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June 30, 2014

Monday Made It and Anchors Away PQA FREEBIE

Today's blog post is a two-fer! I made something this week that is an "anchor" chart so I am linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It (my first one in eons) and also with my sweet, bloggy friend Deb from Crafting Connections for Anchors Away.


I finally, finally had the time and the gumption to make something this week. I had piddled around with a few TpT products since summer break began, but I hadn't really made something, like a REAL something, something concrete, something you can hold in your hand. So, what did I finally end up making?

A few weeks ago I blogged about not having the storage space to keep all the anchor charts that my students and I generate throughout a school year. I end up throwing them all out when I really should be using them with my kiddos. That's what an anchor chart is intended for. I also blogged about some possible solutions for the upcoming school year. You can read the detailed post HERE, and then as part of the solution I discussed some cute Tolsby photo frames from IKEA HERE. This all came together as part of my PQA lesson.


PQA is the first lesson that I cover with my incoming fifth grade Language Arts students and review with my returning sixth and seventh grade students. PQA or Put the Question in the Answer is an acronym to help my students remember how to phrase answers to questions. I am very particular with student responses at this level. It is no longer sufficient to just give an answer that is only a few words. I expect them to be able to elaborate, cite text evidence, and write in standard English for nearly every answer. PQA is the first step in helping them achieve this expectation.

Here is the permanent PQA anchor chart. I say permanent because I will actually develop this concept step-by-step on a chart paper with my students, giving them plenty of examples along the way. This decorative, smaller chart will replace that large sheet of paper. This smaller chart marks the unveiling of my new color/pattern scheme; I'm toning it down a bit, but still keeping it colorful.


Because this is such an important skill that I want my students to internalize I am placing a mini-anchor chart on each table. I miniaturized the above chart to fit in the Tolsby frame (4" x 6"). In the front of the frame is the anchor chart while in the back is the table number. The frame is golden because these are golden nuggets of knowledge... items my students MUST know. Only THE MOST IMPORTANT information will be displayed in these golden frames on the student tables. I've other frames that will be spray painted in accent colors (another Monday Made It for the future) and used for additional miniature anchor charts along the window ledges.


These charts are just a part of my PQA lesson. I spend several days developing and practicing the skill together with the students before I expect them to produce it independently. This year we will be continuing with Interactive Notebooks for Language Arts so I also made a foldable to accompany the lesson. This will serve as  yet another resource for my students.

This is what the student INB page looks like.

student foldable

I will more than likely print them on colored paper.



The two flaps are meant to be layered.



Under both flaps will be written and highlighted an example to illustrate the concept, creating a great reference for PQA.


If you'd like a copy of the foldable and anchor chart, you can download it HERE.

Be sure to stop by Tara's blog for more great Monday Made It ideas and Deb's blog for additional anchor chart ideas. Also, don't forget that Throwback Thursday is only three days away. Get your PURR-fect Previous Posts ready to link-up here at The Teacher's Desk 6.










Classroom Freebies Manic Monday

26 comments:

  1. I love everything about this lesson/activity/post!!! First of all, I love the mini anchor chart frame and that background paper! I absolutely adore the gold frame and how you connected it with "golden nuggets of knowledge"! You know me... I love alliteration and any sort of "word play", Angela!

    From my experience with fifth graders, this is a difficult skill for many of them, but you have it all planned so well that they will be writing those questions independently in no time! I love the interactive notebook foldable, too!

    Thank you for sharing such a great idea, and thank you for linking up, too!!

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    1. Thank you soooo much for your kind words and support! They mean a great deal to me. You know how I value your expertise and creativity. You made my day, Deb!

      Angela

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  2. Great idea! Thank you for the freebie--I will be using it at the beginning of the year too! Also, Michaels now has those frames for $2. I don't have a nearby ikea so I was delighted to see them at Michaels!! Used a coupon too!

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    1. Thanks, Lori! I'm so glad that you will be giving my little lesson a try. I love being able to share ideas and items with teachers!!!! My kiddos get a huge kick out of hearing that someone somewhere else is doing the same thing they are!

      Michael's, hunh? There's a store about an hour away. I could always use the excuse with my friends, "Let's do lunch" since if I tell them I want to school shop they will not want to go... LOL!

      Have a great week,
      Angela

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  3. I agree. Great Ideas. Thank you for sharing. I also love the Parts of Speech song in one of your other posts. My ELL's will love it.

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Damarise! I'm so glad that you are finding my items of worth and use. My kiddos love the POS song; they are always hummming it or singing it softly as they work on an assignment. Too cute since these are fifth and sixth graders!

      Have a nice week,
      Angela

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  4. Love this! I will be doing it with my 3rd graders. Thanks!
    Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher

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    1. Super! I am so happy that you will be using one of my items! Thanks for your support and thanks for stopping by!

      Angela

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  5. This is an AWESOME idea for anchor charts with older kids!! I LOVE this and will likely "borrow" it! :) :)

    -Lisa
    Mrs. Spangler in the Middle

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    1. Borrow away, dear bloggy friend! I'm happy to share with you since I often find great ideas on your blog. I so enjoy hearing that others want to use my items.

      Have a nice holiday!
      Angela

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  6. What a great idea. I teach fourth grade, and this will be a great resource. Thanks for sharing!


    Melissa Kaylor :)



    Fourth Grade Lab

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    1. You're VERY welcome, Melissa! I'm glad that you'll find some use for this. Thanks for stopping by!

      Angela

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  7. Thanks so much for the download. I teach k-5 science and I teach great short answer lessons. So this just fits perfect!

    Renee at The Science School Yard

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    1. Actually, Renee, it was out of frustration with my students' Science responses that I started to elaborate on the skill of answering questions. Fortunately, I also teach them Language Arts so I can spend the time developing this concept without taking away precious Science time. I'm glad that you can find this useful!

      Have a great week,
      Angela

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  8. That's a really good idea - I did that in third grade, not as detailed, but yeah I told them that the answer must contain the question. I love the visuals you have for your kiddos :)

    Anisa @ Creative Undertakings

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    1. Thanks, Anisa! Our third grade teacher teaches this skill now also, so I'm finding that my incoming fivers now have a bit better grasp than several years ago. My job is a lot easier now. Thanks for stopping by!

      Angela

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  9. I love the idea of using those frames for table numbers but since the whole school rotates through my room every 40 minutes, enevitably something gets ruined :(
    They are beautiful though!!
    Kristin
    This Old Art Room

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    1. I have two other classes that come to my room also, so I understand what you mean! I will be including items in the frames for them as well, so all my students will have an investment in this project. Maybe that will help!

      Thanks for stopping by,
      Angela

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  10. This is a great idea, thank you. Usually I teach students that they need to, "restate the question". I am going to use your idea and freebie, I think it will help my students remember. Thank you!

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    1. For years I used "restate the question" as the memory trigger for this skill. When I heard PQA it was so catchy that I decided to go with it. It seems my kiddos responded better to it, remembering it better. I hope your students find success with these materials. Thanks for stopping by.

      Angela

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  11. That's it...I'm not messing around anymore. I'm leaving reading Monday Made Its to go on a hunt for these frames. Enough is enough with my procrastinating!
    Alison
    Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'

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    1. If you don't have an IKEA near you, you'll have to search elsewhere since the frames are not able to be ordered from IKEA online. Drats, right? eBay always has them available but be careful because sellers really overcharge for them. They are only like a buck at IKEA. I got 30 in a lot on eBay for 25 dollars. Someone above said that Michael's has similar ones for two bucks. If you find some elsewhere, let us know, please!

      Happy Fourth,
      Angela

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  12. Your post is wonderful! Thanks for sharing your ideas and the freebie! Are the matching table numbers available for downloading?

    Thanks,
    Kim
    khenry22@aol.com

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  13. Do you have a copy of the signs in the frames? I have ordered so many of these frames from Ikea, it's crazy, but I love the frames. Instead of using genre posters on the walls or BB, I put them in these frames and I put them out as we focus on the genre. They sit in my classroom library otherwise.

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