1-2-3 Come Do Some Christmas Writing With Me

I love diddling around with a “play-on-words” and since my students especially enjoy Pete the Cat stories, I thought it would be fun to make some writing prompts using the word “Purr-fect”.

Whenever I toss a bit of craftiness into a writing prompt, my students can’t wait to get down to business.

With that in mind, I designed 6 cat-themed picturesinside a semi-circle.

As always, patterns come in black & white for students, as well as full-color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share.

Five of the six patterns feature a blue cat, while the 6th is a brown-colored cat. 

Children of course can color their cats however they want.

The semi-circle shape makes it easy-peasy to cut, then glue to the top of their writing prompt once they color it.

A semi-circle may be a new concept for some students, so be sure & grab that teachable moment to explain this interesting 2D shape.

I’ve included 2 sizes of paper, with lined & unlined options.

Both are trimmed with a snowflake border.

There are 3 writing prompts to choose from.

Pick your favorite or give students a choice.

I've also included a blank template, so that students can write about something else. 

"A List of Things for a 'Purr-fect' Christmas" is especially simple and provides practice for the "make a list" writing standard.

I've included my sample in the packet.

Younger students can simply make a Christmas card using the “Wishing you a purr-fect Christmas” greeting topper, which they glue to their snowflake-bordered paper.

This paper becomes the center portion of their craftivity where they write their name.

For that finishing touch, they can color, cut & glue a "dangler" to the bottom.

To add even more variety, there are 5 different “danglers” for students to choose from.

These are glued to the bottom of their writing prompt paper.

These too, come in black & white, plus color.

I've featured 3 different creative font options as well.

Besides the “humped” toppers, I’ve also included a “chimney cat”.

He’s peeking out from the rooftop.

The writing prompt papers for this craft are blank, allowing students to write whatever they want.

Students could also pick one of the writing prompts that are part of the other craftivity. 

In my sample, I kept things simple and made it a sweet Christmas card.

For that finishing touch, students can add a single set of bricks (left photo) or a double stack (right photo) to the base of their writing paper.

Because they are so different, you could stretch the lesson and have students do a semi-circle writing prompt craftivity, then for another day, have them make the chimney cat Christmas card.

Completed projects make a sweet December bulletin board or hallway display.

I’ve included a poster to add some extra pizzazz.

This activity pairs really well with my quick, easy & fun, cat-themed Christmas ornament packet. Click the LINK to take a look.

Today's featured FREEBIE is also a Christmas card activity.

Since Christmas Around the World is a super-fun way to get some geography into your December lessons, I thought making a "Christmas Around the World" greeting card would be fun. Click the LINK to grab your copy.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

December is flying & I still don't have all my decorating or shopping done! Do you?

My feet have certainly hit the floor running this morning. Wishing you a fun-filled & stress free week.

"Heal the past; live the present; dream the future." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Pete The Cat Activities With Me

Since Pete the Cat stories are so popular with students, I decided to design a “getting to know you” cat-themed writing prompt.

I think building a community in your classroom is one of the most important things teachers can do to ensure appropriate behavior, kindness, camaraderie and a team spirit.

One of the easiest ways to do this, is for your students to get to know their classmates. Thus the reason for “Check Meowt!”

Although this is a super-fun icebreaker for the first week of school, I continue to do “getting to know you” activities throughout the year.

No matter what grade I taught, whenever I tossed in a bit of craftiness to the lesson, my students were excited to get down to the business of writing.

They particularly enjoyed sharing things about themselves, interests, opinions, likes and dislikes.

In this packet there are several options.
Children can make the cat head, then complete that worksheet and attach it under the “Check Meowt!” header, or they can simply fill in and color the worksheet.

If your kiddos are crazy over Pete the Cat, then run the pattern off on blue paper, if not, a variety of crazy colored cats makes for a vibrant display.

There’s an easier version for younger students, as well as one with more questions for older children.

PK kiddos can dictate their answers to a reading buddy, classroom aide or the worksheet can be completed at home with the help of a parent.

The inspiration for this craftivity came from the song “I’m a Cat”, which is on YouTube. The link’s in the packet.

If you like it, why not play it while children work on their “Check Meowt!” writing prompt, or use it to introduce the lesson.

Completed projects make a cute bulletin board.

I’ve included several posters to use for the center of your display, as well as a color copy of the worksheet so you can easily make a sample to share.

While I was in the "creating cats" mood, I thought it would be fun to learn about, and practice the 5 senses with a cat theme as well.

This packet includes an Itty Bitty “My Cat” booklet, as a fun way to reinforce the 5 senses as this cool cat sees, hears, smells, & tastes things as he moseys along. When you pet him, how does he feel?

Children color their cover, complete the prompt by writing one or two words of what their cat saw, heard, tasted etc. then draw a picture.

Encourage older students to write short, but descriptive sentences and turn this activity into an emergent reader.

When students have completed their worksheet, they cut out the pages, put them in any order they want, then staple them to the “purr-fect” section on the cover of their booklet.

There are pages with word prompts for K-1, as well as ones with picture prompts for PK kiddos.

I’ve also included pages that go along with the story “Pete The Cat’s New White Shoes”.

Besides the booklet, the packet also includes:

* A colorful cool cat 5 senses poster.

* 2 “Label the cat’s senses” worksheets, with write-in, or cut & glue options. There are 2 size choices as well.

* For more practice, students can also think of one more thing their cat could see, hear, smell etc. and write those answers on the bookmark-size worksheet.

* There’s also an “I listen with my whole body” classroom management poster, as well as one for students to color. 

Today's FREEBIE also features Pete the Cat. 

Even before Pete the Cat made the saying "It's All Good!" popular, others felt the same way, like Glennon Melton, so I used her quote to make a cat-themed poster.

There's one in black and white for kiddos to color, as well as a colorful one for you to introduce the writing prompt with, then hang in the center of your display of students' work.

Using the worksheet, children write whether they agree or disagree with the quote and why. 

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Praise the Lord that the 90 degree temps have flown the coop to be replaced with a wonderfully sunny, 70 degree day. 

Time to clear my brain and walk Chloe (my poodle pup).  Wishing you a fun-tastic day filled with everyone and everything you enjoy the most. 

"There is no elevator to success.  You have to take the stairs." -Unknown

  1-2-3 Come Do Some Pete The Cat Activities With Me

Are your kiddos crazy over a blue cat named Pete? Mine are; and one of their favorite stories is “I Love My White Shoes”.

With that in mind, I designed a variety of Pete-themed activities to practice an assortment of standards.  I'm featuring 2 of them on the blog today.

First up is a whopping 125-page jumbo literacy packet which I just finished this morning! Woo hoo. Thrilled to be done is an understatement!

It's chock full of a huge assortment of activities for you to choose from.

The packet includes:
* A variety of Worksheets
* Writing prompts plus a class-made booklet

* “Sentence writing” activities, which practice beginning capitalization and end punctuation, along with . . .
* Graphic organizers, plus 2 graphing activities, as well as . . .
* Helpful Literacy Posters to introduce and explain things. 

All of my literacy packets include at least one, quick, easy and fun craftivity.

* The “My Shoes Are . . .”  kitty craft is a personal favorite.

Completed projects make a really cute bulletin board or hallway display.

* The “Let’s Text!” activities are for “Making Connections“: (text to self, text to text, text to world).

I've included BW patterns for your students to fill in, as well as matching colorful posters to use to help explain things. There are also . . .

* “Cat Comprehension” activities that include a cute "Popsicle Stick Pete Puppet", which children make & manipulate to answer "Yes!" and "No!" questions about the story (28-question sheet included).

* Lots of super-fun “Word Work” and vocabulary-building activities, games, worksheets, and a word booklet, as well as 50+ word cards for all of the words in the story, most of them are Dolch sight words! 

For more word practice there's the...
“Feed The Face” Cat Craft as well as a
* “Syllable Sorting” word mat. 

"I Love My White Shoes" is perfect for teaching "Cause & Effect" so I've included...
Cause & Effect activities with black and white worksheets for students, a full color version to use as a whole group, plus an answer key. 

* There are Activities comparing “I Love My White Shoes” with “Rockin’ In My School Shoes” plus more

* Comparison-Contrast activities with Venn diagrams.

* Another literacy standard is . . .”Sequencing the events of the story”, so I designed a variety of worksheets, including an ordinal number booklet along with a set of colorful pocket chart cards.

I’ve tried very hard to include a variety of materials suitable for PK-2nd, so you can diversify for the various skill levels of your students; helping the strugglers, while challenging others.

Simply choose which activities are appropriate for your students, then “print & go!”  For PK kiddos do the activities as a whole group.

Use the packet for morning work, table top lessons, centers, early finishers, homework or a sub tub. 

As a back to school special, this packet is on sale for just $8. That's $3 off.  If you'd like to purchase it, please send me an e-mail at dianehen@teachwithme.com as the packet is not available in my TpT shop. (Just click this LINK and my e-mail request will pop up.)

Finally, Pete's "I Love My White Shoes" is also great for teaching and practicing "how to sequence and retell a story", since this packet was already huge, I decided to make the Pete's Story Telling Slider a separate item.  This too, is not available in my TpT shop. If you'd like to purchase it for $2.50 click the LINK to let me know.

There are several slider options:
* Check comprehension by having older students color, cut and glue the pictures in the correct sequential order on their slider.

* For PK kiddos the picture "cards" are in the correct order, or skip the cutting and gluing steps and have little ones simply color the slider with the pictures already on the strip. 

Besides the water graphic option, there's also a slider with a picture of bucket.

I’ve also included a full-color copy so that you can quickly and easily make a teacher’s sample to share with your students, helping to explain what you want them to do.

As children pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through Pete’s “neck window”, so that students can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take Pete home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

I’ve also included a color as well as BW “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet, as another way to check comprehension, plus practice sequential writing.  

Today's featured FREEBIE is also a Pete the Cat craftivity.

This one's sure to become a keepsake as I’ve included a heart pattern that says: “This is the hand you used to hold when I was only _______ years old.”

Children write in their age, trim and glue it to their hand print paper, which says: “We read ‘I Love My White Shoes.’ Please ask me to tell you the story.” 

The head is glued to the top of their (traced then cut out) blue hand, with their thumb being the "tail".

The colorful shoes glued to the cat's "legs" (their fingers), will help them sequence the story in the correct order.  

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

It's another rainy morning, but I'm glad for the respite from the super-hot and humid days all week long.  Wishing you a refreshing day.  

"When life throws you a rainy day, play in the puddles."

1-2-3 Come Do Some Pete the Cat Activities With Me

The Pete the Cat series of children's books, is a new favorite of mine.  Pete is a cool cat, and his positive up-beat attitude is refreshing.  "Does he cry when things don't go his way?"  "Goodness no!" 

Pete is the brain child of James Dean, an illustrator, who in real life loves cats.  Eric Litwin, is a "folksy songwriter" who helps create the stories and writes catchy little tunes to go with the books.  Kids quickly catch on to the funky-repetitive lyrics.  They stick in your mind like "It's a Small World" and if your kiddos are like mine, they'll be singing the little tunes through out the day. 

Harper Collins is the publisher of the Pete the Cat stories.  Click on the link to check out the entire collection.  You can download a variety of FREEBIES there as well.

One of my personal favorites is Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.  You can hear it on YouTube by clicking on the link. 

In this story, Pete has a brand new pair of white shoes.  However, they change to the color red, as he steps into a pile of strawberries, and so the story goes, for Pete's shoes continue to change color, as he steps into blueberries and mud. Finally, all of the colors are washed away, because he steps into a bucket of water. 

Oh no!  His shoes are now wet! Does Pete cry? Goodness no!  He just walks along singing his song, because it's all good.

Even though the story only involves four colors, I thought it would be fun to design some quick and easy activities to help reinforce 10 colors and their color words.

In the Cool Cat Colors: An Easy Reader packet, students read the sentence; correct the letters that should be capitalized and add end punctuation.  They trace and write the color words, and then color the shoe(s). 

For more teachable moments, be sure to reinforce the use of a variety of pronouns, as well as plurals in the sentences.  The last page of the story, asks students what color shoes they are wearing.

Children color a picture of their own shoes to complete the story.   Click on the link to view/download the easy reader: Cool Cat Colors.

Another fun way to reinforce colors and color words is by playing Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  games. 

In the Cool Cat Shoe Color packet, I've included shoe cards that students match up with color words. 

For students just learning colors and color words, use the full-color word cards for the game. 

If you want to assess to see if your students can read and match the color words to their appropriate colors, use the set printed in black. 

I've also included a mini-color booklet for them to make.  They color the sneaker cards, then write the color word underneath in the matching color.  There's a cover for them to add.

For even more practice, have students complete the color word matching worksheet.  

Click on the link to view/download the Cool Cat Shoe Color packet.

Finally, for the Cool Cat Spinner Game, have students pick a partner and take turns spinning the color wheel. 

Whatever color they land on, they color that sneaker on their recording sheet, and then trace and write the word in the matching color. 

The first child to complete their bookmark with all of the colors, is the winner. I've included a certificate of praise for them.  Click on the link to view/download the Cool Cat Colors Spinner Game. 

Thanks for visiting today.  Be sure and stay tuned, as I'll be busy designing more Pete the Cat activities for these sweet stories.  Remember, according to Pete, "it's all good"... especially when it comes to FREEBIES!

"Elegance is not about being noticed; it's about being remembered." -Giorgio Armani