Three Freebies and A Big Reveal!

Phew! I've got a lot to say today (stick around, there are three treats mixed in for you!) You know how some weeks (or days) you just seem to have it all together, whereas others you can't seem to get anything right? Well, this week has been a little busy, but I seem to be on a roll! My husband would insert a "butter" joke there, by the way.  All sillyness aside, I am very proud of how productive I've been!  In the last few days, I've "made over" several TPT files, even uploaded a new one to be revealed in a little bit, plus I've managed to keep our house clean, work out, and even cook dinner several times (major accomplishment!!).

I also have a few semi-cute (and educational, of course) activities that I can share with you!  The first activity went along with our reading story, A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds, which I must admit, is not my favorite.  I really prefer to teach using units of study in a Reading/Writing Workshop style, but my county requires that we use our Treasures basal as well, so the story is a bit of a must.  To spice it up a little bit, my kiddos and I made these little "Fruitcases" as I keep accidentally calling them. 

They were very easy to make, and I was super excited that they only used one sheet of copy paper(since the copy police have really been laying down the law at our school).  You can grab the printable by clicking the picture below.

All you have to do is copy the paper front/back, fold it in half and staple to a brown paper "suitcase" (just a half sheet) with a folded handle.  The students responded to the text by writing three fruit facts, listing fruits with one vs. many seeds, and finally creating a double bubble map to compare two fruits after having a class taste-testing party.  It may sound a bit silly to have a fruit taste-testing party, but every single year, I'm amazed at how many of my students have not eaten fruits such as strawberries or grapes--nevermind the more interesting fruits like kiwi, starfruit, mango, and papaya!

The second activity and freebie is a quick synonyms/antonyms sort.  There are blank cards included so your class can add synonym/antonym pairs and sort them as well.  Just click the picture below to download it.

Now, on to the big reveal and the third freebie I promised...I have been working very hard the last few weeks to get this latest idea out, and it is finally ready!  Drum roll, please...

My kiddos always have trouble when it comes to creating their own folded graphic organizers, so I decided to help them out a little. And once I started, I just couldn't stop--the ideas kept coming! So, I am now proudly introducing my Snip, Flip, and Fold 3-D Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension.  They focus on skills such as questioning, making connections, inferring, sequencing, and more, so they align with the Common Core Standards and Reading Workshop wonderfully!  My students have love, love, loved using them during their reading response time, and I have loved how independent they've become through using them!  Here is a preview of the full set... 

All you do is print the graphic organizers front/back, then have students snip on the dotted lines, fold on the solid lines, and the flip up the flaps to record their thinking as they are reading.  Here are some pictures of Snip, Flip, and Folds my students have used recently (sorry for such poor quality photos--I've got horrible lighting in my room since there are no windows--its hopeless!):

I will be giving away one of my Snip, Flip, and Fold 3-D Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension packs to the first commenter who leaves me their email!  Also, if you are not the firstie, don't worry, you can always download the preview file for your third freebie, which includes one Snip, Flip, and Fold that you can use with ANY story!! Hope you like it!

Enjoy, and have a Hoppy Easter Weekend! I'm super-excited to watch my girlie hunt for eggs now that she is walking like crazy!