1-2-3 Come Read and Write the Room With Me
This week has been especially busy, so I'm not quite done with a Very Hungry Caterpillar activity that I've been working on for days...so I wanted to check some of the most popular downloads and feature one on the blog today.
I came up with my Read and Write the Room packet. You can plug in this activity anytime of year, or make it part of your Daily 5 word work activities. There's nothing like passing out a clipboard and telling your kiddos that they should pretend to be ABC De-tectives, to grab their interest, and get them excited.
With that in mind, I designed some "Read and Write the Room" worksheets. You can simply make copies of the template you like best and have students fill them out, sending them home when they finish, or you can have them glue them in a notebook. (I stock up at the beginning of the year when all of the supply stores sell them as loss-leaders ranging from 10-15 cents!)
By having students glue the worksheets to a page in their Read and Write the Room Journal, you'll have an easy way to show student progress during parent teacher conferences, and a nice keepsake for the end of the year.
Since I'm blogging about this in April, use these activities as a wonderful review that helps reinforce what your kiddos have learned thus far. I found that I constantly needed to do that to make sure they were retaining things as we moved along.
I also needed to add some zip to their "word work" activities to keep that interesting for them. This is great for that, as it's easy to implement, they can work on things independently and at their own pace, and they get the wiggles out, by roaming the room reading and writing!
The first photo is one journal option, if you like the idea of running off separate worksheets. I have two kinds available. One has a traceable letter box with an empty one for children to write the upper and lowercase letter in.
The other is an "I spy" version and has students draw something that they see that begins with that letter. You can pick the style you like best or mix things up to add more interest and variety.
Another option is seen in the second photo. Here you conserve paper and the time it takes to run things off. Run off the "Read and Write the Room!" template, trim and glue to the inside cover.
Students use the “master” to write their own page for a new letter each week, or each day, depending on how long you want to stretch this activity out for.
After students have completed the alphabet, you can still continue this activity by using the "roam the room" alphabet cards.
Toss them in a container and have students pick one. That will be the letter they "roam the room" looking for. You can use the blank template as a worksheet for them to fill in whatever.
As with all of my other alphabet cards, you can use them for games, flashcards, sequencing etc. A tip list is included to give you some ideas and includes the "Kaboom!" game.
I've also included a simple ABC De-tective alphabet worksheet, where students roam the room, trying to find something that begins with each letter of the alphabet.
This is a wonderful activity for your early finishers, or something quick and easy when you need a fun time-filler.
There are also several choices for the cover of the notebook journals. Choose one, run off, trim and glue to the cover of your notebooks. You could also have students design their own cover.
Click on the link to view/download the Read and Write the Room Packet. Thanks for visiting today.
I'm so excited that spring has finally (sort of) arrived here in Michigan. The birds are chirping, and the rain has managed to wash away all of that dirty lingering snow.
I'm headed out the door to rejuvenate my spirit with some fresh air and sunshine. Wishing you a blissful day.
"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." -Doug Larson
1-2-3 Come Do Some Earth Day Recycling Activities With Me
Are you looking for a little something to give your students on Earth Day? How about a bookmark? The "Every day should be Earth Day!" bookmarks come in full color or black and white, so your kiddos can color their own. Click on the link to get your copy.
April 22nd is the official Earth Day celebration, but because of the importance of taking care of our earth, I took an entire week to do all sorts of reduce, reuse and recycle activities with my Y5's, proving to them that even young children can make a difference.
Making a class book is a fun way to get your kiddo's excited about writing.
After a short video and class discussion, each child finished their page; I collected and collated them into a booklet. A cover is included.
On their worksheet, students complete the thought for each of the 3 sentences: How do they reduce, reuse and recyle to help our earth?
Remind them about capitalization, spacing and punctuation, so that you cover those standards as well. When you share the completed book with your class, have each child read their own page.
Add some pizzazz by having students color the illustrations and then glue their own school photo over either the girl or boy's face. Click on the link to view/download the Earth Day Class Book.
Another way you can have students learn and write about reducing, reusing and recycling, is to have them make this simple, but striking 3D Earth Day dangler.
The recycling symbols and hearts are glued together to form 3 sides; one for each R word. Students write how they reduce on one heart, how they reuse on another and finally how they recycle on the 3rd one.
Hang from a yarn loop so the writing prompt "craftivity" twirls and dangles from the ceiling. Add a photo for that finishing touch. Click on the link to view/download the Earth Day Writing Prompt Dangler.
Finally, I made an Earth Day game that helps review clock numbers, simple addition, and things that can be recycled.
Students roll first one, and then two dice, to get a time-to-the-hour number that they write on their clock.
They then glue the matching numbered item that it is "time to reduce, reuse or recycle."
Click on the link to view/download Earth Day: It's Time To Recycle Clock Game.
That's it for today. I hope you found something here to get your sweeties excited about helping to take care of their planet.
The rain is splattering against my window; such a soothing sound. I have it open a crack and the air smells wonderfully fresh. Wishing you a blessed day.
"Everyone wants happiness; no one likes pain, but you can't have the rainbow, unless you have some rain." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Make A Bunny Venn Friend With Me
I LOVE using Venn diagrams with kids. They are so easy to make and are the perfect way to introduce compare and contrast writing.
A Venn diagram is so simple that even my Y5’s easily understood them, plus they really enjoyed making them.
My college comp students also like the concept. One of their personal favorites was comparing two soft drinks.
As they share which is their favorite, we narrow it down to two and then I bring the drinks in for the next class. Almost every semester Coke and Mountain Dew wins out.
They worked in small groups and made a Venn diagram comparing the soda, sipping as they worked. Using their laptops they also found out differences via the Internet. It’s my fun way to introduce them to writing a compare and contrast essay.
For little ones, I introduced the concept of a Venn diagram using 2 Hula-Hoops and index cards. We brainstormed the differences and similarities of whatever we were working on.
Write these things on the board and give each student an index card to write one of the similarities or differences on. Using clip art, you can also have two pictures to put inside the appropriate hoops along with header cards: similar and different.
Lay the Hula-Hoops on the floor and intersect them to look like a Venn diagram. Put your picture and header cards in the appropriate sections, and then have students lay their index cards where they belong.
For spring, I wanted to make this into a “craftivity” so I chose bunnies. Their bellies are the Venn diagram. I call them Venn Friends because half the students choose a friend’s name out of the Easter basket who they then team up with.
To make it a special keepsake, include their school photo. There's a checklist of 40 ideas that students can find out about each other. Through discussion, they discover similarities and differences and then choose which ones they want to put on their Venn diagram.
These make an adorable spring or April bulletin board. Later, each student can take their own bunny head home and the teacher can keep the Venn portions as examples.
I've also included a whole-group graphing extension, which will show if students were more alike, or more different than their partner.
Click on the link to view/download Bunny Venn Friends
Besides the bunny Venn Friend, I also made a tulip one, so you could give your students a choice. That one also includes a graphing activity.
Thanks for visiting. It's "supposed" to get into the 60's today, so my feet have hit the floor running. I want to open all the windows and bring springtime inside. Wishing you a sweet day.
"Spring: rebirth,renewal, and regrowth." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Add Some "Egg-citement" To Teaching Time With Me
Are you working on telling time with your kiddos? 
What’s the Eggs-act Time? packet, is filled with fun analog and digital time activities with a spring-theme. It's and "oldie but goodie" that's been around for a while, but is still a popular download.
Your students will enjoy making their own egg clock. Simply run off the pattern on a variety of colors of construction paper.
Teachers can easily whole- group assess, by asking students to show them an “egg-sact” time. Children adjust the paperclip hands on their clock and hold it up. Teachers can see at a glance who is having difficulty.
I’ve also included an egg spinning game as well. Children play in groups of 2-4 and take turns spinning.
Whatever number they land on, they trace and then write that time to the hour. The student who fills up their time card first is the winner.
There are also digital and analog traceable time cards so you can make Memory Match games, as well as Itty Bitty booklets, or play the game “I Have Who Has?” Cards are for time to the hour, half hour, as well as quarter hour times too.
For example, the child with the analog 2:00 O’clock card, asks for the digital 2:00 time card. Students can also sequence these cards.
Play “Speed-Flash” where the teacher flashes a time card and students show that time on their egg clock. The child who shows the correct time the quickest, by holding up their clock, earns a sticker for the back of their egg.
Match Three is yet another game with 3 matching time cards to the hour: an analog clock, a large digital time and a time that is written out. Students can play a Memory Match game with these by finding all 3 matches, or play a card game with another partner that works like Go Fish.
This game is called, Do You Have The Time? Deal out 5 cards and put the rest face down. 
Students match their groups of 3 with the cards they have. When it is their turn they may take a card from the pile or ask their partner “Do you have 2:00 0’clock? “
If their partner has any time card that is 2 O’clock they give it to them etc. Play continues ‘til all of the cards are matched or when the timer rings.
The student with the most matches is the winner. When you are done with the various activities, you can reward your students with a certificate of praise bookmark, which is also included in the packet.
Click on the link to view/download Eggs-actly What Time Is It? packet. If you'd like to see all of my time-themed FREEBIES, click on the link to pop on over to that section of TeachWithMe. I also have an entire Pinterest board devoted to free telling time activities, crafts, and ideas.
Thanks for visiting. I just glanced at the clock on my computer; (So glad that that's there, as I totally lose track of how my morning is flying by!) and it's time to do some major work cleaning up my garden.
Winter has certainly wrecked havoc out back, and I'm anxious to take advantage of a 50 degree day, where it's finally warm enough to work! Wishing you a prosperous day.
"A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them." -Liberty Hyde Bailey
1-2-3 Come Hatch Some "Craftivities" With Me 
I Hatched, is an easy spring writing activity that makes an adorable bulletin board or hallway decoration.
Your students will not only have fun with this March/April writing prompt, but will learn more about their classmates and possibly about themselves as well.
Simply run off my chick and egg templates. Students cut them out and fill in the information.
I’ve included a letter home to parents, as younger children don’t always know any more than the month they were born in, and some don’t even know that. You could also send this activity home to be completed over spring break, and then share on the day children return.
The “favorite activities” pennant adds more flair and an additional writing extension. I’ve included 6 graphing extensions to reinforce that math standard and so students can visually “see” their classmates' answers.
Add feathers; wiggle eyes and straws to jazz things up and you hopefully have “eggs-actly” that little something you’ve been looking for to spice up your writing block.
To reinforce verbal acuity skills and learn more about their friends, have students share their creation with the class, after everyone has “hatched” their egg, then hang them in the hallway for that finishing touch of springtime.
Click on the link to view/download the I Hatched Springtime Writing Activity
Each year our preschool hatches baby chicks in their classroom. It's a fascinating experience they share with my Y5s.
I found a short baby chicks hatching video (1:13) on YouTube, if you'd like to share it with your kiddos before or after they do the "I Hatched" craftivity.
Thanks for visiting. Do you have a spring writing prompt or craft that's a favorite? Would love to hear from you. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to leave a comment below.
"If you want to feel rich, count the things you have that money can't buy." -Unknown
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