Sharing is Caring

I just made some stuff to use with a few of the new kiddos I will be working with. I thought I would share in case any other teachers would find these ideas useful.

Let me know your feedback!

I made these using Boardmaker software which is phenomenal, but expensive. It costs over $400. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship for classroom supplies, so I bought it two years ago. I have used it in so many different ways in the classroom and I love it. If you are interested to try it out, you can download a free trial or check with the SPED department at your school. It is used a lot with students that have special needs especially with symbol based communication devices/helpers. I use it for games, English Language Development, Social Stories, science etc. etc. etc.

I made some visuals to encourage students to make connections when reading a text. I made them in a bookmark size, but I also used to have these in a larger size posted above my whiteboard so students could see them all the time.

The IPICK strategy is meant to be a bookmark that students refer to when selecting a book in order to make an appropriate selection. It's kind of like the Goldilocks idea of not to hard, not too easy, but just right. The ideas pertaining to how to select a "good fit" book come from The Daily Five by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser (which I highly recommend). Read this post for more info about The Daily Five and good fit books.

Text Connections

If you print this document, you will probably want to add in the arrow heads on the lines going from the book to the other pictures. For some reason the program could make lines, but not make them into arrows.... sorry!
Good Fit Book

Good Pick Books

This part is meant to go on the back of the bookmark to remind the student what they should think about when selecting a book for silent reading.

I am hoping that you will be able to both view these documents in pdf format and print them if you desire. Let me know if you run into any problems (and if you like them!)