Text Features!

We have been working on text features since the second week of school (so about 3 weeks now).  I love teaching text features.  Kids LOVE informational text and you should hear the amazing information that they are excited to learn during these first few weeks.  We first started by adding some information to our anchor charts and focus wall. (some of these pics are upside down and will not rotate, I'm sorry!)

You can probably see we also have mini examples of 26 types of text features (in alphabetical order!) also on the wall.  I provide a binder with full size examples and also some smaller size flash cards so kids can work hands on if they need to.  We then search through magazines and cut and glue examples into a scrapbook.

As well as working in the scrapbook, students are also learning about how to write about text features and understanding why we need text features in our nonfiction books, including close reading.

I have many of these amazing "Smart Words" books from scholastic.  These are at a perfect reading level and also contain many different types of text features and there is a variety of topics.  

Reading Log Homework & Setup

My homework has always been a weekly assignment.  Assigned on Monday due on Friday.  Student can choose the nights they want to get homework done and work it along with their schedule.  One item that I assign each week is a Reading log.  Our school policy is that students must read 20 minutes per night if fourth grade.  Student can choose to read anything they like for 3 nights but one night I ask that they complete a reading entry for what we are working on at school.  One of my favorite school items is my subscription to National Geographic Explorer Magazine.  I buy a few different levels that I can assign to different students.  When we are working on nonfiction or informational text, this is my go to.  The photographs and graphics are amazing and the text is rich in Social Studies and Science information.  Students REALLY love learning something new and different.  I also use journal entries that are the same but slightly different and each Sunday night I sort out who will be assigned what.  This is our first week of homework and I brought home all the composition books (another must have!) and grabbed my glue stick and got to work.  In the past I have actually sat with the kiddos and done this together but this was much faster (and a little bit fun).

1/2 way point

I am sorry this is upside down.  It will not turn for me.

Another thing to note is that I also use the other half of my Reading Log to glue and file our Greek and Latin Root  and Vocabulary Notebooking.  I have a great freebie from "Got to Teach" and that is on the first page.  Our first root will be "onym", Latin for "name" because our first story in our BASAL reader from the program "Journeys" is Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.  Last year I piloted and sorted out 30 different sets of Vocabulary lists and aligned in with the stories in Journeys based on the vocabulary words, content or titles of the stories.  It took a while to say the least but I am glad that I did that because I have a great deal of knowledge about the program.  

Classroom Rules Made Easy

Our school has a set of expected behaviors which are often called "RLS:  respect, location, safety".
The students have grown up knowing these rules.  We also have a classroom promise (a pledge) that we recite every morning before the pledge of allegiance.

We don't need many more rules than that.  We added in the homework part because that is an extra layer of responsibility that a fourth grader holds.  I found some great neon giant pad paper at the local teacher shop (yay Teacher's Pet in Methuen!) and it was 50% off, even better.  I couldn't wait to use it.  (I keep an extra set of Mr. Sketch markers at home so this was one of my Labor Day Weekend projects).  I am looking forward to hanging this up in the classroom.