The Daily Edit--Make Your Morning Work Meaningful!

So this is an idea I actually got from my own second grade teacher.  And no, she didn't tell me about it recently.  I actually remember this from second grade!  As a part of our morning work, there would either be a passage written on the blackboard or on chart paper.  This was "The Daily Edit."  In the passage, there would be different mistakes that each student needed to individually find and fix at his or her seat.  The passage was usually short enough, and the difficulty got increasingly harder as the year went on.  At first it covered simple things like capitalization, using periods, and the recognition of spelling in sight words, but it proceeded to cover other things that we covered in class.  It actually made morning work meaningful because it allowed students to apply their knowledge of structure in an analytical way.  This also helps with students' own writing skills because they have the practice in editing that can tranlate to self-editing.  It is also great for classroom management and structure, because students will know exactly what to do when they come in the classroom!

Here is an example of what a Daily Edit would look like.  This particular example asks students to use their knowledge of the structure of a letter, as well as some spelling, punctuation, and capitalization errors. 

Please feel free to give feedback or let me know of some of your morning work strategies!

Website Spotlight: Snappy Words Visual Dictionary

Sick and tired of boring dictionary definitions?  Can't figure out how to get students to make connections between words and their meanings?  Snappywords online visual dictionary gives excellent visual definitions/connections for any word!

This would be great for any vocabulary lesson or for any sort of test prep.  Good way to review words as a whole class too, especially for visual learners!

Visit the site here:  http://www.snappywords.com/

So awesome and kids love it! Much better than a definition thrown at you.

Enjoy!

FREEBIE! Rubric for Small Moment Writing

Use this rubric for students who struggle to stretch out their writing and add details.  They will be able to self assess themselves and their work, and see where they need to add more!  This goes great with Writer's Workshop small moment writing, but it can be used for anything!

You can download the freebie here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Small-Moments-Stretch-Out-Your-Writing-Rubric

Here is a preview of what it looks like:

 

Enjoy!