FREEBIE: Back to School Essentials

School is quickly approaching, and I wanted to share some of my absolute favorite things that I use in my classroom!  I uploaded a new freebie that will help you with the transition back into the classroom, maybe you can use these as a time filler, or start a new routine with your class.  

I love using Rainbow Edit on a daily basis to get the kids thinking about their writing.  Kids look closely at their writing, and color code to show that they were paying attention.  At the beginning of the year they read their paragraphs and focus on one color at a time, rereading over and over again to add all 6 colors. By the end of the year they color code as they read (and they are more proficient).  It's amazing how much is changed by the time they get to the final draft.  :) Rainbow Edit makes it easy for me to see who needs help in what area.  Every sentence is a rainbow, and it's easy to notice who needs to work on punctuation vs. adjectives, etc.     

I love using Whole Class Writing Journals on a daily basis too!  Usually these are used during Work on Writing or as students finish their assigned weekly writing.  Kids write in them on a specific subject, put the notebook back into the basket, and another kid is able to take a turn - both reading & learning more about their classmates, as well as sharing more about themselves.  These are hot items during silent reading!

There are also a couple of my Monthly Grammar Coloring Sheets included, for students to work on their parts of speech. Even my big kids still love to color, and these half size sheets are a great tool.

Well, this weekend has been all about the freebies.  I've been tackling my to do list getting ready for this next year.  I hope it helps you!