Yes There Is Time For Art AND Common Core--Just Combine Them.  Don't Be Scared; Make A Scarecrow!

November is not just turkeys and pilgrims. After the election excitement, spice things up with not-so-scary scarecrows!

Here's a sampling of the 66 - pages of adorable scarecrow arts & crafts projects and activities that will help you teach a variety of subjects and Common Core State Standards.

Some full color pictures + copy-ready patterns and step-by-step directions for each project are included.

These projects all involve many of your report card standards, so children are learning and reinforcing much-needed math, writing, and science concepts while enjoying art.

Hands-on “craftivities” are a great way to help increase listening and following direction skills, as well as practice and improve cutting and other fine motor skills.

You can use completed projects as gifts, bulletin boards, hallway and classroom decorations or for portfolios.

Many make great keepsakes for parents. Some of the projects include songs and poems to reinforce those concepts too.

Click on the link to view/download the Scarecrow Art + Activity Book.

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“The world of imagination is boundless.” –Jean Jacques Rousseau

It’s Time To Vote! Teaching Time With Election-Themed Games

The final countdown for the election is here! Are you still looking for a few things to do that fit in with your standards? How about studying analog and digital time with an election-themed game? This 7-page packet does just that!

Students spin the vote spinner that looks like an analog clock and write in the digital time in the correct order from 12:00 to 11:00 on the ballots that look like they’re going into the ballot box.

The 1st student to complete their ballot box or the one with the most times filled in when the timer rings, is the winner.

In the Time To Vote blank analog clock game, run off the template.

Students play with a partner. Children take turns rolling 1st one dice for number times 1-6. iif they roll a 1, they put that number on their clock and then draw a red circle around it. You are covering several math concepts this way.

Students use a red marker or crayon for ODD numbers and a blue one for EVEN numbers. This will make an ABAB pattern around the clock face.

Once students have filled in those times, they get to play with 2 dice. They then add the dice together to get numbers 7-12 covering addition.  If you want, you can have them show you the equation on a scrap sheet of paper.

The 1st child to fill in their vote clock, or the one with the most numbers filled in before the timer rings, is the winner.

I have filled in the 12. as an example. When a child rolls a combination of numbers that add up to 12 they can trace the blue circle.

If you want children to make a Vote Clock, so that you can whole group, or individually assess your students, have them cut out their VOTE clock circle and glue it to a paper plate, then poke a hole in the center of the O in vote. Add construction paper hands, or a large and short paper clip attached by a brass brad.

To whole-group assess analog time, choose a quiet student to call out a time. Children manipulate the hands to show the correct time.

When they have positioned the hands, they hold up their clocks.  Continue, ‘til all of the times have been called.

The packet also includes traceable digital time cards to the hour and half hour + blank analog clock cards to be filled in as an assessment or skill practice.

These games will help you practice Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3

Click on the link to view/download the Election Time Packet.

If you are looking for other Election Themed Activitiies like Election Writing prompts, Election buttons-badges-posters, Venn diagrams, graphs & maps, Election math lessons, Election easy readers, or Election word wall words with a dictionary, simply click on the link to go to my Election-themed section. Scroll down and choose the Election lessons you want.  I even have a voter registration card and ballot for you to use in your own mock election on Tuesday.

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“Our task is not to fix the blame for the past, but to fix the course for the future.” –John F. Kennedy

Getting It Together, For Getting Together

Are your Parent-Teacher Conferences coming up soon?

Do you need a few fresh ideas to help them run a bit more smoothly?

One thing that was really nice for us, was that for a week’s time parents could call and schedule appointments with our school secretary.

Each teacher blocked out 10-minute conference times for 3 evening days. Parents would call to make an appointment, and a master list would be given to the teachers.

Anyone not calling for an appointment, teachers would assign a time to, and send a note home with that appointment time, and a note about calling to reschedule if that was not good for them.

I kept a crate with examples of my student’s work as they progressed through the year.  Each student had a file folder that I kept in alphabetical order.  So that it was easier to put back in order, I also numbered these folders.

During conference time, I took these folders out of that crate and put them in another crate, in the order of whom I would be seeing for the conferences.  I also included student's report card and any papers I would be sending home with them.

I had several chairs sitting outside my hallway for parents to sit on and I covered 2 long tables with seasonal tablecloths, with student-made books and photograph albums displayed on them.

A basket with mints with a sign “Parents are worth a mint!” was on the table along with a clipboard for them to sign, so that my principal knew who attended.

Our hallway was always decorated to the hilt, so I had signage that informed parents to check out our “Walls of Fame!” to look for their child’s work.

I had a soft timer that would let me know when 10-minutes were up, and so that I kept parents on the mark, I would graciously stand up and thank them for coming and walk them to the door to get the other parent that was waiting.

If they weren’t quite finished, I’d let them know that we could meet after school, or that they could call me later with more questions or concerns.

You also need to be prepared for parents who bring siblings. I had a laundry basket of easy-to-clean up toys and books in the hallway, as well as in the corner of my room. It was a lifesaver.

This 12 – page Parent-Teacher Conference packet will help your Parent-Teacher conferences run a bit smoother and hopefully give you some ideas as well.

The packet includes: 2 different forms you can send home for parents to fill out.  Choose which one suits your needs.

It can give you a heads up about student behavior, as well as help prepare parents for conferences, giving them a checklist of things they want to remember to discuss.

I’ve also made a "Sign in" sign, with a sign in sheet, so you can keep track of who attended. There’s a “Thanks for coming!” as well + the Parents are worth a mint" sign discussed above.  You can get a bag of peppermints at The Dollar Store.  This sweet surprise is  definitely worth the effort.

There’s also a discipline tip sheet that I handed out to parents, whose children had behavior issues, + a variety of Happy-Grams for parents to take home for their child who will be anxiously waiting to hear what happened at conferences.

Finally, I wrote a conference cookie poem, as I sometimes made conference cookies and sent home 3 in a Baggie with the poem.

Click on the link to view/download Conference Help Packet.

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“Persistence propels potential to perfection.” –Soichiro Honda

I've Got Your Number! Election Math

When I’m doing a themed unit like the election, I like to cover all of my subjects, so I whipped together a Math Election Packet for you.

This 40-page packet has a nice variety of activities.

Including:

• Counting by 1's
• Skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5s and 10's
• Traceable number cards, with covers to make Itty Bitty booklets
• Trace and write number activities for all the different counting +
• "What's Missing?" worksheets too.
• Addition and subtraction activities with picture manipulatives,
• Greater and less than activities with picture manipulatives
• Traceable number cards for these activities,
• and even a page of online research activities directly related to the current election.

Teachers/parents can give this information to younger students, and assign the research aspect of it, as a fun online assignment for older students.

I’ve included a blank number template for students or adults to fill in additional numbers greater than 50 for more difficult addition and subtraction equations.

Students can sequence these as well as make equations with them. Pair up children and have them play “Speed” games to see who can solve problems the quickest, or sequence a set of numbers the fastest.

You can also use the manipulatives to make patterns, or have students design a shape (circle, triangle, rectangle, square) with them.

Click on the link to view/download Election Number Fun Packet.

For more election lessons, activities, and fun, click on the link and you'll go to the main election section where you'll find election ballots, election buttons, election booklets, etc. Simply scroll down and click on whatever you want to download.  It's all FREE-always!

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“He who asks a question may feel foolish for a moment, but he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.” –Chinese Proverb

Ideas For Your Halloween Party Day!

Are you looking for some ideas for your Halloween party that are quick, easy and fun, yet cover some standards?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!  I have two Halloween packets chock full of frightfully delightful fun Halloween “craftivities” and things to keep your little ones occupied in interesting and educational ways.

The 81-page Halloween Mini Unit has several simple “craftivities” + skill sheets, 24 games to play at your Halloween party + arts and crafts ideas, complete with patterns and directions, with some full-color pictures, like the one of this pop-up Popsicle puppet, made out of a toilet paper tube, entitled: “Peek-a-Boo!”

Click on the link to view/download the Halloween Mini Unit.

Halloween Art Projects and Activities is a 43-page packet to help continue your howling great time.

There's a little bit of everything here with pumpkin, ghost and skeleton themes: songs, lots of ghostly art projects, + Numb Skulls, a game to fine-tune your addition and subtraction skills.

Your students will have fun shaking their Halloween bottles filled with glitter and a dice.  The directions of how to make one are included.

They can also make a Halloween ABC book or turn it into a game.  Plus they can make a creepy haunted house counting book!

Teachers/parents can make spooky pencils as party favors for their children. Simply top a pencil with a styrofoam ball and tie a Kleenex and piece of tulle over it. Dot on two eyes and wahla! You're done.  I made 20 in about 15 minutes!

The last activity is "Magic Pumpkin Play-dough". Give each of your students a little "lumpkin" to make a pumpkin!

I've included a master to make a page of stickers to put on snack baggies + a directional poem to include that explains the magical fun they'll have when they squeeze the little yellow ball and suddenly it turns orange because of the 2 drops of red food coloring you've hidden in the middle.

Click on the link to view/download Halloween Art Projects and Activities.

I hope you have a simply Spook-tacular time on Halloween!

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“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this-you haven’t.” –Thomas Edison

Election Fun: Show Me Your Card!

A Voter Registration I. D. is a fun way for students to practice writing their name and address.

It's also a good way to assess how they are listening and following directions, as they fill out pertinent information that they should know, on an "important" form.

To make the Voter Registration I.D. more realistic, have students glue their school photograph in the box provided.  If you don't have one, they can draw a self-portrait.

Teacher's sign the template on the teacher blank space, before they run off copies.  So that students can make up their own, refer to your signature, when you are explaining what a signature is to your students.

Have children show you their Voter Registration I.D. before they vote in your mock election.

To show them how important their I.D is, if they've forgotten it, when they come up to vote, send them back to their desk to get it, before they can cast their vote.

Afterwards, you might even want to have a discussion whether they think a voter I.D. is important, and discuss how voters verify who they are in real state and national elections, before they can vote.

Click on the link to view/download the student Voter Registration I.D. Card.

Thank you for visiting today. Do you have an election activity you could share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

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"The wisest mind has something yet to learn." -George Santayana

I Spy A Letter!

My Y5's really enjoyed playing games.  It was a hands-on fun way to get all sorts of life-skills and standards covered in a short amount of time.

I designed "I Spy A Letter." with those concepts in mind, as they will help teach: Common Core State Standards:RF.K1d, L.1.1a

I Spy A Letter is a very versatile packet. Although the picture shows lowercase letter samples, the packet also works on recognizing and practicing uppercase letters in an interesting way as well.

Your students will enjoy becoming ABCDe-tives as they spy letters and then trace them.

They will also like making a slider. Sliders are simply the upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet, listed vertically on two separate strips of paper.  Students slide their strip through two slits that make a viewing "window".

You can use this packet for table top worksheets, Speed games, or even as an interesting and less stressful assessment tool.

I've also included traceable upper and lowercase letter flashcards with a cover, so students can make Itty Bitty booklets, a tip sheet of what else you can do with the traceable cards, + "kaboom" bomb cards to make games even more fun.

There's an upper and lowercase  trace and write worksheet; an upper and lowercase "I Spy!" tracing game sheet, that can double as an assessment tool; + the "craftivity" upper & lowercase letter slider for girls and 1 for boys. 

These too can be a fun "I Spy!" game, or used as an assessment tool.  Finally, I've also designed an ABCDe-tective certificate of praise.

Click on the link to view/download the "I Spy A Letter" Packet.

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Do you have an alphabet activity you could share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

"Worlds can be found by a child and an adult bending down and looking together under the grass stems or at the skittering crabs in a tidal pool." -Anonymous

Here's a Word Family TRICK For Helping Teach Common Core, That's A Real TREAT!

Your students will enjoy making this quick and easy Halloween treat bag “craftivity,” that’s perfect for Daily 5 “word work,” as they practice the –ick and –eat Word Families.

You'll be covering the Phonological Awareness Common Core State Standards: RF.K2a, RF.K2c and RF.K2e

Run off my template with the adorable Laura Strickland trick or treaters on it.

You can use the treat bag just as it is, or you can cut off the top of a brown paper lunch bag, so that it fits on the back of this treat bag, and glue it on.

It's a little trickier to manipulate the strips, but then it's truly a functional bag for doing other things with, which I'll explain later.

Help children SLIT the top & bottom dashed lines of the squares. Insert letter strips, so students can make new words.

There will be a few giggles as they say “Wick or wheat”, “Sick or seat” "Chick or cheat" and “Kick or heat.” etc.

I’ve also included, traceable word flashcards + covers so students can practice the words in yet another way, and make Itty Bitty booklets.

When they have finished cutting & tracing their word cards, they can drop them in the bag when they are done.  Students write their name on the side of the bag. You can punch holes and put in real yarn for handles if you want a more 3-D effect.

After everyone has completed their bag, call on students to pull their strips to make the various sentences. Children read them in unison.

Make sure the last one they read is “Trick or Treat!” Drop a piece of candy corn, or a sticker, or special treat in their bag, for their great effort!

You can also play “I Have; Who Has?” with the word cards.  Make a copy of the word cards and do not cut them out. Post these pages on the board.

Make another copy and laminate them.  Cut these out.  Put them in your Trick or Treat bag and have students choose cards ‘til they are all gone.

You read an –ick card and ask for an -eat card on the list. The –eat child reads their card. Both children say their “–ick or –eat!” sentence together. Those cards go in the bag. Play continues ‘til all of the cards are gone.

Click on the link to view/download the –ick or –eat Word Family Treat Bag.

Thanks for visiting today.

Comparing and Contrasting The Election With Venn Diagrams

Another fun way to plug in the election is through Venn diagrams. Venn diagrams are a great way for students to collect, analyze and compare data. They are a quick visual representation, that children grasp easily.

When completed, they make a nice election bulletin board or hallway display, and can be hung back-to-back from the ceiling.

Although there are Venn diagrams included in this packet for the 2012 election, there are also plenty of blank and neutral Election Venn diagrams, (14 total), so this packet will be able to be used for future election activities.

Click on the link to view/download Election Venn Diagrams.

If you're looking for some Election voting badges for your students, I just finished 8 different designs. Click on the link to view/download them.

If you've missed the other election activities I've blogged about, simply scroll down.  If you're looking for more Election-themed lessons, click on the link.  This will take you to an entire section of Election items and packets.  Scroll down to choose which ones you want to download.

I'm not done designing election stuff, so be sure and pop by next week for some math and time related activities.

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

"Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get." -Dale Carnegie

Teaching Common Core With An Election Theme

This 7-page My Election Easy Reader Booklet packet, will help you teach Common Core State Standards: RF.K1a, RF.K1c, RF.K3c, L.K2a, L.K2b

Students read the simple sentences made up of 14 Dolch words and trace key words, as well as fill in the blanks with their opinions.

Remind students that the first word is capitalized, the end of the sentences have punctuation, there are spaces between the words, they read from left to right and from the top down.

It is also a good idea to do an example, to point out each of these standards as you explain them.

Students cut and glue election-themed pictures to matching numbered shapes. I designed this election easy reader to be only a page long, so it only takes students about 5 minutes to complete and is perfect for a Daily 5 activity.

The Election packet also includes 25 traceable word flashcards + a cover, so students can make an Itty Bitty booklet. I've also included a certificate of praise for  students who are able to read the booklet on their own.

You can extend your reading lesson with these traceable word flashcards, which are great for "word work."

Click on the link to view/download the Election Easy Reader Booklet packet.

If you missed the other Election activity articles I’ve blogged about simply scroll down.

If you’re looking for other Election related items, click on the link to go to that section of the shopping cart. Scroll down and choose whatever packets you want.

Be sure and stop back sometime at the end of this week to check for new election items, as I want to do some geared around math.

Thanks for stopping. Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find useful.

Do you have an idea or lesson to do with the election you could share with us?  I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

“We were not sent into this world to do anything into which we cannot put our heartl” –John Ruskin