2014 | Crafting Connections
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Linking Verbs Anchor Chart

Monday, December 29, 2014
Last week I shared an anchor chart for helping students differentiate between action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs (click here to check it out). 

This week, however, I decided to "zoom in" and focus on linking verbs in particular.  Before I started teaching 5th grade, when I thought of linking verbs, "the big 7" came to mind: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been.  In fact, I seem to remember memorizing that list when I was in high school.  Once I began teaching fifth grade grammar, though, I quickly realized that linking verbs go far beyond that initial list of seven.  Yes, I must admit that I did not understand that words like smell, taste, and look can be action verbs OR linking verbs, depending upon the context of the sentence!  (Or perhaps I learned it long ago, but then forgot that grammar rule somewhere along the way!)

I believe that there are three things to remember when it comes to identifying linking verbs:
1.  Linking verbs are used in sentences where the subject is being renamed or described.
2.  Some words are true linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, & been.  (This is a good list to memorize in the beginning.)
3.  Some verbs have multiple personalities and can act as a linking verb OR an action verb.  You must read the sentence in context to determine its use in a given sentence!

This anchor charts is my attempt to sum up those important concepts about linking verbs:
Linking Verbs Anchor Chart! Help students understand the function of linking verbs with this anchor chart and a free worksheet!
Clip art by Graphics Factory.

I created this FREE worksheet if you want your students to differentiate between linking verbs and action verbs in sentences.  Just click on the image to download it for free!
Help students understand the function of linking verbs with this anchor chart. Then give your students an opportunity to practice with this FREE worksheet!
Border by Kelly Benefield.

Finally, I created a PowerPoint to use while I was teaching students about action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs. Click on the image below to check it out!


Types of Verbs Anchor Chart (with a freebie!)

Monday, December 22, 2014
A few weeks ago, Linda contacted me and asked me to consider creating a craftivity to reinforce the three types of verbs (action, helping, and linking) that could be used as a follow-up activity to my "A Closer Look at Verbs" PowerPoint. As many of you know, I tend to create craftivities that are based upon analogies. It is always my hope that these analogies will help students build connections and retain the overall meaning of a concept. Well, I thought of an idea almost immediately... only to discover that it was not going to work. (I could not find the right clip art, and my "vision" just wasn't going to be workable.) 

So, I went back to the drawing board, and thought..... and thought... and thought.  Then, just as I was about to concede and email Linda to tell her that I was going to have to put this on my maybe-someday-when-I-get-a-great-idea list, a light bulb switched on in my mind!  Would it work to make an analogy between the types of verbs and a rock band?  

How are the types of verbs like the members of a rock band? Check out this blog post that features a Types of Verbs anchor chart and a FREEBIE!

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me!  After all, the musicians in a rock band are constantly moving, or doing actions (whether it's singing, jamming on an instrument, or headbanging with the beat!)  The instruments... well, they are like helping verbs!  Without the help of instruments, a rock band wouldn't be much of a rock band.  And what about those troublesome linking verbs that had made all of my other analogy ideas stop in their tracks?  Well, linking verbs are like the speakers that link the music to the listeners!
Verb Anchor Chart: Action, Linking, and Helping Verbs. This blog post contains a FREE matching foldable, too!
Clip art by Scrappin Doodles.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked it, so I went ahead and created the matching craftivity/poster set.
Help your students understand the difference between action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs with this Types of Verbs craftivity. Three posters and a worksheet are also included!


If you like the analogy and think it might help your students, feel free to download the matching FREEBIE that you can have your students glue into their interactive notebooks.



FREE Types of Verbs Interactive Notebook Entry: Action, Linking, and Helping Verbs. This blog post contains a matching anchor chart, too!
Click HERE to download this for free!

FREE Types of Verbs Interactive Notebook Entry: Action, Linking, and Helping Verbs. This blog post contains a matching anchor chart, too!
Students write example sentences under each flap, underlining the target verbs.
How are the types of verbs like the members of a rock band? Check out this blog post that features a Types of Verbs anchor chart and a FREEBIE!



Adjectives Anchor Chart

Monday, December 8, 2014
My anchor chart today focuses on adjectives. This all came about as a result of a conversation that took place around our family dinner table last Tuesday evening.  It went like this:


Kayla (my fourth grader):  We are learning about adjectives in school this week.

Me:  So tell me what an adjective is.

Kayla:  (long pause)  A person, place or thing???

Brooke (my second grader):  No, that's a noun.  And I know that a verb is an action word.

Me:  Kayla, you learned about adjectives way back in second grade.  You remember what they are, don't you?

Kayla:  Hmmm... I can't remember...adjectives are hard!

Me:  An adjective is a describing word, it describes a noun...


Parts of speech.. so difficult for so many kids! As a teacher who has worked with all elementary grade levels, I know that most kids have trouble retaining what they learn about parts of speech. Fourth and fifth grade teachers, don't you find that you always have to start over and review (a lot) all parts of speech before you can get to the new ones introduced at your grade level?? I can tell you that there was a point when Kayla was in second grade and in third grade when she could tell you exactly what an adjective was, and identify an adjective in a sentence! But... time passed and she obviously forgot what she learned!

So... I spent a lot of time thinking about this issue this week, trying to think of a clever connection that would help students recall what an adjective does in a sentence.  Here's what I came up with:

Adjectives Anchor Chart- Adjectives are like magnets... they are attracted to nouns (and pronouns)!
Clip art by Educasong.
When I teach this lesson in a classroom, I plan to create the above anchor chart prior to the beginning of class.  I will tape it to the board, and then tape up the bottom so that only the question is displayed at the beginning of the lesson.  I think it would be interesting to have students answer this question themselves. They may come up with some connections that I hadn't considered!
Adjectives Anchor Chart- Adjectives are like magnets... they are attracted to nouns (and pronouns)!

After a brief brainstorming session, I would remove the tape from the anchor chart and reveal the rest of the information, and discuss the connection that I came up with.

Then, I would have students help me find the adjectives and the nouns/pronouns they are attracted to in the example sentences on the chart.  

Adjectives Anchor Chart- Adjectives are like magnets... they are attracted to nouns (and pronouns)!

Now is a time when I wish I had a classroom so that I could teach this lesson and find out if the connection will be meaningful for students, and help them with long-term retention. What do you think? Will the mental connection of an adjective being comparable to a magnet work? If any of you try this approach with your students, please let me know how it goes!  

In fact, I created a matching craftivity!  If you don't want to recreate the anchor chart, you can use the teaching poster that I created for the craftivity file.

Adjectives Craftivity- includes worksheets and a teaching poster! How are adjectives like magnets? Adjectives are attracted to nouns!


Adjectives Craftivity- includes worksheets and a teaching poster! How are adjectives like magnets? Adjectives are attracted to nouns!
Students complete the above worksheet (the file includes another worksheet page, too), and then use their answers to assemble the craftivity.


Adjective Craftivity: Adjectives are like magnets- they are attracted to nouns! This resource includes a poster and a 2-page worksheet.

Thanks for dropping by today!


Save for future reference:
How are adjectives like magnets? This is an analogy that you'll want to use with your students! Check out the matching adjectives anchor chart in this blog post, too!

Anchors Away Monday: Greek Gods and Goddesses

Monday, December 1, 2014
My anchor chart today focuses on 
Greek gods and goddesses.

I have loved Greek mythology ever since eighth grade when my language arts teacher conducted a nine-week-long Greek mythology unit.  I was fascinated with the gods and their antics!  A man who eats his own children and then regurgitates them years later?  (Cronus)  Siblings who marry?  (Zeus & Hera and Aphrodite & Hephaestus are just a couple!)  A daughter who is born by springing forth from her father's forehead fully clad with armor?  (Athena)  These ancient stories were unlike anything I had ever read before and I was enthralled.  Fast forward thirty-ish years... and I'm still captivated by Greek mythology!

I have found that students still really enjoy mythology!  However, keeping all the gods and goddesses straight can be challenging.  
Enter... my anchor chart for this week!
Greek Mythology Anchor Chart- the post includes a FREE partner play about Aphrodite!

A few months ago, I combined my love for Greek mythology with my new found love with writing partner plays, and I created the following two sets:
Greek Mythology Partner Plays! Such an engaging way to work on fluency!
Click HERE to take a closer look at the Greek Mythology Partner Plays.
To take a closer look at the Modern Day Mythology Partner Plays, click HERE.  

Last week I decided to write a brand-new FREE partner play script to accompany this blog post!  Please feel free to download it and use it with your students!  
FREE Partner Play script! Greek Mythology

 For those of you who facilitate a large Greek mythology unit, I encourage you to check out my friend, Dawn's, TpT store (Purple Palmetto)!  She has created 27 different Greek mythology items, including Bingo, "I have... Who has...?", trading cards, task cards, tests, and more!

Nicole Shelby also has created four fantastic Greek mythology resources!
  
Thanks for dropping by today!

Exit Ticket FREEBIES!

Sunday, November 16, 2014
Hi there!  I blogged over at Upper Elementary Snapshots today.  There, I shared the many benefits of using exit tickets in your classroom.  Hop on over there to check out the post, if you'd like, and then come back and pick up some of the exit tickets I have used in my classroom!  Download any of them you might be able to use for free!



These exit slips can be used when teaching context clues.  Read more at this blog post.

These parts of speech exit tickets are designed to be used as you teach the various parts of speech.
FREE exit tickets for the parts of speech!



This "universal" exit ticket does not address any particular skill or standard.  You can use it with any lesson in any subject!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll return tomorrow for my Anchor's Away Monday post and link-up.  (It will include another freebie!)



Facts and Opinions: An Interactive Anchor Chart

Monday, November 10, 2014

My anchor chart today focuses on facts and opinions.  I have to admit that I was surprised to discover how difficult it is for some students to distinguish fact from opinion. My experience indicates that the statements that confuse students most are those opinions that nearly everybody would agree with. Take this sentence, for example:
"Running a marathon is difficult." 
 Since most people would agree that running a marathon is difficult, some students wrongly assume that it is a fact.


Also, if a student passionately agrees with a statement, they tend to want to make it a fact.
"Dogs make better pets than cats."
Oh, MY!  Does that ever lead to some arguments!  Because some students think they have stories that can "prove" this statement true, they believe this statement is a fact, and it sure can be difficult to convince them otherwise. It can be challenging to persuade a student that that statement is an opinion, and arguments like "But dogs protect their owners... cats don't" will not work as sufficient proof.



Prior to the fact and opinion lesson, I create this anchor chart:
Facts and Opinions Anchor Chart- Everything you need to replicate this anchor chart is included in the blog post. Students read statements and sort them into facts and opinions.
Clip art by Krista Wallden.


We begin by defining  the words "fact" and "opinion", and looking at key words and ideas that are often in each type of statement.  Yes, I have to explain the quote "Just the facts, Ma'am." as being a phrase made popular by an old television show named Dragnet.  (When Detective Joe Friday would question a woman about a crime he was trying to solve, he would sometimes say this phrase.)


After the introduction, I give each student a slip of paper with a statement. Students take turns reading the statements aloud.   After each student reads it, he/she states whether he/she believes the statement is a FACT or an OPINION. I also require each student to justify his/her answer. I try to keep all of the students engaged throughout the lesson by instructing them to "give us a thumbs up if you agree, and a thumbs down if you disagree".
Facts and Opinions Anchor Chart- Everything you need to replicate this anchor chart is included in the blog post. Students read statements and sort them into facts and opinions.

Facts and Opinions Anchor Chart- Everything you need to replicate this anchor chart is included in the blog post. Students read statements and sort them into facts and opinions.
Would you like to replicate this anchor chart in your classroom?  Or, would you like to print the statements above and have your students work with a partner to sort them? Click on either of these images to download these items for FREE!! 

Also, feel free to take a look at my related PowerPoint! Click on the image to check it out!

Teach your students to differentiate between facts and opinions with this student-friendly PowerPoint!          

Thanks for stopping by!

~Deb

Generalizations Anchor Chart (includes FREEBIE!)

Monday, November 3, 2014

Do you have school on Veterans Day?  Here in my area, I don't know of any school district that cancels school in order to recognize Veterans Day.  Therefore, when national holidays like Veterans Day fall on a day that school is in session, I enjoy trying to find a way to relate as many of the day's lessons as possible to the holiday. In terms of English Language Arts, why not link up Veterans Day with teaching students how to recognize GENERALizations in spoken conversations or written documents?
Here's how I do it:


Before class, I create the "base" anchor chart.
Generalizations Anchor Chart... this blog post also includes a FREE worksheet!
Clip art by Educasong.

I fold the bottom section up and tape it so that only the top part of the anchor chart
is visible to begin with.
Generalizations Anchor Chart... this blog post also includes a FREE worksheet!
 After a brief discussion about the definition listed, I point out the signal words that are often found in generalization statements.  I enlist students to help me think of generalization statements related to veterans and Veterans Day that I can write in this area of the chart.


Finally, I reveal the section about faulty generalizations.
Generalizations Anchor Chart... this blog post also includes a FREE worksheet!
We spend quite a bit of time discussing examples of how finding just one solitary exception can make a generalization faulty.  We also discuss why it is important to avoid these statements when writing expository or research papers unless we can absolutely prove that the statement is a fact.

Feel free to use this related FREEBIE worksheet with your students!  It includes the materials you need to replicate the anchor chart.
FREE generalizations worksheet! Check out this blog post that shares an anchor chart idea as well!



Finally, I have a PowerPoint and a matching craftivity that I created for teaching my students about generalizations.  Check them out if you want!

Teaching students about generalizations? Check out this PowerPoint! It tells the difference between generalizations, facts, and opinions, and differentiates valid and faulty generalizations


The craftivity focuses on valid vs. faulty generalizations.
Generalizations Craftivity! Students will remember identifying faulty and valid generalizations!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Deb

Differing Perspectives Anchor Chart

Monday, October 27, 2014
Last week I told you which concept I dreaded teaching each year. This week, however, I am switching to one of my favorite concepts... teaching how different people can have perspectives!  I think this is fun because there are so many fun books to read when you introduce this topic to your students.

If I had to choose just one to read aloud to my class, I would probably choose The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies.  It is actually a series of books (The Lemonade Crime, The Bell Bandit, The Magic Trap, and The Candy Smash are the other books in this series) and I love to get students hooked on a new series! Whenever I have read The Lemonade War to or with students, there have always been always several students who are eager to read the other books in the series!

In terms of my anchor chart, this is the one that starts our discussion of perspective.  It looks like this at the beginning of class:
The sunglasses are a FREEBIE by Ashley Hughes.
Students really seem to enjoy brainstorming the differing perspectives of Jake and Mom concerning the soccer cleats!

I also created the following craftivity to accompany this concept.



~Deb

Tracking Character Traits and Theme through Read Aloud {GIVEAWAY!}

Saturday, October 11, 2014
One of the great things about having a child in fourth grade is that I get to see many new books for these upper elementary students.  For instance, this past summer I took her to the library and she asked the librarian if Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea was available.  It was up for the Iowa Children's Choice Award last year, and Kayla never got to read it because it was constantly checked out.  It was available this time, though, so Kayla happily checked it out and brought it home.  She agreed to let me read it with her, and we both LOVED it!  It's the type of book that sticks with you long after the last page has been read.  Just last week (four months after reading it), we made another connection to this book!  It is also one of those books that, as a teacher, you find yourself planning all of the ways that it could be used as a teaching tool in a classroom!  As most of you know, I don't have my own classroom right now, but I plan to return to the classroom, so I am writing a plan out for how I will use this book in a fourth or fifth grade classroom now, and then it will be available for easy reference when the time comes!

Because of Mr. Terupt

The author alternates which character is telling his/her story throughout the book.
I love this teaching-perspective opportunity!
I would read this book aloud to my students either in January (as you can see from the cover, the part of the book set in the winter is important) or when we begin to study the concept of perspective.  The author tells this story by alternating between seven main characters:  Jessica, the new girl; Alexia, the bully; Anna, the outcast; Danielle, the timid student; Peter, the class clown; Luke, the brain; and Jeffrey, the kid with the bad attitude.  The daily occurrences in Mr. Terupts's fifth grade classroom are often told from different students' perspectives, which makes this book extremely compelling, as it challenges the reader to consider how a single action can be interpreted in so many different ways.

With so many unique characters each having their own storyline, this book is perfectly suited for tracking character traits and themes throughout the story.  I recently came across a blog post by Kristine Nanini from Young Teacher Love (click HERE to read this wonderful blog post!) in which she assigned students different characters of a book, and then posted chart paper with character names in boxes, and had students track character traits.  The photos Kristine posted of students adding sticky notes to the boxes looked so engaging that I think I would like to try that sort of tracking activity with this book, too!
Students write character traits on sticky notes.   They can change them or add to them throughout the book.

The overall theme of this book is FRIENDSHIP.  However, I believe that each character has a "mini-theme" that can be attributed to him or her, as well.  For example, through reading Danielle's story, we learn that we can't judge people based on their past mistakes.  Through Peter's story we learn that one poor decision can have huge, life-changing consequences.

Would you like your own personal copy of this book?  Enter the giveaway below!  I will buy a copy from Amazon and have it shipped to the lucky winner!  Good luck!


Contractions (not just for early elementary!) Two FREE games!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Contractions... this is one of those skills that shocked me when I became a teacher. I started my career teaching second grade, and I had no idea that some students found contractions to be so challenging.  They had always made total sense to me. When I took my ESL endorsement classes, I learned that ELLs often struggle with contractions because English is one of the few languages that use contractions. I was surprised again when I moved into teaching positions involving the upper elementary grades and found that some students still did not understand basic contractions.  Furthermore, several students did not understand that some contractions can mean multiple things!  ("They'd" can represent "they would" or "they had".)

A week ago, a past third grade teacher colleague of mine emailed me and asked, "What do you have for teaching contractions that's fun?" I knew that I didn't have any resources for contractions, but I had an idea within a minute! Would the image of a child kicking a board apart in taekwondo help students better understand the concept of contractions? I truly thought it would, so I decided to create some contraction printables that I could send to my colleague. One of the things I created was a Concentration game freebie (see below)!

Obviously contractions have been on my mind this past week, so of course I created an anchor chart to share with you!
Contractions Anchor Chart (not just for early elementary!) This blog post contains TWO FREE games! by Crafting Connections!


Have you ever finished an anchor chart and realized that you didn't like the way you worded something? That happened to me this time. I do not like that "Remember" sentence. I wish I would have written "Some contractions can represent multiple things. Read the entire sentence to identify the meaning."

I created some advanced FREE contraction concentration game cards that address this very skill.  Please download them if you think your students will benefit from them.

Contraction Concentration- a FREE game! This advanced version of the game was designed for upper elementary students.


I know those are way too hard for some students, so I also created this easier, more basic FREE contraction concentration game for those of you who work with younger students.

Contraction Concentration- a FREE game!


If you are looking for additional materials to use with your students, check out my TpT store!



Contractions Craftivity- includes two versions for multiple grade levels!
Students love this craftivity!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Deb
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