Five for Friday: IT'S SPRING BREAK!

This week is a much anticipated Five for Friday because this Friday begins my SPRING BREAK! Doing my happy dance! In celebration of spring break, everything in my TPT store is 10% off through Sunday! Enjoy!

Linking up with Doodlebugs... although I'm getting in the bad habit of posting my Five for Fridays on Thursday nights! Oh well, I will link up tomorrow morning!

 

COMPREHENSION FREEBIE!

 

 

 

As always, we have been working on comprehension. This week, my kiddos practiced asking and answering questions while doing Read to Someone. After reading a story, they rolled their comprehension dice and discussed the story. Grab your own FREE template for the dice here! Print on cardstock and tape together! Simple! Enjoy!

 

 

ADVENTURE TO FITNESS

 

 

With this crazy winter and indoor recess, my students need to let out some energy sometimes! Adventure to Fitness is a great idea for indoor recess or movement breaks! Kids go on an adventure in different parts of the world, solving mysteries, and they are moving/exercising in place the whole time... and they LOVE it!! Adventure to Fitness currently has all of their videos for free... I recently got an email saying that they are changing their membership and will be charging for many of the videos, but there will always be 5 free ones! Check it out at adventuretofitness.com!

 

 

READING STRATEGY:

CHUNK LETTERS AND SOUNDS TOGETHER!

 

 

 

 

Recently, I noticed that many of my students were struggling with this reading strategy. They were sounding out every single letter in words instead of looking for chunks or smaller words inside of bigger words. I created these "Chunk it up" cards and laminated them. To warm up for guided reading, students pick a word and find as many chunks, digraphs, blends, familiar vowel patterns, etc that they can. They circle them in dry erase marker and write the parts that they find underneath. They love it and I have noticed an improvement in their decoding in guided reading! Success! Check them out in my TPT store!! - CHUNK IT UP: BE A SOUND DETECTIVE -

 

 

 

MATH WORKSHOP UPDATE!

QUICK FACT FLUENCY!

 

 

 

I have been loving my math workshop structure the last few weeks! One thing that I found was that I needed an easy activity for kids to do while they were waiting for me to get started during their "teacher time" group. Perfect opportunity for some math fact practice!! I created 9 different fact fluency sets for math facts including plus one, plus two, plus three, minus one, minus two, minus three, doubles, making 10, and making 20 facts. When students go to the table for teacher time, they grab a set of fact fluency cards and practice while they wait for me to get the rest of the class settled. I found this old organizer... perfect for my fact fluency organization! Check them out on my TPT store! - FACT FLUENCY CARDS - (the pack also includes a set of numbers for sequencing activities)

 

 

 

MY SPRING BREAK PROJECT:

FLUENCY FOLDERS!!

 

 

I recently downloaded Cara Carroll's Rock Your Fluency packs from TPT... they are fabulous! Over break, I am planning to put together some AWESOME fluency folders with the materials in her packs. I'll post more once I am farther along... Here's a look at the lovely lamination that I have to cut out to get started... Now I need a trip to TARGET to pick up some fun colored folders!

 

 

So close to spring break! Looking forward to a relaxing week!

 



Polar Vortex? What?

It has been such a crazy January in Wisconsin! We have had 4 days off from school due to wind chill warnings! Needless to say, we have used up our days off and will have to extend our school year. The first two days were nice and relaxing and I really spent those days reading (for fun! what?!) and spending time with my husband who is also a teacher!! :)

During these last two days that we had off due to cold temperatures, I have been BUSY! I had my creative (and organizational!) juices flowing and there was no stopping me!! Here are a few ideas that I prepared over my days off and put into action today! Woohoo!

My living room yesterday... ten projects going at once! Oops!

Project #1:
New Daily 5 Word Work Center: Student use letter beads on pipe cleaners to practice their spelling words! I picked up two different types of letter beads and colorful pipe cleaners at Michael's Craft Store... love that place and they offer a TEACHER DISCOUNT (two of my favorite words)! Take a peak at my students trying their new center today! They LOVED it!





Project #2:
Musical Chairs Comprehension Game: Throughout the school year, we talk A LOT about comprehension strategies while we are doing read alouds, reading groups, partner reading, etc. I wanted to come up with a way to get all of the kids involved in talking about our read alouds (it always seems to be the same kids raising their hands in my class to comment on stories that we read). I created a set of comprehension prompts that I printed on cardstock and laminated. I placed the prompts around the room and after our read aloud today (The Cat in the Hat-- LOVE), kids walked around the room with a partner while music played. When the music stopped, they sat down by the nearest prompt and discussed that part of the story. SO FUN! Here's a link to the prompt cards!

Project #3:
Informational Writing: How-To Books
Earlier this school year, we collaboratively wrote an informational text about whales. We are now beginning our second informational writing unit of the year, HOW-TO BOOKS! Today, we began by reading a nonfiction how to book, "Let's Make Pizza," and discussed the key characteristics of how-to writing. Here is a photo of the beginnings of our How To Anchor Chart.

At the beginning of last school year, I downloaded a product from TPT for First Grade Writing Units linked to the Common Core. I am embarrassed to say that I am finally diving into this product and I LOVE IT! Great ideas, mentor text recommendations, and graphic organizers!! The product was created by Andrea Knight. Here is a direct link to her product! Highly recommend!!

I hope to do a full post in the future about our How-To Books after we finish the unit!

Project #4:
Dr. Seuss Read In and Pajama Day!: Started planning for one of my favorite days of the year!! This is what I LOVE about FIRST GRADE! Can't wait for February 21! :)

 

Loving my job right now! (and loving my Rhonna Designs app on my iPhone for editing photos!) Couldn't resist this last one...

 

At a wedding last September