100th Day!!!!

The 100th day of school is fast approaching for most. I found this great idea on Pinterest! (Yeah, I know... go figure) ;) This is a modification of a photo-frame for the first day of school. It can be made for any grade level and any special day of the year. 50th day would be great too. Enjoy!

Phonics Freebie

Found a great freebie from PositivelyLearning blog. 24 pages of short vowel word families. Click here to download your copy. Enjoy!

Conferencing

I have lots of forms and reminders to help with conferencing... call logs, documentation logs, etc. But, I've found a really cute K-2 conference pack from Ketchen's Kindergarten. Click Here to get a free download. Enjoy!

Center Time

That is probably one of the best things to hear in elementary school! My center time was introduced slowly and revolved around the skills that we were working on at that time. I used a poster with four colored dots. The dots corresponded to dots placed on an alligator’s belly next to each center. I had center teams, which meant four to six students were on the same color dot. I had four center per dot, so that kids could spread out. I rotated the dots every day, or every-other day, depending on how much time we had for centers. Bunny Bucks was a special center that any color dot team could do to help learn their sight words and phonics. I had centers such as listening, writing, reading, magnets (which math and word work could be done along with other things), math (time, numbers, etc.), creative art, free play, felt board stories, science (lots of interactive things like the bean tub, in which I hid something new every week!), puppet theatre, building blocks and puzzles. I constantly updated the centers to reflect, not only a skill they needed to master, but also skills they already had so that they could build on them. –Mrs. C J

Enjoy!

 

 

Word Wands!

These are awesome little pointers, wands and great word work tools. Kindergarteners can use them to practice sight words, as well as, spot them in books, around the room, etc. Click HERE to go to Twist, Twirl, Teach blog and see the original post from Lindsay Domenico. Enjoy!

Digraph Freebie

Here is a great freebie from Heidi Raki at Teachers Pay Teachers. Click HERE to download a copy.

You can also visit her website at http://www.rakisradresources.com/ too. She has LOTS of freebies that are useful for K-2, ELL, ESL, and ELA. Enjoy!

Election Freebie!

Hello! It's November already! Election time! I found a great Freebie over at First Grade Fever. Just click here and you can download it for FREE! Enjoy!

Using a light during story time keeps the interruptions to a minimum. Use any light but this one is easy touch and easy to see. Use it to stop and ask questions during the story for comprehension. You can pick one up at any dollar store. Enjoy!

Sight Words

This poster and worksheet are great tools for sight words of the week. Kids give a high five when saying the word, leaving the room to go home and, after writing them, to their peers. Velcro allows the words to be changed out weekly on the poster. Brilliant! Enjoy!

Kindergarten Poem

This is a really great Kindergarten poem. It can be used for any number of projects at the end of the year including a memory book, hand print art or poem book using the alphabet.
Enjoy!

ABC END OF YEAR
A, B, C Farewell
A is for the alphabet when we know how to say.
B is for busy bodies - at work and at play.
C is for colors - red, yellow, blue, and green.
D is for drawing pictures, the best you've ever seen.
E is for exercise to keep our bodies strong.
F is for the fun we've had as we have gone along.
G is for the good friends we made throughout the year.
H is for happy faces, filled with love and cheer.
I is for imagination used at every turn.
J is for good jobs and the praises we have earned.
K is for kindergartners - hip, hip, hooray!
L is for learning - more and more each day.
M is for minding and showing our respect.
N is for numbers. One, two, three . correct?
O is for the obstacles we learned to overcome.
P is for puppets and for playing rhythms on a drum.
Q is for all the questions we've asked throughout the year.
R is for reading stores, even those that bring a tear.
S is for different snacks, several we have tried.
T is for talking. It's not to be denied.
U is for unusual; it fits some things we've done.
V is for volunteers - parents and everyone!
W is for the world of words we've barely dipped into.
X is for extra special kids - it's him, it's her, it's you.
Y is for yes, it has been a great year!
Z is for first-grade zest. We're ready, have no fear!

Classroom Management

This is so awesome! I found it on Pinterest of course! It is a great visual for K-1. The kids would want to make sure his "hair" doesn't get messed up! Enjoy!

Sight Word Freebie

HELLO! Been off-line for a while! Spring Fever :)
Here is a freebie from Kreative in Kindergarten. Go check it out! Click Here

K-level Spelling

I love this! File folders with center or literacy group writing that encourages language arts and spelling.

Enjoy!

Word Work Centers

LOTS of word work centers to download FREE!
Click here!

Life Cycles

Every year we did a unit on the life cycle of Monarch butterflies. We read books on life cycles and how the Monarchs migrated like birds every year. I ordered the catepillars and we had a butterfly house. We released them after about 2 weeks. I ordered them around Easter so that it would be warm enough to release them in May. This is a great sequencing and hands-on learning activity to go along with the unit. Enjoy!

Center Activities

Magnetic craft sticks for counting or sequencing color patterns.

Paint strips with clothespins. Great for matching.

Sequencing cards - just cut, laminate and add velcro.

Sight Word Sundaes

Armed with the bowl and scoop cutouts, invite your kinders to “build” the selected sight words by matching the mixed up letter scoops to the words on the bowls. Copy the them onto different ice cream-colored contruction paper. Enjoy! Click here to download a copy of the template from Literacy Center Activities.

Writing Prompts

Great for early writing K-2. Head over to whattheteacherwants.blog.com to grab a copy

Click Here

Great Resource

This is an awesome resource for any Kindergarten teacher. click here to take you to the site. :) Enjoy!

Number Fun!

Matching amounts with "tally" pins - Two concepts in one. Great for early counting and amount comprehension, as well as, learning number words.

Beginning, Middle and Ending Sounds

This is a great center idea and can be made easily on any computer and laminated. You can buy 100 clothespins from the $1 store. Make and use cards depending on what letter sounds the children are working on and where - beginning, middle, end. Enjoy!

Handprint Idea

This is such an awesome idea... Handprint ABC chart for your classroom. You can do just about anything for the letters out of the handprints and make it your own. You can also use the handprints from this chart to do other craft and academic ideas. This one comes from eisforexplore blog. Enjoy!

Centers

These look simple enough to make. They would be great for a reading area, literacy center or just about any "special", fun place in the classroom.

Emergency Lesson Plans

Awesome emergency lesson plans. Click here to download

Footprints and Handprints

These are so cute! I love any new ideas that I haven't done before with handprints and footprints. Feel free to share any that you've done.

Fun Crafts

I was trolling Pinterest today and found these awesome craft ideas using clothespins. My students made something similar when we created our Kiddie Garden with the dragonflies. Enjoy!

100 Years Old!

My students and I use to dress up like we were 100 years old. We also drew what we would look like at 100. I wish I had know about this during that time. Too cute!

Race to 100

This is from Mrs. Miner's Kindergarten Monkey's blog. Can be used for 100 day or math exercise anytime after that.
Click here

Long I Sound

This is a freebie from The Lesson Plan Diva for long I soundhttp://www.lessonplandiva.com/2011/07/freebie-long-i-vowel-iphone-activity.html

Early Childhood

This blog is dedicated to early childhood education. I spent 10 years teaching elementary and loved every minute of it! :) I hope you will join, share and enjoy this blog. Thanks~
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