Summary and READING JOURNALS!!

Hi Y'all!!!!

I am so glad to finally be getting a chance to blog again! Life has been super busy and I basically just needed a blog break...again.... BUT today I have a few things to share! So, I'm just going to jump right in! 

Summary

This week we studied summary. I find that this is the first step in writing about their reading. The kiddos need to know and be able to share what happened in the story before they can go and share deeper thinking and feeling about it. SO.... This week we read Something Beautiful and used a SWBST {Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then} flipbook to write their summary. This seriously makes is SOOOO much easier for the students to grasp the idea of and write a summary. 

First, we completed a summary together on our read aloud. Then they took their flipbook to their seats to use it with one of their independent reading books. 

Here are a few pics of our summary activity!

I created my own SWBST flipbook so that I could add the questions on the inside of the flaps. This helped guide the students as they went along. It went GREAT! They liked it so much, some students asked if I had extra copies so that they could write another summary for another one of their books. :) 

Want a free copy of my SWBST flipbook? Go on over to my Facebook page! You can find it under my freebies tab! :) Enjoy! 

Now, my favorite!

Reading Journals

As a 2nd grade ELA teacher, I love....LOVE our reading journals! It is one of my favorite parts of teaching ELA. I love the flexibility, choice, and sharing of deep thinking that can be accomplished with reading journals. 

I have been using them since day 1 in my classroom. After slowly progressing, the students are just now building up to creating and sharing fabulous and creative thinking! 

Currently my students have moved away from workstations/centers. We are now independently reading and responding for an hour, total, while I am pulling small groups and conferring. My students are expected to read and respond to a book in their reading journals at least once a week. They then turn in their journal to me on their assigned day and I respond back to them. 

As a class, we created a list of ways that they could write about a story. Here is the list my class came up with. I keep it posted in plain sight so that they have easy access to it. 

I also have a menu that I put in the front of their journals to help get them started if they aren't sure how to respond. Once they are finished with the menu, they come get the next one. I created 7 half-sheet menus with different response starters. You can find it here at my TPT store. :)

The reading journal is broken up into two sections. Notes and Responses.

This is an example of activities we did as a class in their Notes section.

Here are some examples of my students' independent responses in their Response section! 

I love the sticky note at the top... so cute.

I ADORE it when they start to get creative! This girl used sticky notes and folded them to make flips!

My students also love to do their response on the computer! They love to print it out and glue it in!  Here you can also see my response back to her. 

{don't mind my messy handwriting....I have to respond to 10 of these a day, so that tends to encourage messiness!}

As you can see, I basically let them choose how they want to respond. That choice lets them be more creative and keeps them more engaged and excited about the work. 

Phew... I feel like that was a lot! It feels so good to be back to posting... I'm excited to share my MLK activities with you tomorrow! 

Have a FABULOUS night! :)

-Carly-

Reading Journal Menus

In my second grade class, part of my reading block includes 30 minutes of independent reading/partner reading/listening to reading (depending on their reading levels) and then responding to their reading in reading journals. 

Each day of the week a different table is assigned to turn in their reading journals to me. That day is visible on the sign hanging from above their table. They know it is their day, so they place their journals in the blue bin on the corner of my table. I use those day of the week signs for so many different things in my class, but that topic might need a post of its own. :) Click here for the free download on my TPT store.

Table Numbers

Table Day of the Week

 

When they turn in their journals, I read their responses and write back to them. I do this at the end of the day before heading home. It can seem like a lot, but it's easy once you get into the routine. Since I've split it up so one table per day turns them in, I only have to respond to 10 at most each afternoon. **(that is because I have 2 classes- Most self-contained teachers will only have 5 per day)**

My responses are only about 3 sentences long. Most of the time my response includes a question about their response, just to get their thinking to go even deeper. The next day they get their journal back. They really do love opening their journals to see what I have said back to them. Then they have until that same day the next week to create a new response.

To change it up a bit, some students each week get to type their responses on the computer and print them out. Then they glue them in their journals. It's a great way to include technology and keep things interesting for the students. :)

I created response menus for my students' journals. They are half sheets that are taped inside the front cover of their journals. Once they use a response, they cross it out.

This current packet of responses are sentence starters. I am also in the works of some menus that include other types of responses. 

Head over to my TPT store to get the Menus! 

 

 

 

Getting Creative with Reading Journals

I've become obsessed with trying to be more creative when using my reading journals lately!

My students have also been hooked on using them independently during Read to Self. I like to use them as a response to our reading groups. I have been trying to get creative with the way that my students respond in their journals. I know that if I feel the need for it to be different and creative, then my students are needing it!

So I have begun creating little reading journal flip books, spinning wheels, etc. that can easily be glued into their journals. I try to match our objectives for the grading period so that I can easily glance back into their journals and see how well they are comprehending their stories using those specific strategies. This helps with the reading comprehension rubric grade that our team gives at every progress report and report card. 

Here is an example of how one of my students used the "Important Ideas" spinning wheel. She recorded 4 important ideas and then illustrated around the wheel. This particular student did more coloring than illustrating, but did manage to get a character in the corner. :)

I have only made a couple so far. I'm on the verge of finishing some more which I will post when I finish them. Here is a link to the two that are finished. Use if you'd like! 

 Reading Journal Spinner

Reading Journal Connections Flip book

The flip book will need to be copied front to back. Make sure it is matched up with the illustration on the back of the Text to _____ flaps.