Fun in the Box #3: My Favorite Tool...

I haven't met many people who have heard of highlighting tape so I thought I would share about it and how we use it. I found out about this at a conference when I was teaching in public school. I used it in my classroom in guided reading groups much like I am using it with my own kids. It sticks on paper and highlights words or phrases (depending on how big a piece you use:), but then pulls right off without hurting the book. This means you can use it on any books or papers they are working on without hurting anything.

I can't seem to find the exact kind I have, but this one looks close.

The uses are endless, but in their workbox on this day they found an index card with person, place or thing written on them. Beside each word were 5 pieces of highlighting tape using a different color for each noun category. While they read they stuck the appropriate color on any nouns they came across.

They both enjoyed using what we were studying in grammar in the "real"world of literature. Any time you can do this it really makes the learning seem more authentic.

After they finished their daily reading they showed me each word they found. Jackson was proud and amazed at how many he found on the first page alone! It really drove home how important nouns are.

The best part of highlighting tape is that it is reusable, at least a few times. I am still using the same batch I bought to begin with. After they reviewed their nouns with me they pulled off the tape and returned it to their note card. They will see that notecard in a workbox again in the future, and again, and again!

PS: There are tons of uses but another we use a lot is having Ashton highlight her sight words or word family words she knows. It increases her confidence when tackling a new book to see how many words she already knows!