This DIY chevron teacher planner is perfect for the teacher who wants to personalize their lesson plans. See exactly how I set mine up!
view from my door view from the back view from my teacher table line up dots game storage game stor...
Are you looking for some creative and engaging ways to spice up your science vocabulary activities? Well, look no further because I’ve got something exciting to share with you today! Task cards are the secret weapon you need to add a dash of fun and variety to your teaching toolkit. These versatile little gems can ... Read more
One thing that I wanted to work on this year was a new bulletin board for my College Spotlight. Highlighting a specific college each month is part of my plan to make sure that all our kids are "Caree
This is my 5th year using The Daily 5 in my classroom. Launching The Daily 5 is what I look forward to the most each fall. In this post I am going to explain how I manage The Daily 5 in my 2nd grade classroom. (The I-Chart templates are from Mrs. Jones' Creation Station.) 1. Read to Self Read to Self is the first activity I introduce to my students. I purchased my book bins from Really Good Stuff. They aren't the cheapest option, but they are well worth the money. I allow my students to have 7 books in their book bins, one of which can be a chapter book. They can do book shopping in the morning before the bell rings, or for a few minutes at recess. I used to have scheduled book shopping time for students each week, but allowing them all to do it right away in the morning is just so much easier for everyone! (Read more about my classroom library in this post.) I do not have my students complete any tasks during Read to Self, other than READING! I want their eyes on a book, reading the entire time-no writing or responding to reading. Once my students have reached 10 minutes of stamina for Read to Self, I begin to launch Work on Writing. 2. Work on Writing Many students begin the year as very reluctant writers, but soon love to write during Work on Writing time. I do have a separate writer's workshop time. The difference between writer's workshop and Work on Writing is that workshop time begins with a mini-lesson, is guided, I hold conferences, and we are usually working on a piece over a period of several weeks. During Daily 5 time, students are writing independently, without any help from me. I sometimes allow them to work on their workshop pieces during Daily 5, but this is usually only when a piece reaches the publishing stage. During writer's workshop time at the beginning of the year, students are setting up their writing folders. I prefer folders over notebooks, because this allows me to use 3-lined paper. The line spacing is more appropriate for 2nd-graders, and I want them to be able to hand pieces in without handing in their whole notebook. There folders look like this: The left side is where they place their "tools," such as their Quick Word, and heart map. The middle of their folder is their ponder pocket, which contains index cards with writing ideas (the ponder pocket lesson came from Getting to the Core of Writing). The right side of the folder contains pieces of writing they are currently working on. While launching Work on Writing, students are simply using their ponder pocket, heart map, and other brainstorming tools to free write. As the year progresses, I introduce other writing choices. Here are some of my favorites: Word Play Comic book #1 Word Play Comic book #2 Draw then Write Pick a Prompt Draw Then Write Activities Silly Starters Story Starters Cartoon Story Starters Creative Writing Ideas 3. Word Work The next Daily 5 that I launch is Word Work. Prior to launching word work, I introduce students to the materials that they will be using during a separate spelling block. I stress using the materials the correct way, but I allow students to explore the materials. Then, when we're ready to start Word Work, they are already familiar with the materials, and have had some time to "play" with them. Some of the materials I use for launching word work include: Wikki Stix or Bendaroos Small shells for shell spell Small rocks for rock writing Scented dabbers Spelling City app for iPads As the year progresses, I rotate materials and add other choices. Students can practice spelling words and/or sight words during Word Work time. I will also add games and materials for other skills that we are practicing, such as commas and apostrophes. Here are some of my Teachers Pay Teachers Word Work favorites: 52 Spelling Center Activity Cards: I laminated the cards, and put them on a ring for students to take and use. Spelling and Word Work Worksheets How Much is Your Word Worth? 4. Listen to Reading By the time students are ready to launch Listen to Reading, they have a very good grasp on the routines and expectations of The Daily 5. Because of this, I only spend a few days discussing the expectations, and having students model. Most of the discussion is centered around how to use the devices correctly. I then choose some students to practice Listen to Reading while the rest of the class is building stamina for the other 3 areas of The Daily 5. My students can do Listen to Reading at the CD player, or on the laptops. Perhaps the most difficult part of launching Listen to Reading is helping students realize that I cannot help them if the technology isn't working. It also takes a lot of work to teach them that they should only spend a few minutes trying to get something to work. If it still isn't working, they should pick up and do Read to Self or Work on writing. For the first few months, I allow students to explore the Listen to Reading sites. Then I start to require them to complete a graphic organizer that is related to the comprehension strategy we are working on as a class. (Read more about my laptop organization in this post.) 5. Read to Someone I do not do Read to Someone during our Daily 5 block. Instead, I have a separate "Buddy Reading" time once per week. Once all areas of the Daily 5 have been introduced, and students have at least 20 minutes of stamina in each area, I introduce choice. I always make a very big deal out of the fact that students are in control of their own learning, and can choose what they would like to do. Here is how I manage my Daily 5 choice time: We do 3 rounds of Daily 5 every day. All students have to do Read to Self and Work on Writing every day. Their 3rd choice can be Word Work or Listen to Reading. I keep track of what they chose, so that they can choose the opposite 3rd choice the next time. If I meet with a group during a round, those students will only do 2 independent rounds of Daily 5, which will be Work on Writing and Read to Self. I have a visual up on my smartboard that contains student names in alphabetical order, as well as a visual of the choices. I have a clipboard that contains a list of student names on the left, and the Daily 5 choices across the top. As students tell me what they would like to do, I mark a "1" in that column for round 1. After round 1 is over, students gather back at the carpet. They then choose what they would like to do for round 2, and I mark a "2" in that column. My best advice for anyone who wants to launch The Daily 5 in the classroom is to read the book. It is a very easy read, and it will help you understand the Ten Steps to Independence. There have been many updates since the first book was published. For example, the authors do not suggest students do all 5 activities every day, which is why I do 3 rounds. Also, some people have asked if I do mini-lessons in-between my rounds of Daily 5. I used to, but I have not run my Daily 5 block this way for a few years now. My main reason was that it was difficult to fit everything in. Instead, I do phonics lessons in the morning, and writing lessons during writer's workshop. I do start my Daily 5 time with a read aloud and mini-lesson. I'm sure I forgot something, so please let me know if you have any questions!
view from my door view from the back view from my teacher table line up dots game storage game stor...
It's called a "Blurt Chart". Have you ever heard of that? If students blurt out they take a happy face off the chart (they are velcroed on). These directions show you chart. I also have the Blurts created for your chart... just download and print!
I am linking up again with Joanne at Head Over Heels for Teaching for her Spark Student Motivation Saturdays! I love this linky! Everyone shared so many great ideas last weekend:) Last Saturday I blogged about my 20 stars whole class incentive for good behavior here. I left this teaser:) What do you do for the few kids that are still reluctant to follow the rules? I do have a strategy for those students that goes along with the 20 stars plan. It has something to do with what happens when the free time day (well, 20 minutes of free time) comes! Check back next Saturday for more on that topic:) Now it is "next Saturday" and I wanted to share with you the quick strategy I have for those students that still tend to break the rules and might ruin the whole class getting a star. Instead of those students holding the whole class back from getting a star for the day, I have them make a check on our owl individual charts. I laminated these little mini incentive charts from Carson Dellosa. They have all kinds of styles available and have used them for many different reasons over the years. They also take and complete an "owl slip" to indicate what their behavior was. It immediately stops the behavior when they have to walk over to the owl chart and make that check. It is interesting to see what they write because sometimes they try to downplay what the actual infraction was. I keep these in a file and pull them out for future reference. I also have them on hand in case I need them at a parent conference. Click here to download a PDF of this owl slip. When it comes time for the 20 stars incentive, anyone with checks on the "owl chart" loses some (or all) of the class free time. They sit in the pod and, using their owl slips, write about the poor behaviors they had exhibited and how they can improve. If they will not do this, they don't have a chance of coming back to the room so the students really work hard getting it done. Each time we have made a 20 stars incentive, the number of checks on the owl chart have decreased. It has really been effective! That being said, I have started a new incentive for the last 10 weeks of school using Class Dojo. I just finished my first week using the system and it has sparked a lot of new excitement. This might be just what I need to get through the remainder of the year:) I will blog more about that after I have used it longer. Check back at Joanne's blog and see what other ideas bloggers have linked up!
Well folks, here in sunny Queensland it is HOT! We are smack bang in the middle of a Spring heatwave - it's supposed to be 32 degrees today, and up to 34 tomorrow. Luckily the humidity hasn't kicked in for the year yet, so it's not as bad as it could be. As soon as I'm done with this post I'm off to the beach for a swim. :) I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday to share something I'd been wanting to try for a while. After endless trips to dollar stores to buy clear plastic envelopes and folders to store my games and activities I wanted to find a storage system that was a) cheaper and b) fulfilled my need for everything to match! I decided to try laminated envelopes as a way to get rid of this mess: First step is to grab some heavy duty envelopes. I bought both A4 and A5 sizes. If you're in Australia, this is the brand I bought from Office Works. Either print the cover pages for products you've made or bought or make one for others so you know what's in each envelope. Glue them to the front. Now this is the only tricky bit. When you put the envelope in the laminating pouch, put the bottom edge at the sealed end of the pouch. Make sure you leave at least a 1cm border of film around the envelope so that it seals really well - you don't want it peeling when you pop your games in and the envelope gets fatter. :) I had to use A3 pouches for my A4 sized envelopes. Make sure the flap of the envelope is open, and take the paper off the glue strip. Carefully smooth the top of the film down and it will stick to the glue. You can see what I mean in this photo: When it's been through the laminator, all you have to do is trim around the edges (remember to leave a border of laminate!) and run a sharp knife along the opening of the envelope. Magically, you will have a little pocket! I have a paper slicer that scores as well, so I ran that along the fold so I could easily close each envelope. There you have it! Sturdy, matching storage! :) The most time consuming part of this is sorting out a cover for each envelope and if you were so inclined you could probably just write on the front to save time. I know this was not the most thrilling of posts, but I had to google to find out the tips and tricks to make this work, so hopefully this tutorial will help someone else. I'd love to know if you're going to give this a try! Beach time for me! Have a wonderful day. :) Lauren
My days are always much more colorful with a preschooler to homeschool. Preschoolers have a natural curiosity about EVERYTHING and veraciously soak up every little scrap of knowledge they can. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) I know that my Greased Lightning, with his bursting enthusiasm for just about everything and everyone, will be more than eager to start DISCOVERING along with his older sibs. While my little man is always welcome to listen and participate in our group subjects, my expectation for HIS participation in most of these areas will be much different than that of his big sister and brothers. In addition to our group learning, he will also be doing the following: Personal Devotions At this age, he may choose from the numerous picture book Bibles that we have on a low-lying shelf and page through the pictures until the majority of the other kids have finished their personal devotions. As I've mentioned before, I use this time to establish the HABIT of doing personal devotions. Phonics/Language ABeka K-4 Phonics (4x a week)- I prefer to teach one letter a week and this curriculum goes slightly faster than that. So I have re-worked the curriculum guide to suite my needs. A homemade ABC book (1x a week) Alphabet bag (1x a week) Little Golden Book Picture Dictionary (1x a week)- to introduce other words that begin with the assigned letter of the week lots of hands-on reinforcements/manipulatives Baby's Lap Book (1x a week)- This is neither a lapbook nor a book for babies. It is a very old book of classic nursery rhymes. My kids have always loved this book, but I think it helps that I sing most of the rhymes instead of read them. Math I've never done any intentional math with my kids at this age. The ABeka K-4 Phonics book includes simple counting and number recognition. But, beyond that, any "math" taught will be done with living literature books and real life encounters. Logic/Readiness Skills Building Thinking Skills Beginning (4x a week)- This is a reading-readiness book that also incorporates logic and reasoning skills. Can You Find Me? (1x a week) Living Literature Social Studies & Science This is by no means an exhaustive list of the books we will read together, but it comprises the titles that we will FOR SURE be reading. Knowing my first grader, he will probably want to listen in as well. We will read one title over the course of a few weeks and then move on to the next one. For variety, I have scheduled a rotation of a social studies-themed book, a science-themed book, repeat. For the most part, these are all books that can be found in a previous edition of the Sonlight Preschool program (Which I love!). But the complete course is a bit too demanding for my schedule/stage of life and slightly too intense for my son's personality. So, in a true ECLECTIC fashion, I have added and detracted to create a made-to-order, a la carte-style curriculum for my little guy. The Year at Maple Hill Farm (1x a month)- As this book reads like a monthly farmer's calendar, we will not start with page 1. Instead, I have scheduled it to begin at "August" so that the book matches the month/season that we are currently experiencing. People Why Do Tigers Have Stripes? Things People Do The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature Then and Now The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit Books on CD At night, I usually let my children fall asleep to a book on CD. This is the perfect time to squeeze in a few great titles that I would not otherwise have the time to read aloud to them. And so... Since Greased Lightning has shown his pencil box to nearly EVERY person that has walked through the door of our home this past summer, I think it is safe to say that he is excited for school to start!
"So whatever happened to Zahavah?", you may wonder. No, wait. Did that introduction trigger the even more troubling question of "Who is Zahavah?" because then, I really owe you a deep explanation. :) You see, when I first started blogging, I thought I'd devote Sorting Sprinkles to both my preschooler and toddler. And I did. For a while anyway. Like until Halloween or something. And then I simply couldn't keep up brainstorming two great curriculum at the same time. I had to let one go and in my head, it had to be Zahavah's. I felt like Adrian's was "more important" because he was a preschooler and since he was not attending school per say (he attends 4 mornings a week in German so in my head...it didn't count), he should be "attending" with me whereas Zahavah "could wait". I still did and do activities and games with her of course but they're not planned like Adrian's. As such, I haven't blogged about these at all but no worries...she's having a good time, hosting play dates, "working out at the gym" and learning here and there with what I have time to put together for her. Zahavah Thinking of the Upcoming School Year Of course that's about to change. Little Miss Z will be turning two and a half this summer and will be ready to enter the proper world of Montessori Learning and as such you'll see a lot more of her comes fall and the beginning of the new school year. I've been debating for quite a while now as to how to proceed with her. I do so love working with "mini-unit" aka themes (I bet you couldn't tell!:) ) but when I investigated what other folks did with their toddlers, I found out a lot went with "letter of the week" and "book of the week" units instead. Hmm. "Letter of the week" actually seemed like more work than a mini-unit to me. Just the letter "D" makes me think of "dog"and "dinosaur", and those are two HUGE topics. No, couldn't possibly do that. The "sorter" in me just couldn't combine it all. Then, "book of the week" triggered some excitement in me...but then I remembered all my visitors who wouldn't be able to follow along anymore and also,... would a book be enough to prepare an entire week of trays? Not so sure. In the end, it looks like I'll be doing mini-units for Zahavah as well. I am now looking at possible themes for the upcoming school year. I think I may include a few book-based units but I'll try my best to choose books that were published in several languages... * * * Ok. Done thinking. Here's what I've come up with so far. Of course, these themes are all subject to change. I took in consideration Zahavah's current interests and these can always change (although, she is a pretty constant girl I must say). I also tried to pick themes that are universal; themes that she would encounter if she were, for example, to go to a nursery school that used thematics. I also tried to choose subjects that will make it easy to incorporate Montessori elements of course. Now, enough said, here is what you've all been waiting for...my mini-unit themes for 2013-2014! :) 2013-2014 "Tot School" Mini-Unit Themes September It's All About Me ! (body parts & emotions) On the Farm Falling for Fall (Autumn) Fashion Week (Clothing) October To Market, To Market (At Grocery Store) Princess Zahavah of New York (princesses & royalty) Favorite Pets Halloween Halloween November Going Places (Transportation) Forest Friends (In the Woods) Zahavah, Little Mama Thanksgiving December My friend Maisy Mouse (Lucy Cousin character) It's a Birthday Party ! Christmas Christmas January A cold winter Pretty Ballerinas Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You Hear? (Eric Carle book) Cuddly Teddy (teddy bears) Teatime and Sweets and My Favorite February The circus is in Town Valentine's Day Teletubbies Mardi Gras March Lollies, Gummies and other Candies St. Patrick's Day The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle Book) Sports Camp April Up in the Sky Spring is in the Air Easter Easter In the Garden May By the Pond Life's a Zoo At the Fair Don't Bug Me ! (insects) June Summer Fun At the Beach No plans announced yet in terms of summer enrichment! :) So what do you think? Any input? I know you may be surprised by some themes (Teletubbies? Really?) but my choices were made with MY toddler in mind. Besides, themes can always change as mentioned before. Some may also be completely "deleted" as penciled in guests confirm their visit and require the postponement/elimination of some topics. Sick days may (or rather will probably) be necessary as well but for now, I'm pretty happy with what I've come up with... * * * Your comments make my day ! * * * Today, I'm happily linking up to Montessori Monday, The Kids Co-Op, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, TGIF, Share it Saturday, Mom's Library, The Sunday Showcase, Sun Scholars's For the Kids Friday, Stress-Free Sunday, Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers, Tuesday Tots, Preschool Corner &5K, Look What We Did, Money Saving Monday, Monday Kid Corner, Kids in the Kitchen, and We Made That. If you would like me to link up with you, please don't hesitate to ask, it might take me a week or two, but I generally do!
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3rd grade teacher blog- New teacher tips, lesson ideas for K-4, & freebies for elementary teachers, like a customizable lesson plan template!
A collaborative blog by Pre K and Kindergarten specialists. Child growth and development, information, free printables.
Hello, hello! Friends, can I be honest for a minute?! I honestly feel like I blinked and 2013 was O-V-E-R. Over. Just like that! In 2014 is ANYTHING like 2013, then I am in for the ride of my life. I’m totally buckling my seat-belt. Right now. I’m also eating OREOS (which is kind of …
A blog focusing on early education, combining Montessori, right brain, and other techniques to make learning fun.
I build vocational centers in my class to combine academic skills like following written directions and independent skills that will help my students in the future. This quarter I have a post office center and a grocery store. The Post Office This activity is weighing items on a scale. The child gets a package from the left basket, puts it on the scale, reads the scale and then selects the correct weight from the container of pieces in the middle. They put the amount on the package and then puts it in the finished basket on the right. (What I learned this year is that all the packages need to be the same size, because my students had memorized different shaped packages and never weighed them) This year I used old CD cases filled with a variety of items to change the weight, and then covered them with the same colored paper. This is a mail delivery task. The sections are labeled with the people in the classroom. The containers to the left are labeled for specific children. Children that can read get envelopes with names and addresses on them to put in the mail slots. Children that cannot read as well get envelopes with pictures and a name on them to deliver. They all know which container to choose and are independent with this skill. This is a beginning envelope stuffing task. The student gets an envelope on the left and an index card in the middle. He/she puts the card in the envelope and then puts it in the finished container. The Grocery Store This activity is a coupon match. The child gets the coupon from the container on the top right and matches to the item on the coupon. This activity is to pack groceries by a list. The student gets a bag and a list and then puts in the correct groceries. Once packaged, there is a place on the right to put the completed bags (not pictured).
... this little gem has already been worth its weight in gold, and we are only on week four of the school year. Meet the new Morning Time Binder.
Have y'all ever used this book to help teach contractions and possessives? It is the CUTEST book! I created an anchor chart to help rei...
art, teacher crafts, and DIYS for kids and adults
You guessed it…. Woo hoo! Half way to a 3-day weekend after a long first week back! Woo hoo! Let’s recap the week thus far, shall we?! Monday was a GREAT first day! I LOVED spending the whole day with all 18 of my little sweeties. Yes…only 18. A blessing indeed. Speaking of blessings, I’m …
