Items filtered by date: December 2012

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

Ring In The New Year With ABC's and 1-2-3's

Sliders are a fun way for your students to review upper and lowercase letters, counting by 1's to 30, skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's, plus counting backwards from 10-0 and 20-0.

Students trace the letters and numbers and make a snowman or penguin slider to insert their strips into.

I've included a colorful snowman and penguin as well as ones that are plain, so students can color their own.

You can jazz them up even more by mounting them on construction paper, as I did the snowman. 

Give students a glue bottle or for little ones, put a dollop of glue on a small paper plate and have them use a Q-tip to make X number of dots as they count, then sprinkle with silver glitter after you have finished working with the sliders and have reviewed whatever lessons you wanted to.

Students set their sliders some place safe 'til they are dry and can take them home.

How do you make a slider?

Simply run off the templates, (I use white construction paper so they are more durable) and rough cut them, so that students can practice their own cutting skills, which will exercise and strengthen hand muscles.

You may want to slit the lines in the slider's body before hand.  This is difficult for little ones to manage with safety scissors.  I use an X-acto knife.

Students trim, color and trace their slider and then insert whatever strips you want them to review.

Have students fold down their long ABC strip to manage it better and for ease of taking them home.

Encourage parents, via a newsletter to reinforce these lessons at home.

You can sing the Alphabet Song while pulling letters through the window.

You can play "I Spy" and have a student call out a letter or number.  Everyone pulls their strip through til they find it and then raise their slider, so that you see at a glance who has what so that you can whole group assess and help those who are struggling.

Laminate a set for yourself and use as a fun way to assess individuals as well.

Click on the link to view/down load the Snowman Alphabet and Number Slider or The Penguin Slider.

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"Tomorrow [January 1st] is the first blank page of a 365-page book.  Write a good one!" -Brad Paisley

17 pages. Common Core State Standards: RF.K.1d, L.K1a, L.1.1a Puzzles are a great way to match upper and lowercase letters. I've also included a non-puzzle set + a blank set for you to program with whatever you wish.

1-2-3 Come Blast Off With Me!

Are you looking for a fun new way to review counting backwards from 10 to 0 or 20 to 0?    

I’ve got just the thing!  As I was watching the glittering ball drop in Times Square, I thought what a fun slider to make for “blasting off.”  

I just finished designing the Happy New Year Glitter Ball and hope your students enjoy the new way of reviewing this standard. 

Run off the ball templates.  Rough cut them apart so that students can practice cutting out the circle.  You might want to pre-slit the lines so that students can easily insert their number strip.

Run off the number strips and cut them out on the paper cutter so that all students have to do is cut on the lines to separate them.  

Students glue the strips together and then trace the numbers and insert their strip into the ball.  Demonstrate how this is done, or some students will have difficulty.

Make sure to remind them to write their name on the back of their ball.

When everyone has completed their ball, have them crouch down, read the numbers together slowly, as students slide their strip through their balls counting  backwards with you.

When students have reached 0 they pull their strip 1 last time to reveal the words.  Children jump into the air and yell “Happy New Year!”

Afterwards, you can have them play “I Spy” with a partner or as a whole group.  Call on a child to spy a number.  They call out a number and everyone slides to reveal it.

Students hold up their ball so that you can whole-group assess to make sure everyone has the correct number. Click on the link to view/download New Year Countdown Glitter Ball

Thank you for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find useful.  For a snowman and penguin alphabet and number slider, scroll down to checkout the next article. 

“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” -Unknown