Friday Freebie: Halloween Narrative

Don't be scared to teach your boys and "ghouls" about writing a narrative. Here's a treat that will help you teach the tricky standard W.K.3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
Students can draw in the flow chart and then write in the writing frame. Click here to get a copy! Then be sure to follow my TPT store so you'll know about future freebies!

Pizza! Pizza! Write All About It! (With Thinking Maps)

Mama Mia! Did you know that October is National Pizza Month?
We started this informational writing lesson with a great "pizza" literature! If you follow the Journeys curriculum, you're already familiar with Pizza at Sally's by Monica Wellington.

We brainstormed pizza toppings and made brace maps.

Next one of our sweet mama mias came to help us make real pizzas.

Next we illustrated flow maps to show the sequence of steps. This drawing helped us organize our thinking for our informational writing.

"I unwrapped the dough. I got a spoon and some sauce. I got some cheese."

"We stretched the dough. We spread the sauce. We sprinkled the cheese."

There was plenty of learning in every slice of this lesson. If you want to see more writing prompts with thinking charts like this one, place your order on TPT here!

Bright Ideas: Math Centers Triple Pocket Organizers

Upon taking inventory of my laminated centers, I've counted about a caboodle of them and that makes a kazillion parts and pieces. AND even though I had gracious plenty centers, I didn't have them handy when I needed to spend a few extra minutes with a struggling learner. 

Recently I found these nifty little plastic sleeves with double pockets and they've saved the day. 

For each center, I put the recording sheet and answer sheet or other large pieces in the largest pocket, the sleeve. I put all of the other pieces in the front pockets.

Finally, I put the centers in notebooks by skill, strand or season. For example, all of my centers for comparing numbers are right here ready to pull and use.

I got mine from Staples (three pocket sheet protector, item 952556).

If you like this tip, I hope you'll follow my blog, my Facebook page or my Pinterest boards. 

For more bright ideas from a variety of bloggers, browse the link up below. 

An InLinkz Link-up

It's Fall Y'all! Get Your Freebies!

Unbelievable! The freebies in this Facebook hop? The wonderful fall products posted by talented teachers?

Yes, but no. It's only 59 degrees this morning in Georgia. IT'S FALL, Y'ALL!!

To get started putting freebies in your bushel basket, just go to my Facebook page. Look for the Free For All tab on the left. 

And just because I'm so excited about the cooler weather down here, I'm putting the following products on sale through Monday.

Lift-the-Flap Writing Prompts

$1.50!

 Interactive High-Frequency Words Books
$1.25!

Products with Thinking Maps