That Was Quick and a *Freebie*

Huh.  Three school days go by REALLY fast.  Today was our first day back....at least it is a short week!

It appears that I am "it" in a fun little game of bloggy tag.  I will be answering some questions from Kristi and Crystal over at Teaching Little Miracles.  If you haven't checked out their blog, you really need to hop on over.

Okay.  The first thing that I am supposed to do is post the rules:

1.  Post the rules.
2.  Answer the ten questions posted for you.
3.  Create ten questions that you want to ask people that you will be tagging.
4.  Tag ten people and don't forget to let them know that you tagged them.

Here are the questions that I am to answer.

1.  How long have you taught?
9 years

2.  What state do you teach in?
Virginia

3.  What are your contract hours at school?
8:05 - 3:35

4.  Lunch - Duty? or Duty free?
Duty...bleh

5.  What reading series do you use?
We have a basal series, but to be honest, I use Reading A to Z and other forms of literature.

6.  What math series do you use?
enVision...this is our first year using it, and the jury is still out on what I think about it.

7.  What is your favorite hobby?
My favorite thing to do for myself is to read!  It is my "me" time!

8.  What is the last movie you watched?
Umm....hmmm....well.....boy I'm boring!  My youngest is two, so trips to the movies are a no-no - unless of course we want to be asked never to return! 

9.  What is your favorite season and why?
I love all of the seasons.  I guess my favorite season is spring (probably because that is the season we are in!).  I really love working in my garden and the feeling of warmth in the air.

10.  What is your favorite game to play with your students?
When I taught third grade, I would love to play Quiddler with them.  I had forgotten about it...I need to pull it out and play it with my firsties.

As I was looking around to see who I could tag, I notice that everyone has been tagged!  So I hope that I am not breaking any rules for not passing on some questions!

As a reward for reading and learning how boring I am, I have a freebie for you!

I have noticed that my kiddos need a firmer grasp of their addition facts.  As a whole group, we will discover all of the addition sentences that will have a sum of ten.  Then in their groups, they will choose a number 11 - 20 and work to figure out all of the addition sentences that equal the number that they chose.

CLICK HERE if this is something you are interested in!

Happy Wednesday!

Money Freebie

We are still FIVE days away from our Spring Break.  Five.  I'm not sure if I'm going to make it! 

I'm trying to wrap up money so I created a little assessment.  The students have to match the word to the coin and then write the value of each coin.  The coin clip art is courtesy of The 3AM Teacher.  Her graphics are awesome!

CLICK HERE if you are interested!

I'm going to go enjoy this beautiful evening!

Happy Thursday!

Silly Seuss Syllables *Freebie*

As I am sitting here waiting with crossed fingers for the predicted snow to begin, I created a new Read the Room activity. 

This is one my kids' favorite station activities.  I love them because you can use a Read the Room to reinforce just about anything and they really have to THINK about what they are reading.

I used to teach my kiddos to clap to figure out the syllables in a word.  Then I stumbled upon a Deanna Jump idea:  roll out the syllables, as if you were rolling out dough with a rolling pin.  Not only do they use movement to help them learn, it's a lot quieter than a bunch of clapping!

I found the CUTEST Dr. Seuss inspired clip art from The 3AM Teacher.  Oh. My.  Goodness.  If you haven't stopped by to check out her blog, you should!  Not only does she have great ideas, but super cute clip art!

Students will read and sort the Dr. Seuss inspired words by one, two, and three syllables.

If you would like to grab a copy of this freebie, CLICK HERE!

Before I go, I wanted to share about an awesome unit that I won in a giveaway from  Laura over at Tattling to the Teacher.  It is an Eric Carle inspired unit and it is great!  CLICK HERE to check it out!  It has sequencing, text-to-text, compound word work and many other great activities.

I really need to go do my snow dance now. 

Happy Sunday!

Groundhog Day and A Super Hero Spelling FREEBIE

Ahh, Groundhog Day.  Who would have thought it could be so exciting?

We had a lot of fun making predictions, writing, and reading about groundhogs.

We started by reading this book:

It is funny and informational at the same time. 

We then made predictions using Jennifer's (over at First Grade Blue Skies) awesome, FREE TPT Groundhog Day Unit (CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT).

After we predicted and researched the outcome, we wrote about what we discovered and used Jennifer's headband template as a groundhog peek over to put a neat finishing touch on our paragraphs:

Traci over at Dragonflies in First also has cute groundhog activities in her TPT store.  CLICK HERE to check them out.

I've been trying to think of a nifty transition from groundhogs to spelling, but I can't, so I'll just jump right in.

A few days ago, I posted about sneaky, silent letters.  My students are having fun finding silent letter words in their reading.  I was thinking about silent letter words and how my firsties really enjoy Read the Room activities.  I think they feel really grown up walking around with a clipboard!  So, I decided to create a Read the Room:  Sneaky Silent Letter version. 

I saw some really cute super hero clip art at The Digital Bake Shop (formerly Pixel Papers), and the idea of Spelling Super Heroes was born. 

This Read the Room has eighteen words that are categorized into silent gh, e, and w.  There is a response sheet included.  Did I mention that it is a freebie?  If you would like to check it out, CLICK HERE!

Before I finish up here, I have to tell a cute story on my son.  He is in kindergarten and of course they did all kinds of groundhog day activities.  We were pulling in the driveway after school and he asked, "Where are all the groundhogs?  It is their day!"

I guess he expected to see a lot of groundhogs today.  We do have one that lives in the backyard near our garden, but he did not make an appearance.

I know this was a long post...thanks for making it to the end!

Happy Almost Friday!!

Sneaky Silent Letters - FREEBIE

My kiddos have been working on their sneaky, silent letters. 

We started by reading the book Silent Letters Loud and Clear by Robin Pulver.

It is a really cute book where the students don't understand why they have to use the silent letters when they don't hear them. So they wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper stating their case.  Well, the silent letters disappear and the letter makes absolutely no sense.  Moral to the story:  We NEED those sneaky silent letters!

To practice recognizing some of our words that have silent letters, I created a Sneaky Silent Letter Sort.



If you are interested in this freebie, CLICK HERE!!

The fun fonts are from Kevin and Amanda.

Enjoy!!

Happy Tuesday!

Tagged and a Math FREEBIE!

I have not played tag since last summer with my boys, so it is neat to play a bloggy version of tag in the middle of winter!  I have been tagged by Holly over at Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade.

Here are the rules of Bloggy Tag:
1.  Post the rules
2.  Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3.  Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4.  Tag 12 people and link them in your post.
5.  Let them know that they have been tagged.

My 12 Fun Facts:
1.  I am a creature of habit....
2.  Unless it is in the classroom - if something isn't working, I'll change it!
3.  I once went parasailing...I was terrified the whole time.
4.  I love popcorn.
5.  I love storage containers....probably from my need to be organized!
6.  I met my husband on a blind date.
7.  He fell asleep in the movie on this blind date.
8.  On the same date, after he dropped me off, he almost ran over me.
9.  I haven't let him forget it.
10.  This July, we will be our eight year anniversary.
11.  We are lucky parents to two sweet boys.
12.  My sons are named Luke and Parker.

These are the questions that Holly has asked the people she tagged to answer:
1.  What is your favorite kind of candy?  Hot Tamales or anything chocolate.
2.  What is something that you are really uptight about?  Being late!!
3.  Is your car clean at this very minute?  Ummm....Not so much!
4.  What is your "favorite" household chore?  That's tough...I guess laundry.  I don't mind the washing or the folding, it is the putting away that I get tired of doing.
5.  Do you miss Oprah?  I was never home in time to watch Oprah, so no, not really.
6.  Do you play an instrument?  I used to play the guitar, but it has been years.
7.  What is your favorite piece of technology?  At school it is my document camera.  At home it is my Nook Color.
8.  Do you have a social life?  Kinda....it's hard with young children and school!
9.  Are you a phone talker?  Yes...I live four hours away from my family, and we talk about everyday.
10.  Do you text?  No, I would much rather hear the person that I am speaking with.
11.  What is your favorite piece of furniture in your house?  Oh that is easy.  My pineapple chair.  I love it, but my husband can't stand it.  I think it is one of those things where you either love it, or hate it.  Here is a picture so you can judge for yourself:

12.  Does anything make you squeamish?  Spiders, blood....hold on, I've got to put my head between my knees to stop the clanking in my ears.

Okay.  I'm better now.

Tag...you're it!

Edana - Color Me Kinder
Michelle - Fabulous in First
Jenn - Finally in First
DeAnne - First Grade and Fabulous
Tammy - First Grade at Klinger Cafe
LaughinBrunette (Jennifer) - First Grade Blue Skies
Johanna - First Grade Fanatic
Kimberley - First in Maine
Haley - Following Optimism
Barbara - Grade ONEderful
Miss DeCarbo - Second Grade Sugar and Spice
Amy - The Resource(ful) Room

Okay ladies, here are your questions:
1.  Do you have a pet?
2.  What is your favorite type of food?
3.  Do you have a phobia of anything?
4.  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
5.  Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks?
6.  What did you want to be when you grew up?
7.  Where did you go to college?
8.  When did you realize that you wanted to be a teacher?
9.  What is your favorite grade level to teach?
10.  What subject do you like teaching the most?
11.  What is one thing in your classroom that you feel like you can't live without?
12.  What is your favorite part about blogging?

Shewww.  That was a LONG post.  To reward you for getting to the end, I have a math freebie for you!  It is a Valentine's Day themed math game.  It is to help children with adding three digits.  They take turns rolling three dice and then moving the same number of spaces as the sum.  I have only pictured two of the three slides.  The third slide has the game pieces.

If you are interested in this freebie, CLICK HERE!!

Happy Sunday!!

 

Wow and a Freebie

You know how you have those days where you would be better off just getting back into bed?  If only I knew then what I know now!

My day started off rough because I was running late.  Not just a little late.  SUPER late.  The kind of late that you get stuck behind every slow car and get stopped by every traffic light. 

So, I have spent most of the day trying to catch up, but never fully succeeding. 

This afternoon, I had just put my seat belt on and started the car, when I saw it.  I took a picture of it at home.  Are you ready for this?

Seriously?!  Do you SEE the foot long crack in the windshield?  I promise that it wasn't there this morning.

So I am driving along getting really annoyed by the stinkin' crack and the way that it is distorting everything and getting really, well, let's say irritated...that's a good description.

I get to my Mother-in-Law's house and tell her all about the windshield and she looks kind of sheepish and says that, on top of everything else, she thinks that my youngest has an ear infection!

One trip to Urgent Care and an hour later we have a diagnosis of a double ear infection. 

sigh.

Okay, onto happier things!

Yesterday I promised a freebie, and a freebie you shall get!  The adorable clip art is courtesy of The First Grade Diaries.  It is an ABC order activity with response sheet.  I hope that you enjoy!

CLICK HERE to get your freebie!

 

Hope your Thursday is a happy one!

FREEBIE

I was thinking back on some of the things that my kiddos did at the beginning of the school year, and I couldn't figure out why I hadn't shared them.  Then I remembered.  I was SO new at blogging that I didn't know HOW to share!  I can laugh and admit it now, but it sure made me mad and frustrated in August!  And September.  And I believe most, if not all, of October. 

Like I said, I can laugh about it now...sorta...so don't poke too much fun!

Anyway, what I want to share with you is called STAR:  Stop. Think. Act. Review.  I introduce it at the beginning of the year to help the children think about making good choices.  Each child has a laminated star on the corner of his/her desk.  If someone is misbehaving, or off task, I just tap the star for a nonverbal cue for them to get back on track. 

CLICK HERE if you would like to get this freebie for your classroom!

Happy Wednesday!

Dangerous Game and ARR Freebie

I learned a very important lesson today.  It can be really dangerous to have a small group of first graders work on thinking of words with the /or/ sound.  It was going great!  We had or, more, cord, Ford, for, corn.  Then...it happened.  One of my darlings said something.  It rhymes with corn and begins with a p. 

I quickly moved on, and I don't think any of the others even realized what was said.  But a few minutes later, she said it AGAIN!

It is really making me think twice about brainstorming words with certain sounds!

Along with the /or/ sound, we have been working on the r-controlled vowel sound of /ar/.  When I think of /ar/, I think of pirates.  I created a little book to go along with this sound. 

This little book is ten pages long, but it has two of each page on one sheet of paper.  The children read the story about Charlie.  On each page, they write the /ar/ words on the line provided.  The last page has them think of and write as many /ar/ words as they can.

The cute pirate themed images are from KPM Doodles.  The font is courtesy of Kevin and Amanda Free Scrapbooking Fonts.

To get your free copy, CLICK HERE.  I hope that you enjoy! 

Happy Thursday!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Freebie

One of my favorite holiday crafts is to make Rudolph.  My aunt actually came up with the idea and she was kind enough to share with me.  This is what we make:

Now, I know that we have to base all that we do on our curriculum.  In Virginia, it is the S.O.L.s.  There are LOTS of ways that you could fit this in.  Patterns.  Shapes.  Cutting correctly.  Coloring in the lines.  Using glue neatly.  Okay, okay, it's a stretch.  But come on.  It's so cute!

Preparing for the activity.

You will need brown, green, red, and white construction paper.  I also use red felt for the nose.

I am kind of OCD.  You wouldn't necessarily know it to look at my desk/table, but I am with certain things.  Therefore, I cut out the background for the head, background for the ears/antlers, the holly leaves, holly berries, eyes and nose for each child.  I know what you're thinking.  The point of art is for all the creations to look different.  Trust me.  Even with me cutting out all of those pieces, they STILL all look different.

Background ears and head:  Trace the large head and ears/antlers pattern onto brown construction paper.

    

Holly leaves: trace the leaf onto green.  Two leaves per student.

Holly berries:  trace the soda bottle top (can you tell that I am very high tech?) onto red.  Three berries per student.

Eyes:  trace the oval onto white paper.  Two per child.

Nose:  trace the large round circle onto red felt.

Copy each child a checkerboard head and checkerboard ears/antlers page.

ACTIVITY TIME!
We start with a pattern.  See?  Educational!  You can even talk about the AB rule. In a checkerboard pattern of tan, brown, tan, brown, etc.  I usually do it with them.  Some of your kids will be able to take off and keep the pattern going.  Others will need the visual.

Next, give each child a copy of the checkerboard ears/antlers.


Pattern time:  tan, brown, tan, brown, etc.


Have your students cut out the checkerboard head and ears/antlers.  They will then need to glue the checkerboard head to the brown head background and the checkerboard ears to the brown ears background.

Next.  We do the eyes.  I show the kids on mine how to outline the eyes in black and give the eyes color.  Glue them on.

Outline the holly leaves.  Glue near one of the ears/antlers.  Outline the holly berries and glue as a cluster to cover where the leaves overlap.

Last but not least, the beautiful red felt nose.  Isn't he cute?     

One of the ladies that I used to teach with in third grade has used this craft and she brought in small pine branches that they actually glued on with the paper holly leaves.  Just another twist to the activity.

I'll be honest.  Depending on your group, it can take a bit of time to finish.  But I always think it is worth the end result. 

Happy Creating!