Free Common Core Reading Progress Monitoring Chart

Hello everyone!  I am back with a Common Core progress monitoring freebie.  This is designed to accompany my daily Common Core reading practice, but can be used to progress monitor any Common Core document.  It can be kept inside of student folders or portfolios and is a great way to communicate with both parents and students.  Click Here To Access It

Common Core Reading and Math Videos

Free Common Core reading and math videos are here!  Thank you for visiting Literacy and Math Ideas.  We have developed a series of helpful Common Core videos to make the transition to Common Core much easier. More videos are added frequently.  Visit our blog often and click the follow button for updates.CLICK HERE TO ACCESS VIDEOS

What Does Close Reading Look Like?

Some students truly do not understand what close reading should look like.  These students often fall into one of two camps.  They either highlight everything or nothing at all.

This example of what students should pay attention to while they read is from my Common Core Close Reading Practice passages Click Here.  To help students figure out that is important in a text, I often tell them to look for details that show or tell a character's traits or motive, details that show cause and effect relationships, and details in a plot that elude to a theme.

It takes practice, but after while many students begin to understand what to do.

Close reading can also be done with younger students Click Here.  This is a great skill to develop in the younger grade levels too.

Free Sample Box of Grade 3 Common Core Activity Cards

Free sample alert!  I am on a mission to transition into Common Core stress-free.  These cards are unique because they TEACH and REVIEW.  This is helpful because students can work independently in a small group while you teach other students.  PLUS, the document comes with an easy-fold printable box for storage.  Put away those task card rings! You won't need them. This sample box includes activity cards from my store and are specifically aligned to the unique Grade 3 Common Core Reading Standards.

Click Here to Access the Free Sample Box

Task Cards Organized by Guided Reading Level

  

Inference Task Cards

Click Here for Inference Task Cards Levels A to I Bundle

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Main Idea Task Cards

Click Here for Task Cards Levels A to I Bundle

Click Here for the Levels J to M Bundle

Click Here for the Levels N to P Bundle

Click Here for the Levels Q and R Bundle

Click Here for the Levels S,T and U Bundle

These task cards are the ultimate in differentiated instruction.  For many years, guided reading books have been organized by levels.  Now, task cards are too!  Benefits of the task cards:

• Each student is able to work on the same comprehension skills as his or her classmates but at a student's own guided reading level.
• This document is a HUGE time saver when it comes to doing weekly lesson plans and organizing resources.  I save so much time when it comes to locating resources for my different guided reading groups.
• Each bundle systematically reviews phonics sounds.  Students build comprehension  and phonics skills simultaneously.  The task cards are carefully worded so that students practice comprehension with specific phonics sounds and sight words. New sounds are introduced at each guided reading level and previous sounds are reviewed.
• Each document contains plenty of comprehension/phonics practice. For example, the level A to I bundle contains 90 task cards.  

The document is a great time saver and value.

The student tracking form assists with monitoring progress as students move up through guided reading levels.

Phonics sounds that are introduced at each level include:

Level A:  Short Vowel Sounds

Level B:  Consonant Blends (s blends and l blends)

Level C:  Ending Blends (-nd, -mp, -st, -lk)

Level D:  Long Vowel Sounds (wh, sh, th, ch)

Level E:  Consonant Digraphs (wh sh, th, ch)

Level F:  Vowel Digraphs (ie, oo, aw)

Level G:  R-Controlled Words (ar, ir, er, or)

Level H:  More Sounds (all sound combo.)

Level I:   S Sound (ce, ci)

Level J:  Inflectional Endings (-ing, -ed)

Level K:  Diphthongs (oi, oy, ew, ou, ow)

Level L:  More Vowel Digraphs (ea, ei, ey)

Level M:  Silent Letters (wr, gn, kn, gh) additional sound (ph)

Level N:  Vowel Digraphs (oo) suffixes (-er, -est)
Level O:  Soft g (gi, ge) prefix (re-)
Level P:  Prefixes (pre-, post-)

Using Interactive Common Core Reading Journals to Teach Theme

The students that I work with at each of the grade levels just completed mini lessons on theme.  This is the interactive notebook page that each of them created and use as a reference.  Common Core Standard RL.2 refers to it as theme.  For informational text, it is usually called the central idea (RI.2).  In both cases, Common Core wants readers to understand the deeper meaning of the text.

After we complete the lesson each day, the younger students review using theme flashcards (yes, common theme flashcards). Then, they use theme task cards in their literacy center station.  The middle school students faithfully use the theme exit slips each day as a review.
Click Here For Information About Theme Task Cards
Click Here For Information About Theme Exit Slips

Students often get theme and main idea confused.  The Venn diagram has really been helpful with getting them to understand the difference.

Yellow watercolor paint was painted along the edge of the paper.  Common Core tabs have been added to the student journals to make it easier for us to locate information.

This is a new foldable.  This helps with Common Core Standards RL.3 and RI.3.  Across the grade levels, Common Core wants students to understand, describe, and/or analyze the connections between ideas or events.  The arrows were drawn to help students remember this while they read.  This will be used with my students within the next few days.

{Freebie} Resource to Teach Students to Apply Reading Strategies

If you have students that do not apply reading strategies, I share in your pain (weep).  This can be so frustrating.  One day, the thought came across my mind that there are a multitude of resources out there for reviewing skills, but there are no games or activities that focus on getting students to remember to apply strategies.  

I have been using this with my students that are resistant to applying strategies, and by golly it is actually working!!!

I want to share this freebie with you guys too.  Click Here

(P.S.  Sorry about the glare.  I tried, but no matter what I did, I couldn't avoid it in the pics.)

Common Core ELA Strategy Charts

 These are some of the charts that I am using with my students as they become even more acquainted with the Common Core Standards.

 They serve as great reminders and help students understand each standard fully.

Additional Common Core Resources

I use these quick daily Common Core reading passages at the beginning of my lessons.  Use them as a quick 5 minute daily morning review or send them home as Common Core aligned reading homework.  For more information click the link.

Click Here for Grade 3 Week 1

Click Here for Grade 4 Week 1

Click Here for Grade 5 Week 1

Click Here for Grade 6 Week 1

Click Here for Grade 7 Week 1

Click Here for Grade 8 Week 1

Common Core Task Cards for each grade level!  These are great to use in learning centers, for guided reading, and book discussions.  Each grade level covers ALL of the major categories in the Common Core Standards for both the literature (fiction) and informational (nonfiction) sections.  Use them with any book or magazine.  These are great resources for the Common Core Standards.

Common Core Task Cards
There is a task card for EVERY Common Core Literature and Informational Text Standard all in one document.

Click on the link below.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8

Common Core Rubrics

This document has definitely been a lifesaver for me.  It contains a rubric for EVERY SINGLE Common Core Literature and Informational Text standard.  Before giving the class an assignment to complete, I hand a copy of a rubric to each student and we discuss it.

It helps them stay on track and ensures that their work is always Common Core aligned.  Rubrics for each grade level!  Click the link to access them.

Click Here For Kindergarten
Click Here For Grade 1
Click Here For Grade 2
Click Here For Grade 3
Click Here For Grade 4
Click Here For Grade 5
Click Here For Grade 6
Click Here For Grade 7
Click Here For Grade 8

Freebie! Hog Dog With Everything On It: A Fun Way to Get Students To Elaborate About Their Thinking

Free Common Core Resource!  We have all had this problem-the infamous one word answer.  Doesn't it make you just cringe?  After all of those lessons that you have taught, there is at least one student that will give a one word response.

This Common Core lesson idea aligns to Common Core Standards RL.1, RI.1 which involves details, inferring, and defending ideas.  It also aligns to Common Core Standards RI.2 and RL.2 which involves main idea.  Each of these standards require students to defend and elaborate about their thinking using evidence from the text.

How about using hot dogs to get that student to elaborate!  It is so wacky that it actually works!  What kid does not like hot dogs?  (Don't really answer that question because we all know one)  

Explain that hot dogs with "everything on it" taste fantastic.  Students write the answer to the question on the top bun.  Give a reason on the actual hot dog.  Last, they fully elaborate about their reason on each condiment for the hot dog.  The more toppings, the more elaboration.  Click the link below to download this freebie.  

Click Here For The Free Template

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Common Core Graphic Organizers, Question Answering Frames, Progress Forms, and Wall Charts for Every Literature and Informational Text Standard

This extension menu provides a list of activities students can choose from for each standard

More Grade Levels!  As I get closer to the beginning of the school year, I am getting even more excited.  I have been planning so many exciting activities and have been getting my things organized for the Common Core Standards.

The document contains progress forms that list each Literature and Informational Text Standard.  This is a great tool for tracking student performance.

The graphic organizers are aligned to each standard.  They assist students in responding to each part of the Common Core Standard.

For every ELA Literature and Informational Text Standard, there is a graphic organizer that is aligned to each specific standard. This will make teaching so much easier.

There are also question answering frames. They help students remember all the parts of each standard.  This can assist students by providing them with ideas about how they could answer a question based from each Common Core standard.  Question answering frames are great for differentiating and scaffolding instruction.

Click Here For Grade 3
Click Here For Grade 4
Click Here For Grade 5
Click Here For Grade 6
Click Here For Grade 7
Click Here For Grade 8

primary 1, year 1, primary 2, year 2, primary 3, year 3, primary 4, year 4, primary 5, year 5