Some Freebies and Station Ideas!


Happy December!  Hope you're all doing well and your December is off to a good start!  I've been busy, busy, busy with my first graders!  This last week we've already had 2 snow days and 1 two hour delay due to snow and ice and it's not even winter yet!  Yikes!!  Here's to hoping we can get their Christmas gifts made and wrapped in a week!

If you're looking for some last minute read alouds this holiday season, here is a list of some favorites that our followers enjoy reading!

Next week will be filled with lots and lots of gingerbread activities.  Many can be found {HERE}.  In our Gingerbread Galore Unit!  Since last week was a long a_e focus I made a little freebie as a review for this upcoming week.  If you'd like a copy, just click the pics below There's a worksheet as well if you'd like to have your students write the words after sorting.



 I also will be putting this worksheet out at my intervention time.  During our intervention time, I meet with reading groups and my kiddos choose a variety of literacy activities to complete.  I usually put out a few worksheets that relate to our current reading focus.  Here's a worksheet that I made and put out last week when our focus was the long a sound (a_e).  Click the picture below to grab yourself a copy!

Lastly, here's a Christmas themed word search that I plan on using at some point next week.  If you'd like this as well, just click below!

If you're following my stations that I incorporate into my reading block,
here's what we're starting next week:

*Listening Station: iPod shuffles- If You Take a Mouse to the Movies & Merry Christmas, Splat

*Stamp Station: *Stamp a Word- Write it Stamp it can be found {HERE}

*Publishing Place: Rudolph!, Rudolph! Rhyming Book which can be found  {HERE} 

*Puzzle Place: Large floor puzzle and environmental print puzzles.  {HERE} is an example of what the environmental print puzzles look like.  I cut them up myself and place them in baggies.

*Pocket Place:  Large pocket chart with short vowel pictures and words can be found {HERE}.  Also at this station are Christmas words that can be found {HERE}.  I cut these cards and my students match the picture to the word.  Also at this station are christmas themed ABC order.

*ABC Station: ABC order Christmas words from this pack that can be found {HERE} and ABC order color and number words that can be found in this pack {HERE}.

*Word Wall Wizard: Sight Word Ornaments.  The activity can be found {HERE}.  I make sure to place this station near my word wall so my kiddos can write word wall words :)

*Write the Room:  Christmas Write-the-Room which can be found {HERE} and Read and Write the Room: North Pole & Gingerbread words that can be found {HERE}

*Artist's Alley:  Snowy Evergreens.  Here's where I got the idea! I made several tree templates that my first graders can trace if needed :)


Click {HERE} if you'd like to see the first week and some info about my station work!
Click {HERE}for other station ideas!
Click {HERE} for other station ideas!
Click {HERE} for other station ideas!

Have a wonderful week!

We Have a Winner!


Congratulations Christine!  You will receive an email from me shortly!  Thank you to all who participated.  I will make a list of all of your book recommendations and post them later this week!
Have a great Monday!

Giveaway and a Sale!



Happy Sunday!  Teachers Pay Teachers is having a Cyber Sale that begins November 28th  and runs through November 29th, and we've got a $10 gift card that we'd LOVE to give to one of our followers!  
Our giveaway runs from 12:00 am Sunday, November 27th,
until 12:00 am Monday, November 28th PST.

 Since it's the holiday season, we though it'd be great if we had our followers share their favorite seasonal/holiday read aloud!  We'd love to hear your favorites!  That's all you have to do to enter the giveaway below, just comment with your favorite holiday read aloud.  
To be sure you're entered, please comment in the Raffllecopter box below.

Check back here Monday, November 28th and we will announce our winner!  

Now more about the sale!  The big Cyber Sale begins on November 28! We're discounting our products at 20% off our regular prices and Teachers Pay Teachers is offering an additional 10% off your total order price.  All you have to do is enter their promo code CYBER2016 during checkout!  You can check out our store {HERE}! 


Have a wonderful day!  
We'll be back Tuesday with our winner announced!

Happy Tuesday!

 Hope your week is off to a great start!  I've been super been super busy getting ready for conferences, but wanted to share a few ideas and freebies with you all :)
Short e was our sound focus a few weeks ago and I made a little freebie that I thought you all might enjoy as well.  Just click the word search below to download!

This week is consonant digraphs sh th and -ng so I made a thanksgiving themed ABC order and word search :) Just click below if you'd like a copy!


If you're following my stations that I incorporate into my reading block,
here's what we started this week:

*Listening station: iPod shuffles- Party Time! (SpongeBob Squarepants)Duck at the Door,  & SmileyShark

*Blend Bop: Roll a Blend {HERE} or click the picture below.  The mini book mentioned below is also in this link.

*Publishing Place- Blend mini books{HERE} or click on the pictures below



*Fine Motor: My students have two choices at this station this week.  They can either feed the cup letters with tweezers (using their spelling list) or feed the tennis ball using their hands and inserting small letter beads.  Below are pictures :)


*Artist's Alley: Create a turkey with wings made from paper shapes.  See picture below :)


*Word Way:  Word search that can be found {HERE} and secret sight word worksheet that can be found {HERE}

*Social Studies:  I made a basic map of our classroom and my students color the labels in the map key and on the map.

*Pocket Place:  Large pocket chart with short a pictures and words can be found {HERE}.  Also at this station are student photos and name cards,{HERE}, short o cards that can be found {HERE}, and short e words that can be found {HERE}.

*Wikki Stix:  My kiddos use Wikki Stix with the short vowel play dough mats that can be found {HERE}

Click {HERE} if you'd like to see the first week and some info about my station work!
Click {HERE}for other station ideas!
Click {HERE} for other station ideas!

Have a wonderful week!

Lots and Lots of Literacy Freebies!


Happy Monday!  Hope your week is off to a great start!  A few weeks ago my reading theme was pets.  We read several books about pets, made lists of how to care for a pet and our favorite pets.  We also did a pet picture/name sort and a writing piece about our favorite pets.  I made a pet word search that was incorporated into our second reading block.  My kiddos need to work independently during this time and this word search along with a pet mini book were two of the five paper activities that they could choose from. 
 You can grab this {HERE} or click below!


If you'd like to check out some of the other pet activities my first graders completed, 
you can check out this set HERE, or click below!

Weekly word sorts are completed during my small reading groups and also during literacy stations (see below).  Last week we focused on the short i sound.  If you'd like this freebie, just click one of the pictures below!





If you're following my stations that I incorporate into my reading block,
here's what we finished up with last week:

*Listening Station: iPod shuffles- Llama Llama and the Bully GoatThe Biggest Pumpkin Ever,  Spooky Hour & Skeletons

*Sorting Street: Short i word sort can be found {HERE} or click on the pics above

*Publishing Place: Transportation Book from our transportation set that can be found {HERE}

*Artist's Alley: Learn to draw a cat, dog, fish, and a rat (we had a pet theme last week in our reading program).  {HERE} is where I got my step by step instructions.  They were pretty easy for my first graders to follow.  {HERE} is the entire Learn to Draw section.  

*Fine Motor: Letter pick up.  My kiddos use tweezers that I bought from Lakeshore Learning, they can be found {HERE}.  I found this letter mat somewhere, but can't find it anywhere to add a link! If you know where it came from I would be glad to add the link :)  My kiddos simply look for the letter in a container filled with Lace-A-Word Beads, pick it up with tweezers, and match it.

I also created a few Make-a-Word worksheets that relate to familiar sounds we've worked on during reading.  You can grab these {HERE}, or click the picture below!

*Word Way:  Spin a Word Bingo.  I'll have the link up tomorrow :)

*Beginning Sound Boogie:   I found out about this fun activity while searching on Pinterest.  Pre-write consonants on spoons. Students choose a spoon and try and make a word.  If it makes sense (it's a word and not a nonsense word) they write it down.  I made two worksheets that focus on the sounds that we have previously learned in reading.  If you'd like them just click  {HERE} or the picture below!
*Pocket Place:  Large pocket chart with short vowel pictures and words can be found {HERE}.  Also at this station are student photos and name cards, frog life cycle cards (reading theme this week), and transportation sorting cards that can be found {HERE}

*Word Family:  I used this freebie:  Word Builders {-at family freebie} from Miss Kindergarten Love.  I LOVED it so much that I bought both her long and short vowel set!

Click {HERE} if you'd like to see the first week and some info about my station work!
Click {HERE} if you'd like to see the second week


Have a fabulous week!

New Station Ideas and Some Freebies


Happy Sunday!  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!  
It was a pumpkin patch day for my family yesterday!  
Weather wasn't too bad either.  
A little sunshine every now and then and no rain! Yay!   
We had lots of fun and always enjoy 
the apple cider donuts and cider slushies. 
 Here's a picture of Natalie and I!


Glad we went yesterday because today is filled with lots and lots of rain!  But that's pretty typical for Oregon!  Thought I'd share some of my stations that we did last week and and also share a few freebies that you might find helpful as well!  

We've just started our Dolch sight word lists in first grade.  
Each of my kiddos takes a list home for practice.  
You can read about this set {HERE}  

The lists can be found in this product below.  

I attach a note to their first list that goes home.  It is completely editable and if you'd like a copy feel free to click below!  I used this font {HERE}.

This year I decided to create an individual poster that my first graders can place stickers on.  They just Love it.  I keep their individual posters in my reading conference notebook.  When they finish reading the words, they take home their filled up rainbow and begin spelling.  
In previous years I've used the poster that can be found in the post {HERE}.  If you'd like a copy of the posters you can click on either picture below to grab a copy!


If you're following my stations that I incorporate into my reading block,
here's what we're currently finishing up with:

*Read and Write the Room: Back to School & Lunchtime from this set {HERE}
*Publishing Place- Apple Tree Mini book it can be found {HERE}
*Puzzle Place: An alphabet puzzle, environmental print puzzles, & Pinkalicious puzzle.  {HERE} is an example of what the environmental print puzzles look like.  I cut them up myself and place them in baggies.  
*Alphabet Avenue: Alphabet Bingo  a beginning sound Bingo game.
*White Boards:  Kids write spelling words from weekly word list, then write their own words.
*Sort Street:  Sorting short a word sort that can be found {HERE}
*Pocket Place:  Large pocket chart with short a pictures and words can be found {HERE}.  Also at this station are student photos and name cards, frog life cycle cards (reading theme this week), and transportation sorting cards that can be found {HERE}
*Word Way:  Spin a Word (Dolch words).  These can be found {HERE}.   I'm including our worksheet from this week!  Just click the picture below :)


Click {HERE} if you'd like to see the first week and some info about my station work!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy Fall!

Hope your fall is off to a great start!  I am on my fourth week with my first graders and FINALLY feel like we are in a routine!  YAY!!!!  Training my kiddos on reading stations takes two weeks and now they're able to independently (with a little teacher support :) complete their stations, and I can now lead small reading groups and IRLA conference with my students.  I am really loving IRLA as an assessment tool, but it I am definitely still in the learning process since this is our first year implementing it in my school.  If you have any tips or advice, I'd love to hear them!  

I decided to change up how I do reading stations in my classroom this year.  You can read about what I did last year {HERE}.  This year my kiddos begin by reading good fit books from their book boxes, either to self or a buddy.  After reading, they can continue reading, choose one of their two station choices, or read from the classroom library which we call Library Lane.  Library Lane and many other adorable station names and cards can be found in Kickin’ it in Kindergarten’s It's Station Time cards.  I just LOVE these!  My station activities change every six days.  Since last year was my first day following this plan, I decided to keep a list of which stations I do :)  I am SO glad I did!  Planning stations has been so much easier this year.  There were days last year when creating station activities was easy and there were A LOT of times in which I spent many weekends searching for new ideas! So I thought I'd share with what I do.  I will try and share when I change stations.  If you do reading stations and are looking for some new ideas feel free to stop by and check out my list!

Here's what we're currently finishing up with:

*Listening station:  iPod shuffles-The Little Red Hen, My Daddy Snores, & 
  A Bad Case of the Stripes
*Wikki Stix: Word mats that can be found {HERE}
*Stamp a Word- Write it Stamp it can be found {HERE}
*Puzzle Place: An alphabet puzzle and environmental print puzzles.  {HERE} is an example of what the environmental print puzzles look like.  I cut them up myself and place them in baggies.  
*Dice Drive: Roll a Word (Dolch words) can be found {HERE}
*White Boards:  Kids write spelling words from word list, then write their own words.
*Magnetic Mountain:  Magnetic boards and magnetic letters
*Pocket Place:  Large pocket chart with short a pictures and words can be found {HERE}.  Also at this station are student photos and name cards.  My kiddos practice recognizing faces and names.  Great for the beginning of the year!  
*Word Way:  Write a Rainbow (Dolch words).  These can be found {HERE}.   I'm including our worksheet from this week!  Just click the picture below :)

Our classroom iPad, iPods, and computers are stations as well.  They contain various reading apps, books, and websites in which my kiddos can read & listen to stories or practice word work.  

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a fabulous week! 





Happy Wednesday!


Hi there!  Hope you're all having a great summer!  School starts for us in just a few days and it definitely feels like it's crunch time around here!  We wanted to let you know that we've updated one of our bestsellers!  Our First Grade Common Core Math Vocabulary Cards  now come in two font choices and we just added 8 new words!  If you have already purchased them, go to your downloads folder and re-download for the newest update.
If you'd like to check them out just click on the picture below!

Syllable sets now include September-January and currently working on February!  We should have February-June added within the next few months.  I love to use these with my first graders during literacy stations.  If you'd like to read more about that you can go {HERE}.
If you'd like to check out the syllable sets, just click the picture below!


And here are a few freebies!  I just updated the cover page for my lesson plan binder and created a few additional cover pages.  You can grab these HERE or by clicking on the pages below.  
This is an editable PDF so you can change name at the top or delete the text box if you'd prefer to not have a name at the top.  All examples are in color and B & W :)

I’ve recently started to work on my lesson plans for the first few weeks of school and thought I’d share my master template with you all.  It is in Powerpoint, and can easily be edited.  Just move/delete the text boxes and lines and you can customize them however you’d like.  I like to add monthly themed clipart in the above left corner J
You can grab this freebie HERE, or click on the picture below!
The fonts I used are:



Hope you all have a wonderful day! 
Friday is almost here! 

YAY!




Back to School Read Alouds & A Freebie!

Happy Sunday!  Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!  A few weeks ago we had a contest and had our participants list their favorite back to school read alouds.  There were so many wonderful suggestions!  Thank you to everyone who participated!  Below are pictures along with a title list below each picture.  
We also created our own little picture and list of a few of our faves!  

Here are some of our favorites:











And here are some favorites mentioned by our followers!
























The Kissing hand


And here's a little freebie!
I plan on putting this color by number worksheet in my first day coloring packs.  I have several coloring/counting/ABC worksheets that I copy for my first graders to work on while they get settled in on the first day of school.  If you'd like a copy, just click any of the pics below!  This freebie contains kindergarten through third grade and one that could be used at any grade level!


Here's one my daughter colored for an example!  
There are a couple of objects without numbers (apples on the tree, the boy's shirt, dots on the girl's dress)  These objects can be colored any color!





Have a great week!  

We have a winner!

Congratulations Cindy C.!
Her book recommendation was Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? 
Check your email Cindy!  Thank you to all of you that entered!  We've made a list of all of your book wonderful recommendations and will be sharing it on our blog this week.


The big back to school sale is happening now!  EVERYTHING in our store is 20% off  and Teachers Pay Teachers is offering an additional 10% off your total order price.  All you have to do is enter their promo code BESTYEAR during checkout!  Don't forget to leave feedback on your prior TPT purchases.  You'll earn credits for future purchases!
You can check out our store {HERE}!  

Have a fabulous Monday!  

Giveaway and a Sale!




Happy Sunday!  Teachers Pay Teachers is having a back to school sale that begins August 1st and runs through August 2nd, and we've got a $10 gift card that we'd LOVE to give to one of our followers!  
Our giveaway runs from 12:00 am Sunday, July 31st until 12:00 am Monday, August 1st PST.

 Since several of us are heading back to school soon, we though it'd be great if we had our followers share their favorite back to school read aloud!  We LOVE reading Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes and many of the other Pete the Cat books!  We'd love to hear your favorites!  That's all you have to do to enter the giveaway below, just comment with your favorite back to school read aloud.  
To be sure you're entered, please comment in the Raffllecopter box below.

Check back here at 7:00 am Monday, August 1st PST and we will announce our winner!  

Now more about the sale!  The big back to school site wide sale begins on Monday, August 1st! We're discounting our products at 20% off our regular prices and Teachers Pay Teachers is offering an additional 10% off your total order price.  All you have to do is enter their promo code BESTYEAR during checkout!  You can check out our store {HERE}!  

Have a wonderful day!  
We'll be back early tomorrow with our winner announced!