Animal Research - Lions, Tigers, and Bears - Oh my!

There are few things that pique a child’s interest quite like learning cool facts about animals.  So, follow these 7 steps to turn this enthusiasm into high quality informational writing projects!

1. Do a shared research project.  Follow these steps below, BUT you model it as the teacher and have your students walk through each step with you. 
   
   

   
   
   

2. Pick your topic.  We usually give students choices.  If not, our students tend to get outrageous with their topic - ranging from super vague (dog) to very specific and rare (golden lion tamarin).  Robyn typically lets the students choose their animal, while Kaysin has allowed students to blindly choose by drawing from a hat.  Both of these seem to work wonderfully.
   
   We’ve also chosen 20+ animals from one specific habitat.  This is super fun for room transformations and presentations.  One year all 4 of the first grade classrooms chose a different habitat, and every first grade student had a different animal.  Each room was decorated for the habitat and the whole school traveled through each room to listen to our amazing firsties’ presentations.  It was EPIC!
   
   

3. Research your animal.  This can be somewhat daunting for the students AND teacher.  It always ends up working out and being a favorite memory for so many.  We use pebblego.com, Boom Cards, and nonfiction books from our school and local libraries for our students.  We spend a day using books to research and collect information and another day using credible digital resources to collect information.
   

   
   Students using BOOM Cards to research piranhas.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   However, if supplying each student with unique research websites and nonfiction texts is too much, have no fear!  We have created a product with all the research tools your young learners need, including:  easy to read passages (2/animal), BOOM Cards, graphic organizers, writing pages, and so much more.  Be sure to check it out here.
   
   
   
   
   

4. Write a rough draft paragraph.  Students should use their graphic organizer (pictured above) to transfer information learned into sentences and paragraph form.  We encourage our students to use a visual paragraph for this step.  It makes conferencing and editing much easier. 
   
   

   
   
   
   

5. Revise and edit.  Conference with your students individually and work through revisions and editing of their rough draft.  This is a process, but very necessary.  Praise the positives - find all of the great things they did independently.  Then, work with them to make the structure and flow of the paragraph better.  You’ll find a balance in there, and you will be blown away with their excitement and ability to revise/edit somewhat independently.

   
   
   

6. Final draft.  Use the outline and revisions to construct a final {publishable} draft.  Have your students illustrate and label their animals, too.  This adds even more understanding and value to this project.  You can allow students to read each other’s final copies, publish them in the hallway, or simply take pictures to share.  Make sure everyone gets a chance to shine - they will be so proud of themselves.

   

7. Present and celebrate!  Have students create displays, posters, and/or slideshows all about their animals.  You can transform your classroom into the habitat or even just call it the zoo.  Throw some tablecloths on desks and on the ceiling - anything simple like that can make a huge impact.  Then, sit back and enjoy watching your students celebrate each other’s writing and creativity.

Click HERE to check out our animal research FREEBIE on Walruses!

How do you incorporate research into YOUR classroom?  We’d love to hear from you!

7 Steps to Writing the Best Part of Me

A few posts ago, we talked about our Star of the Week (grab it here).  When we say that our kids LOVE to be the Star of the Week and share their poster, we mean it!  Their little faces just light up when they share their favorite parts of their lives with the class.  So… we thought “How can we make this even more meaningful?”

Enter: The Best Part of Me project.  

We were inspired by Wendy Ewald’s book, and knew we had to make this a part of our yearly writing instruction.  We’ve even taken this project all the way to publication - and the parents LOVE it.

We want our flock to see students shine like we have, too. 

So… use these 7 steps to put this into place in YOUR classroom.

7 Steps for Writing the Best Part of Me in YOUR classroom:

1. Read books - Start with books to celebrate uniqueness - I Like Myself by: Karen Beaumont Hair Love by:  Matthew A. Cherry Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by:  Patty Lovell What If We Were All The Same? By: C.M. Harris. 

   
   
   
   Have rich discussions from these books and celebrate the individuality found in your classroom.  Then, read Wendy Ewald’s book.  Your kids will be so excited when the book is over and you tell them THEY get to write a book like it!
   
   

2. Anchor Chart - We LOVE anchor charts.  (FlockStar Tip: Use push pins to keep your anchor charts displayed on your ceiling all year long).  When creating an anchor chart for this project, you are allowing students to come up with different [appropriate] body parts and reasons they could be the best. 
   
   

3. Model - Write your own paragraph.  We start with a hook/ topic, 3 details, and a closing.  Write in front of your students and THINK aloud.  Let them see you brainstorm and come up with detailed reasons.  Keep this paragraph on display for students throughout the project.  You can reference it when conferencing if needed, too.
   
   

4. Brainstorm - Have students create a brainstorm web.  Let them pick their favorite part and put it in the middle.  Then, students will come up with 5 reasons to support their choice.  It may take some kids a few webs to really narrow down their thinking.  Try to take some time to meet with students individually during this step to make sure they’re on track. 
   
   

   

   Here's the web we have students fill out

   
   

   

   Student sample (don't worry... we worked on the "so I can slap my sister" part.) HA!
   Gotta love honest firsties!

   
   

5. Organize - We built a graphic organizer with sentence starters for students to use before writing the complete paragraph.  This helps them understand how to transition from reason to reason.  It also scaffolds the importance of starting sentences differently - which is always tough for the little guys.
   
   

   

   Student sample - web + organizer

   
   
   
   
   

6. Revise and Edit - You will live in this space for a while.  It will take some time for you to meet with each student and work with them to revise and edit.  Honestly, we have found that it is best for us to use our small group time to do this.  We usually protect that important time from any disruptions, however, for this project it is important to conference with your kids and monitor their progress. 
   
   Help students make this paragraph their own.  If you have students that are ready to write without a graphic organizer, work with them during this time to make their writing unique.  Assist students with using descriptive language and describing their reasons in ways that make sense.  [Be prepared for some silly reasons!]
   
   

7. Publish - We usually write as a paragraph, then rewrite a final copy for publication.  However, if you are not taking this to publish as a book, have students write their paragraph and glue it to a large piece of construction paper.  On the other side of the paper, have students glue a picture of their best part.  Seeing these two things side by side will help students share their work with classmates.  Then, you could post it out in the hallway.  To make it even more special, laminate it before sending it home.  We can totally see families holding on to this special project for years to come.  Again, we use a company (StudenTreasures) to publish our students’ work as a book.  It is so easy, and teachers usually get a free copy.  We’ve both had classes that have ordered tons of books and classes that ordered minimal books - either way we’ve always ended up with a free copy.  Your kids will LOVE seeing their work in a real life book.  Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about this process - we’d love to share our experiences. 

   
   We would LOVE to see how you use this project in your classroom. Be sure to share and tag us (@flockstarteachers). Until next time... Keep Flockin' It! -Kaysin & Robyn

Biographies in 3....2...1...

 Let’s set the stage… Do you think your students could write a biography like this one?

Do you know what famous singer loves the number 13, grew up on a Christmas tree farm, and took guitar lessons from a computer repairman?  It’s Taylor Swift!  She writes and sings songs about things that have happened in her own life.  Taylor Swift plays guitar and piano at her concerts.  She has won a lot of awards for her singing and songwriting.  I hope you learned a lot about Taylor Swift.

We are here to tell you they absolutely CAN.  

Learning about other people is something that is always interesting to our students.  We try to capitalize on this interest and incorporate it into our classrooms often.  Here’s 3+ ways to encourage biography writing with your little learners.

1. Student of the Week.  Before students have ever hear the word biography, we are laying the foundation weekly.  Each week, a student is chosen to be the Star of the Week.  He/she fills a poster, brings pictures, and shares about their life with the class.  Then, the class writes a paragraph describing what they’ve learned about their classmate.  At the beginning of the year, everyone writes practically the same thing. As the year progresses, their writing skills progress, too, and the weekly paragraph starts to reflect each students' individuality. Plus - it makes an awesome keepsake for the student who is the Star of the Week.

   
   
   
   
   

2. Read biographies to your class.  There’s some great options out there for young learners to read biographies.  There are picture books and biography series options for you to share with your students.  We love the Ordinary People Change the World series by Brad Meltzer. Allowing your students to grow as readers of biographies will enhance their growth as writers of biographies. Capitalize on that reciprocity, my friends!
   
   

3. Write a Biography of a Friend.  We LOVE this project.  Students are paired up and interview each other.  Then, students write a biography about their friend.  We go through the writing process (revising, editing, etc.) and encourage students to use detailed writing and illustrations to tell the story of their friend.  It is a great way to piggyback the Star of the Week routines, but we go into depth with this project.  Students present their biographies to the class, too.  It is a fun and memorable project for all.
   
   Before starting the writing project, we model this for our students.  We interview each other, write about each other, and present our biographies to our classes.  The students always get a kick out of learning about other teachers.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Other ideas to try:

• Play “Who Am I?” or “Guess Who?” - students write quick facts about a friend or classmate (ex. She is wearing a green shirt.  She has a dog.  She wears glasses.).  Then, you read the clues aloud.  Students try to guess who the clues were about.

• Fact and opinion sorts - just to reiterate that important vocabulary.

• 2 truths and a lie about a famous person

• Have a family member dress up as a famous person and let the kids interview them (via Zoom/Teams/etc.) This is Kaysin's dad as the Grinch - the kids LOVED seeing him!

  
  
  

• At our school, older students enjoy biographies as well.  Every year our 5th graders present a “Wax Museum.”  They research, write about, and present about a famous historical figure.  The best part?  They dress up, too!  It is so fun!

We would love to hear how YOU include biographies in your classrooms. Let us know! You can find us on Instagram @flockstarteachers, comment below, or send us an email. Speaking of email - have you joined our email list? Click below to join now!

We're so glad you're here! As always... Keep Flockin' It!

-Robyn & Kaysin

5 Ways to Motivate Young Writers

Have you ever felt like your students are reluctant writers?  Or that your students’ reading and writing skills don’t match?

We’ve been there.  We’re not saying we’ve completely closed that gap, but we have a few tricks up our sleeves ;)

1. Routine - From the very beginning of the year, we establish a routine of independent writing daily in our classrooms. 
   
   Robyn uses journal prompts as a bell-ringer before beginning morning tubs.  This is a great way for her students to get their minds focused on school and learning in a fun, low-risk situation. 
   
   During our guided reading stations, 20 minutes are devoted to writing independently.  Students understand the expectation:  writing happens the whole time; keep adding details. 
   
   We use chants and gestures to build the routine of writing a paragraph.  We teach our firsties to write 6 sentence paragraphs (hook, topic, 3 details, closing).

   

   Sample morning journal writing

   
   

2. Baby steps - Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Getting your young students to build confidence and stamina when writing takes time.  Start slow, but always build.
   
   At the beginning of the year during independent writing time, students use cut up sentences, scrambled sentences, and sentence starters.  We quickly move to drawing 5 star illustrations before writing (grab the freebie rubric here).  This helps our students see their narrative before putting it on paper.  Then, we begin slowly introducing the parts of a paragraph.  We spend about a week (sometimes more) on each part, starting with a topic sentence, then details, circle back to a hook, and finish with a closing sentence.  By the end of the first quarter, most students are able to write 3 sentences (topic + details) about a given topic.
   
   Simultaneously, our guided writing emphasizes the importance of sentence mechanics (5 star sentences - capitalization, punctuation, handwriting, finger spaces, and makes sense).  Students write about their reading, which allows us to focus on mechanics rather than topic development.  Students are trained during this time to self-assess.
   
   

   

   Guided writing practice mid-year.

   
   
   
   
   
   

Spelling… it’s definitely not easy, especially for young learners.  What we’ve found is to encourage students to try their best, underline the word, and move on.  Otherwise, we’re all drowning in “How do you spell ____?” and no one is getting their job done (teacher included).

3. High Expectations - If you don’t expect it, it won’t happen.  When we have high expectations for all of our students, they will rise to the occasion.   Expose your students to good writing - from published authors and their peers.  Find something good in every child’s writing, and your students will have all the motivation they need to continue writing. 
   
   

4. Celebrate students as writers - You can make your students believe they are prestigious authors by simply being excited about their work.  How?  Read your students’ work aloud every day.  Then, find something amazing in their work.  Your students will clap and cheer each other on within days.  We promise. 
   
   Show their work OFF!  Put it in the hallways on display.  Share with previous teachers, the principal, the custodian, everyone.  Your students need to believe you are proud of them.  They will be glowing when all is said and done.
   
   When reading and sharing their work, give specific praise and constructive feedback.  Notice when they take your suggestions and praise them for trying new things. 
   
   

   

   Hallway display for showing off student work

   
   

5. Publish their writing - There are so many ways to go about publishing student work.  It can be as simple as posting in the hallway, or as complicated as publishing an actual class book.  You can take a picture of wonderful work and post it on Class Dojo.  Our school has a news channel, and we send writers to share their work often.  We also create and publish a class book using Student Treasures.  These are a lot of work, but SO worth it in the end.  The kit is free, and the books are fairly priced if families want to purchase one.  Check out studentreasures.com to learn more!

   

   Page from The Best Part of Me book we published.

   
   

   

   Cover of What I See in the Sea book we published.

   
   
   
   

Writing can be intimidating and hard for young learners, but we have found these tricks to work wonders.  What else would you add to this list?

Dictated Sentences - 5 Steps for Using Them Effectively

Dictated sentences may seem "old school" but we're here to tell you - they BELONG in your primary classroom.  Dictation is the process of writing down what someone else says, and in a classroom that means you are giving your students the opportunity to concentrate on the critical elements of constructing a sentence.  Otherwise, students have to think creatively (come up with a sentence) and critically (write it correctly), and many just aren't quite ready for that.

There are SO many benefits to using dictated sentences in your classroom, but that's another discussion.  Today, we just want to get YOU prepared to use dictated sentences effectively in your classroom.

You can use dictated sentences daily, weekly, monthly, or any number of other ways - make it work for you and your students.  Just like all other routines you establish in your classroom, you have to positively practice it.  Set the students up for success, and make the process predictable.  

We typically use dictated sentences weekly.  However, with some of our reading groups we practice dictated sentences more often.  That's the beauty of dictated sentences - they're quick and flexible.  Here's the routine we use and have seen a lot of success with:

1. Listen to the sentence.  The teacher says the sentence and students listen.

2. Say the sentence with me.  Students repeat the sentence with the teacher and mimic the inflection and expression used when saying the sentence.

3. Say the sentence and count the words.  Students slow down and say the sentence again, this time counting each word on their fingers as it is said.

4. Write the sentence.  Students silently repeat the sentence as often as needed to record the sentence accurately.

5. Check your work.  Students self-assess using the 5 Star Sentence rubric we use in our classroom.  (Click here for a free version to use in your classroom.)

The best part?  You can do this with students virtually or in person.  When we went virtual in March 2020, we made sure to continue this routine with our students daily (if you don't use it, you lose it, right?).  Kaysin is the 1st grade virtual teacher for 2020-2021, and she uses dictated sentences frequently (at least weekly), and Robyn still establishes the routine in her  traditional 1st grade classroom.

If you are looking for an easy way to begin incorporating dictated sentences in your classroom, click on the picture above.  We have recorded 50 sentences for you to send to your students.  We've planned out sentences, crafted recording sheets, and made the ultimate no prep guide for you.  

How do you think you'll start using dictated sentences in your classroom?  We'd love to hear from you!

-Kaysin & Robyn

GETTING BACK INTO THE ROUTINE

On a normal year, coming back to school after a break can be TOUGH. This year - add Covid, switching back and forth from in-person to distance learning, quarantining, and an extended holiday break, it’s almost impossible to get back into the routine, especially for kids.

Here are FIVE ways to get you and your students back into a routine:

1. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.  Practice literally everything - even when it seems silly, we promise it is worth your time.  I don’t know about you, but we have been out of school for 2.5 months and we have all gotten 1 or 2 new students. Practicing now will save you time and sanity later.  

Thanks @lettersfrom4th for this amazing idea!  (She recommended going over each item throughout the week. Each time you mention it in class or review the expectations or rules, put a tally mark. After 5 tallies, check that item off!) GENUIS!! Check her out at - www.lettersfrom4thgrade.com.

2. Prepare extras of everything {for the inevitable new student}. Prepare school supplies, copies, folders, and FUN! Before jumping right back into the curriculum with full force, be sure to sprinkle in some fun here and there. Believe me, we’ve been there -- not having folders and supplies ready for the new kid stresses you and the kids out. So always be prepared.

Click these images to check out this easy, FUN Snowman Directed Drawing!

Grab this FREEBIE directed drawing activity for something FUN to do or as a brain break for you kiddos!  Click HERE to grab our Directed Drawing BUNDLE.

3. Plan for student-driven down time.  Students will be tired, restless, and hard to motivate. So… find things they enjoy, take the time to share, and allow your students and yourself to slowly transition back into school-mode. Things are going to take longer than they should, so prepare for that when writing your plans for the weeks ahead.

Use journal prompts or random, silly questions for morning meeting time to get your students talking to you and talking to one another. You can learn SO much from reading your students' journals. Grab this PowerPoint with 100 silly questions and journal prompts by clicking on the image.

4. Celebrate the small stuff. Over-praise the students. Use peer-modeling to remind students of simple procedures they may have forgotten. Let students know you’re impressed that they remember their lunch number, or how to sign into their technology, or EVEN writing their name on their paper. Letting students know they are remember expectations can ease nerves and can help them take pride in their work.

5. Be easy on yourself.  It’s going to be hard - getting up, making lunch, writing plans, and wearing normal clothes!  We say it all the time - Don’t sweat the small stuff. 

As always,  Keep Flockin’ it!

FlockStar Teachers

{Kaysin & Robyn}

7 Ways to Make Virtual Learning Fun

Virtual learning can be fun.  Read that again.  We’re serious… it can be fun.  It is definitely weird (see post here), but with the right resources, interacting with your students on Teams, or Zoom, or Google Meet, or whatever platform with the intention of having fun can be done.

Here are 7 ways we’ve had fun with our students.

1. Scavenger Hunts - these are SO fun.  Our kids fly out of the screen and zoom (no pun intended) back as fast as they can and always have the biggest smiles on their faces.  We’ve done rhyming scavenger hunts, themed ones, and just random off-the-cuff scavenger hunts.  They are all loved equally.  Our favorite part?  Seeing the kids’ pride in whatever item they’ve collected.  Think of it as show and tell speed dating.  It’s the best.

   Here's an example of one of the things we've asked our kiddos to find. Click the picture to see more scavenger hunt ideas!

2. Would You Rather - this game will help you get to know your students AND have fun with them.  It is so fun to see how your kids reason through their choices.  Again, we’ve played themed versions and just random questions; both are full of laughter and critical thinking (and some strong opinions).  If you want to turn this into more of an academic activity, you could totally use the options as writing prompts.  Boom!

   
   
   

3. Beat the Teacher - kids can be super competitive, and that can be a lot of fun when it’s directed at YOU. So, what we’ve done is create random trivia questions for our kids to answer.  If they answer a question correctly, they get a point.  If we stump them or they answer incorrectly WE get a point.  During virtual learning, if you need to spice it up even more, put small - or BIG stickers (see picture below) on your face when your students answer correctly - in our experience, this makes the whole family laugh, so expect to see siblings and grown ups; it is totally worth it.

   
   

4. Read My Lips - a virtual lip reading game.  Ugh… we’ve said “You’re muted,” a million times this year.  So we thought… Let’s make it a game.  With this game you intentionally mute yourself and say a silly phrase.  Then, your students have to guess what you’re saying.  Oh my lanta - the laughter is contagious!

   
   
   

5. Directed Drawings - we do these a lot during Fun Friday time.  The kids are always very focused and attentive to their artwork and LOVE sharing their final product at the end of the meeting.  We’ve started sharing photos on our Class Dojo story, too, which is just another way to let our kids shine.

   
   
   
   

6. Categories (Scattergories) - This game is timeless and FUN for everyone.  Your kids will beg you to keep playing. Added bonus with this game - it can help develop vocabulary and critical thinking skills. They won’t even realize they are learning with this fun game where students try to compete with other students (and maybe even the teacher) to come up with words that are different than everyone else!
   

   
   
   

7. Random Silly Questions for Kids - This is a good discussion starter.  It is hard to get to know your students while teaching virtually, but asking them random questions is a great way to get to know them.  This allows students to use critical thinking skills and start making claims.  With silly questions like, “If the sky could rain food, what kind of food would you want it to be?”, everyone is going to have so much fun.

   
   
   

If you're interested in any of these games or activities, click on the pictures to find them in our TPT store. You can click HERE for the bundle.

What are some ways YOU are making virtual learning fun and engaging?  Let us know!