Getting to the Core

Dr. Seuss Activities: A Lorax Mustache

1-2-3 Sport A Mustache With Me!

Anyone know why a mustache is so popular right now? I see them everywhere, in all sorts of novelty, craft and stationery stores.

Well, because they are the "it" thing right now, I decided to whip up a big-yellow fluffy-Lorax one!

Making a mustache/moustache to launch a writing prompt, is an interesting and "Suessical" way of doing things. I think your students will enjoy it.

Make a sample, cover your nose, and ask your students in a deep voice: "I mustache you, would you save a Truffula tree?" Thus begins the fun writing prompt "craftivity."

For an adorable bulletin board, take everyone's photograph wearing their mustache and put it next to their writing.

Your bulletin board title could be the same question you asked: "We mustache you, would you save a truffula tree?"

Flank the board on either side, with 2 colorful truffula trees.

Make them out of strips of neon-colored tissue paper, and rolled up green bulletin board paper for the trunk. Stripe it with brightly colored border.

Or you could really make them sturdy with PVC pipe. Mrs. Lodge, a very creative librarian, did just that. I LOVE her Truffula trees! Click on the link for directions.

As a surprise, while you're "truffulling" why not whip together some Truffula pencils.

I think students would think it rather cool, to write about saving a Truffula tree, with a Truffula pencil!

These were made by Jin Yong. Click on the link to get directions over at the inspiring Under The Cherry Tree Blog.

Click on the link to view/download the Lorax Mustache writing prompt craftivity.

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"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose!" -Dr. Seuss

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Dr. Seuss Activities: Lucky Ducky

1-2-3 Come Write With Me! Waddle You Write About?

I love using a poster as a seguay for a writing assignment. Dr. Seuss's "Lucky Ducky" quotation is a great vehicle for that.

Print off the poster and share it with your students.

In a discussion before hand, brainstorm why a person is lucky.
What things do they have, that others who don’t live in America, or who are poor, don’t have etc.

Print off the cover for the class book + the writing prompt page for each of your students.

Remind them of beginning capitalization, end punctuation and spaces between their words and you have covered 3 common core standards.

Students trace the beginning prompt and then complete the sentences: "I think I'm a lucky ducky because..." and "I'm glad I don't..."

Collect and collate the pages and share the completed book with your class, by having each student read their page when you come to it.

If you don't want to make a class book, you can use the duck template and make an adorable spring bulletin board for March is Reading Month.

Here's How:

Run off the ducks on yellow construction paper.
Students cut them out and then write why they feel they are lucky.

For more pizzazz, add a wiggle eye. student photo, feather, and a 3 dimensional beak.

Mount the ducklings on a blue background bulletin board, so that the ducks look like they are swimming in a pond.
Add clouds to the sky.

Glue the poster to a sheet of pastel construction paper and put it in the middle of the board.

Add some toilet paper roll “cat tails” for a 3D effect + some pastel polka dot or striped bulletin board boarder for that finishing touch.

Click on the link to view/download Dr. Seuss Lucky Ducky Packet.

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"Today you are you; that is truer than true, there is no one else that is youer than you." -Dr. Seuss

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Dr. Seuss Cat In The Hat Activities

1-2-3 Come Tell Time With Me!

The Cat in the Hat Telling Time Game is a fun additon for your Seuss-themed activities.

cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat lessons, dr. seuss activities, dr. seuss lessons, seuss crafts, cat in the hat crafts, telling analog time lessons, telling digital time lessons, cat in the hat clock, seuss clock, telling time games, 1.MD.3, free common core lessons for 1st grade math, Students make their analog Cat in the Hat clock and add digital time stripes to their hat by rolling dice.

They trace the stripe, place it on their hat and then manipulate the paperclip hands to show the analog time.

The first one with a completed hat, or the one with the most stripes when the timer rings, is the winner.

Teachers should make a sample for demonstration and then use it as an anchor chart for the month of March.

Click on the link to view/download The Cat In The Hat Telling Time Game.

cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat lessons, dr. seuss activities, dr. seuss lessons, seuss crafts, cat in the hat crafts, telling analog time lessons, telling digital time lessons, cat in the hat clock, seuss clock, telling time games, 1.MD.3, seuss bookmarks, cat in the hat bookmarks, free common core lessons for 1st grade math, These Seuss bookmarks would make a nice "prize" for the winners, or use them as a sweet surprise, and leave them on your students desks.

Click on the link to view/download the Dr. Seuss Bookmarks.

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"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." -Dr. Seuss

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Seuss Activities

1-2-3 Come Study 2D and 3D Shapes With Me!

Reading Across America Starts the 24th and runs through March 2nd this year, and of course March is Reading Month will be in full swing as well. Are you hopping on board?

I always planned a huge Seuss Theme for that week. My Y5's really enjoyed all the goofy things we did.

It was difficult to find Seuss lessons that met my Standards, so I simply dreamed them up, using easily recognizable Seuss characters for the clip art.

cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat lessons, cat in the hat ideas, cat juggles shape booklet, shape booklets, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, hexagon activities, cone cylinder cube sphere activities, Seuss lessons, Seuss activities, Seuss ideas, end punctuation lessons, capital letter lessons, end punctuation activities, capital letter activities, A classroom favorite was of course Cat in the Hat. I even dressed up as the cat to launch that special day.

Since one of the more iconic pictures of the cat is him juggling, I thought it would be fun to create 2 shape books where the cat juggles 2D shapes in one, and then 3D shapes in the other.

I've included the hexagon, pentagon and octagon, in the 2D booklet, as I've had so many requests to add these shapes.

The Cat Juggles 2D Shapes also nails several more standards than just the recognition of shapes. Students circle the capital letters and add end punctuation. Remind them of spacing, and that they are reading from left to right and top down, and you've covered 2 more Standards.

Children also trace and write the shape word, as well as trace and write the shape.

Click on the link to view/download The Cat Juggles 2D Shapes.

The Cat Juggles 3D shapes, relies on a similar format, so students feel empowered, as once they've done the 2D booklet, the 3D booklet needs little explanation before they can get down to business. This empowerment will build their self-esteem as they know what they are doing and can set to work.

cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat lessons, cat in the hat ideas, cat juggles shape booklet, shape booklets, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, hexagon activities, cone cylinder cube sphere activities, Seuss lessons, Seuss activities, Seuss ideas, end punctuation lessons, capital letter lessons, end punctuation activities, capital letter activities, I take this booklet a step farther, in that students cut and glue the 3D shaped object, to the matching numbered box in their booklet. I also challenge students to think up another 3D shape and write it down.

The last page in the book, as with the first booklet, has students drawing the objects that the cat is juggling.

cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat lessons, cat in the hat ideas, cat juggles shape booklet, shape booklets, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, hexagon activities, cone cylinder cube sphere activities, Seuss lessons, Seuss activities, Seuss ideas, end punctuation lessons, capital letter lessons, end punctuation activities, capital letter activities, Click on the link to view/download The Cat Juggles 3D Shapes.

If you're looking for more Seuss Activities, click on the link to pop on over to that section of my site, and be sure to stop in tomorrow for a new Seuss FREEBIE!

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter, and those who matter. don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

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Thing 1 & Thing 2 Activities

1-2-3 Come Be A Thing With Me!

Seuss was always on the loose in my classroom for March.

I think I own every book Dr. Seuss ever wrote.

One of my favorite theme days was Cat In The Hat Day. It was school wide, so everybody was in on the fun.

seuss activities, cat in the hat activities, Thing 1 and Thing 2 activities, writing prompts for March, Seuss writing prompts, seuss crafts, thing 1 and thing 2 crafts, I think it’s more interesting for students, if you can add a “craftivity” to a writing assignment, sort of like an illustration.

I think it motivates them to get down to the business of writing, so that they can go to the “craftivity” center afterwards to complete their assignment.

After reading the Cat In The Hat story, my Y5’s often said they liked Thing 1 and Thing 2 even better than the cat!

Since the duo is so popular, I thought it would be fun for students to become Thing 3.

I’ve designed 2 body templates for your students to color. One is a full body, as a small blue hand, which is the hair of Thing 3 will fit on.

Since older students have bigger hands, I also made a partial body template.

Children can take turns tracing each other’s hands on a blue sheet of construction paper, or you can have a room helper trace them, as well as cut them out.

I recommend the 2^nd alternative to expedite things with little ones, as well as insure that the hand looks like one, after they start snipping away.

seuss activities, cat in the hat activities, Thing 1 and Thing 2 activities, writing prompts for March, Seuss writing prompts, seuss crafts, thing 1 and thing 2 crafts, Enlarge your students school photo, or take a head shot of them and print them off.

I pre-cut them into the shape of an oval, for the same reasons stated above.

Children glue their hand to the neck of Thing 3 and then glue their picture in the center of the hand., and then color their Thing 3.

This is the cover of their “Something” booklet.

Run off copies of the writing page. Students fill in their answers to the 6 writing prompt questions.

You can collect all of the pages and collate them into a class book, or mount their writing on Seuss-colored construction paper (red, blue, yellow, green) and then staple the pages next to their “craftivity” on a black-background bulletin board.

There are lots of Seuss borders available that will add the finishing touch around the b. board.

Click on the link to view/download the Thing Three Something Booklet.

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“Why fit in, when you were born to stand out!” –Dr. Seuss

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Clocks clocks and more clocks: 30 clock templates!

1-2-3 Come Tell Time With Me!

If you need a clock, telling time templates to make games and activities, or assessment worksheets for assessing analog and digital time, this is the packet for you.

Choose from a variety of digital and analog clocks to help you teach the Common Core State Standard:1.MD.3

$clock templates, analog clock templates, digital time templates, digital time assessments, analog time assessments, teacher clocks, student clocks, clock face templates, 30 clock templates, free common core lessons for first grade, fraction clocks, fraction activities, telling time lessons, telling time games, telling time spinners$ The photo shows just a few of the fun types of clocks.

I've designed both large teacher clocks for demonstration purposes, as well as matching mini clocks for students to make and manipulate.

Run off and glue the clock templates to construction paper or a paper plate for durability. Add paperclips or tag board hands for students to manipulate.

I've also included fraction clocks to show 5 after, quarter after, and half past, so that you can review this vocabulary and another Common Core Math Standard as well.

$clock templates, analog clock templates, digital time templates, digital time assessments, analog time assessments, teacher clocks, student clocks, clock face templates, 30 clock templates, free common core lessons for first grade, fraction clocks, fraction activities, telling time lessons, telling time games, telling time spinners$ These clocks make nice telling time anchor charts to refer to.

Calling out a time and having students move the hands to make that time, and then holding up their clock, is a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess.

There are a variety of blank as well as filled-in clocks so students have an opportunity to learn as they make their clock.

I truly believe that "doing" leads to understanding. Why give a child a pre-made plastic clock, when you can build their self-esteem, by having them make their own.

Writing in numbers on their clocks, will help reinforce time concepts as well.

$clock templates, analog clock templates, digital time templates, digital time assessments, analog time assessments, teacher clocks, student clocks, clock face templates, 30 clock templates, free common core lessons for first grade, fraction clocks, fraction activities, telling time lessons, telling time games, telling time spinners$ I also have several different telling digital and analog time assessment sheets so students can record answers and give you a paper trail of accomplishment for their student portfolio's or file.

You can make these into games, by orally giving students a time for them to record on their answer sheet.

You can also hold up your clock and have students shoot up their hand to tell you what time it is, or use the assessments as an "I Spy!" the time activity.

Click on the link to view/download the clock templates.

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"The whole purpose of education is to turn my errors into windows." -Sidney J. Harris

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Dental Hygiene Month Activities

1-2-3 Come Play A Game With Me!

Whenever I design a lesson I try to theme it to something that is going on during the month I'll be teaching it.

Since February is Dental Hygiene Month, a lot of teachers do lessons involving teeth.

I thought it would be fun to design a "Tooth Time" activity, so that you could review telling time to the hour.

It's a nice plug in for your other dental activities, as it's always time to remember to brush your teeth.

dental hygiene activities, telling time games, free common core lessons for first grade, telling time to the hour lessons, tooth activities, tooth games, dental hygiene month activities, There are 2 different ways to play the game.

For one game, students spin the tooth clock. Whatever time they land on, they write down the digital time on their toothbrush log.

The first one to fill in all of the times, or has the most completed, when the timer rings, is the winner.

In the second game students practice their math skills.

Children roll first one dice, 'til they have filled in their tooth clock from 1-6. When they have accomplished that, they roll two dice and add them together, so they can fill in the remaining times.

Click on the link to view/download the Tooth Time Games.

Do you have a Dental Hygiene lesson you could share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or post a comment here.

"No one is useless in the world, who lightens the burden of it for anyone else." -Charles Dickens

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Let's Get Organized! A Helpful FREEBIE

1-2-3 Come Read With Me!

free materials Just an FYI for those of you looking for helpful FREEBIES, my blogging friend Charity, from Classroom Freebies, is launching her newest endeavor; a magazine, entitled The Organized Classroom.