Genre Banners and a FREEBIE!

I have a new obsession, or should I say my students have a new obsession.  They love filling out banners, and I love making them!  I have eleven banner topics so far...

Most of my banners are for holidays and special occasions.  Genre Banners can be used year round.

It includes nine genre banners (realistic fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, non-fiction, poetry, folktales, and biography).  Each genre comes in two different styles.

My students completed the non-fiction banner yesterday.  You can see the two different styles above.

You can download my Non-fiction Banner by clicking on the picture below.

You can take a closer look at my entire Genre Banners product in my TpT store, as well as all my other banners!  You can purchase all eleven banners and all other future banners in my Banners for the Entire School Year at a huge discount!

Bright Ideas: Using a Paper Towel Holder in the Classroom

Welcome to the "Bright Ideas" blog hop!

I have O.C.D. (Organized Classroom Disorder)!  I like everything to have its place and things to be tidy.  One of the hardest teaching tools to find a place for are anchor charts.  I make anchor charts for every subject.  Some anchor charts are on chart paper, and others are made on Power Point slides to display on the Smart Board.  I like to keep anchor charts available for students to use as a resource throughout the year.  Unfortunately, anchor charts can quickly take over a classroom.  This is where the paper towel holder comes into play.  It makes a perfect mini anchor chart holder!  Here's how:
1.  Purchase a wooden paper towel holder, loose-leaf rings, cardstock, and three hole paper protectors

2.  Decorate your paper towel holder.  This step is optional.  I just like to paint everything!

3.  Add cardstock to each paper protector for stability.  Place loose-leaf rings through each hole in your paper protectors.  Remove the middle piece of the holder and slide the rings on before screwing it back onto the base.

4.  Insert mini anchor charts into the paper protectors.  Students can flip through the charts to find the one they need.

If you want to allow anchor charts to be removed for students to take to their seats, use three hole pocket dividers instead of paper protectors.

I hope you find this organizer to be useful in your classroom!  For more bright ideas from other bloggers, please browse through the link-up below!  Thanks for visiting! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Teaching students to edit and revise

I love teaching writing.  I hate teaching students to edit and revise!  This task can be especially challenging for reluctant writers.  In the past, I've made anchor charts, conferenced with students until I'm blue in the face, tried peer editing, etc.  You name it, I've tried it.  It wasn't until I made my Close Reading on a Ring product that I thought, "Why can't students edit and revise on a ring?"

When my students finish their rough draft, they have the option of grabbing an Editing and Revising Tool Kit.  The kit contains everything they need to edit and revise their piece.  The plastic pencil case contains eight colored pencils and a color key.

They also grab the editing and revising cards on the ring.  Each card gives students a task to complete to help them improve their story.

 When students finish flipping through the rings, their story is ready for the final copy!  Here is an example of one of the revising cards for substituting.

You can take a closer look at my Editing and Revising on a Ring product here.  I've included color and black & white cards for printing, as well as editable cards for you to add your own tasks.