Mentor Text (The Raft) and Currently!

Are you on summer vacation and already working hard looking for materials for next year?  I am not on summer vacation yet but Amanda and Stacia's awesome mentor text linky is so organized that I can go back anytime and keep adding texts to my must-read list!  I am really looking forward to some extra blog reading time during summer vacation (just 3 weeks away!).  Check out their linky this week.  Topic: Language Arts

The mentor text I am sharing today is one of the stories from our reading series, McMillan McGraw Hill's Treasures.  

Although I only use the reading series about once or twice every two months, there are some wonderful texts here accompanied by great resources for teaching certain skills.   One of my favorite stories from our textbook is The Raft.  It is nice to use the reading series when I find a great text to share because the students can each have a copy of the text in front of them when using the books.  The Common Core standards emphasize referring back to the text for SPECIFIC details.  This is making it difficult to not provide the class with individual copies of a text and still practice the types of questions students will be assessed on during "the TEST".   

From Amazon Reviews:

Imagine passing a summer drifting up and down a slow-moving river, watching as cranes, turtles, raccoons, otters, and ducks grow accustomed to your presence. Envision days spent poling the raft through lily pads and grasses, glimpsing foxes through the trees on shore. On hot, sticky nights, picture a tent set up on the raft, from which you have an unobstructed view of huge bucks drinking from the moonlit river. Nicky has no idea what he's getting into when his father drops him off for the summer at his grandmother's cottage in the woods. And he's not especially pleased at the prospect. "There's nobody to play with ... She doesn't even have a TV." But this "river rat" is not the normal kind of grandma. Without pushing, she quietly allows Nicky to discover for himself the wonders of river life. Gradually, Nicky's interest in drawing the wildlife he sees brings him closer to his artist grandmother, and to an inner peace that looks as though it will last for a lifetime.

Here is a link to a great slideshow of activities to accompany the novel.

I have made many of these computer investigation worksheets to accompany themes that we are exploring with texts.  Here is one where students can explore different types of animals and answer questions.  

Download this worksheet for students to investigate more animals using the National Geographic website.  I noticed that the margins are off in Dropbox but you should be able to edit the margins in Word once it is downloaded.  You can also edit the directions.  I have a website through Quia.com where I provide links to all my computer investigations.

Next, I am linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade.  I am probably like link up 128,492 but, hey, I am only a day late:)

Thinking my daughter's birthday party was a success!  Here she is getting her nails painted at a "Little Diva Day Spa!"  It was totally low stress for me and the girls had a blast!!

Wanting the next three weeks to be over with but also wanting to enjoy the last weeks with my students!  I love my class this year and will be sad to see them go:(

Needing to write up my lesson plan from my unannounced walkthrough observation on Thursday.  I also have to submit 24 artifacts for domains one and four of the Danielson rubric.  They are mostly done but I need to double check and add a few things.  I am procrastinating...

I did make these handy organizers to keep my binder organized if you want to check them out.  There is also a version for the TED rubric.

I look forward to having time later to catch up on what all of you are doing "Currently!"  

Have a great Sunday:)