Five for Friday!!

Well not only is today Friday, but I get to Link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!! It was a short week.. but here are a few highlights..

1) In all of my years of teaching, (okay so only 2) I can finally say, "I LOVE WRITER'S WORKSHOP!!"  You have no idea how far my class has come with this!  It might possibly be our favorite part of the day...seriously.  I am always finding extra ways to beef stuff up in my classroom.. and this one works!  You may already know about Brave Spellers.  Here is my Brave Spellers Board. 

It is the best incentive to get your kiddos to try and include those big words in their stories, without constantly asking you to spell things for them. Plus, they can't just tell me they tried a big word, I have to find it!  It has really helped encourage independence.. mmmmm...my favorite word! 

2. I am fortunate enough to have a FABULOUS writing specialist in my district.  (The fact that her niece is in my class is just an extra bonus!!) She came to my class and taught a writing lesson one day. During her lesson, she introduced detail stickers. They have done WONDERS in our writing! Everytime I see details in their stories, we put a detail sticker. Sometimes they tell me they need one and that works perfect too!  They LOVE it! 

3. Before Spring Break we did a huge author study on Kevin Henkes. Cliche? Random time of the year? I know... But the purpose was strictly for writer's workshop. We focused on noticing details in his writing and the way he puts details in his pictures. Not to mention that all of his characters show up in other stories and most of them are mice. Well...I decided to do an illustrator study when we got back. David Catrow worked really well for this! We loved the details in his pictures, especially facial expressions and emotions. If you are ever looking for writer's workshop lessons, there is NOTHING wrong with grabbing a random book off your shelf and discussing the author's techniques throughout it.

4. This is one of my favorite read alouds.. Everyone has heard of the A-Z Mystery series, but this one is AWESOME! My kids were falling off the edge of their seats with this book.  You could literally hear a pencil drop in my classroom.  I won't give anything away, but it's a must read!   =

5. This was a gift to me from my team last year.. my star power! I'm ordering them for several teachers at my school right now. If you don't have yours yet, you should really consider getting one!

Happy Weekend!