Items filtered by date: April 2013

1-2-3 Come Learn Some New Compound Words With Me!

Summer is a wonderful time to revamp things for next year.  My daughter could never understand why I was always working on teacher stuff, no matter how many years I had taught a certain grade. 

She felt that things should get easier and therefore the time commitment for "making stuff" less.  Even though things did get easier, I was always revamping and trying to make lessons more exciting and current. 

I also have this unquenchable drive to learn new things, and really enjoy spending hours designing educational items.  It's like an addictive hobby for me.

Surfing the Net doing research on something that I'm designing, is exciting for me.  I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt of sorts, and not a day goes by where I don't learn something new and extremely interesting.  

I think that's one of the best things about computers, you have an unbelievable resource at your fingertips on just about anything you're looking for.   Thus it goes when I make a word list. 

It's never quite finished, as I'm always discovering new words to add to my lists. Just when I think I've exhausted anymore possibilities, another word comes my way and I add it to my notebook, 'til I've reached a point where it's worth redoing the published item.  I'm going to put this list to rest now as 3,000+ seems pretty comprehensive.

I've added over 500 new compound words in this 6th and final update, for a grand total of 3,317 compound words!  It's also in alphabetical order for easy reference.  So that your students can make their own compound word dictionaries, I've made a helpful dictionary cover template, 

I also thought it would be fun to feature a new compound word each day, as an interesting way to count up to 100 Day. 

So that your students can make their own compound word dictionaries. After discussing the word, students write it in their personal dictionary.  What a quick and easy way to build vocabulary!

To get things rolling, I've included a poster for the compound word of the day, as well as a definition of a compound word poster, that you can use as an anchor chart.

Click on the link to view/download the alphabetical list of 3,317 compound words + activities.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find useful.   My "Pin it" button is at the top of the page.

"If you're doing your best, you won't have any time to worry about failure." -M. Jackson Brown Jr.

1-2-3 Come Write About Summer With Me!

If you visit often, you know I enjoy dreaming up things with an interesting "play on words."  "Orange you glad it's almost summer?" "I am because..." seemed a perfect fit for a fun writing prompt that I think your students will enjoy.

Make your own sample, so that you can share it with your students.  Mine always enjoyed hearing a bit about me and my life, and the example was a quick and easy way to explain what I wanted them to do. 

Afterwards, brainstorm with them about all of the things that they are looking forward to doing during summer vacation. 

During our brainstorming sessions, I jotted their ideas on the board to help my kiddos with spelling.

Here's What To Do:

Run off the orange slices on orange construction paper. Rough cut them so that each student gets a "topper" to trim.

To add a bit more pizzazz, students can color the outside edges with a dark orange crayon, or add some sparkle with orange glitter glue.

Students glue the oranges to the top of their writing prompt paper and write about what special things they can do during the summer.  Completed projects make a nice end-of-the-year bulletin board, especially if you add a school picture. 

They also look nice hung back-to-back from the ceiling. Click on the link to view/download the "Orange you glad?" summer writing prompt.

Looking for more summer writing prompts and summer bulletin boards? Click on the link to view/download a very popular packet.  Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helpful.  My "Pin it" button is at the top of the page.

While diddling with the "orange you glad" idea, I thought it would also make an easy and rather inexpensive end of the year gift for your students.  To see what I did, scroll down to the next blog article. 

"The purpose of life, is a life of purpose." -Robert Byrne

1-2-3 Come Hang Up A Poster With Me!

The school year is coming to an end and many will be cleaning and sorting their classrooms.

I always made a list of new things that I wanted to look for, or things I wanted to make, during summer break. 

My husband found it amusing that even though I was finally on vacation, my teacher-mind never turned off.

Although I rested and enjoyed summer, I was always cutting, pasting, and "playing school" for a great part of "vacation."

Planning how I would decorate my classroom and acquiring those goodies, was one of my favorite things to do.

With that in mind, I decided to design some new classroom posters.

I used posters to not only decorate my room, but to inspire, challenge students to think, and remind them to make wise choices.

I turned many into anchor charts, that would help review a variety of concepts in a concise and interesting way.

I also used posters to ignite discussions, that would lead to interesting writing prompts, which my students of various ages, seemed excited to give their opinions about.

I've added 10 new posters this week.  I hope you find something that you're looking for.

To view/download the posters pictured, click on their links: Im Possible, I Choose, Wake Up, Don't, and Actions Speak.

To zip on over to the poster and anchor chart section, click on the link. There are over 100!

Simply scroll through and select whatever you like.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." -Maria Robinson