FREE curriculum...

Yes...I said FREE!!!!

I just went to an EdTech Summit at a local college, and learned a few great things.

The TOP and probably most exciting for myself and my co-teacher was a website that was shared with us during a presentation by a 5th grade teacher.

I was pretty lucky and came from a county that had a massive (sometimes too much and overwhelming) amount of curriculum and materials. One thing that I really took for granted was the curriculum that was posted on their website developed and made by teachers. I loved the flow of the maps, and how the lessons lent themselves to "me being me" - allowing me to be a teacher, but addressing all the Common Core!

Fortunately being who I am, I made myself AWESOME binders that contained most of the lessons I loved and used.

So when we were showed this site, my co-teacher and I got excited. Our district (as you may have read prior) is/was looking for a new reading curriculum. We weren't the only teachers that were a little worried about "jumping the gun" when it came to adopting a new curriculum. We didn't want something that a company just slapped a common core sticker on and put it on the market. There also weren't many new common core curriculum out there that have been used and "tested". And as you may recall my worry was adopting a curriculum and being told I needed to have fidelity to the core!

Our district was starting to recognize the concerns of the teachers (WOW right). So a recent survey was sent out asking if we wanted to wait a year or get rid of the old adoption. I wanted both :)  Of course there was a section that asked if we didn't want a new curriculum this coming school year what suggestions did we have... (click below to go to the website)

It's a MASSIVE resource!!!!

To find plans aligned with Common Core for both ELA and Math click on the Common Core Curriculum and Assessments button at the top.

You will then see the Common Core Menu on the right.

Click on Common Core Curriculum, choose your subject area, then your grade level. Next you will see the modules that you can choose from!

For those of you still struggling with old adoptions, trying to make them fit common core, or have new adoptions with gaps...this is an amazing resource. I can't wait to dig deeper!

Let me know what you think!

A few updates!

There has been a TON on my plate lately. I managed to be awesome and fall down the stairs at work, in front of a 5th grade class. It was pretty epic, I must say. So after a week of swelling and two visits to a worker's comp. doctor, I am now in physical therapy. The PT informed me he thinks I have a small hairline fracture on my fibula. So no more gym workouts for me for at least another month and twice a week PT! Then a week later my kidneys decided to attack me and I was down for the count. The song that keeps running through my head is....


Thanks for all the help and advice about the LA/Reading adoption. It was narrowed down to three choices by the committee...from a short list given to us by the district (from Oregon Dept. of Ed). So thanks for the suggestions that weren't on the list, but those were our only options. The three are: Wonders, Journeys, and Reach. I'm leaning toward Journeys...I like the two "paths" that are given for the tradition anthology or using their series in Guided Reading.

Finally a follower (Marla) had read my post about paper slide videos earlier this year. Here is what she wrote:

Thank you so much for sharing the information about Paper Slide Videos.  I had never heard of them before.  I teach 5th grade in Texas and decided to have each of my students do an individual video to demonstrate something they had learned the first six weeks.  Everyone had to pick a different idea and it could be from any subject. 

They loved it!!!!  When we were through, we had 22 videos that reviewed all of our first six weeks of school.  We made a bulletin board with QR codes that were on a iPhone template and had it ready two days before our PTA program so parents could interact with it.  Thanks for turning me on to Schooltube also.  I did not know about that either!

My principal was so impressed and showed our superintendent when she visited our school.  The teachers at my school are all excited about it too.  One has already used the idea too!

Below are the pictures and QR codes she sent me! LOVE IT, thanks for sharing!

Reading Workshop vs. Anthology Textbook

As winter break comes to an end (boo), I am letting my brain slowly start thinking about school related things again. I began thinking about my upcoming meeting about a reading textbook adoption. Which brings some worry and concern. I have been doing Reading Workshop with a mix of Guided Reading for about three or four years now. I LOVE how I teach reading, using small groups, LOTS of picture books, reading centers (using pieces of Daily Five). I can use different texts and really dig into nonfiction. It does tend to be a little more work.

When I  was asked to be in the reading textbook adoption committee I had mixed emotions. I know that because of Common Core the district is wanting to find a reading "program" to replace the old textbook, and they are pretty firm about having a textbook. I figure it's better to be on the committee and be able to voice my opinion then just be handed a textbook, but I'm also not willing to give up my Reading Workshop.

So here are the textbooks that my district is looking into adopting. Have you heard of or used any of them?? I would love to get some thoughts and opinions!

Reach For Reading

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys

Benchmark Education Company Whole and Small Group 

McGraw Hill Reading Wonders

Scott Foresman Reading Street