Burton's Class

A colleague taught me the Turtle Method of multiplication when I was struggling to teach my students the standard, or traditional, algorithm for multi-digit multiplication. I created worksheets to teach and support this method. While I created this using Google Slides, I formatted it 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing.Includes:Detailed description of methodSimplified description of method3/4 size description of method for student notebooksEditable Google Slides version of all files Scaffolded wor

In the Circle of Viewpoints, you’ll want students to think about something that has happened in the section of their book club book that they will be discussing today. They will then explain how three different characters all look at the same event or situation. For instance, in the book Charlotte’s Web, students could look at how Charlotte, Wilbur, and Fern all think about the moment when Charlotte’s first web is seen. Each character will have very different ideas and reactions to what is happ

For years I have been looking for and trying to create a conference log that would work for me and my students. Each year I try a new version, but it's never quite right. This year I feel like I've finally got it! I created a heading that would give me quick "at-a-glance" info on each child. I added the category of "iReady Area of Focus" because that is the assessment data my district uses, but the title can be changed to mirror the system your district uses. I also created a second page to use

I have revamped the old-fashioned book club jobs into tasks using Visible Thinking Routines. I think this has made book clubs more accessible to all of my students as well as added interest and clarity.

This is a simple organizer for students to see their entire essay at a glance. This can be used with any kind of essay. The blue bullets will be the main idea of each paragraph with the supporting bullets beneath. I have created two versions of the Boxes and Bullets Essay Structure: one can be printed and handed to the students and one can be posted online for students to create digitally.

For a Step Inside, the student really thinks closely about a particular character. They will explain what the character is seeing, thinking, caring about, and wondering about. I usually have my students do this in first person through the eyes of their character. This student can lead a discussion by explaining their thinking and then asking group members if they have different or additional ideas to the ones this student created. This template  can be printed and handed to the students or poste

I created this lesson to highlight the differences between Armed Forces Day, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. I have included information on each one and a couple YouTube videos. At the end, I have highlighted a Memorial Day story that is local to my town.

This organizer was designed to help students create a Diamante Poem. This has directions for constructing a Diamante Poem on the first page. If using the printable version, you may want to print the directions for the students on the back of the sheet for easy reference. If you are using the digital version, I would post the directions as well as the graphic organizer. I have created two versions of the Diamante Poem Organizer: one can be printed and handed to the students and one can be posted

For Sentence - Phrase - Word, the students should select one sentence, one phrase, and one word  from the section of the text that the club is currently reading. Sentence: Ideally, this would be a sentence that captures the big idea of that section of the text. They would then explain why they chose the sentence and how it relates to the big idea. Phrase: Students will select one phrase from the text that really stood out to them or made them think. You will need to teach what a phrase is for st

Read - Think - Wonder is a take on See - Think - Wonder that I use when my students are reading something that I want them to look at more closely. For this activity, the students will write a quick summary about something that they read that felt really important. Then , using that same section, the will write what it makes them think about. In the last column they will write anything they are wondering about. I allow students to write questions when that makes it easier for them to get their t

For Color - Symbol - Image students need to think of a big idea that was conveyed in the section of the text the club is currently reading. This activity can also be a stepping stone to teach theme.  Once they have thought of their big idea, students think about ways to represent that idea.The students will select a color that they feel represents the idea. They will then explain their thinking below. Next, they will select an image that represents the idea and describe their thinking below. Las

This a take on the difference between inch, foot, yard, mile questions. For book clubs, I wanted rich questions, but obviously not ones that would need to access multiple sources for. Because of this, I came up with “fat and skinny” questions. Since then, I have had increasingly immature classes and have removed the idea of “fat” and “skinny” to focus on “Big” vs. “Little” questions. Big Questions usually begin with a wonder. “I wonder why the boy didn’t just run away?” or “I wonder if the scien

This sheet is editable and designed to organize 6 students in a book club. For each club meeting, all students will focus on a different task to lead the group discussion. This is designed after "traditional" book clubs, but using Thinking Routines. Depending on your class, you could give one sheet per group and have them fill out the names, give one per student and have them fill out the names of everyone in their group (make sure they put the names in the same order), or you could type the nam