48 pages.

There are so many things you can do with this Olympic Word Packet.  Use the Olympic alphabet cards for games, a bulletin board boarder, puzzles, centers, flashcards, sorting, your word wall etc.  There's an alphabetical list of 528 words associated with the Olympics + 364 mini word cards students can alphabetize, or sort into nouns, verbs and adjectives on the Olympic word sorting mat. 

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Valentine's Day Activities With Me

To help build vocabulary, each month I added themed words to our word wall.  There are a ton of words that are associated with love and  Valentine's Day, so I decided to make an alphabetical list and came up with 240. 

There are 2 covers for a Valentine Dictionary, so that students can think up their own word list, and then look up and record any new words from mine that you want your students to know. 

This makes a wonderful Daily 5 word work activity.  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Vocabulary packet.

Another interesting way to practice words and letters is with my tri-hearts.   You can use the template in a variety of ways. 

The photo shows: upper and lowercase letters (Put one on each side and then flip open to reveal a picture of a word that starts with those letters.); compound words, contractions, as well as equations.  

I've also included an owl valentine your students can make. Click on the link to view/download the Folded Heart packet.

For more writing practice, have students pick a holiday and compare it with Valentine's Day.  I've designed 12 holiday Venn diagrams for your students to choose from, plus a blank one for them to add something different. 

When they are done with their Venn diagram, have students complete the writing prompt: My favorite holiday is ... because ...  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Venn Diagram Writing Prompt packet.

Finally, I had a few special requests.  Kara, from Florida, needed some valentine themed puzzles for her young kinders to do on party day.  Laura Strickland's clip art is so adorable, that I designed 20 different puzzles, that will help students count forwards and backwards, as well as skip count by 10's to 100. 

I've included 3 black and white puzzles for your kiddos to color, cut and take home; or they can glue their puzzle pieces to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small space inbetween each piece.  The results are an interesting mosaic work of art and make a cool bulletin board. 

Besides using the puzzles for a center, have students choose a partner and play "Speed" to see who can complete their puzzle first.  You can also make puzzle flip books.  Choose 3 puzzles, mix them up and then staple the top section to the numbered puzzle grid. 

Students decide which puzzle they want to search for, and flip each strip 'til they find the correct one that will complete their choice. Click on the link to view/download the Twenty Valentine's Day Puzzle packet.

Theresa, from Kansas, requested some heart-themed clock cards. This was also on my "to do" list, so I got busy.  The cards include digital as well as analog times to the hour and half hour.  (Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3)

Use the cards for whole group assessing, flashcard reviews, or a bulletin board.  Make extra sets; cut them up and use for puzzles and games such as Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  

I've included blank clocks so students can fill them in, as well as a clockless set for you to program with whatever. Click on the link to view/download the Heart-Themed Clock Cards.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Education is the key to unlocking the world; a passport to freedom." -Oprah Winfrey

1-2-3 Come Add To 100 With Me

I must confess I'm a flitter.  I endeavor to try and stay focused 'til I complete a task, but this proves rather difficult when I'm doing research on the Internet. 

One thing leads to another, and pretty soon I find it's late afternoon and I haven't accomplished a thing.  I've enjoyed learning all sorts of trivia, and have added to my already too full list of things I want to design, but I've gotten off the beaten track.   Anyone out there do something similar while planning a lesson?

The result of my craziness, has come up with something I think your students will enjoy, and works well for a 100 Day celebration too. 

I stumbled upon several math sites that asked students, "How much is your name worth?" 

In order for children to calculate this, each letter is assigned a value according to its position in the alphabet.  i.e., The letter A is worth 1, B is worth 2, all the way up to the letter Z, which is worth 26.  

I've included a bookmark key you can run off and give each student, that will make things easier, as well as a valuation worksheet you can also use.

So that younger students don't get confused, I made the numbers in red, green, and blue so that they stand out.

After students get the hang of this concept by adding up their name, challenge them to find a word that is worth 100.  So that I could find a few words, without having to rack my brain, I Googled words worth 100. 

To my surprise, this led to the term "Dollar" words.  Quite a few teachers all over the planet seem to be challenging their kiddo's to find the value of words.  

Just an FYI, do NOT assign this as a homework assignment.  It will defeat the purpose of the lesson.  Any child with access to a computer will find all sorts of online help, lists, and even several sites that will calculate the amounts for them. 

Instead, do this activity in class.  You want your students to practice all sorts of standards, as they think up words and add up numbers. 

You also want them to have the joy of discovering their own 100-point word, which can be pretty exciting. Click on the link to view/download the 100 Dollar Word packet.

After your students have worked on this assignment in class, you can share 2 word calculation sites that I found: Balmoral Software and Math Lair. I think it would be fun for them to practice their keyboarding skills, typing in a variety of words, names and numbers to see their values.

I'm not sure who came up with the original idea, as there is a plethora of sites, activities, and information about calculating the value of names, words, etc.  The "game" was also listed in several math-activity books like Math For Smarty Pants by Marilyn Burns.

Perhaps the idea came because of a snide remark by Ernest Hemingway.  William Faulkner, also a prolific writer at the time, stated that "[Hemingway] had never been known to use a word that might send the reader to the dictionary." 

In his defense, Hemingway shot back: "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right, but there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use." 

Thus we have evolved from those ten-dollar words, to the dollar words that are popular today.  If you want to tie this activity into your 100-Day celebration, simply call them 100 dollar words, making each point worth one dollar.  

One of the reasons I think this is such a tremendous activity, is because it is a great mental workout, which involves all sorts of other things besides counting and addition.  Students need to come up with a strategy, which involves critical thinking.

So that even young students with limited addition ability, can also do this activity, give students a dictionary and a calculator and set them loose.  

So that older students get the much-needed addition practice in, have them figure out their word, and then check it with a calculator.  After they have done a specific amount of "ciphering" allow them to use the calculators, so that they are able to practice more problems.

With so many students working on so many words, teachers may find it difficult to give students immediate feedback, which speeds up the learning process.  However, allowing students to use calculators, to check their answers that they have come up with by themselves, solves the problem and guarantees correct results. 

For many younger students, using a calculator is a first-time experience and makes the entire process less frustrating and more fun.  The use of a dictionary helps build vocabulary, reinforces spelling and gives them all sorts of dictionary-skill practice, such as alphabetizing.  You could also introduce your students to a thesaurus if you haven't already done so.

Besides problem-solving math, you can also review parts of speech.  Which words are nouns, verbs, or adjectives?  Did you come up with any compound words?

So that this activity is not overwhelming for your struggling students, break things down.   Are you studying prefixes and suffixes?  Have students make a list of them and give them a value.  

A root word may not add up to 100, but how does adding a prefix or suffix help? For example, adding ed to a verb increases its value by 9.  Adding ing to a verb increases its value by 30 and reduces the target value for the root verb to 70.

The strategy then, is  breaking down a large problem into smaller ones that are more easily solved.

Are you stuck at 99? Can you add an S to make the word plural?  Adding S to a word increases its value by 19 and reduces the target value for the root word to 81, offering you a teachable moment to review the concept of singular and plural. 

Give students a certain amount of time on their own and then break them up into small groups, so they can help each other and work on cooperative learning. 

After students have worked on this 100-Day word challenge for the allotted time, give them some help, by suggesting clues for the different "dollar words." For example, "Something you'll find in all bathrooms is this plural dollar word."  Answer: toilets

To make this easy for you, I've done a day's worth of work finding dollar words, so that you don't have to.  I've come up with a list of 740 dollar words!

There are a variety of lists out there with more, but mine is alphabetized, checked, student-appropriate, spelled correctly, does not contain proper names and lists only real words.

To save you even more time, I've also made up a list of clues for 60 dollar words that your students should be familiar with. 

Print off my clues and have each student choose one, or have children work in groups with the same clue, to see who can figure it out first. 

I've included an answer key for you, so you don't have to strain your brain.

When a dollar word has been correctly identified, give students another clue. 

You can award points and give out the Dollar Word certificates to the winners.  

So that younger children don't feel left out, I've also included certificates for participation.

Later, share the list and have students find out how many letters the longest dollar word had. 

What was the shortest dollar word?  I've included a worksheet for that.  There is one that features the dollar bill if you are doing Dollar words, as well as one with a 100-dollar bill at the top, if you're using this for a 100-Day activity.

Honduras, Milwaukee, and Tallahatchie were all 100-point places that I found.  Kristin, Henrietta, Paulette and Suzanne, were 100-point names, and Wednesday is the day of the week that is worth 100.

Are there dollar words on the list that your students don't know?  Have them choose 10 to look up. 

I've included a My Dollar Word or My 100 Dollar Word dictionary for your students to record things in. 

This is a wonderful Daily 5- word work activity.
You could also have students use different colored highlighters to show which words are verbs, adjectives, nouns, or compound words.

Click on the link to view/download the 100-Day Word Challenge packet.

Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away. 

"Teaching is the power to think clearly; the power to act well in world's work, and the power to appreciate life." -Brigham Young

Nailing Common Core State Standards With Fun Vocabulary Building Word Books!

Dictionaries are a great way to practice the skill of alphabetizing. 

They help students become aware of new words, and by writing them down, defining and categorizing them, students are building their vocabularies.

At the end of the year students have a great keepsake and are truly amazed at all the words they have learned and can now read, spell and use!

Choose one dictionary for your students to work on, or pick several; there are 8 to choose from, including several generic ones. 

The cute cover designs are the artwork of Laura Strickland and Phil Martin.

Use the common ABC page template for all of the dictionaries.

Students write their name on the cover and then jot down the word on the appropriate letter page, and define it.

It would also be a good idea to have students trace the upper and lowercase letters for extra alphabet practice.

Run off more pages if students find more words that begin with a certain letter, such as T, S, M etc.

Run off and collate these booklets at the beginning of the year.

Students can keep them in a folder, file, portfolio or their cubby for easy access.

So that my students are empowered and can find their booklets quickly, each child has a number at the beginning of the year.

This is far easier than alphabetizing things.  I quickly collect booklets etc. and put them in numerical order.

The dictionaries make a perfect addition to your “Word Work” for Daily 5.

If you don’t do Daily 5 they are terrific as independent work for your writing center.

If you do a sight word or the Dolch word dictionary you will be helping to fulfill the Common Core State Standard: RF:K.3c

I've also included a tip sheet of how to guide 1st graders so that you can also incorporate Common Core State Reading Standards: L.1.4a,  L.1.5b, L.1.5c

Click on the link to view/download Student-Made Dictionaries.

Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you can pop back tomorrow for more back-to-school ideas!

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"Anyone can be cool, but awesome takes practice!" - Unknown