1-2-3 Come Make A Barn Manipulative With Me

My Y5's LOVED "sliders".  I designed them for every theme and for a variety of report card standards (shapes, letters, numbers, words etc.) They provide wonderful fine motor skill practice, and are a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess.  I named them "sliders" because students "slide" their answer strip up and down to locate the correct response.

I've had quite a few requests for lessons revolving around a farm theme, so I thought I'd whip together a barn slider.  Have students glue their head over the farm girl/boy who's peeking out of the door, to make this extra special. 

There are traceable word cards featuring various farm life holding a shape.  I've also included traceable, shape-word cards as well.  Teachers can flash a card, students then manipulate their slider to find that shape and shape word on their sliders. 

Print off extra sets of the cards so children can play  Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" shape games. For further reinforcement, run off the "My Shapes booklet". Children trace and write the shape word, as well as trace and color the shape. 

Click on the link to view/download the Who Let The Shapes Out Barn Packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  My "Pin it " button is at the top.  To make sure that pinners return to THIS blog article, click on the title of the blog article, so that it turns black, then click the "pin it" button. It's maddening clicking on  pins, only to find yourself at some other blog article and then have to scroll around to find what you're looking for. If you'd like to take a look at all of the terrific educational items I spend way too much time pinning, click on the "Follow Me!" heart to the right.

"Some of the best lessons we ever learn, we learn from our mistakes and failures.  The error of the past is the success and wisdom of the future." -Tyron Edwards

1-2-3 Come Review Shapes With Me!

I found that the more I immersed children in shapes and shape vocabulary, the quicker they grasped the standards.  I tried to give students a variety of activities to do, that would involve an assortment of standards, so that I was covering quite a bit, in  a short amount of time, with just one activity.

Glyphs and games were wonderful alternatives, that my Y5's really enjoyed.  I get quite a few requests for glyphs, and by the number of people who download and PIN them, they are obviously popular.  The Quilt Glyph is covered with 2D flat shapes.

Run off and pass out the glyph quilts. Students write their name in the center. The teacher reads the Quilt Glyph directions and has students color the shapes according to their answers. To add that "finishing touch" students can glue a photo on their favorite shape.

Pre-cut a variety of colors of construction paper.  Have students choose one and glue their quilt to it.  Arrange all of the pieces on a bulletin board to resemble a large classroom quilt.  Your caption can read: "We are all wonderfully unique, yet we go together perfectly!"  Click on the link to view/download the Back to School Quilt Glyph.

Another way to review shapes is via the "Quick Quilt" game. Run off the template.  Students take turns spinning the shape spinner. 

Whatever shape they land on, is the one that they trace and color on their quilt. Encourage students to identify the shape by saying its name. 

The 1st one who completes their quilt, or the one with the most shapes colored in when the timer rings, is the winner. 

The rest of the players complete their quilts too.  I've included a black and white spinner, as well as one in color, plus both options, with shape- word labels.  Students can color they shapes any color that they want (I encourage children to use lots of colors) or they can color the shape to match the one on the spinner.

Click on the link to view/download the Quick Quilt Shape Game.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  If you'd like to see what other wonderfully creative items I PIN (mostly educational FREE stuff) simply click on the "Follow Me!" heart on your right.

"If you can't make a mistake, you can't make anything." -Marva Collins

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 Silly Shaped Owls With Me!

Since the Silly Shaped Penguins were such a huge hit in January, I decided to whip together a packet of 2D shape activities using owls. 

I love owls, and lately, they seem to be all the rage.

You can quickly make these silly shaped owls and increase your students knOWLedge of shapes, shape words, attributes etc.

These activities make nice Daily 5 Word Work lessons, and will help reinforce Common Core State Standards: K.G.1, K.G.2, K.MD.3, 1.MD.4, 1.G.1

• Owl shape "craftivity".  Using the patterns, make the owls and laminate. 

• Use them as anchor charts, a shape bulletin board, oral assessments, or manipulatives for students to hold up during a shape story.
• Make an extra laminated set and cut them in half for an independent math center. 
• Choose 4 and suspend them from the ceiling in each corner of your classroom, so that you can play "4 Corners".  My kiddos absolutely LOVE this game and it's a quick, easy and super-fun way to reinforce the more difficult shapes.  When they've learned those, I hang up 4 other ones 'til they know them all.
  

• Students could also make one or several at a math center, perhaps choosing their favorite shaped owl(s).

Click on the link to view/download the Silly Shaped Owls packet.

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

"I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again."

1-2-3 Come Lace And Learn With Me!

The more ways you can get students involved in shapes, the better the chance of the recognition-light bulb finally going on.

Lacing is fun for little ones, as well as an awesome fine motor skill.

These "Lace To Learn" shapes are quick and easy to make.

Simply run them off on card stock, laminate, trim and punch holes. 

Students can lace in and out through the holes with a long piece of yarn or ribbon with the tips taped, or a big shoestring is also fun.

Have children say the shape several times as they lace.

I've labeled the shapes with traceable words, so that tracing them with a dry erase marker is also great word reinforcement.

When students have completed their project, ask them to name 1 or 2 attributes that they discovered while they were lacing.

Click on the link to view/download the Learn While You Lace 2D Shape Activity.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful. My pin button is at the top.

"They believed they could, so they did!" -Unknown

1-2-3's, ABC's, and Shapes Via The Mail

Woo Hoo! This is my 500th blog article! Hope you enjoy it.

I love making up special alphabet, number and shape cards for each month.

I think it helps students stay interested and focussed if they come in the first of every month and see a seasonal change that brightens up your room and adds variety to the "same-old- same-old"...

My Y5's loved going to the post office to mail their Valentines.  It was a fun way for me to cover that information, and just a few blocks walk from our school.

With that in mind, I wanted to dream up some cards involving envelopes.  I thought letters of the alphabet and letters in an envelope was a cute idea, thus Letter Letters, Number Letters and Shape Letters were born.

Number Letters covers the Common Core State Standards: RF.K.3c, K.CC.4a, K.CC.4b, K.CC.4c, K.OA.5,K.CC.6 and is a fun way to review counting, number words, simple addition and subtraction as well as greater and less than.

It includes a blank set for you to program with whatever...+ math symbols: < > + - = so students can make equations and solve them.

I've also included 2-pages of tips of what to do with the cards, including games.

Click on the link to view/downloard Number Letters.

Letter Letters  can be used as a border or laminate, cut them up into puzzles and use them to play games.

This packet includes a blank sheet for you to program with whatever...+ a cover so students can make an Itty Bitty Booklet, as well as 3-pages of tips of what to do with the cards.

Finally, Shape Letters is a delightful way to review these 11  2-D shapes: circle, oval, triangle, rectangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, heart, star and crescent.

The packet helps reinforce colors and color words as well. Remind students that these are two-dimensional shapes and lie in a plane or "flat."

Put them on the wall as a border, or run off a set for your students and have them write the shape word and then trace and color the shape.

You can also laminate them, cut them up and make them into puzzles. Students match the word to its shape.

Pass them out to students and give spatial directions: "Put your shape over, under, between, behind, beside, left-right, etc."

If you do the above, you'll be covering Common Core State Standards: K.G.1, K.G.2, K.G.3

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others will find helpful.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge.  Knowledge is limited.  Imagination encircles the world." -Albert Einstein