Alternate Endings

One of the standards of second grade is creating alternate endings for stories. I've been trying to come up with many different and of course fun ways to work on this skill with my students. An idea that came to me today was to let them start by predicting endings. I plan on reading a book aloud and stopping before the end...then as a class discussing/predicting what we think will happen. Each student will then write an ending (How they think the story will end). We will share the ideas and then I will finish reading the story and we will discuss correct predictions, realistic predictions, and how things in the story would have had to change for some of the predictions to be true.

Another idea I had was reading a whole book to the class, discussing the ending and then giving my students a "What If...?" question and having them write an ending to the story. For example, after reading a Magic Tree House Book, I may ask them, "How would the story have been different if Jack or Annie had been alone?" You could also make simple changes in the story and discuss their differences. For example, "What would have changed if the story took place on an island rather than a snowy mountain?"

I created a simple writing page with a picture spot and lines for my students to use when we are working on alternate endings. Download it by clicking the link below. Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!

Alternate Endings!

  

 

Famous Americans

This year I will be doing a unit on Famous Americans with my second graders. Everyday I will do a read aloud about a different American, both past and present. A few times a week we will write a class paragraph about the person we are reading about. We will use the "Famous Americans" notes page to keep track of what makes or made each person important in our country. We will then turn the notes into the paragraph. I made a notes page and final draft page that you can download by clicking the link below. My plan is to enlarge both pages and make them into a poster, that I can laminate and reuse each time we write a paragraph, and then make individual copies of the worksheets for each student. At the end of the unit the students will have a whole book of information about the Famous Americans that they can add to their book boxes. The final draft paper is star shaped, so the students can cut them out and also create a cover for their final book. There is also a spot for a small picture of the person on the final draft page. Students can draw them in or you can print up copies for them.

Famous Americans   

Share what you do...

I know giving the kids a random list of words each week, isn't the best way to teach them spelling, but I have yet to come up with anything better. 

In our district we are supposed to use Open Court spelling words, but I don't love what they have to offer. I have heard a lot about Words Their Way, I purchased it on Amazon, and reading it is on my summer "To DO" list. I would love to hear what you do in your classroom to teach spelling. 

Leave a comment or if you have a blog post about it add the link below.

Thanks, Megan

Odd and Even

When chatting with a friend earlier today about math workshop and the millions of things we want to do to prepare the activities before next school year starts, she mentioned an activity about sorting numbers into even or odd. It was just the idea I needed...reviewing even and odd numbers is one of the first lessons I will be teaching the first week of school and I had yet to come up with an activity for my students.  I made this file folder game using my new back to school graphics from Just So Scrappy Too. There graphics are so cute, check them out here.

Click on the picture below to download the game.

Thanks for visiting, 

Megan

Measuring Around the Room

Here is another quick activity I made while driving to the campgrounds...Measuring Around the Room. I'm still trying to figure out how to post the image from Google docs, but for now just click on the plant below to check out the worksheet.

Sight Word Spelling Practice

* The link on the palm tree should be fixed now, please let me know if it isn't working again. Thanks! *

Back from our first family vacation...We went camping with my family...It was so much fun, but so cold.

Six more days of school!!! Not that I'm counting or anything.  

Anyways, while driving to the campsite (4 hour drive) the baby slept and my husband drove so I got out my computer and made a fun little sight word game.  I'm starting a new sight word spelling program next year and my students will practice weekly spelling words and sight words each week during Word Work in Daily 5.  This game is just a simple and fun practice when they finish the daily "must do" assignment. If you are interested in assessing your students on the spelling of sight words and helping each student keep track of their progress check out Beth Newingham's site on scholastic by clicking here. She is AMAZING!

If you would like to download my sight word game click on the tree below. 

I know it showed up as three pages, it's only two pages, one is blank. Cut out the game and glue it in a file folder or on a piece of construction paper and laminate for durability. 

 

Plural Noun Pack!

Oh my what a week...Only 12 more school days left!

       I know this year isn't even over yet, but I am already thinking about next year. The last few months I have been experimenting with both a math and writing workshop, and I LOVE it! I will post more about them later.  I already do Daily 5 during my reading block.

      I feel that teaching using a workshop style (small groups) gives me the chance to work closer with my students. I went back and forth with the idea for months. I kept asking myself, is it better to just do whole group instruction where I am teaching longer, or shorter small groups instructions? After much thought I decided I would try workshop because I do think that the smaller more concentrated groups will be more beneficial than whole group instruction that drags on and the kids stop listening anyways. So far it's been going great in my class.  The only problem I am running into is that I don't have enough stuff to keep the other kids busy with meaningful work. So hence the blog...I figure if I am making all these things anyways I might as well share them.

        Anyways...now that my baby boy is feeling much better I have got him back sleeping in his bed and have time to create. This week I worked on a Plural Noun Pack...This pack has lots of fun goodies from whole class games to worksheets and independent practice games. Check it out at TPT.  With this pack I even made my first set of task cards...I am a task card addict! 

Plural Pack includes: Task cards, I have...Who has...?, worksheets, plural ending sort, file folder game, and a memory/concentration game. The packet is 18 pages plus a cover sheet sharing ideas on how to set up and use activities in your class.  Click on the top robot to check out the plural pack at TPT.

      I also made some classroom posters with the plural ending rules. Click on the robot below to check them out for FREE!