1-2-3 Come Review Upper and Lowercase Letters With Me!

I liked to make up a summer fun packet for my students to take home at the end of the year.  It was a nice review of everything we had learned.

This packet was also handy for parents to have their child work on, if they complained of being bored, or an easy thing to give children when they wanted to play "school," while on vacation.

I designed this KnOWLedge Owl "craftivity" with that in mind. You could also make it at the beginning of the year, so that students can practice their letters, with their families at home.

Here's How To Make Them:

 Run off masters on a variety of construction paper. I chose funky color combinations, but you could also do more realistic owls in various shades of brown.

 Rough cut so that students can get their pieces and trim.

 You may want a room helper to cut the beaks and feet, just to expedite things.

 If you’re having someone cut these for you, it’s easier to trace a template on an old file folder. The helper traces once and then cuts 3-6 at a time.

 Pre-cut long envelopes so that students have a pocket to put their extra letter wheels in.

 Set up this “craftivity” as a center. When students are done with other work, they can come up and get the color owl pieces of their choice.

 Students glue the wings to either side of the owl. They can add some crayon details for more pizzazz.

 Student glue the feet to the bottom of their owl so that the tops are glued to the back. I also added crayon details here and then traced the belly of the owl with a white crayon so that the writing “popped.”

 Students cut out their white alphabet wheels. Older students can cut and poke their own holes in the eyes; younger students will need this done for them.

 To expedite things, I used a circle paper punch to make the letter “windows.”

Poke a hole through the owl’s head and attach whatever wheel you want your students to work on; fasten with brass brads.

 Students glue their beak on, after their eyes are in place.

 If you want the beaks to be 3D, simply cut a 4-inch wide strip of yellow construction paper, and fold it in half. Trace the triangle template so that it butts up against the fold, then cut the triangles out

Students glue their envelope half to the back of their owl and write their name on it.

 Close the open side with a piece of Scotch tape.

 This is a safe place where students can keep their extra wheels, so that they don’t lose them.

 There are lots of activities you can do with the KnOWLedge owl.

 Use as a review game. Choose a quiet child to call out a letter from a-j, k-t, or u-z.

 Students spin the top eye wheel ‘til they find those letters. You can also have students partner up and play this game with each other.

 You can play “I’m Thinking Of A Letter.” Give clues about the letter and students spin the wheels ‘til they find it. i.e. “I’m thinking of a letter that is a vowel. It comes after the letter N and before the letter P.”

 Play “Speed.” You call out a letter and see who can find the upper and lowercase letters the quickest.

 Use as an alternative or additional fun way to assess upper and lowercase letters.

 These are terrific sent home at the beginning of the year, so that students can practice with their parents.

 They also make a nice end of the year activity, so that students don’t forget what they learned over the summer, or preschoolers can practice before they come to kindergarten in the fall.

Ollie, the "Owl-phabet Owl" will be FREE for an entire year, after which time, he'll be up-dated and put in Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop.

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"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Make A Mother's Day "Craftivity" With Me.

It's hard to cram in making a Mother's Day gift when you have to cover so many standards every day, so I designed a writing prompt "craftivity" that covers writing standards and makes a sweet keepsake gift for mom. 

The horse's head is made by tracing the child's foot with their shoe on. Simply run off the rest of the templates on brown construction paper.

Students glue the pieces together to make a quick and easy "horseshoe."  I've included a little rhyme students can glue to the neck of the horse, or have older students write it themselves.

It says: "This horse's head was made by me tracing my shoe.  A keepsake for Mother's Day and an I love you."

Run off the writing prompt template: How do I love you?  Let me count the ways: Students think of at least 10 things they love about their mom, which includes the first one: I love playing and horsing around with you.

For more pizzazz add wiggle eyes and students' school picture.  Completed projects make a cute bulletin board.  Take it down and send the horses home the Friday before Mother's Day.

Click on the link to view/download the Mother's Day Horseshoe Writing Prompt Craftivity.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  My "pin it" button-link is at the top.

"If you hear a voice within you say, 'You cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and the voice will be silenced." -Vincent van Gogh

This Little Piggy Went To Market, and This Little Piggy Went To School For 100-Day!

What started out to be a few simple piggy bank worksheets, to help students count coins to 100, turned into a  whopping 50-page 100-Day Piggy Packet.

You don't have to use it just for 100-Day, reviewing these "hog wild" counting skills, throughout the year, is important no matter what the day, and it's nice to have a variety of tricks in your bag of how to do that in an interesting way. 

After all, counting to 100 can get quite boring for some little ones, and extremely frustrating for those kiddo's whose light bulbs haven't lit up yet. With that in mind, I designed the Q-tip mud craftivity to the right.  Students dab brown paint on the 10 groups of 10 dots on the dirty piggy.  For less mess, children could use a brown crayon to color in the dots.

This unique packet will help you with Common Core State Standards: K.CC.1, K.CC.3, K.CC.4a, K.CC.4b, K.CC.4c, K.CC.5, K.OA.1, K.CC.6, 1.NBT.1  The packet is chock full of all kinds of goodies to help you celebrate 100-Day, or simply use as math centers.

The packet includes:

• 8 Piggy bank pages for pennies, nickels, dimes & quarters.  Students can color and count the filled banks, or color, cut and glue the coins inside an empty bank. 
• Coin to coin word matching worksheet
  
• 1 letter words, to more than 5 letter-words skill sheet
  
• Game sheet: "Race your pig to 100."
  
• Game sheet:  "Spin To Win!" coin counting to 100 + 2 coin spinners.
  
• Tally Ho tally mark worksheet.
• Graphing extension
• More than less than calculations worksheet
  
• How much money? Addition worksheet
  
• 2 Measurement activity worksheets
  
• Counting pigs by 5's to 100 worksheet
  
• Counting pigs by 10's to 100 worksheet
  
• Name Your Pig 100-Grid worksheet
• Round up the pigs by 10's worksheet.
• Pig slider "craftivity" counting by 10's & counting by 5's
  
• Piggy Popsicles "craftivity" counting by 10's.  +
• A blank sheet of pigs for you to program with whatever you want.  Use them for name tags, other numbers, letters etc.
  
• "Craftivity" counting Q-Tip mud spatters to 100 by 1's, 5's and 10's
  
• 3 counting worksheets. Counting by 1's to 100 & 120 and skip counting by 5's and 10's
  
• 2 connect-the-dot worksheets.  Counting by 5's and by 10's to 100.
• 2 Q-Tip Pig in the Mud "Craftivities."
• 2 Happy 100 Day posters. 1 in color, 1 in black and white so children can color.
• 3 different certificates of praise for "Hog Wild" counting + a
• Happy 100-Day bookmark

Click on the link to view/download the 100-Day Piggy Packet.

I hope your students have as much fun doing the lessons, as I had creating them.

Thank you for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything that you think others may find helpful.

"I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end." -Abraham Lincoln

1 2 3 Count February Stuff With Me!

You asked for it, you got it!

The 123 Count With Me easy reader math booklets continue to be downloaded 100's of times a day!

Visitors have requested Valentines and Presidents, but I also whipped together one for Dental Hygiene Month, which was a big theme for my Y5's.

The packets range from 27-37 pages and help with Common Core State Standards: K.CC.4a, K.CC.4b,K.CC.4c, K.CC.3, K.CC.5, K.CC.7, RF.K.1a, RF.K.1c, RF.K3c, L.K.2b, L.1l2b, Rf.1.1a

You can practice a variety of skills and standards with these cute booklets. 

They are a fun way for your students to learn or review, write, recognize and read numbers and number words.

These latest additions also have the end punctuation left off, so that students can add it, and you can cover yet another CCSS!

1. Students read, trace and write the number and number word.
2. They see a number of themed items in a sentence and say it.
3. They spy the number in a sequence and circle it.
4. They X-out that many boxes or use a bingo dot marker or stamp in the 10 frame. ( I encourage my students to make a color pattern.)
5. They cut and glue the set/group to the matching numbered box.

• It only takes one time for students to need assistance and then they can work independently on their books. 
  
• Do one a week or month, depending on your themes or needs of your students. 
  
• They are great for Daily 5, something to do when they have finished their work,
  
• something to send home to do with parents,
  
• great for a sub folder or to send home with struggling students.

All Of The Packet includes:

• 30-60 number and word wall word flashcards, + number cards that count to 20.
• Covers for the flashcards to make Itty Bitty Books
• A + one more math skill sheet
• 1-5 graphing extensions &
• A certificate of praise.

Click on the links to view/download:

123 Count Valentines With Me,

123 Count Presidents With Me,

and/or 123 Count Dental Hygiene Stuff With Me.

There are 29  123 Count With Me booklets in the collection, starting with 123 Count Apples With Me.

If you'd like to view them all by simply scrolling down an alphabetical listing, click on the link. 

As always, I welcome your feedback of what other booklets you'd like to see.  Anyone want stamps or coins?

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"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." -Michael Jordan

Teaching Children, Colors My World With Love

The easy reaader, My Penguin Color booklet is  terrific for your penguin theme and a fun way to review colors and color words.

Students read the simple sentences, trace, write and color the color words. They can also color the penguin and the featured object.

There's plenty of room for students to draw the featured noun in the sentence, or write that word as well.

To nail even more standards, have student circle the beginning word capital letter, as well as the ending punctuation.

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it aloud as a whole group, so you can cover concepts of print.

While doing so, remind them that there are spaces between words and that they are reading from left to right and top down.

I've also included a cute certificate of praise.

Click on the link to view/download My Penguin Color booklet.

In keeping with the color theme, I also wrote My Winter Colors booklet, which helps review Common Core State Standards: RF.K1a, RF.k1c, RF.K3c

It follows the same format as the penguin booklet does.  The sentences feature winter things that are a specific color, such as white snowflakes.

The last page offers a writing prompt.  Students write what their favorite winter color is and then name something that color and draw a picture of it.

Both of these booklets make nice activities for your winter Daily 5 work.

Click on the link to view/download My Winter Color booklet.

Thank you for visiting today. I hope your winter is filled with happy and colorful moments.

Feel free to PIN anything that you think others may find helpful.

Do you have a color word activity you can share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

"Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going." Jim Rohn

How Much Are Those Mittens In The Window?

Do you do activities with mittens? Are you studying money with your little ones?

I just combined the 2 themes to make the easy reader booklet: Mitten Money.

It reviews the penny, nickel, dime and quarter coins as well as all of the 2-D shapes including the newer pentagon, hexagon and octagon, that many now have as new standards.

Students read the simple repetitive sentences, that include Word Wall and Dolch words. They trace and write the shape words, and amount of money, and then trace the shape and draw it on the mittens.

Students also find the appropriate coins for the amount listed and then cut and glue the matching numbered picture to the square. I’ve printed 2 pages on one, for easy printing.

Click on the link to view/download the Mitten Money Easy Reader.

If you enjoyed this booklet and would like one to use in February, click on Money For My Valentines.

Thank you for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything that you think others will enjoy.

Do you have a coin activity you could share with us? I’d enjoy hearing from you: diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

“This is the New Year, the new you.  You can pass through another year coasting on cruise control, or you can step out of your comfort zone, trying things you have never done before, & make [this] the year that you elevate from where you are & soar high!  Make it happen!” -Pablo

New Words For The New Year!

My newest New Year FREEBIE is an alphabet book of all the words I could think of that have to do with New Year's.

Although Q, V and Z were a bit tricky, I did think of words for all 26 letters.

It's a fun way to review the alphabet, (Common Core State Standards: RF.K1d, L.1.1a) as well as increase vocabulary.

Students trace the upper and lowercase letters as well as trace and write the new words.

Print a copy to laminate and cut up, to use for your January Word Wall.

The Happy New Year ABC Word Booklet makes a nice Daily 5 "word work" activity for students to do during the 1st week back from vacation.

Click on the link to view/download the Happy New Year ABC Word Booklet.

I've also made a Happy New Year bookmark you can leave on your students' desks as a little surprise when they come back from break.

Click on the link to view/download it.

Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything that you think others may find helpful.

I hope your New Year is filled with everyone and everything that you love. 

May you be blesed with health, happiness, peace, and love.

"What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year." -Vern McLellan

I LOVE quotes, and hope you enjoy the ones I post at the end of each blog article. 

If you're looking for some New Year's quotes to use in your class, click on the link.  I've compiled all of my favorites. 

I have a feeling that a lot of teacher's are going to be looking for New Year's lessons today, so I've written 2 more articles.

Simply scroll down to read them. Enjoy.

Math Games Are "Snow" Much Fun!

A fun way for students to practice addition and subtraction is with Dominic the Domino Snowman.

Students roll a pair of dice and then add and subtract.  Children write out the equations and complete the work on a separate sheet of paper.

To make this even more interesting, students use dominoes for Dominic's buttons, finding matching ones that correspond with the dice combinations they rolled. 

You can play with real dominoes, or run off my templates to make paper ones.

Run off, color and laminate a class set of the snowman templates and use dry erase markers, or have students color their own snowman and record their work on a separate sheet of paper.

Click on the link to view/download Dominic the Domino Snowman

Thank you for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find useful.

Do you have a math game you could share with us?  I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

"A college degree and a teaching certificate define a person as a teacher, but it takes hard work and dedication to be one." -Paul McClure

Let's Go! Let's Get Out In That SNOW!

Yesterday I updated and posted the ordinal number winter poster packet to rave reviews. (Thanks!  So glad you liked it. I guess lots of teachers & parents were in the same boat. )  This sort of “What goes on next?” always helped my Y5’s and expedited things, so we could waddle out for recess before the bell rang to come back in!

I decided to follow that up by updating an emergent reader booklet on the same subject, that will help you review Common Core State Standards: RF.K1a, RF.K1c, RF.K3c, L.K2a, L.K2b

Like the poster, the booklet helps your students identify winter clothing words and the order clothes should be put on. Students correct the sentences by adding ending punctuation and a capital letter to the beginning word.

They trace and then write the ordinal number, as well as the article of clothing that is put on.

Students use pictures as clues to read the sentences, as they cut and glue other pictures to the matching numbered boxes.  This packet is great for your Daily 5 word work activities.

There are 58 words in the booklet, 30 of which are Dolch sight words. I've included 58 traceable word cards to practice with, as well as worksheets involving contractions also found in the booklet, plus some word work with compound words.

Since the booklet is all about getting ready to go out to play in snowy winter weather, I thought it would be fun to see how many compound words starting with the word snow, I could come up with. 

Can you think up more than my 15?  I’d love hearing from you!  I still don’t understand why snow pants is not a compound word! Anyone have an answer to that?  diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

The packet also includes:

• 58 traceable word cards + covers to make Itty Bitty Booklets.
• 8 matching picture cards (Great for playing Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games.)
• A graphing extension
• + 4 skill sheets, which include: Match the word from the story to the picture.
• An alphabetizing worksheet
• A compound word worksheet. (Trace and write 15 new words that begin with snow.) and
• A contraction worksheet +
• A certificate of praise when students can read the booklet independently.

Click on the link to view/download the Let’s Go! Let’s Play In The Snow Easy Reader Booklet Be sure to scroll down for yesterday's article "This Is How We Get Ready" if you missed it, and grab the matching FREEBIES.

Thanks for visiting. My feet have hit the floor running today, as my Christmas decorations need to be taken down and packed away, along with a myriad of other things.   Anyone else hate that job? 

“Leave as little to chance as possible.  Preparation is the key to success.” –Paul Brown

1-2-3 Come Make a Gingerbread Glyph With Me

I enjoyed making glyphs with my students each month. Glyphs are a pictorial form of data, also known as a pictograph.

They are an easy and interesting way to help reinforce listening and following directions and make a great display for a hallway.  My Y5’s enjoyed making them + they provided an opportunity to learn more about their classmates.

If listening and following directions, is a report card standard for you, glyphs are a wonderful whole group assessment tool for that.

Because of the variety of questions, you can also turn some of them into graphing extensions. i.e. Do you like gingerbread? Have you ever made Christmas cookies? etc.

Turning your students into glyph detectives is also a fun way for them to learn how to collect data and analyze results.

Give students 10 minutes to see how many gingerbread glyphs they can figure out. By using your personal glyph as an example, take a moment to explain how they would go about doing this.

When the glyphs are complete, number them, and display the gingerbread in the hallway. Write a list of student names at the top of a pre-numbered sheet of paper.

Give students 5-10 minutes in the hallway to try and figure out the gingerbread glyph mysteries.

When the timer rings, flip up the glyphs to read whose glyph it is, and have students self-correct their papers.

The person with the most correct, gets a gingerbread sticker or whatever you deem is appropriate.

I’ve included my purple gingerbread glyph as an example. The coloring didn’t come through the scanner as bright as I wanted it to.  Click on the link to view/print the Gingerbread Glyph

If you are looking for other glyphs, I have made one for each month. Click on the link to go to the glyph section.  Scroll down to view the examples and click on whatever else you want to download. 

Thank you for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.

Do you have a glyph you could share with us? I’d enjoy hearing from you.  diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

“Little by little does the trick!” -Abraham Lincoln.