Lucy Calkins Small Moments Resources First Grade

Are you using the Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Writing? I am starting to play with some resources that are helping me extend her ideas in a way that engages my first graders.I'm going to make more now that I've used the Units of Study for a year.

Unit 4 From Scenes to Series



After reading the super cute prompt about a runaway cookie at school students will write an ending to the story. This is a great writing activity for all levels of writers. 

If you are using Lucy Calkins this is a helpful lesson to go with First Grade Unit 4 Session 3 or the mini lesson: Trying more than one ending and using a partner to give feedback. 

Students can also write two endings and then work with a partner to pick the best one. 



4 differentiated templates are included. 
Mini-lesson plans included for two days



Sample Standards for grades k-6 Narrative Writing
ELACC6W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
ELACC5W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences:
ELACC4W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
ELACC3W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
ELACC2W3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
ELACC1W3 Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
ELACCKW3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

Second Grade Common Core Math test CUMULATIVE!

This is so helpful. Use it as a resource in the beginning, middle or end of the year.

Second Grade Common Core Cumulative Test

TPT Second Grade Common Core Math Tests

This is a resource for a pretest and/or post test combining the second grade common core math standards for the whole year. 


The test includes opportunities to exceed, standards for each test question and PARCC type questions to prepare your students! 

***Answers are also included. 

This can be used for a retest of certain standards as well for standards that you continued working on. 

43 questions…can be broken up over two days. 

Common Core Writing projects!

I love coming up with integrative writing projects! It's challenging for me and the students.

Some second grade common core writing standards I try to cover are...

LA.2.W.CCR.4 - [Anchor Standard] - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Students will present their books and use expression when they read the dialogue.
Reading:
LA.2.RL.2.6 - [Grade Level Standard] - Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
LA.2.W.CCR.7 - [Anchor Standard] - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
LA.2.W.2.8 - [Grade Level Standard] - Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

I think this one has been my favorite so far…

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Writing-Project-Coming-to-America


The students wrote great pieces about what life was like as they traveled from England to America using research and books. 

and

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-Man-Writing-Project-K-3rd

This project was so fun because the students picked a runaway food to be and wrote about who chased them. They were fun and the students included a lot of great details!



I love the second one because it makes the students solve a problem using their research on the regions.
You could use this idea for any state.

Common Core Tests

I was at a meeting and was perplexed about the idea of not sharing and coordinating county tests for the new Common Core Standards. I feel like the trend is to make the curriculum more similar across the country for students. When we aren't using the same tests county-wide this seems strange to me. Teachers are spending a lot of time making tests on their own. Here are some great tests….

I like these tests because they are challenging, standards-based, and require higher order thinking.

Writing Performance Task and Rubric: link

Math Units:

First grade: Math unit 1 &2

Second Grade:
Unit 1 & 2 Tests

Unit 1 worksheets

Unit 2: Problem Solving, addition and subtraction


Unit 3: Measurement

Matter Unit
Great tests

Georgia's Regions

I don't write the science lesson plans for second grade on my collab team. I write the writing plans. So when I was trying to write a higher order thinking essential question for the 5 Regions science unit I was not very familiar with the standards. Making this critical thinking writing project really combined science, writing, and research in a meaningful way for my students. They loved figuring out the answer to the farmer's problem. Their stories were actually really well written with minimal help from me once I helped them through the first page and demonstrated how to turn their notes into a story. We even had time to research cotton more to determine why it's planted in a certain region and we included those facts in the end of the book.

Georgia's 5 Regions Writing Project

SECOND GRADE COMMON CORE BIG BAD STORY

Writing Workshop has been a joy this year. I have a really challenging class due to the different levels of writing they are at but we are doing a lot of higher order thinking and keeping our standards high for all of our students!

They loved MY BIG BAD STORY. After teaching a narrative writing unit this was a really fun way to encourage them to draw and write details to tell a story. Their stories were so awesome! Best of all my kids were engaged the entire time. I was able to easily differentiate the work for students who have a harder time writing and really challenge students who are great writers.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Writing-Project-Three-Little-Pigs
BIG BAD STORY

Review Second Grade Common Core Standards

TpT Rock Around the Classroom

ROCK AROUND THE CLASSROOM IN ACTION! 

My students love this game! It helps them review the Common Core standard that we are studying. Played like musical chairs without taking any seats away, they answer the question on the board, and then line up to play again! 
 This can be used as a math center or whole group activity.