Items filtered by date: May 2012

7 pages. Common Core State Standard: RF:K1d and L.1.1a Help students learn their upper and lowercase letters along with a word that is associated with that letter by this cute ABC easy reader booklet.

3 pages. 2 anchor charts that are a pleasant way to remind your students to be quiet. Includes a Zip Your Lips song to the tune of This Is The Way We...

ABC Come Teach With Me! Featuring A Letter and Number A Day In A Filmstrip!

Filmstrip Fun is another way to review letters and numbers with your students. It's that "something different" you may be looking for.

Print off and laminate the “Today’s Featured Letter” and “Number” posters.  If you do a letter a day, make this part of your calendar routine and put these posters close by.

You can also display the complete upper and lowercase alphabet under their header cards, as well as the numbers.

I’ve provided upper and lowercase letters + numbers 0-10 for you to run off and laminate.  To make things quick and easy, use Velcro dots to attach them.

Run off extra sets so that your students can play Memory Match Concentration games as well as “I Have; Who Has?”

Make copies of the upper and lowercase bookmarks for each student.

Have children “spy” the various letters with a filmstrip “spy glass”.

To make them, cut out the center rectangles on the filmstrips with an Exacto knife and then run the sheet through the laminator.

Cut the “spy glasses” out in sections of 2 so that the filmstrip on the bottom can be trimmed and used as a gluing tab.  (See photo.)

I used a large glue dot to adhere the “window” to a Popsicle stick. Write students’ names on with a black permanent marker.

When students pass the various report card standards for letters and numbers reward them with an “I’ve Been Framed!” certificate.

Make a copy of your class composite and glue each student’s photo to the filmstrip mini-frame.

Write their name under the congratulations word and then sign and date the certificate.

I hope you enjoy Filmstrip Fun and having one more way to review letters and numbers with your sweeties!

Click on the link to view/download the Filmstrip Fun packet.

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“To praise is an investment in happiness!” -George M. Adams

17 pages. Get organized and make collecting work for an absent student a breeze with this classroom management tip! 

Staying Organized and Saving Time With Absent Work File Folders

When I taught 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd grade, keeping track of who was missing what, when students were absent, then finding and collecting those papers for them to do, was time consuming.

I learned early on that I needed a system to expedite things.  You will LOVE this idea as it's sooooo easy to implement and such a hassle-free time saver. I designed  cute “We missed you!” “Glad you’re back!” ABSENT file folders. 

Yesterday, I updated this FREEBIE, as students are absent for more reasons than just being ill.  (If you have older students, simply adjust the clip art for something more appropriate.)

After I took attendance, if a child was absent, I put a sticky note with their name and the date written on it and stuck it to the front of the Absent File Folder and laid it on the top of their desk.

When I taught 1st grade, I handed out work to the first student in each row. They passed it back to the others, so the child who sat in front of the absent student, would make sure that they put a copy in the Absent Folder, taking this time consuming responsibility off of me.

Since my students also worked from workbooks each day and then ripped out their assignment to take home, the helper student would open that child’s desk, rip out the workbook page and also include those in the folder, or I would do it while my kiddos were working.

That saved me from having to write out things like: Do workbook pages in such and such etc. Likewise, if I gave a spelling test or other quiz, I’d include a blank copy with a make-up date on it, that they’d use on that day.  If notes were put in folders, or cubbies, to go home in backpacks that day, I made sure they were put in the Absent Folder.

The folder would remain on their desk until the student came back.  If they were gone the next day, another date would be put on the sticky note and the papers from the day before would be stapled with a due date, and that day’s papers would then go on top.

This also made it a breeze for me when a sibling unexpectedly popped in at the end of the day (things are already hectic) to collect work for their brother or sister, or if the office called down that a parent stopped in to pick up work. 

No more rushing around looking for "stuff" or trying to remember what I did or passed out, all while trying to get my students ready to go home! 

I’d simply take out the contents, add a Xeroxed “Get Well note”, which I kept in a file, and hand it to their family member.  Because children are gone all the time, I absolutely LOVED this time saver; using it no matter what grade I taught.  It's my favorite classroom management tip, because it's such a stress-buster.

Even tho' my Y5's and K's did not have to make up work, as did my upper el students, most families still wanted work that they missed, so I kept these types of folders for them too.

 Not only didn't parents want their child to "get behind" but I didn't want them to miss out on special projects and activities that we did.; especially if we made a keepsake art project.  I simply tucked in all of the materials needed for them to make one at home.  Parents were very appreciative, especially if their child was not really "sick" but quarantined and bored.

Simply print off copies of my master (I made 7 folders so that I had plenty) glue to the front of a file folder, and then laminate.  Remember the folder does NOT go home, just the contents.

Keep the folders on your counter or desk, with your attendance roster and lesson plans.  Make sure you have a note about them in your sub folder and explain the process to your students, so they can take charge when you're gone.

Click on the link to view download my newest creation for absent work file folders with clip art from Laura Strickland. Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.

I hope this idea helps you save time and alleviate last-minute stress.  It's a beautiful sunny day, and time to go water my garden.  All the best to you!

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

ABC: Come Teach With Me!

I’ve been taking one-on-one computer classes at the Apple store and loving it!

I’ve been focusing on learning lots of new things with Pages a software program for MAC’s, that my husband bought me to help make my documents “cooler” than what I can manage in Word.

Since a big part of learning to read and write revolves around the knowledge of the alphabet and since I themed everything I did in Young Five’s, I wanted to make alphabet cards for each month, that teachers can use in a variety of ways, to keep students interested in letter study.

This is especially important since all but a few states have now adopted  Common Core Standards. 

These cards will help you pass that all important English Language Arts Reading Standard: Concepts of Print: Foundational Skills: 1d: "Students will recognize all of the upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet."

For some students that takes an entire year; you need to make that interesting, fun and different.  These cards will help add the necessary variety.

Let’s face it, things can get rather boring if you haul out the same graphics each day, but switch the pictures to match the month or theme you’re studying and the children seem to perk right up, simply because it’s “different”.

I’ve also included a tip list of a variety of things you can do with the cards, including games you can play.

One of the things I did was have a seasonal bulletin board with two huge bears. One was a girl, the other a boy. I dressed them in appropriate clothing that I changed for the 4 seasons.

I sprinkled my alphabet cards around the bears in order at first, so it wasn’t that difficult to figure out what letter was missing.  Later, when my kiddo’s knew the alphabet, I’d mix up the letters so the game was a bit more difficult.

It was their job each morning to figure out what letter the bears had hidden. They LOVED this game, it only took a few minutes, and it really got them to examine the letters. Afterwards, run through the alphabet, or sing the ABC song as a quick way to review.

I’ve included a blank set of cards in case you also want to make number cards or even program your spelling list or student names.

The other thing you can do in the hallway, is put up a large oak tree with just branches.

This is easy enough to paint on bulletin board paper with brown paint.  I’ve also seen them made by twisting brown tissue paper, or brown bags from the grocery story.

You can also buy a big tree, as a large fold out poste at most teacher stores for around $10.

Hang the apples up for September and then decorate the tree with the other alphabet shapes for the other months.

While students are waiting in the hall to go out to recess, lunch, or standing in line for bathroom/drink breaks etc. you can use it for “teachable moments” for all sorts of letter-question games.

I’ve made 11 sets of alphabet letters.  There is a set for each month (September through May, + a set of leaves and a set of dinosaurs.)

I've included separate sets for uppercase letters as well as lowercase letters, so you can make Memory Match Concentration games, play "I Have; Who Has?" with them, or have students put them in sequential order, spell their names, spell words and do all kinds of other activities that you'll find on a a list that I've included in the packets.

Click on the link to go to my ABC Section (page 2) of the shopping cart.

Scroll down ‘til you see the first set: Alphabet Acorns and then click on which ever set you’d like to download. You'll have to click on page 3 to get the last set for spring Tulips.

If there’s another themed set you’d like to have, simply shoot me an e-mail and I’ll see what I can do. diane@teachwithme.com

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything from my site you think others will find useful.

“We all need someone who inspires us to do better than we know how.” -Anonymous

18 pages. Common Core State Standard RI.K1d Use these alphabet dinosaurs in a variety of ways, including flashcards, bulletin board aids, borders, and games. Includes upper and lowercase letters + a blank template for you to program and a tip sheet