Fun in First

A Teaching Blog by Jodi Southard

Insects

Interactive Fact Folders for Spring

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It’s officially Spring, even though it definitely does not feel like it here in Indiana.  Even if the weather is not cooperating, these Spring Interactive Folders will help.

Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

I love using these Interactive Fact Folders each month because they allow my students to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing.  They are always so proud of them when they are finished.  I began making these using file folders, but have since switched to using 12×18 pieces of construction paper with my students.  It’s much more cost effective, and they still turn out great.

What is included in an Interactive Fact Folder?

Each set of fact folders includes a cover page, graphic organizers, vocabulary words, four fact sheets, and a writing page.  I personally LOVE the fact sheets because the students can highlight vocabulary words and practice reading fluency and comprehension.  Then, the fact sheets get stored in the pocket inside of the fact folder.  Let me walk you through the Earth Day Interactive Fact Folder and give you an example of how I break these down.

Day 1 – Pass out the folders and the cover page.  The students color, cut and glue the cover onto the folder.Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

Day 2 – Pass out the Earth Day Graphic Organizer and have the students write what they know and what they want to know.  Then, have them complete the Vocabulary pocket and Color the Earth section.

Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

Day 3 – Have students make their Earth Day Fact Sheet pockets and glue on the comprehension organizer.  Then, I pass out the first fact sheet.  We read through it and discuss the passage.  Next, the students lift up the flap on the organizer and write something from that passage.  We usually do two passages on the 3rd day.

Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

Day 4 – We read through the last two fact sheet passages and write our information under each flap.  Then, I pass out the vocabulary words.  We discuss each of the words.  Then, we go back and find them in our reading passages.

Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

Day 5 – On the last day, we write about our learning.  I pass out the writing page.  We discuss where we can find words to spell and information to write about in our fact folders.  I really emphasize to use our resources.  After the students complete their writing, they glue it onto the back of their fact folders.

Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

Doing these all in one day would definitely be A LOT, especially for 1st graders.  Older students may be able to handle it, but for my little ones, I like to break it down into manageable sections.

I am really excited about my April set of Interactive Fact Folders, which includes Plants, Insects, and Earth Day.

 

Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

Each of these folders can be purchased separately, or as a month bundle.  You may also be interested in my March set, which included Rainbows, Weather, and the Solar System.

Interactive Fact Folders are a hands-on way to integrate science and social studies with reading and writing. Students will work on comprehension, vocabulary, and writing while learning about science and social studies topics.

If you love these and want to use them throughout the year, make sure you check out my Entire Year Bundle.

 

Interventions – Fly on My Wall Linky

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First off, I wanted to let you know that I just posted a new unit to TpT.  We have been learning about insects!  Click on a picture below to check it out.

 
Thanks so much to those that linked up for their entire day.  Feel free to keep linking up 🙂
 
This week, I decided to focus on my Intervention time.  This is from 8:30 – 9:05 every day.  Our entire school {except Kindergarten – they do it a little differently} has reading interventions from 8:30 – 9:05.  We use all of the teaching assistants, special education teachers, Reading Recovery and Title One teachers, Art, Music, and PE teachers, the Media Specialist, the Speech teacher, etc. during this time.  This allows for the intensive students to be in smaller groups. 
During the first few weeks of school, we DIBEL all of the students.  Thankfully, our Reading Recovery/Title One teachers take on the daunting task of grouping the students by their needs when the testing is finished.  We can adjust these groupings as needed, but it at least gives us a start.
In our 1st grade, we have 6 total groups.  We had a pretty large group of benchmark students this year, so we have 2 benchmark groups with about 18 kids each.  The other groups are strategic or intensive students and those groups are smaller.
I have a benchmark group of students.  We decided that it would be beneficial to them to work on science activities as well as nonfiction reading and writing. 
This was my week in Interventions!
On Monday, we read the nonfiction book “From Seed to Plant.”  We talked about the text features of nonfiction books.  Next, we filled out this great sheet from Katie’s April Busy Teacher.  The students also drew a picture of a flower in their notebooks and labeled the parts.
On Tuesday, we got out our Science books.  We looked for the Table of Contents, Glossary, Index, and Headings.  We read about plant needs and parts, then looked for other nonfiction text features. {captions, photographs, labels, and diagrams}
Next, we broke up into groups of three to work on rereading text and fluency.
On Wednesday, we used the leveled readers that came with our science series to read more about living things and plant and animal needs.  The students rotated through the different books while I went around and discussed vocabulary. 
On Thursday, we wrote about plants.  We used all of our knowledge from the week to fill out a graphic organizer about plants.  Then we used this organizer for our writing. (We will finish our writing tomorrow.)  This writing and organizer came from Katie’s Busy Teacher again 🙂
Tomorrow, we will finish our writing.  Then we will take a look at the seeds we planted last week and fill out the “observations” and “conclusion” section of our Science Journals. 
 
If you have Intervention time at your school, I’d love for you to link up below.  If you don’t have a blog and you want to tell me about your Intervention time, leave a comment.  I’d love to hear about it!
 


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