1-2-3 Come Play Some Number Games With Me
As things are winding down, for a much-deserved Thanksgiving break, you may want to plug in a few educational, yet quick, easy and fun games on that last day.
The Easy As Pie Learning packet, reviews all sorts of standards, with a cute little turkey game that's easy to differentiate, for a variety of learning levels.
Use the 10-sectioned pie pattern, to simply make a 10 piece puzzle, for younger students to practice counting and sequencing numbers 1-10.
Older students can practice numbers and their number words, if you cut the puzzle slices into numbers and number word pieces, making a 20-piece puzzle.
You can also review colors with your little ones, by running off the number wheel pattern, on 10 different colors of construction paper; mixing and matching pieces 'til you have 30-mini puzzles, each with 10 different colored pie slices. It only took me a few minutes to make 10. Store them separately, in Ziploc Snack Baggies.
Reinforce life skills, by playing with the puzzles as a partner game. You can use dice and practice addition, or use the spinner (3 are included) to play that way.
Students take turns rolling one dice, to fill in pie slices numbered 1-6, then use two dice and add them together, to play puzzle pieces 7-10.
If your kiddos are also studying fractions, they can play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games, with the turkey's pumpkin pie fraction cards. There's also a larger set to use as flashcards.
For more fraction practice, I've included a set of black and white pocket chart cards that you can run off, so your students can make an Itty Bitty fraction booklet. Click on the link to grab this fun fall FREEBIE: Easy As Pie Learning Thanksgiving Game packet.
Thanks for visiting. It's really started to snow outside, so I'm off to go find the snow shovel, as it is tenaciously sticking to the ground.
Sigh... I am so not ready for winter yet, but then I don't think I'm ever happy when it truly arrives either.
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy
1-2-3 Come Make Some Thanksgiving Emergent Readers With Me
My Y5's loved when we made little booklets. Even though they didn't really know how to read, via picture clues and repetition, they were able to remember simple words and actually "read" these booklets, by the time we were finished with them.
This helped build their self-esteem and confidence and they were eager for more. Parents were excited and encouraging, when their little one would share what they had made in school that day, a total win-win.
With that in mind, I decided to design a template that I could use to make all sorts of emergent readers, for the various months and themes.
Thus, a "strip" booklet, as well as a "snip and flip" booklet, came about. They are being debuted here. I'm excited to make some for December and winter themes as well; working my way through the year, as my days fly by.
The first "snip and flip" booklet is a Thanksgiving Counting booklet, which packs in quite a few standards.
I named these emergent readers "snip and flip" because students snip on the dashed lines and then flip the pages over, to reveal a page underneath.
Students trace and write the numbers and number words; they read the simple sentences and add end punctuation, then color the pictures in the group/set.
Review adding one more to complete the next grouping, as students count from 1 to 10. You can also practice counting backwards from 10 to 0 by reading the booklet in reverse.
Snipping the pages on the dashed lines, provides great fine motor skill practice. When everyone is done, read the booklet as a whole group to review concepts of print.
As you read the booklet, reinforce some of the Thanksgiving facts that your students have been learning: i.e. What was the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America? What was the name of the Wamapanoag brave that helped the Pilgrims? etc.
Click on the link to view/download the Thanksgiving Snip and Flip Counting booklet.
The next emergent reader, is a Thanksgiving "strip" booklet. I named these easy readers that, because I can fit 5 pages or strips, on a one-page master, for easy printing.
Students get one to two whole pages that they cut into strips, then collate and staple into a 5 to 10 page "just-the-right-size" booklet.
Students read the simple sentences that I've packed with Dolch words, as well as sight words, using the pictures as clues for unfamiliar words.
They trace those words then rewrite the sentences, remembering proper capitalization, spacing and end punctuation.
Both these emergent readers, are perfect for your Daily 5 activities, or are wonderful to send home if your school requires homework or home-school connections. Click on the link to view/download the My Thanksgiving Emergent Reader Strip booklet.
The 1-2-3 Count With Me booklets, can also be used as emergent readers. They involve all sorts of simple math standards and are based on a 10 frame.
That monthly set is complete, with over 20 booklets. Click on the link for the 1-2-3 Count Pilgrims With Me or the 1-2-3 Count Turkeys With Me.
Thanks for visiting today. It's time for me to organize my desk.
I'm one of those people who can't work when things are in a mess and I have drawings, notes, and half completed piles of paper everywhere. No more flitting! Wishing you an energy-filled and productive day.
The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer
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 Some Creative November Writing Activities With Me
Are you looking for some November-themed writing activities to plug into your Daily 5 or writing block? Well you've come to the right place. I've got a variety of interesting and fun options for you.
After reading several stories about the first Thanksgiving, have a discussion with your students about the kinds of meals that they enjoy for their Thanksgiving feast. How are they similar? How are they different? Do most of them have a traditional or non traditional Thanksgiving?
Afterwards, have students write about this, by coloring their turkey recording paper and jotting down things about their Thanksgiving meal.
Remind students to use descriptive adjectives, to help explain what their table decorations, as well as food for their feast, consists of.
For that finishing touch, have them color, trim and glue the table pattern to the bottom of their completed paper. I've included my sample that you can share, or make one up of your own, as a fun way for your kiddos to learn a bit about their teacher.
When everyone is done, call on several volunteers to share their work. Completed projects make lovely hallway wall decorations displayed in a row.
Click on the link to view/download the My Thanksgiving Dinner Writing Prompt Craftivity.The My Thanksgiving Dinner paper plate craftivity, featured last week, would be a nice companion to this writing prompt as well.
Another form of writing that students are asked to learn, is giving directions for how to do something.
The "How to Make a Pumpkin Pie" craftivity, provides interesting practice. I've included a list of transitions, a graphing extension and an adjective worksheet, as well as a Venn diagram activity for more teachable moments.
Another writing prompt that's very popular at this time of year, is when children write about things that they are thankful for. For years, I had my students write these items on turkey feathers then I'd staple them to a big fat turkey on our bulletin board.
If you're tired of doing something like that, I have several different options for you to choose from. A super-quick one is the Thankful word craftivity.
Inside the letters, students write as many things as they can think of, that they are thankful for. Mount their completed work, on a variety of fall-colored construction paper and you have a quick, easy and awesome bulletin board.
The Thankful Wreath, is another option. Completed projects turn out lovely, especially with a bit of colorful glitter glue to add that finishing touch. Students write what they are thankful for on the autumn-colored leaves.
I have a poem, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, that can be included in the center if you want. Adding a child's class picture, makes this even more special.
If you still like the idea of using a cute little turkey craft for your "I'm thankful for..." writing prompt, I think you'll like Tyrone.
I got the idea for his loopy feathers from Melissa, over at her first grade blog. To make Tyrone, children write what they are thankful for on the paper strip "feathers" then staple them into a loop, and glue them to the back of their turkey.
I made up six options for Tyrone's tummy circle: Thanksgiving quotes, short Christian poems, and simply the words Happy Thanksgiving. You can choose one that's appropriate for your kiddos, or give them a choice.
Finally, making an I'm Thankful" class book, is another creative writing prompt that I think your kiddos will enjoy doing.
This activity fits in well with any "bucket filling" theme you may have going on, as students pick a Pilgrim hat card, out of a basket.
The cards have your students' names on them. Each child writes why they are thankful for that classmate, and then illustrates their page. Include real class photographs to make this a classroom-library favorite.
If you didn't see the Thankful Tree blog article yesterday, scroll down. It offers yet another "I'm Thankful" alternative, as this writing prompt has students write about what they are thankful for in the four seasons, working on the use of adjectives, to help make students' writing more descriptive.
Well that's it for today. I have much to be thankful for, including the fact that I get to spend a good portion of my day coloring, cutting and pasting away, as I design new activities.
Although I miss being in the classroom, I still enjoy teaching via this website. It makes being retired super-fun, relaxing and very joy-filled. Wishing you a blessed day.
"The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer, it's that there are so many answers." -Ruth Benedict (Anthropologist)
1-2-3 Come Do Some "I'm Thankful" Writing With Me!
If you're looking for an alternative to the "I'm Thankful" writing prompt activity, where students write what they are thankful for, on turkey feathers, (I did that for years) you may want to try the Thankful Tree.
This craftivity offers a twist, as students write the things that they are thankful for in each season. The tree-top writing prompt pages are larger, so students can write a bit more than on the typical feather.
It's an interesting and fun way to review the 4 seasons, and a chance to showcase students descriptive writing, by encouraging the use of adjectives.
Here's what to do:
Print off the tops of the trees on appropriate colors of construction paper. i.e. a green cover page, an orange one for fall, white or powder blue for the winter page, pink for the spring page, yellow for the summer page, and finally, ending with another shade of green, for the last "I'm most thankful for..." page, where students can include things like family, friends, etc.
Via a discussion, review the various seasons and what kinds of things children see and like to do in them.
To help students with spelling and recall, write a list on the board.
Look at the list and ask students to think of descriptive words that would make those things and activities "come alive".
List those as well. This will help jump-start your students' brains, and ensure that they incorporate lots of adjectives in their writing.
Students should compose their rough draft on scratch paper.
You may want to have them underline the adjectives, so that they can see at a glance, if they have included at least two per sentence.
If they haven’t, they need to go back and add some.
Children can work on a page a day, as part of their writing block, or for the writing portion of your Daily 5 activities.
Remind students to use proper spacing and end punctuation, as well as trace the beginning words of each sentence, underlining the adjectives as they go.
Once they have written their sentences, students cut out their tree trunk and tops for the tree. They need to make sure the pages are in order.
Children start with the last page and glue it to the top of the tree, and then staple the rest of the tree-top pages together onto that last page, so that the staple acts as a hinge and the tree-top pages flip up.
To add that finishing touch, students glue their school photo to the hollow of the tree. Children can also draw seasonally appropriate things to each of the tree tops, like leaves, apples, snowflakes, flowers etc. They could also use stickers, clip art or paper punch-cut shapes.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gibbons, as well as Sutherland's, Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks are great read-aloud books, to go along with this craftivity.
Click on the link to view/download The Thankful Tree.
Thanks for visiting today. I design daily and try to blog about the newest items, so I hope you can stop by again tomorrow. It's time for me to do a little grocery shopping,or my sweetie won't be very thankful for a loving wife, because of a non-existant dinner.
"I read; I travel; I become." -Derek Walcott
