My oldest son starts half day PreK in a few weeks. I made some activities for him to practice basic skills such as letters, shapes and numbers. I am so excited to share them with you! These activities are perfect for Preschool and Kindergarten. I love that they practice fine motor skills as well. Each activity can be printed and placed in a clear view pocket (such as the dry erase kind), or the activities can be laminated and then placed in a Math or Literacy center. Just add your favorite manipulatives. I chose to use pom poms. First up are Letter Cards. The cards come in 4 different printing options: -Full sheet color -Full sheet black and white -Half sheet color -Half sheet black and white Students practice building capital and lowercase letters. Next are the Shape Mats. Students practice building 2D shapes. The sheets come in color and black and white printing options. Next, is Color Word Practice The Find and Cover Alphabet Sheets and Find and Cover Number Sheets are designed to help practice letter and number identification. Find and Cover Teen Numbers The Find and Cover Numbers 0-10 is FREE to download in my store here. Lastly, I have made a few sets to practice sight words. All of these sheets can also be used as Print and Go activities. Just grab markers, crayons, colored pencils, bingo dabbers, etc and you have activities for morning work, small groups, sub tubs, fast finishers and more! If you haven't already grabbed the Number Freebie, just click the picture below! I hope you love these activities! Be sure to check these out it my money saving bundle here! Please be sure to note that when purchasing the bundle the items have been discounted by 50 percent!
SEPTEMBER NO PREP MATH AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES
How to create a retell literacy center in kindergarten. Plus a list of 20 famous stories and retell props (with printables) to complete this center.
These fun and simple Crafts and Read Alouds for Kindergarten will give you a ton of ideas for how to extend story time to center time!
Your students will have so much fun writing with these Roll-a-Story boards. Their creativity will be flowing after discovering which super fun character, problem and setting their story will be about. This resource is perfect in helping students write creative and interesting stories while taking the ‘stress’ out of thinking of what to write about. To use the boards, students simply choose a board and roll a die three times to discover which character, problem and setting their story will be based on. There are 9 different boards, which means there are almost 2000 different story possibilities! Includes both a USA and AUS/UK version. A version is also included where the problem and setting begins with a lowercase letter. You may also like: Roll an Activity - Literacy Centers ♥♥♥ Follow me to be the first to hear about FREEBIES and updates ♥♥♥ ♥♥♥ Earn TPT Credits when you leave feedback ♥♥♥ I welcome and appreciate any feedback, comments or suggestions. You may also contact me on [email protected]
Create your own listening center in your classroom with these easy instructions from this kindergarten teacher!
Zacchaeus Printables Packet for Elementary Students including Zacchaeus Story for Kids, Zacchaeus Coloring Page, Zacchaeus Word Search, and More
Introducing a story about using your imagination to create limitless adventures ~ featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: “Grumpy Monkey” by Suzanne Lang, Illustrated by Max Lang *~Click h…
How to create a retell literacy center in kindergarten. Plus a list of 20 famous stories and retell props (with printables) to complete this center.
Here are three retelling strategies you can take and use in your classroom right away. Head on over to the post to grab the activities.
Hi there, I am thrilled to be joining my #kinderfriends for another great blog hop! We are sharing some of our favorite books for the classroom. The books I'm sharing today are all about bugs. I always end my school year with a big unit on insects and these are some of my must have books on the topic. I also have a great FREEBIE for you, so keep reading to go grab it. Bugs for Lunch is written by Margery Facklam and illustrated by Sylvia Long. I love this book because it introduces the concept of predators who eat insects. It has wonderfully written rhyming text just right for young children. The detailed illustrations are realistic and easy to understand for the little learners who will be looking at each page. It has a section in the back of the book with more information about each of the predators including humans with some of the countries and cultures where people eat bugs. You can go grab this book at Amazon by clicking on the image above. If you purchase this book through my link, I will recieve a tiny commission for sending you there. Thanks! (This is true for any of the links to Amazon on this post or anywhere on my blog.) All the book images on this post should take you to Amazon so you can get the book. The Backyard Books series by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries are MUST HAVES for a unit on insects. I alternate the focus of my unit each year between butterflies, ladybugs, and honeybees. I have one of these books for each of those insects. You can also find these books for ants, dragonflies, snails, and spiders. This book, Are you a Butterfly? takes your class through the journey of a butterfly's life cycle in a fun and conversational way. It is loaded with information including food, molting, growth, and also has a section at the end with more interesting facts. The illustrations are incredible and depict many important concepts you will be teaching your students if you do a unit on insects. You can grab this over at Amazon by clicking on the image above. Beetle Bop is by Caldecott Honor winning author and illustrator, Denise Fleming. This book is so much fun! Her colorful, vibrant illustrations and energetic, rhyming text will keep your little students engaged as you enjoy a variety of examples from the largest group of insects - beetles. My kiddos were interested to learn that ladybugs are part of the beetle family and we discussed that they are actually named ladybird beetles. This book is perfect for pre-k and kindergarten students! There are lots of language lessons you could connect with this book. It also makes a great five minute filler when you just need something quick. Do you know these books written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long? I absolutely adore them. I own every single one they have created and my kiddos love them too! A Butterfly Is Patient is a non-fiction introduction into the world of butterflies that covers a variety of interesting concepts. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and they will delight your little entomologist's minds. I consider this book a treasure and I can't recommend it enough. If you teach a unit on insects or butterflies, you need this book in your collection. It touches on life cycle, pollination, protection from predators, food, size (smallest and largest), wing scales, comparison to moths, and migration. You may also want to check out some of the other titles by this dynamic duo. My other favorites include A Seed is Sleepy and An Egg is Quiet. After reading an awesome non-fiction book, I like to record some of the information my students remember or find interesting. This year we used a tree map to do that. We recorded information after reading A Butterfly is Patient and Are You a Butterfly. The check marks on the chart show when a second or third child contributes an idea that has already been recorded. The tree map becomes a handy reference in the classroom during our unit. This chart is blank and laminated so I can use it for any topic we are studying. I use Vis-a-vis wet erase markers to record our ideas. Then when we are done with our topic, I just wipe it down and tuck it away until we need it again. That's a little time saver for charts you know you will use over and over. I also want to share a fun art project you can do with your students to make the butterfly life cycle come to life for them. We made caterpillars using egg cartons cut down to four sections. First my students painted them and then we decorated them another day. The caterpillars were up on our flower garden bulletin board for several days. Then, when our live classroom caterpillars went into chrysalises, each of my little students wrapped their egg carton caterpillar into a butcher paper chrysalis. Then we hung those back on our bulletin board. Meanwhile, I also had my students paint a set of wings that were perfectly sized for the egg cartons. I framed this painting activity as a lesson on symmetry and didn't mention that the wings were for our caterpillars. The kiddos only painted one side of the wings and folded them in half to paint the other side. If you do that with your students, make sure they use LOTS of paint. This is the bulletin board with the chrysalises hanging in the garden: Then... this is the sneaky part... on the Friday afternoon before our open house, I take the caterpillars out of the paper chrysalises and glue the wings onto the caterpillars. I come back in on Sunday, when they are dry, and gently fold the wings around each body as I tuck it back inside the chrysalis and tape it back together. They go back on the bulletin board so that my little learners don't suspect a thing. Each student gets to open up his or her chrysalis during open house and discover that the caterpillar grew wings inside! This project is a bit of a time investment for the teacher, but the payback in joy for children is so worth it. ( It makes parents really happy too.) Here is another one up close: Her rainbow striped wings match her rainbow caterpillar perfectly! I think she knew what the wings were for... I usually put the butterflies back up on the bulletin board for another week before I send them home. Here it is: OK, this is my last book recommendation for you about bugs. I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe and Ed Young is a fictional story about the littlest cricket at Swampswallow Pond. The cricket is desperately unhappy because he has taken a criticism to heart and believes he is ugly. He whines "I wish I were a butterfly" on just about every page of this classic tale. After lots of great advice from other bugs at the pond, it finally takes a long talk with a dear old spider friend to make him realize that being special is about much more than outside beauty. The story ends with a fantastic realization as a butterfly hears the cricket's beautiful music and declares "I wish I were a cricket" leaving young readers to infer how that made the littlest cricket feel and what he might have said next. The almost abstract illustrations by Ed Young are truly extraordinary and create a pond environment from a bug's perspective that will inspire a young child's imagination. I adore this book and read it to my class every year. I would read it even if I didn't do an insect unit. It's a great story with a good message. And finally... here is your freebie! This story map page can be used in many ways. Here you can see we used it as a way to record the setting, characters, and plot from the story above. I have my students do this as a small group activity with an adult to do the labeling and dictation. It is a great way to check comprehension and extend learning about any piece of fiction. Students can also use it as a map for their own story writing. Here is another by one of my little students: And here is what the blank looks like. The section in the upper right hand corner is blank so that you can write in the title and author/illustrator of the book you are using before you make copies. I hope this is helpful to you and your students! You can go grab this in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Just click on the link below the story map to go get it. Story Map FREEBIE by Katie Byrd There are lots more great books and ideas from the #kinderfriends. Keep hopping along and go visit my friend Robin over at Class of Kinders. Just click on the link below her picture. Class of Kinders - Book Bash Blog Hop Thanks for stopping by! Happy teaching!
Introducing a back-to-school read about friendship and finding the courage to share your talents, featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: “We Will Rock Our Classmates” by Ryan T. Higgins *…
Diseño de textura hormigón en gris. El hormigón en su tonalidad natural, y con sus imperfecciones para darle realismo, es representativo del estilo industrial, estilos como el mediterráneo, wabi-sabi-minimalista
We are starting our unit on Bears! Last week we read many versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Part of our work on the story i...
These Joseph activities can be used in Christian Preschool programs and Sunday schools. Joseph & the Coat Sequencing Print these story sequencing
Creative ideas to get kids excited about reading deeper.
When it time for kids to do some story writing, often it’s difficult for them to start because either they don’t know exactly how to organize their story or they don’t know what to write about. This FREE Story Writing Pack helps with both problems! *This free printable pack can be found towards the END of ... Read More about Story Writing Ideas for Kids {FREE Pack}
When it time for kids to do some story writing, often it’s difficult for them to start because either they don’t know exactly how to organize their story or they don’t know what to write about. This FREE Story Writing Pack helps with both problems! *This free printable pack can be found towards the END of ... Read More about Story Writing Ideas for Kids {FREE Pack}
Grab a bunch of ideas for February! Lots of FREEBIES, book suggestions & lesson ideas to make your month go smoothly!
Are you classroom teacher looking for engaging ways to teach your students to comprehend stories? Read this post for primary ideas on how to get children to learn to visualize and build reading comprehension.
These 14 print and play Alphabet Activities and Centers are perfect for Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms to explore letters in a hands-on and engaging way!
I can't even believe May is almost here…. time flies in the spring! This might just be my favorite time of year to teach kindergarten.
Someone pinch me….tomorrow is really the Friday before Thanksgiving break! It always seems like if you can make it through September and October you are in the home stretch! This week we worked on story booklets! I did these the same time last year and my kids did very well. We talked a lot about...
Story elements are super important for students to understand, as they help to improve reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is vital in reading development so it is beneficial for students to have a good grasp on story elements from a young age. I love starting in Kindergarten with a focus on characters, setting, BME (beginning, middle and end), conflict and resolution. I think it important to introduce these concepts early on so that as students grow, they will put these building blocks together to better understand plot, theme, main idea, author's purpose and more. There are so many ways to teach story elements, but I always find that students show the highest level of interest and success when they are hands-on and interacting with the story. I love anchor charts! We work together to create big ones as a class but we also use smaller versions for reference around the room once the large ones come down. * Note that the story used in each of these anchor charts is The Princess and the Frog. They will go perfectly with the FREE resource below. * Graphic organizers are another great visual for students to record their findings from the stories they read. I love this flappy foldable because it can be used for any story and it shows student understanding of the text. Bonus: it is fun to create and complete! This and other fun resources are included in my Story Elements pack, which you can find here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Story-Elements-1774955 I love teaching through music, so I created 3 short songs to help my students remember how to find the setting, characters, conflict and resolution in a story. They pick the songs up quickly and they really help as a quick mental reference. These songs, as well as numerous other materials including 11 short story passages can be found in my story elements pack. This pack has everything you need to get your little ones engaged in the key elements of a story. Now on to the FREEBIE! I pulled some of my favorite graphic organizers and pages from this story elements pack and made them specific to the tale of The Princess and the Frog or The Frog Prince. It includes a short story with comprehension questions and other ways for the students to identify the story elements from this tale. Click on the picture below, or this link to grab your FREEBIE: http://tinyurl.com/pge6nus I hope you enjoy them! Thank you for stopping by!
Book Inspired Kids Crafts Roundup - I Heart Crafty Things A big hello today to all of you lovely Glued to My Crafts fans! My name is Rachel and I blog
Introducing a humorous tale of Fall Foliage, perfect for welcoming Autumn ~ featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: “The Leaf Thief” by Alice Hemming, Illustrated by Nicola Slater *~…
Another center that is really popular in my class is Read, Visualize, Draw . It's a great way to practice visualizing while reading, which...
Self Control Counseling Lesson - This self control classroom counseling lesson plan will help students in grades 1-2 understand what self control is and what self control looks like, sounds like, and feels like. Students learn ways of demonstrating self control and then practice during a yoga movement break and partner turn taking activity. What's included: Detailed, scripted lesson plan (color and BW) Visual aid (color and BW) Whole class sorting activity (color and BW) Individual student fortune teller handout (color and BW, blank and pre-filled) FAQS: Q: Do I need extra materials? A: You'll need your favorite self control read-aloud, like Clark the Shark or What If Everybody Did That? You'll also need scissors, writing utensils, and coloring utensils. Q: How long will this take? A: I did this lesson in a 45-minute block with my first grade students. All students are different. Q: Can I use this in small groups or with an individual student? A: Absolutely! Find more self control resources here!
How to create a retell literacy center in kindergarten. Plus a list of 20 famous stories and retell props (with printables) to complete this center.
This post contains affiliate links. Free Printable Number Sense Number Mats From 1 to 10 Preschool and Kindergarten Practice number sense skill with this number mat. I’ve made pieces for 1 to…
It's never a good idea to step into a classroom without clear, ready lessons. But, one day last fall it happened. I knew we were going to build a treasure box, but I really needed a way to set this up. I immediately thought of a pirate book! The book I was thinking about is
Looking for hands-on activities for your 1st & 2nd graders to do during the month of October or their Halloween party? Check out our October Math Centers!
