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Author’s Purpose Anchor Chart: It’s as Easy as Pie!

July 18, 2014 by Wise Guys Leave a Comment

Teaching about author’s purpose helps your students learn why the author wrote the story or article. Teaching author’s purpose to your students is a great way to discuss the different varieties of text out there.
 

Author’s Purpose Anchor Chart

Below is an anchor chart that I display in my classroom when teaching the students about the author’s purpose. It is so important to have a visual that students can see right in front of them.

Easy as P-I-E!

A great way to remember the three different types of author’s purpose is to remember the acronym “PIE.”
P – to persuade (to convince the reader to believe a certain way)
I – to inform (to give information to the reader about a topic)
E – to entertain (to hold the reader’s attention with enjoyment)

Many nonfiction books are written to inform the reader. These could be books about animals, weather, history, places, and so much more.

Some nonfiction books are also written to entertain. Scholastic has been testing this market out in the past few years. If you do book orders in your classroom, you will notice titles such as 100 Deadliest… or Myth’s Busted! These titles are meant to grab the reader’s attention and to entertain them as they read.

Of course, most fiction is written to entertain the reader. Genres such as fantasy, and science fiction take the reader to another world while historical fiction may take them back in time.

There are times when author’s also try to persuade the reader about a certain topic or subject. Scholastic News usually has a feature article about a current event. Often the author will take a stance on a topic such as: bullying, poaching, or even climate change. These articles are meant to persuade the reader. There is also a section at the end of the magazine that has two children take opposite sides on a topic.


Please feel free to use the image from this blog post in your classroom if you teach author’s purpose to your students!

If you would like to see an interactive PowerPoint about Author’s Purpose that will get your students excited about learning in your classroom you can click here too.

Please subscribe to our newsletter for monthly tips, strategies, and free resources to help boost teacher morale! We want to make a difference!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Text Features Tips and Tactics for Success!

July 15, 2014 by Wise Guys 1 Comment

Informational Text is a huge part of the Common Core State Standards. In order for your students to understand informational text, especially textbooks, they need to know to learn about text features and how they are used.
 

Text Features Anchor Chart

Below is an anchor chart that I display in my classroom when teaching the students about text features. It is so important to have a visual that students can see right in front of them.

Text features play an important role in being able to understand informational text. Maps can show location about important places in the text. Pictures bring the text to life by showing an image that relates to the piece. A timeline is a great visual to use when showing periods of time. Charts, diagrams, and tables can show numbers or other categories in an easy to read format for the student. The table of contents is useful for students to be able to see what the text will be about. The index helps students locate key topics quickly in the text. The glossary provides students with definitions of difficult words as well.

There are many types of print that can be considered text features. Those would include: bold, italic, highlighted, underlined, colored, and both big and small font size. Each of these types of print is easily found when reading informational text.

A great resource to use when teaching text features is a magazine such as Scholastic News or Time for Kids. Both magazines contain most, if not all, of these text features. They are also loaded with great informational text as well.

Please feel free to use the image from this blog post in your classroom if you teach text features to your students!

If you would like to see an interactive PowerPoint about Text Features that will get your students excited about learning in your classroom you can click here too.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

What Happens in Vegas, Isn’t Gonna Stay in Vegas!

July 14, 2014 by Wise Guys 13 Comments

What Happens in Vegas…

All I can say is, WOW! I just arrived home from Las Vegas!

What happens when you get over 600 teachers in one room together? One word can describe it for me: MAGIC!

I attended the 2014 TPT (teacherspayteachers) Conference and I have to say it was the best educational conference I ever attended by far! So many amazing people really showed me what has been missing in our Wise Guys marketing plan for the past four years.

When Eric and I started our Wise Guys store back in November of 2009 we were looking for a way to earn a little extra money for golf, during the summer. As months passed, and earnings increased, we realized that this was more than just a part-time job to earn money for our favorite hobby.

We knew that TPT was something special. It was allowing us to become more creative in our teaching and to be able to share that with educators across the nation and the world!

We were becoming Super Sellers! (I love that Team TPT included some males in the image below, courtesy of the TPT Keynote Address).

As Eric and I continued to create resources, we were finding that our passion for teaching was exploding as well. We sought out new and innovative ways to reach ALL of our students regardless of ability. We were having fun thinking of new teaching methods and activities that would spark a love of learning in our students.

So for the past five years we have been doing just that. But there was something missing from us. Yes, we have dabbled in blogging, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

But in reality, we had no clue how to use these amazing marketing tools to help grow our business even more. I am the first to admit it, we were terrible at this!

As we got leapfrogged in the top 10 list, we realized it was time to think about how to network and connect with other sellers and our customers. After all, we believed that we have some amazing resources that could benefit so many more students if we just knew the right way to do it.

Facebook has been a great place to connect with other sellers. Back in 2010 I created a facebook group titled “How to Increase Sales in TPT.” Many of today’s top sellers were (and maybe still are) members of this group.

The problem was, I did not have the skills or knowledge of how to do it myself so I sought out other sellers. But, I did not learn from them like I should. Instead this group kind of split and fractured off into other groups and many became Super Sellers.  🙂 

The picture below shows a few of those members as I was able to connect with them in Vegas. Amy from Science Stuff, myself, Rachelle Smith, Deanna Jump, Kristen from Secondary Solutions, and Tracey from Smart Chick.

We, unfortunately greatly missed Margaret Whisnant, Jason of PowerPoint Maniac, and Tracee Orman too for this meet up. This group has been like a second family to me over the past several years.

Collaboration and Networking


The number one takeaway from the TPT Conference was collaboration and networking. I learned so much in each session I went to. I wish the conference would’ve been at least two days.
So as another school year approaches, our #1 goal is to network with other sellers, and to work even harder at creating meaningful and relevant resources for teachers to use across the United States and world.

Next year, both of the Wise Guys plan on attending Las Vegas. I only got to meet a small handful of people this year, and that is my biggest regret. Both Eric and I want to connect with more of you!

We are both continually amazed at the tenacity, energy, and drive that the sellers of the TPT community has. It is that determination and spirit that will help us reach new levels this year.

I want to personally thank Paul, the founder of TPT. Without his vision and his passion, this unbelievable site never would have been created. Thousands of teacherprenuers never would have surfaced. It has changed our lives forever!

 

I also want to thank all of the TPT sellers that I met at the conference who made me feel welcome and part of something special! There are too many to list, but you know who you are!

The countdown is on for next year! I am already super excited to attend!

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Morning Routine Activities: Getting Your Students Energized for Learning

May 19, 2014 by Wise Guys 1 Comment

Struggling to get your students focused when they arrive for school? Here's several morning routine activities to get them energized for learning!
Do your students struggle with that time in the morning when you are taking attendance, listening to students’ stories, and getting them ready for the day? If so, our morning routine activities are something you will want to check out.

We have created these morning routine activities so each day of the week there is a relevant task the students have to do. The great thing about these morning routine activities is that there is room to add on. You could add a slide right to the Power Point that you could use for the following year!

Morning Routine Activities

Monday Memories (journal writing)

Each Monday students will journal write. Students will love coming to school and being able to journal about what they want. These journals can be secret ones or shared with the teacher. Allowing students choice is huge and they will appreciate it!

 Trivia Tuesday! and Wisdom Wednesday

Who doesn’t love trivia? Every Tuesday there will be a trivia question for students to answer. See if you can test their brainpower right away in the morning. Then on Wednesday, hit them with a famous quote. Find quotes that leave an impact and have discussions about them!

Thinking Thursday and Fact Friday!

 Kids love puzzles, especially ones that tax the mind. Thursday is a great day for this. Then on Friday, give those math facts a workout!

We have found that our students look forward to these each morning. They love the routine that so many students need to start their morning! Click here to find this amazing resource for FREE now!

Please subscribe to our newsletter for monthly tips, strategies, and free resources to help boost teacher morale! We want to make a difference!

Classroom photo credit here.

Filed Under: Classroom Management Tagged With: beginning of school year, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, morning routine

Text Features Anchor Chart and Interactive Reading Strategy Power Points for Classroom Use

May 13, 2014 by Wise Guys Leave a Comment


This post is focused on using effective text features anchor charts and interactive Power Points for teaching reading skills to your students. 

Text Features Anchor Chart

Below is an image of our text features anchor chart. As you can see, text features are all over informational text. There are so many features to recognize.

The focus of the above anchor chart and the two Power Points are for students to understand what text features are, how they are used in informational text, and how the reader can use them to help understand the text.

The Power Points are engaging and entertaining for the students. They require the students to be able to determine which text features matching its corresponding definition. It also shows what the text features look like.

Our Power Points 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! We involve the use of think-pair-share. This strategy effectively involves all of your students. It provides you with a chance to hear all of your students.

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!

Filed Under: reading Tagged With: 4, 5, grade 3, informaitonal text, powerpoint, text features

Fiesta! Cinco de Mayo Resources for Elementary Age Students!

April 29, 2014 by Wise Guys Leave a Comment

If you want your students to learn more about Cinco de Mayo and about the Spanish language and culture, then this bundle of resources is for you.

Cinco de Mayo Resources

To start off the bundle includes a 6 page introduction about the history of Cnco de Mayo. Many people do not know the history behind this day. It is time to educate your students about the reason why the day is important.

Cinco de Mayo Game

We have a game to play about the holiday Cinco de Mayo. Students roll a die and proceed across the game board. They have to answer questions about the holiday on some spots.


Cinco de Mayo Colors


We have created a 27 page resource about how to say different colors in Spanish. It also includes a quiz!
 

Cinco de Mayo Greetings

Our greetings game is sure to be a hit with your students! Students will learn how to say “hello” and “good-bye.” They will also learn how to say “good morning” and “good night.” This is an easy game to print off and cut out the cards.
 
Also included in the bundle are:
-a game to play about colors in Spanish
-a game to play about numbers in Spanish
-a parent letter if you choose to host a cinco de mayo fiesta in your classroom
-a game for your students to learn how to pronounce clothing in Spanish
– a memory game for pronouncing colors
-a game for your students to learn how to pronounce different family members in Spanish
-a game to learn about different weather words in Spanish

You may choose to use some or all of these resources this year, but it is guaranteed to help your students learn about the history of Cinco de Mayo and hopefully some of the Spanish language as well!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3, 4, 5, 6, celebration, cinco de mayo, colors, Culture, fiesta, grade 2, greetings, history, language, numbers, spanish

Screen Free Week! Disconnect Devices and Re-Connect with Family

April 22, 2014 by Wise Guys Leave a Comment

Screen Free Week


May 5-11, 2014 has been declared Screen-Free Week in which students are encouraged to turn off screens (TV, phones, computers, gaming devices, hand-held devices) that are used for entertainment purposes.

We love the idea! We have created a FREE resource that you can download and use with your students.

Below is the parent letter that we have included with the resource. It outlines the objective of Screen Free Week. It also has a place for a parent to sign pledging that their child will be screen free for a week.


Next is an idea sheet of other activities to do. Kids will need activities to keep them away from their electronic devices. There are so many good choices on this list. Read a book is our favorite. Make sure to take the time to do some of these activities with your children. Reconnect with them. They will be grown before you know it.


Then, there is a certificate of achievement as well! Celebrate with your class going screen free! Then challenge your students to limit their daily time with electronic devices. That human interaction and communication element is so important.


We hope you take advantage of this week and have your students explore other forms of entertainment besides screens!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Inference Anchor Chart and Interactive Power Point

April 15, 2014 by Wise Guys Leave a Comment

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!

Filed Under: common core, informational text, reading Tagged With: 4, 5, grade 3, inference, literature

Theme Anchor Chart and Reading Strategy PowerPoint

April 14, 2014 by Wise Guys Leave a Comment


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

Theme Anchor Chart

Below is an example of a theme anchor chart that we made for our classroom. As you can see, we listed different types of themes that are in the spotlight. This visual can help students to see what real themes can occur in the books that they read.

Interactive Power Points

The focus of the two Power Points are for students to understand what theme is and what are many of the different types of theme in literature. Our theme Power Points are a creative way to visually attract the students to the lesson. Each Power Point is also highly engaging. Students have a chance to participate in many of the slides.

Our Power Points 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! We like to include think-pair-shares so students have a chance to participate with a partner. We like to walk around the classroom and listen to these discussions.

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!

 

Filed Under: common core, reading Tagged With: 4, 5, ela, grade 3, literature, theme

Main Idea and Details Anchor Chart and Interactive Reading PowerPoint for Classroom Use

March 31, 2014 by Wise Guys Leave a Comment


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

Main Idea Anchor Chart

Below is an example of a main idea and details anchor chart. We thought a table was a good analogy for this topic. The supporting details are the foundation for the surface which is the main idea. Without the supporting details there wouldn’t be a main idea. Our students were able to grasp this concept.


The focus the PowerPoint is for students to understand what the main idea is and how supporting details relate back to the main idea. We created a summary game where students have to read a passage and determine what the main idea of the passage is. It is highly interactive and engaging for students. We have them record their answers in their reading notebooks and then share the correct answers. It is a great discussion tool for your class.

Our Power Points 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!

Filed Under: anchor chart, common core, reading Tagged With: 4, 5, grades 3, main idea, supporting details

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Wise Guys from Teachers Pay Teachers Welcome to our site! We have been teaching for over 30 years at the intermediate grade level (4-6). We pride ourselves on creating lessons that are engaging, meaningful, and aligned with the Common Core Standards. We love teaching, and love sharing our resources with other teachers. We hope you can find some activities that you can use in your classroom!

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