Showing posts with label reading stations. Show all posts

Happy Fall

Hi Everybody! I'm back! It feels so good to be back in the blogging world! I took a much needed break, and am back and ready to blog! I sure have been busy with back to school stuff, and having a teenager in Driver's Ed along with her busy dance schedule, doesn't really leave this mom with a lot of spare time! I hope you all had a wonderful summer! My family and I spent a lot of time outdoors. Here we are on a hiking trip in Bend, OR. We just LOVE Bend, OR!

I have a few things/sites I've found that I wanted to share with you all :)

I know it's way past back to school, but I finally found the perfect book bins for my IKEA shelves in my classroom library! I looked everywhere all summer for ones that would fit perfectly, would be able to hold my tall or awkward sized books, and were a good price. These are perfect!

I found them at Walmart.com and they came in a 12 pack. After purchasing 2 sets I realized that I might want to have a few extra on hand, just in case they break. So I stopped by my local Home Depot and bought 2 more! I was also able to fine a few small sized ones for my mini leveled readers. I love the way they look and so far they are holding up nicely.

Here's the link if you'd like to check them out:

Sterilite Medium Ultra Plastic Storage Bins

Another thing I was looking for this summer was a YouTube Channel that had letter/sound videos. Our reading program no longer supports the online version that we used last year and I was so sad :(. I use the videos to show our sound of the week. Well, after doing some searching on YouTube, I found Jack Hartmann's Kids Music Channel! It was just what I was looking for! My kids LOVE his videos, especially the sight word videos. If you haven's seen his videos, you've got to check him out!

Here's one of his sight word videos:

I also LOVE ViewPure which is a site that I show all YouTube videos in. I just copy and paste the link and I can display YouTube videos in my classroom without ads or comments!

Here's a link to ViewPure: ViewPure.

Another site that I'd like to share with you all I've been incorporating a lot of nonsense word activities in my small reading groups lately. At a meeting recently, I was given a nonsense word fluency intervention planning sheet with links to quite a few freebies. I found the sheet online and was able to click and check out the wonderful free resources. If you teach nonsense words and are looking for some new items, definitely check out this blog post from Make, Take & Teach. This is where you will find the planning sheet:

What’s all the Nonsense about Teaching Nonsense Words?

Here's a new product that I've recently added to my store:

Here are a few worksheets that are included in this set:

This is my first of many worksheet sets that I will be adding to my store. I use these in my small reading groups. Instead of copying a worksheet for each student, I use Reusable Write and Wipe Pockets. These HERE are my absolute favorite! My kids also love writing on them with dry erase pens. This set and my future sets all contain a variety of worksheets. You can check them out HERE, or click the picture above!

Finally, here are a few freebies that I wanted to also share. We learned about the five senses a few weeks ago and I created some popcorn freebies.

After learning about our senses we described popcorn using our five senses.

I used these headings on my whiteboard:

I made these smaller quarter sheet sized ones to be used on an anchor chart.

My kids each got a worksheet and 1 piece of popped popcorn. I purposely did not give them a bowl full yet, because I wanted them to focus on their descriptions and writing first :) Here's what their worksheet looked like:

I began by listing their words on the white board. Then they would choose words for their worksheets. Finally, after they wrote how popcorn tastes, they each received a bowl of popcorn. They had a blast!

The second day I read this cute book that I checked out through my local library:

Then we came up with a list of toppings that would be good on popcorn. The kids had so much fun thinking of toppings they'd like. After we created a list, they completed this writing piece and added their toppings to the picture.

Here's a popcorn mini book I created as well:

You can find all of these freebies by clicking the titles below!

White Board/Anchor Chart Headings

Popcorn Writing

Popcorn Five Senses Mini Book

Thank you so much for stopping by!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Digraphs, Diphthongs, and Freebies OH MY!

Happy Sunday! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend and to those of you that are already on summer vacation, ENJOY! I hope you find some much needed time to relax!
My first graders and I have a few more weeks due to several snow days. We still have lots to do and I have several fun themed activities planned for my first graders!
This last week my first graders went to the zoo for our annual zoo field trip. SO MUCH FUN! We had absolutely perfect weather (which for the last several years has been not spectacular) 70+ degrees and was filled with lots of zoo themed activities. See below for several ideas I incorporated into my stations and a few zoo themed math freebies :).

A few weeks ago we ended our digraph and diphthong sound focus. I created a set and finally added it to our store. If you'd like to check it out you can go {HERE} or click any of the pictures below! Here are some items included in this set:

This set includes:

48 SMALL PICTURE/WORD CARDS : These cards can be used for sorting.

Small Sorting Cards

SORTING MATS & RECORDING SHEETS: These sorting mats can be used for sorting the small sorting cards above. After sorting, students can record words on recording sheets.

Sorting Mat

Recording Sheet

24 RHYME CARDS (MATCHING GAME): These cards can be used for a matching game. Players begin by placing face down. First player flips two cards over. If they rhyme, the player keeps both cards. If they do not rhyme, flip the player flips both cards over and it’s the next player’s turn. Winner is the player with the most cards.

Rhyme Cards (matching game)

I HAVE WHO HAS CARDS: 30 cards are included in this set. These cards contain pictures and words. If playing with less than 30 players, you could give players additional cards.

I Have Who Has Cards

48 LARGE PICTURE/WORD CARDS: These cards could be used in several different ways.

Here are two ideas:
*For matching, cut them apart so the words are separate and match the words with the pictures. These cards fit nicely in a pocket chart.
*To play a matching game, distribute word cards evenly between players. Place picture cards face down. First player flips over a picture card. If he/she has the matching word, he/she picks up the card. If not a match, flip card over and it’s the next player’s turn. First player with all of their matches complete is the winner.

Large Picture/Word Cards

Here's an ew oo word search I have included during my intervention time.

Just click the picture below for your copy!

And here are a few of the zoo activities I incorporated last week. Just click on the pics for links!

Since these last few weeks in math have been a review of what we've been doing all year, I made some review worksheets that focused on double digit addition and subtraction. I also created some place value review. You can find this entire freebie {HERE}!

Zoo Math Themed Worksheets

Several versions of this worksheet are included.

We've been doing a lot of opinion writing pieces this month. I wanted to share a freebie that I created to go with an opinion writing piece my first graders did a few weeks ago. After reading Hey Little Ant we created two anchor charts. One listed reasons why the boy SHOULD squish the and and the other listed reasons why the boy SHOULD NOT squish the ant. Then my kiddos completed their own opinion writing and made a picture. If you'd like the writing template along with pages for drawings, just click {HERE} or on the picture below!

I also included several zoo themed stations this last week!

If you're following my stations that I incorporate into my reading block, here's what we started last week, and will finish up in a few days! This is our last set of stations for the school year. Several stations this week are zoo themed.

*Listening Station: iPod shuffles- Diary of a Spider, Old MacDonald Had a Dragon , & LEGO City: Fire in the Forest!

*Sand Station: Kinetic sand and sand tools.

*Social Studies: My students create their own zoo map which can be found in our Zoo Map Pack that can be found {HERE}.

*ABC Station: Zoo Keeper Line Up ABC Order. This freebie can be found in this set {HERE}.

*Publishing Place: Five Little Monkeys book which can be found in this freebie set {HERE}.

*Artist Alley: My kiddos first write a giraffe poem following a template that I created. Then they make a giraffe craftivity that can be found {HERE}.

*Pocket Chart Place: Kindness sort that can be found {HERE}. May pocket cart cards that can be found {HERE}. Animal movement sort from {HERE}.
And a number sort that can be found {HERE}.

*Word Way: Write It! An activity using Dolch words. This set can be found {HERE}.

*Read a Write the Room: Write the Walls. This template can be found {HERE}. I give my kiddos clipboards and my special pens to use as they write the room!

Need more station ideas? Just click on the links below!

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!

Click {HERE} for other station ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Yay For May!

Happy May! I just love this month! Our weather here in Oregon starts to dry out a little and we FINALLY see more sunshine YAY! This week I finished up my May Show and Tell Apron Cards. These work great in Show and Tell Aprons, but also work nicely in pocket charts, or at a table!

I print the vertical cards and my kiddos match the pictures to the words use these at our pocket chart station. This works great for vocabulary development. My kids also enjoy organizing the cards in ABC order. If you'd like to check these out, just click on the picture below! February-May are all finished and I'm currently working on a June set. September-January will also be added throughout the summer months :)

May Show and Tell Apron Cards

Here's a little worksheet I will be incorporating into my intervention activities this week. It includes some of the words used in my May Show and Tell Apron set. If you'd like a copy of this freebie, just click below!

May ABC Order and Word Search

Opinion writing has been a BIG focus these last several weeks in my classroom. There are so many great stories to incorporate while teaching opinion writing. One story I LOVE to use is I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff. I created a format for my first graders to use as support while writing their opinions. On the first line is where my kids write should or should not, based on their opinion. Then they give their two reasons to support their opinion, and finally restate why they strongly feel Alex should or should not have an pet iguana. Also included in this little freebie are half sheets with an iguana picture. There are several different options :) My kiddos each chose a picture and drew something different around or near the iguana. Their writing pieces along with their picture, are displayed in our school hallway. Pictures will be added soon! If you'd like your a copy of this freebie, click below!

I Wanna Iguana Opinion Writing Frame

If you're following my stations that I incorporate into my reading block, here's what we started last week, and will finish up in a few days!

*Listening Station: iPod shuffles- What's in the Sky?, The Cow That Laid an Egg, & Down Comes the Rain

*Exploration Station: Magnetic wands and various small objects that are magnetic and non magnetic. My kids sort them and draw about which objects will attract and which will not attract to the magnetic wand.

*Stamp Station: *Stamp a Word- Write it Stamp it can be found {HERE}. I place sight word cards at this station that my students can write or stamp, or they use the word wall.

*ABC Station: Word puzzle pieces very similar to these HERE, but I found mine at Walmart last summer. Also at this station are spring/earth day ABC order worksheets that can be found {HERE}.

*Publishing Place: Frog is Hungry book which can be found at Reading A-Z . I print the book in a wordless version and my kiddos make up their own text to the story. So much fun!

*Artist Alley: Fingerprint dandelions. I got the idea from this post {HERE}.

*Write the Room: Read and Write the Room: April words that can be found {HERE}

*Word Way: Oi Oy Secret Code Words and Spin a Word that can be found in this pack {HERE}

*Fine Motor: Line Art. I create a master page that looks like the anchor chart found {HERE} and my kids great pictures using different line styles. Lacing cards are at this station as well.

Need more station ideas? Just click on the links below!

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!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week!

Hello March!

Yay for March! I always look forward to March because March means SPRING!!!! Although it rains a lot here in Oregon, I am hoping this March will bring more sun than we had in February. We've had a cold and wet winter and this teacher is ready for some SUNSHINE! It's been a while since my last post and I have several word sort freebies to share with you all :) I incorporate these into my small reading groups and create them based on our current sound focus in our reading program.

Thought I'd share a few freebies that I used with my first graders a few weeks ago!

This little long a freebie contains February themed clipart, but could really be used anytime!

Click on any of the pictures below to download!

This next freebie focuses on the long e sound.

Last week we finished up our dental health unit. I purchased these two resources and they were wonderful!

Thematic Dental Health Unit

Dental Health Unit: Activities to Teach about Teeth and the Dentist

And if you have Netflix there is a fantastic Sid the Science Kid episode that my kids loved! It's season 1 episode 16: A Brush with Teeth. We watched a little bit each day after we were packed up and waiting for the busses.

This week's sound focus in my classroom is long i (ie, i_e, y, igh) and I found this

Long I fabulous freebie ! I'll be incorporating some of the activities in my small groups and during my intervention block.

Here's a March themed worksheet that I will also use during my intervention block. Just click the picture below if you'd like a copy!

If you're following my stations that I incorporate into my reading block,

here's what we just finished up with at the beginning of last week:

*Listening Station: iPod shuffles- You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy & There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose!

*Sequencing Corner: The Very Hungry Caterpillar book, sequencing cards, and printable emergent reader. There are several sets of sequencing cards that you can find on TpT and Pinterest. The ones I use are came from Abby's store {HERE}. I just cut the numbers off. She has several other options like {THESE} which could also work. The emergent reader can be found {HERE}.

*Puzzle Place: Puzzle Place: 100 piece puzzles 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.

*White Boards: My kiddos write their weekly word list first, then write their own words or sentences.

*Rhyming Road: Rhyme concentration, rhyme book, rhyme match. These items can be found {HERE} and {HERE}.

*Digraph Dilemma: Make & Take Phonics Mini Books: Consonant Digraphs that can be found {HERE}.

*Word Wall Wizard: Hidden Words worksheet that can be found {HERE}. This is ALWAYS a favorite with my first graders!

*Word Way: Sight Word Pop. Printable popcorn can be found on our blog {HERE}. I bought popcorn containers from the dollar spot at Target. They are similar to the ones {HERE}. I also put Word Whiz out at this station. You can check them out {HERE}.

*Artist's Alley: Abraham Lincoln craft that can be found in {THIS} Evan-Moor book.

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!
Click {HERE} for other station ideas!

Click {HERE} for other station ideas!

Have a wonderful week!

Happy January!

Happy January! Hope your year is off to a great start!
After a very LONG winter break (we've had so many two hour delays and snow days in December and January, I've lost track of the total!) I am finally going back to a full week this next week, and I can't wait for some consistency!
Just stopping by to share a quick little freebie that I made for my first graders this week! Long i (i_e) is our sound focus of the week, and this will be one of the choices my students have during our intervention time.
Just click on the picture below if you'd like to grab a copy!

I also just finished up this entire set. I like to incorporate these into my literacy stations during my reading block. Look for a post next week about how I use these! If you'd like to check them out, just click the picture below. You can find the individual sets {HERE}.

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

*Listening Station: iPod shuffles- The Biggest Best Snowman, Snowmen All Year, The Mystery of the Missing Mitten & Down by the Cool of the Pool

*Spelling Space: Word Search focusing on long i (this is from my reading program), Write it! focusing on our story words for the week which can be found {HERE} If you'd like to check out the Dolch Set you can go {HERE}, and Word Whiz that are from Learning Resources. You can check them out {HERE}.

*Sand Writing: My kiddos use craft sticks and write their weekly words in sand. I bought my sand from Lakeshore, a local teacher store. It can be found {HERE}. I put the sand in plastic supply boxes which make it easy for clean up. I also put a plastic table cloth on the table :)

*Dice Drive: Five in a Row Dolch Phrases from First Grade Factory which can be found {HERE} and roll a word which can be found {HERE}.

*White Boards: Kids write spelling words from weekly word list, then write their own words.

*Read and Write the Room: Winter Words from this set {HERE}

*Word Way: Nonsense Word 4 in a Row that can be found {HERE} and word blocks for making sentences.

*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}

*Syllable Station: January syllable set that can be found {HERE}.

*Artist's Alley: Snowman freebie from Funky Fresh Firsties. The freebie 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!
Click {HERE} for other station ideas!
Click {HERE} for other station ideas!

Have a wonderful week!