tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73350703418869613092024-03-13T08:04:08.585-07:00 A Creative ClassroomLanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-22009096895414156662013-06-03T19:22:00.000-07:002013-06-03T19:22:06.315-07:00There's No Place Like School<div>
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I thought that I'd share a few pics of my costume from fairy tale ball. I love The Wizard of Oz! Dressing up like Dorothy was so much fun, especially the shoes!<br />
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These are the ruby slippers I wore as part of my costume.. I'd been going back and forth about buying them for two years! I am so glad that I did.<br />
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I used them to play a little trick on my kiddos. In the morning I wore black shoes with my costume. I told them that I really wished I had a pair of ruby slippers. Then while they were watching part of the movie I slipped behind my desk and switched my shoes. When I went back to the front of the room they noticed my shoes had changed. They were so excited. Why have a pair of ruby slippers if they don't create a little magic.<br />
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A really sweet girl from a local theater company dressed as Cinderella came to our classroom and read <i>Cinderella </i>to us. All of the students had their pictures made with her. I loved her shoes and had to snap a picture.<br />
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I love this pic! Cinderella's glass slippers and Dorothy's ruby slippers. It's all about the shoes ladies.<br />
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One of my students had a wand. We took this picture. So cute!</div>
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One of our kinder's grandmothers came to the ball dressed as Cinderella's fairy godmother. She took pictures with all 150 kindergartners! Then she posed with our teaching team.<br />
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We all had such a great day!<br />
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Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-16705437860434073712013-05-31T21:23:00.000-07:002013-05-31T21:23:09.617-07:00 b,d,p,q<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow it's been so long since I've posted. One of my bazillion goals for the summer is to try and write at least one post each week. I thought I'd start back with something quick and simple.<br />
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I've seen a lot of ideas for how to teach students to correctly identify lower case b & d and p&q. I thought I would share an idea that I used with my class this year. It's pretty simple but it worked well.<br />
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One of the skills that we practice to prepare for testing is identifying which letter is different in a given set of letters. I noticed that when we looked at a set like <span style="font-size: large;">pqp</span> or <span style="font-size: large;">bdb </span>that my students were not paying attention to the fact that the letters were facing different directions. Instead of concentrating on the names of the letters or the sounds they made we started by focusing on the direction the letters were facing.<br />
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Each day during our morning warm up we looked at letter sets on the ActivBoard and circled the letter that was facing a different direction. Then we began connecting them to the letter names. We said that the letters were going different places. The b is headed to baseball in one direction and the d is going to the doctor in the other direction. The p is going to a party and the q is going to see the queen (one of my students came up with this one when I couldn't figure out where the q could be going).<br />
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Creating an awareness of the different directions that the letters face combined with daily practice really helped my kinders with b,d, p, & q.<br />
<br />Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-69685871879152173542012-01-31T15:51:00.000-08:002012-01-31T15:52:12.462-08:00Managing Extra Practice Work<div align="center"><img src="http://www.clipartguide.com/_named_clipart_images/0511-0702-0211-2547_Businessman_Holding_a_Help_Sign_Up_Under_a_Pile_of_Papers_clipart_image.jpg" /></div>I always like to have a go to activity for my students to use when they have completed their written assignments. I generally use a game and/or manipulatives-based activity for my math and literacy activities. However, there are other times (morning journals, Social Studies/Science Centers, etc...) when I need something for them to do if they finish early. I keep baskets of books on their tables for this purpose. However, last year I decided to add something more. <br />
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I wanted to make extra practice work available to my students. I generally make a couple of extra copies of the practice sheets we use during the week. I started collecting extra sheets after activities were completed. At the end of each week I began putting the extra pages into a tub. The tub was gold colored, so we began calling the extra work "Gold Tub Work."<br />
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Last year I just had my students take the extra practice pages home when they were finished. I began noticing that my students were not putting forth their best effort on this work, and I wasn't happy about sending home the ungraded papers. I knew that I needed a better way to manage this work and encourage my students to put forth more effort.<br />
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This past summer I watched The "Pizza Papers" video on <a href="http://teachertipster.com/">teachertipster.com</a>. Mr. Smith puts extra practice pages into a basket. He has the students mark the pages with a "P" for Pizza Pages (I put a "G" on mine for Gold Tub) so they won't get confused with regular assignments. When the students finish the pages they put them into a pizza box. At the end of the month he pulls out a page. If the paper is done neatly and correctly the student wins a prize. I'm assuming that after he pulls a winner he discards the extra pages. <br />
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This was the idea I was looking for! I decided to start pulling my pages twice a week so my students would see the rewards quickly. I pull a page each Wednesday and Friday. I've used pencils, inexpensive toys, and bookmarks as prizes. I'm also working on some prizes that don't cost anything (lunch with a friend in another class, extra play time, an extra trip to the library, etc...). So far I have seen great results. Thanks Teacher Tipster!Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-72574065574047904562012-01-01T17:58:00.000-08:002012-01-01T17:58:54.264-08:00Magnetic Letter Activity<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KI2l8urRUCM/TwEFFyabs_I/AAAAAAAAAlw/DQgwww7pt_4/s1600/IMG_8099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KI2l8urRUCM/TwEFFyabs_I/AAAAAAAAAlw/DQgwww7pt_4/s320/IMG_8099.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's 2012! I thought I would begin the year by sharing a literacy activity I've been using in my class. This activity was really easy to put together and my students really enjoy it. <br />
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I am always looking for fun ways for students to practice making words during literacy centers. I like using colorful magnetic letters. It really seems to engage the students. </div><br />
In the past I've had them use magnetic letters to make words that I'd written out on note cards. After making a word with the magnetic letters they practice reading the word before making the next word.<br />
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This year I did something a little different. I got this idea from watching a video on <a href="http://teachertipster.com/">Teachertipster.com</a>. Mr. Smith used photographs of words made out of magnetic letters. He loaded the photographs onto a digital picture frame. This is a great go to activity. Students can practice words quietly once they've finished other assignments.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">While I would like to do use this activity, I have yet to find a reasonably priced digital frame. However, I love the idea of using pictures of words made with magnetic letters. One day after school, I took photographs of words I made with magnetic letters. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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I put the photographs into a word document and made cards. I printed the cards on white card stock. Then I laminated them using my Scotch laminator (I love having my own laminator!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/76910833/Magnetic-Word-Cards" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Magnetic Word Cards on Scribd">Magnetic Word Cards</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_80854" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/76910833/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-9fym67tlzdlsyylpyql" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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After I laminated the cards I used used magnetic tape on the back. The front of my desk faces a carpet, where one of my literacy centers is located. My desk is metal so it provides an excellent surface for magnetic activities. I decided to use these cards as a follow up activity at this center. I placed the cards in a baggy and used a magnetic clip to attach the bag to the desk. I also stuck all the necessary magnetic letters to the desk.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EUwzAxhMeho/TwEFDOYZjWI/AAAAAAAAAlo/HuU92bcyrHE/s1600/IMG_8080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EUwzAxhMeho/TwEFDOYZjWI/AAAAAAAAAlo/HuU92bcyrHE/s320/IMG_8080.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>My students select a card and stick it to the desk. Then they find the correct magnetic letters to make the word. Finally, they practice reading the word. This activity gives them practice at building words and blending. <br />
<div style="text-align: left;">After winter break I am going to add dry erase sentence strips to the activity, so they can practice writing the words and using them in sentences. </div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-7031381821848967492011-11-26T21:39:00.000-08:002011-11-27T09:44:55.379-08:00A Quick Idea for Practicing Letters and Letter Sounds<ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</ul><div style="text-align: center;">I wanted to share this really easy idea for reviewing letters and letter sounds.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Each week I post a letter card with our focus letter on the door to our class bathroom. This gives the students an extra oppurtunity to see the letter throughout the day. It's really sweet to see them saying the letter name and sound before they enter the restroom.</div><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_cjEMeN05Gw/TtHKGCup8_I/AAAAAAAAAgo/zne4Jkyd-mE/s1600/IMG_8013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="320px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_cjEMeN05Gw/TtHKGCup8_I/AAAAAAAAAgo/zne4Jkyd-mE/s320/IMG_8013.JPG" width="240px" /></a></div><br />
This next part is so much fun! After the week is over, and I take the letter off of the bathroom door, I tack it up somewhere in the hallway. When we leave the room I tell the students to look for the letter. Since talking loudly in the hallway is a no-no, they are not allowed to say "I see it!" The rule is that they can point and say the sound that the letter makes. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I also post a letter outside our door. Each time they walk into the room they say the letter and it's sound.</div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_IxSPHKmWY/TtHKB9pFLeI/AAAAAAAAAgY/Z4jrYfO8qXo/s1600/IMG_8010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="320px" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_IxSPHKmWY/TtHKB9pFLeI/AAAAAAAAAgY/Z4jrYfO8qXo/s320/IMG_8010.JPG" width="240px" /></a></div><br />
The children really love this and I've noticed an improvement in some of my strugglers since I started doing this last month.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NLZYFY7Msaw/TtHJ9adxzaI/AAAAAAAAAf4/93i1TUJ_V4g/s1600/IMG_8006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="240px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NLZYFY7Msaw/TtHJ9adxzaI/AAAAAAAAAf4/93i1TUJ_V4g/s320/IMG_8006.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-6903844864982075342011-10-22T07:17:00.000-07:002011-10-22T07:17:34.309-07:001950's Number Matching GameEach year our team celebrates the 50th day of school by learning about the 1950's. It's so much fun. I'll be doing several posts about our Fifties Day activities.<br />
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My students had fun with this number matching game. I cut apart the cards, and they had to match the number card with the picture card that had the same number of objects. I taught them how to play in small groups at my table, and will put it in a center next week.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/69809637/Fifites-Number-Cards-1-10" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Fifites Number Cards 1-10 on Scribd">Fifites Number Cards 1-10</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_35275" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/69809637/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1pe6ylvvbofwxftzyg4u" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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</script>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-63202368433088461282011-10-21T19:15:00.000-07:002011-10-21T19:15:21.263-07:00Rock Science Mini Unit<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHDnjiufEwE/TqIVSxSciYI/AAAAAAAAAdE/72SIgbP2op8/s1600/IMG_6977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" rda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHDnjiufEwE/TqIVSxSciYI/AAAAAAAAAdE/72SIgbP2op8/s200/IMG_6977.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>I love to use rocks to teach the five senses. I know that you're probably thinking, "You can only teach 4 senses with rocks. You can't <em>taste</em> them!" If that's what your thinking then you're wrong! I'll get to the taste part later in this post. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I begin this mini-unit by reading the book "Everybody Needs A Rock." This book gives tips on finding the perfect rock. The tips encourage students to use many of their senses in their quest for a rock that is perfect for them. </div><div align="center"><img height="256px" src="http://pancakesforrecess.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/everybodyneeds.jpg" width="320px" /></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="left">After reading and discussing the book we go on a rock hunt.I give each student a plastic bag to put their rock in. I label the bag with their names. They have so much fun looking for their rocks. This year they found some really cool rocks. <br />
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</div>When we come back inside from our rock hunt, the students draw a picture of their rock on the sheet below. They also finish the sentence "My rock is..." They have to choose a word to finish the sentence (we did this in late August, so I filled in the word for them), and they have to tell me which sense the word is associated with. For example if they choose brown they will tell me they used their sense of sight, and if they use smooth they have to tell me they used touch. </div><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/69804513/Rock-Hunt-Writing" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Rock Hunt Writing on Scribd">Rock Hunt Writing</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_8951" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/69804513/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-2kfhlbkxce99w86ybz42" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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I like to pull literature into my science activities. The story <em>Sylvester and The Magic Pebble </em>by William Steig goes well with this mini-unit. We talk about the ways that Sylvester's pebble is described, and what senses are used for those descriptions.<br />
<div align="center"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6f/Cm_magic_pebble.jpg/200px-Cm_magic_pebble.jpg" /></div><br />
After we read the story I tell my students that I found some colorful pebbles, which I've put in a plastic bag. I tell them that we will be describing them with our five senses. They usually correct me by saying "Four senses Ms. Holzer. We're not going to taste them." <br />
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I pull one of the pebbles out of the bag. I hold it up and say "we're going to look at the pebble." Then I hit the pebble on the table, so it makes noise, and say "Then we're going to listen to the pebble." I run my fingers over the pebble, and say "We're going to feel the pebble." Next I hold the pebble up to my nose and say "We're going to smell the pebble." Finally, I hold the pebble up and say "Then we're going to taste the pebble." I then proceed to pop the pebble into my mouth and chew it up.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.dinosaurbirthdayparty.com/images/ChocolateRocks.jpg" /></div><br />
My students usually freak out. I get a lot of grossed out expressions. It is so funny.<br />
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<div align="center"><img height="200px" src="http://www.theburningear.com/media/2010/10/js1.gif" width="200px" /></div><br />
Then I tell them that the rock was actually a chocolate candy, and they think it's hilarious. I give them each a bag of chocolate rocks to bring home. I tell them that their homework is to go through the five senses, and trick their family with the chocolate rock. They love this!<br />
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Before this year I hadn't done this activity for a few years. It's one of my favorites, but I had not been able to get to the store where I'd found the rocks. The realistic rocks are the heart of this activity. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200px" src="http://blog.candy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/bulk-chocolate-rocks1.jpg" width="200px" /><br />
</div> Last year a fifth grader, who I'd had in Kindergarten, was telling me that the rock activity had been one of her favorites. Not only did she remember the activity, but she could still remember exactly how I'd done it. This motivated me to go online and search for the chocolate rocks. <br />
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Amazingly, I discovered that they had them at my local Wal-Mart. Yay! I love Wal-mart. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img height="200px" src="http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/02/36/37/47/0002363747283_500X500.jpg" width="200px" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-78096222332188365682011-10-03T18:07:00.000-07:002011-10-03T18:07:17.517-07:00Chicka Chicka Boom Boom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RsfgpbsWj8M/TopC0ISFxtI/AAAAAAAAAbk/TXiD3z6BBV8/s1600/IMG_6852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RsfgpbsWj8M/TopC0ISFxtI/AAAAAAAAAbk/TXiD3z6BBV8/s320/IMG_6852.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="center"></div>I have seen a lot of blog posts on Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. There are so many great activities to do with this story. I thought I'd share the things that we do in our class. <br />
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Of course, we start by reading the book.<br />
<div align="center"><img height="320px" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173468221l/293595.jpg" width="239px" /></div><div align="center"><br />
</div>Then we make our own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Trees. My first few years teaching I traced all of the leaves ahead of time, since we do this the second week of school and I usually don't start teaching my students to use tracers until September. Thankfully, one of my teammates had the brilliant idea of copying the leaves on green paper (why didn't I think of that?). It's a total time saver.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y-zvqLhjkio/TopG3NtLIWI/AAAAAAAAAcU/kqUS2KFRZ-0/s1600/IMG_6964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y-zvqLhjkio/TopG3NtLIWI/AAAAAAAAAcU/kqUS2KFRZ-0/s320/IMG_6964.JPG" width="320px" /></a><br />
</div>I used to have my students use foam letters to spell our their names. This year I let them choose their favorite letters. I think they came out really cute!<br />
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</div>In the past I've had my students draw a picture of their favorite part of the story. This year I spiced it up a little bit by asking them to choose their favorite letter. They were so sweet about trying to figure out which letter they liked best. The first letter of their own names seems to have been a popular choice.<br />
<div align="center"></div><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/67367422/Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom-Favorite-Letter-Writing" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Favorite Letter Writing on Scribd">Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Favorite Letter Writing</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_53357" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/67367422/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1etrkj67cbdh46h3s8qs" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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After we finish I hang them in the hallway. They look so cute! When they come down I save them for the children's end of the year scrapbooks.<br />
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</div>I also like to incorporate science into our unit. Since we start off our year learning about our five senses I incorporate science by having my students observe a coconut. We begin by observing the outside of the coconut. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HBAzFFu-pkY/TopDJdeXssI/AAAAAAAAAcA/2ktTsihJzIg/s1600/IMG_6861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HBAzFFu-pkY/TopDJdeXssI/AAAAAAAAAcA/2ktTsihJzIg/s320/IMG_6861.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">The students look at the coconut, feel the coconut, smell the coconut, and listen to the coconut (we shake it to hear the milk swishing around and we hit it against our tables to hear the sound it makes).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l7EX9VNsK3E/Topb-0-6dPI/AAAAAAAAAcg/C69E77KWiuU/s1600/IMG_6885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l7EX9VNsK3E/Topb-0-6dPI/AAAAAAAAAcg/C69E77KWiuU/s320/IMG_6885.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We record our observations on a chart that is divided into 5 columns (one for each of the senses). <br />
Unfortunately I did not take any photos of our chart. After making the class chart the students record their observations, using the sheet below. They draw a picture of the outside of the coconut, and complete a sentence that describes the coconut. <br />
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/67369301/Coconut-Observation-Sheet" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Coconut Observation Sheet on Scribd">Coconut Observation Sheet</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_75936" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/67369301/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1tv13dh34zyz7gbo2thq" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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After this we crack the coconut open. My students look forward to doing this all week. In fact, this year they were very concerned when I loaned my hammer to another class the morning we were supposed to crack it open. I had to reassure them that we would get our hammer back. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r32vOGba29s/TopDFTVPw1I/AAAAAAAAAb4/cf9Cq5K89PQ/s1600/IMG_6928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r32vOGba29s/TopDFTVPw1I/AAAAAAAAAb4/cf9Cq5K89PQ/s320/IMG_6928.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
After we crack it open we look at the coconut milk. Then we observe the inside of the coconut using our 5 senses, including taste. Then we record our observations on the class chart. Lastly, the students complete the bottom of their observation sheet by drawing a picture of the inside of the coconut and finishing a sentence that describes it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PY5jfycQpJI/TopDH77KPGI/AAAAAAAAAb8/SlJhrNSYRQ8/s1600/IMG_6901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PY5jfycQpJI/TopDH77KPGI/AAAAAAAAAb8/SlJhrNSYRQ8/s320/IMG_6901.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSZFKOhIOD4/TopDBh7cUEI/AAAAAAAAAb0/btyArcfXL7c/s1600/IMG_6908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSZFKOhIOD4/TopDBh7cUEI/AAAAAAAAAb0/btyArcfXL7c/s320/IMG_6908.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tThmdMFxnMY/TopDMLdRP0I/AAAAAAAAAcE/PaLFEGP2fmc/s1600/IMG_6907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tThmdMFxnMY/TopDMLdRP0I/AAAAAAAAAcE/PaLFEGP2fmc/s320/IMG_6907.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-43502695591378147882011-09-12T17:29:00.000-07:002011-09-12T17:29:21.935-07:00Five Senses-Introduction<div align="center"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><img height="200px" src="http://www.valdosta.edu/~slyork/science.gif" width="170px" /> </shapetype></span></div>I love teaching science! I have worked at two science centers (one during college and another during graduate school), and these experiences helped me to see how easy it is to make science fun and understandable for young students. I think Kindergarten is a great time to start getting students excited about science. <br />
I like to start the year off by teaching my students about the 5 senses. I start by telling them that we are going to be scientists this year, and that part of being a scientist is making observations. I tell them that observations are exploring things using our five senses.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="163px" src="http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/webquest_orig/images/wq_senses.jpg" width="200px" /></div><br />
Then we go over each of our five senses. We point to our eyes for sight, our nose for smell, and our ears for hearing. We stick out our tongues for tasting, and we rub our fingers together for touch.<br />
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<div align="center"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Then I read this book my Aliki, which is a great introduction to using our 5 senses, </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="265px" src="https://seguecommunity.middlebury.edu/repository/viewfile/polyphony-repository___repository_id/edu.middlebury.segue.sites_repository/polyphony-repository___asset_id/1587647/polyphony-repository___record_id/1587648/polyphony-repository___file_name/Aliki%20My%20Five%20Senses.jpg%20My%20Five%20Senses.jpg" width="320px" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">I will be posting some of the five senses activities we do soon.</div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-75782090414546069522011-09-05T12:55:00.000-07:002011-09-05T12:55:36.802-07:00I Bought A Laminator!<div align="center"><img src="http://www.villagesupplies.net/images/TL901.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">I finally broke down and bought a Scotch Thermal Laminator. I have been dreaming about getting one for the past few months. Several of my co-workers have them, and they absolutely love them. One of my </div><div style="text-align: left;">co-workers let me use hers before school started, and I was hooked.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/scotch-laminator.jpg" /></div>Making a Wal-mart run to purchase my laminator was the first thing I did after getting payed this week. I can't wait to laminate new center games, sight word cards, and classroom labels! I think I may need a lamination intervention by the end of the week. <br />
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<div align="center"><img height="200px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_427-hmqnuWY/TDx70BD43FI/AAAAAAAAAH0/ZdRRwLBTs7E/s200/smiley-face.jpg" width="200px" /></div><div align="left">I'll be posting Scott Foresman Homework for 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 soon. I'm off to laminate now!. See you soon :).</div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-28072562288561521172011-08-28T11:23:00.000-07:002011-08-28T11:23:43.370-07:00Scott Foresman Homework Unit 1 Week 2This is the I used homwork for Scott Foresman Unit 1 Week 2. I am trying to work out a better way to post, because the handwriting lines don't seem to come through Scribd neatly. Any suggestions?<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/63429750/Homework-1-2" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Homework. 1.2 on Scribd">Homework. 1.2</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_12870" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/63429750/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1qe4571g5h3hkxlcfkip" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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</script> Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-31384259119276676132011-08-27T18:11:00.000-07:002011-08-27T18:14:30.631-07:00Scott Foresman Homework Unit 1 Week 1This is the homework I send home with my students each week. The language arts homework goes along with the skills that we are working on in our Scott Foresman unit. The homework below goes along with Unit 1 Week 1 (we will be on Unit 1 Week 3 this week, so I'll be posting more soon). The last page is math and goes along with the skills we are working on in class. <br />
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/63289575/Homework-1-1" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Homework 1.1 on Scribd">Homework 1.1</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_66314" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/63289575/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-2l64b4zr64h8cna5tkal" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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<strong>Note: </strong>Some of the dotted lines don't come out right when I upload my documents to Scribd. If anyone knows how to fix this please let me know. Thanks :).Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-55495752010883751172011-08-26T18:26:00.000-07:002011-08-26T18:26:35.280-07:00Class Handbook for Parents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DzyabvRIZDI/TlWXSL35D7I/AAAAAAAAAbM/zVrYOzANB3w/s1600/IMG_6833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229px" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DzyabvRIZDI/TlWXSL35D7I/AAAAAAAAAbM/zVrYOzANB3w/s320/IMG_6833.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>After my first year teaching I went to a conference where Harry Wong was speaking. During his presentation he stressed having clear policies and procedures in place for both students and parents. He also discussed the importance of documentation. After the presentation I decided I wanted to have a class handbook for parents.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Po9j1JNbGRc/TlWXQkvDttI/AAAAAAAAAbI/Z_IO7PzeKkE/s1600/IMG_6832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204px" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Po9j1JNbGRc/TlWXQkvDttI/AAAAAAAAAbI/Z_IO7PzeKkE/s320/IMG_6832.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I already had an introductory letter that I had adapted from a co-worker the year before. I used this letter as the basis for my handbook, and added more detailed explanations of my class policies and procedures. I edit the handbook before the start of each school year. <br />
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/63061246/Policies-and-Procedures-for-Parents" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Policies and Procedures for Parents on Scribd">Policies and Procedures for Parents</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_12467" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/63061246/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-23ianq9ui8yc1rtfsl9u" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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I include an acknowledgement sheet for parents to sign.<br />
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/63278214/Handbook-Sign-Sheet" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Handbook Sign Sheet on Scribd">Handbook Sign Sheet</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_55972" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/63278214/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-5ps0fr62rpwoidtwu97" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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I put my handbook into a 3 pronged pocket folder. This allows me to put a copy of my class welcome letter and a student information card in the front and the acknowledgement form in the back. I put the handbook pages into page protectors. I think this looks nice and keeps them from tearing up. I also include a list of snacks and recipes that was provided to us by our school district. <br />
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I put a label on the front of the folder. </div><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx1sxul-9Xk/TlWXODM3z4I/AAAAAAAAAbE/gu-jDlkdZJs/s1600/IMG_6831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx1sxul-9Xk/TlWXODM3z4I/AAAAAAAAAbE/gu-jDlkdZJs/s320/IMG_6831.JPG" width="260px" /></a></div><br />
I send the handbooks home on the first day of school, and ask that parents return the acknowledgment sheet and student information card by the end of the week. I always make extra handbooks to have for new students who come in later in the year. It is nice to be able to provide them information about our class immediately, and I think it helps to make them feel more comfortable.Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-52716037087802928022011-07-29T17:23:00.000-07:002011-07-29T17:23:55.473-07:00Welcome LetterThis is the letter that I give to incoming parents at our start of the school year social, which takes place the week before school begins. It provides general information about our class, and gives parents an idea of what to expect on the first day of school.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/61203104/Welcome-Letter" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Welcome Letter on Scribd">Welcome Letter</a> <iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_71813" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/61203104/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-241ddtpxo4yy9fl82gib" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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On the first day of school I send home a class handbook with details about class policies and procedures (I'll post a copy of that soon). I also include a copy of this welcome letter with the handbook to ensure that parents who missed the social receive a copy. I think this letter helps set a nice tone for the school year. <br />
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</script>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-15214119313161859292011-07-26T16:52:00.000-07:002011-07-26T16:52:24.900-07:00I Love Target's Dollar Spot!<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"></shapetype></span></shapetype></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3509/smileyfacerd1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://clipart-for-free.blogspot.com/2008/08/smiley-face-clip-art.html&usg=__wLvdID7qhRVfSw1H9w6uFqFZ0Vg=&h=450&w=450&sz=20&hl=en&start=4&sig2=1wyTfih3Dh4R2YQa0n0MTA&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Zfh_DxJq6dzgQM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=127&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsmiley%2Bface%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1003%26bih%3D531%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&ei=AlAvTraFLYrYgQfp9pC1AQ" id="apf3"><img height="127px" id="ipfZfh_DxJq6dzgQM:" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6LYKka5gdJObElzNbktt_9o2Dgca5fTgr0Peft4OB9g0oZ4cZvxH7Iw" style="border-bottom: #ccc 1px solid; border-left: #ccc 1px solid; border-right: #ccc 1px solid; border-top: #ccc 1px solid; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="127px" /></a></shapetype></span></shapetype></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">For the past few weeks I've been seeing many teaching blog posts about great finds at Target's Dollar Spot. I've been stalking the Dollar Spot trying to find the stand up pocket charts I've seen on several blogs. I thought I was never going to find them. You can imagine my excitement when I found a bin full of them today! I was so excited I just had to blog about it. </shapetype></span></shapetype></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HSFxVhG8ULo/Ti9NdE-hR2I/AAAAAAAAAaY/k2Xtlx1E3zM/s1600/IMG_6766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HSFxVhG8ULo/Ti9NdE-hR2I/AAAAAAAAAaY/k2Xtlx1E3zM/s320/IMG_6766.JPG" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">I plan on using them in my literacy and math centers. They will be super for my <a href="http://acreativeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/03/big-rhyming-cards.html">rhyming cards</a> (click to see that post) matching activity. Did I say I was excited? </shapetype></span></shapetype></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zAPtPEBXSAQ/Ti9NgyKV0-I/AAAAAAAAAac/W9gz3GNv-zU/s1600/IMG_6769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261px" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zAPtPEBXSAQ/Ti9NgyKV0-I/AAAAAAAAAac/W9gz3GNv-zU/s320/IMG_6769.JPG" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
</div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-83302676074474686682011-07-14T17:17:00.000-07:002011-07-14T17:36:05.455-07:00Money Collection LabelsIn the B.E.E. Binders I send home each day with my students there is a pouch for money. The label on the pouch reminds parents that all money that is not going to be placed in their child's lunch account should be placed in an envelope labeled with what the money is for. I used to send home pre-printed money collection envelopes that I purchased at a conference, but I ran out of them a few years ago.<br />
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To make collecting money a little easier I created these money collection labels (my printer likes to eat envelopes, so printing on labels works better for me). I will place the labels onto envelopes and attach them to permission slips, book club orders, etc... I have put spaces on the labels for information I find helpful. I also put a place on the labels for my name. Hopefully this will help an envelope find it's way to my room if a student decides to take out the envelope on the bus (in the car line, at breakfast, etc...) to look at it, and accidentally leaves it behind <strong><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span>.</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/60054535/Money-Collection-Label" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Money Collection Label on Scribd">Money Collection Label</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_37041" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/60054535/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-158jm3qdtc4qj95er01x" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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These are general labels that can be used for any money collections throughout the year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/60054533/Fieldtrip-Money-Collection-Label" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Fieldtrip Money Collection Label on Scribd">Fieldtrip Money Collection Label</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_17006" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/60054533/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-jy7tpigg689zpohaj6d" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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I will use these for fieldtrips. The envelopes are big enough for both the money and permission slips. Asking for both of these in the same envelope helps me stay organized, and reminds parents to send in both items together. <br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/60054525/T-Shirt-Money-Collection-Label" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View T-Shirt Money Collection Label on Scribd">T-Shirt Money Collection Label</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_57716" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/60054525/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-2e8pefebikzwoc3n4250" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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Every year each class on our team orders a different color T-shirt with the students' signatures on the back. The students wear these for fieldtrips and other special events. I included size on these labels because sometimes parents forget to write the size on the order form, and this will help ensure I know what size to order for each child. <br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/60060938/Scholastic-Orders-Collection-Labels" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Scholastic Orders Collection Labels on Scribd">Scholastic Orders Collection Labels</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_3531" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/60060938/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-2bapc8qxcuoaqh6btzox" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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These labels will be used for Scholastic book orders. <br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/60060926/Book-Fair-Money-Labels" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Book Fair Money Labels on Scribd">Book Fair Money Labels</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_61282" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/60060926/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1xtyao31s4xvwylrgooi" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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These labels will be used for school book fairs. <br />
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Note: These labels are formatted for Avery Standard, 5163 shipping labels. .Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-70323423531796272452011-07-10T15:40:00.000-07:002011-07-10T15:47:20.565-07:00Letter Matching Activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="165px" m$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5mjFVu4g5OM/ThetuUm8BjI/AAAAAAAAAZY/EF_NEjO3yjg/s320/IMG_6752.JPG" width="320px" /></div><div align="center"></div>This is an activity that I adapted from the Rock Phonics activity that was created by Mr. Smith at <a href="http://www.teachertipster.com/">TeacherTipster.com.</a> If you have not seen his videos you need to check them out. He has a ton of really great songs and ideas. Plus, he is absolutely hilarious.<br />
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In his activity Mr. Smith wrote letters and word chunks on accent gems (the kind you use in flower arrangements) to use as word making manipulatives. I love this idea for a word making activity, and plan on doing that a little later in the year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJCHhp8nvGE/Thet64CyKjI/AAAAAAAAAYo/ru6aObvTjug/s1600/IMG_6763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJCHhp8nvGE/Thet64CyKjI/AAAAAAAAAYo/ru6aObvTjug/s320/IMG_6763.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I adapted this activity so that I could also use it at the start of kindergarten, when we are working on letter identification. I was in the Dollar Tree and found bags of large and small gems. I thought that they would be perfect for an activity to match capital and small letters, because I could use the big gems for the capital letters and the small gems for the small letters.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZV5KaM-zZxg/Thex2nEVM-I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/XEojLes9X70/s1600/IMG_6753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192px" m$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZV5KaM-zZxg/Thex2nEVM-I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/XEojLes9X70/s320/IMG_6753.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4eKH8hGY4Wg/TheyZ0Y_MNI/AAAAAAAAAZU/ESZ6PzE3G_4/s1600/IMG_6749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195px" m$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4eKH8hGY4Wg/TheyZ0Y_MNI/AAAAAAAAAZU/ESZ6PzE3G_4/s320/IMG_6749.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I typed up a sheet of capital letters and a sheet of small letters. Mr. Smith wrote his letters on the back with a Sharpie. This works well with an overhead. I'm not going to be using these on an overhead, so I just typed the letters. If you write them with a Sharpie remember to write them backwards, so they show up correctly when you flip them over.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/59747167/Letters-for-Gem-Activity" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Letters for Gem Activity on Scribd">Letters for Gem Activity</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_42607" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/59747167/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1hbfkrcet18uvk6lfanm" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Note: There are some formatting errors that occured when I uploaded this document to Scribd, but it will still work)</span><br />
After printing the sheets I cut out each row. I used a regular Elmer's glue stick on the back of the gems. This seems to have worked well, but I had to make sure I rubbed the glue with a paper towel until it turned clear. I placed the gems over the letters and cut around the outside. Before I use them I will use Modge Podge to seal the papers onto the gems. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SrjeViVP-LM/Thew2xlX92I/AAAAAAAAAZM/U3O8LnDvIBs/s1600/IMG_6754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SrjeViVP-LM/Thew2xlX92I/AAAAAAAAAZM/U3O8LnDvIBs/s320/IMG_6754.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I'm going to place these in a literacy center. I plan on using these as a letter matching activity, and am also thinking about using them in a letter ordering activity. I think that my students will be really excited about using the gems. Thanks for the inspiration Mr. Smith!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gtYRPezV_5w/ThevPKt7nYI/AAAAAAAAAZE/hiLbOnGvXK0/s1600/IMG_6759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272px" m$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gtYRPezV_5w/ThevPKt7nYI/AAAAAAAAAZE/hiLbOnGvXK0/s320/IMG_6759.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Note: The camera and lighting caused a glare in some of the photoa, but they are easy to read in person. </div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-59660823254605631882011-07-07T17:52:00.000-07:002011-07-07T17:52:59.583-07:00Supply Labels<div align="center"><img height="217px" src="http://thesmarterwallet.com/images/back-to-school-supplies.jpg" width="320px" /></div><br />
Each year our PTA hosts an ice cream social before school starts. This is a chance for students to meet their teachers and see their new classrooms. This is also a chance for students to drop off their supplies before the first day of school. <br />
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This gives teachers a chance to organize their supplies before the first day of school. In the past I've had parents put the supplies into lockers labeled with each student's name. Since most supplies are used communally I would go back after they left and pull out the supplies to put away. This was very time consuming.<br />
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Last year Mrs. Hicks came up with a super idea. She labeled places on each of her tables with the names of different supplies, and had parents sort them when they dropped them off. My other teammates and I followed suit. It was so much easier, and their were even parents who commented on how organized it was.<br />
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Last year I typed up labels with the names of each supply. This year I'm adding pictures to my labels, so that the students can help sort them. I'm going to tape the labels to the tables in front of a box or bin for each type of supply. <br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/59238956/Supply-Labels" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Supply Labels on Scribd">Supply Labels</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_15873" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/59238956/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1y2xxvk7vqqagjj6wbh2" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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I will still have them put personal items (i.e. rest mats, towels, extra clothes, pencil boxes, etc...) into their child's locker. I always feel that the more organized I can be before school starts the easier the first day of school will be. I would love to hear your tips about organizing supplies.Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-25295262252769706852011-07-05T18:49:00.000-07:002011-07-05T18:49:43.830-07:00Absence NotesSeveral years ago I bought a pad of absence excuse notes at a conference. The notes contained spaces for all of the necessary information. I sent a couple of notes home with each student in their first day packets. I also put one in their binder as a reminder if their parents forgot to send an excuse note when they returned from an absence.<br />
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This helped me to keep track of absences, and helped ensure that notes contained all of the information for the office. I think this was also easier for parents, since they had the paper on hand. Of course, I ran out of these slips long ago. So, I decided to make my own slips.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/59217614/Absence-Note" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Absence Note on Scribd">Absence Note</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_29103" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/59217614/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-21yn9fd7gn3iegqagfx0" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();
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I think I will be really pleased to have these on hand for the upcoming school year.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16pt; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span>P.S. As I was getting ready to post this I saw a similiar letter on Mrs. Jump's blog. If you haven't already seen it, please check it out at <a href="http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/2011/07/pirate-themed-classroom.html">http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/2011/07/pirate-themed-classroom.html</a>. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16pt; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span></div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-40746342770834372962011-07-04T18:11:00.000-07:002011-07-04T18:16:57.692-07:00Fairytale Ball<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XfsbY1dWoBU/ThJTv9Y5NSI/AAAAAAAAAWs/sbOJqZzIgpU/s1600/May+2011+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XfsbY1dWoBU/ThJTv9Y5NSI/AAAAAAAAAWs/sbOJqZzIgpU/s320/May+2011+062.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>At the end of our fairytale unit our entire kindergarten has a fairytale ball. This is so much fun. Everyone, including the teachers, dresses up as their favorite fairytale charactar. It is such a fun day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kgC1jvY3Kpg/ThDldVTE5XI/AAAAAAAAAVg/1wEJwRgDYB8/s1600/IMG_5764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kgC1jvY3Kpg/ThDldVTE5XI/AAAAAAAAAVg/1wEJwRgDYB8/s320/IMG_5764.JPG" width="240px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This hand-made Pinochio costume was so creative!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b6ll2qB_Bv4/ThDlpHg9q-I/AAAAAAAAAV0/H929aMBO2C4/s1600/IMG_5776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b6ll2qB_Bv4/ThDlpHg9q-I/AAAAAAAAAV0/H929aMBO2C4/s320/IMG_5776.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Before starting the ball we parade around the school. The older students love seeing our kinders all dressed up. The kinders love all the cheers they get as they walk down the halls.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pn93K_AaqbY/ThDlm8dlxXI/AAAAAAAAAVw/tbGeTwrZEHU/s1600/IMG_5771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pn93K_AaqbY/ThDlm8dlxXI/AAAAAAAAAVw/tbGeTwrZEHU/s320/IMG_5771.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0y-3_cU__1s/ThDljFLhIXI/AAAAAAAAAVo/w6Qc0k0Fk0Y/s1600/IMG_5769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0y-3_cU__1s/ThDljFLhIXI/AAAAAAAAAVo/w6Qc0k0Fk0Y/s320/IMG_5769.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wlME_VN4ytI/ThJU_zqvgTI/AAAAAAAAAXY/4dow-hffNi4/s1600/IMG_5905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wlME_VN4ytI/ThJU_zqvgTI/AAAAAAAAAXY/4dow-hffNi4/s320/IMG_5905.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the parade we all end up in the lunchroom for the ball. Our Kindergarten has over 120 students, so it takes a lot of planning (and a lot of parent volunteers and student helpers) to make this work. Over the past few years we've developed a rotation system. We divide the students into three groups (there are 2-3 classes in each group). Each group rotates through each of 3 stations. The stations each last around 20 minutes. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i-nT3sGwt7c/ThIwnxAnC_I/AAAAAAAAAWo/GxhgxOg8wOM/s320/IMG_5902.JPG" width="319px" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Station one is where the students get their pictures made against our fairytale backdrop. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fjw3QEDIbHY/ThJT6JozTMI/AAAAAAAAAW0/PGa7_OHriCg/s1600/IMG_5866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fjw3QEDIbHY/ThJT6JozTMI/AAAAAAAAAW0/PGa7_OHriCg/s320/IMG_5866.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3UyBY4RpxbU/ThJkXRpjSVI/AAAAAAAAAXw/ejcSKB5vfds/s1600/IMG_5864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3UyBY4RpxbU/ThJkXRpjSVI/AAAAAAAAAXw/ejcSKB5vfds/s320/IMG_5864.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i6MSC-4rfcA/ThJUjszcZUI/AAAAAAAAAXE/_Gw9XJWktGM/s1600/IMG_5873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i6MSC-4rfcA/ThJUjszcZUI/AAAAAAAAAXE/_Gw9XJWktGM/s320/IMG_5873.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cZgAvMnyJyY/ThJUg5ucIxI/AAAAAAAAAXA/g2ftGhaC3PY/s1600/IMG_5868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cZgAvMnyJyY/ThJUg5ucIxI/AAAAAAAAAXA/g2ftGhaC3PY/s320/IMG_5868.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cVUFkvovWD4/ThJUstVAj5I/AAAAAAAAAXM/k16T4WH91WM/s1600/IMG_5877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cVUFkvovWD4/ThJUstVAj5I/AAAAAAAAAXM/k16T4WH91WM/s320/IMG_5877.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They also get a cupcake and a cup of punch at this station. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4u4QVlKLreE/ThDmI_TChFI/AAAAAAAAAWU/xOs49lpLEsM/s1600/IMG_5853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4u4QVlKLreE/ThDmI_TChFI/AAAAAAAAAWU/xOs49lpLEsM/s320/IMG_5853.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8YemATUirY0/ThDmLgl4v3I/AAAAAAAAAWY/raNue_zN-Oc/s1600/IMG_5854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8YemATUirY0/ThDmLgl4v3I/AAAAAAAAAWY/raNue_zN-Oc/s320/IMG_5854.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When they're done with their cupcakes they can color a fairytale coloring page.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4FPwD3R1LOQ/ThJVRhzJ9JI/AAAAAAAAAXg/oE6qER23iaQ/s1600/IMG_5893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4FPwD3R1LOQ/ThJVRhzJ9JI/AAAAAAAAAXg/oE6qER23iaQ/s320/IMG_5893.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At station two the students decorate fun foam crowns. Mrs. Hicks ordered the crowns from Oriental Trading. The students have so much fun making their crowns, and they are a neat souvenir for them to bring home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nQ_wUP87vfE/ThDl4gZo-xI/AAAAAAAAAWE/IzetYUMsLlg/s1600/IMG_5909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nQ_wUP87vfE/ThDl4gZo-xI/AAAAAAAAAWE/IzetYUMsLlg/s320/IMG_5909.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UHb1tck8so8/ThJZw4p-isI/AAAAAAAAAXk/2d-dof3O4KI/s1600/IMG_5907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UHb1tck8so8/ThJZw4p-isI/AAAAAAAAAXk/2d-dof3O4KI/s320/IMG_5907.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4foOLfieVF8/ThJZ0IOciwI/AAAAAAAAAXo/iASaZY9hxkQ/s1600/IMG_5913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4foOLfieVF8/ThJZ0IOciwI/AAAAAAAAAXo/iASaZY9hxkQ/s320/IMG_5913.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At station three we have singing and dancing. I've written story songs, which I perform with the students at this station. The songs tell an entire fairytale, with funny, rhyming lyrics. The song I used this year was <em>The Three Little Pigs. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXlrArq7Jvk/ThDmABALHHI/AAAAAAAAAWM/LemrNXcdRvc/s1600/IMG_5811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXlrArq7Jvk/ThDmABALHHI/AAAAAAAAAWM/LemrNXcdRvc/s320/IMG_5811.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="left">I choose students from each group to come up and act out the different charactars. All of the students join in during the part where the Big, Bad Wolf says "Little pig, little pig let me in." I'm not a super singer, but the students never seem to mind <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16pt; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOIVk6QDP_c/TeUV90W-KMI/AAAAAAAACQY/gv8zKgh33lU/s1600/May+2011+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOIVk6QDP_c/TeUV90W-KMI/AAAAAAAACQY/gv8zKgh33lU/s320/May+2011+045.JPG" t8="true" width="240px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After we finish the story song we all dance the Hokey Pokey. By the time all three groups have come through the station I think I've burned enough calories to eat a cupcake. Lol. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/tv/martha_stewart_show/show_photos/2051_2100/2090_recipe_cupcake_xl.jpg" width="160px" /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-88813968278719953902011-07-03T09:37:00.000-07:002011-07-03T09:37:43.684-07:00Fairytale Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw5KyhCLVPI/TgwFy3OdwkI/AAAAAAAAAUs/f2ARzYC_P2w/s1600/IMG_5921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw5KyhCLVPI/TgwFy3OdwkI/AAAAAAAAAUs/f2ARzYC_P2w/s320/IMG_5921.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="center"></div>Each year our kindergarten team does a unit on fairytales. I love teaching with fairytales. There are so many ways to incorporate math, science, and social studies along with reading and writing. <br />
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This year we had so much going on at the end of the year that I did not have time for all of the activities I usually plan. The activities I ended up using mainly focused on comprehension and writing skills. I hope to post the math, science, and social studies activities in the future.<br />
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I like to put my students' writing and art projects together into a book. They love getting their books at the end of the unit. They are so excited to look through the work they've done, and share it with their friends (it's so sweet to watch them look through it with friends while they're waiting in the car line) and family.<br />
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After we read each story I have my students write about it. Then they create an art project to go with their writing. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G58QKedb4Ko/TgwF23BYPWI/AAAAAAAAAUw/Wv5rzQ7ZtSY/s1600/IMG_5926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G58QKedb4Ko/TgwF23BYPWI/AAAAAAAAAUw/Wv5rzQ7ZtSY/s320/IMG_5926.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>I got the idea for this art project for <em>The Three Little Pigs</em> from Mrs. Hicks(<a href="http://hicks-thealphabetgarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/math-offices.html">http://hicks-thealphabetgarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/math-offices.html</a>). The students chose whether they wanted to build their houses with hay, sticks (toothpicks) or bricks. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Ac-TUkby5w/Tg_QaRm2-_I/AAAAAAAAAVY/A3QrRbLAEcM/s1600/IMG_5935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Ac-TUkby5w/Tg_QaRm2-_I/AAAAAAAAAVY/A3QrRbLAEcM/s320/IMG_5935.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>They made a glass slipper and pumpkin to go with their <em>Cinderella </em>writing. A very sweet parent made these patterns for me several years ago.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WM6O5Avo0-8/TgwF4WSE3KI/AAAAAAAAAUM/66egSu0_a40/s1600/IMG_5929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WM6O5Avo0-8/TgwF4WSE3KI/AAAAAAAAAUM/66egSu0_a40/s320/IMG_5929.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;">They created the main character from <em>Little Red Riding Hood </em>for this page of their book<em>. </em>I would like to create a Big, Bad Wolf and Granny pattern to go with it for next year's book.</div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ABd9_yZrZM/TgwF8cb3PMI/AAAAAAAAAU8/zK0okHr6zUo/s1600/IMG_5932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ABd9_yZrZM/TgwF8cb3PMI/AAAAAAAAAU8/zK0okHr6zUo/s320/IMG_5932.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For their <em>Hansel and Gretel</em> page they made a gingerbread house. They used foam pieces that I had bought at Michael's (they were super cheap after Christmas) and paper pieces that I cut using my </div><div style="text-align: left;">Cri-cut. This is another idea I <strike>stole </strike> borrowed from Mrs. Hicks (<a href="http://hicks-thealphabetgarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/math-offices.html">http://hicks-thealphabetgarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/math-offices.html</a>). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DTWLikYjLuY/TgwF5a6K-fI/AAAAAAAAAU4/kZmPTlKe5gw/s1600/IMG_5930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DTWLikYjLuY/TgwF5a6K-fI/AAAAAAAAAU4/kZmPTlKe5gw/s320/IMG_5930.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>This is the art that they did for the <em>Princess and the Frog. </em>We watched the Disney movie, and read a storybook. The two versions were very different. I plan to include a compare and contrast activity with this story next year. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p3oKrGtzeTY/TgwFvbL6LRI/AAAAAAAAAUk/UrtHQHEOdGA/s1600/IMG_5917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p3oKrGtzeTY/TgwFvbL6LRI/AAAAAAAAAUk/UrtHQHEOdGA/s320/IMG_5917.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>I have not done a page for <em>Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs</em> before. However, since my costume for our fairytale ball was going to be Snow White I wanted to include a page in their books. I came up with this art project at the last minute, and I really love it! My students loved making the sparkly apples (with the help of some super 4th and 5th grade helpers) too!<br />
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Up Next: Our Kindergarten Fairytale Ball</div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-16605176049094204962011-07-02T18:18:00.000-07:002011-07-02T18:18:20.495-07:00Eric Carle Unit: The Very Hungry Caterpillar- Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv-LWTe1o54/Tg-8BMKchZI/AAAAAAAAAU0/_l8EJ18kO5k/s1600/IMG_6720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv-LWTe1o54/Tg-8BMKchZI/AAAAAAAAAU0/_l8EJ18kO5k/s200/IMG_6720.JPG" width="149px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Throughout our Eric Carle Unit we study the lifecycles of plants and the different insects in the stories we read. This is our activity for the lifecycle of a butterfly.<br />
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</div>I have a pattern for the circle, which the students trace and cut out. The different stages of the life cycle are on a strip of paper. I have the students color the pictures and cut them apart. Then they glue the pictures on the background paper. I punch a hole in the circle and use a brad to fasten it to the paper. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gJdMP33BtVw/Tg-70ZW_TkI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/t7OmXIm-QpM/s1600/IMG_6715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gJdMP33BtVw/Tg-70ZW_TkI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/t7OmXIm-QpM/s200/IMG_6715.JPG" width="161px" /></a> <img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--5xM491VLMk/Tg1PERYjywI/AAAAAAAAATc/leJFUD98SJw/s200/IMG_6717.JPG" width="151px" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oj5qEeinGfc/Tg-77W4DY7I/AAAAAAAAAUc/fqegPQr_0CE/s1600/IMG_6718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oj5qEeinGfc/Tg-77W4DY7I/AAAAAAAAAUc/fqegPQr_0CE/s200/IMG_6718.JPG" width="141px" /></a> <img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PLOpuuESqVY/Tg-79kUnNlI/AAAAAAAAAUg/dTd1e48hlMc/s200/IMG_6719.JPG" width="150px" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Up Next: Our Fairytale Books</div>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-75684902013278149742011-06-29T20:50:00.000-07:002011-06-29T20:50:37.664-07:00Eric Carle- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">During our Eric Carle unit we always try to incorporate math. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peU4lpRopzs/TgvfeDdbQSI/AAAAAAAAASg/wrA-eBLmvqw/s1600/IMG_6711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peU4lpRopzs/TgvfeDdbQSI/AAAAAAAAASg/wrA-eBLmvqw/s320/IMG_6711.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a time activity I got from one of my co-workers. The children cut out the apple. Then they draw a picture of the caterpillar on the apple. We read the script together, and figure out where we need to draw the hands on the clock. I glue this page into the Eric Carle books we make. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We concentrate a lot on adding in the spring. I try to make adding practice sheets with art that goes along with the unit we are working on. I used the practice pages below during this unit. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_9663" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/59023893/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1hdsnl3s9qjjwhyo36uc" width="100%"></iframe></div><br />
Up Next: Eric Carle Unit- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Part 3<script type="text/javascript">
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</script>Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-7749465672497362602011-06-15T20:15:00.000-07:002011-06-15T20:25:21.215-07:00Eric Carle Unit- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Part1<div align="center"><img height="240px" src="http://wrestlingaddictedmommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/veryhungrycaterpillar.jpg" width="320px" /></div><br />
Eric Carle's <em>The Very Hungry Caterpillar </em>is one of my favorite books. I remember reading it with my little brother when we were children, and I enjoy sharing it with my students now. We have so much fun reading the book and learning about caterpillars and butterflies.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="172px" src="http://carinbondar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/book-hungry-caterpillar.jpg" width="320px" /><br />
</div>First we read the story. We talk about the days of the week as we read the story. The students love predicting how many pieces of fruit The Very Hungry Caterpillar will eat next. <br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/57967376/The-Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Pre-Writing" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pre-Writing on Scribd">The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pre-Writing</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_5099" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/57967376/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-24u6mmdo2iqk2elxxqqt" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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After we read the story we write about it. The students use this pre-writing sheet to organize their thoughts. They write one sentence about the story in each box. I work with them to edit their writing on the pre-writing sheet. Then they copy their sentences onto story writing paper and draw an illustration. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2A94-30bME/Tflo5YFYMmI/AAAAAAAAARY/T1JyMkjm0M0/s1600/IMG_6706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156px" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2A94-30bME/Tflo5YFYMmI/AAAAAAAAARY/T1JyMkjm0M0/s320/IMG_6706.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The next thing we do is create an interpretation of the cover. Their caterpillars turned out so cute. Unfortuntaly, I forgot to take pictures before sending them home, so I am using a photo of the sample.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cJSqAMH8OXM/Tfln1GRsM3I/AAAAAAAAARE/Ec2B8M0mVVs/s1600/IMG_6734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cJSqAMH8OXM/Tfln1GRsM3I/AAAAAAAAARE/Ec2B8M0mVVs/s320/IMG_6734.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We also create butterfly art. This sample was done a few years ago using paint. This year I had my students use tissue paper to decorate their butterflies. They turned out so beautifully. I really wish I had taken pictures. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a cmimpressionsent="1" href="http://www.orientaltrading.com/terrific-tissue-paper-squares-a2-57_6090-12-1.fltr?Ntt=tissue+paper+squares"><img alt="Terrific Tissue Paper Squares" src="http://s7.orientaltrading.com/is/image/OrientalTrading/57_6090d?$SEARCH_BROWSE$" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a cmimpressionsent="1" href="http://www.orientaltrading.com/terrific-tissue-paper-squares-a2-57_6090-12-1.fltr?Ntt=tissue+paper+squares">Terrific Tissue Paper Squares</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I want to add that I used pre-cut tissue paper squares on our butterflies. I love these! I don't have to spend time cutting tissue paper, they are uniform in size, and it cuts down on scraps. Plus they come in variety packs so you get a lot of colors. I purchased mine at Michael's. I'm not sure if they still sell them, but you can buy 5000 squares for $6.00 at Oriental Trading.<br />
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</div>Up Next: Eric Carle Unit- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Part 2Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7335070341886961309.post-59362562924042903942011-06-15T13:25:00.000-07:002011-06-15T13:26:38.879-07:00Buzz Words Activity<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLxygBUQip4/TaZIgHkeyXI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/CCuHT_svMF8/s1600/IMG_5499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLxygBUQip4/TaZIgHkeyXI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/CCuHT_svMF8/s320/IMG_5499.JPG" width="237px" /></a></div>One of my students brought animal crackers for our snack. They came in this cute bear container. I could not "bear" the idea of throwing it out (and I could not resist that pun). I just knew I could come up with a use for it. I decided to use it for a sight word game to go along with the <em>Honey Bee and the Robber</em>. <br />
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I made these cards, which I will print on card stock and laminate. The cards will go inside of the bear. The students will pull out a card. If they pull a sight word they will read the word. If they read it correctly they can keep the card. If they do not read it correctly they will need to put it back into the container. If they pull a "<span style="color: yellow;">buzz</span>" card they have been stung and will have to put all of their cards back into the container. <br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/57866813/Buzz-Words" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Buzz Words on Scribd">Buzz Words</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_42196" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/57866813/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1swygrzxmamfjg17ra69" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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I am going to cut out the title, which is at the bottom of the document, to fit over the label on the container.<br />
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I was not able to get this activity completed in time to use with our unit this year, but I can't wait to use it next year! I plan to create more cards to help fill up the bear container. I will post an update on this activity in the future. <br />
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Up Next: Eric Carle- <em>The Hungry Caterpillar</em>TLanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14602719402379217710noreply@blogger.com1