Inside Bell's Brain

  It's time for another Pick 3 Pinterest Party Linky with Inspired Owl's Corner !  Since it's full-swing back-to-school mode for many of us, we're posting pins for our classrooms this month.  Check mine out below.  I just had a great conversation the other day with my friend Davita about the difference between a topic and a theme .  I wanted to make sure I was doing my students justice on this standard when I explained it to them.  ( Academic language is SO important for our ELs.)  Then I ran across this anchor chart pin.  It's simple and to the point , but I really like the second half about how the authors suggest theme.  It gives students something more tangible in the story that they can grab and identify the evidence to support their claims.  I can definitely see myself using these ideas this year. Click on the photo above to pin on your own boards! Back-to-school means g...

Reading is a crucial part of a child's education. Children's ideas about language and communication , as well as ideas about character-building and coping with life's obstacles , are strengthened through reading. The National PTA is encouraging reading with their Family Reading Experience initiative this summer, and I wanted to link up with their site to share what I'm doing to encourage my students' families to read. Infographic from PTA Reading Challenge on family reading experiences Over my spring break, I read one of my (now) all-time favorite books , The One and Only Ivan .  Its story was captivating , and the author brought a true story to a new level of life by personifying the gorilla Ivan .  The chapters were short, but the ideas were strong .  I knew it was a book that I could incorporate into my language instruction with my English learners.   The book was such an emotional read that I'd have to read several pages...and then take a ...

I've made a new friend through my new Instagram account !  (Follow me @insidebellsbrain !)  So today I'm linking up with Mrs. Stanford's class to bring you a little Hump Day Highlight .  This week I thought I would tell you about my latest creation and how we're using it in our classroom.  Last year, our district had its first International Fair .  It was so exciting to see so much love and support for all the diversity in our schools and communities.  My fourth graders contributed a project called "International Heroes."  They did an AMAZING job!  I was so proud of their hard work, and I realized that their research and final products were so meaningful to them...academically and personally.  We did a very in-depth study of biographies and informational text , followed by their own independent and collaborative research .  Finally, they published their work in a typed report and displayed it for the Fair. This year, I wanted to "be...

I've been busy over the Winter Break working on updating some of my TpT products (and making some completely new ones).  One of my products got a complete facelift, and my best-selling product is being seriously expanded.  Take a peek below to see what's up! My Chinese New Year Burrito Booklet is now ready for classroom use for CNY 2015.  This year, CNY falls in February, so I decided to put this product on sale for just $2 until the holiday begins (Feb. 19).  The dates of the holiday have been updated, and I made some general changes to the fonts, etc. to make it a little more visually appealing. I've also been doing a major overhaul to my Celebrations and Traditions Around the World Unit Bundle .  I've been working on this for weeks now, but it's coming along...slowly, but surely.  I'm adding scaffolded reading passages, black line masters, and suggested answer keys...just to name a few things.  I'll also be updating my web site companio...

Good.  It's such a simple word...one that we probably use 100 times in a single day.  "Be a good girl."  "You're a good boy."  "Do a good job."  "Did you have a good day?"  "This food is good."  When there are seemingly an infinite number of adjectives we could choose, we stick with the word "good."  It's a word I've been trying to eliminate from my vocabulary for quite some time, but probably not for the reason that you think.   I see so many signs, products, and instructional tools that talk about "good" readers and writers.  I think so many of them are wonderful products and great resources for our classes, so I don't want my message to be misconstrued.  But if we tell students that there are "good" readers and writers, what is the implication?  That there are also BAD readers and writers.  That's what concerns me the most.   Some students, and some teachers alike, struggle w...