My First Grade Cafe, Las Vegas, NV (2026)

07/20/2025

07/19/2025

2nd Annual Teacher Blogger Meet- Up by What the Teacher Wants! Was a great night! This is me:) I really like this poster made by What the Teacher Wants!

01/26/2025

How are you celebrating the 100th day of school in your classroom? https://bit.ly/4at6zUu Get this fun activity booklet free in January only from Scholastic Teachables!

10/30/2024

TURKEY TOAST 🦃

*source unknown

10/28/2024

𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓

Scaffolded, pragmatic approach to developing informational/explanatory writing skills.
🎃 https://bit.ly/4hcEggl

Focus on writing about pumpkins and the pumpkin life cycle in light of informational Common Core Standards for writing.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:

Student book covers boy and girl

🎃- Section One – About Pumpkins

About Pumpkins section page

Pumpkin vocabulary

Pumpkin life cycle poster

Pumpkin life cycle fill in

How does a pumpkin grow? Number & label, cut & paste

What is a Fact? Poster

Pumpkin Facts

Pumpkin Facts and Non-Facts

Class pumpkins facts brainstorm

Definitions work for 2nd graders

Pumpkin facts label the pumpkin

Pumpkin adjectives (senses)

Yummy pumpkins (kinds of food)

Pumpkin decorations

Pumpkins are a fruit

🎃 -Section Two – About Info/Explanatory Writing

About Informational/ Explanatory Writing section page

What is Informational Writing? color poster

Why do we read or write informational/explanatory texts?

What topics could you write about?

Parts of an info/explanatory writing piece poster (b&w)

Super helpers to remember structure color poster

Super helpers to remember structure b&w

Parts of an informational writing piece pumpkin style

Parts of an informational writing piece pumpkin style cut & paste, order of structure

Pasting page for previous activity

Self-correcting page for previous activity

Informational/explanatory text features color poster

Informational/explanatory text features label from prev. poster

Grammatical features color poster

Linking words cut and paste

Present tense work

Technical terms work (label pumpkin)

Forms of informational writing (list, sequencing. etc)

🎃- Section Three – Learning to write using structure

Learning to section page

How to for teachers

Informational writing example one

Informational writing example two

Informational writing example three

The topic sentence with helper; Tilly Topic color poster

Possible topic sentence examples

Topic sentences using vocab prompts

Breaking it down – whole class oral task

Pumpkin topic sentence brainstorm (enlarge)

Now I can write my topic sentence

The Facts with helper; Fiery Facts color poster

Carving up the facts (are, have can)

Just the facts please

I know a lot about pumpkins (record research)

Pumpkin life cycle record stages (1st, 2nd etc)

“ “ “ “ (first, next, then, after this) template

How does a pumpkin grow? Record stages in own words

Summary with helper; Super Sam Summary color poster

Super summary – What does restate mean?

Breaking it down, pumpkin style connecting topic sentences and summary sentences

We can summarize (using topic sentences)

🎃- Section Four – putting it together

Writing our own info. texts section page

Pumpkin happenings; how does a pumpkin grow?

Pumpkin, pumpkin, how do you grow?

A pumpkin grows and grows

My pumpkin

I know all about pumpkins

Pumpkin patch

this is a pumpkin

🎃- Section Five – blank templates

Blank templates section page

Blank templates

🎃- Section Six – evaluations and reflections

Evaluating section page

Pumpkin rated writing self-assessment

Student achievement notice Common Core

10/11/2024

The Writing Process Pack Teaching the writing process and having students practice going through the process often is an essential part of teaching writing. This Writing Process Bundle includes tons of resources to make working through the writing process a breeze in your classroom.WHAT'S INCLUDED:1. Writing Process Word W....

10/11/2024

Genre Graphic Organizers Graphic organizers are an essential tool for differentiating and supporting all students in your classroom. These differentiated paper and digital graphic organizers are perfect for practicing skills and strategies needed for reading a wide variety of genres! They can be used with any books or read....