Manic Monday Teacher Freebie

Hello Everybody! Linking up with Charity Preston at Classroom Freebies for 

Manic Monday! 

Here's a Freebie from my 

2nd Grade Informational Text Unit. 

The full unit has 40 passages. 

Over 300 pages! 

In it you will find that each passage comes with and without border. The passage without the border is to be used for Close Reading procedures such as annotating in the margins and text coding. All of the passages are 2nd grade level (DRA 18-28) however can be used for any grade. High firsties or thirds needing remediation. The passages with the border makes super CUTE homework, center work, morning work, or any time work. 

What will you get?

40 Passages each with:

2 pages of text dependent questions

2 text evidence graphic organizers

Full answer key

The unit also comes with 20 pages of Close Reading tools.

Click here to go straight to the full product. 

Click the images below to go straight to the SAMPLE freebie! 

You can use these passages as assessments. 

How? Why? 

Because each question is aligned to the Common Core Standards. This unit focuses on RI.1, RI.2, RI.4. Other standards are addressed but those are the majority of them.

The two pages of text dependent questions have "Form A" and "Form B" written on the bottom right. This makes it easy for you to use for Standards Based Grading.

The standards are printed either right next to the question or at the top. The standard is printed at the top is when all the questions on that page align to that one standard. 

The full unit is full of engaging Informational Texts! 

Storybook Saturday and Clipart Giveaway

Hello everybody! Today I'm linking up with Paula's Place for Storybook Saturday. But first congrats to Tammy @ Dots of Fun! for hitting 700 followers. Her clipart ROCKS! To celebrate, she is having an amazing clipart giveaway. Go check it out! 

If you follow my blog you know that my family recently acquired ownership of a new puppy. When we picked him up last week he was really, really, REALLY… Well, let's just say… Not white. 

Now he's a sparkly clean white dog! Just as white as snow! So the book I'm sharing today is one of my son's favorites. I probably read it 20 times. He's one of those kids that love reading the same book over and over again. Even with somewhere around 1,000 books that he can get his hands on--- he just reads the same ones again and again. Right now it's Pink and Say by Patricia Polacko. But, when he was around 5 he loved Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion. 

Here's the very Fabulous Betty White reading it. I can never get enough of Betty! 

I love, love, love www.storylineonline.net. They are now on You Tube! 

When you're done here check out Paula's Place. There, you will find Halloween themed books and so much more! 

Fun Friday

It's been a wonderful week in the Harrod household! 

Today I'm linking up with Doodlebugs because I love sharing, venting, and reflecting about my week.

I created a whole bunch of Freebies. 

Today I'm going to highlight one for the link up on Freebie Friday! 

Words can't express how much time goes into the things I share. The majority of the time spent is on researching. With that said, I decided to make this FREEBIE to demo a "sample" of what can be found in my Interactive Notebooks. 

With this FREEBIE I made an anchor chart to supplement any lesson on Text Features. 

 Here are some pictures of the inside of the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Grade Notebooks.

Aligned to 2nd Grade Common Core Standards: Informational Text Only is this unit. I made it on Sunday. Well, I didn't make it Sunday but I finished it on Sunday. 

There are 40 passages aligned to 2nd grade.

Each passage has 2 pages of Text Dependent Questions and 2 graphic organizers. 

Full answer key is also included! 

20 Pages of Close Reading Tools from my Best Selling Close Reading Toolkit are also included. 

We graciously took over ownership of my newest best friend! I call him "Puppy". My son calls him "Mac" from the Predator movie. My daughter calls him "Winter". My oldest calls him "Beast". Really?!?

He's so good! I don't know where or how my boys thought up such crazy names. 

Here we are tubing! 

My brother who recently returned from Japan bought a tube. One of his buddies that also returned from Japan bought a boat. They took us out to a private lake in Jacksonville for a fun day! I was brave enough to get on boat but just couldn't muster the guts to get on the tube. This was our 2nd trip to Jax in the last month. The kids had a great time! 

Here they are just getting started! Fun, fun, fun!!! 

I would love to have a boat one day! 

It's homecoming week and having kids at different high schools is more work than I ever expected it to be. 

We had dress shopping! 

Decorations! 

A swim meet! 

Two football games! 

All the while, I was determined to make sure that we start spending what I call a "Quiet Hour" together. 

TV is off--- phones are put away--- No Xbox--- 

Bibles are on the dinner table and we all read! 

My youngest has to read aloud. 

I constantly make him stop, think, and reflect. 

He needs to improve his reading comprehension skills so, in addition to working on things I create--- I thought that this would be the best way to instill the Word yet get the much needed reading practice. We've tried this before and somehow it fizzled out. Perhaps things get so busy with school that we are simply forgetting the important things. My oldest boy can read the bible all day long. My girl--- well… Let me just say that I hope we are able to keep this going. We all need it! 

5 for Fri. w/ a Freebie

Congratulatory Celebrations for Shanon B.! She won my 2nd Grade Interactive Reading Notebook.

Linking up with Charity Preston @ Teaching Blog Addict for Freebie Friday the 13th. 

My freebie for today is a sample of my Superhero Unit. 

My Five for Friday will feature 5 items I've recently updated. 

1. In this unit, which is still at 50% off, you will find 24 September themed passages. 

As we learn about Close Reading we are learning that annotating right on the text is critical. Text coding and marking for different purposes over the course of days is a must. So I decided to go into all my units and duplicate each passage so that you receive one with a border and one without a border so that you can implement Close Reading procedures. 

I first started with this simple September Unit. It is an informational text unit that has a 

 Table of Contents has the dates of each special day. This makes it easy for you to figure out when to use the passages. To make it easy for you to navigate I hyperlinked each title so that when you click the title you will go directly to the page. No need for scrolling to find what you need. All you do is click and you will be right there. Isn't that efficient. 

The titles of the passages are: 

1. Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15th - Oct.15th)
2. Better Breakfast Month
3. Grandparent's Day (1st Sunday after Labor Day)
4. Classical Music Month
5. Labor Day -1st Monday of September
6. Teddy Bear Day -Sept. 9th 
7. Video Game Day -Sept. 12th
8. Uncle Sam Day -Sept. 13th
9. International Chocolate Day -Sept. 13th 
10. Mayflower Day -Sept. 16th 
11. National Play-Doh Day -Sept. 17th 
12. Constitution Day -Sept. 17th
13. Citizenship Day -Sept. 17th 
14. Rice Krispies Treats Day -Sept. 18th

2. Then I went in and updated this 40 Passage Unit unit so that you have a text with border and a text without border. This unit has much more complex text than the unit above. The questions are more rigorous as well. Making it ideal for assessment purposes. It's over 340 pages too. 

3. After doing the above I had to go in and update my Bundle of 3 Bundles. I can't tell you how hard it is to keep doing all these updates. Aye, aye, aye! 

By getting the Bundle of 3 Bundles you would save over $50. 

4. Here's an example of the Apple unit that is in the units above. 

Recently I also updated the cover below. How cute is that!?! 

That was made with 3am Teacher and Library Fox Graphics. Totally awesome artists!

5. Oops! I had something here but I removed it. Sometimes I have to watch what I say. 

. 

Thank you to Doodle Bugs for giving me a place to vent each week.  

I'm sure the purpose of the linking is not venting but that seems to be what I always end up doing.  

Freebie & Pin 2 Win

Hello everybody! In this post is a FREEBIE and a Pin to Win the newest 24/7 Teacher product. But first I'd like to publicly ask for help. The font on my post and headers is driving me nuts. I've tried and tried to fix it but I can't. I've even asked around and everyone seems to busy. So if you're interested in helping I can pay you anything you want. So if you're interested in helping me out please send an email to harrod.amy@icloud.com. Thanks! I will be eternally grateful to whomever is willing to lend a hand. 

Linking up with Charity Preston for

Manic Monday @ Classroom Freebies

Her Manic Monday teacher linky party is one of the best places to go to collect free teaching materials. I'd say that her Freebie Friday link up would be the next best place for teacher freebies! 

This freebie is Interactive Reading Notebook Tabs. 

Click here or the images of the tabs to see the FREEBIE.

I am proud to announce the newest product for 2nd Grade. 

I 100% whole heartedly endorse this product to be in every Second Grade classroom that implements Common Core. 

My husband, who is also a teacher, was editing. While editing he said something along the lines of, "Wow! Some of my kids don't know this material when they reach me. If everyone used this then we would be sure that our kids had the material presented in a fashion that they can refer to for life." 

My son who is in 12th grade still has his Interactive Notebooks from middle school. He probably would have kept elementary ones if he used them in elementary. I don't think they were super popular back then. Note: The ones that he has are not any where near the caliber of this unit.

My daughter who is in 9th grade refers to her Interactive Notebooks all the time. We are in the fourth week of school so it seems like they are already pretty well developed. (Shh… After looking at hers it's easy to see that there is a market for upper grades resources.) I'm not going to tackle that one but if you are familiar with upper grades common core then go for it. Not trying to hurt anyones feelings… I'm just saying. 

It's listed at 50% off today. 

Pick it up if you teach 2nd grade or Pin It to Win It. 

Just leave your pin url in the comment section below along with your email. I will choose a winner Friday. If you do pick it up now you can still Pin to Win and choose another prize when I email you. :) 

Because the comment boxes below are weird feel free to email the pins to the email at the top of this post. I can also use someone who would like to fix my comments. I'm just throwing my hands up on this one. If you want the job send me an email. 

Click the images to see more!  

Pin Away!

To pin hover over the image and a pin button will be on the top left of the image. :) 

The best part about this unit is that it's extremely efficient for the teacher. 

• The pages don't need to be shrunk. 
• There isn't much cutting as the standard is right on the page. 
• There are engaging, kid tested flap books, fold-ables, and flip-ups. 
• Every Common Core Reading Standard is covered independently. Foundational Skills, Informational Text, and Literature. 
• Every page comes pre-filled and filled. Making it easy for you to differentiate. So if you take a look at the image directly above this section of the post you will see the roller coaster sample. The two pages for that standard is featured there. You can see that one has the writing and the other doesn't--- it only has the picture of the roller coaster and the standard. 
• Every anchor page has the standard right on it. 

Save Time, Plan Less! 

 Please don't pin this preview. It's only for the blog post. 

Please don't pin this preview. 

I'm just including it in this blog post so you can see more! 

Next up is my linky for Made it Monday with Fourth Grade Frolics. 

I don't make very many things. I'm not crafty. Well- I'm crafty on a computer but not crafty in real life. Needless to say I love, love, love looking at all the cool crafts everyone does for the Made it Monday Linkup. Click here to go check out all the cool things teachers create at Fourth Grade Frolics. 

There is also a really cool Rafflecopter Mega Giveaway over there. A must see! 

So I didn't make anything but I did want to show you all this. I "Made" my kids spend some of their time this weekend cleaning up our deck and pool area. 

The palm trees dropped what could have been thousands of little balls (I know they are seeds) all over the deck. It was crazy and stinky! 

The kids did a great job! I'm so proud of their hard work! 

I am blessed beyond words!!! 

It looks AWESOME! 

5 4 Fri. & a Freebie

Today I'm linking up with Charity Preston over at the Teaching Blog Addict for The First Freebie Friday of September. 

It honors me to say that my post from last week is featured there. How totally cool is that? 

Click here to go have some fun and check out all the Freebies. 

Click here to take a look at my FREEBIE for this Friday. 

Another fantabulous blogger I'm linking up with is Doodlebugs! 

This is one of my favorite teacher linky parties because this is where I find out that I'm totally normal. At this teacher link up you list FIVE random things from your week. I love learning about what others are doing, and seeing that they are having the same struggles as I am. 

Click here to join the party or just explore.  

My Five Randoms include: 

1. I've been featured at Teaching Blog Addicts Freebie Friday.

2. My daughter's football team lost. I love, love, love watching football. Wish I could be afforded the opportunity to coach. Okay, so they played my son's school (which is ironic). You might be thinking I don't live with my kids. But no--- don't think that--- I've been married to their Dad for 18 years. See, our son is in an advanced cyber security program in the STEM Academy at the only high school in our area of Florida that offers it and our daughter is, well… normal. 

She's a normal girl that loves to cheer. 

So she goes to a normal school down the block from us.

I hope this isn't coming off negative. I love her dearly and am so happy she's mine. 

She cooks, cleans and does everything at home I don't have time to do. 

3. I stayed mentally sane yesterday because I didn't have to dart from sport to sport across the city because my son's swim meet was cancelled. Although it was incredibly, scorching hot yesterday afternoon. I think I would have liked to get into the AC of the car. 

4. I cleaned my kitchen cabinets! I threw out a bunch of expired stuff and am planning to donate the rest to our church. I like to restock the shelves once a year. I'm a little bit of a prepper. But that's another story I can leave for when the Walking Dead comes back. Oohhh! I can't wait! Because it's September that means October is almost here and I can't wait until the season premier! 

5. Bought my baby girl the cutest thing for her birthday which was this week. 

She's probably the only cheerleader to get a present like this. 

Yes, this is the only thing we gave her. Why? Because if times ever get rough, which they were before we finished college, she won't be shocked or remember a time when she was showered with gifts. Gifting is fun but it's important to not only remember where you come from but to honor the hard work by not glorifying it and staying humble. 

Baby girl's birthday gift: An X-Box controller. (We really needed an extra one, too!) 

I put it on the table to surprise her at breakfast time. 

She was so excited and wanted to get right to playing. 

So that's my week. I can't wait to go visit others to see what they're up to! 

Have a wonderful weekend everybody! 

Don't work too hard!!!

TDQs

Hello Everyone! Today is BIG day at my house!!! Today we're celebrating our daughter's birthday. Today is her first day cheering at a high school football game. Today, our son has a swim meet as a Senior and Captain. Today my youngest has to finish a class project due tomorrow. Today is BIG, BIG day and I still need to do my hair. 

Today (ugh, I feel like I've said that a thousand times) Well, today I'm linking up with superstar Erin at I'm Lovin Lit for Thursday Throwdown: Ways to Make Learning More Interactive. So after you're done here check out her blog to check out other teachers with ways to make learning more interactive. Did I mention that she is giving away the cutest set of clipart for all that link up.  She's giving away chalkboard frames and they are simply ADORABLE! She's so sweet!!! 

I've re-released my Interactive Math Notebook Supplement Pack on Facebook. 

Now for my bloggy friends here it is! 

The new and improved Interactive Math Notebook/ Journal Supplement Pack!  

My 3rd Grade Interactive Reading Notebook Toolkit is a gem. Well, at least I think so and judging by the feedback left so far I think other people do too. Click the image to take a peek. Feel free to help me get the word out and PIN AWAYYYYYYY. 

I maintained integrity to 3rd Grade Literature, Informational Text and Foundational Skill standards. I've used Interactive Notebooks for years… I've attended and facilitated my own Interactive Notebooking workshops. At my last one I was observed by district personal. I don't usually sweat but that day I did and that's a whole other story I can leave for another day. As for "Today", there it is again I'm sticking with material. 

There are many sites where you can find "Informational Texts". :) 

However, they most likely don't have Text Dependent Questions aligned to Common Core. 

Text dependent questions and building students that are "Text Dependent" is critical. 

As stated in Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards "Text Complexity" has increased. Just take a look in Appendix A to see the increases per grade level. 

You can find many FREE passages at the 24/7 Teacher Store. 

Click the images below to see some of the bigger units. 

The image above is my newest unit with passages that have text dependent questions. 

Here are some tips on how to use Informational Texts in a lesson. 

Step One: Read aloud straight through once. It's okay to do this! 

Step Two: Reread with a purpose. This is where students will be able to learn whatever your purpose for reading is. Sample purposes: vocabulary, concepts, text structure, processes and the list can go on. 

Step Three: This step can be combined with Step Two! Read Closely!!! It's the first two words in the Common Core Anchor Standards. Code the text, annotate right on the text or with sticky notes, model how to extract and use information. 

Step Four: Remember to do Step 3 & 4 multiple times for different purposes. Multiple re-readings for different purposes is a fundamental practice! ((That wasn't the best sentence but I think my point is getting across clearly. Can you tell I don't have a lot of time here?))

Click the image below to see my Text Dependent Stems and Frames unit aligned to Anchor Standards. Use these questions when you're building assessments or during a Close Reading session. 

Use these questions for use with passages you may find on other sites. 

These will ensure that your students are receiving high quality text dependent questions that will elicit your students to cite text evidence to become "Text Dependent". 

That's it everyone! 

Have a wonderful day and a very blessed Thursday!!!