1-2-3 Come Do Some Alphabet Activities With Me

I'm working away at the ever popular alphabet wheels. I featured Aa is for Apple in September, and Pp is for Pumpkin in October.

For November, I just completed Ll is for Leaf, Tt is for Turkey and Vv is for Veterans.

Since we continue to work on the alphabet throughout the year, it's nice to add something new to my Alphabet Center activities each month.

Because of the seasonal themes, the Alpha Wheels are  a perfect addition, and my kiddos LOVE making them.

I enjoy them, because they are a quick, easy & fun way to practice letters, and build the vocabulary needed to give an example of a word, with that beginning sound.

They feature 6 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black & white, as well as full-color.

Use a colorful one for an independent center and use the black & white pattern for a whole-group or individual word work activity, where kiddos make their own.

You'll find that your students will look forward to making and collecting them. 

For writing, vocabulary building and alphabetizing practice, I've also included a worksheet where students trace & write the words then put them in alphabetical order.

Click on the pictures or hot links above, to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look.

I sincerely hope these alpha-wheels make letter practice more fun for your kiddos. 

Fittingly, the featured FREEBIE today, is an alphabet packet, with a set of alphabet cards & poster which you can play games with.  I hope you find it useful.

That's it for today. A work crew is coming in to put a new window in my office, so I don't get to "play" today, but it's time and money well-spent, as I won't be freezing all winter!

Wishing you a relaxing day.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Letter Aa Activities With Me

Woo Hoo for Diane's Dollar Deals!  I'm featuring two, apple-themed ones, on the blog today. Dollar Deal Alphabet Wheels, are a quick, easy & fun way to practice letters.

I priced them at only a dollar, so that you can afford to collect all of the individual alphabet wheels.

They feature 6 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black and white, as well as full-color, so that you can use them as an independent center or individual word work activity.

I've also included a worksheet where students trace & write the words in alphabetical order.  

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a peek at the Aa is for Apple Dollar Deal Alphabet Wheel.

The other Apple Dollar Deal is an emergent reader: Aa is for Apple. It's filled with beginning letter Aa nouns. There are 6.

It's also packed with Dolch sight words and great practice for pronouns, as well as end punctuation.

Students read the simple sentences using the pictures as clues, and then add the appropriate end punctuation. (period, question mark, exclamation point).

They trace and write the Pp word, then color the picture.  There are 5, mini-strip pages, to a one-page template.

Students trim, collate and staple to the front of their "Aa is for apple" cover to make a flip booklet.

I've also included matching picture and word cards to play games like Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?".

They come in color as well as black & white, so that you can use them as an independent center for Daily 5 Word Work, or children can make their own game to practice at home. 

Students can match picture to picture, or picture to word.  They can also alphabetize the word cards and use them to write their own sentences.

As with the individual alphabet wheels, I've priced these emergent readers at only a dollar, to make them affordable, so that you can collect all of the flip booklets in this series. 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Aa is for Apple Emergent Reader.

The FREEBIE today also has an apple theme.  It's called Apple Adjectives.  On the worksheet, students describe the outside and inside of an apple.  You can do the same with a pumpkin. 

It's a quick, easy & fun way for students to practice descriptive writing and the use of adjectives. For your convenience, I've included a completed sample.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. It's a bit chilly, but the sun is shining through the lovely fall-colored trees. 

A perfect day for a walk in the woods with my poodle pup Chloe.  Wishing you a fun-filled day. 

"Happiness is a warm puppy." -Charles Shultz

1-2-3 Come Do Some Apple Activities With Me

I've created so many apple activities over the years that it was time to up-date and revamp some of my favorite ideas and toss them into Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop.  I'm featuring two today, plus a FREEBIE. 

First up is the Magic Math Apple. It's a quick, easy & fun way to practice recognizing some of those big numbers that kiddos often trip over when learning how to write and count numbers.

Seeing them in proper sequence helps them wrap their head around a variety of math patterns, and is especially helpful to visual learners.

By doing this as a whole group activity, you can quickly & easily assess students’ knowledge of numbers, colors, & spatial direction words, as well as their ability to listen & follow directions.

This activity also builds vocabulary. I purposely used words like left, right, top, bottom, diagonal etc. to reinforce spatial directions.  To assist kiddos with the new words, I've provided full-page posters that you can refer to.

Ordinal numbers are also practiced, as well as colors.  I feel even young children can gain number sense by doing this as a "monkey see-monkey do” activity.

On your large teacher copy, you color in the number 14 box brown. Show it to your kiddos & they copy you.

I've included a full-size teacher's template for this.  There are 2-on-a-page, as well as 4-on-a-page number grid options for students.

Completed projects make a nice bulletin board. “We’re taking a bite out of number sense.” “Apple-icious math work.” or whatever...  Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to grab this super-fun Dollar Deal: Math Magic Mystery Picture.

Next up is Willie the Wormy Alphabet Apple game.   He was one of my kiddos' favorite apple centers.

So that I didn't have to reinvent the wheel each year, and my centers were easy-peasy to set up, I try and create independent center/station activites that I can use every year. 

Designing them to go along with a theme, keeps them relevant, interesting and fresh. 

Willie took me less than an hour to make, and was so worth the effort, as he's a super-fun way for kiddos to practice matching upper & lowercase letters.  

Finally,the Melted Crayon Apple craft is a personal favorite, and today's featured FREEBIE.  Even though this craftivity is quick, easy & fun, it definitely has the "Wow!" factor.

"Apples can be red, yellow and green. These are the prettiest apples I've ever seen." is the little poem that's in the middle of the apple. 

There are several pattern options in the packet (a large, full-page teacher pattern, plus 2-on- a page for students, with and without the poem.

Using a crayon sharpener & broken, peeled crayons, have students "shave" separate piles of red, yellow & green shavings.  

They pinch a bit and then sprinkle the 3 colors on top of their apple cut out. Both of these activities, provide super, fine-motor skill practice, that helps strengthen those finger muscles.

Cover with a sheet of wax paper, press with a warm iron for a few seconds, then gently peel off the paper.

My kiddos often squealed with delight at how awesome their apple turned out.

Each one is different & completed projects make a lovely fall bulletin board. 

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you can pop back tomorrow for a few more apple activities, then it's time to move on to scarecrows & pumpkins! 

I love all of the seasons, but I think fall is my favorite.  Wishing you a refreshing day.

 "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

1-2-3 Come Read With Me

Hooray for Dollar Deals from Diane.
Here’s another emergent reader “just the right size”alphabet booklet. 

I hope your kiddos are enjoying them as much as mine did. You know you've got a winner when your students ask for another one!

They're truly a quick, easy and fun way to reinforce a variety of standards.

Besides the 4-on-a-page template, I’ve also included an 8-on-a-page pattern, so that you can make an “Itty Bitty Alpha-bits” booklet if you want.

Using the pictures as a guide, children read the page, trace the letters, write the letters, then color the picture. 

Afterwards, they cut the pages into 1/4ths (grab that teachable moment to review fractions if you're studying them) collate the pages and then staple their booklet together.

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it together as a whole group to cover concepts of print, and reinforce the repetitive text.

Even though my Y5's were technically not really "reading", they "got it" because of the repetitious sentences and picture clues. 

I think one of the reasons they loved making these little booklets was because they could share them with their family.  They were really proud of themselves.

There’s also a "Color Me" alphabet poster, which comes on a full page, as well as 2-on-a-page, and is the featured FREEBIE today.  Click on the link to grab your copy.

Children can color their poster all at once, or keep the poster in their writing journals, and color only the letters that they have studied & mastered. 

This is a wonderful visual way for kiddos to see how much they are learning in a short amount of time--a real self-esteem builder.

You can also use the poster to play an “I Spy a Letter” game.
Give children an M&M or other manipulative.
Call out a letter; children cover it with their playing piece.

You can see at a glance who is having difficulty, which makes this a quick, easy & fun way to whole group assess.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop for this latest Emergent Reader Dollar Deal.  While you're over there, I would so appreciate it if you'd follow me; you'll know when I post more Dollar Deals & FREEBIES that way. Thanks in advance. 

Well that's it for today. I need to get going on apple stuff before it's pumpkin time!  So LOVE fall.  Wishing you a day filled with giggles.

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." -Khalil Gibran

1-2-3 Come Practice the "Owl-phabet" With Me

I’m delighted to post anotherDollar Deal from Diane.
This “owl-phabet” craftivity is a super-fun way for students to practice upper & lowercase letters .

Look closely at Ollie the owl’s eyes.  You will see an uppercase letter in one, and a lowercase letter in the other.  Ollie is one of my "Turn & Learn” alphabet wheels.

Play "I Spy” a letter & have children turn the "eye wheels" 'til they've found both.

They hold their owl in the air, and you can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

You can also play “Whoooo has a clue?” Call on a child to choose a letter, then give 3 clues to the class. For example: “My letter is a vowel; it comes before P and after N. What’s the ”mystery letter?”

Children turn the owl’s “eyes” ’til they’ve found it. “Whoooo was the first? Is that person correct?”

I've also included a few owl-themed worksheets and a "color me" bookmark in the packet.

Besides playing games with Ollie, use it as a non-threatening way to assess.

Turn Ollie into an “Owl” miss you!” activity at the end of the year, so that students can review letters over the summer, lest they forget all you’ve crammed into their heads.

For a quick & easy way to make the letter “windows” in the eye, I used a circle paper punch. 

I set Ollie up as a center/station activity that children get to do after they have completed their morning table top work. 

All of the pieces and parts are on a table, with a variety of colors to choose from.  They pick out their parts & return to their desks to put Ollie together. 

You can also do this as a whole-group "monkey see-monkey do" activity, where you demonstrate the assembly step-by-step & children copy what you are doing. 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to grab Ollie for just a dollar.  I hope your kiddos enjoy their owl-phabet pal as much as mine did. 

The featured FREEBIE for today is a set of owl alphabet cards.  Click on the link to get your set today.  There are 3 sets in the packet. Owls showing both the upper & lowercase letters, as well as separate sets of each, so that you can play Memory Match, Speed, and "I Have; Who Has?" games. 

Well that's it for now. Thanks for visiting.  It's still chilly out, so time to grab my jacket and take my poodle pup Chloe for a walk. 

Right now she's asleep under my desk.  Maybe she thinks it's a bit too nippy today too. 

"I  don't know what my path is yet.  I'm just walking on it." - Olivia Newton-John

1-2-3 Come Make An Emergent Reader Alphabet Booklet With Me

Woo hoo!  I just finished another emergent reader alphabet booklet.  This one is called: From Ape to Zebra.

My kiddos absolutely LOVE “Itty Bitty” booklets.  They’re just the right size for little ones, as they aren’t overwhelmed with coloring big pictures.

Because of this, I think they do a better job, and I can have them work on a bunch of pages for one activity, without using a ton of paper & being queen of the copy room.

As with my other emergent readers, children use the pictures as a guide, read the sentence, trace the letters, write the letters, then color the picture.

The text in this emergent reader is “meatier” as I’ve loaded it with alliteration, to better reinforce the beginning sounds.

I also wanted to include the long & short vowel sounds, as well as “hard” & “soft” consonant sounds like goat & George.

I worked in the silent letter Kk in know as well as the hard sound in kite. So grab those teachable moments!

You’ll see a lot of words from the Dolch word lists. Would you believe I was able to incorporate 60? (!)

Afterwards, students cut the pages into 1/4ths, collate the pages and then staple their booklet together.

You can also sneak in another teachable moment if you'll be working on fractions sometime this year.

There's a template for a 4-on-a-page booklet, as well as one with 8-on-a page, so you can make an Itty Bitty Alpha-bits booklet.  Choose which one's right for your kiddos.

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it together as a whole group to cover concepts of print.

The featured FREEBIE today, is  the "Color Me" alphabet poster that's included in the packet. After students color their poster give them an M&M or other manipulative & play “I Spy a Letter”.

You call out a letter and they move their piece of candy on top of it. You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.  Continue playing 'til all of the letters have been colored in. 

I've included a full-page poster, as well as a template with 2-on-a-page. You could also reuse their worksheet to individually assess children for uppercase letter recognition.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.  There's a chill in the air here in Michigan, which makes it easier to give up any vestiges of summer that we seem to cling to at the beginning of September. 

I just hope I don't have to switch from air conditioning to turning the furnace on too quickly.  Wishing you a sweet day, filled with snuggly moments and a bit of chocolate.

"By all these lovely tokens September days are here.  With summer's best of weather and autumn's best of cheer." -Helen Hunt Jackson

1-2-3 Come Pair Up With Me

Welcome to another one of Diane's Dollar Deals.  This cutie-patootie, Pair Pears Packet is packed with versatility.

At the beginning of the year, when children are learning their classmates' names, glue a photo on the top of the pear, and write students' names on the bottom half.

Children can match their friend's photo to their name in an independent "get to know you" center.

Use the puzzle pair pears as a classroom management tool for a fun way to have children partner up.

Use them to play games like Memory Match & "I Have Who Has?"

I have included pairs that review shapes/shape words, numbers/number words, and uppercase/lowercase letters etc.

You can also run the templates off so that each student can make either an alphabet, number or shape booklet.

Covers are included, as well as blank pears for you to program with whatever.

Be sure and grab the "teachable moment" to discuss homonyms. 

Click on the link to grab this super-fun Pair Pears Dollar Deal.

The featured FREEBIE for today, includes another fun way to pick a partner.

"It's Partner Time!"  is an "oldie but goodie" that I made years ago, before all of the cool graphics programs, fonts & clipart that I now use. 

Yet it's still popular & a fun way to practice colors, shapes & numbers while picking a partner.

Well that's it for now.  Thanks for visiting.

I'm busy working on the rest of my letter packets. Wishing you a peaceful & productive day.

 "In the past a leader was a boss.  Today's leaders must be partners with their people...they no longer can lead solely based on positional power." -Ken Blanchard

1-2-3 Come Make An Emergent Reader Alphabet Booklet With Me

Woo hoo for another one of Diane's Dollar Deals.

This packet contains a colorful, emergent-reader, alphabet booklet, which contains 47 words from the Dolch word lists.

I've included an alphabetical list of the words.

Laminate a copy of the booklet for your classroom library.

Print an extra copy, cut the pages apart and use in a pocket chart, to read as a whole group.

I've also included 26 letter cards.

Use them as mini flashcards, for games like Speed, Memory Match & "I Have; Who Has?" or in a center, where students can sort & alphabetize them.

So that you can make an "Itty Bitty" booklet, I've also included a cover to go with the alphabet cards. 

Make one for each child in your classroom, and give them a copy for their birthday. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a really cute alphabet poster, which comes in the packet. The letters on the poster, match the letters in the colorful booklet.  Click on the link to grab your copy today.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to get the latest Dollar Deal: An Emergent Reader Alphabet Booklet.

Click here, to see the rest of Diane's Dollar Deals.

To see more alphabet activities click on this link.

That's it for today.  I'm having lots of fun making Dollar Deals. 

They are way less time consuming than when I'm working on a jumbo 100+ page packet, which tends to be a bit overwhelming trying to keep track of it all.

Wishing you a wonderful day filled with special moments, as one clings to the end of summer. 

"The tans will fade, but sweet summer memories last forever." -Unknown

1 page.

Here's a quick, easy and fun alphabet poster for your children to color.  They can do this all at once, or keep it in their writing journals ,coloring only the letters that they've studied and mastered. 

1-2-3 Come Make An ABC Booklet With Me

Diane's Dollar Deal today, is a sweet emergent reader alphabet booklet. My Y5's enjoyed making these "just the right size" booklets. 

Using the pictures as a guide, children read the page, trace the letters, write the letters, then color the picture.

Afterwards, they cut the pages into 1/4ths (grab that teachable moment to review fractions if you're studying them) collate the pages and then staple their booklet together.

I've included a cover, as well as a "trace the alphabet" page, to go at the beginning of the booklet. 

There's a template for a 4-on-a-page booklet, as well as one with 8-on-a page, to make an Itty Bitty Alpha-bits booklet. Choose which one's right for your kiddos.

As a whole group, read the booklet together to review concepts of print. To reinforce the lesson, encourage students to read the booklet with their families.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to grab the Alphabet Emergent Reader Booklet. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is the "color me" alphabet poster that's included in the packet.  Click on the link to get one. 

That's it for today, the rain is gently falling outside my window this morning. It's Labor Day Weekend, so of course it's raining.

Wishing you a very relaxing weekend that doesn't zoom by too quickly.

 "If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend." -Doug Larson