1-2-3 Come Do Some Alphabet & Number Activities With Me
Make learning letters & numbers especially fun with this “something different” packet.
While waiting for “my turn” at the ophthalmology office, I was staring at a framed print of an old-fashioned eye chart, wondering how I could use that in my classroom. The result of that long wait, is this “ABC the letters & numbers” packet, with C (see) being a play-on-words.
It took some time to design the eye charts, so that they not only looked like the “real deal”, but included all of the uppercase letters, so they can be used as a unique teaching tool, plus help practice letter identification & recognition. Easy-peasy for you & fun for your students.
You can use the traditional “E at the top” chart, or the one that says “I Spy!”
Besides the eye charts, the packet also includes a variety of “Eye Spy” alphabet & number worksheets & games, plus 26, mini puzzle glasses, where students match the uppercase letter to the lowercase one, along with 21 matching numeric puzzles, which help practice numbers 0-20, sequencing, subitizing & simple addition.
I’ve also included an assessment mat & recording sheet for both upper & lowercase letters.
A set of upper & lowercase "eyeball" cards, can be used in a variety of activities and games. I've included a 3-page tip list of what you can do with them.
There's also a set of "I Spy My Name" color-me worksheets, if your students are learning to write their names and identify those letters.
There are 4 boys & 4 girl options children can choose from, plus a colorful pattern you can use to quickly & easiy make a sample to share.
About the CHARTS:
My Y5s absolutely love pretending, and talking about what they want to be when they grow up, so “becoming” a real eye doctor is right up their alley.
Print and laminate the eye chart so it can become a part of your pretend play area. I keep a copy in our “doctor kit” tub.
If you don’t have an “imagination station” set up in your classroom as part of your daily routine, that’s fine too, as being able to “play eye doctor” will be even more exciting, as children don’t normally get to have this as a center activity.
Pair up a strong student with a struggler, so that they can each take turns being the patient, as well as the eye doctor. If you have older reading buddies that come in to help with your youngsters, this is also a fun activity for that time slot.
The “doctor” asks the “patient” to read the various lines. My kiddos use a “pencil pointer”, so they are specifically pointing to each letter. Having a pointer is also a “cool tool” and adds to the fun.
Besides the “Partner Pretend” practice game, you can also use the eye chart poster as an alternative assessment tool, where students point to each letter and say it.
The eye chart also works as a fun ”I spy!” worksheet game. Run them off, then choose a student to call out a letter. Children find it and circle it. You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.
Another idea for the eye chart is using it for a “whole group” activity. Using a dry erase marker, have a child come up and circle a letter that you ask for. You could also point to a letter and call on children to tell you what that letter is.
The numbered lines are also helpful, so you can reinforce number recognition as well. i.e. “Please read the letters on line 5” or point to a number and ask the name of it; or “Please show me the number 3”
The chart can also be used for ordinal number practice. “What is the third letter on line 2?” I love it when I can use a visual for more than one thing, and thought you’d appreciate that too.
Today's featured FREEBIE is a versatile "Fan Sailboat Craftivity" that's suitable for the end of the year: “Have fun sailing into summer. I hope it’s fantastic!”, as well as for back-to-school: “Have fun sailing into a new school year. I hope it’s fantastic!”
Inserting a pencil, pen, marker, glow stick or Pixie candy stick for a mast, is an inexpensive little gift you can give your new or departing students as well.
That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
Time to go soak up some sunshine as I water my garden.
Wishing you a carefree day.
"Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you." -Langston Hughes
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/langstonhu121611.html?src=t_summer"Like
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/langstonhu121611.html?src=t_summer
1-2-3 Come Do Some Little Red Riding Hood Fairy Tale Activities With Me
One of the many themes I do with my students is fairy tales, they absolutely love this genre.
No matter what time of year you slip in a fairy tale or two, I think your students will enjoy making these "hands-on" craftivities, which will help students practice the sequence & retell a story” standards.
Today's blog features 3 of my latest storytelling crafts for the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood".
For consistency, I wanted all of my storytelling WHEELS, SLIDERS & FLIP-the-FLAP booklets to have the same format.
My Y5s absolutely love making & collecting them so much, that after story time, several children will often ask "Can we make a 'tell the story' craft for this book?"
First up is a "flip the flap" booklet, where the wolf’s “mouth” tells the tale, as students color, cut & collate the “muzzle-shaped” pages into a little booklet, which is then glued to the wolf’s face, making a “flip-the-flap” activity.
I've included black & white patterns, as well as colorful ones, so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share.
I purposely did not number the pages, so you can check comprehension.
This also allows you to choose less pages for preschool students, who can easily sort beginning-middle-& end, then retell the story with a limited number of “picture prompts”.
Simply run the wolf pattern off on construction paper or card stock.
Students trim & add a few highlights with crayons.
For some 3D pop, have children bend the tips of the ears forward.
I also drew a completed face of the wolf pattern, should you want to make a mask.
For all of the projects, when everyone is done, have children pick a partner and take turns telling the story of “Little Red Riding Hood” to each other.
We sometimes do this sort of thing with our older reading buddies.
Next up is a "Little Red Riding Hood" storytelling slider.
Here students sequence & retell a story by sliding the "picture prompts" through a "window".
There are 3, “outside picture” options to choose from: grandma in bed, Little Red Riding Hood, plus the wolf.
Pick your favorite or give children a choice.
I’ve included simple, rectangular cutting templates for PK kiddos, as well as “cut me out” patterns for more experienced, scissor-skilled students.
Children color the story elements on the “slider strips” then cut and glue them together.
As they pull on the end of the “slider-strip” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that students can take turns retelling the story
I introduce the lesson by reading "Little Red Riding Hood", then share my completed "slider craft” with my students.
So that you can quickly, and easily make an example, I’ve included full-color slider patterns, along with the black & white versions for students.
After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts on my slider.
I have them guess which story element they think comes next, before I pull the picture through the “window”.
My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a slider of their own.
Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.
I’ve included a “Let’s “sequence the story” activity for this, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on their worksheet.
There’s also a, “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheets, as another way to check comprehension, plus practice sequential writing, hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers and other transitions.
Finally, another option you have for practicing these standards is the "Little Red Riding Hood" storytelling WHEEL craft.
Unlike some of the other stories we read, fairy tales have a few more story elements, so retelling them takes more "picture prompts".
With that in mind, I designed a front & back wheel, so that the graphics are larger on a "slice" from a 6-piece "pie"circle, than they would be on a circle divided into 12-pieces.
I find that my little ones choose only one color & tend to scribble, when graphics are small, whereas they do a much better job coloring in the graphics on these patterns.
There are 2 “print & go” options to choose from: A circle wheel, which features Little Red Riding Hood, as well as a basket-shaped wheel.
Pick your favorite, or give students a choice.
There are full color patterns to use for an independent center, as well as a sample to share, plus a black & white pattern, so students can make their own.
When everyone is done, practice retelling the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” using the manipulative. Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that her face appears in the “pie-slice window”, then call on a child to begin the story,
Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story explaining the “picture prompt”.
When you get to the sixth-pie slice, showing "grandma in bed", have children unfasten the brass brad and flip their wheel over, to reveal the last half of the story.
I’ve also included a “back” pattern for both the circle wheel and the one shaped like a basket, where students simply flip their wheel up & over to finish telling the rest of the fairy tale, without having to take their wheel out.
There's a blank-circle pattern, for the back which you can leave as is, or use the empty space for a writing prompt: "What was your favorite part in the story?" etc.
I've also included a pattern with the headings: beginnning-middle & end, as well as my completed sample. (See photo)
Just like the slider craft, you can check comprehension with the “Here’s What Happened” writing prompt worksheet.
Besides the black & white pattern, there’s also a full color template so you can quickly & easily make an example to share, or do as a whole group activity with little ones.
Another way to check comprehension, and reinforce the “sequencing a story” standard, have students do the “color, cut & glue” sequencing worksheet; this too can be done individually or as a whole group.
Today's featured FREEBIE is a super-simple, end-of-the-year writing prompt that makes a quick and easy memory book, or class book you can share with your next year's kiddos. I hope you find it useful.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
Nature decided it would thwart the rainy forcast and play nice today, providing a bit of sunshine & wonderful spring temperatures in the 70s! Woo hoo.
Time to take a much-needed break and get this old body outside. Maybe a little gardening perhaps? Wishing you an awesome day filled with everything you enjoy the most.
"If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need." -Marcus Tulleius Cicero
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marcustull10
1-2-3 Come Do Some Fairy Tale Activities With Me
One of the many themes I do with my students is fairy tales. It’s a great unit for “March is Reading Month” complete with a super-fun parade of “book characters” or a nice theme to wind down with at the end of the year.
One of our favorite fairy tales is "The Three Little Pigs". There are zillions of versions of this popular story out there, which make for wonderful comparison-contrast discussions. Click on the link for a cute YouTube video of a contemporary version:"The 3 Little Pigs"
Fairy tales are not only enjoyable, often leaving us with a "moral of the story" to ponder, but they are simple and short, making it easy for students to remember. They're perfect for practicing the “sequence & retell a story” standards.
With that in mind, I designed 3 different crafts for "The 3 Little Pigs" fairy tale, which make it extra fun to practice these standards. Choose either a storytelling WHEEL, SLIDER or a "Flip-the-Flap" face craftivity.
All of the patterns come in black & white for students to color, as well colorful templates so that teachers can quickly and easily make an example to share to help explain things.
First up is the "flip it" piggy. Simply run the pig pattern off on pink construction paper or card stock.
Students trim & add a few highlights with crayons.
For some 3D pop, have children bend the tips of the ears forward.
The pattern already has eyes, but for added pizzazz, attach a pair of wiggle eyes with glue dots.
The pig’s “nose” tells the tale, as students color, cut & collate the oval pages into a little booklet, which is then stapled to the pig’s head.
Another interesting "hands-on" way to sequence & retell the fairy tale is with a "turn & learn" wheel.
There are full color patterns to use for an independent center, plus a black and white pattern, so students can make their own.
When everyone is done, practice telling “The 3 Little Pigs” using the manipulative. Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the little pig who built his house of straw, appears in the “pie-slice window”, then call on a child to tell what happened.
Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story.
When you get to the sixth-pie slice, where the wolf blows the stick house down, have children flip their pig over to reveal the rest of the story.
Afterwards, have students pick a partner and take turns sharing their wheels with each other. Sometimes we do this with our older, reading buddies.
This is a quick, easy & fun way to check comprehension too.
For writing practice, have students complete the “Here’s What Happened” writing prompt worksheet, then color it.
To check comprehension, and reinforce the “sequencing a story” standard, I’ve also included a “color, cut & glue” sequencing worksheet.
Finally, my "sliders" are also a super-fun way to retell and sequence the story.
There are 3 outside slider options to choose from: A pig, the 3 pig's houses, and the 3 little pigs grouped together. Pick your favorite or give children a choice.
Little ones can do the easy-peasy rectangular shape for simple cutting, while older kiddos can opt to cut around the pigs and houses.
Students color the story elements on the “slider strips” then cut and glue them together.
As they pull on the end of the “slider-strip” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their “Three Little Pigs” slider home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.
I introduce the lesson by reading the ”fairy tale”, then share my completed "slider craft” with my students.
So that you can quickly, and easily make an example, I’ve included full-color slider patterns.
After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts on my slider.
I have them guess which story element they think comes next, before I pull the picture through the “window”.
My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a slider of their own.
Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension. I’ve included a “Let’s “sequence the story” activity for this, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on their worksheet.
There are also 2, “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheets, as another way to check comprehension, plus practice sequential writing, hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers and other transitions.
Since the end of school is just around the corner for many teachers, and some are getting ready for a preschool or kindergarten graduation, today's FREEBIE is a list of over 150 songs appropriate for end of the year slide shows, graduation ceremonies and performances.
Since I spent countless hours compiling it, I thought other teachers might be needing the same thing, so to save you time and help you check one more thing off your "to do" list, click on the link. Hope you find it helpful.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping by. Two of my 8 grandchildren are coming over, so time to put my Nana hat on.
Hopefully the rain will hold off 'til we've had some outdoor fun. Wishing you a carefree day filled with lots of hugs and snuggles. I know I'm looking forward to mine!
"We may not be rich and famous, but our grandchildren are certainly priceless." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Do Some 2D Shape Activities With Me
Most of my Y5s don’t have any problem learning to identify the 2D shapes, however, when I ask them to find an example of that shape in the “real world” many of them have difficulty, particularly with the "toughies" like a hexagon.
I even had one little guy think that in order to be a "real" hexagon, that shaped item had to be yellow because our hexagon pattern block pieces were that color! Sadly, none of my students could think of a "real world" example of a hexagon either.
Simply "regurgitating" vocabulary when you hold up a colorful paper shape, does not mean your students can point to a kleenex box or ruler and identify it as having a rectangular shape.
With that startling revelation in mind, I knew that I needed some "hands on" things to emerse them in. One idea to get the pentagon and hexagon shapes into their heads, was to toss a soccer ball to them. Easy-peasy for me, super fun for them.
Both those shapes are on the ball, so wherever one of their thumbs landed when they caught it, they identified that shape. A bonus for us, was that "catching and tossing an object" is one of our report card standards. Since we were learning 3D shapes as well, I also had my kiddos say "Sphere!" when they caught the soccer ball. Listen carefully, as some of my students were saying "spear".
Since children really enjoy centers as an interesting way to practice, I designed some quick, easy and fun “I Spy!” 2D Shape Wheels.
I use the full color patterns as independent centers, and have the wheels do double duty, when I need a unique assessment tool. My students can't wait for their turn to show me what they know.
Because it's such a successful activity, I've also included a photo-poster of the soccer ball in both the hexagon & pentagon packets.
Depending on the shape and available clip art, there are 2 - 4 INSIDE wheel options, featuring 12 - 24, different images of 2D-shaped things that children will easily recognize.
There are 4, OUTSIDE pattern options for all of the shapes as well.
Since these are shapes in the "real world" one features a global map of the world: "When you're out and about -- and see a hexagon, give a little shout!"; another "wheel cover" depicts the shape being identified: "Hexagons here; hexagons there; I see hexagons everywhere!" while the final option is an "I spy hexagons!" cover, featuring a boy or girl detective.
I’ve also included black & white templates, so that students can make their own “turn & learn” wheel, further practicing this standard.
Choose your favorite, or give children an option. You could also pick one type for your center, and have children choose from the other options to make their own. If they are like my students they'll be excited.
After everyone has completed their wheel, have students pick a partner and take turns identifying the name of the shape and an example.
Make a wheel or two in class, or send home as a super-fun alternative, to a worksheet for homework.
I've made a wheel craftivity for the following 2D shapes: circle, oval, triangle, square, rectangle, hexagon, pentagon & octagon.
They are sold individually for just $1.95, or save 40% and buy the bundle, then laminate a set and keep in your math center for years of fun.
Since the end of the school year will be here before you know it, today's featured FREEBIE is a little poem that I had fun revamping; it's entitled: "A-B-C Ya!"
I've included templates in color as well as black and white for PreK-4, PK, Kindergarten & 1st grade, so you can read it to your students, tuck it in a summer packet, or have them color their own and include it in their Memory Books.
I hope you find it useful.
Well that's it for today. Amidst the whirlwind of stuff to get accomplished in our all too busy lives, I hope you can find a bit of time to relax, as you start counting down the days 'til summer,
Wishing you a stress-free day.
"The time to relax is when you don't have time to relax." -Sydney J. Harris
1-2-3 Come Review The 5 Senses With Me.
This “play-on-words” ( "My _______ is Sense-sational" ) writing prompt craftivity is a nice review of the 5 senses and definitely has the “Awwwww” factor, as children use their 5 senses to describe their mom, dad, or other special person.
It’s very versatile & something that’s quick, easy & fun for Mother’s Day, or use the blank “fill in” templates for Father’s Day.
These “fill-in-the blank" pattern pages are also perfect if you happen to have a child without a mom, or perhaps a student would like their paper to say “Mum”, “Mommy” or “Ma Ma”.
I made my samples using real answers from children. I hope they bring a smile to your face.
A particular favorite of mine is the answer to the question: "What does your mom smell like?" to which Kaiden replied, "Water cuz she smells good after a shower."
I’m sure the ideas your own students will come up with, will be as sweetly hilarious as well.
Since classrooms today are filled with a lot of diversity, I designed 12 girl & 12 boy head patterns, which offer a nice selection for your students to choose from. There's also a blank template if a child wants to draw their own head.
Instead of drawing a portrait of themselves, another option is for children to draw a picture of their mom or dad.
Students pick one, then add facial features, color it, and finally label their five senses.
Have students pick a partner, and take turns drawing one hand on a folded sheet of construction paper. This way they only have to cut once to get two hands, which they glue to the cover of their card.
For the writing prompt portion of the card, there are 4 girl & 4 boy options, plus a generic bear pattern to choose from.
Students complete the sentences, color & sign their card, stapling the cover to the top.
Younger kiddos can simply dictate their answers to the teacher, a room helper, or their older reading buddy.
Today's featured FREEBIE: "Orange You Glad?" is an end-of-the year treat you can make to give your students on the last day of school.
If you've got that covered, I've also included a pattern for the beginning of the school year as well. I hope you find them useful.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
Time to begin my "too long" To Do list... No matter how many things I check off, I seem to always replace them with a dozen more! Wishing you a delightful day.
Definition of a Mother: "A person who does the work of 20 people for free."
