Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Teacher Clip Art, Literary Resources, Classroom Ideas

Time Tested Early Literacy Strategies

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Does your early literacy time sound like this:

 Teacher, how to you spell….?
“What does this word say?

 

When early readers hear the answer “Just sound it out”, do they really know what you are talking about?

Do they know what that means?

How can we support them further with the risk-taking involved in early reading strategies?

So many students feel anxiety when left on their own to read, and as we know, this anxiety greatly impedes their ability to process information and focus.

Over the last [Read More…]

Ted Harrison Art and More!

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If you’ve read many of my posts, you’ll know by now that we integrate almost all of our content area in class.  Rarely do we let an opportunity go by for writing, and using out own art is so motivating!  

But, we do keep it simple.

For example, we studied the art of Ted Harrison, who painted in the north of Canada. His colorful but simple images are perfect for elementary students. 

We googled his artwork and simply talked about what we [Read More…]

Quotation Station: Writing About Quotes

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I’m a big fan of good memes or quotations, and love to share and discuss them.
If a quotation is educationally meaningful, I often will share it with my students. They are perfect for inspiring meaningful discussions and higher level thinking! Sometimes we use these quotations or sayings as a springboard for journal writing.
While collecting quotations for students, I thought: Why not add them to my writing center choices?

 
Because I teach primary students, I created templates to support student writing by [Read More…]

Writing Templates For The New Year (Free)

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The first days back at school after the winter holidays can be hard to plan for. Everyone is thinking about goals for the new year, and this is a great topic for writing and reflection with students. Don’t be afraid to model that kind of goal setting with them!

First, we reflect back on the year that past.
We write the highlights, and think about things we’ve learned or experienced for the first time.

 
 
Next, we think ahead to the future with goals [Read More…]

Integrate Writing and Math With Building

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You know how some students (especially in the first weeks of school) just sigh when you give them writing or math jobs because what they really want to do is play with blocks or Lego all day?
Here’s how I got those students excited to do some writing and math (while still letting them build and use their imaginations.)
Just add a writing or counting task after they build! Create a recording page similar to those pictured below (or you can see [Read More…]

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