What we're up to Wednesday!

Yeah I know, I know.

It's Thursday again.

It's been another whirlwind of a week :)

 

Before I get started, I wanted to let you know I decided to add a few more components to my "All About Animals" Unit, and I'm really excited about it!

I think you're going to love it!

I'm hoping to get it finished and posted tonight- there will definitely be a giveaway of BOTH of my new units when it's finished.

 

For now, I'd like to show you our informational text features notebooks.

(Click on the picture to see a preview.)

I have LOVED using these in my classroom this week!!

There are 2 versions available in the unit, however we are using the simpler version in my K classroom.  

 

  On Monday, we started off with talking about the text structure of non-fiction. My kiddos were already pretty familiar with this, so we did not complete the text structure notebook in the pack. We did review each by looking at non-fiction text examples and referring back to our previous informational text studies when we learned about bats, farms, penguins, our Presidents, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

We have really focused our week on informational text features. So far, we have located and learned about 8 different text features. 

 We begin with looking at a page in an informational text I have pre-selected with the feature. I ask the kids what they notice about _____ on the page. I try to get them to notice the feature first, before telling them about the feature. Once we have discussed the page, then we add the name of the feature and an example to our text features poster.
 (the features in the picture are only the features we have discussed Mon.-Wed.)

(Please don't judge my poster- it's a little sad this week, I know!)

 

Then, we add a sample poster to our board so we can have a reference after this week.

 

Next, we take out our notebooks and review the feature and how it helps us as the reader navigate through the informational text. 

 

Then we look at three possible examples at the bottom, and color the example that shows the text feature.

 

Again, there is another version in the pack where students cut/glue the definitions. That version also has a blank box at the bottom where students could draw an example, or find an example in a magazine/book and glue it into their book.

I have been so impressed with their ability to recall the features we have previously discussed this week, as well as recall how this feature helps the reader! Although simply coloring the feature is an easier task, it really has allowed us to spend more time using the feature in an informational text to locate information. They are going to keep these books for our next few weeks while we research animals!

 

Can you believe it's MAY already?

 Once I finish an overhaul on my Animal Research Unit, I'll get to May Journals! In the meantime, I'm excited to use these number cards!