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  • Ideas by Jivey

    Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.

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    Uncategorized

    Sparking Student Motivation in Science: Light and Reflection!

    February 21, 2015

    It’s been a hot minute since I’ve blogged! But I had to share this fun lesson with you, and of course link up with my bestie, Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching for her fun linky!
    We just finished our light unit, and I always like to do fun activities and experiments to help the students apply what they’ve learned. Plus, it keeps them motivated during the lesson knowing something fun will be happening at the end! I like to use my light interactive notebook activities with our science textbook during my lesson to help keep them engaged, too.
    Light Interactive Notebook Activities with Ideas by Jivey
    The lesson idea I’m sharing with you goes with reflection. I teach them about the law of reflection and how the reflected light bounces at the same angle as the light shining on the reflective object.
    Lesson Idea  with Ideas by Jivey
    To apply this information, I grouped my kids in my classroom and gave each group a flashlight and 5 mirrors. Each group had to stand facing each other (3 on each side per group in my class). The first person on one end shines the flashlight at the mirror across from them, and the goal is to try to hold the mirrors so that the light reaches the last mirror on the other end. The reflected light bounces between all the mirrors to the last one! They have to make sure they hold their mirror still (and the flashlight) once they get the angle just right or it will mess up the next person trying to angle their mirror at the next mirror! I’m so mad at myself for not getting any pictures, but hopefully you can take my word for it when I tell you, they were all successful in getting the light to the last mirror!
    Plane Mirror Activity with Ideas by Jivey
    Image from Our 2nd Grade Journey

    Another idea that I just thought of (and so now we’ll have to “review reflection” next week just so I can try it!) is to have them figure out how to arrange themselves so that the person with the flashlight actually ends up with light shining on their back! (They wouldn’t stand in a line for this- they’d almost stand in a triangle or square shape to bounce the light around.)

    Also, here is a fun computer game from Math Playground they can play!

    Computer game from MAth Playground with Ideas by Jivey.

    I hope this gives you some good ideas! Make sure to check out the other great ideas in Joanne’s link-up!

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Uncategorized

    Sparking Student Motivation: Inquiry Circles

    November 8, 2014

    This week was a bit crazy, but it was so much fun for me and my kids in science!! We have been learning about the solar system, and this week, my kids got into inquiry circles to learn more about a space topic. My kids have never been more excited about science, so of course, I’m linking it up with my BBB Joanne for Sparking Student Motivation!

    My students gave me their top three solar system topics that they were interested in… I put them into groups of 3 or 4 students based on their choices. Then, they came up with three questions that they could research. They used books I had checked out from the library, and they got on our district’s Online Research Library to find the answers to their questions.

    Inquiry Circles with Ideas by Jivey

    Inquiry Circles with Ideas by Jivey

    What makes inquiry circles so great is that the students are so engaged because it’s a topic they chose and want to know more about! EVERY kid was totally involved in researching and finding answers. It was amazing!

    The fun part of inquiry circles is that the students get to be creative and come up with a plan as a group to present the information to the class. Some groups made posters, some made models, some wrote a play, and one even wrote a song!

    Inquiry Circles with Ideas by Jivey

    Inquiry Circles with Ideas by Jivey

    The students came up with these ideas all on their own, and even brought in supplies from home! Their motivation to do these projects is unbelievable! If you’ve never heard of inquiry circles before, check these sites out: Prezi Overview / Video Showing Inquiry Circles.

    My students will present on Monday, so I don’t have any finished products to show you today, but I will be back next week to share. :o)

    Oh and PS… I’m super excited to share something with you on Sunday (and you should be, too!!)… but you have to wait til tomorrow to see what it is!! :o)

    With Ideas by Jivey

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Uncategorized

    Sparking Student Motivation: Fun Informational Passages!

    October 19, 2014

    Let me tell you what I LOVE.

    I LOVE tricking kids into thinking working is super fun. 😛

    My kids were begging me last week to learn more and write more. Have you ever heard of such a thing???

    I shared with you last week that I am working on getting my students to respond deeper using Jennifer Findley’s Rigorous Reader’s Response Letters. We are also working on reading informational paired texts… and we were working on some skills with Stellaluna this past week… so I decided to write some articles about bats for them to use for close reading and annotating, and for them to use for their response letters! The first day, I gave them the first article on Kitti’s Hog-Nosed Bat- the smallest mammal in the world! We did some close reading, then I had them practice their first independent response letter using the same checklist from last week. Seriously, with their excitement level, you would have thought I’d just given them candy. They could not WAIT to write about what they had learned about these bats, and what they could infer. Some of them are seriously impressing me with their inferring skills too! Check this one out:

    Spark Student Motivation with Ideas by Ivey

    As I was peeking at some of their responses, a few were still not going as deep as I wanted, so on Friday, I had a few students share (including the one above) and then we did another class shared writing response. Here is what the students suggested I write:

    Spark Student Motivation with Ideas by Ivey

    Then, I let them know they were getting another article about bats that day- they cheered! One of my students said, “Ms. Ivey, can we do more articles next week about other animals? This is fun!” I swear, I am not making this up!! (I actually thought to myself at that moment- I can link this up with Joanne!! Ha!!)

    They did the same thing as the previous day with their new passage about a megabat- the Spectacled Flying Fox. I will most likely use these responses for a grade since we have practiced a bit now.

    Spark Student Motivation with Ideas by Ivey

    I decided to take these articles a step further and add some paired text multiple choice and constructed response questions…. then I thought, if they liked these articles so much, I’m going to need more… so I made some for owls and spiders, too! (‘Tis the season after all!)

    And of course, you know I can’t keep them all to myself… you can get them in my TPT store!

    For the first 48 hours, this product is 20% off! I hope you enjoy!

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Uncategorized

    Five For Friday: Weather Edition!

    September 20, 2014

    This week, my teaching life revolved around weather! Here are some of the super-fun awesome things we did this week!
    I used Can It Rain Cats and Dogs? this week for my nonfiction mentor text. My kids were obsessed with it! They wanted me to read the whole thing, but we only read about what we have covered so far in my weather unit. I will read more next week when we get into fronts and weather maps.
    Can It Rain Cats and Dogs and non fiction mentor sentences with Ideas by Jivey.

    You can read more about how I used this book, as well as Come On, Rain! in reading this week in my Workshop Wednesday post!

    My mentor sentence this week was from the book, Come On, Rain!

    (Need more info on mentor sentences? Check out this post!)
    Come On, Rain and mentor sentences with Ideas by Jivey

    My kids have gotten really good at imitating the week’s mentor sentence! It’s getting hard for me to pick only four for the wall. They are also loving our interactive notebook activities for language arts– this week’s was all about vivid verbs.

    We also did interactive notebook activities for our weather skills!

    Weather interactive notebook activities with Ideas by Jivey.

    And we did interactive notetaking with a passage from the website, k12reader.com. This is my go-to site for leveled articles on all kinds of topics!

    Interactive notetaking with Ideas by Jivey.

    We also made cloud models!!

    Cloud models with Ideas by Jivey

    And last, but not least, we made our own weather instruments!

    Weather Instruments with Ideas by Jivey
    Weather Instruments with Ideas by Jivey
    Weather Instruments with Ideas by Jivey

    Want the directions to make these in your classroom, too?

    Freebie Make your own weather instruments with Ideas by Jivey

    Get them for free here! :o)

    I hope everyone enjoys the weekend!! :o)

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Uncategorized

    Sparking Student Motivation: Owl Pellets!

    May 31, 2014

    Getting students’ hands dirty and really INTO science is the BEST way to motivate kids to learn! So I’m linking today’s post with my BBB Joanne for Sparking Student Motivation!

    We ordered owl pellets again this year- the kids just love it, once they learn it’s not POOP! And honestly, it’s kind of funny when you think about how awesome the kids still think it is to find bones of dead rodents in a “hairball” …because it’s still pretty gross. 😛

    We spent an entire week learning about owls through nonfiction texts and websites while using my OWLS Common Core Nonfiction Unit!

    If you are planning on dissecting owl pellets, make sure you visit the website, KidWings! It’s very informative, and really cool the way the kids can interact with it!

    Before dissecting the pellets, the kids had to learn about important vocabulary, how owls are different from other birds, and also how owls hunt, eat, and digest! We read Owls by Gail Gibbons as well as this very informative website for this info!

    Then finally, the moment they’d been waiting for all week… getting to “dig in” to their owl pellet! I learned a funny prank from Joanne, and I did it this year… I smooshed up a brownie and wrapped it in foil. Before giving my kids their pellet, I told them I wanted to demonstrate how to dissect one first. (Are you seeing where this is going??) I unwrapped it, sniffed it (all the kids made a face), then took a bite, shrugged and said, “not bad actually.” The room was SO quiet. No one could even speak. I don’t think any of them could actually believe I’d just done what I did. I couldn’t even contain my laughter for three seconds! The minute I started laughing, you heard a big “whoosh” as they all sighed with relief, knowing it couldn’t be real. I told them of course, that it was a brownie, and NOT TO EAT THEIR PELLET!! 😛
    Here are some of the treasures my students found:
     
    I would highly recommend doing as much hands-on as you can with science, even if it means getting your (and their) hands dirty! Your kids will always remember it, and of course, we know that’s the best way to learn! :o)

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Uncategorized

    Must Read Mentor Text: How Do You Burp In Space?

    May 18, 2014

    Sunday already? Eek! This week flew by, and so did the weekend. This is upcoming week is actually my last week of school! To keep the kids entertained while still teaching “bell to bell,” we’ll be doing some fun review of our year. One of the units I always wish I had more time to teach is the solar system… I picked up this book from Scholastic a while back and my kids actually fought over who got to read it first!

    Scholastic says… This handy book contains all the info necessary for planning a space vacation, including:

    • What to pack (hint: no bubble bath or juggling balls!)
    • What to expect from accommodations (a sleeping bag attached to the wall)
    • What to do for fun (leapfrog on the moon!)
    Which got me thinking… how fun would it be for the kids to create a travel brochure to go visit another planet? Which then got the ol’ wheels turning, and I decided to have a whole day devoted to outer space!
    We’ll start off the day with the solar system passage- do a bit of close reading/interactive note-taking. Then, I am going to set up stations that the students will rotate through for almost the rest of the day. I have printed in color and laminated three sets of the fact cards. The comprehension questions that go with the passage will be a station, the Venn Diagrams with a set of fact cards will be a station, the Planetary Problems with a set of fact cards will be a station, the weight activity will be a station, and the brainstorm for the brochure will be a station (I will have a set of the fact cards there and the How Do You Burp In Space? book as well so students can use them to brainstorm). Then the last hour or so of the day, the students will create their travel brochure! You can grab the unit if you’d like from my TPT store!
    If you want to create this travel brochure in your room, you can grab the brainstorm page for free here!
    Have a great week next week! :o)

    by Jessica Ivey 
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    Ideas By Jivey

    2 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    Wondering how to make your ELA block come together? Check out this post where I lay out some suggestions of ways to plan your schedule! ... See MoreSee Less

    Planning a Language Arts Schedule (How To Fit It All In!)

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    Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.
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    Ideas By Jivey

    4 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    🌞 Groundhog Gets A Say is a fun book for kids of any age, but I especially liked to use this mentor text to tie in some research skills and opinion writing!The book is written as a narrative, but is filled with facts about groundhogs as the main character tries to convince everyone that he deserves more than just ONE day of recognition.The unit I made for this book includes printables for text features, note-taking from text, fact and opinion, main idea and details, context clues, a writing brainstorm organizer, plus a mentor sentence lesson for relative pronouns and contextual vocabulary activities! I'd love you to check it out on my website: www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/groundhog-gets-a-say-unit/Or if you prefer, you can get it here on TPT: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhog-Gets-A-Say-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Unit-520756 ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    6 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    😍 The latest seasonal club unit for upper grades is completed, and you'll definitely want to grab it before next week! Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub is an informative mentor text about groundhogs, Groundhog Day, and weather, but it's presented in an entertaining way that will keep your students laughing while they learn. 😂✅ With this unit I created, you'll receive a week of explicit lesson plans to go along with the book. 🤓 You'll get everything you need to teach about organized notetaking, tier 3 vocabulary, word parts, and types of sentences, plus you'll be able integrate it all with science: weather, seasons, and groundhogs! Grab it at this link: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhog-Weather-School-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-3-5-Groundho... ... See MoreSee Less

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    Are you reading a fun book for Groundhog Day? 🌞 Are you reading a fun book for Groundhog Day? 🌞 ❄️ 

Check out my February book idea list! Link in profile! Need a unit to go along with one of these? DM me the title for a link! 

#groundhogday #groundhogdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey #iteachtoo #mentortexts #mentorsentences 

 https://www.amazon.com/shop/ideasbyjivey/list/30LEKEOLP7026?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_aipsflist_aipsfideasbyjivey_NSV9QRK52KNNAPCEJ5B7
    🌞 Groundhog Gets A Say is a fun book for kids o 🌞 Groundhog Gets A Say is a fun book for kids of any age, but I especially liked to use this #mentortext to tie in some research skills and #opinionwriting!

The book is written as a narrative, but is filled with facts about groundhogs as the main character tries to convince everyone that he deserves more than just ONE day of recognition.

The unit I made for this book includes printables for text features, note-taking from text, fact and opinion, main idea and details, context clues, a writing brainstorm organizer, plus a #mentorsentence lesson for relative pronouns and contextual vocabulary activities! 

I'd love you to check it out on my website at the link in my profile: https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/groundhog-gets-a-say-unit/

You can also find it in my TPT store, too! 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #groundhogdayintheclassroom #upperelementary #mentortextmonday
    😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrade 😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrades is completed, and you'll definitely want to grab it before next week! 

Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub is an informative #mentortext about groundhogs, Groundhog Day, and weather, but it's presented in an entertaining way that will keep your students laughing while they learn. 😂

✅ With this unit I created, you'll receive a week of explicit lesson plans to go along with the book. 

🤓 You'll get everything you need to teach about organized notetaking, tier 3 vocabulary, word parts, and types of sentences, plus you'll be able integrate it all with science: weather, seasons, and groundhogs! 

Grab it at the link in my profile: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhog-Weather-School-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-3-5-Groundhog-Day-Seasons-9006611 #ideasbyjivey #mentorsentence #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #groundhogdayintheclassroom #upperelementary #iteach345
    ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks t ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks to use in January with a snowy winter theme. 

📖 If you work with early emergent readers, this #mentorsentences mini-unit is perfect for you! 

There are lessons for five snowy winter-themed books to help students grasp language through a balanced literacy approach. 

Check it out at the link in my profile! #ideasbyjivey #iteachk #mentortexts #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mentor-Sentences-Mini-Unit-Snowy-Winter-Books-for-Early-Emergent-Readers-2293853
    Can students actually think critically about... GR Can students actually think critically about... GRAMMAR?!? 🤔

You bet they can! 🥳

Check out how at the link in my profile! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/higher-order-thinking-questions-for-grammar-and-writing/ 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #mentorsentence #iteachtoo #teachersfollowteachers #teachgrammar #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
    😍 A NEW FAVORITE! 🩰 Have you gotten your ha 😍 A NEW FAVORITE!

🩰 Have you gotten your hands on The Snow Dancer by Addie Boswell? What a BEAUTIFUL #picturebook, not only in the illustrations but also the words!

📘 This #mentortext is chock full of figurative language- don't miss grabbing this unit if you teach grades 3-5! 

You will have everything you need to use with the book including explicit lesson plans and teacher samples (it's ready to teach- no prep work!) to teach about figurative language like similes, onomatopoeia, personification, and hyperbole, as well as vivid verbs, visualization, and writing small moment stories. 

Check it out at the link in my profile! #ideasbyjivey #mentortextsforwriting #teacherspayteachers #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #mentortextmonday

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Snow-Dancer-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-8787748
    I didn’t always use mentor sentences in my class I didn’t always use mentor sentences in my classroom... but once I started, there was no going back.

They are a total gamechanger! Come see why at the link in my profile: https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/taking-it-back-to-archives-mentor/

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #iteach345 #teachersfollowteachers
    🐘 Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev is a p 🐘 Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev is a picture book about inclusion and true friendship. It's the perfect #picturebook to use in the primary grades!

I created a weeklong unit for this wonderful #mentortext to help you incorporate social/emotional learning to develop relationship skills all while identifying character challenges, writing explanatory text, analyzing a poem that pairs with the book, relating to literature, and understanding contractions.

😍 You'll get explicit lesson plans AND teacher samples- you'll have everything you need to teach all of ELA for a week!

Check it out at the link in my profile. #ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #iteach12 #iteach1st #iteach2nd #mentortexts 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Strictly-No-Elephants-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-1-2-8501981
    🍯 Did you know January 18 is Winnie The Pooh Da 🍯 Did you know January 18 is Winnie The Pooh Day? It's AA Milne's birthday! 

Grab this weeklong unit for grades 3-5 to use with the #picturebook, Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick: the true story of how the beloved bear became famous! 🐻

✏️ With the unit I created, you'll really dive into helping students read like writers and write like readers by discovering the purpose for dialogue. You'll get a week of explicit lesson plans that teach the purpose of dialogue, types of nonfiction, forming fact-based opinions, and quotation mark usage using the book, Finding Winnie.

Get the weeklong unit at the link in my profile. #ideasbyjivey #mentortextmonday #mentorsentences #iteach345 #iteachwriting #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #teacherspayteachers #winniethepoohday #mentortexts

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Finding-Winnie-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-7576748
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