Book Reviews and SSSSSScenters

This is the best time of the year academically for my first graders!

 They can read. They can write. They have stamina.  They know the routine.
This is the time when they can DO!  I have less and less to show and more and more for them to DO!  It’s fantastic!  {Now if they could just STOP TALKING life would be a dream}

To keep them on their independent little toes during these last weeks of school, I began the book review club.  (Call anything a club and watch them flock to it like teachers to caffeine)

This is a way for your students to write reading responses in a new light…as book reviews!  To introduce this new option, I taught it during our reader’s workshop time.  We did it whole group the first time through.  The next time through they each chose their own book to read and review as I monitored. Finally, they have it as a choice during our daily five time!

Here’s what it looks like in action:

I displayed the instruction chart on the smart board for our whole group lesson and we referred to it as we went through the steps.

 I showed them all the choices they would have available and after we read a short book together we discussed which graphic organizer was the best match for our book and what we wanted to say.

 The best part was going over number 4 with them.  “Write a smart and helpful review.”  We cracked ourselves up over some not so smart and not so helpful oral reviews of the book before writing one that was smart and helpful together.  We did this together on the smart board but I forgot to take a picture of that!!!

The next day, it was their turn to show me how to write a book review.  I did this during our reader’s workshop time. Now that they know what is expected, I will allow this to be a choice during daily five.  I told them it is a combination of read to self and work on writing! 

They can read any book!  It works with both fiction and non fiction, easy reader to chapter book!

 As a little extra “fun” they enjoyed making special covers for their book reviews!  I just ran them on construction paper and they thought that was such a professional touch for their hard work!

 This is the “book review club” unit.  I just posted it at the end of last week.

We also had a SSSssssssssuper week working through our snake safari literacy and math!

We chewed bubble gum and wrote Sssssssstories!

During daily 5 this little one begged me to take his picture in “synonym prison”.  I had to do it! 

 The snake safari math tubs were a big hit all week.  I have 13 girls and 7 boys.  All were excited about snakes!

greater than less than

 snake fractions

 slippery sums

 For subtraction from teen numbers I gave them the fake snakes as manipulatives.  I have never seen kids want to do “difficult subtraction” so badly!

 This is what the room looks like at centers…best time of day!!!