Monday, September 1, 2014

Reading Fair Update

All summer long I meant to post an update on my end-of-the-year Reading Fair project. I guess I got a little too caught up in the freedom of summer and here we are already into the next school year...and still no update!! Well, I am going to keep this short, but I wanted to make sure I posted pictures of some of my favorite Reading Fair projects.

My students did an AWESOME job with this project!! It was obvious that some were better than others and obviously some parents helped and some didn't, but overall almost everyone met my goals of creating a project that represented their book and displayed the information about their book correctly (see previous post for details http://thetrustingteacher.blogspot.com/2014/05/reading-fair.html).

Here are some examples from my 4th graders last year:

Sounder (although this student had an incredible set up, complete with a replica of the setting and blinking lights around the board....she definitely left off the "r" in Sounder)


Because of Win-Dixie- how cute is this display of the front doors of the Winn Dixie!!




Waiting for the Magic- this student was and incredible artist who duplicated the cover on the inside of the board and created it so when you closed up the board there was a picture of the dog from the book (it was difficult to take a picture that accurately showed how cool it was)

When the Butterflies Came


Word After Word- how awesome is this display of important things from the story! 

Holes- covered the board in fake sand and shovels

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- with candy and a recreation of the book cover


The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School- all the students' names from the book are around this student's rendition of the cover




The School Story- 3D!


Shooting the Moon- included a display of a battle at the base of the poster and used tiny moon replicas for the O's in the title


The School Story

The Lemonade Crime- unique display of fake lemons, lemonade glass, and other replicas of important things from the book!


I hope these examples might give you some great ideas for implementing this project in your classroom!

With love,
Barbara

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Reading Fair

The last two weeks of school are finally here!! The thought is overjoying, yet a little bittersweet & and totally terrifying because...what am I doing to occupy my students' time and not let myself be driven absolutely out of my mind?!

We have been working on a Reading Fair project for the past month after STAAR testing (Texas' state standardized test) finished. I LOVE IT. I got the idea from one of the teachers on my team and have been using 3rd Grade's a Hoot's (www.3rdgradesahoot.blogspot.com) incredible resource that has everything already ready to go!

How do you put together a Reading Fair? It's simple, student led, and promotes independent research a.k.a. literally the best for teachers at the end of the year and the kids are getting to show off their creativity and reading skills!

1st I introduced the project. I defined what a Reading Fair is: similar to a Science Fair, except each student will read their own novel (pre-approved from out classroom library) and use it to research literary elements and write a book review to assemble on a tri-fold board.
Check out tons of examples on Google or Pintrest when you just type in: Reading Fair
Google: Reading Fair Images
Pintrest: Reading Fair

2nd I gave them each their own Reading Fair packet and we went through it step by step together! I added my own due dates and rules as they applied.
Check it out here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Fair-Project-Packet-682224

3rd We created Reading Fair folders to contain everything we will be working on in class and to be able to easily transport materials back and forth from home to school. We just stapled two pieces of construction paper (one "hot dog" and one "hamburger" style) together and we had our folders! My kids loved these because the folders even create a pocket they could keep their books in!




4th We started working! During independent reading time they were all reading their novels (they also read these at home) and each day we focused on completing a different page or piece of the Reading Fair packet (covers lots of skills- great review). After the packet was completed we typed up all the info. to get ready to go on their poster boards!
*I created a Word Editable Template to allow my students to type their own novel info. directly from their Reading Fair packet over my example so that I could ensure they had the right format and would include the correct info. You can find it on my TPT store for free here: TPT Example Poster Template

5th We are currently finishing our typing and piecing our boards together. I wanted to ensure that every student had the materials necessary to complete the project (no one should be punished for not being able to buy supplies) so I sent home tagboard (like poster board) with every student and we folded it to make mini tri-fold boards. But, many of them have bought larger tri-fold boards and extra materials as well. We are going to set them up around the room and enjoy all the success of our end of year labor at our fair on Friday!

Here's my example with the tagboard I gave them:


*This example was made in a hurry so it is not perfect! It is missing a drawing/mosaic/3-D image that relates to my novel. I merely used it as an example to show students what their bare minimum effort should look like. It turned out to be a great example to use because we went over the project rubric and determined what I had, what I was missing, and guesstimated what grade I would have gotten!

Love,
Barbara

P.S. Kid Quote:
The other week we had Career Day at my school and one of the career stations my class went to was for the Houston Fire Department. I felt certain my students were trying to set me up with one of the firefighters since they were all telling him my first name (serious stuff lol). My suspicions were confirmed this week when one of my students told me "Ms. Cantwell, that firefighter had a huge crush on you. Seriously, that firefighter's heart was on fire for you and you are the only one who can put it out!!"


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

This is it.

This is it, it's the end of the school year. The end of my first year of teaching. I can't believe it. It has flown by. Everyone tells you it's going to fly by, but I'm not sure your brain really ever believes them. But, they were right. We still have about 4 weeks left until the last day, but it is approaching fast! I realize it's is a bit ironic starting my blog at the end of the school year when things are starting to wrap up, but I couldn't wait any longer.

Last night, I was in the middle of an evening run when God stopped me dead in my tracks and I found myself standing directly in front of a huge house with a soccer goal and built in soccer field. I couldn't stop thinking about how my students, one in particular, could only dream of living in a home like this. My heart was broken with the injustice and cruelty of poverty. Three times I started to tear up and start crying as God called me to walk and pray with Him, instead of running blindly past these dreams of my students. I held back tears each time, knowing that if I let them pour out I would be sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of suburbia (and that's just awkward). With every emotion and feeling I had inside me all I wanted to do was to give my students my everything. If they haven't been blessed with the material opportunities to grow up in their dream home with a soccer field, then how much more of myself can I give to them to show them that they are provided for and loved? How much more can I pray for their hearts to not learn the common learned helplessness of poverty? How can I enable them to be successful? How can I not become apathetic and obsessed with my own problems? As I wrestled with these questions, I began to ask God for a direction for this excessive passion that was consuming me. For, I believe that He has created me for something more than a job that my selfish desires can tend to treat carelessly (and this job contains 43 of His own precious creations). This is where I'm at. The main reason I'm starting this blog is to show God's redeeming love and purpose in all things (especially in the heart of any teacher who trusts in Him), be honest, real, encouraging, innovative, share resources, and learn from other blogging teachers how be continually better at this profession that is changing the lives of the next generation.

One of my goals in starting this blog is for motivation for myself to create and post new products for teachers to be able to use in their classroom through my Teachers Pay Teachers account (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Trusting-Teacher) and to be an encouragement based on how God is continuing to show me how to TRUST Him in my classroom and beyond every single day. I want to show what I am doing in my classroom throughout the year with the small hope that other teachers searching for something (whether it be content or encouragement) would find it here. As a first year teacher this past year (2013-2014) the internet has been my most helpful resource (besides my wonderful team and specialists) in gathering materials and engaging ideas and I really want to be able to give back to this virtual teacher community in the hopes that we would all become stronger and more innovative and creative teachers because of it.

With love,
Barbara

Oh, also my wonderful, sweet, and inspiring parents sent me flowers today at school for the end of my first year! They are the best! Although, all my students are convinced a secret admirer sent them...or as one student exclaimed a "Cinco de Mayo-er."