What it is: We use the Treasures Reading curriculum (Macmillan McGraw Hill) at the school where I teach. Although there are things I like about this curriculum, one thing that is in need of improvement are the activities provided for students to practice the skills that they are learning. The activities don’t change from 1st-5th grade, are very repetitive, and do not encourage any sort of deeper thinking skills. In an attempt to remedy this for our students, I went through each unit for 1st through 5th grade and pulled out the essential learning components. I found activities that were engaging and required some deeper thinking to supplement what was currently in the curriculum. As I worked to supplement the activities, I looked for a few things: 1. The activity could be completed with the whole class, using an interactive whiteboard or projector, or could be completed as a computer center (for the classroom with 2 or 3 computers). 2. The activities had to meet and reinforce the essential learning. 3. The activities had to be more engaging than what was already suggested.
How to integrate Treasures Reading Supplement into the classroom: These guides are meant to be a supplement for the Treasures Reading Curriculum. They are designed to offer some extra ideas for helping students to practice and solidify learning. You will find a few activities that are meant for offline use such as a whole class bingo game or partner matching games. You will also notice some suggestions for Promethean activities. I created some supplemental flipcharts for our teachers to use that I am happy to share if you can use them. (I hope to have these up on Promethean Planet soon). Many of these activities can be completed as a center activity in the classroom. We don’t always have access to a computer lab of computers. In the classroom with a few computers, set up a weekly rotation so that your students can complete some of the online activities. Some of the games and activities are also appropriate for whole class participation.
In my classroom, I like to play games with my students. I will often split students into teams where the teams will take turns working through a game. Students love the extra layer of competition being timed.
In my reading classroom, I had literacy groups that I met with every day. Each day I met with a new group (those students who were in need of remedial reading met each day of the week). During literacy group time, the group that I was working with read the story for the week, learned and practiced key essential learning together (phonics, grammar, vocabulary) , and worked on building comprehension strategies. While I worked with my smaller literacy groups, the rest of the class worked through independent literacy centers. At the beginning of the week I explained all of the centers for the week. Because my classroom had limited space, I put my centers into colored tubs that rotated around the classroom. Each day a small group of students received a center tub. The tub has all of the necessary supplies and directions for that center. One of my centers always involved the classroom computers. Sometimes the centers were inquiry based, sometimes games, and sometimes additional reading practice. Every week, each student completed each center activity. In the meantime, I was able to work one on one with my literacy groups. This worked really well in my classroom and technology made it easy for students to work at their own level independently.
The guides are below in ebook format using Issuu, they have been separated by grade. Even if you don’t teach the Treasures Curriculum, everything has been arranged by the learning focus, these overlap in most curricula. You may find some great activities that meet your classroom need here:
First Grade:
Second Grade:
Third Grade:
Fourth Grade:
Fifth Grade:
*Note: The fourth and fifth grade spelling lists on Spelling City do not come from the Treasures curriculum. The fourth grade uses Houghton Mifflin and the fifth grade has generated their own lists.
For a list of all of my publications check out my library on Issuu.
Leave a comment and share how you are using the Treasures Reading Supplement in your classroom.
An excellent way of turning something that wasn’t quite what you needed into an engaging set of tasks for students. Thanks for embedding the guides, these are sure to get a lot of use.
I haven’t had time to read these yet- but coming from you, I’m sure they’re awesome.
I’ll be sure to guide the Treasures Reading Teachers yahoo group over here and I’m sure they’ll help me in more game-making!
AWESOME!
=0)
Thanks, now it is on to Unit 5 🙂 I’ll cross post on Ning as soon as I have a min. to breathe!
Are the other units available somewhere?
Missy, right now Unit 4 is the only one available. I am working on unit 5 for my teachers now.
Thanks so much! I love it so far. It did work out well, since I was at the beginning of Unit 4, so no worries!! I just love how well put together it is!! Will the other units be available at some point? I would be willing to purchase something like this since they are so well put together!!
These are an amazing set of guides. I have just glanced through the first one and it is full of wonderful resources.
Thank you for these amazing guides!!
You are most welcome Jennifer, I hope that you can put them to good use!
WOW! I stumbled upon this….and what a blessing it was! Thanks for sharing!
I am trying to retrieve your fifth grade resources. For some reason, I can’t view any of them here. I am also interested in your Promethean resources.
Hi Julie, the 5th grade resources are working for me. You will need to have Adobe Flash to view the supplements online. My Promethean Resources for the 5th grade unit aren’t online but you can find tips under my “Promethean Quick Tips” page (in the menu at the top of the screen). I hope that helps!
Wow!!! What an amazing thing you have done here. Wow!!! is all I can say. Thank you so much for making these available!!!!
Thanks for your quick reply. For some reason when I am on this page with the grade levels listed it is just blank underneath them. I have Adobe Flash and have tried from two different computers, home and school. I will keep working on it. I am excited to see them. Thank you for all you do. Julie 🙂
I read your article and am so excited to see what you have available. I do not see any links to any of the resources— please help
Hi Julianne, the resource should be embedded right below the post, no links required. If you would like to get to the resource via a link you can use this one http://issuu.com/ktenkely/docs/unit_1_treasures
looking for any materials to go along with the Treasures series.
thanks.
I love what you have done for Second grade Unit 4 Treasures. I wanted to see if you have done anything for the other units and if so I haven’t been able to locate it! Thanks for all your hard work to make our lives easier!
Hi Jessica, I have also posted Unit 1 for Treasures. You can find all of my Treasures resources by searching “Treasures” in the search box at the top of my site.
Will you be publishing these for the other Units of Grade 5 Treasures? They are wonderful and so helpful!!!
I have three units published on the blog currently, Unit 1, 2 and 4. I won’t be publishing the others as I am not working at a school that uses the Treasures curriculum. So, unless someone else commissions me to do it I probably won’t be completing them to publish here. I am glad what is here is helpful!
Is there a way I can print these off?
Hi Chrissy, you can’t print them but I do have them for sale if you are interested.
These look great. I will pass the word to my colleagues. It is always a pleasure to learn from you. I’ve always thought there were far too many great minds in the profession, for us to not work together to create something great for kids. Thanks for proving that to be true, once again.
Very glad that you can use them Mr. Thompson! Thank you for passing them on.
I am teaching a 2nd and 3rd grade combine. I was hoping someone could help me with lessons or any Treasurers Reading supplements. I would great appreciate it!!