Making Adjectives Awesome

Do you need something fresh to go over adjectives with your students or something easy for them to work on independently while you do assessing?  You’ve come to the right place.

Since spring has finally sprung, tis the season for caterpillars and butterflies.  I hope your kiddos will enjoy butterfly and caterpillar adjectives.

It’s a nice way to build vocabulary and work on those describing words that will enhance their writing and nail that core standard.

Students color their caterpillar and butterfly, trace the adjectives, add a few of their own, cut them out, sort them to whatever sheet they feel is appropriate, and glue them down.

I’ve included an FYI about how some adjectives are sometimes words that can be used as verbs and adverbs and provide teachable moments, as well as a reminder bookmark of what an adjective is.

This makes a fun writing center or Daily 5 activity.  Click on the link to view/download butterfly caterpillar adjective worksheets.

You may also want to download my new grammar posters to use as anchor charts.  Grammar poster-anchor charts

Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN anything that you feel might be helpful to teachers and parents.

 "What a teacher doesn't say...is a telling part of what a student hears." -Maurice Natanson

Fluttering By With Another Butterfly Activity

If you’re looking for something to assess your students’ ability to show spatial directions that will give you a “hard” copy, I’ve got just the thing.

My Butterfly and the 3D Shapes, is an easy reader, that will not only help you with spatial directions, but review those tough 3 dimensional shapes in a fun way too.

Students trace the word and shape and then cut out butterflies and glue them to the appropriate position on the page.

Click on the link to view/download My Butterfly and the 3D Shapes booklet.

This makes a nice Daily 5 activity too.

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it together as a whole group to reinforce concepts of print. 

You have my permission to PIN anything you think other teachers may find helpful. Enjoy and be sure and flit on over tomorrow for more fun tips.

"Education can not be conferred.  Whether in school or out, learning is a do-it-yourself proposition." -Wheeler McMillen

What's Up?

If you've e-mailed me this week and haven't heard back, my apologies. We've had a glitch.  Arggg!  Not sure why I am not able to send out e-mails, but they keep erroring out and it is maddening.

I do read e-mails EVERY day, or I'd be behind in the 100's, so know that I care and WILL answer your questions.

We are in the process of getting another "little black box", but it's taking up to 5 days and the Internet keeps going in and out, that's why my blog has been posting at weird times as well.

Thanks for your understanding.  I'm sure most of us have been there.

Scroll down for today's article on Magic-Silent e!

Learning Words Magically!

Do your students need some help with words ending in silent or “magic” e?

Do they like to add that special letter to make up new words, but you don’t have the time to make up a worksheet for them?

I’ve got two Magic e packets that will really help out. 

The 28-page Magic e Packet includes an alphabetical word list with 102 magic e words + the traceable word cards, activities and an anchor chart.

Since the Dolch Word Bingo Bonanza packets have been such hot downloads, I decided to spend some time making up “magic e” bingo cards too.

There are 30 different cards (a class set) for 102 words.

If your students are like mine, they LOVE playing games. 

Let's face it, learning is simply more fun that way.

The more you immerse children with these words, the more familiar they become, ‘til finally the light bulb goes on all the while they’re enjoying themselves.

Click on the link and let the magic begin!

Magic e packet, or Magic e bingo cards.

Do you have a magic e activity you'd like to share?  I'd enjoy hearing from you diane@teachwithme.com, or feel free to leave a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to share and feel free to PIN anything you feel other teachers may find helpful as well!

Thanks for stopping.  I hope you can pop back tomorrow for some more tips.

Looking for some easy readers that reinforce number and color words while helping little ones count?

You’ve come to the right place.  I’ve been busy dreaming up some really cute ones for spring, or ones that would be generic enough to plug in any time.

I think these will amuse your students.  I even have one with a baseball theme to get those boys interested!

Students trace and write the color and number words, then circle the correct number in the sequence and color that many objects.

If there are any topics you’re in need of, simply shoot me an e-mail.  I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com

Click on the links for the following easy reader color and count booklets:  Pretty Petals, Let’s Go (Baseball Color and Count), My Sunglasses, and My Colorful Fruit. I’m working on booklets appropriate for every month so pop by often.

These make great Daily 5 activities.

Feel free to PIN anything you think other teachers might enjoy as well and pop on in tomorrow for some more ideas too.

Having Fun Behaving!

Since the star student flags and encouragement cards were such a big hit, I decided to write one more article on behavior modification.

100-Chart Bingo is also a quick, easy and fun way to help improve student behavior. This tip also helps teach math skills and cooperation.  What a win-win for everyone!

Here's How To Play:

Run off and laminate the traceable 100 chart.

Run off and laminate the smaller number chart.

Cut up the smaller numbers and put them in a container. You'll need another container to put the chosen numbers in.  I have labels for "picked" and "not picked".

Anytime that you recognize good behavior choose a student to draw a number out of the container and have a different student trace it on the 100 chart, using a permanent marker.

The tracings can later be removed with a Mr. Clean Eraser.

I find that if you use a dry erase marker, the color can easily be brushed off by accident.

When the class gets a "BINGO" (a straight line in any direction) they get a reward. 4 corners is also a Bingo. 

What will be fun for students is that the diagonal lines are all different lengths. Some are only 2 numbers long, while others, like the one straight across the middle, which includes numbers 1 through 100, is the longest of all.

At the beginning of the year, brainstorm a list of rewards with students, and list them on the reward chart.

You can either have students vote on what reward they want, or choose a number out of another container with however many numbers in it, that correspond to how many rewards you have.

Whatever number they choose, will match a reward on the poster and that’s the one that the students earn.

Also, decide what sorts of behavior warrant the choosing of a number. i.e. the whole class transitioning quietly, completing morning work etc.

List those on the "Just LOVE this kind of bee-utiful bee-havior!" chart. 

As an incentive you can list individual students on the other bee-utiful bee-havior chart and decide how many need to make the list in order to get a number drawn.

You could also draw more numbers for better behavior. i.e., a compliment in the hallway from another teacher or in their gym, music, or art classes =’s 2 or 3 numbers drawn; no one is absent, a great report from the substitute, etc. 5 numbers are drawn.

I've included a "Bee good for goodness sake bookmark, + 4 "Buzzin' By" bee-utiful bee-havior happy grams as well as "Caught bee-ing good" awesome cards.  

I truly feel that positive reinforcement goes a long way in helping promote great behavior and improving self-esteem.

I think you'll like Behavior Bingo because it teaches patience, as it takes a while to get a Bingo.  It also teaches teamwork, because it’s a group effort.

I like the teachable moments it provides. i.e., instead of the student who chooses the number announcing the number, have them give a clue: I drew a number between 30 and 40.  My number is less than 10 but more than 6, my number is in the 1^st row and is odd. This helps students really understand number concepts as well as look for patterns.

Click on the link to view/download Behavior Bingo Packet

Scroll down for the other 2 articles on Behavior Modification: Star Student Flags & Encouragement Cards

Do you have a behavior tip that works for you?  I'd enjoy hearing about it. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to leave a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.  Thanks in advance for taking the time and for visiting. Feel free to PIN anything you feel others might enjoy.

Hoping to see you tomorrow for more teaching tips.

Getting Students To Shine!

Do you need some stellar work done?  Do you want your students to give their best effort and shine brightly?  Is their behavior a bit tarnished and requires a bit of star quality?

Why not try this simple star behavior modification technique.

Here’s How:

Run off my flag master and color it, or glue on strips of red construction paper and a blue rectangle. You could also buy a picture-poster of a flag and put star stickers over their stars.

Laminate your flag and put it up on the board.

Buy a star hole punch + some star stickers if you don’t already have some squirreled away.

Run off copies of the student flags on white construction paper and have them color their stripes, but NOT the stars.

Ask your students if they remember how many stars are on the flag.  Challenge them to get 50 stars as a class before summer vacation.

Brainstorm a list of ways they can earn stars such as:  Quiet transitions, their great behavior is noticed and complimented by another teacher, everyone completes their morning work, no one ends up in the Time Out chair etc.

Write these down on the star behavior chart and post them.

If you want to add this option, explain to students that they can also earn star cards for star behavior as well as star work.  They are awarded each day.

So many cards equals a trip to the treasure box or whatever other reward you deem appropriate, like work to music of your choice, switch desks with someone, work with no shoes on, lunch with the teacher, receive a pencil or eraser, sit at the teacher’s desk etc.

Each day you also punch the edge of their student flag for a variety of reasons.  You caught them being good, they had the best paper, they really improved, they got 100% on a spelling test, they completed all of their morning work etc.

So many star punches and they get to color a star yellow on their flag.

Anyone coloring all 50 stars by the last day of school, gets a special prize or whatever your class votes on.

Discuss the rules with your students, then have them raise their left hand and cross their heart with their right, promising to be a star student that does star work and behaves like a star.

Everyone then signs the contract.  If you begin this at the start of the year, I’ve included a Star Gazer graph for you to keep track of who has gotten to color in a star each month + a weekly punch card to help you keep track.

At the end of whatever time period you do this for, there's a certificate of praise.

Whether you do all, or only one of these activities, I’m certain you’ll see students shining a bit brighter!

Click on the link to view/download the Star Student Behavior Modification packet.

“I’ve got a little light and I’m gonna let it shine,

let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”

Awesome Behavior You'll Treasure!

Doesn’t it make you feel good when someone gives you a compliment?  Do you literally feel “better” when somebody says a few encouraging words?

I know I do!  Imagine what a few kind words do for a student, especially when they hear justified praise from a teacher.

In a critical and often cruel world, it’s especially important to build a child’s self-esteem.

Catching students “being good” and then praising their efforts, reinforces correct behavior and has other children wanting to model it.

When I wanted to gain control of a noisy bunch during story time, I never said: “Johnny and Jose stop disrupting the group.” Instead, a big smile and:  “I love how Alesha and Graham are sitting quietly.  Thank you so much!” Did wonders and Johnny, Jose and the rest of my students, were quick to copy the desired behavior.

Happy grams were also affective and a fun way to teach responsibility.

You can pass out a happy gram or awesome behavior/work card for a variety of reasons.

Do you need students to raise their hands more?  Is getting children to listen quietly in a large group or during story time getting to be a problem? 

Make a happy gram or awesome card for that behavior, or pass out a few cards during that time and watch students shine.

Students keep them in their school box in their desk, and when they collect a designated number they can cash them in for a trip to the treasure box.  Younger students keep them in a Baggie in their backpack or cubby.

When I taught first grade, I had “Treasure Tubs”. The various tubs had different values.

The better prizes required more awesome cards.  Every Friday, at the end of the day,  was “shopping day”.

My students loved this and I felt it really did improve behavior.

A letter home each month explaining the program, and requesting donations, really helped out.  Surprisingly, “used” “cool stuff” was just as much sought after by students as new items.

I also had treasures that were  non “thing” stuff too, like coupons for 1 skipped homework assignment, lunch with the teacher, get out of class to help another teacher for an hour, or a chance to be the student helper, or student line leader for the day etc.

A graph on the wall kept track of Super Star Student behavior, with a grand prize going to the male and female student at the end of the year, who had collected the most awesome cards.

Likewise, if you want to use them as a deterent for poor behavior, list infractions that will “cost” a student an awesome card as well.

Make sure you review the rules for earning as well as losing the cards and post them on the wall.

Use my templates and print off cards on white construction paper.  Laminate them and then cut them out.

I also bought blank business cards and put stickers on them, as well as labels that I made that said “Awesome Card” typing in various behavior that students earned them for.

Keep the cards handy so that you can pass them out for whatever behavior you decide earns happy-gram/awesome cards. Brainstorm ideas with your students.

Tuck special ones in your sub folder with an explanation.

You might want to allow students to give out a few, if they notice special behavior as well, or have children nominate a student at the end of the day for something that they did that you weren’t aware of.

I hope you enjoy including this tip in your behavior bag of tricks.  A teacher can never have too many!

Click on the link to view/download Encouragement Cards behavior modification Idea.

Do you have one that you can share?  I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas .  PIN anything you think others might enjoy as well.

Thanks for visiting, and do pop in tomorrow for some more apple bytes.

It's A Match!

Since Catching Contractions with a butterfly theme, has been so popular, I wanted to make up another activity to go with that packet.

An easy and fun way to teach contractions is to have students match up the words to the shortened contraction form or vice versa.

Instead of doing this via the “same old-same old” worksheet, add some pizzazz with puzzles.

The butterfly’s symmetric body lends itself to the perfect matching puzzle piece.

To make this review game, simply run off the contractions on one color of construction paper, and the words that make up the contractions, on a DIFFERENT color.

Laminate the sheets and then send them home with a room helper to be cut out and slit down the middle.

Students can individually match up the pairs as an independent center, or sprinkle them on the floor, set the timer and see who can find the most wings and then make the most sets.

Toss the pieces in a butterfly net and have students choose 2 wings and play “I Have; Who Has?”  i.e.,  “I have aren’t.  Who has are not?” The child with are not gives that student their matching wing and then reads their remaining wing to keep the game going ,‘til all of the butterflies have been put together.

This packet also includes a blank set of wings, so that you can design your own pieces or use a blank half for students to write in the answer to the programed half, making a great assessment tool.

Use dry erase markers to write with, or a Mr. Clean eraser to remove the answers.

There’s also a certificate of praise and directions for more ways to use the butterfly puzzles.

Click on the link to view/download Butterfly Contraction Puzzles

While I was designing these, I also thought it would be fun to make a traceable set where students match uppercase letters to lowercase letters, as well as numbers to a specific amount of dots.

These are especially useful in the spring, for ESL students or young children who may still be struggling.

Since there are only 2 pages to each set, it’s an easy thing to send home for parents to work one-on-one with their child to get them over the hump.

Click on the link for ABC-I23 Butterfly Puzzles.

I hope these puzzles help you put together a few fun activities for your students.

Be sure and meander on over tomorrow for more interesting tidbits.   Feel free to PIN anything you think others might enjoy and thanks for stopping by!