IT'S ABOUT TIME for STELLALUNA!

 

Introducing my learners to Stellaluna, by Janelle Cannon, is one of the things I most look forward to in October. Immersing my class in all things BATS is just so fun. Check out these resources:

Extending the learning for Stellaluna has never been more fun! This thematic unit includes activities for literacy centers, math centers, writing, poetry, & word work.  Also provided are math journal prompts, lots of printable worksheets, and more!

THE BAT CAVE Literacy Center is a word sort to practice rhyming words. Students will move each bat/word card to the bat cave with a rhyming word. This FREE activity exercises onset and rime exchanges with basic C-V-C vocabulary, as well as with irregularly spelled words. THE BAT CAVE is also available in digital form on TPT Easel.

Promote phonemic awareness of initial consonant blends with this bat themed phonics sort. BAT BLENDS is available in print and digital versions (TPT Easel).

Students will sort words with the long and short sounds of /a/. This activity is provided in print and digital versions (TPT Easel). 

Tangram puzzles exercise concepts about geometry (transformation, rotation, congruence, symmetry, etc.). This differentiated activity is great for center or individual work in primary grades.

These resources are available in a bundle.  Purchasing the bundle will save you 30%!

IT'S ABOUT TIME for GROUNDHOG DAY

 

Celebrate this fun holiday with 2 resources:

Groundhog Day Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, & Hinkity Pinkities is a super fun freebie!

These word riddles teach students to problem solve while honing vocabulary skills.  This product is available as task cards and digitally on TPT Easel.

SCRATTLE is a differentiated, math and literacy, learning center activity that combines word work with computation; individual effort with competition.

Students make words, as in ScrabbleTM, computing their worth.  Then they engage another learner in a friendly battle to see which child has the most high scores.  SCRABBLE + BATTLE = SCRATTLE.  The word warriors will quickly eschew the easy, low scoring words in order to create more complex and higher scoring words.  Thus, offer your pupils the chance to play several times.  They will love it and you will enjoy seeing the uptick in their efforts.

BTW, I offer 7 SCRATTLE products in my store and all of them have just been updated and refreshed.  So, if you already have some SCRATTLE in your resource library, download the new versions!

I've been refreshing and renewing lots of products lately.  As with SCRATTLE, you can download the new versions for FREE if you already own the previous version. 

HOW TO PLAY SUDOKU is a slideshow that explains and illustrates the terminology, procedures, and strategies for completing sudoku puzzles.  The revisions include all new graphics and compacting the slideshow.

Related to sudoku are my Latin Squares products.  They are great for easing into sudoku and are all freshly redone.

These QUESTION WORDS POSTERS have not only been refreshed with all new graphics, but the product has been expanded.  Even if you don't already own it, you can download it for FREE.

ATTITUDE POSTER is a FREEBIE that has been refreshed with new graphics.

PUMPKIN LEARNING TIME!

 

It's that pumpkin time of year. My favorite!

During this time, I love to fill my classroom with pumpkin activities. I also love to combine disciplines whenever possible. Thus, I challenge my students to combine word work with computation by engaging them in SCRATTLE.

SCRATTLE is a center, small group, or individual activity that my learners adore. Like Scrabble (TM), students create words from a set of letters. They then calculate the value of their words. But that's not all. I encourage friendly competition by inviting them to have a SCRATTLE BATTLE with a friend(s).

SCRABBLE + BATTLE = SCRATTLE

There are so many positives to this activity:

1. Open ended word work
2. Computation practice
3. Differentiation - use the recording sheet that best fits your students' math abilities
4. Efficient use of time
5. Can be used multiple times with increasing enthusiasm
6. Competition spurs students to create more complex words
7. This activity is FREE!!!

Try it! You'll like it!

If your students love SCRATTLE, as I'm sure they will, I have a SCRATTLE shop in my TPT store. All SCRATTLE products are FREE!

It's about time, teachers, to TEACH SMARTER NOT HARDER!

If you have not discovered SCRATTLE, you are certainly teaching harder, not smarter!  This FREE product line is differentiated, making it appropriate for 1st - 6th grades, ideal for centers (math, literacy, and/or critical thinking), open ended for greater flexibility and fluency, and super engaging for learners. SCRATTLE combines word work with computation, individual effort with competition.  As in Scrabble™, students will use a set of letters to create words.  After recording their terms, they calculate each word's worth using letters values.  They then engage a friend in a battle wherein the 2 compare their scores using >,<, and =. The player with the most >s wins the battle!

SCRAbble + baTTLE = SCRATTLE!

One of my favorite things about SCRATTLE is that children rapidly and readily learn that making short, easy words is a bad idea.  In order to conquer their opponent, they must seek to create longer, more complex words.  Moreover, this activity can be done over and over, allowing children to hone their skills (making words, computation, spelling, strategic thinking) while having fun.

There are 8 SCRATTLE files, each associated with a season or holiday.  ALL ARE FREE!  Each product provides 3 recording sheet options.  This accomodates the grade range and allows for really easy differentiation within a classroom.

Recently, at the request of some teachers, I have added an additional file of recording sheets.  They offer the opportunity for 3 warriors to battle each other.  This file is also FREE!

SCRATTLE is a terrific means for teaching smarter not harder!!! But you don't have to take my word for it.  Check out these comments from teachers who have used these units.

COMPOUND WORDS LITERACY CENTER for COWPOKES

It's about time, teachers, for compound words!

Check out this adorable literacy center that celebrates compound words COWBOY STYLE!  All of the words are related to cowboys to delight your little cowpokes.

This literacy center is self-correcting.  Just flip the pairs over to reveal a cowboy picture.  Your little buckaroos will shout, "YEE-HAW!"

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Even More FEBRUARY FREEBIES!!

It's about time, teachers, for some more February FREEBIES!

SCRATTLE: Patriotic Edition is differentiated, making it appropriate for all grades 1-5.  Students make words from a collection of letters, then compute the value using addition, multiplication, or mixed operations.  There is a recording sheet for each of the named computation requirements.  Next they engage a friend in a Scrattle Battle, comparing their word values as =, >, or <.  The word warrior with the most >s wins!  Stand back and watch your learners quickly eschew those 3 and 4 letter words for longer ones.

February is Dental Health Month, so attend to that with this FREE product.  It includes a song, class graphing, lost tooth bags, a word find, scrambled sentences, tooth idioms, and tooth problems math.

It's Leap Year and your students will leap for joy with this free unit.  Included are word work, verbal fluency exercises, and math challenges.

February is fabulous and filled with freebies from my store.  Enjoy!