Daily 5 - WORK WORK

After reading (and re-reading) the wonderfully inspirational book: The Daily 5 – Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades  written by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser “The 2 Sisters” I worked hard to put together a fun and engaging way for kids to interact with their weekly words. 

My students have piloted this and absolutely LOVE working with words. This packet truly helps foster independence with words in the classroom. Many tasks focus on both a literary and a math standard. Four of the literacy and math combination tasks are: Money Words, Place Value Words, Scrabble Words and Graph a Word.

We would work whole group one different WORD WORK activity at a time until the kids understood the concept. I would scaffold the support with each task, and next they worked with partners. Once they understood the activity, they could work independently. WOW!! Watching them quickly learn each of these skills was amazing. 

Best of all, you can be conferring with students in writing or reading when they are independently working with their words.  If you purchase this package, please email me and I will send you an editable Bingo card to customize to your liking. My email is: DebBolken@park6.org. You can find this word work packet HERE 

Use all of these different WORD WORK options with your weekly words. The following is a list of the different options you will get:

Rainbow Words

Hidden Words

Scrabble Words

Secret Code Words

ABC Order Words

Money Words

Place Value Words

Graph the Words

Stamped Words

Beaded Words

Stair Step Words

Swirl Words

Bingo Cards

Teacher thought of the day!

My reflection today brings me back to some of my first years working at a school. I was exposed to so many children whose circumstances broke my heart. I felt this insatiable need to go out and help every child I knew was hurting. I wanted to “fix” their lives. I knew this approach was unrealistic, and not possible. This was exhausting, and would rob me of all the gifts I could impart onto a child. I could not change a child’s circumstance, and I could not let the unfair hand a child had been dealt consume me. Instead, I decided to focus on what difference I could make. What I have been called to do is make a difference in today.  Like you, I have been given a window of time with each of my students. I (you) choose what to make of that window. Every day I ask for guidance and support to help make each child’s time at school the best, safest, most loving and caring part of their day. And then maybe, just maybe, that love and kindness will help sustain them through some of the other hardships in their life. I strive to show students kindness, and caring, and love so they look forward to their time at school.

Teacher thought of the day!

Don't let the rigor of common core or the stress of assessments take the fun out of the time you spend with your class. Teaching is truly an art. Put on your apron, roll up your sleeves, and get in there. The more involved and invested you are the more beautiful the masterpiece.