Items filtered by date: April 2012

Hey Super Student Syllable Sleuths, Let's Go On A Word Hunt!

Some teachers like to make up packets to send home over the summer so that students don’t forget things that they learned over the year, or perhaps you need a home-school connection right now for those little ones still struggling with some of their letters.

I designed a fun activity called ABCDe-tective Home Alphabet Word Search.

Children trace the upper and lowercase letters, (you can also have them write them) and then scamper around their home looking for words that begin with each letter of the alphabet.

When they find one, they write it down in the appropriate spot.

There’s a blank space in the magnifying glass so students can write the capital letter as well.

This packet includes a letter home to parents explaining the project + a certificate of praise and an ABCDe-tective Achievement Poster to list the student’s names who complete the booklet, if you decide to do this as an all-class activity.

Click on the link to view/download the ABCDe-tective Home Alphabet Word Search Activity Packet.

If you like this activity, be sure and check out the other ABCDe-tective activity that’s a Classroom Scavenger Hunt.

It includes:

• A large magnifying glass template to make scampering around the room a bit more fun and "detective-like"
• A small magnifying glass template for locating and "framing" words, letters, shapes and numbers in books, charts, papers etc.
• Two detective badges.
• The ABCDe-tective treasure hunt list complete with picture icons.
• 26 upper and lowercase alphabet cards.
• Covers to make Itty Bitty books.
• 38 word wall "read-around-the-room" word cards.  These can also be turned into another Itty Bitty book.
• 38 picture cards.  Use these to play a Memory Match game, make pairs, put next to the words on the word wall, include in the Itty Bitty books and
• 2 certificates of praise.

Click on the link to view/download ABCDe-tective Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Scroll down for article #2 today, a helpful Behavior checklist.

Read To Succeed!

One of the most requested items from teachers is “easy readers.”  They say that they need more little booklets for students to work on during Daily 5 as well as ones to send home so that students can practice reading them to their families.

I like to make up easy readers that also reinforce additional standards like math, science, colors, etc. so that I get more “bang for my time buck” so to speak.

I also want my students to have an opportunity to write some of the main words in the easy readers to get practice with those skills too.

I dabble with goofy endings, or ones with a unique twist, and sometimes allow students to think of an alternative ending, so that they can use their imaginations.

One of my biggest pet peeves with many published easy readers was that they abruptly ended with no real conclusion.

This week I completed several.

My Mom is perfect for a Mother’s Day writing prompt and reinforces the use of adjectives and verbs.  Make it even more of a keepsake by having students glue their school photo to the last page.

Click on the link to view/download My Mom Mother’s Day booklet.

Several teachers wanted a booklet that reviewed the seasons.

Since many of you also study trees, I thought it would be nice to combine the two.

The Seasons Of My Tree (photo top right) does just that, with a cute twist at the end, that I’m sure your students will enjoy dreaming up.

Click on the link to view/download The Seasons Of My Tree

Who Invited The Ants To The Picnic? (photo bottom right) is a sweet pre-summer, easy reader that reinforces number words and counting to 10.  It provides an opportunity for students to write two alternative endings to the story.

Click on the link to view/download Who Invited The Ants To The Picnic

I just finished story cards for the old-fashioned tune, The Ants Go Marching.  So if you'd like to incorporated these with the picnic booklet, or teach your little ones this fun counting song, click on the link to view/download

The Ants Go Marching story cards.

I hope you enjoy these new booklets. If there’s something special you’re looking for, just shoot me an e-mail and I’ll see what I can whip together.  diane@teachwithme.com

I’ve found that if one teacher needs it, there’s sure to be many more out there who do too! i.e. I only had 1 request for some activities with an Angry Bird's theme and Angry Birds Activities & Angry Birds Shapes, are two of my most popular downloads!

Thanks for visiting; feel free to PIN anything that you feel might be helpful to a parent or teacher.

I hope you can stop by tomorrow for more tips.

Happy Reading!

Hopping Into Springtime Science

Need a quick and easy way to review the life cycle of a frog for your students?

I designed two that can be plugged in as an independent center your students can transition to when they’ve finished their tabletop lessons.

Run off my frog templates on green construction paper, and the life cycle on white copy paper.

Students can choose to either make a froggy slider or a frog crown.

They color, cut, and glue to complete a “perfect” project in a short amount of time.

Both of these activities can be found in the Life Cycle Of A Frog Packet.

Click on the link to view/download it.

I also have The Life Cycle Of A Frog booklet.

Also included is a  graphing extension, word-wall word flashcards, and a certificate of praise. 

This is a nice self-esteem builder as it's easy to read and a wonderful way to follow up your science study by incorporating math, reading, writing and cutting skills.

Click on the link to view/download The Life Cycle Of A Frog booklet and activities.

If you're still looking for more frog activities, including an entire unit with lots of tabletop worksheets and centers, click on this link to view the entire list of all the FROG products available, and simply scroll down to pick whatever you'd like to view/download.

Enjoy!  I hope you can hop on back tomorrow for more fun teaching tips and tricks.

Do you have one you’d like to share?  I’d enjoy hearing from you.  diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to post a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.

As always you have my permission to PIN anything you feel might be helpful to someone else.

Thanks for visiting! Hoppy Spring; Hoppy everything.

6 pages. These items match the Bullybuster booklet (TWM 1010) and Anti- Bullying posters (TWM 1011). This packet includes a contract, 2 badges, a bookmark and a certificate of praise.  This is a terrific packet to introduce the "Fill A Bucket" program if you do that in your classroom or school.

Who Ya Gonna Tell? Bullybusters!

Is your school a bully free zone?  Do you need some materials? You’ve landed on the right spot.

I’ve designed 3 “No Bullying” posters + a matching booklet called Bullybusters.

Ghostbusters was of course my inspiration.  I actually played the song while I worked on the pages!

It’s an easy reader, as I’ve used lots of words from the Dolch word list + tossed in some rhyme.

Students trace and then write the person-word that they should tell, followed by coloring a picture of them.

Make the booklet even more special by giving students your photo. They glue it in the teacher’s square.

Make copies of the students’ pictures as well, so they can choose a friend’s school picture for that part of the booklet.

I’ve also included a worksheet that defines the various kinds of bullying + a Pledge Badge, that they receive after they sign the contract on the last page of the booklet.

Click on the link to view/download the Bullybuster booklet.

Click on the link to view/download the No Bullying Posters.

Since the booklet was so popular today, I also made a certificate, 2 badges, a contract for all of your students to sign and a bookmark, and added them to this article this evening.

If you're interested in those items click on the link. No Bullying "Stuff".

I hope you find these anti-bullying things helpful and that your students enjoy becoming Bullybusters!

Thanks for visiting! Do try and pop back tomorrow for more teaching tips and feel free to PIN anything that you feel might be helpful to others.