Digital Stickers

 I saw some cute digital stickers floating around on the internet, and I love the idea of putting them on student work that is submitted digitally. But, I wanted my Bitmoji on them so I decided to make some of my own!

I created my stickers in Google Drawing first. Then, I saved each one as a .PNG file on my computer. 

 Last, I uploaded the pictures into my Google Drive.

The possibilites are endless. I created some reading and writing award ones, along with some encouragement ones. 

Click here to view them all and make a copy. Don't forget to click file make a copy, then delete my Bitmoji for yours!

I can't wait to digitally stick these to my students' work to encourage them!

Guided Reading/Small Groups: Distance Learning Style

I know teachers are busy trying to figure out the best way to do all the things for our Distance Learning and Face2Face students. One thing I have been thinking about is Guided Reading and Small Groups for my remote learners and what might that look like. 

Thanks to Ann Melancon, principal in my district, I was able to think through and change some ideas. Books were my number one concern. How will I get books to my students and what resources will help support their learning?

I began brainstorming and here is the beginning of my list. 

Click here to grab a copy of my list, it has hyperlinks to each resource.

Digital texts that you could share:

*HMH digital books-

If you are in CyFair ISD, we have an amazing resource in our HMH online materials. We have a variety of Rigby guided readers, and you can assign guided reading books based on reading levels to our students. You can also create groups based on your schedule and assign different books to each group. 

Click here for a quick video highlighting how to search and assign books in HMH.

*Storyworks- 

Scholastic Storyworks has great digital resources from articles, stories, poems, infographics and activities to support comprehension. My students always love Storyworks. They also have digital only subscriptions available for this year. I recommend Storyworks for grades 3-5.

*Newsela-

Newsela is FREE and takes current events and create articles for students. You can search any topic and choose the Lexile you want for the article. You can link articles easily to Google Classroom or download and add to your Learning Management system. They also include activities for each article. If you haven't checked out Newsela go search their site now.

*Reading A-Z-

Reading A-Z could be another option for you. They have a variety of fiction and nonfiction books on all levels. You can download and link to your school's platform. Parents could also print the book for their child at home.

I also linked a few digital guided reading or small group resources you may want to use. Digital letter tiles or a virtual white board for your word work or comprehension activites and some visuals to cue students in Zoom throughout your lesson.

Scheduling Groups

I don't plan on starting guided reading or small groups for the first few weeks. I need to get to know students, build relationships, set up our class procedures both for Face2Face or virtually. 

Here is a possible sample Guided Reading/Small group schedule if you are teaching students both remotely and Face2Face. When talking with Mrs. Melancon, it made more sense to pull your digital group first because they were just with you for the live lesson. First, you can meet with a virtual group that stays on Zoom, while the others go off screen and work on their independent reading and activities for the day. 

Do you have any tips for Guided Reading: Distance Learning Style?

What other thoughts and/or questions do you have regarding guided reading or small groups? I may have different thoughts and resources once I jump in and actually try it out.

Give yourself grace, but don't skip your guided reading and small groups!!