FREEBIE! [6 Trait Writing Rubric]

Every author uses the 6 traits of writing to create a piece full of detail wonderful ideas that are clearly spoken, organized well, convey compelling meaning, while using correct conventions, sentence fluency, and intriguing words or phrases. This rubric exists to help teachers grade a student's writing, while giving students clear and precise expectations. 

Tips:

• While grading, ask yourself, "Is it more 5 than 4, or 4 than 3, or more 2 than 1? etc." 
• To help answer this question I begin underlining what the student accomplished in his/her work under each category so that I can go back and see which has the most underlined qualities. 
• Be sure to go through the rubric together as a class. 
• Grading previously done work helps students master what is expected in good writing.

Students need clear expectations and teachers need precise guidelines to gauge writing and create creative, clear, and focused writers. This rubric helps accomplish just that.

Download the PDF file for FREE at...

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Or 

Teachers Notebook 

Weekly Writing Prompts [One Word, Set 2]

Set two invokes memories worth writing about, or feelings worth expressing, or experiences worth sharing!

Example:
I will never forget my first memory of being unwelcome. I was only in 5th grade, but the details are still vivid twenty-plus years later. Thirty minutes on a school bus was already uncomfortable. It wasn't the crowded space or the stuffy environment that introduced me to the heartbreak of being unwanted, unwelcome. It was two girls with whom I shared a seat; thinking, hoping, we were friends. Not long after sitting down, they tried pushing me off. With all their heaving, they were unable to make me budge. I planted my feet, bound and determined to remain despite knowing I was not welcome, not wanted as their seat-mate or their friend. I remember being heartbroken when I got off the bus, not letting the tears fall until I walked into my room. Through the years these girls did their best to make me feel unwelcome in many, many ways; but this memory has been burned into the mind's eye - once haunting me - now imparting wisdom and gratitude as I invest in welcoming friendship.

See the first set of One Word Prompts here.

Pyramid Game for Beginning Readers [CVC & Sight Word Recognition]

I am an ELA teacher, with a master's degree in curriculum and instruction. My specialty has always been in reading. It is by far, the most vital of all subjects. If a student cannot read he/she is doomed for all other subjects. One cannot be a scientist, mathematician, historian, or be proficient in any subject or profession if reading is not mastered.

Most of my student teaching was done in a reading classroom, and then my first 5 years of teaching was with struggling 7th and 8th grade readers. During this time I learned so much about finding and fixing holes.

Most of the time struggling readers lacked basic comprehension skills (i.e. visualizing while reading) or didn't understand what your voice does when it hits certain punctuation, or did not immediately recognize most sight words, or, or, or, or, or...

And the majority of these students who struggled did not have memories of their parents reading to them as children. Typically the parents of these students did not excel in school, therefore having the attitude that education was not important. This attitude was passed down to their children, who also lost the will to try because of multiple years of failure.

The solution was pretty simple, yet extremely difficult. I had to find simple ways for them to be successful, thus gaining confidence. With success and confidence comes a desire, the want-to, a new found interest. We used short non-fiction passages, we read poetry over and over again, we practiced readers theatre, I did a lot of think-alouds, and saw success.

Since becoming a mother and teaching my own kindergartener how to read, I've learned so much more! Still, those same concepts apply to my progressing reader, as to those struggling readers: repetition, fun/interesting passages, think-alouds, &etc. give success, which gain confidence!

Now that she automatically recognizes short vowel and consonant sounds and is well on her way to memorizing 20+ sight words, she is ready and able to begin reading and writing sentences! Aside from being a proud teacher-mom, she is super excited! One of her favorite warm-ups is the pyramid game. Each day we do a new one and she enjoys progressing through each line to finally read the complete sentence.

This is a great activity for parents to do alongside their emerging reader, or a wonderful warm-up for teachers to begin the day, or for homeschool teachers looking for a supplemental activity to begin any reading lesson.

It consists of nothing more than consonant-vowel-consonant and sight words. The more success she has, the more she wants to do. I'm sure that once we make it through this set, I'll be providing more. Until then, enjoy the 25 pyramids given for $2 by following these links:

Teachers Pay Teachers

Teachers Notebook 

Weekly Writing Prompts ["Funny Then - Not Now" OR "Funny Now - Not Then"]

How frequently in a lifetime does one reflect on an event and think - that isn't funny anymore or that is hilarious now! I can think of one time in particular when I thought it would be hilarious to splash a groom's face with a cup full of water during the reception. As a child, I laughed and laughed, thinking it hilarious. As an adult, looking back on that event makes my stomach curdle. It definitely isn't funny anymore!

I could expound on either of these prompts for quite a while...

Weekly Writing Prompts [The Time I Ran Away]

Today's prompt does not have to be about a time a student ran away from home. What about the time they ran away from a problem, a friend, an enemy... or perhaps there was a time they desperately wanted to run away, but didn't...

A Must-Read Book for All Educators!

My 5 year old missed the kindergarten cut off by just a few days. She recognized all the letters, shapes and colors, counted to 20, &etc. By all standards she was ready for phonics, basic math, an intro to science... Instead of sending her to preschool, we decided to experiment at home. Our questions were:

• Where is she academically? 
• Is she ready to master the kindergarten standards?

Five months into school and we have a reader. She is picking up books and reading them on her own! She is mastering the kindergarten standards! Academically she was ready for kindergarten, yet the age cut off would never have allowed that. 

Being in the classroom with 7th and 8th graders where over half of them came to me reading at or below the 4th grade, I became frustrated with the public school system in America. It's failing students. It inhibits potential. We refuse to look to nations with successful educational programs and learn from them, or hire educational professionals experienced in the field of education as our Department of Education leader, or, or, or, or, or...

Teachers recognize the problems and we all feel like our hands are tied. We pour all of our energy into our classroom (including the cash from our own pockets) that it leaves little left at the end of the day. Is it really possible to make a change for the betterment of our students? Where we could actually help our struggling students struggle less? Or challenge our high ability learners? Or reach every student in every lesson, in every classroom across America? Or teach a student where he/she is academically?

When I read Salman Khan's book The One World Schoolhouse: A New Approach to Teaching and Learning these questions were answered! His ideas are unique and inspire creativity. His student-to-teacher interaction, a common sense approach, was exciting. And he takes the life-long learning philosophy to a whole new level. Reading his vision for education inspired me in my own classroom and as a teacher-mom. I saw the faults in the educational system in a whole new light and for once there were answers to these questions for my own classroom, but also gave hope knowing that changes can be made to benefit our future students, including my own young student. 

Seriously, educators, read this book and be inspired!

Weekly Writing Prompts [One Word Prompts]

My computer's tracking pad wigged out and I think I've finally figured out the issue, but until that happened I was unable to write and post anything. The mobile version of blogger is not especially user friendly. Thankfully, I've got it working. Hopefully it lasts until after Christmas. This season is expensive enough as it is!

With that said, one of the things I have scheduled weekly are writing prompts and I'm excited to share the first one: the first set of one word writing prompts.

One word has the ability to jog memory like smells, plus one simple word can blossom into many. What ideas come to mind when you read:

When I read dance, I think of the song we picked for our first dance as a married couple. It isn't the song itself, but the story behind the song I'd tell...

Journey brings so many incredible metaphors to mind! It's so easy to relate it to life.

And as I go down the list, I could easily write about what each word brings to mind. In your own classroom, model writing one of them and then let the students go.