1-2-3 Come Do Some Fun Wind-Themed Activities With Me

Incorporating a variety of genre is one of our standards.  It's difficult to cover separate units for all that's required, so I offer a variety of genres within each of my monthly-themed units.

I love poetry, particularly poems that rhyme, but finding age-level appropriate ones that match a theme, is not an easy task.

Since March is a very windy month here in the Midwest, I have a brief, wind-themed mini unit, that I toss in on the tail end of our kite unit. (No pun intended!)

With that in mind, I designed the Wind Tricks poetry packet to go along with my other wind-themed activities.  I hope you find it helpful.

I came across this poem years ago, and even with the help of massive search engines, I still have not discovered the author. 

I chose this poem because it's short, simple, incorporates rhyme and more than half the words that are in the poem, also appear on the Dolch word lists.

The packet includes:

An anchor-chart Wind Tricks poster-poem. Hang it up and read it to your class, then read as a whole group.

Six large (full-color) pocket chart cards, featuring each stanza.  Use these for a whole group activity as well.

Using dry erase markers, call on children to correct beginning capitalization and add end punctuation.

I've also included a small set of matching pocket chart cards which fit on one page.

So that students can read and correct their own poem, I made a black and white "emergent reader" set of cards, which they can color, trim and collate into a booklet. 

The packet also has 2 sizes of 34-mini word cards, using the words from the poem. (18 are Dolch Words.)

One of the ways you can use them is with the Mr. Windy envelope.

Pass the mini word cards out to students and then have them "feed" the Mr. Windy "Blow some words my way" envelope or use them to play the Windy Words game.

The Windy Words game is a bit goofy, but I'll try just about anything to get my kiddos excited about reading and writing.

No matter what grade I taught, from PK through college, my students always enjoyed my silly, but educational games.

Children make their own "Windy" by poking a straw through Mr. Windy's mouth.  I used a red strip of paper and taped it to the table.

Adjust the game to suit the age of your students. Toss the word cards on the table, or leave them in a pile.

Who can blow the most words across the line? Can they read all of the words that they blew over the line? Have them choose 3-5 words and use them to make up sentences.

As a math extension, have each student count and then record on the “Tally Ho” sheet, how many words they blew across the line.

Use tally marks then add up a grand total of how many words the entire class blew over the line. (Recording data, using tally marks, as well as skip counting by 5s are all practiced.)

There are other uses for the cards too. Put them in alphabetical order; sort them by long and short vowels; or sort them by parts of speech.

If you have the time, and don't mind a messy, but awesome craftivity, reuse the Windy Word straws to make a "Windblown" Hair-Raising Portrait.

I found this adorable picture on Pinterest, with a broken link, but it's exactly what I had in mind.  For easy clean up, lay newspaper on your worktable and use a cardboard box as a "security wall" to catch splatters.

Students can draw their own face on a sheet of white construction paper, or run off my template. Children add facial features and color their "head".

To make a "bad hair day doo" arrange a rainbow of colored plops of paint around the top of the head. (I use watered-down acrylics, because they are inexpensive, washable, and fast drying.) 

Children use their straw to gently blow the paint in an upward direction to make "strands" of "hair".

Set aside to dry and later have children mount their creation on the top of the writing prompt: "I'm having a bad hair day when..." or something to do with wind or the Wind Tricks poem.  They could also write the poem on the back or whatever words you want them to work on. 

Anna, over at the Imagination Tree did some cool abstract straw blown paintings with her girls.  For more "straw art" click on the link for a very pinteresting board I discovered while doing research.

Since this is a rhyming poem, I also included some Rhyme Time activities for the words in the poem that rhyme with day, street, and dance, which include anchor-chart posters, featuring the alphabetical lists of the words that I thought of.

This is a great way to build vocabulary, and fits in nicely with your Daily 5 word work activities.

Finally, I included a "What is Genre?" explanation, with an emphasis on explaining the poetry genre. (Nice for giving your students some background.)

Click on the link to view/download the Wind Tricks poetry packet and let the fun begin.  To see all of my wind-themed FREEBIES click on the link to pop over to that section of TeachWithMe.

For more educational "pinspiration", free ideas, activities and crafts on my Pinterest boards, click on the link. I have one specifically for Windy March.

Thanks for visiting.  Time to run.  My 2-year-old grandson is coming to Nana's to play this morning.  I think baking some cookies is in order. 

Although he loves drinking with a straw and blowing bubbles, and truly enjoys craftivities with me, I'm not quite ready for a "mess-terpiece" today. Wishing you a delicious day filled with giggles.

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." -Jimmy Dean

31 pages.

March is a very windy month here in the midwest. With that in mind, I designed this Wind Tricks poetry packet, to go along with my other wind-themed activities.  I hope you find it helpful.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Colorful Fall Activities With Me

Because of the Halloween Colors packet, I had 2 requests for something similar, that was less Halloween and more fall in content.  Both gals teach at schools where they don't celebrate Halloween, but do cover all of the Common Core that I incorporated into the packet.  

I decided to revamp The Colors Of Fall easy reader.  It's one of my first booklets, before I took computer classes and bought lots of software, clip art and fonts, yet it's one of my personal favorites, as my husband helped me tweak my poem. 

He's a stickler for the appropriate number of beats for consistancy in a rhyme.  I've included a poster poem to share with your students before they start working on their own booklet.

Children read the simple sentences (lots of Dolch and word wall words here). 

They correct the beginning capitalization and then add end punctuation. 

Using matching colored markers or crayons, they trace, write and color the color words and then color the pictures.

There's also a color word worksheet, graphing extension and spinner game.  

Click on the link to view/download The Colors Of Fall packet.

As long as I was on a roll, I decided to whip up an all-leaf themed one, using the same format. 

I wasn't sure I was going to use all of the colors, because purple, pink, blue and white are certainly not common leaf colors, but I managed to fit them all in.

As with the other two packets, there's a booklet, worksheet, graphing extension and game.  Click on the link to view/download The Colorful Leaves packet.

Anna and Karla were happy about the new additions, and said "Just what I was looking for!"  so I hope you can use them too. 

Now that I'm calmer, I'm off to try and figure out 3 stupid TV remotes, (Isn't 3 times a charm?) so that I can watch a Disney movie with my grandson.  Things have gotten so complicated I'm ready to throw them all out the window!  Oh for the days of on-off-and fast forward, with only ONE remote.  If you hear a crash you'll know I wasn't very successful... Wishing you a stress-free day.    

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it." - Henry Ford

1-2-3- Have Fun Writing About Goals With Me

Pot of Goals is a fun "craftivity" March writing prompt, that reinforces Common Core State Standards: L.K.2a, L.K.2b, RF.K.3d,  RF.K.1c, RF.1.1a, L.1.2b

Simply run off the templates on construction paper. 

Students complete the "goal" coin sentences and add their reasons why.

Remind students to use appropriate capitalization, end punctuation and spacing, when they write their goals on the coins.

Lay out a selection of large construction paper, in the colors of the rainbow.  Only have enough paper so that all of it will be chosen, and you'll have a sampling of every color.

Students cut out their pot and coins, and glue them to the construction paper.

Hang the completed pots, in rainbow color order, on a large wall.  Your title can be: A Rainbow Of Wonderful Writing.

For a bit more pizzazz, have students write their names in rainbow colors, add a school photo + gold and silver glitter.

Click on the link to view/download the March writing prompt: St. Patrick's Day Pot of Goals.

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

"Learning is not a spectator sport, so let's play!" -Unknown