Done...finally!

It took a bit of time, but my teacher guide for The Sword of Summer is finally done and available {here}.

The matching chronological order sort, which my students use to check their comprehension, is available {here}.  

My goal is usually to get a novel guide out within days of finishing a book, but I've been a little distracted by these helpers:

Sydney, who we're pet sitting for the weekend:

Crookshanks, who likes to help me type:

Waffles, who is very excited about her new toys:

I love them. I just don't always love their help. Thanks Chloe for letting me work with minimal distractions!

Thankful November, day 13

First and foremost, I'm thankful it's Friday.  Even though it was only a four day work week, having Wednesday off (in honor of Veterans' Day) threw everything out of schedule.

My students are getting antsy for a break and the number of write ups is increasing. I've got a parent-teacher conference this morning, but luckily I'm optimistic.  This parent is honest enough to know her son can be a stinker, but I approached it as a problem solving meeting so we could figure out some strategies that will help him be more successful.  The student is also coming to the meeting, which I think is important.  He needs to be accountable for his actions, but also know we're on his side and want him to do well.

I'm thankful for the weekend.

 B has a bye week for softball, so we're trying a new restaurant and ice cream place with some of our friends (and bridal party).  Tomorrow brings a joint birthday party for some of the cutest three and seven year old munchkins.  Sunday we're participating in a cut-a-thon:

Nothing major (don't worry mom!), just getting hair cuts and supporting a good cause.  I also plan to finish my teacher's guide and chronological order sort for The Sword of Summer to post on TpT.  Fifty pages and counting!

I'm thankful for my coworkers and their activism.  One penned an amazing letter that's going viral.  Because of that letter, two more were on PBS last night.  They did an amazing job of not placing blame, but rather talking about how these teacher shortages and money mismanagement is impacting them personally.  I'm quite proud and eager to see how the school district and union respond. I'm thankful my admin is totally on board, otherwise that could be uncomfortable at work.

What (or who) are you thankful for today?

Done and done!

Last night, instead of tackling the essays I have to grade, I typed up my notes for The Crossover into a handy, dandy {teacher's guide}.

One of the requirements for advisers for Battle of the Books is to read one of the eight novels and create 100 questions for the book. These questions are then used in the creation of powerpoints for the competition rounds (in March and April).

Since I was already taking notes, I figured I'd bundle them as a product to help other teachers.

Additionally, I created a matching {chronological order sort} for our Battle of the Books students to check themselves before quizzing.  One of my favorite aspects of these sorts is that the answer key is included, so I'm not bothered when I'm working with a small group by questions of "is this right?".  Students are able to be self-reliant and check their own work.  This helps them to take responsibility for their own learning and self-assess their understanding of the text.

Up next? The Sword of Summer! (Obviously this is a much better task than tackling the pile of essays.)

My life in a nutshell:

I have broken the task into seemingly bite-sized pieces (six essays a day), but when each takes about ten minutes to grade, enter into the grade book, and make notes about in my conference journal, this doesn't seem all that manageable. 

House of Hades Teacher Guide and chronological order sorts are now available!

I'm pleased to announce my teacher guide for The House of Hades is now available here!

I've been working on this novel for a while now (considering it's 63 pages!).  I also finalized the corresponding chronological order sort!

New Teacher Guide

I really enjoyed Tom Angleberger's The Strange Case of Origami Yoda when I read it last year for the Battle of the Books. 

I utilized Scholastic's book orders to snag myself the sequels at a very discounted rate.  The books will make their way into my classroom library as soon as I'm done reading them :)

The first book I found while organizing my library was The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee so I tackled this one first. 

However, a few pages in I realized I was reading the series out of chronological order, which is a huge literary faux pas.  However since I can't find Darth Paper Strikes Back, I am coping with my literary betrayal (sorry Tom Angleberger!).  

This was a quick read at under two hundred pages.  My 24 page teacher guide and chronological order sort for this novel are available now on TpT.  Once I've finished Darth Paper Strikes Back, The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet, and Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue I will create a character sort center as well.  I just don't feel I know these characters well enough to make a quality sort for my fifth graders. 

Happy reading and may the Force be with you!

New Teacher Guides and Centers (Kane Chronicles)

When I was younger, I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt.  From mummies to scarabs to Nefertiti, I simply couldn't get enough.  I was giddy with excitement when I discovered that one of my favorite authors, Rick Riordan, has a trilogy based on ancient Egypt.

I was fortunate enough to get to read The Red Pyramid with a small group in May but we ran out of time for the sequels...which naturally found their way onto my summer reading list! 

I am pleased to announce two new teacher guides with matching chronological order sorts are now available on TpT!

The first is The Throne of Fire, the second in the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan.

In this much anticipated sequel, Carter and Sadie Kane are off to save the world again before ancient Egyptian gods and monsters destroy it.  By blending witty commentary with a fast paced story line and amusing characters, Riordan doesn't disappoint!  I can't wait to dive into The Serpent's Shadow next!

This novel guide is 31 pages and includes vocabulary, homework ideas, and comprehension questions (with answers) for each chapter!  Extension ideas are also included. 

To accompany this novel, I created a chronological order sort where students must put 26 events from the novel in order.  This helps students analyze how events build upon one another in the novel and how the author reveals the plot via characters.  (RL 5.5)  An answer key is included to alleviate arguments and this can be used as a summative assessment for comprehension or a collaborative center for students while the teacher pulls small groups. 

Since I loved The Throne of Fire so much, The Serpent's Shadow was a natural next choice.

Things are worse than ever for the Kanes, with Apophis rising and a crafty magician to keep track of!  Rick Riordan does a wonderful job at wrapping up this trilogy while imbedding subtle hints at the world of Greek mythology.

Snag the teacher's guide and the chronological order sort now!

I also created a "who am I" game with 25 characters from the trilogy.  Students guess the character based on the given clues. I also included an answer key.

I was on such a role with analyzing characters that I also made this sort:

Students can independently or collaboratively sort the terms (smaller cards) into the characters that are being described (larger cards).  Snag it here!

Happy reading :)

Chronological Order Sorts!

I'm pleased to announce some new chronological order sorts are available on TpT!  (I now have 120 posted products, all of which have been classroom tested with my own group of fifth graders.)

Since I just finished some new novels with my small groups, I decided to make them chronological order sorts as a quick check for their comprehension.  By placing the events from the novels back into chronological order, they are examining how these events and chapters build upon one another.  (CCSS RL 5.5).  

I have created new sorts for the following novels:

Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero
Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid
Gennifer Choldenko's Al Capone Does My Shirts
Lemony Snicket's Who Could That Be At This Hour?
Pam Pollack and Meg Beviso's Who Was Steve Jobs?
Suzanne Collin's Mockingjay
Tom Angleberger's The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

These products are available here and great for small groups!

Chronological Order Sorts all up for the Percy Jackson!

I'm pleased to announce that chronological order sorts are now up for all 5 of the Percy Jackson series on TpT!  Answer keys are included and my students love the challenge!  I love hearing my students analyze how characters develop over time and how events build upon one another to provide meaning!

I also learned how to add custom categories on my TpT site:

I'm really excited for being able to organize my products to make it easier for customers :)

Happy reading! 

Chronological Order Sort: Loser

I first read Jerry Spinelli's Loser over the summer after a retiring teacher gave me a few copies from his library. 

I love this author, so I immediately ordered a few more from Amazon so I'd have enough to read the novel with small groups.

I'm almost done with the novel with my group (they're finishing over winter break) and I'm really impressed with how well they're doing.  Some of the members of my small group have been bullying others, so I decided to use this text as a teachable moment.  

They're having some great discussions about being kind to others and labels like "loser".  What we talk about in our small group literature circle is having a positive impact on their classroom and playground choices, which is quite exciting.

My teacher guide is available here.

I'm pleased to announce I've made a chronological order sort as well!

Happy reading!

New chronological order sort!

A chronological order sorts for Lois Ruby's Steal Away Home is now available on TpT!  

The sort is 18 pages long with an included answer key. 

My students love these sorts and hopefully yours will too!

Oh Percy!

We are almost done with The Lightning Thief as a grade level, which means my small groups will be starting The Sea of Monsters in January!  I'm so excited to get to continue discussing Greek mythology and watching my students fall in love with Percy's adventures.

We just got some of these great books at our school:

I'm using them as rewards for students who turn in their reading logs :)  They get to check them out for the week!

I've also posted chronological order sorts for the Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse on my TpT store!  My students love the other chronological order sorts and will need to finish the novels before playing these ones :)

Snag yours here!

Upcoming Products

I'm in the process of reformatting some centers based on my students' feedback and they should be available on TpT by the end of the year!

Chronological Order Sorts:
The Miserable Mill (#4 in the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket)
Gossamer by Lois Lowry (posted 12/08)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordian (posted 12/10)
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordian (posted 12/10)
Steal Away Home by Lois Ruby

Novel Units:
Harry Potter novels (1-6)

Quote Sorts:
Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games trilogy

Other various stations:
Tuck Everlasting character analysis 

Be sure to follow me on TpT to see the latest products and check out sales!

Tiger Rising Chronological Order Sort

I've just posted another chronological order sort to my TpT page!  This is product # 84 :)

This one is for Kate DiCamillo's novel The Tiger Rising.  It includes twenty six events and an answer key for students to check their work.

In doing this, students will see how Rob, Willie Mae and Sistene develop over time (aligning with RL 5.5 of text structure with the Common Core state standards). 

My students play this center as a culminating activity when they're done with the novel (because the center reveals events that end at at book).  They usually play it once or twice before moving on to another novel but I have 12 groups, so another group reads the novel soon and I can reuse the center the whole year!

As a challenge, I like to have my students create additional events to put into the sort or choose an event to write about.  They love the challenge!

My students love these sorts and you can snag one for your students too!

chronological order sorts! (products # 75, 76, 77, 78!)

I've been re-reading The Series of Unfortunate Events because three of my twelve groups are on those novels.  Two groups have read the Bad Beginning, the Reptile Room and are currently half way through The Wide Window while another group stopped after the Bad Beginning. 

I'm pleased to announce that I've posted the chronological order sorts for these three novels on TpT! The first 2 have 22 events each and the Wide Window has 26!

My students had a great time with them and yours can too :)

You can purchase them separately for $4 each (16-18 pgs) or as a bundle (50 pgs) for $10!

Each includes an answer key and twenty two or more events for students to put into chronological order.  

If you purchase the 50 page bundle, I recommend printing each on a separate color to make for easy clean up!

Happy reading :)

More sorts!

I'm pleased to announce that two more centers have joined my classroom and TpT store!

Both are chronological order sorts, one based on Lois Lowry's The Giver and the other based on our current read aloud, Rick Riordian's The Lightning Thief.  My students have a lot of fun with these challenging centers and yours can too!

Answer keys are included and I recommend laminating the centers for durability.  As a spoiler alert, the centers do include events that happen at the end of the novels, so I'd use this as a comprehension activity when they're done reading the book.  Grab yours now!

Harry Potter

My students were working on the Harry Potter sort:

Since I made the sort for all the novels, I included an "I'm not sure yet" category for students!

They try to do this sort every 2 weeks or so and are pleased when they figure out a new piece of information about a character that they can add!  

Snag yours here!

(I do have a chronological sort freebie that you can also try out to see if you like my products!)

Small groups in action!

Perhaps it's a point of pride, but everything I have on my TpT site was first and foremost made for my students and use in my classroom.

Last week I posted about a new Hatchet center and today my small groups enjoyed our station:

Granted, I had to clarify that the letters on the end aligned to the answer key and not to the order itself.  I told them it wouldn't be a challenge if the events were already in alphabetical order!

Silly fifth graders :)

Snag yours here! 

Number the Stars chronological order sort

#74 is up on TpT!

I've created a chronological order sort for Lois Lowry's Number the Stars. In this center, students put the 22 events back in order and can check themselves with the provided answer key.

A must have for small groups and literature stations!  Since this center contains spoilers for the end of the novel, I'd recommend having students complete the novel prior to doing this activity!  Grab yours here now!  Answer key is included.

Happy reading!

#72 Hatchet sort

Since my team (the Arizona Cardinals) is on a bye week, I had extra time to work on centers today.  I'm pleased to announce that #72, a chronological order sort for Gary Paulsen's Hatchet. In this center, students will put 22 events in chronological order.

This center can be done independently or as a small group after students complete the novel.  Since the sort does contain spoilers, students should finish the novel first so the ending isn't given away :)

Happy reading!

Coming soon...Hatchet novel unit and center!

My goal for the end of next week is to have my teacher guide for Gary Paulson's Hatchet and coordinating chronological events center available on TpT.

I just finished reading this novel with 2 groups and they're working on the center, so after I make some tweaks based on their feedback, they'll be available to download.

I also have teacher guides for the sequels: Brian's Winter, Brian's Hunt, Brian's Return and The River. I'll be tweaking this to add more rigorous questions, aligning to the Common Core and posting them to TpT soon...I just need to find my external hard drive :)

Happy reading!