Word Work and Work on Writing

Hello all!

So let's get this over with...yep. I haven't blogged in almost a year...

This is what I've been up to: 

I hope this is a pretty good reason for me to disappear...again. :) Life is very different for me now and I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

Now I'm a wife, mommy, and teacher-blogger. I am focusing a lot on the first two things since early July but am trying to get back into the blogging thing...again! ;)

My school uses The Daily 5 Literacy Block Model. I am constantly trying to figure out ways to keep my students engaged in their Literacy activities (my group this year is very challenging) while appropriately challenging them.

Last year, I made a free literacy center that used task cards to spell simple CVC words, color words, and number words. The intention was to have students use these cards along with magnetic letters to read and spell words. I have recently updated the file to include a recording sheet for my struggling students and wanted to share the product again in hopes that others can use it in their classrooms!

Check it out on TpT here

Here are some pictures of the product so you can get a better look at what I'm describing! :)

I hope that anyone reading this post finds this freebie useful and that your students enjoy using it! :)

Mary

Go to Sleep, Groundhog!

Hello again friends!

On my last blog post, I said I was going to work on a companion for the story, Go to Sleep, Groundhog! I’m happy to say that I kept true to my word and made it!

I’ve uploaded it to TpT for FREE. Go check it out!

That's all for me...busy day ahead! Cleaning the house, prepping my food for the week, and running errands! I hope you all have a wonderful week! :)

Mary

Click here to see it! If you like it, please give it 4 stars!

Groundhog's Day Resources

It is STILL cold here in Ohio! :( Seriously, I'm pretty much done with this cold and wintery weather! I have been to school ONE DAY this week! Only one! I'm not a typical teacher who does snow dances and wears her pajamas inside out... I really don't like to miss school. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy an occasional break but come on! I've been in school 11 days since coming back from winter break. 

I can't get those little sweeties back on a regular schedule! It's been stressful and tiring just to keep up with them and keep them engaged! Whew! Rant over...again...I promise! I hope that this is not a pattern...I want warmer weather STAT! :)

With Groundhog's Day coming up, I was thinking of what activities I could do to keep my crazy littles occupied so I came up with something I PRAY they will love!

I made a story retelling/counting game based on the book Ten Grouchy Groundhogs by Kathryn Heling. If you haven't seen this book, do yourself a favor and GET IT! Click on the picture to see it on Amazon.com!

Click here if clicking the picture doesn't work! :)

Before reading the story, place the picture cards up on a book stand, whiteboard, etc. As you read through the story, take one groundhog card down until the last one remains. As the remaining groundhog finds his friends above ground, add the cards back and count back to ten! Click below to grab the game! I hope you like it!

Try clicking here if clicking the picture doesn't work! :)

If you download it and love it, please let me know by commenting below! If you don't love it, please let me know why (remember to be professional and courteous!) I'm also hoping to work on a cute companion to the book Go to Sleep, Groundhog! by Judy Cox. HOPEFULLY I can motivate myself to work on it later tonight before going to sleep! :)

Okay...ONE more thing to share! I follow Scholastic Teaching Resources on Facebook and they posted a link to a page FULL of Groundhog's Day activities & ideas! Click here to be taken to that page! It has a video about groundhogs and a link to the "Let's Find Out!" magazine that is interactive and helps teach your little people all about groundhogs! I'm geeking out because it is so great! :)

Well friends, I hope to write to you soon discussing all the OCEANS of fun I'm having WITH my Kindergarteners! Have an excellent rest of your week! Keep me accountable and make sure I'm working on that companion to Go to Sleep, Groundhog!

Thanks for Reading!

Mary

Randoms, Freebie, and I Love my Kitty! :)

Wow! I can’t believe how long it has been since I have blogged! I had set what I thought was a reasonable goal of one new blog post per week. I feel like I’ve let myself down for not keeping to my commitment!

I hope to start up again and actually stick to that goal this time around!

Today’s blog post is all about catching up! Over my winter/Christmas break, I really didn’t rest a lot! It seemed as if my hubby and I were running all over the place! We figured out that something was wrong with my sweet little boy, Kitty.

My brave boy in his carrier on the way to the vet!

When we took him to the vet, she informed us that he has stones in his bladder. If you are a cat owner, you know that this can be very serious! His doctor prescribed some pain killer and special food to help dissolve the stones and we go back tomorrow (Saturday the 18^th) to see if the stones are dissolving. I'm nervous but confident he is doing better! :)

Before winter break began, my littles focused on how they use their 5 senses to interpret their surroundings, learn about things, and describe objects. I purchased candy canes for each student and asked him or her to use each of the 5 senses to describe the candy cane to me. As they described it, I recorded their descriptions on a large anchor chart. See the picture below! If you want it, I’ve created a recording sheet for students to fill in. Click here to download it for FREE. J

 

I also read the book, Who Will Guide my Sleigh Tonight?. If you haven’t read this story, do yourself a favor and GET AHOLD OF IT! 

It details Santa’s search for the perfect animal to guide his sleigh. After reading the story, I asked my students to think of other animals that could guide Santa’s sleigh! I recorded their ideas; their thinking impressed me! Some wanted to stay true to tradition and said, “Reindeer” so I allowed them to use that! 

Next year, I will have students draw and label/write about animals that could guide Santa’s sleigh THEN read the story to see if their ideas match!

Also, I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome my mother in law is! J She knows that I often have to stop what I’m doing to get up and walk across the room to sharpen a pencil! She bought me a PORTABLE pencil sharpener that quite literally SAVES me so much time each day! Little things just make me so happy! J

I will conclude my “recents” with this sweet picture of my sweet little guy, Kitty. He isn’t much of a “lap” cat but here is a picture of the first night home after the first day back to school from Winter break. I’d say he missed me a bit… J I love my sweet Kitty!

I hope your weekend is OCEANS of fun! Next week is all about Snowmen (we are getting more snow here in Ohio)! I’ve purchased DeAnna Jump’s Sneezy the Snowman unit and CAN’T wait to use it! See you next week friends! J

Because I'm Procrastinating…You Get a Freebie! :)

If you have followed me for a while now, you know that I’m NOT organized and that I procrastinate like there’s no tomorrow!

In true fashion, I’ve been trying to work on a hibernation unit since about oh…last Tuesday evening (yep…one week)! I am embarrassed to say that I’m nowhere near done but I am plugging away. So far, I’ve completed three days worth of activities but I’m not satisfied with everything yet! Maybe it will be posted sometime before next year at this time! LOL!

In case anyone else is learning about, or will learn about, hibernation soon… I do have a few resources you can check out!

First, I plan on showing this ADORABLE video to my littles tomorrow. It is a cute and catchy song about hibernation.

After we watch this video and review what we have learned, my sweeties will “show what they know” and draw/write facts about hibernation (Those recording sheets are part of the pack that I'm working on!!).

We will also “read” and make this hibernation emergent reader. Click the picture to see it on TpT!

Finally, this song is a great way to engage your students in learning about the animals that hibernate and the places in which they choose to sleep through the winter. Click on the picture to download this FREEBIE! *It is part of the hibernation unit I am in the middle of creating/piloting with my littles!*

If clicking on the picture doesn't work, click here. 

I hope that you enjoy these resources and have an excellent week with your little people! If there are other awesome resources I need to know about, leave me a comment and share with me! I'd love to see more!! :)

Mary

Another Thanksgiving Post (cause I'm "organized" like that…)

Okay everybody…one of the last times I posted, I said I was hoping to post an update on my hibernation plans for this week…yeah…that’s not happening yet! LOL

I wanted to break my mold and show what I am GOING to do instead of what I DID previously! What can I say? It’s a goal I’m striving for! So without anything further…here's something I DID last week! LOL

I forgot to share with you some of the other Thanksgiving fun! Each year since I began teaching, I asked my students to complete a Thanksgiving project that is messy but OH SO WORTH IT!

I ask my students to create their Thanksgiving feasts using a cheap paper plate and a grocery store circular! Seriously, the results are hysterical!

This process involves the following steps:

1.        Go to the grocery store and buy some cheap paper plates.

2.  Go undercover to a grocery store and steal grab several circulars!

3.                                    Run like the wind!  *Note – be prepared to have people give you the STRANGEST looks…aren’t we used to that as teachers anyway?!

4.                                   Give your students the circulars and the paper plates.

5.Instruct them to choose the foods they think they will eat on Thanksgiving Day.

6.Cut those pictures out of the circular and glue them onto the paper plate.

7.  After they have finished this, instruct them to TRY THEIR BEST to write down their choices (stick with me here…you’ll be rewarded, I promise!)

8. Display the finished product in the hallway or the classroom!

This project is the PERFECT way to fit in fine motor skills AND writing! My students have always had so much fun with this project…and yes! I’ve done this with preschoolers,  kindergarteners, AND first graders!

Now that you’ve stuck with me through the rambling…enjoy some pictures (and another reward…I promise!) of my kindergarteners’ feasts!

It says, "I will eat turkey."
"I will eat chips."

Now that I’ve thoroughly boasted (aren’t these adorable?!) and bored you all, here is a “reward” for you all! Ha ha!

This activity idea (and writing sheets) is on TpT for FREE! You can find it here. I hope you enjoy using it in your classroom! My apologies for not posting about it BEFORE Thanksgiving came! There’s always next year… :)

Make sure to shop today and tomorrow on TpT for 28% off of most stores! If there is anything you’d like to see from my store, click here.

Happy shopping! I should go ahead and start my purchasing soon or I’ll run out of time!

Mary