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Creativity in the Modern Classroom

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Inference Anchor Chart and Interactive Power Point

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Here is our seventh installment of using effective anchor charts and interactive Power Points for teaching reading skills to your students. Enjoy!

Inference Anchor Chart

Below is an inference anchor chart that we created to help our students understand this important strategy.  We chose the detective theme because making an inference is like using clues. The student has to use his or her background knowledge. He or she also has to use evidence from the text. So the detective theme fits making an inference perfectly.

The focus of the above anchor chart and the seven Power Points are for students to understand what an inference is and how to make an effective inference in both fiction and non-fiction text. Our Power Points are highly interactive and engaging for the students. We use think-pair-share quite often which allows your students the chance to talk to their neighbors about the strategy.

Below is an example of a think-pair-share activity. Students will no longer be bored listening to the teacher lecture up in front of the class. They will now be actively involved in their learning.

We also have included many slides that have the students read passages. They then have to make an inference based on their background knowledge and what they have read. This is a great tool to be able to walk around and check on your students’ understanding. You can easily adjust your instruction based on your observations. This would help you to formulate small groups that may need extra help.

Learning can be fun, so go ahead and try out our interactive PowerPoint to teach this important reading skill! Reading can take you anywhere! Click here to find it now!

Point of View Anchor Chart and Resource

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Here is our third installment of using effective anchor charts and interactive PowerPoints for teaching reading skills to your students. Enjoy! Below is our point of view anchor chart.

Point of View Anchor Chart

We love to make anchor charts that are colorful and engaging for students. As you can see below we tried to make this a fun one! It features first person, second person, and third person point of view. Students can easily see the difference between the three. It is important to talk about all three as students will encounter these in their reading.


The focus of the PowerPoint is for students to identify the three different points of view text can have: first person, second person, and third person. We make our slide shows engaging and ready to use right away in your classroom. We also use strategies like think-pair-share to engage students. They need to share their thoughts and ideas with another classmate.

Our PowerPoints are all interactive, which means that your students are actively involved in the learning process! No more boring books that students don’t connect too!

Learning can be fun, so go ahead and try out our interactive PowerPoint to teach this important reading skill! Reading can take you anywhere! Click here to find it now!

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Text Structure Anchor Chart and Interactive PowerPoint

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Here is our second installment of using effective anchor charts and interactive PowerPoints for teaching reading skills to your students. Enjoy!

Non-Fiction Text Structures Anchor Chart

We use the below anchor chart to help teach text structures for non-fiction text. As you can see it outlines the different types of text structures. Chronological is when the author uses dates and puts it in chronological order. Sequential is when the author puts steps in order. Descriptive is when the author describes or explains something. Cause and effect is when the author describes the effect that an event has on something else. Compare and contrast is when the author compares one event or thing to another.

Text Structures Power Point


The focus of this PowerPoint is for students to identify the five different types of text structures that are used for informational text: chronological, sequential, descriptive, cause/effect, and compare/contrast.

Our PowerPoints are all interactive, which means that your students are actively involved in the learning process! No more boring books that students don’t connect too!

Learning can be fun, so go ahead and try out our interactive PowerPoint to teach this important reading skill! Reading can take you anywhere! Click here to find it now!


Teaching Reading Strategies in the Common Core Classroom

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One of the most important activities you can do with your students is to teach them to become proficient readers.  In order to accomplish this, teachers must learn how to teach their students how to use reading strategies effectively when reading literature or informational text. This is essential for students to be successful in the Common Core classroom.

As educators, we have worked tirelessly to develop interactive reading strategies that can be used in classrooms with your students. Each PowerPoint that we have created will have students engaged in their own learning. We involve the students by using the Think-Pair-Share strategy where we have them think about a question that relates to their lives, pair with a partner and then share their responses. This is a great way to involve every student each time a strategy is taught.

We also provide the students with definitions of key terms when needed, along with information to help fill their background knowledge on each topic.

Free Resources

Below are four FREE PowerPoints that you can use in your classroom right away. Just click on the images to access them!
                       FREE Previewing a Book Reading Strategy PowerPoint      FREE Asking Questions While Reading Strategy PowerPoint        FREE Using Discussion to Understand Text Reading Strategy       FREE Predicting for Non-Fiction Text Reading Strategy PowerPoint    

In each PowerPoint there is a teacher read aloud part where the teacher models the strategy being taught with a book of his/her choice. For fiction PowerPoints, we use our current read aloud book to model the strategies. For nonfiction text, either a classroom magazine (Scholastic News or Time For Kids) or a student textbook work real well.
Each lesson ends with student assessment. We “Put the Strategy into Practice” by having the students write about what they learned into a notebook. Having a reading notebook for each student will hold them accountable for what they learn during these lessons. It can also be an excellent resource to use at conferences with parents.
Teaching reading strategies is essential in the Common Core classroom. How you teach, has a direct impact on student success. Try out our FREE interactive reading strategy PowerPoints and see how they work in your classroom.
If you would like to view all of our interactive reading strategy PowerPoints click here. 

Common Core Standards are Here to Stay!

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 Common Core Standards

The Common Core standards are here to stay whether we like it or not. So, it is time to hop on board and start implementing the standards in your classroom. It’s not that hard, it just takes some time to figure out what the new standards are asking us teachers to do.

 

We have been working on correlating our resources with the Common Core Standards that most states have adopted. It does take time and effort to do this. We suggest working with colleagues and going through the standards together. As you go through the standards, you will want to do the following:

  • meet with both the grade level above you and below you to find out what is taught so there is a smooth transition between grades.
  • unpack the standards-break each standard down into key words and phrases and be able to understand what the standard is asking you to teach
  • see how the standards can be tied together across disciplines. Reading and writing are natural areas for this.
  • invite specialists into the conversation. These would be your Gifted and Talented teachers, Reading Resource teachers, English Language Learners, and Special Education to name a few. It is always better to get a broader perspective to best meet the needs of the students.
  • Make your units and lessons relevant and engaging. The Common Core allows you to do this!

Using the Common Core

 

“Common Core” does not have to be a bad word in your school district. It does lay a solid foundation for students. It also provides rigor in schools across the nation. Take this as time to look at what you are teaching. Truly evaluate the materials you are using are meeting your students needs.

The Common Core is the foundation of your overall goals in each content area. How you get there can be up to you! Make sure that you have a major seat at the table with any curriculum adoptions in your school district. Be a voice that matters!

 

Eric and I, from Wise Guys, pride ourselves on creating highly engaging and relevant Common Core lessons for our grades 3-6 students.  Check out our activities, lesson plans, printables, worksheets, reading comprehension guides, projects and more by clicking on our logo below!

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