1-2-3 Come Practice Letter Recognition With Me!

The more you emmerse your kiddo's with letter activities, the more likely the light bulb of understanding will easily come on.  Although important, trace and write worksheets, can become tedious and boring after awhile. (skill-drill & kill) It's important to give little learners a variety of hands-on activities.

I try to think up ideas that involve some sort of crafty aspect.  Children LOVE these; they provide fine motor skill practice, and completed projects make great bulletin boards and wall displays, that help build a child's self-esteem.  I call today's quick and easy letter "craftivity" Search & Find. I strived to do at least one activity a month that recycled something, so using old newspapers to trace on, fit the bill and the results look terrific.  These are wonderful for a seasonal Daily 5 activity too!

Here's what to do:

• Print off the fall-themed templates.
• Cut out; trace onto an old file folder and then trim. 
• Make several templates to expedite tracing by students.
• Allow children to choose a shape and trace it on a page of the newspaper, that has plenty of writing on it. I try to include several standards when I design an activity, so I made a prediction page to practice some math skills. 
• Students cut out their shape, and fill out the prediction part of the data on the matching worksheet. (Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.1)

Students find and circle the upper and lowercase letters that the shape starts with.  i.e. If a child chooses an apple, they will search for Aa’s. I tried to think up themed-shapes for fall, and added a football, to help excite the boys in your class.  To make this a bit more difficult for older students, have them search and circle all of the letters that are in the WORD and then tally or total, how many of each letter they found.  

When they are done, students color their newsprint craftivity, with a watercolor marker or highlighter, so that the newsprint still shows through.

Students glue their work to the matching worksheet and fill in the data. Older students can use the greater, less than, or equals symbol, to show THEIR answer, to the correct answer.

When everyone is done, you can graph how many of each beginning letter, that your class found, counting by 10’s.  Write each child’s amount on the board and show the addition, one step at a time, to get to a grand total.

Before graphing, have students predict which letter they think they will find the most of, and why. Click on the link to view/download the Search & Find Alphabet Craftivity packet. For more Alphabet FREEBIES, click on the link, to pop on over to that section of my site. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN away.  To ensure that "pinners" return to THIS blog article, click on the green title at the top; it will turn black, now click on the "Pin it" button on my menu bar.  If you'd like to take a look at all of the creative-educational items I pin, click on the heart to the right of the blog. Hope you can pop back tomorrow, for my newest FREEBIES hot off the press!

"Those with a lively sense of curiosity, learn something new every day of their lives." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Study Shapes With Me!

This 40-page packet will help you review Common Core Standards: K.G.1, K.G.2, RF.K.1a, RF.K.3c, L.K.2a, L.K.2b, L.1.2b, RF.1.1a, K.MD.3, 1.MD.4, 1.G.1
with quick, easy and fun ways to review 2D shapes.

The packet includes:

• Easy reader pig shape booklet using over 40 Dolch words. Nice for Daily 5 Word Work.
• Attributes worksheet
• Matching shapes to shape words worksheet
• Spatial direction worksheet
• Graphing extension
• Craftivity: Nose Shape Matching Game or center activity
• Craftivity: Piggy shape paddles. Use as a manipulative for assessing, or make several sets, pass them out to students so they can show you the correct shape when you ask for it.
• Craftivity: Color shape mobile
• 10 color word cards with 10 "color me" piggy cards.  Use to make Itty Bitty booklets or play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games.
• Shape word cards with matching piggy shape picture cards in color and in black and white. Use to make Itty Bitty booklets or play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games.
• Craftivity: Feed the Pig assessment game.  Use the above cards, pass them out to students and then have them feed the pig as you call for the various shapes or colors.
• A certificate of praise

Click on the link to view/download the Pig Shape Packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think might be useful to others.

" To teach is to learn twice over." -Joseph Joubert

1-2-3 Come Make a Glyph With Me

Are you going to be studying insects?  Do you need a quick, easy and fun way to assess listening and following directions?

Then I think you'll enjoy this cute little bee glyph.  A glyph is a wonderful way to see if students are listening and following directions. Completed projects are proof of that ability.

They are also a fun way to collect and analyze data, which will help you with Common Core State Standards:1.MD.4, K.MD.3

The packet also includes 6 graphing extensions and a data collection sheet.

Have your students choose a partner to interview (questions included) and see how many they need to ask before they guess which is their classmate's glyph.

My Y5's enjoyed becoming glyph detectives and their completed glyphs made wonderful bulletin boards and hallway displays.  Click on the link to view/download the bee glyph.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find useful.

"Be the change you want to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi

1-2-3 Listen and Follow Directions, and Make a Shamrock Glyph With Me!

A glyph is a quick and easy way to whole group assess listening and following directions. 

The photo shows a completed glyph by a girl.

Glyphs are also a fun way for students to collect and analyze data.

When everyone has completed their shamrock glyph, hang them up on a bulletin board, or hallway wall.

Using the data collection sheet, students choose a partner and interview them.

They ask as many questions as they need to figure out their partner's glyph. 

To make the game more exciting, encourage students to use as few questions as possible, to see who can solve the mystery with the fewest questions.

The packet includes 6 graphing extensions + a data collection sheet.

Click on the link to view/download the Shamrock Glyph packet.

Thank you for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything from my site that you think others might find useful.

"The man who does not read good books, has no advantage over a man who can not read good books." -Mark Twain