Do you struggle with how to get started? Writer's Workshop in kindergarten and first grade classrooms is one of the most powerful components. In Writing Workshop in kindergarten and first grade, students are encoding words that come from their thoughts and feelings, which is a much easier skill than decoding. Successful writers become successful readers! So, how do you get started? The answer is simple. Just jump right in!! I usually start at the beginning of the ... continue reading...
Search Results for: label/spelling chunks
America Part One: Statue of Liberty
We did a directed drawing of The Statue of Liberty. The kids did an AMAZING job! We wanted to find out the answer to the following question. It is really hard to explain to kids just how HUGE the Statue of Liberty really is! So, we measured out bulletin board paper for her foot (even the length of her toes is correct) to get an idea of how huge she is! All About The Statue of Liberty writing Our bald eagles... they turned out so ... continue reading...
Guiding Readers Units: Planning Made EASY!
We are so excited about the feedback that we are getting about these units. We designed them around the same type of format as our Math Units and Writing Units and many teachers have told us that we've cut their planning time WAY down, that their kids are really mastering the standards and developing a love for reading and writing and we are beyond thrilled! That's what it's all about. We developed our Guiding Readers Units, Math Units and Writing Units with these goals in mind: We want to ... continue reading...
St. Patrick’s Day How to Make Leprechaun Punch
March?!? Seriously, how is it already March? This year is flying by! I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things to do for St. Patrick's Day. It doesn't get any better than Leprechaun punch and Leprechaun glyphs! YUMMY and ADORABLE! In Unit 3 of our Writing Through the Year unit we teach students the process for Procedural (How-To) Writing, and throughout the year we continue to work on How-To pieces to record our experiences as a class. First, we talked about the ingredients that ... continue reading...
Inferring with Primary Students: The Case of the Missing Toy Sack
Inferring with Primary Students: Christmas Inference Detectives Activities for Kindergarten and First-Grade Inferring with Primary Students: Kindergarten and First-Grade Inferring is an important comprehension skill for young readers to have and I love giving them lots of practice with this skill. We infer each week with the story we are reading, but I also like to give them opportunities to infer outside of the text. Inferring is just putting clues together and using that voice inside ... continue reading...
Oceans of Fun!
I got up bright and early this morning and drove 2 hrs. in search of the perfect wedding dress for my daughter Taylor. SUCCESS! But, I'm one tired mamma so this is going to be a super quick post! We just started our ocean unit. Nothing gets boys excited more than sharks! (okay...maybe dinosaurs...but they still LOVE sharks too). We used interactive writing to label the parts of a shark. Comparing sharks and whales. Schema Chart Writing ... continue reading...
Common Core Standards Organization and Wishy Washy!
I've had a lot of questions about how I organize my Common Core Standards and Essential Questions. I display them on posters which are hot glued to ribbon. The standards are attached with velcro so that they are easy to change in and out. (Please excuse the bad picture above. The standards shown are from the 1st grade set. Notice that the clipart images match the standard and that the essential question clipart also matches. This helps the little ones who can't read understand the ... continue reading...
Engaging Readers: Getting it ORGANIZED!
Hey There! Happy Hump day! We've had a few questions about how we organize our new Engaging Readers units so I thought I'd do a quick blog post to show you! These are the supplies I used to organize mine. I used a 1" binder sheet protectors Binder pocket (one pocket holds all four books) ziploc baggies Clear packing tape Printables for the spine and fronts of sheet protectors click HERE to get yours. First, I put our cutie patootie cover (thanks to ... continue reading...
FREE Spine Labels for Binders: Getting Organized!
This is a throwback post that I did awhile back about getting our Guiding Readers units organized. Since this post, I've had quite a few requests to make matching spine labels for the Writing and Math units. So HERE YOU GO! Sorry, it took me so long! We also have a Free Year-Long Curriculum Map for Kindergarten and First Grade. (Scroll to the bottom of this post to grab the map and spines) If you want to read the throw back post carry on! If not, Happy Organizing. ... continue reading...
Leonardo the Terrible Monster Reading Lesson Plans for K-1
Leonardo the Terrible Monster reading comprehension lesson plans with student response activities. Print and teach lessons to engage your students in reading! Leonardo the Terrible Monster This story by Mo Willems is one of my favorite stories to read, especially in October around Halloween. If you are not familiar with this book, it is about a monster named Leonardo. Leonardo is not a scary monster, no matter how hard he tries! He does some research and thinks he finds the perfect little ... continue reading...
The Gruffalo Lesson Plans | Reading Comprehension for K-2
The Gruffalo lesson plans for K-2. Engaging 5-day lesson plans with differentiated reading response, vocabulary, sentence study, and a craft for this fun story! The Gruffalo A clever mouse outsmarts some woodland animals who want to eat him with the story of a Gruffalo. Little does he know, a Gruffalo is real and loves to eat mice. Your students will love this award-winning story! Through our engaging lesson plans students will strengthen their reading comprehension skills and have fun ... continue reading...
Alphabet Bundle Word Wall Sets & More
As children get older, they often wonder how some of the content they learn in school will apply to their life. So, teachers have to show students how the material relates to various aspects outside of school. However, one part that students never question involves the alphabet. Students begin to learn their letters even before they enter school. Then, they focus heavily on learning letters in preschool and kindergarten. This progresses to sounds and blending everything together to form words. ... continue reading...
Opinion Writing
Students LOVE to share their thoughts about any topic! For instance, it may be about their favorite food or the best name for a fish. Honestly, listening to students as they share their thoughts is always enjoyable. One of my favorite ways to combine the love of sharing with academics includes opinion writing. Since writing can be challenging for students to learn, this makes the process fun and exciting. Thankfully, the Opinion Writing Workshop helps support and guides students as they become ... continue reading...
Phonological Awareness Small Group Activities
Students learn so many critical skills while in school. For instance, they learn how to add and subtract, which are essential when dealing with money. Additionally, they learn how to write, read, and spell, which are necessary for many aspects of life. Therefore, teachers work hard to create exciting ways for students to learn content. In terms of language arts, it takes time to understand that sounds blend together to make words. Luckily, phonological awareness small group activities are an ... continue reading...
Writer’s Workshop for Kindergarten: 5 Easy Steps
During my travels and presenting at conferences around the country there is one question that I'm most often asked, "HOW can I teach my kids to write ?" Many teachers are intimidated by the thought of teaching writing, and they often ask, "Where do I begin?" The answers to these questions are really quite simple. Model what writing looks and sounds like and provide your students with opportunities to write each and every day. Each ... continue reading...