1-2-3 Come Do Some Alphabet Activities With Me

I had a few requests for some black line letter posters, to use as alphabet anchor charts. Woo Hoo! After a lot of work they are finally done!  Click on the various links to grab them.

I made a set of separate uppercase letters and enlarged them to take up the entire page. You can use them as posters or for a variety of other fun activities.

These are perfect for running off your students' initials and then having them decorate however they wish, or reinforce that letter and sound, by having students decorate the letter with words and pictures that begin with that letter. 

Encourage them to use stickers, clip art, pictures cut from magazines, photographs and even drawings.  This idea makes an interesting and fun homework assignment, or something they can work on for their Daily 5 word work.  Click on the link to view/download the Uppercase Letter Posters

If you read the book Chicka Boom, run the letters off on a variety of colors of construction paper, laminate and then cut out.  Scatter them on your classroom Chicka Boom palm tree.

I also made a set of large lowercase letters as well.  To strengthen upper body muscles, run off several sets and have students lie on their tummies and make up words. These too, are great for your Chicka Boom activities.  

I've included a tip list of ideas of all sorts of fun things you can do with these letter sets, including games like a giant Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" + a Kaboom game. 

Because the letters are easy to see, choose 4 posters and put one in each corner of your room.  I dangle mine from the ceiling. 

You can then play the game 4-Corners.  Each week choose another 4 letters 'til you have reinforced and reviewed them all.   Click on the link to view/download the Lowercase Letter Posters.

To make an awesome class alphabet book, use the letter posters that show both the upper and lowercase letter together.  Glue them on a variety of colors of construction paper.  

Scatter them on the floor face down and have students pick a letter that they will decorate for your class book.

I made a sample page of the letter Aa, where I used words and pictures that started with that letter.  This is a photo of my completed page. 

I also included this as a non-colored pdf, so that you can easily make a sample of your own to share with your kiddos.  

I've included two covers for you to choose from for your ABC class book as well.  

Click on the link to view/download the Alphabet Book Poster Packet.

Finally, since all of the number puzzles have been such popular downloads, I thought it would be fun to make some alphabet ones.  I purposely made them using both upper & lowercase letters, because I think it's very important for little ones to see both letters together. 

By immersing them with "matches" the light bulbs start going on.

If you want a set in color, have your students help you decorate them, then laminate and trim.  Keep each puzzle in its own Baggie. 

Use them as an independent center, or have students work on them as a whole group activity.

You could also run off the initials of your students and have them make a personal letter puzzle. 

Once they've diddled around with their creation as a puzzle, have them glue it to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small gap in between the pieces to create an interesting mosaic. 

These look wonderful on a bulletin board. The alphabet number puzzle packet, will be FREE for an entire year, after which time they will become part of Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop. 

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  I'm a firm believer in creating, teaching and sharing!

"Don't ever take a fence down, until you know the reason it was put up." - G.K. Chesterton

1-2-3 come Enjoy Winter Wonderland With Me!

Oh my!  It's  really snowing hard, and the winter wonderland swirling outside my office window is spectacular!  We are supposed to get 17 inches! Woo hoo!  As long as it's winter it might as well snow.  There's always the added excitement of a snow day right? So bring it on!

Making templates for my daily tabletop lessons, was a real time saver for me.  The repetition empowered my Y5's, as they were familiar with the format and could get right down to business, without wasting time with a lot of directions.  To keep things fresh and interesting, I simply changed the clip art. 

With this in mind, I designed monthly Fun With Number Worksheets.  They review a variey of standards in an interesting way.  I used a graphic organizer-format, that's especially beneficial for visual learners. The different clip art (snowmen, snowflakes, mittens, Martin Luther King, penguins, New Years etc.) added variety.

Print, laminate and trim the number cards 1-120.  Toss them into a basket.  Have a child choose one, as the number students will use to fill in their worksheet with.  When kiddo's are done, they can exchange their paper with another child to correct.  (Saves you time, and provides extra practice for your kiddo's.)

You can also use these for your sub folder, homework practice, something for early finishers, or assessments.  Click on the link to view/download the January Number Fun Packet.   If you'd like the Big Bundle number fun packet (105 pages!) that includes all of the months, click on the link.

If you're working on +1 simple addition with your little ones, I think you'll enjoy the snowy +1 Snowman booklet. 

Students trace and write the numbers, circle the number in the sequence, add +1 to arrive at a new number and then cut and glue X number of snowflakes around the snowman. 

I've also included a graphing extension.  Click on the link to grab it. +1 Snowman Addition booklet. 

Finally, help review analog and digital time (to the hour and half hour) with the Time For Snow snowman clock matching game.  Print the snowman template on white construction paper; laminate and trim.  Run off the hatband-time words, the digital time-rectangles and the analog clocks; laminate and trim.

Students choose a time and then match all of the pieces and parts to complete that snowman.  Make an extra set and glue together for a "Time For Winter" bulletin board. 

Run off the analog clock and digital time box templates, on glossy photo paper.  Children trim and glue to their snowman, to make a dry erase digital and analog clock. 

Teacher calls out a time and students draw hands on the clock and write in the digital time in the box, using a dry erase marker. 

Children hold up their snowman when they are done.  This is a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess. Students erase that answer and the teacher calls out another time. 

Play continues 'til you have reviewed all of the times to the hour or half hour.  Click on the link to view/download the Time For Snow matching game.

Thanks for visiting today.  I'm off to unbury my snow shovel.  Wishing you a warm and snuggly day.

"Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood." -Andy Goldsworthy

1-2-3 Come Study Shapes and Graphs With Me

Because I incorporated shapes into a themed picture, you are able to cover several standards, while students practice their graphing skills.  Besides the 4 seasonal graphs, there are answer keys included, so you have a sample to show students. Point to the various shapes on the sample, and have children identify them.

Use the discussion questions, to help kiddo's further understand data collection and analysis.  I tried to think of a variety of themed-shapes for fall, so there's an apple graph, a pumpkin graph, a leaf graph and a spider graph.

I design quite a bit from teacher requests, so if there's a theme you study in the fall, that you'd like a graph for, simply shoot me an e-mail and I'll see what I can whip together. diane@teachwithme.com

Click on the link to view/download the Shapely Fall Graphs packet.

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"The task of the modern educator, is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." -C. S. Lewis

1-2-3 Come Study Antonyms and Synonyms With Me!

Since vocabulary building is such a huge part of learning to read and write, I try to think of interesting ways to do that.  Puzzles and games always grab students' attention, so I thought I'd design some with an apple theme for September, and because of the many requests for antonym and synonym activities, I decided to incorporate those. 

Run off on red, yellow and green construction paper; laminate and trim the 66 antonym apples to make puzzles.  Use them for games too, such as Memory Match or toss them in a basket and have students choose several to play "I Have; Who Has?"   The apples provide 132 words to help build student vocabularies.  A blank apple template is also included.

Be sure and check out my list of 290 antonyms + a cover so students can make their own antonym word booklets.

I've also included 80 synonym leaves with 2 blank leaf templates.  Run off on green construction paper, laminate and trim.  Encourage students to write in synonyms of their own.

These activities are wonderful for Daily 5 Word Work.  Click on the link to view/download The Antonym Apples packet

I also whipped together a little activity to help build apple-themed vocabulary specifically.  Students cut off the apple word list bookmark on the left of the page, and then write the apple words in alphabetical order on the right. Click on the link to view/download the Apple Word activities.

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"America's future, walks through the doors of our schools each day." -Mary Jean Le Tendre

1-2-3 Come Play Some Interesting and Fun Math Games With Me!

Are you looking for some quick and easy ideas to do for the 1st day of school? Then I think you'll enjoy these simple bubble activities.

Start things off, by leaving the "I'm bubbling with excitement that you are in my class." bookmarks, as a cute surprise left on your students' desks.  I found this sweet saying on Pinterest as valentine cards with heart bubbles. Click on the link to check out this creative teacher's original post. 

Adding a small bottle of bubbles is an inexpensive way to help make children feel especially welcome.  (The Dollar Store sells 3 to 6 in a pack.  You can also buy a box of 20 mini wedding bubbles at most craft stores.)

Let students know that they will be allowed to blow bubbles at recess or at the end of the day.  Have them count how many bubbles they blew in 1 breath and then graph the results. (Template included.) What a simple icebreaker sure to get your kiddos excited about being in school.

To incorporate more math, print off the bubble picture cards, laminate and trim. 

I've included cards from 1 to 20.

To help strengthen upper body muscles, students lie on they tummies and sequence the cards in the proper order.  Using opalescent flat-backed glass "marbles" as manipulatives, (they look like "real" bubbles) they make a group/set above the number card to show "how many".  

So things don't get cluttered, use the larger glass "bubbles" for numbers less than 10 and the smaller ones for numbers 11-20. The "marbles" provide hands-on fun, and make counting more interesting. They are an inexpensive manipulative. 

Where did I get this idea? While in Hobby Lobby, I overheard a little girl ask her mom if she could buy a bag of them. 

When her mom asked her why she wanted them, "Kara" replied: "Because they are flat bubbles that won't pop!" I thought, "Wow! What can I make with 'flat bubbles'?" and the rest is history...

I've also included a set of number-word bubbles.  Run the templates off on blue construction paper, laminate & trim. Older students can match the number word bubble, to the picture cards.

For more fun, run off the "bubble wand" on a variety of colors of construction paper, cut out the centers and laminate so they can double as a "magnifying glass" for students to "spy" and cover numbers or whatever.  

For a "get the wiggles" out game, have students use their paper bubble wands, to find hidden bubbles around the room, or use them as an assessment tool for a whole group identification activity.  i.e. you display a bubble card and students raise their wand if they know the answer, providing a quick way to whole group assess comprehension.  Play "Swish."  After the number is correctly identified, have students swish their wand that many times. (Swish left-right-left for a number 3 bubble card.)

Click on the link to view/download the Back To School Bubble Math Activity Packet.

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"Imagination is more important than knowledge.  Knowledge is limited.  Imagination encircles the world." -Einstein

30 Days Hath September, April, Jume and November!

If you’re looking for something that will help your students learn the months of the year, you’re certain to enjoy From September to August: An Easy Reader Story Poem.

This 12-page booklet will help reinforce the Common Core State Standards: RF.K1a, RF.K1c, RF.K2a, RF.K3c, L.K2a, L.K2b

Helped by picture clues, children read the story which includes 58 sight words (Many from the Dolch word list.)

Students trace the month word and then write it. They also color, cut and glue the matching numbered pictures to the page.

In order to cover the above standards, have students circle the beginning capital letter as well as identify and circle the ending punctuation.

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it aloud as a whole group, so you can cover concepts of print, as well as review aspects of rhyme.

Whenever I'm reading a rhyming story, I ask students what other words rhyme with those words, to make sure they understand.

I’ve also included an additional writing-discussion prompt + a certificate of praise.

Click on the link to view/download the booklet From September to August

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“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering it will be happier.” –Alfred Lord Tennyson

Common Core State Standard Letter Perfect Activity Poster

Here is a simple, easy, and relatively quick activity that you can plug in, to nail quite a few Common Core State Standards with one fell swoop!

Laminate this poster and use it during your calendar or reading block time.

Take a letter each day and fill in the appropriate boxes.

Using a dry erase marker demonstrate to your students how you write an uppercase and lowercase letter.

Students can practice on a dry erase board, or you can make a copy of the Letter Perfect sheets for them.

You can keep these as individual sheets or run off a set of 26 and collate them into an alphabet booklet for each child that they will take out and use during Daily 5 for the writing portion or word work.

If you don’t do Daily 5 this can be an independent writing center, or as in the example above, you can do these as whole group skill sheets.

Have students listen to the sound the letter makes as you say it.

Have students repeat the sound.

Ask them if they can think of any words that make that sound.

By demonstrating basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondence by producing the primary or most frequent sound for each consonant, they are working on Common Core State Standard: RF:K.3a

If the letter is a vowel, have students tell you what other letters are vowels.

I have my students sing the vowel song to the tune of B-I-N-G-O

There was a class who learned their vowels

And this is what they sang Oh

A-E-I-O-U

A-E-I-O-U

A-E-I-O-U

They were so very smart! Oh!

Differentiate between long and short vowels and fill in the appropriate boxes on the chart with words that they can think of.

By associating the long and short sounds with the common spellings for these 5 major vowel sounds, students are working on Common Core State Standard: RF: K. 3b.

By distinguishing long from short vowel sounds in any spoken single syllable words they come up with, they are working on Common Core State Standard: RF.1. 2a.

Have them become ABCDe-tectives and look around the room for words on their Word Wall or Read The Room signs that begin with that letter and then as they say them aloud, ask them to what box/category they should put the word in.

If the letter is a consonant decide if it is a hard or soft consonant and do the same thing as above.

Ask the children if there are any students who have a first or last name that begins with the letter of the day and have them come up and write it on the chart.

Finally, choose a quiet child to find and circle the letter of the day in the alphabet.

You can end by giving someone a pointer (I turned out the lights and used a laser light) to point to each letter of the alphabet on our border and we sang the ABC song.

By consistently reviewing all of the letters, you are helping students to recognize and name all of the upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet which is Common Core State Standard: RF:K.1d and L.1.1a

If you are also going to do these as a skill sheet for your students, they can record at the same time as you do, or after the group modeling, can return to their seats and fill in their own paper.

In order to cover the Common Core State Standard RF: K. 1b make sure that you:

Explain to children each day that “Spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.”

As you can see, quite a few standards are covered in one simple and fun poster activity, which can also double as a skill sheet for your students!

Click on the link to view/download Common Core State Standard Letter Activity Poster

Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you can pop back tomorrow for more back to school ideas.

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“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” –Benjamin Franklin