How To Teach Author's Purpose: It's As Easy As P.I.E.

Understanding the author's purpose is a crucial skill for elementary students to develop as it enhances their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. By understanding the author's intent, students can gain deeper insights into the text and engage with it on a more meaningful level. 

First, it is important to expose students to author's purpose through a variety of text, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, newspaper articles and advertisements. I like to guide my students through this process using these posters: 

They act as a great visual reminder and anchor chart for the students to reference (click the picture above to grab your free copy). 

I start our lessons by reading a passage aloud and ask the students to determine the author's purpose. I ask questions such as "Is the author trying to make you laugh or tell you a story?" or "Is the author giving you facts or opinions?" I like to use task cards with the whole class when first introducing the concept too. The stories are short and can keep the attention of my students. They give them just enough information and everyone can be successful.

Providing activities that explicitly focus on identifying author's purpose allows students to actively apply their knowledge and demonstrate their understanding of the concept. My students loved creating their author's purpose flapbooks.

The kids sorted different types of text and glued them under the corresponding author's purpose. The small group discussions were amazing! The kids were trying to convince one another why a certain text belonged with a specific author's purpose. It was awesome to listen to their reasoning and PERSUADE one another to think a certain way. We had a discussion about this afterward.

I don't have a TON of space to display things in my classroom. I put a few flap books up on our concept board, next to our anchor posters. This will allow the kids to use them as reference for other activities we will be doing next week. The rest of the students glued them into their interactive language notebooks. You can grab this activity and more in my Author's Purpose Pack.

Students also review this skill as they work independently at a center using this set of BOOM Cards:

I hope you are able to use these author's purpose ideas with your students too!

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10 Must Have Teaching Tools For the Classroom

It's time to take the plunge! Back To School is right around the corner and I know all you teachers out there have started stalking the Target school supply aisles and dollar bin items. You've probably been logging on to Amazon serveral times each day too. Don't worry. You are not alone. You have tons of company! I'm right there by your side.

I want to share with you 10 of my favorite teaching tools I think every teacher must have!

This post contains affiliate links for Amazon. By purchasing an item on the Amazon site using these links, I will receive a small commission on your purchase. For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link.

1. Bright Colored Paper

I use Astrobrights Paper for just about everything! A bit of color makes everything better in my opinion. I made my Back To School parent informational packets with it and I simply love how they turned out. I also printed my Back To School quick reference guide on Astrobrights so parents could easily find the information they need at their fingertips. 

2. Personal Laminator & Lamination Pouches

The thought of owning my own laminator didn't cross my mind until about 5 years ago. I had always used the laminator at our school. We had access to it all the time and it never was an issue. Then the unthinkable happened. The machine broke. It literally died. It sat and sat in the workroom and no one came to fix it. I was fed up! I was driving all over town and spending crazy amounts of money to laminate things for my classroom. What's a teacher to do? Get your own laminator of course! Now I have TWO! One for my classroom and one for my house. I can laminate anytime of day or night at my leisure! It's pure teacher heaven!

I have tried all different brands of laminators. I have already gone through a few. But my most favorite, reliable, and affordable laminator is this Scotch laminator. It's amazing!

As for the pouches, I prefer the Scotch or Apache brand, however, I will purchase generic some of the time to save money. The quality is pretty much the same and it gets the job done!

3. Command Hooks

I LOVE Command hooks! I use them for everything! They are easy to put on the wall and super easy to remove, as well. I have very limited bulletin board space in my classroom. I decided to use some wall space to display my students' brag tags. The hooks are durable and I have had them up for 2 years now without any issues. 

4. Markers

No teacher can ever have enough markers! My favorite markers for making anchor charts are Mr. Sketch. The best part? They smell great! I keep these markers just to myself. No students allowed. I am super particular about the points of my markers and like them to last as long as possible. These markers get the job done and make my teacher heart happy.

Also a must have: EXPO markers! These dry erase markers are the best! They write smoothly. They erase without leaving a shadow on my white board. AND... they come in fabulous fun colors! Who doesn't love writing in pink or turquoise? There are tons of different brands out there, but nothing compares to the Expo markers in my opinion.

5. Magnetic Hooks

Remember that limited bulletin board space I told you about? This is why I love these magnetic hooks. I use them on the side of my file cabinets to hook task card sets we are working on. I also use them on the metal frame of my window blinds to hold a clipboard with our classroom hall pass attached to it. 

6. Magnetic Adhesive Tape

I have tried all different types of magnetic tape. Some are stronger than others, so you need to be careful what you purchase online. I've purchase this magnetic tape before and it works well on my white board. I like the option of making the magnetic adhesive any size I need. I usually use it for anchor posters I have printed out and laminated. When I am teaching, I slap the poster up on the white board for student reference. When we work in small groups, I can easily move it around, as well.

7. Individual Student White Boards

This teaching item is a game changer in the classroom. Every teacher needs a class set of personal white boards for their students. I use these for everything! My students answer questions on their boards. They use them for partner work when finding evidence in text. They answer task card questions on them. They use them as a writing surface when we play I Spy. The possibilities are endless. If your school won't purchase a class set for you, I HIGHLY recommend you invest in a set for yourself. Once you make the investment, they last forever if they are cleaned and taken care of properly. 

8. Label Maker

Bet you never thought of a label maker as a must have teacher tool, right? This is another game changer in my classroom. I use the Brother label maker to mark all the spines of my teacher binders. I don't like creating fancy binder spines and trying to shove them into the plastic sleeve. I always seem to spell something wrong and need to change the spine out and it is a pain! All I do now is take out my label maker. Type what I want the spine to say and hit print. Prest-o! The label maker is great for labeling folders you use all the time too. The possibilities are endless.

9. Water Bottle

I don't know about you, but I never drink, enough water when I am teaching. I also don't keep track of how much water I DO drink. I was so happy when I was introduced to Hydro Flask! My water stays cold ALL day. I fill it up in the morning with ice and water. By the end of the day, I still have ice in the container and my water is cold. I can refill it as needed. You can also switch out the caps for different colors and functionality that work best for you. 

10. HP Insta Ink Printer

I am going to be very honest.... I was on the fence about getting a new color printer for several months! There was nothing wrong with the one I had. My biggest pet peeve about it was that I never had enough ink! If I had something I was making for my classroom, I couldn't print it at home. I always had to send it to get printed. Also, I felt like I was always out of ink! I finally decided to pull the trigger one night when my teenage son needed to print a paper for school the next day and guess what? Yep, we were out of ink! I had to email his paper to my neighbor to print it out! How embarassing! 

I did a little research and pulled the trigger. I purchased the HP OfficeJet Pro 6978! This has been a complete game changer for me. I can print in color until my little heart is content. I am NEVER out of ink. And I don't have to run out to the store to get it if I do run out. The ink gets sent to me before I even need it! I choose the printing plan that works best for my needs and I can change it at any time. Want to learn more about HP Insta Ink printers? Click HERE. If you decide to join, let me know so I can help save you more on ink with an extra free month of printing!

Do you have a classroom tool you think every teacher needs? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Valentine's Day Ideas for the Classroom

It's hard to believe Valentine's Day is just around the corner! As teachers it is difficult, at times, to find the academic link to help spread the love. I am here to share a few ways to integrate Valentine's Day and academics in your classroom.

My students and I LOVE task cards! What better way to integrate Valentine's Day but with math? We just finished learning about adding and subtracting three digit numbers. And word problems always seem to be a challenge for my kiddos. Now they can be engaged in their learning with these word problem task cards! I use these cards at an early finisher activity, whole class game of Scoot or as partner work. The best part... they will be reviewing their math skills all while getting extra word problem practice with some Valentine's Day flair!

click the picture to grab your set

I also love to challenge my students with multiple choice task cards problems. These Valentine task cards force my students to show their work before choosing their answers. This allows me to see their thinking and help them to correct their errors when regrouping. You can grab this set of task cards for FREE in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

This craft is full of hearts, love, and academic fun! I love to use it because it is so adaptable for any academic area. I used it with my students to review their math skills but it can be used for compound word practice in language arts, grammar practice and much more. All you have to do is provide your students with different colored hearts of various sizes and the sky is the limit. 

Motivate and inspire your students to achieve a particular goal with these Valentine Scratch Off Cards. The kids love getting these with a special treat under the scratch off sticker. They are editable to include your special prize. It could be anything from extra recess, no homework, more computer time etc. The possibilities are endless. 

I just love these adorable bookmarks to give to each of my students for Valentine's Day. I printed and laminated them. Then I hole punched each one and tied a ribbon to the top. These are from Primarily Speaking and are part of her Love Bot Writing Prompt Packet. This packet is full of great ideas!

What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn't love emojis? Well, I know I do and so do my own children. I fell in love with this idea as soon as I saw it! I ordered plush emoji key chains at Amazon and had them shipped to me the next day (gotta love Amazon Prime). Then I printed out these adorable tags from Molly at Lucky To Be In First and had my son signed his name. Ready to make your own set? You can grab these tags for FREE by clicking HERE.

This post contains affiliate links for Amazon. By purchasing an item on the Amazon site using these links, I will receive a small commission on your purchase. For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link.

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Differentiating Instruction With Task Cards

Task Cards....oh how I love thee! Task cards are an amazing teaching resource I could not live without it! They are engaging, easy to prep, versatile and my kids get excited when we use them. They are one of my go to resources for all subjects!

I LOVE using task cards in my classroom!! They provide such a versatile way to review skills quickly and in a meaningful way. My students love to grab a set of cards and a recording sheet. Sometimes they work with a partner. Sometimes they work independently. Sometimes we work on them as a whole class. But no matter how they are being used, the kids are engaged and learning!

To help differentiate my instruction, I make sure whatever skill I am working on with my students is asked in different ways and at different levels. Some of the cards contain multiple choice responses. Sometimes they need to fill in the blank. And sometimes the answers are open-ended and they need to write a sentence or explain their reasoning.

Just this week, we reviewed cause and effect skills. I had the kids work in groups of four to discuss and reason their answers with one another. Each group received 3 task cards. After 4 minutes, they rotated to the next table together and completed 3 different cards. Once they had rotated through the tables, we met as a whole group and discussed the answers they came up. It was great to see them working together, justifying their answers, and explaining their reasoning.

OTHER WAYS TO USE TASK CARDS:

1. Fast Finisher Activity- Place cards in a bin with recording sheet or hang them on hooks so students can easily access them.

2. Small Group Work- I like using task cards as review instruction in small groups. I give each student 2 or 3 cards so quickly assess their understanding and reteach where necessary.

3. Whole Group Instruction- I project the cards (see below) for everyone to see. They record their answers on their sheet and then we review the answers together. Usually I will have students come up and model/explain their thinking for other students to see.

4. As a Center- Similiar to a fast finisher activity, I place the set of task cards with recording sheet in a bin. Students easily access the materials and complete the activity.

5. Read the Room or I Spy Activity- During this activity, I post the cards of a specific skill around the room. Then I give each student a recording sheet. They students don't have to do the cards in order. They just need to make sure they get to each one. I like this activity because students can work on it at their own pace. Sometimes I leave the cards up for a day or two before we review the answers together. This takes pressure off those students that may need more time to complete them.

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TASK CARDS:

I keep all my task card sets on metal rings. I hang the skills we are working on, along with a few review concepts on hooks in my classroom. This makes it easy for the kids to independently grab what they need to work on. When they are finished, the find the corresponding answer sheet, I keep in our task card binder and correct their work. When we work on a set as a whole group, I project the cards for everyone to see. Then, they record their answers on the provided student recording sheet. We always discuss our answers and correct as we go.

Are you ready to start using task cards in your classroom? To help get you started, I have this set of task cards as a FREEBIE for you to try out. If you love using them in your classroom, as much as I do, head over to my TpT store and check out all my MATH and ELA task card sets to help differentiate your students' learning.

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Hello, My Name Is... And I Am a Task Card Addict! (SALE and GIVEAWAY)

Hello! My name is Jaime and I am a proud task card addict! There. I said it. I LOVE me some task cards! 

I have become obsessed about making and using task cards in my classroom this year. Every time I teach or review a lesson, and I see my kiddos struggling, another task card set is born. Seriously. A couple of weeks ago, we were editing a paragraph together and I was shocked at how many of my kids were still having trouble capitalizing proper nouns. Hence, my Capitalization Task Card set was created! 

The best thing about task cards is their versatility. They can be used in small groups for review. I pull 3 or 4 students to a table and review the skill with the task cards. I can quickly assess their needs and make corrections. Then, they can practice the skill independently. 

Task cards are also great for early finishers to review skills. We all have those students that are finished with assignments before you are done giving the directions. You know the ones I am talking about. Task cards are a great way for them to slow down and check their understand of the skills being taught in class. 

I even use my task cards for whole group instruction. Yesterday, I used my Valentine's Day Task Card Word Problems as a Scoot game. A word problem was placed at each seat. Each student had an answer sheet. They would solve the problem on their paper, when I said "Scoot" they would move to the next problem. When everyone had answered all the problems, we corrected them together and I gave the kids candy hearts for their hard work. They loved it! 

Do you use task cards in your classroom? How do you use them? I would love to hear all your ideas? Leave your comments below. I will choose 2 winners Monday night (2/17) to pick a set of task cards from my TpT store. Congrats to dremilylevine and Geri. I will be sending you each an email to choose your task card set.

ALSO....

To celebrate my addiction, I have put all my ELA and Math task card sets on sale this weekend! Just head on over to my TpT store and help feed your addiction too! 

And now, as I promised, it's giveaway time! My sweet friends Kayla from Meet Miss Parker and Britney from Tailor Made Teaching are hosting an awesome giveaway to show their followers how much they love them. They are giving away some wonderful prizes to spread their love your way. Head on over. Check out all the amazing bloggers that donated prizes and enter today!