Reading Journal

I’ve been working on reading journals today. Many of my students have trouble identifying the Main Idea of a story.

So here are a few journal ideas to help solidify locating the “Main Idea”

This flip book shows the students the steps they need to do, to identify the main idea. 

 This “Pocket Full of Main Ideas” Uses the story “The Great Kapok Tree”.  Students write 2 facts and 2 opinions about the story.  Remember the opinions should be the author’s opinion.

The final pocket contains the main idea in the student’s own words formed by reading the facts and opinions.

Classroom Décor

I decided to make a “Reading Nook” for my students in my classroom.  I have an old unused classroom heater under my window in the room.  The past few years I’ve used it as a really nice size shelf….but now, I want a Reading Nook.  

So….here it is sitting in my garage ready to be assembled!

The heater is about 18 inches deep and 3 foot tall.

The tall pieces of wood that I painted green and covered the tops with striped denim (to avoid splinters on the portion the kids will lean against) will be screwed into the sides of the heater.  The students will sit on the heater and lean their back against the wood.

The bench I painted and recovered is an old piano bench I found. My husband cut off about 5 inches from the legs.  Students (2 small ones) can sit on here and lean against the front of the heater and read.  Students will also use the bench to access the top of the heater. The top of the heater will hold 2 students.  Each student will lean against one of the boards. I embroidered the pillows I made.  The students will use them while in the Reading Nook

  

Teacher Interview: 1^st day of school

Make up index cards with only the answers to the questions on them.  Pass out the index cards to students.  Play “Who Has? I Have.”  Ask the class…..”Who thinks they have the card with the answer to this question: What is my favorite color?”  As each student answers, open up the conversation and discuss this part of your life.

When a student gives you the correct answer, take their card, but ask them a similar question and let them share with the class.

These are the questions I’ve decided to use.  Be sure you have a question for every student.

Gracie

1.    Name of my horse…..Gracie

2.   Name of my daughter’s horse….Lady

3.   My youngest daughter’s name….Katie

4.   What I live on….farm

5.   My house cat’s name….Lily

6.   Another profession I have…..Artist

7.   One of my favorite hobbies….quilting

8.   My favorite subject in school…..Reading

9.   My least favorite subject in school…Math

10.  The subject I think is easiest to teach…..Math

11.   The hardest subject I think it is to teach….Grammar

12.  My favorite author….Lois Lowry

13.  My favorite chapter book…The Giver

14.  My favorite picture book…The other side of the fence

15.  My favorite color….green

16.  My daughter’s and Mrs. Hereford’s favorite color…..Purple

17.  How many children have I raised? …7

18.  How many total animals do I have?   11

19.  How long have I taught 4^th grade? …..5 years

20.  What irritates me the most from students?........ Not trying

21.  Do we have homework on the weekends?  ……No.

22.  How much homework do we have?..... Depends on how you do in class

23.  What is the most important award in my classroom? …..Citizenship!

24.  What is my favorite food?.....  chocolate

Math Journal

I Love this journal page!  The clip art is PERFECT!!!

   

Mayree…

Math Journal

Below are some more math journal pages I’ve made.  My kids are really enjoying them.  I want to remind everyone that these are not ORIGINAL ideas.  As with all teachers, we search the internet, read old books and magazines and search for new and old ways to reach our children.   Some of these ideas I would say are “original” to me, but I’m sure I have seen them somewhere!   Please share any of these ideas with fellow teachers. 

Mayree…

 

Reading Journal

Open Ended Questions

4^th grade is a time for learning to answer open-ended questions with a perfect paragraph.  Students learn to restate the question as a statement, add two detail sentences and a closing sentence that restates the topic. 

My students answer 3 open-ended questions every week.  As the first grading period comes to an end, they are proficient in changing questions into statements and writing good paragraphs.

 (A wee bit stilted, but perfect)

Mayree…

Reading Journal

Vocabulary Work!

“Give Me Five” can be used for prefixes, suffixes and root words.  It can also be used for Writing on “Who, What, Where, When and Why”

Click here for Give Me Five--> Give Me Five

Mayree…

All About Me…Fact and Opinion

Divide students into pairs.  Students will interview each other and then complete the worksheet.

On the worksheet they must write 3 interesting facts about their partner and 3 positive opinions they formed about their partner.

Next, turn the worksheets into the teacher.

After you have checked the work, hand it back out the the student that it was written about and let them cut it out and put it in their journals.

Click here for Worksheet-->  Fact and Opinion About Me