How to Make a Portable Word Wall

If you want to make a portable word wall 

in your classroom...

1. See a portable word wall in a 

colleague's classroom.

2. Research the portable word wall and 

see an example of one on Pinterest.  All word cards are sorted by the letter of the alphabet and stored on a one inch book ring.  Each book ring is hung on its own (removable) hook in alphabetical order across the wall under the chalk ledge.  

3. Go to www.djinkers.com and purchase alphabet border and printer pages.  Create the ABC covers for each book ring.  Find an amazing site with free flashcards, www.uniqueteachingresources.com

4. Heidi McDonald has created the site, Unique Teaching Resources and it is a goldmine.  Heidi has grouped the Fry Words in lists of 100 words.  Each set includes the list, a student profile list, weekly word lists and color-coded flashcards.  Run the flashcards on cardstock and cut them out.  Three-hole punch the cards and sort the cards according to the letters of the alphabet.  Put all of the letters cards on their correct letter card ring.  Hang the 26 removable hooks on the wall and hang the portable letter card rings in alphabetical order on the hooks!  

I have attached a copy of the ABC cover cards, a full-size word work journal and a smaller -version of the word work journal.  Get your copy HERE.  

Looking for Rigor and DOK Resources?

If you are looking for Rigor and DOK resources, look no more.  I have collected a number of resources on Bloom's taxonomy and Webbs Depth of Knowledge but I have put my top 25 picks in one document for you to peruse.  I hope you find it helpful.  Also, check out my free DOK posters right on this blog!

Download Top 25 Picks Here!

I just reloaded this as a Word document.  
I checked all the hyperlinks again. 
Email me if you have any trouble.
penny.lund@att.net

Planning Your Own Differentiated Instruction Workshop!

I recently created and facilitated a worked on Differentiated Instruction That Works. The hardest part about planning for professional development is creating the framework for the presentation.  Once you have the framework, you can do your research and synthesize all the materials into the framework.  I created this workshop on Differentiated Instruction for the administrators and lead teachers from each building in one of the districts where I provide professional development.  Also this professional development is different from any workshop that I have ever facilitated because every document, video, or webinar is hyperlinked in the agenda for the participants.  Participants had the freedom within each session to view the webinars and the view and/or read the attached documents.  Each session ended with embedded activities for reflecting on the takeaways from within each session.  In addition, each session ended with participants creating goals and action steps in a schoolwide action plan to ensure the implementation of differentiated instruction.  I am sharing the hyperlinked agenda, including copies of all of the posters.  The DI Message Frames are available FREE and this workshop is available for purchase at my TPT store.  So, no matter if you are going to facilitate a workshop on differentiated instruction, or are looking for resources for your classroom or improving professional practice, this is a great resource on differentiated instruction all in one place!

Resources:  How to Differentiate in a Mixed-Ability Classroom, Carol Tomlinson, 2001

 Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom, Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau, 2010                                     

 Step 1:  I created the framework. The presentation is divided into four sessions:

1.       Getting Started With Differentiated Instruction

2.       Managing Differentiated Instruction

3.       Low-Prep Strategies

4.       Community of Practice School Action Plan

Step 2: I created a two-column agenda that is organized into sections for each of the sessions.  Each session had an opening activity and a closing activity for reflection.  Each session was part of creating a schoolwide action plan.  As I listed each item on the agenda in column one, I attached the appropriate document, video or webinar hyperlink.  Right before the workshop, I emailed the hyperlinked agenda to each of the participants.  Each participant then had control over what they took away from each session.  I just facilitated the workshop as we as teachers facilitate learning in our classrooms. 

Step 3:  I created all of the posters and workshop materials including a handout.  The posters include: Belief Statements about DI, DI Message Frames, Hot Spots in a Differentiated Classroom. I also created a sample Choice Board and a sample Learning Profile Pre-Assessment (pictured below)

Sample Learning Profile Pre-Assessment (Opening Activity)

Webb's Depth of Knowledge & DOK Posters FREEBIE!

Everybody is talking about RIGOR or asking, "What is rigor?"  If you do any research on rigor, you will find that rigor does not mean difficulty.  Instead rigor means the level of mental processing that must occur to answer a question, perform a task or generate a product.   Two widely used measures of rigor are Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth of Knowledge Levels.  Both measures of rigor go from the simple to the complex. Karen Hess' Cognitive Rigor Matrix integrates these models as a strategy for analyzing the level of teacher lessons and assessments.  Bloom's verbs indicate the level of performance or the level of questioning.  Webb's Depth of Knowledge focuses on the complexity of standards in order to successfully complete an assessment or a task.  The outcome (product) is the focus of the depth of understanding.  

In my district, we have been using Karen Hess' Cognitive Rigor Matrix to map out our learning events in our UbD units  This matrix allows you to map out your lessons and assessments to ensure a balance at all levels.  Certainly there is a place for recall and reproduction or routine thinking, but this matrix can be used for "tweaking" some of our lessons to make them more rigorous.  When you unpack the Common Core Standards, look at the verbs and align the standard with the level of Bloom's taxonomy.  Then check out what follows the verb to indicate the level of understanding.  What comes after the verb is more important than the verb itself.  For example, 

                     DOK 1 Describe three characteristics of metamorphic rocks. 

                     DOK 2 Describe the difference between metamorphic and igneous rocks.

                     DOK 3 Describe a model you might use to represent the relationships 

                                  that exist within the rock cycle. 

                                  

Online, you can easily find copies of the Cognitive Rigor Matrix for ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies.  You can also find the Bloom's Posters created by Wake County Public Schools System Academically Gifted Program. 

 I am attaching a link to my free flipchart on DOK in the Content areas on TPT.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/DOK-Depth-of-Knowledge-in-the-Content-Areas-455359

You can also download my free Depth of Knowledge  posters for your classroom.  

Unique Interactive Word Wall & Student Journal

Check out these Alphabet Posters or Alphabet Posters & Student Journal

with Embedded Sight Words and High Frequency Words by clicking on TPT

ABC Posters alone 

ABC Posters & Matching Student Journal

Word walls can be effective literacy tools that have the potential for enhancing vocabulary learning when used in conjunction with effective instructional practices.  Reading fluency is one of the primary elements in the reading process.  It is the ability to read orally with speed and efficiency, including word recognition, decoding, and comprehension (Chard & Pikulski, 2005).  Research has shown that one effective way to improve reading fluency is by interacting with a word wall and its related activities to develop high frequency word recognition. 

Be the Teacher – students make up a quiz and quiz their partners on ten self-selected word wall words.

Guess That Word  - students give hints to what word they are thinking of by describing the formation of the word.

Let’s Be Creative – students write a story that includes as many word wall words as possible.

Letters in My First Name  - students write their name vertically and then match two word wall words to each letter in their name.

Letters in Words  - students pick ten word wall words and then find two or more words that have the same letter as the original word

Rainbow Writing  -  students write the words from the word wall in different crayons focusing on the configuration of the word while writing.

Shape of Words  - students focus on letter formation (tall, small, and dropped letters) in the word wall words and write the words that are tall, small, and dropped.

Cloze Sentences  - students will fill in words from the word wall to complete cloze sentences from the teacher.

Play Clue  - the teacher will give a clue about a word and then ask students to find the word on the wall that goes with the clue.

Scramble the Letters  - the teacher will scramble letters of a word wall word and give a clue to its meaning.  Students will try to guess the correct word wall word. 

Share a Topic  - the teacher will share a topic with the class and ask students to find all of the words on the wall that connect with the topic. 

Freebie! Dual Language Classroom Resources

I have been working with some teachers that teach dual language programs.  They shared a book with me by Karen Beeman, M.Ed. and Cheryl Urow, M.Ed., Teaching for Biliteracy: Strengthening Bridges between Languages.  This book illustrates how to build bridges to biliteracy and how to bridge theory to practice.  Dual language programs are designed for students who speak English at home, for students who speak Spanish at home, and for two-language students who speak both languages at home.  The goal is for students to develop cross-cultural understanding, bilingualism and biculturalism in all students.  To reach these goals, instruction is divided between English and Spanish with at least 50% of instructional time being delivered in Spanish.  

I just posted Spanish ABC Cards on TPT

Dual Language Classroom Resources 

FREEBIE! Spanish Shapes & Colors

FREEBIE! Spanish~English Crayon Colors

FREEBIE! Fiesta Calendar

Free Resources for Creating ELA Centers K-2

I have been working with a group of K-2  teachers on creating centers for English Language Arts.  The centers that I designed are interactive and include "I Can" cards.  These centers will help your students to become more independent learners, allowing you to focus on small group instruction without interruptions! Just download and print the materials below.  I recommend that you introduce one center and one activity from that center at a time until the directions and expectations for behavior are understood.  We want students to be self-sufficient.  

I designed the centers below from some fabulous materials that can be downloaded free on the internet and from my colleagues on Teachers Pay Teachers along with materials from the local Dollar Tree store!  While you're at the store, stock up on double-sided tape and a few science boards.  Each science board can be cut in half for two centers.  

Caitlin Clabby at Kindergarten Smiles designed a set of Writing and Word Work Cards! free on TPT.

 Literacy Centers "I Can" Posters English & Spanish were designed by mrsriccasclass on TPT.  

mrsriccaskindergarten.blogspot.com

Writing Center Vocabulary Cards were also downloaded from TPT.  The file contains monthly files. 

The Poetry Center is a great accompaniment to a student Poetry Notebook.  The center includes a poem of the week and poem strips for students to put together.  If you Google: Catawba Schools Literacy Centers, you will find the Poetry Task Cards in the center above.  

Happy Creating!