Fall is one of my favorite times of year to teach! I love all things Fall: pumpkins, apples, scarecrows, bats, spiders, owls.... Did I mention it is my favorite time of the year to teach? The littles get so excited about learning and isn't that what it's all about? Sometimes teachers get so bogged down with teaching what's in the basal (no basal for me, thank you very much!) that we forget that true learning takes place when the teacher and students are EXCITED about what they are ... continue reading...
Search Results for: label/science
Phonological Awareness Rhyming
There are so many crucial components to becoming a strong reader and writer. Therefore, it can be overwhelming for teachers to plan high-quality lessons to meet each student where they are. However, teachers know that strong phonological awareness sets the stage for decoding, blending, and reading. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on when teaching the science of reading. Luckily, phonological awareness rhyming creates fun, exciting ways for students to focus on letters, words, and ... continue reading...
American Symbols Activities and Resources for Kindergarten & First Grade
American symbols activities and resources. Informational texts, anchor charts, crafts, science experiments, emergent reader, math games, writing activities, and more! American Symbols Activities Teaching about American symbols can be lots of fun and students learn about important pieces of our history! These lesson ideas and resources are perfect for engaging students in the study of American symbols. Chit Chat Messages: American Symbols Chit chat messages are perfect for shared ... continue reading...
National Talk like a Pirate Day Activities
Did you know that National Talk Like a Pirate Day is this Monday, September 19th? I've got you covered with this Set the Stage to Engage unit all about PIRATES!!! This unit is also perfect for kicking off the year with a pirate theme, teaching -ar, or it can be used as an End of the Year celebration. This unit is packed full of literacy, math, and science fun. Here are some pictures that Holly Ehle took of this pirate unit in action: First, we "flip" the classroom so it looks like ... continue reading...
Frog Frenzy! Learning all about Frogs
Fun frog lesson plans in a nonfiction unit about frogs. Students read and write about frogs, play math and literacy games, and create a craft, too! Frog Lesson Plans This is one of my favorite units! We love learning about frogs through nonfiction reading and expressing what we learn in writing. I like to start any nonfiction unit with charting our schema about frogs and boy do kids know A LOT about frogs! We then begin reading several nonfiction books and even watch some videos ... continue reading...
Penguin Activities and Videos for Kindergarten and First Grade
Engaging Penguin activities and videos. Students will enjoy reading and writing about penguins, doing a science experiment, and making a craft. It's Winter... the best time to learn about penguins! What better way to embrace the winter months than to learn about an animal that loves the cold (well most of them). Learning about penguins can be such a fun time in your classroom. Here are a few lesson ideas for you! Penguin Activities Start learning about penguins with books and videos. ... continue reading...
Peek at my Week {a look at my day}
My sweet friend, Deedee Wills has been doing her Peek at my Week for three years and asking others to link up as well. I love how helpful this is for teachers. It gives us the ability to peer inside each other's classrooms and borrow little nuggets of inspiration here or there to help make our classroom instruction the best that it can be. I've made it a goal this year to link up every Sunday and share as well. Before I start sharing my weekly plans I wanted to first start with my daily ... continue reading...
Colorful Cats and Chicka Chicka Fun Freebies!
Oh my goodness y'all! It has been so long since I did a blog post. When I signed in I got an error saying I wasn't recognized. Okay, well not really but it has been awhile. Shoowee! Do y'all think parents know how hard we work at the beginning of the year? Usually a Sonic coke provides a pick me up but even that hasn't helped. My get up and go, got up and left!!! The good news is that we all get through it and by October we are usually well into our routines and feeling fine. How many ... continue reading...
National Holidays for August and September
Students always love to celebrate holidays with their friends. Typically, this includes holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas. However, the fun doesn’t have to stop there! There are countless quirky, and even strange, holidays that most of us don’t even know exist. I love to use these national holidays to create extra excitement and engagement in the classroom. In this post, I’m going to share national holidays for August and September that are perfect for celebrating in the ... continue reading...
Spiders!
We have been learning about spiders this week. I love this unit! I think spiders are so interesting and the kids love learning about them. I start my unit by finding out what the kids already know about spiders. The idea for this chart came from the book, Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller. I asked the kids what schema they have for spiders and I wrote it on a pink post it note and attached it to our chart under Our Schema (what we think we know). As we learned about spiders ... continue reading...
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse Reading Lesson Plans FREEBIE
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse reading comprehension lesson plans for K-2! This FREEBIE includes 5 lesson plans, complete with student response activities and a craft! Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse Lilly loves school and especially loves her teacher, Mr. Slinger. That is until he takes her new purse for being too disruptive. Lilly's feelings about Mr. Slinger quickly change. Use this story to teach a good lesson about having patience and being a good listener. You and your students will love ... continue reading...
Throwback Thursday…. Colorful Cats and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
Hey y'all! I hope you're having a great Summer! I don't know about y'all but it feels like it is flying by. I'm smack dab in the middle of moving to Florida and trying to get everything ready for I TEACH K! in Vegas next week. I hope to see y'all there!!! Once again, I'm linking up with my sweet friend, Cara's Throwback Thursday post. Colorful Cats Glyphs... Our Colorful Cats Data Analysis sheets... Rainbow Milk Science ... continue reading...
Compound Eyes
We had a lot of fun looking at the world through a bug's eyes! We did the science exploration from my insect unit and then created this anchor chart to show what we found out. My sweet little friends Lucy and Caroline did the drawings for the chart. ... continue reading...
Initial Sounds Activities for Phonological Awareness
David Kilpatrick said, “Phonological and Phoneme Awareness is the foundation upon which all the other layers of literacy are built.” Honestly, this quote does an incredible job of explaining the importance of phonological awareness. Since it is the foundational layer for students to read and write, it is essential for students to work on these skills from a young age. Teachers know this importance and work hard to create enjoyable activities. Thankfully, the Initial Sounds Activities for ... continue reading...
Phonological Awareness Small Group Activities
Students learn so many critical skills while in school. For instance, they learn how to add and subtract, which are essential when dealing with money. Additionally, they learn how to write, read, and spell, which are necessary for many aspects of life. Therefore, teachers work hard to create exciting ways for students to learn content. In terms of language arts, it takes time to understand that sounds blend together to make words. Luckily, phonological awareness small group activities are an ... continue reading...