The CAFE Book: Conferring with Children

Summer Book Study and a Freebie!

Have you been following the Summer Book Study on The Daily Five and The CAFE Book? I'm hosting the discussion on Chapter 4 in the CAFE Book which is titled, "Conferring with Children." Join me on We Read We Blog We Teach for that discussion. I loved this chapter, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

I also created a CAFE Conference Quick Reference Guide to summarize the meanings of the five icons on their conference chart. Head on over to the book study blog to join in the discussion and download your freebie!

Creating a Caring Classroom

Every teacher knows the importance of the first day of school, because what happens on this day shows us how the rest of the year is likely to unfold. Thankfully, it only takes a little effort to ensure that your class gets off to a great start! I've found that if I take time to create a warm, caring classroom climate during those critical first days,  the rest of the year is a breeze!

How can you create a caring classroom? I've found three strategies that do the trick:

• Engage your students teambuilding and classbuilding activities to help them get to know each other.
• Establish clear limits and expectations for behavior by developing class rules and teaching procedures.
• Plan hands-on activities that challenge your students and let them know that learning is fun!  

I've found that it's sort of like walking a tightrope at first. You want your new students to know that your classroom is a fun place to be, but they also need to understand and respect the rights of others. 

Back-to-School Bingo

When it comes to creating class spirit, one of the best things we can do is to make sure that our students learn each other's names quickly. One of my favorite ways to do that is by having them play Back-to-School Bingo. Click this link to download the free Bingo board and Bingo calling cards from Teaching Resources.

Materials: 
1 Bingo Board for each student, 1 index card or Bingo Calling Card for each student, at least 20 Bingo chips or markers per person

Directions:

1. Give each student a Back-to-School Bingo Calling Card or a 4 x 5 index card. Ask them to write their names at the top and add three facts about themselves, such as favorite hobbies, where they were born, what they love to read, favorite songs, etc. Tell them not to show their cards to anyone because the Bingo game will involve guessing who the facts describe. Collect the cards and store them in an envelope.
2. Give each student a blank Bingo board. Post all the student names on the board in front of the class or distribute pre-printed class lists that have student names on them. Ask students to write one name in each block in random order. If there are more than 25 names, they should leave out their own and a few others as needed. If there are fewer than 25 students, they can add your name and a free spot or two. 
3. To play the game, give each person a handful of Bingo chips. Draw out one calling card and don't reveal whose name you've drawn. Begin to read the facts aloud, one at a time, and call on students to guess who the facts describe. When someone guesses correctly, have the person whose card you drew stand up and take a bow. Everyone in the class may cover the person's name on the card. 
4. Continue playing until someone has 5 chips in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) and calls out, "Bingo!"
5. Variation: The second time you play the game, don't call out the facts. Instead, walk over to the person whose name you drew and tap him or her on the shoulder, indicating that the student should stand up. Do not call the student's name until after everyone has had a chance to try to think of it and cover up that spot on the board. Playing the game this way will help them learn and remember everyone's names. 

This is just one of the ways that I help my new students feel welcomed and accepted. Of course we discuss rules and procedures, and we get involved in lots of hands-on lessons, right from the start. You can find more strategies for creating a caring classroom on my Teaching Resources website. Be sure to check out the Link Up below to find out how other teachers are creating caring classrooms!
 

Caring Classroom Link Up
Do you have an idea for creating a caring classroom that you would like to share? If you don't have a blog, feel free to share your ideas in the comments section below. If you do have a blog, please write a new blog post to explain your idea and join my link up. Here are the Caring Classroom Link Up guidelines in a nutshell:

• Must be a new blog post that consists entirely of free tips or free materials about how to create a caring classroom (Please do not just add this topic to another blog post)
• Must include a link back to this exact blog post (Use this URL:  http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com/2012/07/caringclass.html)
• Please include the Caring Classroom badge shown at the top of the page. Just right-click on the image, copy the URL of the image, and add it to your blog post. 
• When you add your link, write the name of the activity in the name field, NOT your name or the name of your blog. 

Note: This link up is moderated so your link will not show up right away. I will contact you if I encounter a problem. Please do not submit it again. Thanks!

Motivate with Brain Bucks!

We can debate the pros and cons of using rewards in the classroom, but the fact remains that our lives are filled with both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Even as adults, many of us motivate ourselves with extrinsic rewards, such as promising ourselves a special treat when we meet a personal goal.

In the classroom, students who get the right answers on tests are rewarded with good grades and often other tangible items such as certificates and trophies. But when do we reward students for creative thinking or being willing to persist in search of the right answer? A few years ago I created "Brain Bucks" to reward students for finding creative solutions to problems or putting forth extra effort in completing assignments. I even used them to reward students for catching me in a mistake! I kept an envelope with Brain Bucks at my teaching station and looked for opportunities to reward good thinking. When someone came up with a new way to solve a problem or answered a question that had stumped many others, I handed that student a brain buck and said something like, "Wow! Way to use your brain today! I would never have thought of solving the problem that way!" My students quickly realized that I valued creative THINKING more than simply getting the right answer. Eventually, other students began to look for good thinking in others. I would frequently hear someone say, "Mrs. Candler, I think she deserves a Brain Buck for that idea!" You can download your own Brain Bucks from the Classroom Management page on Teaching Resources. They are available in green and also in black and white if you prefer to print them on green paper.

Since Brain Bucks are just slips of paper and not real money, students need to be able to redeem them for something else that they value. I connected them to my full classroom economy system. Students earned money for jobs in the classroom as well as for having their homework for the whole week, and that class money could be used in our class auction at the end of each grading period. You can read more about my classroom economy system in the Classroom Money Pack freebie you can download from my store on TeachersPayTeachers.com.

For more ideas on classroom reward systems that might work with Brain Bucks, take a look at the responses to a question that was posted on my Facebook page yesterday. You'll find dozens and dozens of great ideas there! If you find new ways to use Brain Bucks in your own classroom, please share them here!

Laura Candler, Teaching Resources

Stop Team Disruptions

Cooperative learning is awesome, but sometime the noise and confusion caused by learning together can be distracting to others. It's not that your kids are intentionally being loud - they're just excited about what they are doing and aren't making any effort to keep their voices down. Or maybe their conversations are getting sidetracked into topics that aren't related to the task at all. However, I never felt it was right to waste class time lecturing everyone for the behavior of one or two teams, and lecturing kids never works, anyway.

So I came up with the idea of using small stop signs as a way of getting kids to stop talking and refocus. The strategy is easy to use. Simply print a few of the stop signs shown above on card stock and laminate them to make them last. Keep a few of them handy when your students are working in cooperative learning teams. If a group becomes too noisy or seems off task, walk over and place one of the stop signs in the center of the team. This is a signal to them to be quiet for one minute and think about how they can refocus and work more effectively. Of course, you need to introduce the team stop signs before using them so that students will know what to expect when it happens. After one minute, the team captain places the stop sign back on your desk and the team returns to their task.

When I first thought of this idea, I had no idea how it would work. I wondered if my 5th graders would think it was kind of lame and not really respond to the stop sign quiet signal. However, I was surprised that it worked better than I could have imagined! They absolutely HATED to have to stop talking for one single minute! That minute seemed like an hour to them as they listened to everyone else having fun. After I used the stop signs a few times, all I had to do was pick them up and walk around with them, and I heard kids say, "Shhh! She's coming around with the stop signs!" LOL! Who would have thought that being quiet for one minute would be viewed as a dreaded consequence for off-task behavior?

If you would like to use this strategy in your own classroom, feel free to download the stop sign patterns and directions shown above. You'll find this item on my Teaching Resources site on the Cooperative Learning page along with other free resources. I hope it works as well for you as it did for me!

Teaching Resources

Corkboard Connections Archives on Pinterest

I'm a visual learner, and that's why I think Pinterest is such a terrific way to organize ideas and information! Most blogs have a text archive listed in one of their sidebars, but if you could just see an image of what you want, you could find it more easily.

So to help you find what you need on Corkboard Connections quickly, I created a visual Pinterest archive of all my blog posts! I went through the entire blog and pinned the images that I thought would be most meaningful and would allow you to find what you need.

Right now there are 99 pins on my CC Archives board, and this one will make 100! It's hard to believe that I've written 100 blog posts since I started back in October, but there you have it! Follow this board to be sure you see all of my future blog posts. While you're at it, you might want to follow all my boards because then you'll automatically be added to anything new I set up.

Which blog posts on Corkboard Connections do you find most helpful? What other types of articles would you like to see me write in the coming school year?

Teaching Resources

Sunday is DonorsChoose Day!

If you've been following my blog and Facebook page, you probably know that I'm a huge fan of DonorsChoose.org! In case you haven't heard of it, DonorsChoose is a website where public school teachers can post proposals for classroom projects and request funding from donors. Through the years, I received several thousand dollars in funding, and it really made a difference in the types of programs I could offer to my students. Now that I'm retired, I love helping to fund DonorsChoose projects. It's wonderful to know that my donations are helping teachers and kids! 

That's why I've decided to celebrate DonorsChoose Day every Sunday! I'll post a call on Facebook for proposals around 8 a.m. EST, and on Monday morning, I'll choose at least one to help fund. If you post your proposal link there, be sure to tell me about your project and why it's important to you. If I receive an overwhelming number of proposals, I will skim the entries and select about 10 to examine more closely before I make my decision. Follow me on Facebook to be sure you see my call for proposals.

In case you've tried posting proposals on DonorsChoose and have become discouraged, you should know that there's definitely an art and science to writing a project proposal that appeals to donors. However, if you learn a few tricks, it's amazingly easy to get money for your classroom projects. Last year I invited Francie Kugelman, a veteran DonorsChoose teacher, to share her secrets for how to get projects funded. She's received over $25,000 worth of funding, and she shared her tips in a webinar that you can watch from my DonorsChoose page on Teaching Resources. I highly recommend watching it if you are just starting out on DC. In fact, I was told by one of the customer service reps at DonorsChoose that they recommend this webinar to new users! 

Here are a few tips from my own experience about how to get projects funded:

• Try to keep your project proposal under $500 because smaller projects are much more likely to get funded. If you need materials that are worth more than $500, divide up what you need and write several individual proposals. For example, don't ask for three iPads in one proposal. Write three different proposals and you are more likely to get at least one of them funded.
• When you write your proposal, show your passion for your students and your project! Make it clear how much you love teaching and enjoy working with your students, and how deserving they are of receiving these materials.
• As soon as your project goes live on the DC site, send a letter and/or an email to parents explaining your project and asking for donations. They might not be able to help, but they might have family members who can contribute. Any money they spend on your project is a tax-deductible donation. 
• Check your email and stay on the lookout for special opportunities from DonorsChoose such as matching codes or additional funding from companies. 

If you are a public school teacher in the United States, you really need to check out DonorsChoose! It's a fabulous source of funding, and it won't cost you a dime to try it. Be sure to watch for my calls for proposals on Sunday mornings so you can submit your project link. If you don't have a current project, share this blog post with a friend who does!

Teaching Resources

Classroom Management System That Works!

When it comes to classroom management, actions speak louder than words. If you have an effective management system in place, you don't have to raise your voice or waste class time lecturing students about their behavior. You simply take action!

The most effective system that I ever used was called the "stoplight" management system. You can download a free set of directions and a picture of the stoplight bulletin board by clicking on the image above.

To use this system, I created a "Go for Green" bulletin board in my classroom. I posted a large illustration of a stoplight, but mine had a slight modification. It had four colors: green, yellow, orange, and red. I arranged a set of library pockets around the stoplight, and each numbered pocket represented a student in the class. Everyone started off each day on green. The first time a student engaged in an off-task behaviors, I pulled a yellow tag from the pocket at the base of the stoplight and inserted in the student's pocket on top of the green tag. This was simply a warning. If the off-task behavior continued, I added an orange tag to the student's pocket and they had to complete a Time Out form. Red was reserved for severe infractions and resulted in a trip to the office and/or an immediate call to parents.

One reason I like this method so much is that it's an easy way to manage the learning environment without constant nagging and angry outbursts. Students can be reminded without a lot of fuss that they are off-task and easily redirected to the assignment at hand. For years I had a poster in my room that proclaimed my right to teach and my students' right to learn, and I promised to do everything in my power to ensure that these rights were respected. This system helped me keep that promise and ensure that our time together wasn't wasted.

Go For Green Stoplight System
I wanted to share the entire system with you and make it easy to implement, so I began to write out step-by-step directions. The next thing I knew, I was creating a pattern for the stoplight, adding a class chart, including two Time Out forms, and more! What started out as a simple write-up morphed into an entire Mini Pack! The Go for Green Stoplight Management packet also includes a copy of the teaching and learning poster above. You can preview the whole thing online here or on TeachersPayTeachers to see if it meets your needs. If you would like to purchase the complete packet shown below, you can download it from my TeachersPayTeachers store or my Mini Pack page on Teaching Resources. I hope you find this system to be every bit as useful as I did!  ~ Laura Candler

Tracking Goals for Success!

Do you teach your students how to set goals and create action plans for success? I know it's not in the curriculum, but it's one of the most important things we can teach our students. Time spent teaching students how to set and monitor goals will pay off all year long. 

To help you with this lesson, I have created a free Goal Tracker booklet that you can download and use with your students. It includes a printable called The Secrets of Goal Setting that outlines the 6 steps for success. Students can create academic or behavioral goals for themselves and use this booklet to track their progress throughout the year.

You can download this free item from my Seasonal Page on Teaching Resources during July and August, or any time of the year from my store on TeachersPayTeachers.com. For more complete information about how to teach goal setting, download my ebook Classroom Goal Setting. You'll find that teaching your students how to set goals will empower them to achieve greater success and take pride in their accomplishments this year!

Drama Circles: Cooperative Learning FUN!

Guest blog post by Jen Runde

Have you ever done Drama Circles with your students?  For this activity, students are assembled in a circle facing each other. Each student is given a card or two containing directions to perform or lines to speak.  It is similar to the “I have … who has?” game because students need to listen to their classmates to know when it is their turn to act out the instructions on their card. The picture below is of my class performing a Drama Circle at the end of the year. When the weather is nice, I like to take our drama circles outside. So much fun!

Drama Circles Set the Tone
Using drama circles during the first days of school can really help set the tone for the rest of the school year. This kind of cooperative learning activity has students breaking down the beginning of the year barriers and actively practicing all the skills they will need to have a successful school year:

• They need to listen to each other to keep the activity going
• They must wait their turn, and give their attention to one student
• They need to cooperate with their classmates and build on the previous action
• They will learn to be open to new experiences
• They will share a fun activity that has them learning to be comfortable acting and performing in front of their other classmates.

An integral part of creating a classroom environment where the students treat each other as family is sharing memories and fun times. And for the students, knowing their teacher is willing to get in and share in the fun is priceless.  I’ve had a teacher comment to me after using one of my drama circles, “My class has new memories to share of their teacher faint and wrestle a crocodile. This is a special activity that lead to huge grins!”  A class that sees their teacher is willing to “wrestle a crocodile” for them will know that teacher will do anything for them.

Drama Circles Freebie!
If you want to give drama circles a try in your classroom, I have created a special freebie for you.  A Fairy Tale Drama Circle contains 32 activity cards that will get your students laughing, sharing, building confidence, and making memories. You can download it for free from my TeachersPayTeachers store. Cut out and laminate the individual cards.  I store the cards in baggie when not in use.  I hope you enjoy!


Jennifer Runde is a teacher with twelve years of experience in the upper elementary grades.  She currently has a grade 5/6 class in Ontario, Canada.  She enjoys creating fun and interactive lessons that keep her students engaged in the learning process.  Follow her blog, Runde’s Room, to see what she has going on in her classroom, and find some fun ideas for math, literacy, and technology that you can implement in your own class.

Fun Place Value Spinner Games!

I'm on a mission to update all my older Mini Packs, one by one, and the Place Value Spinner Games pack was the next in line to get a makeover, The two things I've been doing to update my older items is to identify the specific Common Core Standards addressed by the activities and to add a more attractive and eye-catching cover.

Spin 4 Cash Game
The Place Value Spinners pack is actually made up of two games that are slight variations of each other. I started by creating the game Spin 4 Cash shown on the right which my students LOVED because they could win "math cash" for correct answers. It was an absolute favorite during math center time and proved to be a great review activity. Students solve problems on math task cards, and if they get the answer right, they take turns spinning the spinner to see how much "math cash" they earn for their correct answers.

Spin 2 Win Variation
As soon I as posted this game, I had requests from teachers in other countries who pointed out that that spinning for American money won't work for them. So I quickly improvised and came up with a similar game called Spin 2 Win. Instead of winning cash, students win tokens. Same game, different reward system. Still just as fun!

Both games come packaged together in one zip file so you can take your pick and use the one you like. They have teacher directions, student directions, 24 game cards for whole number place value, an answer key, and a score recording page. There are blank problem card templates for you to create your own problems to go with the game. The Common Core Math Standards targeted by this pack are 4th grade NBT.2 and NBT.3, but the activity is also a great review for 5th graders who need a refresher on whole number place value, including rounding and comparing numbers. Because it includes blank problem cards, you can actually adapt it for almost any math concept or skill level. Spin 4 Cash or Spin 2 Win would be perfect for starting off the year when you need to review place value. It's available from my TeachersPayTeachers store and from my Teaching Resources website. 

You can also find loads of place value freebies in my math file cabinet Whole Numbers page. I hope you find these resources helpful when you head back to school. 

Class Handbook Freebie to Customize!

Do you create a class handbook each year? I don't mean a school handbook with district policies and lunch prices. I mean your very own handbook for your classroom. I can't remember when I created my first handbook, but I've found it to be worth every sheet of paper from my meager paper allotment! In fact, I think class handbooks are so important that I'm going to share my own class handbook and cover with you to customize and make your own!

You might be wondering why you would want to create a class handbook when your school already has one. However, school handbooks only cover general topics and policies, but your class handbook will be personalized with the information that concerns your classroom and your students only. You'll find that it serves three useful purposes:

• as an introduction for your students about your expectations
• as your first form of written communication with their parents
• as a reference for both students and parents throughout the year

I had very specific expectations for behavior and assignments in my classroom, and I felt that it was helpful for parents and students alike to see everything in writing. My students kept it at school for the first few days so we could review my guidelines, but then I asked them to take it home to get it signed. That way I could pull it out during parent conferences and show them where I had outlined a particular policy in writing from the beginning of the year. 

Putting together a class handbook can be a bit time-consuming at first, but it's worth the effort because it makes you think through every single policy in your classroom, from how you handle late homework to how you handle discipline problems. It also shows both students and parents just how much you care!

Some of the topics in my handbook include:
* a welcome letter to parents that includes my contact information
* a description of my expectations and policies in each subject area
* my homework policies including late or missing homework procedures
* a place for students to write the names of all their classmates
* lunch times and times for special classes like art, music, and PE
* parent volunteer policies

If you would like to get started developing your own class handbook, feel free to download the PDF version of the one shown above and browse through it for ideas. If you like it, you may also download the Word version and customize it. You can even download the cover shown here and customize it by adding your class name in the blue form field at the bottom of the page. You'll find all of those documents on the Seasonal Page on Teaching Resources during July and August. (Please note that these items are for your classroom use only; if you want to share them with others, you may send them to this blog post to download their own copies.)

If you already have a class handbook, what topics do you cover? Please share your ideas because your comments may inspire others to add new categories to their own handbooks!

Laura Candler ~ Teaching Resources

Reading Professional Development at Home!

Free Webinar: 
Using Graphic Organizers to Create Reading Mini Lessons

July 12th, 2012,  8:00 p.m. EST

Register Now!

How would you like to attend a teacher workshop from the comfort of your own home and receive credit for it? Even better, what if that session promised to be both fun and FREE?

Attend my upcoming live interactive webinar, Using Graphic Organizers to Create Reading Mini Lessons, and you'll be able to download a free certificate of attendance after the session! Whether or not your school system will accept the certificate for an hour of professional development remains to be seen, but it won't hurt to give it a try. You can always keep the certificate for your teaching portfolio, to meet teacher evaluation requirements, or as evidence towards National Board Certification. Even if your district will not accept the certificate, you'll have a great time interacting with other teachers and learning new strategies to prepare you for the coming year.
Note: The attendance certificate is only available to those who attend the live session on Thursday. It will not be available for those who watch the recording later.

Webinar Overview
In this session I'll share strategies for using graphic organizers to teach reading mini lessons. First, we'll explore how to create effective reading lessons and mini lessons.Then we'll dig into the Common Core Reading Standards for grades 2 through 6 to see how easy is to create lessons for informational text and literature. Participants will receive a free set of handouts after the session that include Common Core charts to connect the standards at each grade level with appropriate graphic organizers. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of my book Graphic Organizers for Reading: Teaching Tools Aligned with the Common Core.

Attend Live Session or Watch Recording
You will need to register in order to attend the session because that's how you'll receive the URL of the meeting room. It will be sent out about 30 minutes prior to the session. If you can't attend the live session on Thursday, July 12th, you can still register so you'll receive the link to the webinar recording later. However, the attendance certificate is only available to those who attend the live session. Also, the book giveaway will take place during the live session and you do have to be present to win. A discount code for 25% off Graphic Organizers for Reading and other items totaling at least $19.00 will be given out during the session and it will expire on July 15th. If  you watch the recording, be sure to watch it before the end of that day! 

I'm excited about this upcoming session! Last night I did a practice session with my moderators, Peggy George and Francie Kugelman, and they gave me some great feedback and suggestions. I know you'll love what we've planned, and I hope you'll join us on Thursday! Register now!

Back-to-School Resources for You!

Are you already thinking ahead to the next school year? Chances are good that if you're reading teacher blogs this summer, you're already planning activities for the coming year! I've just updated my Seasonal Page on Teaching Resources with teaching materials to help you get your year off to a good start. You can also find great resources on the Seasonal Teaching Resources Pinterest board.

The first few weeks of school are so important! My top priorities were establishing procedures and creating a warm, caring classroom climate. I spent a lot of time on these areas, but it paid off for me later in the year. To help other teachers, I've created several pages on my Teaching Resources site to share strategies that I learned or developed over the years. For more information, on these topics, visit and bookmark the following pages:

• Creating a Caring Classroom
• Classroom Management Strategies
• Cooperative Learning Resources

One resource that you might find helpful at the beginning of the year is Classroom Goal Setting. This ebook is about teaching kids the importance of setting goals and helping them to establish specific action plans for reaching their goals. You'll find that taking a little time to teach these skills will have a big impact on your classroom. 

What are some of your favorite back-to-school strategies and resources?

Laura Candler ~ Teaching Resources

Autobiography Writing Project

by Christi Fultz, Guest Blogger

There is no other time of the day quite like writing workshop. The alternating periods of excited conferencing mixed with the frenzied scratching of pencils on paper gives me goose bumps every time. I’ve found the key to keeping this delicate balance is authentic writing and student choice.

To get the most out of our time and meet all of the standards, I’ve grouped all of my reading and writing workshop units into genres. This gives students a better understanding of the genres and helps boost both reading comprehension and writing stamina. While students are required to write in my chosen genre, the form their writing takes is really up to them. Our autobiography unit is a perfect example of how this process works.

While students are studying biographies in guided reading, they are also creating their own autobiographies in writing workshop. After we’ve created anchor charts, my students are free to select the path their autobiographies will take. I love teaching this unit each year because I always learn new things about my students. Even reluctant writers have stories to tell when the unit is all about their special memories. For this reason, you might choose to use this unit as a back-to-school activity, especially if you are just focusing on the writing component. Not only will you get to know your new students, but you’ll also allow them to slip back into writing workshop with a familiar topic—themselves! If this project is too challenging for the beginning of the year, save the information to use later as your students explore autobiographies in reading.

To facilitate this process, I’ve created several different page suggestions. Students are free to mix and match my pages or even create their own. A blend of poems, lists, timelines, narratives, and pictures work together to produce a room full of unique autobiographies. When students share the finished project, they are proud to know they’ve truly created something special and families treasure this unit too.

I’m excited to share my bundle with you so you can create your own autobiographies with your class. Click to download this freebie from my store on TeachersPayTeachers.com. I’d love to hear how it goes!

Christi Fultz is a third grade teacher in Indiana with a master’s degree in elementary education and a reading specialist license. Reading and writing are her favorite subjects, but she loves creating hands-on math lessons too. Follow her blog, Ms. Fultz’s Corner, for classroom organization tips, literacy resources, reading strategies, writing mini lessons, math games, freebies, and more.

Getting Started with Power Reading Workshop

Summer was always my favorite time to attend a teacher workshop and learn something new. Without the worry of having to plan lessons for a sub, and the concern about dealing with the fall-out on my return, I was free to relax and have fun while learning. Giving up a day of vacation was easy for me if it meant exploring new teaching strategies and networking with other educators.

That's why I'm excited about my upcoming workshop, "Getting Started with Laura Candler's Power Reading Workshop," which I'll be teaching with Pat Calfee on July 27th in Raleigh, NC. This workshop is designed for teachers who have never used a reading workshop approach, and we'll explore the step-by-step strategies to make the process easy and fun. Pat and I taught this workshop together in January, and everyone had a great time! More importantly, they learned information that will have a significant impact on their reading instruction. In the words of one attendee who is a Literacy Coach,

"As a reading specialist, I am so eager to go back to my school and share the guided reading/ independent conferring concept with the teachers in my building. The most valuable aspect of the workshop was understanding that you do not have to do "centers" to construct a good reader's workshop." ~ Monique Douglas

Registration Information
Everyone who attends the session will receive a free copy of my book Laura Candler's Power Reading Workshop. The deadline for registering is June 15th, and you can download the registration form from the Power Reading Workshop page. If your school cannot send a purchase order now, you can attend by having an administrator sign the Payment Authorization Form to guarantee payment after the workshop.

Other Workshop Opportunities
If you aren't able to attend this public session, one of us would love to a present teacher workshop on site at your school or in your district. You can find descriptions of all four popular workshops as well as contact information on the Workshops page on my site, or email workshops@lauracandler.com. I hope to see you at a teacher workshop soon!

School Year Calendar Freebies

When I was teaching, I could never find just the right calendar to use with my students, so I had to make my own. I wanted 8 1/2 x 11 portrait-style pages that would fit in a 3-ring binder, and I liked large blocks for writing in the dates and events.

After I began using these calendar pages with my students, I also realized that they make great planning tools for creating a thematic unit or planning with others. Lately I've started making landscape-style pages, too.

You can download this freebie from my Teaching Resources website. The version that's available to the public is the PDF file shown here with the blue cover that you can print and write on, but you can't type directly on the pages.

Newsletter subscribers can also download the PDF Forms Version shown to the left in either landscape or portrait format. Those calendars have form fields on each date where you can type information before printing it for your students. Just sign up for Candler's Classroom Connections and follow the links in the welcome message to the Newsletter Freebies page. If you are already a subscriber, go back to your inbox and find an old newsletter with a link to that page. I'll be sending another newsletter on July 7th and I'll be sure to let include a link to download these two exclusive free calendars.

What are some ways to use this calendar? Here are a few ideas:

• Instructional Planning 
• Personal Meeting Planner 
• Literature Circle Schedules
• Attendance Graphing
• Project Planning and Organization
• Homework Planner 
• Classroom Event Calendar

I hope that one of these calendar formats will be just right for you! Visit Teaching Resources for more free materials to help you get organized for the coming year! How might you use these calendar pages?