There's Still Time to Shop!

 

IT'S ABOUT TIME FOR A TPT SITE SALE!

 

Everything in my store is marked down 20% -- even bundles!  If you use the code FEBSALE23, you will get an additional 5% off.  The sale is Feb. 7 & 8.  

Fill your cart now!  Then you can just advance to the checkout once the sale commences.

You may be interested in these trending resources:

IT'S ABOUT TIME for SCARECROWS!

 It's about time, teachers, for SCARECROWS!

Nothing embodies fall quite like a scarecrow.  Now that it's officially fall, it's time for scarecrow activities.

The above video depicts all the products in my SCARECROW BUNDLE.  

That's 4 products plus a FREEBIE at a 30% discount.  

The FREEBIE is a fun SCARECROW GLYPH.

The other components are:

1. a thematic unit provided in print and digital formats.  Subject matter includes ELA, poetry, math, music, and crafts.
   
   
   
2. a SIGHT WORD coloring activity based on the Dolch word lists.  
   
   
   
3. a SPIN-TALLY-GRAPH math center that is differentiated.  
   
   
   
4. a differentiated LATIN SQUARES ACTIVITY that can be used in intermediate classes, too!  It is also provided digitally on TPT Easel.
   
   
   

MATH CENTERS for PRIMARY GRADES 102

When you first embark on your math centers journey, it is important to avoid overwhelming yourself.  Starting slowly is far more preferable than being frustrated.  

Ideally, you are conducting small group instruction during center time. Thus, you likely have 6 to 8 students with you. Math centers typically accomodate up to 6 children. In a class of 24, you will need centers for about 18 children.  That translates into a minimum of 3 centers during your math block.  And THAT may sound like a lot of balls to juggle.

There are a number of ways to approach this.

1.  Conduct the same activity in each center.  There is no rule against this!  Simply provide enough materials for 3 or more groups of students to use.

2.  Establish one center with the activity under study. The other centers can be explorations of your math manipulatives. That is, one center could be free exploration of tangrams. Another could be building with Unifix cubes, or attribute blocks, or base ten blocks, ... You get the idea.

3.  Introduce 1 new center activity each day.  Run it parallel to the existing center(s). By the end of the week, you will have 5 working centers.  Using open-ended center work will allow you to use the same activity for an extended time.

Following are examples of some open-ended centers that can enjoy longevity:

• SPIN-TALLY-GRAPH CENTERS

I offer a bundle of these Spin-Tally-Graph centers here.  One of my favorite labor saving tips is to incorporate recurring activities throughout the school year.  Once your students are trained to use a particular activity, reintroducing it periodically, in a fresh version, allows young children to hone their skills.  It also provides the opportunity for scaffolding their efforts.

• LATIN SQUARES

Again, I have created several versions of this activity.  The bundle will save you money and is available here.

• TANGRAM PUZZLES

In addition to using tangrams for free exploration, as described above, you can add rigor to this activity.  Provide puzzles for learners to complete using the tangram pieces. This will challenge their problem solving and critical thinking skills, as well as giving additional experience with geometric shapes.  Interested in a bundle of tangram puzzles?  You'll find mine here.  All of my tangram products include 2 versions of each puzzle; one with outlines for the shapes and 1 version without the outlines.  This allows you to differentiate for children who need more or less support.

Check back for more center suggestions.

 It's about time, teachers, for a 

Perfect for a math center in your primary classroom, this activity provides task cards for directing the patterns to be made. Or, you can make it open-ended, allowing students to make the patterns they choose.  

This offer is only good for today, 7/16/21.  So don't delay!!

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USING POETRY IN THE CLASSROOM - Part 2

It’s about time, teachers, to describe more ways I use poetry in the classroom.  

Poetry lends itself to guided reading lessons so seamlessly.  Virtually any reading skill can be taught through a poem. The following is one I use for compound word study.

Depending on the students, this poem can launch the study or allow them to review the concept.  For primary students, I begin by demonstrating that compound words can be broken into 2 separate words. One of the most dramatic ways to explain compound words is to write some on sentence strips and then cut them apart in front of the group.  Using a pocket chart, you can “rejoin” and “separate” the words until the concept is clear.  This is also effective in showing them why some words may sound like compound words, but actually are not.  Then we hunt for compound words on an enlarged copy of the poem.

For older students, I would challenge them to highlight all the compound words they can find on their copies of the poem.  Using a pencil, rather than a marker, is a good idea should they mistake a multisyllabic word for a compound. 

Using an example from the poem above, “believe” may seem like a compound word to some readers.  However, when you cut it apart, it becomes clear that it is not, in fact, 2 smaller words. Spelling counts!  (lieve vs leave) 

In my next post, I’ll describe skill lessons that poetry readily proffers.

Resources you may like:

DOLCH WORDS for Your WORD WALL

If you use a WORD WALL, I have a new product for you -- DOLCH WORDS PK-3 WORD WALL CARDS.  These cards include all 220 Dolch Words, as well as editable cards.

Each card shows the grade level in the lower left corner to help you organize the cards.  Each grade level also has a different border.

Dolch Word Cards are currently available in 3 color schemes; red & black, green & black, and blue & green.  More color combinations are coming!  If you have a request for trim colors, just ask!  I'll be happy to create for you.

The existing products will coordinate with my panda & TWEET decor products.  However, no graphics are included on the cards.  Thus, they can work with any classroom that sports those colors.

Related products:

Phonics Sorts for Hard and Soft Consonants

It's about time, teachers, for some phonics sorts!

Do your kiddos need some practice with hard /c/, soft /c/, hard /g/, and soft /g/?  Then check out these fun resources that provide practice with these sounds in the initial and medial positions.

Following are preview videos: