1-2-3, Come Slide With Me, To Study a Word Family!
My Y5's really enjoyed making "sliders." I named them that, because you slide a strip of paper through slits that then revealed something in the cut out "window."
I made sliders for lots of my report card standards: upper and lowercase letters, numbers, skip counting, counting backwards, shapes, colors, word wall words etc.
A slider was an especially successful way for my students to actually see, how a word family operated.
They liked seeing new words appear, as they slid their letter strip up and down.
To make a slider, simply run off the templates on construction paper. Students cut out and assemble.
Add pizzazz to their chick with wiggle eyes, a 3D beak, a yellow feather atop the head, and by folding the wings forward.
I added that finishing touch to the bunny, with wiggle eyes and a pink pom pom nose. Students can also glue a cotton ball to the back for a fluffy bunny tail.
Sliders are a wonderful way for discovering words that your students are not familiar with.
Add these to the vocabulary-building activities included in the packet like this sweet -ick ending word dictionary.
I often built vocabulary for a variety of themes and word families via a dictionary.
I've included a cover for both the -ick chick word family slider, as well as the bunny -op word family slider.
I hope your students LOVE learning new words as much as I do! One of my favorite things about the internet is the unbelievable amount of information available at the click of some keys.
While I was researching ick and op ending words I learned a few new ones I didn't know: snick, strop and swop!
There's also a worksheet in each slider packet, where students trace and then write the word family words in alphabetical order.
Because I thought it would be slick for students to skip count with their chick, I also included skip counting strips for 2's. 3's, 5's and 10's.
Click on the link to view/download the chick ick word family and skip counting sliders.
Click on the link to view/download the -op word family bunny slider packet.
If you like these spring sliders, you'll probably want to take a look at the sheep slider, featuring -eep Da -eap word family words. Click on the link to view/download it.
Thanks for visiting. The birds are chirping; the sun is shining and it's time for a much needed break to grab some fresh air.
"Do your work with your whole heart and you will succeed; there's so little competition." -Elbert Hubbard
- Word Families
- op word family,
- ick word family,
- chick lessons,
- bunny lessons,
- Easter activities,
- word family activities,
- word family sliders,
- free common core lessons for 1st,
- FREE common core lessons for kindergarten,
- skip counting by 2's, 3's,'5's, and 10's,
- skip counting activities,
- sheep activities
- eep and eap word families
- spring animal crafts
- Daily 5 Word Work activities,
1-2-3 Come Do Some CVC Activities With Me
If you're looking for some fun FREE activities to practice CVC words, you've landed in the right place.
I just completed a St. Patrick's Day-Themed CVC Word packet, that's filled with a variety of choices your little leprechauns are sure to enjoy.
We all realize that the more ways you can emerse your students in reading words, the more fluent they will become, but thinking up something "different" to keep things interesting, is time consuming. I've done the work, so you don't have to; so let the stress-free "leprechaun learning" begin.
Run the consonant shamrock tiles off on green construction paper and the vowel ones off on a lighter shade of green; laminate and trim. Toss each set into a Ziplock Baggie.
To set up an independent center, students choose 2 consonant cards and then a vowel card to make up as many CVC words as they can think of in 1 to 5 minutes of time.
For writing practice, and to get credit for doing the center, have students write down their CVC word creations. For dictionary work, have them look up the words that they created to see if they are real or nonsense.
They can put an R for real or an N for nonsense after the word. If they are not familiar with this new word, they can also write down a definition as well.
Besides arranging these cards in an independent center, play a game as a whole-group review. Toss the shamrock cards into a container and have children sit in a circle. They each choose 2 cards from the consonant container and 1 from the vowel container. They put a real CVC word together, show and share it with the class and then use it in a sentence.
Younger children can sort the letters into vowels and consonants after they have arranged them in alphabetical order.
The packet also includes 100-mini CVC word tiles. To limit things, only L, M, P and S CVC words are included in this packet, because I wanted to narrow the activities specifically for March. L is for leprechaun, M is for March, P is for Patrick, and S is for shamrock or Saint.
Print, laminate and trim the tiles. Students can choose 5-10 and arrange them in alphabetical order. If they have a word they don’t know they need to look it up.
I’ve also provided a “Super Shamrock Sentences” worksheet, where children choose 3-5 word cards and then use them to make up sentences.
Make an extra set for an independent short and long vowel sorting activity. I’ve included sorting mats for this.
For more CVC word practice, I've included a spinner and dice game.
Children can play independently, or with a partner. Using a pencil and paperclip, they spin on an L,M,P or S consonant to begin their word.
Their second spin is for a vowel for the middle letter. They write these letters on their worksheet, then think of an ending consonant to make a CVC word.
The dice game is played in a similar way. 
For more practice, I've also included 5 bookmarks, where students can record the various CVC words.
There are also traceable CVC word cards and covers, so that students can make 4 Itty Bitty booklets.
I've included 4 larger sets in color to use in a pocket chart, as flashcards, or to play games with.
For more ideas and games for these mini CVC words, or the traceable large and small CVC word cards, check out the “What Else Can I Do With The Word Cards?” tip list, that's also in the packet.
For a quick, easy and colorful CVC bulletin board, run off the Celtic shamrock.
Students color, trim and glue to a sheet of construction paper. (For a varied board, offer just enough rainbow colors for them to choose from.)
Children write an "S is for shamrock" CVC word in each space on their shamrock.
Caption possibilities: Lucky to be Learning; A Rainbow Of Wonderful Word Work; Come See Our Colorful CVC Collection of Words; 1-2-3 Come Create CVC Words With Me!
Another cute bulletin board "craftivity" is the leprechaun head coloring page. Students write all of their "L is for leprechaun" CVC words on the hat and beard, and then color it.
There's a completed sample to help explain things, and then use as an anchor chart.
Another thing you can do to practice the CVC words, is to play "Crunch-Nibble-Muunch! Feed the Leprechaun Some Lunch!"
Simply print the leprechaun's head on white card strock, trim and cut a hole where the mouth is, so that students can "feed" him the mini CVC word cards or the shamrock letter cards.
Glue to the top of a Boutique Kleenex box. I've included some sweet signage to decorate your box with.
Pass out the cards to your students and then call for a word or letter. The child holding it, shows it to the class, reads it, then feeds it to the leprechaun.
If you want your students to make their own hungry leprechaun, use the 4-on-a-page template and run it off for them to color.
A quick, easy & inexpensive way to make a "container" for your students to "feed", is to seal long envelopes shut, then cut them in half.
Children color and then glue their leprechaun to the back of their envelope covering up the folded section. They write their name on the front.
Run off whatever sets of CVC mini word cards you want them to practice. They trim & stack in a pile. Children choose a partner and take turns feeding their leprechaun whatever words they can read, define, &/or use in a sentence.
Words they have difficulty with, go in another pile to work on later. This is a super-fun Daily 5 word work activity for your kiddos.
The packet also includes several worksheets, with anchor chart answer keys, plus a certificate of praise. Click on the link for the St. Paddy's Day-Themed CVC Word Packet.
To see all of my CVC FREEBIES, click on the link. I have over 40 games, worksheets, and craftivities.
The CVC Bingo game packet is a very popular download.
There are 9 sets of 20 DIFFERENT bingo cards, so there's plenty for each child in your class, with two-on-a-page for quick printing.
If you'd like the bingo game to go along with the St. Paddy's Day-themed CVC packet, print off sets 4, 5, 6, and 7, which cover the L, M, P, & S CVC words.
For more traceable CVC word cards to "feed" the leprechaun, download the 338 CVC Word Packet, then pick and choose the CVC cards that are appropriate for your kiddos.
I also have an entire board of Word Work activities on Pinterest, filled with more ideas, and educational FREEBIES.
Well that's it for now. Thanks for visiting. Today actually feels like spring is in the air, as temperatures should reach into the high 50's today. Woo Hoo!
Here in Michigan, which is still snow-covered, that's a heat wave! Wishing you a warm and wonderful weekend.
"The joyful heart sees and reads the world with a sense of freedom and graciousness." -John O'Donohue
1-2-3 Come Make a Leprechaun Venn Friend With Me!
Making a Venn diagram is an easy and fun way for students to practice the concept of comparison and contrast.
It's also an interesting and quick way that you can learn more about your students and make an adorable March bulletin board at the same time.
Students partner up and discuss their similarities and differences and then make their Venn Friend Diagram.
To help them think of similarities and differences, I've included a list of questions students can ask their partner.
To make these March Venn Friends extra special and add that finishing touch, have students color their leprechaun and add a photograph of their face.
Click on the link to view/download the Leprechaun Venn Friends packet. For more St. Patrick's Day FREEBIES, click on the link to pop on over to that section of my blog. I also have an entire St. Patrick's Day board on Pinterest, with more ideas and free educational activities.
Thanks for visiting. My "To Do" list is longer than the time I have left to get it all done, so I'll happily be putzing with a few more St. Paddy's Day ideas, before I start work on kite activities. Wishing you a carefree day.
"My two favorite colors of the rainbow are gold and leprechaun.” -Jarod Kintz from It Occurred to Me
1-2-3 Come Play Some St. Patrick's Day Games With Me
Are you looking for a few, quick, easy and fun activities for St. Patrick's Day that cover some standards?
Word finds are an interesting way to build vocabulary at the same time reinforcing letters and spelling.
Even though there are a lot of word search generators out there, they mostly have uppercase letters.
Further difficulties arise, because the puzzles share letters, show the words going backwards, as well as diagonally and vertically, so I make up my own to keep them relatively easy (showing the words in forward-horizontal fashion using lowercase letters) .
This way my kiddos don't get frustrated. If you want to do these easy ones with older elementary students, simply give them 1-minute to find as many as they can.
"Speed" games, help prepare children for timed tests in a non-stressful way. Besides using them as a game, they are a nice plug-in for your Daily 5 word work activities too. Click on the link to view/download the 2 St. Patrick's Day word searches.
Another way to work on words, is by giving students a seasonal themed-word and challenging them to create other words, using only the letters that appear in that word.
With that in mind, I created How Many Words Can You Find in Leprechaun, and another one for the word shamrock.
Surprisingly, I made 97 words from the letters in shamrock, and found 161 words using the letters in leprechaun.
The packet includes recording sheets, as well as my answer keys. Click on the link to view/download the How Many Can You Find St. Patrick's Day activity.
If you want to work on math skills, all of the number puzzles make a nice independent center activity that helps reinforce sequencing, counting forwards & backwards, as well as skip counting by 10s to 100.
I designed 16 specifically for St. Patricks Day, which includes some in color, as well as 5 in black and white, so that students can color their own. Click on the link to view/download the St. Paddy's Day Puzzle Packet.
Finally, I like to continue my monthly themes in all of my subjects, so I designed St. Patrick's Day-themed 10 frames.
You can use them for addition and subtraction as well as games, as I've included number words for matching, plus shamrock, leprechaun and hat tiles, to run off and use as manipulatives.
There are also math symbol cards, so children can make up equations, including greater than and less than. Click on the link to view/download the Shamrock 10 Frames packet.
Well that's it for today. I hope you found something useful. The sun is shining and I feel like doing an Irish jig. We've certainly had our fill of yucky cold weather here in Michigan.
I think Mother Nature forgot to "spring forward". Wishing you a magical day filled with lots of sunshine.
"I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you're prepared for it." -Denzel Washington
1-2-3 Come Do Another Cat in the Hat Activity With Me
Just when I thought I was done designing Seuss "stuff" 'til next year, I'm back at it. (Part of my "obseuss-ion" with this author?) Actually, it's all Paula's fault. (I say this with a big smile on my face, as I LOVE helping others.)
She's from Florida and asked if I had any March-themed activities to help practice alphabetizing. She's working on that with her kinders, who are quite bored with the standard.
Since they were already "not interested", I certainly didn't want to make another "same-old" worksheet.
What could I design that would be a hands-on kind of game that they'd find interesting?
One thing led to another and the result was The Cat in the Classmate Hat packet.
Paula LOVED it! I hope you can use it too. There are two main alphabetizing activities.
The large cat hat can be used as a game, independent center or whole group activity.
Print the stripe template off on red and white construction paper, so that you have enough stripes for however many students you have. Laminate the paper and then trim.
Make an alphabetical list of your students' names, so that when you pass out a strip to each child it will be the appropriate color.
Then later, when you arrange their names in alphabetical order, they will show the correct ABAB color pattern like Seuss's hat.
Children write their name on the strip. For extra pizzazz, have them glue their photo next to their name. Collect the strips and keep them in a Ziplock Baggie.
To play as a whole group game, or independent center, children arrange their classmates' names in alphabetical order on a brim of their choice: "1-2-3 Come ABC with me!" , "__________'s students really stack up!", "Hats off to wonderful word work! We know how to alphabetize.", and "The alphabet begins with ABC. Numbers begin with 1-2-3. Music begins with do-re-mi and friendship begins with you and me."
You can demonstrate what you want children to do, by first playing this as a whole group activity, explaining rules for alphabetizing along the way.
I've included a recording sheet if your students choose to take the "Speed" challenge, to see who can assemble the hat in correct alphabetical order the quickest.
Make an extra set to hang up as a bulletin board or hallway wall display. There are 9 "brim" options for you to choose from.
The packet also includes a mini cat hat activity for your students, along with a worksheet to help them alphabetize their classmates' names.
They can choose to put their hat on a cat template, a photo of themselves, or pick a head pattern and draw a face on it.
There are 9 faceless head templates they can pick from. Children color, trim and glue their hat on top.
These completed projects also make an adorable bulletin board. Click on the link for the Cat in the Classmate Hat packet.
Thanks for visiting. As usual, my day is flying by me. I have got to put my adult hat on, and get to the grocery store, so I can wear my chef hat and dream something up for dinner.
It's dreary and cold, and I'd much rather snuggle in and play.... Wishing you a wonderful week.
"Today was good; today was fun; tomorrow is another one!" -Dr. Seuss
