Before you start speaking or writing, you must consider your audience. We adults understand this and automatically do it without giving it a second thought. Students, on the other hand, sometimes don't realize that there is a formal register and an informal register in English. Therefore, teachers must explicitly teach students how and when to use the two registers. In this post, I'll be giving you some tips and sharing some freebies you can use when you introduce this topic to your students. Introduction to Formal/Informal Language I would begin this lesson by using my document camera to display the posters below. After students have read the two speech bubbles, I'd direct them to compare and contrast the two characters' speech with a partner. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THESE POSTERS FOR FREE! Following this partner discussion, I would state that there are two types of English: formal and informal. After defining formal and informal, I would ask stude......

If you're like me, you've read your share of rough drafts that were vague and difficult to follow. Student-authors often forget that the reader was not present when the event took place, and the author fails to develop important details that will help the reader visualize the scene. Over the years, I have come to realize that most students will benefit from receiving explicit instruction on how to expand dull, short sentences in a way that will help the reader picture the event they are describing. Today, I am going to outline a minilesson that focuses on expanding sentences. #1- Outline the problem. We stood outside for twenty minutes. After writing that sentence on the board, ask students to judge whether it's a strong sentence or a weak sentence. You'll likely receive a mix of answers, as some students will rate it as "strong" because it doesn't contain any misspelled words or errors that need to be edited. Other students, however, w......

When I attended classes to earn my ESL endorsement, one of the first ELL-friendly strategies I learned was to employ graphic organizers. However, teachers who use graphic organizers with their students will attest to the fact that graphic organizers are beneficial tools to use with ALL students, not just English language learners and students with disabilities.  Why are they such powerful tools? Graphic organizers provide visual representations of cognitive processes. These visual cues help students organize concepts in a way that will aid in retention. Students can actually SEE relationships and connections between facts and concepts. Graphic organizers improve comprehension. Students are able to break down bigger concepts into smaller, more understandable chunks of information.  Graphic organizers increase student engagement. When filling out a graphic organizer, students are actively participating and contributing to the learning process. Because of these benefi......

During our historical fiction unit , we give students the opportunity to do a unique type of narrative writing.  They take a key "scene" from one of the books we have read (either as a read aloud or their book club novel) and rewrite a scene from a different character's point of view.  To really guide and scaffold their work, I wrote my own narrative from our read aloud as they wrote theirs, modeling each step of the process along the way.  I love that by having the storyline more established, students could focus on some of the other details involved in writing quality narratives. Planning our Narratives It was the perfect time for us to review some key narrative writing skills and strategies .  We did mini lessons on planning our draft (I LOVE using sticky notes for students to write "micro" events that flow...so easy to rearrange or remove), on working in sensory details, a review of dialogue strategies and techniques, and how to write a quality lead. ......

Hi there! It’s Deb Hanson from  Crafting Connections , and I've decided to share an adverbs anchor chart and free printable with you today. First, however, allow me to express my dismay. Did you know that adverbs are specifically mentioned in the 2nd grade Common Core State Standards, but are not named in 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th grade standards?!? This puzzles me. To fully understand the purpose of adverbs, students must first have a firm grasp on nouns, verbs, and adjectives. I must admit, I don't know many second graders who possess that strong necessary foundation! In fact, I have found that most upper elementary and middle school students are easily tripped up by adverbs. Just a few weeks ago, I overheard my daughters (a 5th grader and a 7th grader) moaning about adverbs. My fifth grader was really struggling to complete her language assignment (that focused on adverbs), and my seventh grader stated how "bad at adverbs" she was, too. After helping Brooke comp......

When it comes to complex sentences, things quickly become... well... complex . At the mere mention of independent clauses, dependent clauses, and subordinating conjunctions, many young eyes immediately glaze over. One year, when I was about to introduce the topic of complex sentences to my fifth graders, I decided on a whim to use an image of a nurse helping a patient walk. I was amazed  by how much this simple image helped my students. I told them that the nurse in the picture was like the independent clause. Just as the nurse can stand alone, so also can an independent clause "stand alone" as a complete sentence. Then I told my students that the patient with the crutch leaning against the nurse was like the dependent clause. The patient could clearly not stand on his own, just as a dependent clause cannot stand alone, either. A dependent clause depends on the independent clause to help it be part of a complete sentence. This idea resonated so well with my students that ......

Let’s talk math anchor charts! For me, strategy anchor charts serve as an important visual aid for students throughout the school year. They are so helpful because they display different representations and students can use them as support when explaining a particular strategy. They are also provide a collection of mathematical representations. I've noticed that sometimes my students couldn't explain their thinking and reasoning. Have you ever experienced this? When teaching math, a variety of representations and models should be introduced, discussed, and connected to support students in this area. The models and representations displayed on an anchor chart can serve as a springboard for student explanations. Now that we’ve talked about the benefits of using math strategy anchor charts, let’s look at a few helpful tips when using them: Tip #1: Model with Manipulatives 1st When introducing a math problem to your students, give them time to repres......