1-2-3 Come Do Some Spring Things With Me
Spring has officially sprung, and even though we've still got it in the 40s here in Michigan, I'm full gear into springtime fun.
Today's blog features 3 of my favorite spring activities, which when completed, make adorable springy bulletin boards or hallway displays, sure to put a smile on your face.
First up is a sweet little bunny glyph. They really do turn out absolutely "awwww-dorable".
No matter what grade I taught, my students LOVED making glyphs.
They are a quick, easy & interesting way to practice and assess listening and following directions.
Since this is one of my report card standards, glyphs also provide a "hard copy" to use as proof that a child does or doesn't listen & follow directions.
Glyphs are also an interesting way to get to know your students.
Be sure and make your own sample. I think children really enjoy learning about their teacher too.
The packet also includes 4, sweet photo-posters of real bunnies, as well as a links page for a few bunny songs & the story of Peter Rabbit & Benjamin Bunny.
I also designed an Easter egg glyph as well. I've included 2 egg glyphs in the packet. One is pretty easy, the other a bit more complicated.
Choose which one is best suited for your students.
The glyphs are also easily adapted by simply tweaking the directions to fit your needs.
Because each one is different they make a super-interesting bulletin board. Every year we get tons of compliments!
Most passers-by are unaware that these are glyphs, so I made a springy "Glyphs" poster for each packet, to use for the center of your display.
Since my Venn Friends have been super-popular, I wanted to design one for spring as well. This one features rabbits.
Venn diagrams are a quick, easy & fun way to introduce the concept of comparison - contrast writing, and an interesting way for students to get to know each other better.
My kiddos absolutely love making them, so we do a seasonal one each month; they’ve come to really look forward to picking a new partner to learn more about.
To help students do a thorough job completing their Venn diagram and jump start the writing process, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can choose from to discuss with their partner.
For added fun, and to practice another standard that mixes math with literacy, I’ve also included a graphing extension.
Finally, today's FREEBIE also features bunnies. This bunny craftivity, is a quick, easy and super-fun center, assessment, or game, with 4 sizes of bunny patterns to accommodate the various sizes and kinds of craft sticks.
Program the "ears" with whatever you'd like to reinforce, then keep each set in a Ziploc Baggie.
The beauty of this bunny pattern, is that you only have to make a few bunnies, yet you're able to use them to practice a variety of Common Core Standards, or whatever else you can think up.
Here are some ideas:
* uppercase-lowercase letters
* number-number word
* number-group/set
* contraction-words that make up the contraction
* synonyms-antonyms
* rhyming words
* homonyms
* opposites
* equation-answer
* color-color words
* shape-shape words
* 2 words-compound word
* singular-plural
Well that's it for today, I hope spring has sprung in your classroom.
Wishing you a joyous holiday break whenever that happens.
The earth teaches me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. The earth teaches me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. The earth teaches me courage as the tree which stands all alone. The earth teaches me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring. -William Alexander
1-2-3 Come Do Some Saint Paddy's Day Activities With Me
St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, so I've been busy designing a few things for that week. Today's blog features 4 of my favorites, plus the featured FREEBIE of the day.
First up is the quick, easy and fun "Pot Of Goals" writing prompt craftivity. Students complete the "goal" coin sentence prompts.
Coin Prompts: "I want to...", "I want to be...", "I want to go...", "I want to learn...", "I want to see...", "I want to read..."
Younger kiddos can dictate a one-word response, while older students also include a reason why.
So that you can program your own, I've also included a set of blank coins.
Mount on rainbow-colored construction paper, and hang in an arch in rainbow-color order, on a large wall.
Your title can be: "A Rainbow Of Wonderful Writing".
Next is a shamrock glyph, which is a super-fun little something to do on St. Paddy's Day, or whenever...
No matter what grade I taught, my students LOVED making glyphs. They are a quick, easy and interesting way to practice and assess listening and following directions.
Since this is one of my report card standards, glyphs also provide a "hard copy" to use as proof that a child does or doesn't, and are also an interesting way to get to know your students; plus completed projects make an adorable bulletin board, as each one will be different!
To practice data collection & analysis, as well as process of elimination, have students pick a partner to "interview", to help them figure out which glyph is their partner's. I've included a data collection worksheet for this, challenging them to try and solve the "mystery" with the least amount of questions.
I've also included 6, whole-group graphing extensions, to practice another math standard.
A Shamrock Venn Friend is also a super-fun way to get to know your students better. These too make an adorable bulletin board for March, and are a visual way to practice "comparison-contrast" writing.
Introduce the lesson with the "What's a Venn diagram?" poster, then have children partner up.
To help them do a thorough job completing their Venn diagram and jump start the writing process, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can choose from to discuss with their partner.
Each student does their own "different" portion of their shamrock. Afterwards, the two-some glues their shamrock to the “pot of gold”, and takes turns filling in the “same” section oval, which is then glued to the top of the pot.
For that finishing touch, students color their leprechaun, add a school photograph on the leprechaun’s face, then glue it to their side of the Venn diagram.
For added fun, and to practice another standard that mixes math with literacy, I’ve also included a graphing extension.
Finally, the St. Paddy's-Themed CVC Word Packet is a personal favorite.
To break things down, the packet focuses on 100 CVC words that begin with the letters "L is for leprechaun"; "M is for March"; "P is for Patrick", and "S is for shamrock.”
The packet includes:
* A Celtic shamrock craftivity that reinforces CVC words beginning with the letter S
* A leprechaun craftivity that reinforces CVC words beginning with the letter L.
* I’ve also included dice and spinner games, plus …
* A whole-group "Feed the leprechaun” review game, with a matching, mini- independent "Feed the leprechaun" activity.
There are…
* Long and short vowel sorting mats, 5 bookmarks for CVC word writing, 26 alphabet shamrock cards, with 20 extra vowel shamrock cards, plus 4 CVC worksheets with 4 anchor chart answer keys. I've also included . . .
* 100 black & white “trace & write” CVC word cards, with covers to make Itty Bitty booklets, 100 mini-CVC word cards, and 100 full-color CVC word cards to use for flashcards, pocket charts, games, puzzles etc.
Finally, there's a "Super Shamrock Sentences” worksheet, 4-page tip list of ideas, games and activities to use the various word cards for, plus a certificate of praise for "wonderful word work."
Today's FREEBIE also has a St. Paddy's Day theme. It's a set of 16 number "strip" puzzles, which help practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, plus skip counting by 10s to 100.
I've included full-color puzzles to use in a center, as well as some black and white ones, so that kiddos can make their own. They are vertical as well as horizontal.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.The sun is shining and even the tall, ugly piles of dirty snow have started to melt.
Hooray! Spring is finally on its way. Wishing you a carefree day filled with springtime fun.
"Spring: The season of rebirth, renewal and regrowth!" -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Make A Bunny Venn Friend With Me
I LOVE using Venn diagrams with kids. They are so easy to make and are the perfect way to introduce compare and contrast writing.
A Venn diagram is so simple that even my Y5’s easily understood them, plus they really enjoyed making them.
My college comp students also like the concept. One of their personal favorites was comparing two soft drinks.
As they share which is their favorite, we narrow it down to two and then I bring the drinks in for the next class. Almost every semester Coke and Mountain Dew wins out.
They worked in small groups and made a Venn diagram comparing the soda, sipping as they worked. Using their laptops they also found out differences via the Internet. It’s my fun way to introduce them to writing a compare and contrast essay.
For little ones, I introduced the concept of a Venn diagram using 2 Hula-Hoops and index cards. We brainstormed the differences and similarities of whatever we were working on.
Write these things on the board and give each student an index card to write one of the similarities or differences on. Using clip art, you can also have two pictures to put inside the appropriate hoops along with header cards: similar and different.
Lay the Hula-Hoops on the floor and intersect them to look like a Venn diagram. Put your picture and header cards in the appropriate sections, and then have students lay their index cards where they belong.
For spring, I wanted to make this into a “craftivity” so I chose bunnies. Their bellies are the Venn diagram. I call them Venn Friends because half the students choose a friend’s name out of the Easter basket who they then team up with.
To make it a special keepsake, include their school photo. There's a checklist of 40 ideas that students can find out about each other. Through discussion, they discover similarities and differences and then choose which ones they want to put on their Venn diagram.
These make an adorable spring or April bulletin board. Later, each student can take their own bunny head home and the teacher can keep the Venn portions as examples.
I've also included a whole-group graphing extension, which will show if students were more alike, or more different than their partner.
Click on the link to view/download Bunny Venn Friends
Besides the bunny Venn Friend, I also made a tulip one, so you could give your students a choice. That one also includes a graphing activity.
Thanks for visiting. It's "supposed" to get into the 60's today, so my feet have hit the floor running. I want to open all the windows and bring springtime inside. Wishing you a sweet day.
"Spring: rebirth,renewal, and regrowth." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Make a Leprechaun Venn Friend With Me!
Making a Venn diagram is an easy and fun way for students to practice the concept of comparison and contrast.
It's also an interesting and quick way that you can learn more about your students and make an adorable March bulletin board at the same time.
Students partner up and discuss their similarities and differences and then make their Venn Friend Diagram.
To help them think of similarities and differences, I've included a list of questions students can ask their partner.
To make these March Venn Friends extra special and add that finishing touch, have students color their leprechaun and add a photograph of their face.
Click on the link to view/download the Leprechaun Venn Friends packet. For more St. Patrick's Day FREEBIES, click on the link to pop on over to that section of my blog. I also have an entire St. Patrick's Day board on Pinterest, with more ideas and free educational activities.
Thanks for visiting. My "To Do" list is longer than the time I have left to get it all done, so I'll happily be putzing with a few more St. Paddy's Day ideas, before I start work on kite activities. Wishing you a carefree day.
"My two favorite colors of the rainbow are gold and leprechaun.” -Jarod Kintz from It Occurred to Me
1-2-3 Come Do Some Comparison-Contrast Writing With Me
Venn diagrams are a quick, easy and interesting way to introduce and practice comparison and contrast writing. I designed Venn Friends, as an especially fun way to do that. These are also a great way for you and your students to get to know each other better.
I've made Venn friend packets for almost every month, but hadn't gotten around to do one for November. Laurie, who's done several other packets with her kiddos, e-mailed me to ask if I was going to make one specifically for November. Of course, and another thing was added to my "to do" list.
I'm never one to procrastinate, so I got right down to business. Unlike the other monthly Venn Friends, I have more than one option for November. Students have 3 choices for their Venn friend topper: a turkey, a Pilgrim boy or girl, or a Native American boy or girl.
You can have a turkey find a turkey partner, a boy Pilgrim find a girl Pilgrim, or a boy Native American find a boy Pilgrim, mixing and matching however you or your students wish.
As a way to get to know each other, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can ask their partner.
From there, they choose what information they want to record on their Venn diagram.
Each student does their own "different" portion of the circle, and then, once they glue their circles together, they take turns recording the similarities that they have with their Venn friend, in the middle "same" section. (See completed sample.)
To make it easy for students to match up and glue their circles together, I've included both left and right circles.
I designed the Venn friends, specifically so students could get to know a classmate better, but you could certainly have students pretend to be "real" Pilgrims and Native American children, and then compare and contrast that way as well.
However, I do that sort of thing in the Thanksgiving Children's Packet with other Venn diagrams.
When everyone is done, have students come up with their partner to share their Venn Friend. This will give children some public speaking practice, as well as enable everyone to get to know each other a little better.
Completed projects, look awesome hanging in rows on a hallway wall. Click on the link to view/download the November Venn Friends packet. For more Venn diagram activities, click on the link to pop over to that section of my site.
Thanks for visiting. It's an overcast rainy November day; perfect for pouring over Pinterest boards, in search of some "pinspiration".
As if my pile of "make this" projects is not big enough! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE making homemade Christmas gifts though. Wishing you a snuggly day.
"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." ~W.J. Cameron
1-2-3 Come Make A Venn Friend With Me
Venn diagrams are a quick, easy and fun way to help students understand the concepts of comparison and contrast.
I thought making an apple Venn Friend would be a fun way to introduce this type of writing, as well as an interesting way for your students to get to know their new classmates.
It's a nice icebreaker for back to school, or can easily be plugged in during your apple activities. This "craftivity" also works well for Daily 5
There are 3 different types of apple Venn friends that you can make with this packet. If you teach preschool or young kinders (Y5's) who are just learning to recognize and write their names, you may want to do the letter Venn friend.
I've included upper and lowercase letter tiles in both color and black and white. (There are 2 black letter options.) LOVE the graphics and fonts by kpmdoodles (color) and djinkers (black and white).
Run the letter tiles off on white paper. Students can easily add a bit of color to the black striped letters if they want to.
Students choose a partner to make a name Venn Friend with. Each pair of students needs only one upper and lowercase letter sheet.
To make this "craftivity" really pop, I used yellow and red 8" paper plates. You can get a pack of 20 at The Dollar Store. To expedite things, pre cut the plates, as well as the brown stems and leaves. I also trimmed off the tab on the file folders
Run off the file folder labels. Each pair of students needs only one sheet. They trim and glue to their file folder, writing their names in the spaces provided. (See photo.) I outlined the labels to add a bit more pizzazz and added school photos for that finishing touch.
Children add a bit of detail with markers to their stem and leaves. They can glue these to the front of their apple "plate" or you can come around with a stapler. They glue the white "same" section in the middle of their file folder, and then glue their apple plates on either side.
I always made samples to share with my students. A picture is really worth a 1,000 words, in helping to explain things. You could use your husband/wife or a friend for the 2nd Venn diagram. I'm sure your students will get a kick out of learning your first name. Mine were amazed that I even had one!
Children cut out only the letters that they need for their Venn diagram. So that students can use these letter tiles for other things, like Daily 5 word work, have them toss the extra letters in an alphabet box.
Looking at their names on the labels, children sort what letters are the same, and which ones are different from their partner. They glue them in the appropriate places on their Venn friend file folder diagram.
To add a bit of math to this activity, students count up how many letters they each have in their name. After adding a bit of color to their apple label, they write in the number of letters in each of their names and put a < = > symbol in the center of the green apple.
You can also have students add the total of letters in both of their names, as well as the total number of similar letters. Later, you can graph who had the highest Venn friend total of letters, as well as the greatest and least amount of similar letters. Did any team have zero letters for their "same" section?
Have students share their Venn friend with the rest of the class. Completed projects make an awesome fall bulletin board. This craft is also a wonderful extension after reading the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. If you don't want to do an apple-theme, use tan or brown paper plates as coconuts.
Another option for the paper plate, apple-Venn friends craftivity, is to have students compare and contrast their new friend.
This is an easy and fun way for them to get to know each other better. The whole class will become more knowledgeable as well, when students share their completed projects.
I found that the better my students knew each other, the more apt they were to become friends. This generated a caring community in the classroom, where students truly enjoyed being part of our team.
I've followed pretty much the same format in this file folder Venn friend, except that instead of letters, students each jot down similarities and differences.
I've provided a checklist with 41 ideas that they can chat about with their partner. This will hopefully jumpstart their writing and help students be more in-depth when finding out about their classmate, as well as ensure a nice variety of Venn friends.
I've also included a whole-group graphing activity: Did students find that they were more similar or more different than their Venn friend?
Finally, if you don't want to fiddle with paper plates, I've created flat apple templates that work in the same way.
To jazz things up, I've included Willie the worm. Run the pattern off on lime green construction paper.
Instead of labels that say "different" I used worms. Simply make a slit in each side of their apple, and have students color, trim, insert and glue.
Click on the link to view/download the Apple Venn Friends packet. These "craftivities" are different enough that you could actually do both. The letter Venn diagram is a simple icebreaker for the first week of school, and the flat apple Venn can be done during your apple activities, later in September.
I like to revisit certain activities, but with a new theme or twist, as my students feel empowered and can get right down to business, because they are familiar with the directions.
Keeping that in mind, you may want to do a few other seasonal Venn friends when those months roll around. I have a heart one for February, a Leprechaun Venn friend for March, a Bunny Venn for April and a Tulip Venn Friend for May. I'm currently working on a pumpkin one for October, an acorn for November, a gingerbread one for December and a snowman Venn friend for January.
Thanks for visiting. I can't believe it took me most of the day to get this done and blogged about. Time for some fresh air. Wishing you a wonderful school year filled with lots of Venn friends.
"Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers." - Josef Albers
1-2-3 Come Do Some Valentine Craftivities With Me
I loved decorating the hallway outside my classroom. I never had enough bulletin boards, so it was inevitable that I'd spill out into the hallway. Nobody minded as they said it made things look educational and festive.
I think showcasing student work is a huge self-esteem builder. It also let the parents, vistors and the rest of the school in on what my Y5's were doing.
With that in mind, I wanted to design some writing activities that were a bit on the crafty side, for your students to have fun with.
No matter what grade I taught, (PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and even college) my students really enjoyed incorporating a bit of art into other subject areas.
An easy way to do this is with writing prompts. Instead of just writing on paper, have students write on their creations. In the 3D heart dangler, students choose 3 different writing prompts: people, places, things, sports, subjects, books, movies, music etc. that they LOVE.
You can use my templates, or the plain blank heart. This can be 3 days worth of writing, or a take home assignment.
Three different color paper hearts are cut, folded and glued together to make a 3D hanging heart.
The writing prompt heart in the photo is yellow, blue and orange. For that finishing touch, have students glue on their school picture to one of the hearts, and then "autograph" the bottom.
The other photo shows a 3D heart that is hot pink, light pink and purple.
So that students can practice their keyboarding skills, have them write a rough draft for each of the 3 prompts that they chose, edit and then type them up and glue one on each of their hearts.
Punch a hole at the top and tie a yarn loop. They will look awesome swirling and twirling from the ceiling.
If you'd like a caption, you could have a large 2-sided heart that says: "Mrs./Mr. _____________'s Class LOVES Writing!" Click on the link to view/download the 3D Writing Prompt Heart packet.
Yesterday I posted some holiday Venn diagrams. While I was putzing with those, I thought it would be interesting to design a heart-shaped Venn diagram, and have students choose a partner to make a "Venn Friend" with.
Each student writes their own "different" half of the diagram, and then works together on the "same" section with their partner.
Make sure you create one of your own to share as an example. You can also have students choose primary colors that when combined make a seconday color. I thought of this after I had made my sample, and should have used red and yellow hearts with an orange center. Just a thought. Students could also choose their favorite colors as well.
Have children share their Venn Friend with the class and then scatter them on a bulletin board, or hang back-to-back from the ceiling. A caption could be: We Are Different. We Are The Same. We Are Friends!
These would also be a nice craftivity for Martin Luther King Day. I've included two heart-shaped Venn diagrams for Valentine's Day, plus another, without the valentine caption, so you can use it for MLK Day or a back-to-school "meet my new friend" activity. Click on the link to view/download the heart-shaped Valentine Venn Friend packet.
Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away.
"Education is hanging around until you've caught on." -Robert Frost