1-2-3 Come Do An End-Of-The-Year Writing Prompt Craftivity With Me

I’m always looking for some quick, easy and fun things to plug in at at the end of the year, that I know my students will really enjoy, help practice the standards we’ve learned, and involve minimal prep for me.

With these things in mind, I designed the “When School Is Out I’m Going To…” writing prompt craftivity.

Just “print & go!”

The schoolhouse is actually a flip-the-flap “door”, which opens to reveal another picture underneath.

There are 6 picture options, which come in black & white, as well as color; so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share.

There’s also a blank pattern, if your students opt to draw their own illustration.

To make things extra special, kiddos write their school’s name on the roof, and glue their school photograph inside one of the windows.

Besides the end-of-the-year, this writing prompt craftivity would also work for any other holiday or vacation breaks as well.

Completed projects make a really cute bulletin board too.

Another super-fun, end-of-the-year writing prompt is "Taco 'Bout..."

As with the first writing prompt craftivity, this is very versatile too.

 I love putzing with a play-on-words, to create cute writing prompts that I think students will enjoy.

“Taco ‘bout” is one of them, which will add a few Spanish words to your students’ vocabularies, as they have fun making a paper “taco”.

For that finishing-fun touch, run some green paper through a shredder to make the “lettuce”.

I’ve included writing prompts for back to school, as well as the end of the year, some of which can also be used whenever you want.

The packet includes:

* 4 black and white writing prompt bookmarks
* 2 full-color bookmarks from the teacher
* 3 “Taco ‘bout fun!” writing prompt worksheets

* 5 different writing prompt taco templates, including one where students work in a group and write a compliment strip (taco filling) for everyone in their group. These make great “bucket filler” activities that help build community and self-esteem.

* 8x10 letter templates to spell out “Taco Talk” for your snazzy bulletin board display
* An 8x10 Taco Talk poster
* An 8x10 poster that says “Ola” to welcome your students with a friendly hello in Spanish

Since Mother's Day is justs around the corner, today's featured FREEBIE is a special card: "A Keepsake Bouquet For Mom"

"These flowers are my fingerprints, that I know is true. It's a Mother's Day bouquet especially for you."

Children pick a partner and take turns tracing each other's hand, plus a bit of arm that will be trimmed and glued on the paper as if holding the "flowers".

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

The spring showers have passed, and my "garden of weedin'" is in some serious need of attention. Wishing you a sunshine-happy day.

"Your mind is a garden.  Your thoughts are the seeds.  You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds." -Unknown

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!

1-2-3 Come Do A Fun Spring Writing Activity Via a Venn Diagram With Me!

Since Bunny Buddies were so popular, as promised, here’s another Venn Friend, with more on the way for the other months.  Here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we are close to the city of Holland, and like the country, they are all about tulips and even have some awesome windmills too. 

If you ever get a chance to visit, it's worth the trip!  Literally 1,000's of tulips are everywhere, in every color imaginable and all sorts of varieties.  Click on the link to take a look at some fabulous photographs. 

The hot pink and purple ones are a particular favorite of mine.  Since a tulip is a simple pattern,  I thought I'd design a tulip Venn Friend.

Venn Friend Diagrams are a great way to introduce or review the compare and contrast concept and a terrific way for students to get to know more about their classmates.

The finished product provides an adorable spring bulletin board and working with a partner enhances all sorts of life skills.

Simply run of my masters on a variety of construction paper that is conducive to tulip colors.

Write half of your students’ names on scraps of paper, toss them in a basket and have the other ½ select a Venn friend from this basket or bag.

To make these more of a keepsake, take a photo of each of your students, or use their school picture and have them glue it to their side of the tulip.

Use my list of questions, so each pair of students can interview each other appropriately and come up with lots of similarities and differences.  Students then choose from this list, which things they want to include on their Venn diagram.

You may want to brainstorm this part as a whole group, writing things on a white board, so that younger students know how to spell words.  Each student writes their own “different” tulip side, and then shares the writing of the "same" middle section.

You may want students to number things so they are easier to follow.  When they have completed the writing portion, students glue their tulips together and share with the class.

These make a lovely spring bulletin board, or can be suspended back-to-back and hung from the ceiling by punching a hole at both ends and making a yarn loop.  Click on the link to view/download this spring Venn diagram.  April Venn Friends

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.

"In the spring, I have counted 136 kinds of weather inside of 24 hours!" -Mark Twain

Spring Into Writing!

Do you need a quick and easy spring center?

This Easter bookmark reinforces counting skills for little ones and doubles as a cute keepsake card for someone special.

Run off the template. Students fold it in half and glue it.

They trace the numbers on the front and write 10 reasons why they love the person that they’ll be giving the bookmark to.

Make it an extra-special keepsake by running off your class composite.  Cut students’ pictures into ovals and have them glue their photo to the bottom back of their bookmark.

Click on the link to view/download the Easter-Writing Prompt bookmark.

Be sure and pop back tomorrow for some more springtime activities.

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