TpT Sitewide Sale, Inferences, FREE Resource, #MMMM

We just got back from my brother's home. Getting together every Thanksgiving with all of my siblings (and now their families) goes back to our childhood! Though we're sad that our parents are no longer with us, we now enjoy multiple children named after them. We had a great Thanksgiving, and I hope your holiday was wonderful, too.

TpT Sitewide Sale

In case you didn't know, today and tomorrow is the Cyber Monday TpT sitewide sale. Everything in my store, and many other stores, is 20% off. If you add the code CYBER19, you will gain an additional 5% to receive 25% off, with the exception of my new Who Was Frederick Douglass? Book Studies which are at 50% off.    https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Catch-My-Products

Who Was Frederick Douglass? Book Unit

Inferences

What is it about making inferences that is so difficult for kids? I wish I had the answer. I've found the best way to achieve this skill is to constantly model and practice it. Give your kids reading passages in which they are asked to draw conclusions from the story. Next, follow up by saying, "What makes you say this?" You will find that soon your kids will answer questions by stating their thoughts and give reasons behind those thoughts.

The reasoning behind thoughts is important because every time you or one of your students tells how they drew a conclusion, it models the skill for the entire class. Therefore, you are actually accomplishing more than just making inferences. Students are drawing conclusions using textual evidence, too.

Inferences Through Photos

You can also teach inferences through pictures. Why does this puppy have so many toys in his mouth?

Your kids imaginations could go wild as to the reason! Actually, when we got home last night, we brought my daughter-in-law's grandmother's dog's toys. Jack has too many toys and doesn't play with these anymore. Benny had no stuffed animals because he ripped them up. Don't get me wrong, he loves stuffed animals but is still a chewer and a puppy. He was so excited to have new toys and put them all in his mouth at once. That is not to say that a child can't think of another reason for the toys. Even a creative answer would work. Maybe, Benny is cleaning up the place by carrying his toys to the bin. Yeah, right. Or, he could be grabbing all of them so that the other dogs can't have them. That last one could actually be right. ;)

I have a new freebie for you on inferences.

Free Christmas Inferences!

If you download this, please leave me feedback so that others can find it.

Music Monday Moves Me

The theme for this month is Christmas music, so I will post one song for you and you can ask your students to make inferences about it.

So kids, why did this happen? What conclusions can you draw from the song? Have fun, and I'll see you next week!

Good Bye Wish Bracelet / Hello 20% OFF SALE

Back in July of 2018, I attended the Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) conference in Nashville. While there, my friend Kathy Simpson of Sunshine and Lollipops gave me a "wish bracelet."

Although I must admit, when I got it, the star was not tarnished and worn.

I made a wish that I would hit a monthly sales goal for my Teachers Pay Teachers store. With an overabundance of confidence, I figured I'd be meeting that goal come September or October, 2018. Little did I know, I'd be wearing a tacky piece of string with a tarnished star for 15 months straight! The goal was a bit unrealistic in the short run, but I am happy to say I made goal, today!

The bracelet is supposed to fall off and then the wish comes true. Not exactly how it went. First, I reached my goal, and then I cut it off.

Notice the "Daily Goals" book? That is from another friend named Cindy Martin who has a wonderful store called Teacher's Brain. She's given me the motivation to keep working on my store to achieve my goals with her Confidence Tool Box.

                                                                                                                             The bottom line: 

Now, this bracelet is gone!

To celebrate, my entire store is 20% off for, today only. Be sure to check your wishlists to see if there is anything you want at a reduced price.

Woo hoo! I feel like I've waited forever for this day, so please stop by Catch My Products to help me celebrate.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Catch-My-Products

Red Ribbon Week

Ribbon by, Kate Hadfield Designs
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kate-Hadfield-Designs

Red Ribbon Week falls during the last full week of October and has been a tradition since 1988 to teach students about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. This annual tradition is marked by school assemblies, 5K races, bracelets, and other trinkets to remind students about the dangers of using drugs. Most importantly is a pledge which students sign to agree to be drug free!

I was once a sponsor of the Pride Team at our K-8 school. Upper grade Pride students were typically the middle school leaders. They were the kind of kids who could step into an elevator, face the back wall, and have all the other kids follow their stance. They would sing and put on skits to remind all to be drug free. Also, several of these kids attended national Pride meetings.

I used to commemorate Red Ribbon Week with a door design. I would post pictures of witches and ghosts at the top and drugs on the bottom, "Witches and ghosts give me a chill, but DRUGS are really scary!" I would also have my kids sign pledges promising to remain drug free and hang these on the wall. Did this work? With some, maybe even most, but not all, for sadly, I do have a few former students who have died from drug overdose.

To help you teach drug awareness, here is a free product from my store that I hope you will download and leave feedback!

Click HERE for FREE Red Ribbon Week Reading Passage.

And now, since it's Monday, here are my Monday Music Moves Me songs.

They are all about anti-drug topics, so have a listen to:

Neil Young, "The Needle and The Damage Done"

Next up, Lynyrd Skynyrd, "That Smell"

And finally, here is Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Under the Bridge," about Heroin addiction.

Using Multiple Senses in Writing

When teaching, how many of your students tell all about what they see in a scene? The visual is popular in young writers, but it's certainly not the only way to provide details in a story. We have five senses, so a writer who only includes the visual is short changing his or her readers. At a writers' conference, I was told that every time a character enters a new scene, that scene should be described with at least three senses.

To make students aware of multiple senses, I give them a handful of highlighter pens and ask them to color code their writing as follows:

• sight - green
• hearing - orange
• touch - pink
• smell - yellow
• taste - purple

• emotion - blue

After highlighting the senses used in writing, something is always missing, and it's usually not what the students sees.

Imagine a scene in the forest.

Sure, students can write about the green leafy canopy above, but how about including the sounds of the wind blowing those leaves and the crunch below their feet as they wander through the woods?

Or students could write about how they shiver in the cool breeze that spreads the scent of pine through the forest. Smell is quite powerful in writing because it often connects the reader to a memory. While smell provides the memory, taste means a challenge to the novice writer and is often the hardest sense to incorporate into a scene. When kids write about taste, make sure the taste has meaning in whatever is being written, rather than something thrown into a story for the sake of including the sense of taste. It is better to leave taste out altogether than to add it in a way that doesn't work for the reader.

I've also included emotion because a story with no emotion will come off as flat. After all, we are usually writing stories with main characters, and the more relatable the character, the more we will care about where they go or what they do.

Including multiple senses in writing is like colorizing a black and white movie. For a fun and productive lesson, have your students critique their own writing for senses and then work to add whatever is missing. Be sure to share the results!

If you are interested in teaching students to write using multiple senses, below is a link to a PowerPoint lesson that does just that.

Using Senses in Writing

I send these posts to my mailing group; however, they get free resources along with the article. You can, too. Just join my group by clicking below!

https://mailchi.mp/b9a669919a4c/samplerpack

You will also receive a FREE No Prep Problem Solving Pack!

Thanks to Kate Hadfield Designs for the clipart. 

Kate Hadfield Designs

Using Strong Action Words in Writing

I've always felt that one of my best tricks of the trade is to take away a boring verb and replace it with a strong action verb. For example, no one wants to read that, "The dog was sleepy." However, if you take away "was" and turn sleepy into the adjective before the noun, there is no limit to what you can write.

Writers can be typical:

The sleepy dog curled into itself under the desk.

Or include more action:

The sleepy dog defied slumber by lurching at the unsuspecting human trying to pet it.

Maybe even add some creativity:

The sleepy dog stretched its paws and signaled the spacecraft to retrieve it from earth.

No matter what you decide to do with the sleepy dog, removing the be verb frees you up to create a story behind the image.

Therefore, my first trick along the writer's journey is to find ways to eliminate those boring be verbs and replace them with action verbs. I've even held mock funerals in my class, where we take index cards and bury the words in the school yard.

We give a teary goodbye to our friends who were always there for us in our writing slumps. Does anyone, *sniff* want to say some parting words to *sniff* our friends? Make sure you remember to bring the box of tissues outside with you for this is a truly sad moment.

Students take turns saying a few words, digging small holes with a shovel, and burying the following friends:

• is
• was
• are
• were
• have
• had
• has
• am

Goodbye, friends.

After the funeral, we go inside to answer a prompt without using our friends. Sure. There is a time to use these words, but students must learn how not to use them before they can add a few be verbs back into their writing.

If you want help with teaching kids to eliminate boring verbs, here is a new product for you.

Strong Verbs in Writing

Fire

Recently, I've been given two challenges. The first is to make two new Teacher Pay Teachers products this month that relate to October, share them on social media, and provide two pins for each. I'm working hard to get there, and it may be close. I chose fire prevention week because I had no products about fires. 

This first product is involved. I wrote a story with activities about the Chicago Fire of 1871. I love my story and cover, if I do say so myself. :) I'm also happy to say that it's already sold! This bundle contains a story, vocabulary activities, research questions, and a writing prompt. Of course, I've included an answer key, too. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Great-Chicago-Fire-Historical-Fiction-Story-Fire-Prevention-Week-3347353

My second challenge comes from Monday Music Moves Me. We are to post songs with dance moves. Here are my results for both challenges! In searching for fire and dance, I found this fun, little gem on You Tube. I wish I could be so talented in dance moves and fire juggling.

My second product is named Fire Prevention Activities. It contains writing, research, math word problems, and logic. Since it is hot off the press, it is being offered for 50% off for a limited time, so hurry and get yours, today.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/50-OFF-for-limited-time-Fire-Prevention-Week-Activities-3361038

I'm going to end with one more fire song, that is suitable for dancing! I love "Fire" by the Ohio Players, plus I challenge you to listen to this song without wiggling in your chair. I can't do it because the song screams, "Get up and dance!" If you watch this clip, you'll see some mighty fine dance moves, too.