Common Core is Here!

Maryland has adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and it is in full effect this year. I know it's a bit overwhelming, but I am actually really excited about it. I feel like I have more autonomy and room to be creative in my instruction. We are getting our students "College and Career Ready," so I decided to amp up the non-fiction section of my classroom library by organizing books by topics that one might study in college. I looked up academic departments at University of Maryland, College Park and I created sections in my classroom library that cater to various topics of study. I made sections for Mathematics and Economics, Cultural Studies, Physics, Earth Science, etc. Since some of these terms are unfamiliar to students, I created labels with visuals to go along with each term. I made labels for fiction genres as well. I printed the labels out in color, laminated them, and taped them to each book bin. Here are some examples of what the labels look like. If you would like to see more, click here to check out my TpT store.

 

A Language-Rich Classroom for a Brand New Year!

Hello! A new school year has begun and I am working on making my classroom language-rich for my ESOL students. One thing I like to do is label my classroom. This is a great way to help English language learners build vocabulary and become familiar with their classroom environment. I created colorful labels that include a visual to go with each vocabulary word. Instead of putting the labels up myself, I made an activity out of it and had my students put them up around the room. The students learned new words, found out where things were in the classroom, and had a chance to move around the room and interact with one another. In one simple activity, they worked on building vocabulary and reading, listening, and speaking skills. Here is an example of the labels. Click here to see more classroom labels at my TpT store.