Spot the Plot

This spring break, while many of you amazing teachers are off enjoying some much deserved R&R, I am at home celebrating with that nasty stomach bug that has been going around. WOO-HOO! While it is absolutely no fun, I figure teaching is the only profession where it is more work to call in sick than it is to stay home. In that case, I am enjoying getting better and resting...with NO SUB PLANS! (How's that for a silver lining?) ;-)

This also gives me a chance to catch up on blogging and TpT work while I binge on my latest guilty pleasure, Pretty Little Liars. That brings me to this post: All about PLOT!

I always like to test things out with my students before I ever share anything on my blog or store. Before spring break started, I taught my kids all about plot. In the past, I had been teaching plot as a 5-finger retell...remember this?

However, my bright bunch of kiddos were ready for more. As a looping teacher, I continually need to find ways to change up my lessons so they are fresh and new. I couldn't wait to teach them the 5 elements of plot using the roller coaster strategy! 

I started by making an anchor chart based off of my own ideas and a hodge-podge of ideas found on Pinterest. Here's what I came up with:

I put this poster up a couple of days before introducing this new way to look at plot. The kids were so intrigued! 

We came up with roller coaster actions for each "spot on the plot" and read several stories as a class to help model the strategy. Here are some of the books that I found to have simple, concrete examples of a plot line:

After several days, students were ready to try it on their own. I created this graphic organizer to match my anchor chart and printed it on 11x17 paper. The end result is like a plot placemat...so cute!

We used the story Dog Breath, by Dav Pilkey. It is perfect for this!

The students felt so accomplished at the end! 

All in all, I felt like this method of teaching plot worked very well with my class. Since I teach both first and second grade, I felt like I needed to make a simplified version for the younger kids that just includes Beginning-Middle-End. I can't wait to share it with you! 

You can find my Spot the Plot pack at my TpT shop HERE!

Recent Anchor Charts

So...After a MONTH LONG hiatus, I'm finally back! 

....Partially because it is the last work day before spring break and I am doing everything possible to avoid the daunting task of organizing my desk and part because it is just plain silly how long it has been. I really do love blogging, but this time of year gets SO crazy, amirite?!

Anyway, today's topic is everything ANCHOR CHARTS! 

When I first started teaching, I was all about using my class promethean board or finding the cutest possible printable poster for any of my teaching topics. As I continued teaching, however, I *finally* realized that:

A) Anything on the Promethean (or SMART board, whichever you use) disappears the moment you turn it off. (Crazy, right?!) Poof! The kids can't return to it and reference it throughout the year.

B) Printable posters, while they are cute and save wall space, are TINY! They are so hard to use for whole group lessons.

That's when I realized: Teachers all over the country...for years and years...have really been onto something. I purchased some chart paper and have never gone back!

I love getting ideas on Pinterest for new anchor charts, so I thought I'd share some of my recent charts that have brought engagement and success in my classroom as of late. Some are original, some have flair from other anchor charts that have been floating around Pinterest. Take a look!

PLOT

AUTHOR'S PURPOSE

WRITER'S WORKSHOP

TEXT STRUCTURE

SUBTRACTION NUMBER STORIES

I know it's a random selection, but hopefully someone somewhere finds something they like! What are your favorite anchor charts? How do you use them in your classroom? Comment below!