Sunday, January 5, 2014

Comma Quest ( Mentor Text Linky)


I am back on the blogging wagon, so I am linking up with Collaboration Cuties for the Language Arts Mentor Text.



I had to start the New Year writing about this great new book Comma Quest by Lesley Roessing.  It is a fun book that teaches boring and sometimes complex rules through a silly story and song. It is a delightful little story about a Comma Momma that must send her comma children to find sentences of their own. As the story goes on, the commas find themselves in the appropriate sentences. The song approach that worked so well for the Schoolhouse Rock series is a strength of this book.
Your students will learn and remember comma rules through songs that are written to the tune of popular favorites such as: "If you are Happy and you Know it.", "Row, Row, Row your Boat, and a few others.
The comma rule songs are for the Direct Address, Introductory Clause, Nonessential Clause, Conjunctions are Joiners, Items in a Series, Compound Sentences, Double Introductory Phrases, and a bonus with a song about Prepositions and Nouns.
In my class, my fifth graders got a kick out of the silly story and now anytime I have to remind them about a comma rule, I sing the little ditty.
Lesley also has a blog Writing With Comma Momma where she talks about punctuation, grammar and everything about writing.







Saturday, January 4, 2014

Happy New Year!

It has been a long time since I have written a post. Life has gotten in the way. Being in a new school and in a new grade has taken up most of my time. A daughter in college, keeping up with 2 high school girls,  and a boy in middle school takes up the rest of my time. I can't forget my wonderful husband as well.

My New Year's Resolution is to share some of the great things that have been happening in my class and also to share some of the great resources that I have come across. Although 2013 has been hectic and full of so many changes, it has brought me many blessings.

 I hope that 2014 will continue to with more blessings.

Tomorrow, I will link up with Collaboration Cuties to share a brand new language arts mentor text on teaching comma rules.

What resolutions have you made?