Teaching a combo class can be difficult, but here are some tips on how to keep sane and organized while doing it!

Teaching students to use math strategies made easy. Ideas and visuals for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Math strategies for solving problems.

Find the perfect book report template printable for your kinder, first, and second grade class. Often, when we think of writing book reports, we think of older students. However, young children can also learn valuable elements of a book. It will also help them with reading comprehension and improve their writing skills. One thing to remember is to make it simple and fun. Our young students are just beginning to read, and we want to keep up that excitement, not turn it into something negative. Elements of a Story Before doing a book report on paper, we want to make sure that the students familiarize all the terms that may come up in a book report such as title, author, illustrator, and the story elements. You can make posters to introduce different elements of a story. I like to introduce one or two posters at a time. For example, we will talk about authors vs. illustrators and we will study some of our class's favorites and find out who the authors and illustrators are. We will learn about setting, and compare and contrast the settings in different stories we've read. I like to do a read aloud and identify parts of a book and elements of a story with my students. The more you talk about them, the more they will be comfortable identifying them in the books they read and using them in sentences. All this oral exercise will prepare them to eventually write their own book report. These are some of the questions you can ask as you introduce different parts of a book and elements of a story. What is the title of the story? Is the book fiction or nonfiction? By looking at the cover and the title, can you guess what the book is about? What is the setting of the story? Who are the characters? What happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story? Free Book Response Cues I created these Book Response Cues that you can use once your students are more fluent in identifying the terms in the books they read. Print, cut, and stick them on popsicle sticks or straws, and put them in a little can. After reading a story together, you can have a student pull out a stick to answer the question. This is a great way to do a whole group book study. Now, it's time for a book report! You want to give them something that is kid-friendly and not overwhelming. Let them know they are doing something special- something that older kids do. LEVEL UP! They are growing up! These printables were specifically made for kindergarten and first graders who are new to book reports. Writing a book report for young kids should not be intense. For this reason, all of the pages are simple and straightforward, and they focus on a few key words at a time. They can be used in reading/listening centers, as a guided reading extensions, or to assist students in retelling a story. For me, it is important for my students to familiarize different components and elements of a book, practice writing sentences, and additionally practice handwriting. Doing a book study together will encourage students to talk about the books that they read. They may have a read a great book and recommend to their friends or they may even talk about a book that was not that fun for them. Reading a book with the intention of reviewing it may even give a little nudge on your students to pay closer attention. Write a Letter to the Author Other things you can do when studying a book together is getting your students to write a friendly letter to the author, illustrator, or to one of the characters. Here's a link to free letter templates you can use. You could do something fun like dressing up as one of the characters or select a day or week where your kids can dress up as characters in a book! If you have any other fun ideas to share, please share them in the comments below! :) See what others have to say about these book reports!

Do you teach your first and second-grade students to learn how to write a paragraph? In this post, I share ideas, lessons, and activities for students to learn how to write their own paragraphs in a structured way. Before I dive in, I wanted to let you know you can watch or listen to all […]

First and Second Grade Teacher Shirt, First and Second Grade Tshirt, 1st and 2nd Grade Teacher Shirt, Combo Class Teacher Shirt, Multi Grade ♥ Click here to view our additional trendy collections ↓ https://nowgift.etsy.com/ ♥ PLEASE CHECK THE DESCRIPTION ＊We have Size & Color chart on Listing Photos. ＊The shirts are Unisex size and Straight cut. ＊Not women's cut shirts. ＊If you need V-neck shirt, Youth Kids shirt, Hoodie, Long Sleeve Shirt or Tank Top, please send us a message! ♥ BELLA CANVAS TEE & GILDAN TEE SIZE ＊Most women and men customers said these shirts are True to size. ＊The size measurements of Bella Canvas Tees and Gildan Tees are almost the same, but customers said Gildan Tee is a little bit more relaxed fit. ＊However, one size up in Bella Canvas Tee may be bigger than expected. Therefore, we usually recommend the customers to choose their "Regular size". (Just recommending) ＊Because the customer's body type is all different, it is difficult to recommend the exact size. The best thing is to compare the measurements to the existing preferred shirt. Thank you for your understanding! ♥ PRODUCTION & SHIPPING TIME ＊Each shirt is made to order. ＊Production time : 2-7 business days (Excluding weekends, holidays) ＊US Shipping time : 3-6 business days ＊Most US customers received the order within 9-12 days of the order date. ＊If you have a delivery deadline or group order, please order 14-17 days in advance. ＊Holiday orders : it is recommended to proceed more than 3 weeks in advance. ＊International Orders (On average) ＊Production time : 2-7 business days ＊Shipping time : - Canada : 6-9 business days - United Kingdom : 5-7 business days - Germany : 7-12 business days - Australia : 18-19 business days ♥ BELLA CANVAS TEE ＊Unisex Shirt, Crew neck, Straight cut * Solid colors : 100% ring spun cotton (Black, White, Mauve, Soft cream) ＊Prism Heather colors : Ring spun cotton, Polyester (Ice Blue, Dusty blue, Lilac, Peach) ＊Heather colors : Ring spun cotton, Polyester (Sport grey, Dark grey, Midnight navy, Forest, Deep teal, True royal, Raspberry, Ash, Blue, Mint) ＊Heather and Heather prism colors : due to the nature of the fabric, a little light grey thread is mixed to give a soft feeling. (not solid colors) ＊XXS size _Width 15 1/4″ _Length 20 7/8″ _Chest 28-32″ ♥ GILDAN TEE ＊Unisex Shirt, Crew neck, Straight cut ＊Black, White, Navy : 100% ring spun cotton ＊Sport grey, Dark heather : ring spun cotton, polyester ♥ UNISEX SWEATSHIRT ＊Gildan Unisex Shirt, Crew neck, Straight cut ＊50% cotton, 50% polyester ＊Pre-shrunk ＊Classic fit with no center crease ＊Air-jet spun yarn with a soft feel and reduced pilling ＊Double-needle stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem ♥ CARE INSTRUCTION ＊Machine wash Cold, inside-out, gentle cycle ＊Wash with Mild detergent and similar colors ＊Tumble dry low or Hang-dry ＊Do not bleach or fabric softeners ＊Do not iron directly onto the design ＊Do not dry clean ♥ POLICY - PLEASE READ FULLY ＊Returns, Exchanges and Cancellations are Not accepted. ＊In the production process, any changes or order cancellation is not allowed. ＊So please choose your Color and Size carefully before purchasing. ＊But if you have any problems with your order, please send us a message! We'd be happy to help you! ＊If the customer enters the wrong address, Seller or shipper cannot solve the problem of misdelivery due to this. ＊So please enter the correct address and check it again. ＊If you want to change the address please contact us ASAP! ♥ Thank you for understanding and your continued support! Happy Shopping! :)

First Day of School CrownsThis FREEBIE comes with a first day crown for PreK, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade!I hope you enjoy!FeedbackClick the Green ★ to follow my store and get notifications of new product launches and freebies! If you love this product, please leave a review on the p...

As a primary teacher, it can be very difficult fitting in grammar instruction into your day. I also have a little secret you might not know about me. I used to loathe teaching grammar. Can any of you relate? It's so difficult to even WANT to teach grammar when we have so many other things we could be doing with our day. Plus, many of us are expected to "spiral" it in with the many other subjects we are expected to teach throughout the day. Although all school districts, programs, and teachers are different, I have found something that students love doing, and that is applying new information into something called an interactive notebook!! And so I created these for grammar...and the students loved them!

Main character and character traits are fun to teach in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade with these engaging activities and lesson plans.

Struggling writers in your primary classroom? Help them improve their writing! Perfect for informational, personal, and opinion writing!

This candy corn initial sound puzzles freebie is the PERFECT addition to your Halloween themed literacy centers! Your students are going to LOVE it.

Shared writing is an important part of writing instruction in primary classrooms! Use this time to model correct writing and how to think like a writer! Encourage your students to share in the writing process as you are the scribe!

How do you start your morning each day? Do you walk into your classroom, drop your bags, and make a beeline for the copy machine so you can get your

Let’s talk Math Mini Lessons! Here are some tips for planning the whole group component of Guided Math Workshop - the Math Mini Lesson!

Do you want your students to love writing? Get tips on how to create a classroom writing center that your students will WANT to go to!

Learn all about our Market Day PBL (Project Based Learning) that was focused on creating a business to sell goods and services.

It’s almost Johnny Appleseed Day! If you’re joining in on celebrating this wonderful historical figure and are also teaching opinion writing, then this file will help you and your students. Print off and bundle as student booklets. This resource is based on the book; Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh (see link below to YouTube reading). […]

Cute ending punctuation activities for first week of school! Print worksheets, cut into pencil strips. Add marks to punctuation exercises.

Informative writing can be tricky in first grade, but this all about book is the perfect way for students to research their own animal and publish a book

Preschool and Kindergarten Writing Lessons This 10-part series from This Reading Mama and me took place in the spring of 2014. This series will help you understand how to teach writing to young children, from

Some young learners find fractions really tricky to grasp. We’ve all had the child who, after you finish a unit on fractions and think you’ve done a great

Sometimes it is good to have some individual tasks for kids to work on independently. Grab these Math Task

I had to redo my old Blurt Chart because my class size has grown from 22 to 25! AHH! Anyways, I made this super cute polka dot Blurt Chart so I thought I would share it! New Blurt Chart: I use Velcro dots to make the stars easily go on and off of the chart. Old Blurt Chart: Here is how the Blurt Chart Behavior Management System works in my classroom: The B.L.U.R.T system discourages students from interrupting the teacher from teaching or interrupting other students from learning. Each day the students start with three stars next to their number on the chart. Anytime a student Blurts out, makes a Loud noise, interrUpts the teacher from teaching, a student is out of theiR seat talking to others, or Talking too loud they will lose a star. If a student loses all three stars they will receive a consequence. Click HERE to download the Blurt Chart from my TpT Store! ...

Our first week of school in first grade! Check out how we spent our first few days of getting to know each other.

If you follow me on Facebook, you may already know what I am about to tell you. I took some time this weekend to update my Sight Word Stick Activities! ...

I DID IT! I survived the first week of second grade, again! It was actually probably my best first week yet! I spent lots of time at the end of the year preparing for back to school. Opening my Back to School box was such a relief, because so much work was already done! Of ... Read More about The First Week of Second Grade

Save time and plan your first week of second grade quickly and efficiently with this done-for-you bundle! Back to school plans just go easier with this easy to prep resource full of back to school activities for 2nd grade. Icebreakers, crafts, no prep pages, and fun activities are included to make your first week back to school the best one yet!

Are you looking for morning meeting message ideas for your kindergarten, first grade, or second grade classroom? These activities and tips for morning meeting are fun and interactive for your classroom! Before I dive in, I wanted to let you know you can watch or listen to all this information in video format below: First, […]

Wondering how to make a guided reading schedule? Learn a step by step process for Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade clasrooms!

A teacher's how to guide to using Words Their Way, an assessment-based, differentiated, leveled, hands-on approach to spelling and word work.

April is Poetry Month so I thought I would share a bit about how I use Poem of the Week in my classroom. If you read through to the end, there’s a FREEBIE waiting for you! When I first started with a new poem each week, we would just read the poem each day and then […]

Do you have Open House in the fall or in the spring? It doesn't matter because these simple ideas for your school's Open House will make it a success!

Our first week of second grade was full of fun! From learning our classroom procedures, to team building we learned so much!

Get these adorable October First Grade Worksheets for your classroom today. Fun, educational, and easy to print and use. You don't want to miss these!

Are you wondering when or how to transition your students from counting all the numbers to counting on or up from the first or greater number when adding? Counting on is typically one of the first

These writing offices are perfect for second-grade students who need a little private space to gather their writing thoughts.

Blending Cards for Kindergarten, first and second grade reading set up to promote segmenting, blending, and reading a variety of phonics patterns.

What do you remember from your 2nd grade math class? If you thought “nothing”, or if you’re like me and remember sitting with an open workbook while the