPECIAL gift to you... if you purchase my new Christmas Traditions during the Cyber Sale (reg. $5 - take 25% off), you can receive a new game (that's not even in my store yet) called Grammar Races for FREE! 

Just email me your name, email address, and your order number. I will email you the game as soon as I'm able to finish it.  I'll have a primary version and an intermediate grades version (you'll have to let me know which one you want).  This game will be available in my store after the New Year.

Sending me your email will also give you access to 10 Free ELA and MATH Games to use in your classroom.  All of these products will make these last weeks until Winter break bearable!

Here's a few other newer products that would be a great snag during the Cyber Sale...

1. Basic Geography for Elementary Grades - Journal, Review Game and Assessment

2. Aesop's Fables for Big Kids Readers' Theater Bundle

3. Emoji Multiplication Mystery Puzzles

4. The Spider and the Fly Poetry Analysis Pack

5. Math Mystery Pictures
Primary
Intermediate Grades

Well, I'm going to go load up my cart!  Make sure grab these great deals (and freebies!) during the sale!  I'll chat with you soon about writing workshop and other great classroom stories!

Happy Teaching! - Martha from "The Owl Spot"
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/the-owl-spot

Writing Workshop Wednesdays

How's Writing Workshop going? I had to take a break from workshop (horrors, I know), but I'm so happy to be getting back to it this week.  We've had some schedule changes, and now I feel I have the "write" amount of time to jump back in (pun intended!).

I'm going to focus for a bit on gathering ideas for writing. Since one of the main focuses of Writer's Workshop is student choice, our students need to be able to come up with their own ideas for writing. Here are some great ways to help you teach students how to get ideas for their writing.

1. Picture cards

I have a little basket of picture cards in my classroom that are meant to stir up the imagination and get my students writing. These are usually pictures that make you go "huh?" or make you wonder or marvel at something. My students love these!  And just because I love giving you some tools, I'm attaching a couple picture freebies here!  (These were all taken by family members, and I have permission from them to share with you.)

2. Picture books

The picture books that you have on your shelf or in your library can give students a wealth of ideas for their own writing.  One of my favorite ones to use is "All the Places I Love" by Patricia MacLachlan.  I like using this book at the beginning of the year, and then having students write about a place that they love. "Bat Loves the Night" by Nicola Davies is perfect for writing about an animal in a nonfiction context.  Any of Patricia Polacco's books are perfect for writing about family memories. 

If you are using a picture book for helping your students gather ideas, I would make sure that you've read the book to them ahead of time.  During your mini lesson, you would want to refer to the book, show some pictures, and do a "think aloud" about how the book can give you some other ideas for your own writing.  For example, if using "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen, you could talk about what it would be like to go hunting for other animals, such as mice in a barn, an alligator in a swamp, or a fish in a pond. Or, students could recall a special memory they shared with a close family member that brought awe and amazement.  

3. Heart-mapping

I wrote about this one a few posts back. You can read about it here.

4. Expert Wall

Your students are all experts at something, whether it's knowing a lot about the Titanic, how to build an electrical circuit, how to cook, how to get past the hard level of their favorite video game, or how to make microwave popcorn.  Create an "Expert Wall" where they can list what they are an expert about.  This gives them confidence to write about something they know (usually in a nonfiction context, too). It also gives them the understanding that other classmates might know a lot about something they'd like to learn more about. This gives some great opportunities for interviewing an expert, asking questions, and broadening their own interests. As students grow in their knowledge of the world around them, they can add more "expert" topics to their portion of the Expert Wall.

5. Open Ended Writing Prompts

As a disclaimer, I'm not usually one to advocate for writing prompts, because they are usually given in a "whole class, everybody writes about" type of way. However, if used the right way, they can be a valuable tool.  

Keep a list of prompts in a place where students can access it. You may want to have a chart in the room with prompts for the month, or a set of prompts on a ring hung on a bulletin board. If students are struggling with coming up with something to write about, they could read through the prompt options and choose one.  The student still has choice, but the prompts are used to help with the ideas so they can get started writing something.  

Here's a link to my writing prompt task cards that I use all the time.  Here's another link for my digital writing prompts if your students have access to computers and Google drive.

                         

There are tons of ways to help your students get ideas for writing.  A lot of times, we come up with new ones as my students are just talking about what's going on in their lives. I can remember many times telling a student, "That would make a great story!"

I'd love to hear other creative ways that you help your students gather writing ideas!