1-2-3 Come Do Some Haunted House Activities With Me

I love Halloween.  Some of my favorite childhood memories surround this holiday. Although I don't care for horror movies, some of the old classics like Abbott and Costello and the Haunted House are fun.  There's nothing like the idea of a haunted house to get students excited about writing.

With that in mind, I designed some interesting haunted house-themed activities.   I hope you find them spine tingling! 

If you're looking for some Common Core lessons for Halloween, the Haunted House Activity Packet might be just the thing. 

It includes alphabet activities, adjective practice, vocabulary building, plus writing prompts, which are great for Daily 5.  

You can complete the Haunted Houses ARE and Haunted Houses HAVE worksheets as a whole group, or have students make up their own. 

I've included finished samples for you to share.  For more practice, students can look up the words that they don't know, or alphabetize my list.

I've also included upper and lowercase trace & write worksheets, as well as assessments for both, plus a "Spooky Letters" alphabet game.

Use the game as an independent center, or whole group game.  Pass out a lowercase letter pumpkin card to each student. 

Call for a letter. The child holding that card comes up and opens the matching uppercase "window".  

You can also use this file folder game as a different and fun way to independently assess a student. 

I've included upper and lowercase assessment recording sheets for this.  

For more creative writing, I've also included the writing prompt: If I lived in a haunted house... Click on the link for the Haunted House Activity Packet.

Since the apple and pumpkin senses writing craftivities were such popular downloads, I thought your students would enjoy doing one for a haunted house. 

This is a quick easy and fun way to review the 5 senses, as well as work on adjective usuage for more descriptive writing. I've included a completed sample for you to share, or make one up of your own. 

Students color their haunted house, trim, and cut the roof off, which they attach to the top of their writing prompt.  The base of the house goes on the bottom. 

For that finishing touch, have students put their school photo peeking out a window.

To add to the fun of writing about haunted houses and get students in the mood, dim the lights and play some Halloween music or a soundtrack from a thunderstorm. 

Completed projects look terrific as a border along a hallway wall, or hung back-to-back suspended from the ceiling.  Click on the link for the Haunted House Writing Craftivity.

Well that's it.  I'm trying to keep my blogs shorter, so the other two Haunted House-themed activities will be in tomorrow's article.  Hope you can pop by to pick up those FREEBIES.

I'm off to pack for a little get-away time with my hubby.  Wishing you simple pleasures and heartwarming moments this weekend.

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." -Thomas S. Monson

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

Since it's October, it seemed fitting to plug in a few skeletons, so I was diddling around with the idea of making a math packet around the play on words "Numb Skulls." 

If you don't do Halloween-themed things, the skulls are perfect for a pirate theme too, or perhaps you can use them as centers when your kiddo's study about bones and the human body.

I think your students will enjoy rolling 2 dice to make additon or subtraction equations on their "Numb Skull" and then solving them.  They write in their answer and color that many teeth. 

Students can play independently or with a partner.   Once I started designing with the skulls, more ideas kept popping into my brain, 'til I had a whopping 46-page Numb Skull packet that covers a variety of Common Core State Standards!

Lots of the items are very versatile.  The number cards with number words, can be cut into puzzles, or run off so students can make an Itty Bitty Counting booklet, which is a nice activity for your Daily 5 word work.

You can also use them for a Memory Match game, or to play "I Have; Who Has?"  Add the "Kaboom!" bomb cards to make things more exciting. 

The packet includes:                                                            A Numb Skull slider, where students trace the numbers from 0-30, or insert a skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, or 10's number strip. 

There's also a slider for counting backwards from 10 to 0 and 20 to 0.

I've included several games as well. There's A Numb Skull addition and subtraction game, plus  a Count to 100 Numb Skull game, where students add the dice that they roll and then  X-off that many skulls 'til they have added their way to 100.

Skull number cards from 0-120 also provide options for even more games.  Since the numbers are at the top of the skull, play a game of "What number am I thinking of?"

Students choose a card and then give classmates clues.  i.e. "My number is odd. It's greater than 20, but less than 27.  When you add 11 and 10 together, you'll know my number.

I've also included matching math symbol cards, so students can make equations. Use the blank skull cards to program with whatever, or to make groups/sets for the equations students create.

There are some Trace and Write the numbers from 0-120 worksheets, as well as quite a few What's Missing worksheets for numbers 0-120, plus all of the skip counted numbers.

There are several puzzles that you can use in a variety of ways, as well as Odd Todd and Even Steven skeleton sorting mats.  When students have completed whatever you deem appropriate, give them a certificate of praise for a job well done.

Click on the link to view/download the Numb Skull Math packet. 

Since I get quite a few requests for telling time activities, I decided to whip together a Numb Skull clock and a few telling time to the hour and half hour games too.

This packet includes analog as well as digital time cards that you can use as flashcards, or to play games with.   Click on the link to view/down load the It's Numb Skull Time packet.

Well that's it for today; thanks for visiting.  I'm off to take a drive in the country with my hubby. 

The fall colors have peaked and a windy afternoon with a bit of rain, threatens their ability to cling onto branches for too much longer. 

Even though it's a bit chilly, a nice cup of apple cider at our farmer's market will warm things up.                                                                                      Wishing you a lovely day.

"One man who has a mind and knows it, can always beat ten men who haven't and don't." -George Bernard Shaw

The Farmer In October

October is often inundated with Halloween, and for schools who don't celebrate that, it's sometimes hard to find "harvest' related activities.  I wrote The Farmer In October with a harvest theme in mind, because of that.  I've included a teacher's copy, with manipulatives that you can laminate so that your story can be interactive.

There is a "cut & glue" version for students, to reinforce fine motor skills. Have students transition to this activity after reading the teacher’s edition.  It makes a nice independent reading/writing center or great Daily 5 activity.

If you’d like to do Daily 5 “word work” use the traceable flashcards that are included.

Have students combine them with other word wall word flashcards, from other packets, to make sentences.  After everyone completes their booklet, gather children in a circle and act out the story.  Manipulatives are included.

The Farmer in October can be sung to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell.  The "characters" in the story are fruits and vegetables that he harvests. Students can play these parts just like the farmer's wife, the dog, cheese etc. in Farmer In The Dell.   Children make a circle and sing The Farmer in October song, picking fruits/veggies and having them stand in the middle, as you would for The Farmer In The Dell.

I've also included, a graphing extension, as well as a tally sheet to incorporate math with reading! Click on the link to view/download The Farmer in October 28-page packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helpful. My "Pin it" button is on the burgundy menu bar.  I design and blog daily.  I hope you can stop by tomorrow for LOTS of Christopher Columbus  FREEBIES.

Happy Harvest to you and yours!

“Schoolteachers are not fully appreciated by parents until it rains all day Saturday.” –E.C. McKenzie   

My Pumpkin Shape Booklet Easy Reader (K.G.2)

Since yesterday’s My Pumpkin Booklet was such a huge hit, I decided to continue with a pumpkin theme for the rest of the week.

The 14-page My Pumpkin Shape Booklet Easy Reader packet is a fun way to review the basic shapes and common Word Wall words with your students.

When students make these easy readers you can review concepts of print with them by asking simple questions: Where is the cover, where is the back page, what is the title? (RI.K5) They will delight in the fact that they are part author as well as the illustrator of the booklet. (RI.K6

You can point out to them that the first word in the sentence is capitalized (L.K2a) and ask them what the end punctuation is. (L.K2b) In my easy readers where they re-write the entire sentence this reinforces those standards.

Students are also following words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.  (RF.K3a ) They are seeing and understanding that words are separated by spaces in print as they trace and then write them. (RF.K3d)

I specifically choose common high-frequency words in the easy readers and repeat them through out the booklets so that simply via repetition students learn them. (the, of, to, you, she, he, my, is, are, a, do, does, it, etc.) This is also a Common Core State Standard: (RF.K3c)

Children TRACE the words in the sentences as well as the shape and then write the shape word and draw the shape on the oval pumpkin, which they also trace.

Because of the spatially placed shapes, the last page has the pumpkin turning into a Jack-O-Lantern.

Take this opportunity to ask your students how the shapes are placed. Is the circle nose ABOVE the triangle teeth? Are the square eyes UNDER the rectangle stem? You have then incorporated the Common Core standand K.G.1 where "Students describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to. "

Younger students can trace him, older students can draw their own. (There are 2 different pages.)

Also includes 3 skill sheets about shapes, a certificate of praise, and 8-word wall-flashcards including 6-shape picture cards.

Students can make these into an Itty Bitty booklet. Make a laminated set to use for a Memory Match game, where the students can match the words to the picture or the colored picture to the non-colored picture.

The booklet + worksheets make a great independent writing center or Daily 5 activity.

Click on the link to view/download My Pumpkin Shape Booklet Easy Reader packet.

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

Do you have a pumpkin activity your students really enjoy?  I’d LOVE hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com or take a moment and leave a comment here. Thanks in advance!

“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to a human soul.” –Joseph Addison

My Pumpkin Book Easy Reader

October will soon be here; this easy reader covers a variety of standards, skills and subjects.

You can use the straight version of the booklet and concentrate on reading and writing skills, or you can use the "cut and glue" version (pictured) and incorporate fine motor, cutting, gluing, sequencing, listening and following direction skills as well.  

When students make these easy readers you can review concepts of print with them by asking simple questions: Where is the cover, where is the back page, what is the title? (RI.K5) They will delight in the fact that they are part author as well as the illustrator of the booklet. (RI.K6

You can point out to them that the first word in the sentence is capitalized (L.K2a) and remind them to capitalize it when they rewrite their sentence. Ask them what the end punctuation is. (L.K2b) and again remind them how important it is to include it when they write their sentence. By rewriting sentences or making up additional ones, in some of my easy readers, children are practicing and reinforcing these standards.

Students are also following words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.  (RF.K3a ) They are seeing and understanding that words are separated by spaces in print as they trace and then write them. (RF.K3d)

I specifically choose common high-frequency words in the easy readers and repeat them through out the booklets so that simply via repetition students learn them. (the, of, to, you, she, he, my, is, are, a, do, does, it, etc.) This is also a Common Core State Standard: (RF.K3c)

The text has rhyming words which make it a fun read-aloud as well as covering RF.K2a which is being able to recognize and produce rhuyming words.  Take this opportunity to ask your students what other word(s) rhyme with that word.  Which other ones could have fit that would make sense in the sentence.

This easy reader makes a nice activity for Daily 5 or an independent reading or writing center for October.  When everyone has completed their booklet, be sure to read it together as a whole group to review concepts of print.

Because the life cycle of a pumpkin is also sequenced, this is a nice way to cover a bit of pumpkin science too. so don't forget to point out the various stages as you read it aloud.

Why not laminate a completed booklet, attach Velcro or magnet strips to the back and have students sequence the stages on a flannel or white board?

Children will enjoy taking it home to share with their family, which will reinforce lessons learned at school.

Click on the link to view/download My Pumpkin Booklet

Thank you for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helfpful.

"It is not so much what s poured into a the student, but what is planted that really counts." -Anonymous

1-2-3 Come Read AND Count With Me!

I designed the 1-2-3 Counting series of booklets to combine Common Core Math and Reading standards.

There is so much to cover in a day that I like to over lap subjects and to use an old colloquialism “Kill two birds with one stone.”

Also the consistency of these booklets helps empower students and builds their self-esteem, as it only takes one time for students to need assistance, instructions and then they can work independently on their booklet.

This makes them perfect for a Daily 5 activity or center and frees the teacher up to work one-on-one with other children to help strugglers or do assessing.

You can do one a week or month, depending on your themes or the needs of your students.

They are nice as a home-school connection if you need “homework”, something for students to do when children finish mandatory work, or perfect for a sub folder or something that can be sent home for those students who still don’t “get it.”

Read the booklet as a whole group to review concepts of print and reinforce the vocabulary.

Students read, trace and write the number and number word. They see the “themed object” in a sentence and say it.

They spy the number in a sequence and circle it.

They X-out that many boxes or use a bingo dot marker or stamp.  As an added math concept, I had my Y5’s use 2 different colored bingo dot markers and show me an ABAB pattern. (See sample page above.)

Children cut & glue the set/group to the matching numbered box. My students really enjoyed doing these booklets and they caught onto concepts quickly.

I have a nice collection of fall 1-2-3 easy readers that will hopefully add to your autumn themed lessons.

Each one includes a graphing extension, traceable word-wall word flashcards, a cover for the flashcards so students can turn them into an Itty Bitty Booklet, a “Plus one more” worksheet, and a certificate of praise.

Click on the links to view download any or all of the following: 123 Count Apples With Me,   123 Count Leaves With Me, 123 Count Footballs With Me,   123 Count Pumpkins With Me,   123 Count Fire Trucks With Me,   123 Count Scarecrows With Me. 

Click on the 123 link to view the entire collection of easy readers.

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“Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.” –Thomas Dewar