easy readers
Getting To The Core Is A Real Treat And Not All That Tricky With This Cute October Booklet
My Trick Or Treat easy reader, is a fun way to reinforce the Common Core Standards: RF.K1a (Following words from left to right, top to bottom and page by page.) RF.K1c (Understanding that words are separated by spaces in print.) L.K2a (Capitalizing the pronoun I and the 1st word in each sentence.) and L.K2b (Being able to recognize and include ending punctuation.)
Simply review these standards with your students and point them out as you explain the booklet.
Students read, trace and write the sentence. On the first page they illustrate what they will be for Halloween.
On the following pages, children color the sight word and then trace the letters, then cut and glue them to the word box.
This “cut and glue” aspect of the booklet is a terrific activity for word work for Daily 5.
If you want to expedite things, skip cutting and gluing the booklet together.
Instead, simply have your students write the letters in the boxes and use the cut and glue pages as worksheets for Table Top, or Daily 5 at a later date.
When choosing sight words, I incorporated many words from the Dolch word lists when I wrote this easy reader booklet. This covers the Common Core State Standard: RF. K3c
I've also included a page of manipulatives for you to laminate and use Velcro or magnet strip so that the booklet can become an interactive read aloud that you can later sequence with your students.
To incorporate math, tally your students' favorite Halloween candy and graph the results on the bar graph provided.
Traceable flashcards are also included + a certificate of praise when children can read the booklet independently.
Click on the link to view/download My Trick or Treat Easy Reader Booklet.
Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.
“Children need models rather than critics.” –Joseph Joubert
My Pumpkin Book Easy Reader
October will soon be here; this easy reader covers a variety of standards, skills and subjects.
You can use the straight version of the booklet and concentrate on reading and writing skills, or you can use the "cut and glue" version (pictured) and incorporate fine motor, cutting, gluing, sequencing, listening and following direction skills as well.
When students make these easy readers you can review concepts of print with them by asking simple questions: Where is the cover, where is the back page, what is the title? (RI.K5) They will delight in the fact that they are part author as well as the illustrator of the booklet. (RI.K6
You can point out to them that the first word in the sentence is capitalized (L.K2a) and remind them to capitalize it when they rewrite their sentence. Ask them what the end punctuation is. (L.K2b) and again remind them how important it is to include it when they write their sentence. By rewriting sentences or making up additional ones, in some of my easy readers, children are practicing and reinforcing these standards.
Students are also following words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page. (RF.K3a ) They are seeing and understanding that words are separated by spaces in print as they trace and then write them. (RF.K3d)
I specifically choose common high-frequency words in the easy readers and repeat them through out the booklets so that simply via repetition students learn them. (the, of, to, you, she, he, my, is, are, a, do, does, it, etc.) This is also a Common Core State Standard: (RF.K3c)
The text has rhyming words which make it a fun read-aloud as well as covering RF.K2a which is being able to recognize and produce rhuyming words. Take this opportunity to ask your students what other word(s) rhyme with that word. Which other ones could have fit that would make sense in the sentence.
This easy reader makes a nice activity for Daily 5 or an independent reading or writing center for October. When everyone has completed their booklet, be sure to read it together as a whole group to review concepts of print.
Because the life cycle of a pumpkin is also sequenced, this is a nice way to cover a bit of pumpkin science too. so don't forget to point out the various stages as you read it aloud.
Why not laminate a completed booklet, attach Velcro or magnet strips to the back and have students sequence the stages on a flannel or white board?
Children will enjoy taking it home to share with their family, which will reinforce lessons learned at school.
Click on the link to view/download My Pumpkin Booklet
Thank you for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helfpful.
"It is not so much what s poured into a the student, but what is planted that really counts." -Anonymous
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!
Looking for some easy readers that reinforce number and color words while helping little ones count?
You’ve come to the right place. I’ve been busy dreaming up some really cute ones for spring, or ones that would be generic enough to plug in any time.
I think these will amuse your students. I even have one with a baseball theme to get those boys interested!
Students trace and write the color and number words, then circle the correct number in the sequence and color that many objects.
If there are any topics you’re in need of, simply shoot me an e-mail. I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com
Click on the links for the following easy reader color and count booklets: Pretty Petals, Let’s Go (Baseball Color and Count), My Sunglasses, and My Colorful Fruit. I’m working on booklets appropriate for every month so pop by often.
These make great Daily 5 activities.
Feel free to PIN anything you think other teachers might enjoy as well and pop on in tomorrow for some more ideas too.
Do you need some quick and easy ideas with a butterfly theme that reinforce standards, but your students will also enjoy?
You’ve come to the right place.
If you’re assessing right now and looking for something to prove your students can listen and follow directions, a GLYPH is a super easy and fun way to do that as a whole group.
The end results also make a terrific decoration for a bulletin board or hallway. Students can either guess who did which glyph, and practice all sorts of skills, or they can share them with the class and practice their verbal acuity.
Click on the link to view/download the butterfly glyph.
123 Count Butterflies With Me is one of many “count with me” easy readers, that reinforce a variety of math skills.
Students enjoy using a bingo dot marker to stamp sets in a specific pattern. They also cut and glue groups of butterflies to the matching numbered boxes.
When everyone is done, read the booklet as a whole group to reinforce concepts of print and recognition of number words.
Because students can work on these booklets independently, they are perfect for Daily 5.
Children not only enjoy making them, they feel empowered; teachers are then free to assess or work one-on-one.
Click on the link to view/download 123 Count Butterflies With Me.
Click on this link to view the collection of 22 123 Count With Me Books.
I’m always looking for ways to fit in a mini lesson on compound words and rhyming as this can get a bit tedious if you constantly “skill-drill & then kill” it.
I’ve found that tossing in a fun-themed skill sheet, whenever it’s appropriate, is much more palpable and interesting for most students.
Butterfly Word Play does just that. It breaks down the compound word butterfly and has students think of rhyming words for both butter and fly.
Students trace, write and alphabetize the words on a skill sheet. This is a quick plug in for a tabletop lesson, as is adding UT to consonants and making up words for the prefix of butterfly.
Click on the link to view/download Butterfly Word Play.
Finally, I think it’s a lot more fun for students to complete a writing prompt if they know their page is going to be part of a class book.
Writing about being a caterpillar or a butterfly is a wonderfully imaginative thing for a child. Illustrating how they would look as one results in adorable pictures.
I’ve also included a graphing extension to hit yet another standard and learn a bit more about your students.
Click on the link to view/download Butterfly and Caterpillar Class Books.
Happy fluttering through your spring lessons; I hope these helped! Feel free to PIN anything you think might help someone else and thanks for flittin' on over.
I hope you can fly in tomorrow for some new tricks.
Another theme I like to read about during March is Reading Month is KITES.
To add color to my hallway, I hang some interesting kites from the ceiling. My students’ favorite is the butterfly. I add more in April when we study that unit.
I also decorate my students’ lockers with nametag kites and their squisher kite artwork.
I wrote my favorite kite books on an inexpensive Dollar Store kite and stuck it in the middle of a bulletin board with a blue-papered background. The title: Reading Helps You Soar To Great Heights!
Some crumpled up white tissue paper, helped make the 3-D clouds. Take a picture of each of your students reading a kite book, mount them on multi-colored kites, with yarn tails and staple them around the kite. Easy and instant bulletin board.
As a home-school connection my students create ME kites. Click on the link to view/print the ME-kite letter home. This is a great way to learn more about your students, and a wonderful opportunity for them to share and increase their verbal acuity. Simply cut out a diamond shape on a half sheet of tag board and send it home with the letter.
Instead of the usual recess, I asked for several parent volunteers to walk to the park and they helped the children fly my collection of kites. They had a memorable blast.
One year my semi-professional kite flyer friend Donovan, was available. Hhe came and gave an awesome loop-de-loop demonstration of all his kite tricks.
Afterwards, students ran around with their own decorated plastic grocery bag kites to see how high they could get them.
Simply turn printed grocery sacks inside out and let students decorate with permanent markers and stickers, tie a string on the handles so they can pull it. You can also do the same with a paper lunch bag, but cut a hole in each corner and then insert the string.
I take an entire day or two to do a theme around kites.
Click on the links to check out these fun activity booklets and Unit: My Easy Reader Counting Kite Booklet (With Math Extensions), Go Fly A Kite, (Spatial 
Directions) My Shapely Kite, (Reviews Shapes) Where Have All The Kites Gone, (subtraction easy reader), My Kite Counting booklet (Math activities) + the big 78-page Kite Unit. One of the things my students enjoy making in the Kite Unit is the slider pictured on the right.
My favorite easy reader is: My Kite booklet because of all the fun extensions. Pictured on the left, is the rhyming word kite. Click on the link to view the entire booklet.
I also like The Shape Of My 3D Kite because it helps review those tough shapes in an interesting and fun way.
I have a Kk is for Kite poster that lists all of the rhyming words.
I also have 5 kite activities in my 133-page Spring Art & Activities Book. One of my students’ favorites is the Japanese watercolor fish kite. Click on the link to view the adorable photographs.
There are also other fun and easy projects that make great March bulletin boards, as you reinforce report card standards and explore some science concepts.
You can do the math extension kite graph with your students, as well as share the kite poems or make the class kite book; view/print the kite activities.
During story time we enjoy the following:
The Emperor and The Kite, Yolen; Kite Flying, Lin; Kite, Packard; Laura’s Secret, Baumgart; Berenstain Bears: We Like Kites, Bear’s Bargain, Asch; Dora and The Rainbow Kite Festival, Ricci.
I hope you got a few ideas to supplement your March is Reading Month plans or kite activities.
May they take you up-up and away to a great day … of reading!
In the booklet: My Book Of Color Words your students will practice TRACING, WRITING, COLORING, then CUTTING out jumbled letters and GLUING them to a box shape to form the correctly spelled color word. Wow! Talk about nailing a bunch of standards and reinforcing a variety of skills all in one great little booklet that your children/students will have fun making and then sharing with their families. Click on the link above to print a copy.
If you liked this format check out my other Color Booklet, Number Booklet, and Shape Booklet.
Or try your hand at making a KEEPSAKE booklet. Is "thumb-body" special in your life? Why not tell them! Do you need a quick artsy project for your students to do once a month? I've got the perfect thing for you. Click on the link to make an adorable thumbprint booklet and have your students learning the months of the year at the same time! Monthly Keepsake Booklet
Something NEW!
I just finished designing something new for your emergent readers. I know my Y5's really enjoy making little booklets; perfect for their small hands.
They enjoy looking at the pictures and figuring out words so that they can actually read the booklets when they get home.
Again, I'm using repetitive words so that they get used to seeing them, and simple phrases so that they can remember them.
I wanted to tie the booklets in with science as well, so that I'm nailing another report card standard.
I also wanted to incorporate cutting and gluing so they can practice these fine motor skills, as well as reinforce number recognition, matching and sequencing things. These booklets are also great for reading, concepts of print and for them to practice their writing skills by tracing and then writing words/sentences.
Each month I'll have at least one free "Easy Reader" for you. I hope you enjoy this new feature and that it helps your emergent readers as well. I'd really enjoy hearing from you and getting your feedback. diane@teachwithme.com
The booklets will stay free for the entire month, then they will be for sale for only .59cents, or why not become a gold subscriber and be able to download everything all year long at no additional charge! Click on the link to check it out.
Click on the links below to print the booklets.
Enjoy and happy reading!
This Month's FREEBIES:
The ENTIRE site is now FREE!
I hope you enjoy downloading anything you want!
If you get time, I'd enjoy hearing from you, especially if you're still looking for something that you didn't find on the site.
I design new things every day based on reader's requests. :-)
diane@teachwithme.com
February:
The Shape of the Cavity Creeps
