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 Do Some Mitten Activities With Me

Do you read The Mitten by Jan Brett?  It's one of my favorite winter stories and perfect for all sorts of sequencing activities. 

With the aid of the materials provided for teachers on Jan's site, I designed 5 activity packets that cover all sorts of standards.  I hope you enjoy them.  They are today's featured FREEBIES and have been very popular downloads.

Help students retell the Ukrainian folktale, by making this cute mitten slider. This is a simple way to review sequencing too.  Graphics copyright janbrett.com

The Language Arts Mitten packet also provides sequencing practice. 

My kiddos loved making the mitten paper plate pocket to keep their things in.

This 24-page packet is chock full of activities that cover a variety of standards and includes:

• Move Over Please, So I Won't Freeze an emergent reader booklet, which reinforces lots of Common Core, especially ordinal numbers and verbs.
• A mitten paper plate pocket "craftivity" students make to keep all of their mitten-related work in.
• A set of ordinal number pocket cards
• A Mitten Matching card game, where students match the animal character to the animal's name, or the ordinal number position it had in the story, or all three: i.e. the word mole, picture of the mole, ordinal number card 1st-first
• Ordinal number character assessment strip with answer key.
• 2 graphing activities
• 2 mitten writing prompts
• Several mitten worksheets, including one that covers rhyming words + more verb-work. (Great for Daily 5 activities.) and ...
• A certificate of praise bookmark that can be used to play another game.

Another Mitten Literacy Packet, includes more ordinal number-sequencing practice that will help your kiddos retell the story, including a "beginning-middle-end" graphic organizer.

There's also a worksheet  where students label the parts of a book, plus pocket chart cards for character, setting and event.  I've also included 8 bookmarks to prompt retelling the story.

Another interesting way to review the story and practice end punctuation and capitalization at the same time, is with The Mitten Pocket Chart Punctuation packet.

You can do this as a whole group activity with laminated cards (give students a dry erase marker for them to make corrections) or give each child a card to fix, by rewriting it on a sheet of scratch paper, then sharing their corrections with the class. 

Finally, Venn diagrams are a quick, easy and fun way to introduce students to the concept of comparison-contrast writing. 

They're great practice if you've already done so, and especially perfect for visual learners.  

There are 3 in the Mitten Venn Diagram packet to choose from. 

Do one as a whole-group activity to explain things, (compare mittens and gloves) and then give students a choice of the other two. (Compare two characters in The Mitten, or compare the story The Mitten with Jan Brett's other story The Hat.)

To see a short (3 minute) YouTube video featuring Jan Brett click on the link.  Another fun video (11 minutes) features Jan showing children how to draw a hedgehog.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you found some extension activities to do with your mitten theme. As for me, it's time to help my grandson pick up Toys R Us that seems to have deposited itself all over my office.  Wishing you a day filled with contentment.

Cute quote: "If kisses were snowflakes, I'd send you a blizzard!" -Unknown

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 Do A Few Pumpkin Craftivities With Me

Now that October is nearing an end and your students have hopefully read a zillion fall books, or you've read them during story time, have children choose their favorite fall book and do one or more of the craftivities in this Common Core Pumpkin packet, which covers a lot of reading and writing standards.  Woo Hoo!

The packet includes:

A pumpkin book report craftivity. 

"Read it" is a play on words for "Ribbit" so I've also included a little frog template that you can run off. 

Students color, trim and glue the frog to their pumpkin.  There's also a blank pumpkin template without the words "Read it"  

Students can leave the pumpkin plain, or draw on a face to make a Jack-O-Lantern, especially if they're writing about a Halloween book.

Run off the "pumpkin guts" writing prompt section on yellow paper. Students  fill in with information about their favorite book.

Add some finishing touches with crayons and a school photo glued to the stem.

The packet also includes another writing activity without a craft.

Older  students write about two of their favorite fall books on the recording sheet.

If you want them to compare and constrast the books they've chosen, they can fill out the Venn diagram to help organize their thoughts.

Are you working on retelling a story with your kiddos? The beginning-middle-end story pumpkin craftivity, will be a fun way for them to share their thoughts.

As with the other craft, I've also included a blank pumpkin pattern, so students can draw on their own face.  Run off the template of your choice on orange construction paper. 

Students place the orange pumpkin paper on the top of a yellow sheet of construction paper and cut once, creating the inside of their page at the same time that they cut out their pumpkin cover.

Children glue or staple their booklet together. (I've provided a nice wide tab on the left side.)  Cutting on the dashed lines of the orange paper, students create a flip booklet to explain the beginning, middle and end of their story.

I've included samples of both projects, so you can quickly and easily make your own examples to share with your students. 

For my book report pumpkin,  I chose the story Big Pumpkin, by Erica Silverman. 

For the retelling-a-story pumpkin, I chose The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid Of Anything, by Linda Williams.  These are two of my all-time favorite Halloween books.  They've always been favorites for my Y5's as well. 

Any of the activities work well for your Daily 5, and are especially fun for Halloween party day.  Let's face it, most children are so energized that day, that it's nice to have something a bit out of the ordinary, to grab their attention and keep them focused, while still learning something relevant.

Completed projects make wonderful bulletin boards or hallway displays. The pumpkin book report looks cute hung back-to-back suspended from the ceiling.

A nice bonus about the pumpkin craftivities without Jack-O-Lantern faces, is that you can keep these displays up through Thanksgiving, with the rest of your November harvest things.

Click on the link to view/download the Common Core Pumpkin Reading Craftivities.

Thanks for visiting today. I'm dashing off to do some serious grocery shopping. 

You know you're low on things when you're out of condiments like ketchup and mayo, to say nothing of the rest that I need to make dinner for tonight. Wishing you a productive day.

"The injury we do and the one we suffer are not weighed in the same scale." -- Aesop  

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

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Valentine's Day Activities With Me

To help build vocabulary, each month I added themed words to our word wall.  There are a ton of words that are associated with love and  Valentine's Day, so I decided to make an alphabetical list and came up with 240. 

There are 2 covers for a Valentine Dictionary, so that students can think up their own word list, and then look up and record any new words from mine that you want your students to know. 

This makes a wonderful Daily 5 word work activity.  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Vocabulary packet.

Another interesting way to practice words and letters is with my tri-hearts.   You can use the template in a variety of ways. 

The photo shows: upper and lowercase letters (Put one on each side and then flip open to reveal a picture of a word that starts with those letters.); compound words, contractions, as well as equations.  

I've also included an owl valentine your students can make. Click on the link to view/download the Folded Heart packet.

For more writing practice, have students pick a holiday and compare it with Valentine's Day.  I've designed 12 holiday Venn diagrams for your students to choose from, plus a blank one for them to add something different. 

When they are done with their Venn diagram, have students complete the writing prompt: My favorite holiday is ... because ...  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Venn Diagram Writing Prompt packet.

Finally, I had a few special requests.  Kara, from Florida, needed some valentine themed puzzles for her young kinders to do on party day.  Laura Strickland's clip art is so adorable, that I designed 20 different puzzles, that will help students count forwards and backwards, as well as skip count by 10's to 100. 

I've included 3 black and white puzzles for your kiddos to color, cut and take home; or they can glue their puzzle pieces to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small space inbetween each piece.  The results are an interesting mosaic work of art and make a cool bulletin board. 

Besides using the puzzles for a center, have students choose a partner and play "Speed" to see who can complete their puzzle first.  You can also make puzzle flip books.  Choose 3 puzzles, mix them up and then staple the top section to the numbered puzzle grid. 

Students decide which puzzle they want to search for, and flip each strip 'til they find the correct one that will complete their choice. Click on the link to view/download the Twenty Valentine's Day Puzzle packet.

Theresa, from Kansas, requested some heart-themed clock cards. This was also on my "to do" list, so I got busy.  The cards include digital as well as analog times to the hour and half hour.  (Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3)

Use the cards for whole group assessing, flashcard reviews, or a bulletin board.  Make extra sets; cut them up and use for puzzles and games such as Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  

I've included blank clocks so students can fill them in, as well as a clockless set for you to program with whatever. Click on the link to view/download the Heart-Themed Clock Cards.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Education is the key to unlocking the world; a passport to freedom." -Oprah Winfrey

1-2-3 Come Do Some Chinese New Year Activities and Crafts With Me.

There never seems to be enough time in the teaching day, so things like social studies and science don't get covered all that much anymore, if at all.  This is truly a sad state of affairs, because our children are not as well-rounded as they used to be, when life was simpler and no one ever heard of CCSS or standardized testing.

For this reason, I really try hard to design things that cover the standards, while at the same time plugging in a few of the more fun extras.  One of my Y5's favorite theme days was our Chinese New Year celebration.  It was a great way to have my students learn about, compare and contrast another country.  They were fascinated. 

Even if you don't have time for an entire unit, many of the following activities can quickly and easily be added to your day.   If nothing else, simply read several books about Chinese New Year during your story time, and have children locate Asia and China on a map.  

If you need some help finding a story, click on the link for a list of 53 of my all-time favorite Chinese books.  

I think you'll find it quite helpful, as it's a comprehensive annotated bibliography, where I explain and comment on each book. 

It took me zillions of hours to put it together, and that was after I spent some time sorting through my huge collection, but I thought it was time well-spent, as most people are not that familiar with multi-cultural books.    

I've also designed 4 Chinese bookmarks to pass out to your kiddos.  Click on the link to check them out.  

You can find a few of these stories being read on YouTube as well. A personal favorite, is Tikki Tikki Tembo.  

My Y5’s were delighted when I repeated  Tikki’s very long full name, and wanted to learn it themselves.  Click on the link for an excellent animated version of this popular folktale.

Another wonderful YouTube fairytale video is The Story of Nian. It’s just 3 minutes and explains the meaning behind many of the Chinese New Year beliefs, because of this mythological half lion-half dragon.

This year, Chinese New Year is being celebrated on Friday, January 31st and runs for 15 days, which ends on our Valentine's Day, so there's plenty of time to try and fit something cultural into your lessons.  

It's the year of the horse, so if you do an animal unit, your students will enjoy learning about the Chinese zodiac creatures.

The Chinese typically don't refer to this celebration as Chinese New Year; instead, the festivities are known as Spring Festival 春節 or Lunar New Year 農曆新年 because their year is determined by the Lunar Calendar. 

The Chinese aren't the only ones who observe it either. From late January to mid-February, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and other countries celebrate Lunar New Year too.

A fun way to add a bit of Asian flavor to your day, is with these Chinese dragon alphabet cards.  Use them as flashcards, a bulletin board boarder, independent center or for group games. 

I've included a 3-page tip list of things you can do with the cards.  After laminating, cut up an extra set and make puzzles. Click on the link to view/download the Chinese dragon alphabet cards.

Although China does not have a set of alphabetical letters like we do, it is possible to write your students' names in Chinese. 

I found an awesome site "Free Chinese Name Translations" where you simply type in your kiddos names and they appear in lovely Chinese characters!  The photo shows what my name looks like. 

I copy and pasted my family's names in a document, so that I could shrink or enlarge them.  I had such a great time diddling around here; my brain was going 90-miles an hour, thinking of fun things I could do with these.

A few names "could not be found" (my sister Kathie, for example) but you could adjust the spelling and see if that helps. Kathy did work.  I simply corrected the spelling on my copy.  If that doesn't work, you could also try a child's middle name.

These can be made into bookmarks, a certificate of praise, nametag, flag, greeting card, lantern, fan, or shrunk to make the center tag for a necklace, button, or magnet.  The photo shows the fan I made. 

To make one, enlarge the name card that you made, by cutting and pasting it into a Word or Pages document.  I dragged the image to the full size of the length of the paper.  Leave at least 2-3 inches of white border on the bottom when you cut it out, or your name won't show up.

When students are done, staple the bottom and gently pull apart.  "Fan-folding" is an excellent fine motor skill that my Y5's really enjoyed doing.

Another quick activity your kiddo's could do when they were done with lessons, is to color a Chinese picture.  Click on the link for the Chinese ChildBook site. 

It has a large variety of Chinese New Year prints including these cute little Chinese children.  Any of them could also be folded to make a prety fan.

Another simple way to add a splash of China to your day, is by playing some of their soothing music while your students work.  There's something very calming in the melodic music that chinese instruments create. 

I'm listening to "Music From The Tea Lands" as I blog.  It's especially meaningful because 2 of our sons were born in Korea.  If you don't have a CD, click on the link to hear 25 minutes of tranquil sounds from China.

As your students come through the door, wish them a Happy New Year in Chinese, and then teach them how to say: " Gong Hey Fat Choy." (gung-she-fah-tie) 

After several hours of research, I made up a page of information that includes several ways to say Happy New Year in Chinese, as well as links for you to hear how it should sound, plus the Chinese characters that make up these greetings. 

There are also some great links of Chinese children singing Happy New Year.  This informational sheet is in the Chinese Bookmark packet. Click on the link to grab this FREEBIE. Choose which ever bookmark you like the best and tuck one in your students' desks or backpacks. 

That’s it for today.   I have so much more to share, but I don’t want these blog articles to get too long. Be sure and pop by tomorrow for some more great Chinese New Year Activities.  Feel free to PIN away.

“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.” –Chinese Proverb

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

Since the Venn diagram downloads have been so popular, I decided to make some with a snowman theme.  There are lots of wonderful winter books out there featuring snowmen. 

They are great for comparison and contrast writing prompts.  Venn diagrams are perfect to help students organize their thoughts before they write.

There's one where they draw details on the snowmen to look like the two characters they are comparing.  For the other one, they contrast two snowman books.  Click on the link to view download the Snowman Venn Diagrams.

The positive comments about the Gingerbread easy reader, which reinforced color words, were a deciding factor in designing one featuring snowmen. 

I took the snowman packet a step farther and also reinforced the days of the week. 

Students circle capital letters, add end punctuation, trace and write the color and day words, + color the hat and scarf on the snowman. (See photo for a close up.)

A worksheet, 3 graphing extensions, a bookmark and spinner game, are also included.  Click on the link to view/download Snowman Colors.

I'm also working on a matching snowman color puzzle to go along with this packet.  Students can put them together as an indendent center, or play a game with a partner.   You could also give each child one of their own to complete and then use for your winter word wall.  I'm putting the finishing touches on, and will post it with tomorrow's newest FREEBIES.

So glad you popped by today. Feel free to PIN away. 

“I love snow for the same reason I love Christmas: It brings people together while time stands still. Cozy couples lazily meander the streets and children trudge sleds and chase snowballs. No one seems to be in a rush to experience anything other than the glory of the day, with each other, whenever and however it happens.” -Rachel Cohn

1-2-3 Come Do Some Gingerbread Activities With Me!

Gingerbread activites are like Pinterest; does anyone ever get enough?   My daughter frequently asked me why I "reinvented the wheel" each month, spending hours creating new things, when I already had "a ton." 

The easy answer was, I simply LOVE designing stuff!  I'm always looking to improve, as well as keep things current, fresh and interesting.  There must be quite a few teachers who feel the same, as I continue to get requests for "more-more-more" gingerbread goodies. 

I hope you enjoy the newest FREEBIES on the blog today, plus a few old favorites that you might not have been aware of. 

"I need a glyph!" is probably one of the most frequent e-mail requests that I get.  The gingerbread glyph is very popular.  Glyphs are a great way to get to know your kiddos, at the same time whole group assessing listening & following directions. 

Because each one is so different, they make a cute December bulletin board. If you'd like to see my entire glyph collection, click on the link to zip on over to the Glyph Section of my site. 

Many teachers are also in search of worksheets that help reinforce and review a variety of standards, so that they can use them for practice, whole-group assessing, games, something for "early finishers" to transition to, or homework.

With that in mind, I designed a variety of simple, quick and fun gingerbread-themed worksheets that I think your kiddo's will enjoy. 

Plug a few into your Daily 5 activities or sub folder.   Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread Worksheet Packet.

One of the most popular stories read in December is The Gingerbread Man.  I enjoy collecting various versions, with different endings.  Introducing story elements by reading a favorite book, is a simple way to grab students' attention.  

Give them a list of things you want them to listen for,  then when they realize where the setting is, they shoot up their hand.  When a new character is introduced, they do it again etc.  This is fun for children and keeps them focussed.

You'll be able to cover quite a few Common Core Standards with The Gingerbread Literacy Packet.  I've included picture cards, a graphic organizer, and a story slider "craftivity"  to help students sequence and retell the story.

The slider is my personal favorite.  I updated this old favorite. Adding "frosting" with puffy paint gives it an "awwww-dorable" finishing touch.

There are also pocket cards, 40 traceable word cards as well as a Venn diagram activity.  Click on the link to view/download The Gingerbread Literacy Packet.

For more Gingerbread Venn diagrams, click on the link for some fun ways to compare and contrast a variety of things. 

The Gingerbread Sentence pack is also great for reviewing the story, as well as practicing end punctuation and capitalization. 

You can use the pocket chart cards for a whole group activity and correct the sentences together, or have students do the individual worksheet.

Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread Punctuation Packet.

Finally, K-teacher Jill, from Georgia, asked if I had time to make some gingerbread activities that involved colors and color words.  I hope you like them too.  Click on the link to view download the Gingerbread Colors Packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. It's my hope that my efforts bring a smile to your students and more quiet time for you.  I enjoy hearing from my visitors; you can leave a comment below or e-mail me at: diane@teachwithme.com

"Had I but a penny in the world, thou shouldst have it for gingerbread." -William Shakespeare.