Homework in first grade?! I wanted to share the QUICK homework I send home to my first grade students. It is simple to use for teachers and only gives a few students skills-based activities to complete each night! For the five years I taught first grade I was always trying to perfect the homework process. […]
As teachers, we know how hard our students work each day. We spend hours reading, writing, doing math, exploring science, and so much more. Research shows that developing fine and gross motor skill…
Hi again!! I know that here in Louisiana, we are all getting ready for a new school year starting soon!! For some, like Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, and Catholic Schools, it's already begun. We at Mayfair are busy preparing all those little behind the scenes things that need to be done in order to start off on the right foot. I thought I would take this time to talk about my OZ binders and Homework Packets. I know that homework is a hotly debated topic among some schools and parents. Here's some information about it: Research shows that First Graders should be reading 10 to 20 minutes PER NIGHT in order to increase fluency and comprehension. Not be read to, but they actually have to read. And btw, the amount of time it takes to "do" homework will vary with the age and developmental stage and abilities of the students, so anticipating how long an assignment might take is not easy, especially given all the other things students tend to do while completing their homework, such as TV breaks and other distractions. So while it may take Johnny, an ace at math, 10 minutes to do two math pages, Sally may need 20 minutes because she's a slow reader. That's not a bad thing. That shows Johnny could use a little more challenging higher order thinking work. While Sally may need to focus on reading and comprehending more, so she may need to read longer at night. What's the ultimate goal here? Finish homework in 20 minutes because they are 6 years old and that's what the handy note on the back of the report card says? Or is it to nurture a successful student? Some schools have a specific time chart per grade or the whole 5 minutes times your age thing. This is irrelevant in today's world with today's students. Look at your child, determine his or her abilities level and then tackle homework. Education is not one size fits all; neither is homework. Which of course brings us to the Homework Packet, or as I like to call it The Greatest Invention Since the Coffee Maker, or Coffee itself. I have been using packets for five years and they are awesome!!!! As a parent myself I know that things come up during the week. Families have church, kids have dance or soccer or karate or baseball games four times a week til 9 pm or football practice or swimming or you name it. There's emergencies, there's last minute family get togethers, there's traffic jams, there's a PTA meeting, or church dinner, or school play, the list goes on and on. Some weeks are fuller than others. So this packet really does help out drastically as I have been told multiple times by multiple parents. We begin with a cute cover. Ok so it doesn't have to be cute or even have a cover. It's up to you! We glue it onto a 9 x 12 envelope, then run it through the laminator for durability. You have to carefully slit the opening on the back after laminating. I've also just opted for taping the bottom and sides with packing tape before instead of laminating, but the laminating machine we have is pretty awesome. Our first page is the reading log. Students are asked to read 10-20 minutes per night and record what they read. It doesn't have to be a whole book. It doesn't even have to be a book - have children read a recipe while you're cooking dinner, the billboards outside on the drive home, turn the TV on mute and have them read the captions, the newspaper, magazines, etc. The point is to get them to read, expose them to real life print. We also keep the week number and spelling words on the page. Now, since we differentiate not every student has the same words each week. Some students are working at a higher level than others so there is reason to challenge them. We also include a reading comprehension page. This page is taken from the best book ever. Click on the picture to go to Scholastic Teacher Express to purchase. They also make one for grades 2-3 and grades 3-6. This book has been wonderful for homework packets. There are 30 stories, some fiction, some nonfiction, with activities on the back. Sometimes the activities are just comprehension questions and sometimes they are some other type of reading response. But they are always open ended response. Never multiple choice. The story is on the front and the response is on the back. There is a little note to parents and simple instructions. We copy one passage per week and put that in the packet. It's great for kids in first grade because they can read and reread the passages every night. GREAT practice with sight words and fluency. And it counts towards nightly reading!! We also differentiate this as well. Some students can read this page without blinking perfectly, with proper inflection, speed, and comprehension. So we skip ahead a few passages and give those kids a higher selection. BUT REMEMBER that real reading isn't just saying words on a page but saying the words properly and comprehending what is said, both silently and out loud. No cookie cutting here! This year we are trying something different with our homework packet: Since we give the same spelling homework each week for nine weeks we decided to make a copy, laminate it, and put it in the binder (more on that below). This is put behind the behavior chart in the binder. This way we save on paper and copies :) You can grab your own FREE copy of the Tic Tac Toe sheets {HERE}. We include three sheets of loose leaf in the packet so students can complete their spelling activities. We round out the packet with some math work. This year it is taken from our Singapore math workbooks. We try to align the worksheets with what we are teaching in class, and since I was the only one writing the Year at a Glance and the Year in Detail for first grade for the entire EBR Parish, I aligned the lessons with what we are teaching based on the Lab school outline we did way back in June. We start them off slow with the first packet, but then the activities become higher order thinking. We may occasionally create our own homework to include in the packet or assign fluency practice, etc. And that's pretty much it. Sometimes we may add some science or social studies homework or slip in a unit review. But it's perfect for first grade! Parents love it and it gives just enough practice and review for a week. We give out the Homework packet on Fridays, and they are due back the following Friday. A child may turn in their packet earlier if they so choose. The binder is something I started 6 years ago in my second grade classroom. Thank goodness for MOOSE binders. I found this website through some of my classmates at LSUA. That website has everything you would possibly need. I've changed my binder somewhat over the past half decade, but I think it works out just fine for my purposes. Some people use folders. That's what is so great about our jobs. We can make ideas work for us and our kids!! The MOOSE website also has tons of acronyms to fit your theme. At my old school, our mascot was the panther, so I had a PANTHER binder for my kids. PANTHER = Practice And Nurturing Teaches Honesty, Excellence & Respect Last year I had a PIRATE binder and this year, we have an OZ binder. OZ means Organized with ZEAL! I use a 1/2 inch binder with a clearview front pocket that I found at Costco. Love Costco!! They were 6 for $7 bucks. Can't beat that. I of course made my cover page using Microsoft Publisher to match our theme. And our lovely secretary made me wonderful color copies on our copy machine!! When you open the binder you see inside the front cover: This is the LEFT side of the binder, so things are LEFT at home. We use a sharpie and write on it, though I have used labels and cut out right and left hands in the past. The first item in the binder is a zipper pouch. I used to use Ziploc bags with the zipper lock and tape duct tape on the bottom then punch holes, but they didn't last long. So I found these at Walmart for $0.97 each. SCORE!!! This pouch is used so that parents can send notes, lunch money, fundraiser money, etc. and it won't fall out of the binder pockets and get lost in the book sack. Parents love this! Behind the pouch is where we keep the behavior form. Our school uses the following chart for behavior: This page will only be marked if the child doesn't follow the rules and they don't have the chance to erase that X. In the classroom, we use the clip chart behavior system. We also include a calendar that the children are responsible for filling in, so parents can see how children rank on a daily scale according to the clip chart. We copy this onto card stock for durability. There's a spot for students and parents to set a goal and work towards that goal. After this is the Spelling Tic Tac Toe sheet for homework. Next we have two page protectors. In the first we put our Weekly Assignment Sheet and monthly calendar back to back. Click {HERE} to read about my Weekly Assignment Sheets. The assignment sheet is removed weekly and the calendar is changed monthly. In the second page protector, we put the schedule and a proper handwriting sheet. The schedule is so parents can know when subjects are taught and plan doctor's appointments, early checkouts, etc. The handwriting page is to help practice proper letter formation at home. The back pocket (right) comes RIGHT back to school. This is where we put any unfinished assignments that need to be completed and the Homework packet. They bring this binder home from school and back every day. Throughout the year we keep poems behind the page protectors. That gives the students something else to read at home if they choose and something to read in school if they so choose. Well I hope this gives you an idea of how homework packets can be used. How about you? What do you use in your classroom? What does you child's teacher use? What works for you? Thanks for reading!!
Are you in search of simple and practical worksheets to help your child learn the names of days? Look no further as we have curated a collection of engaging worksheets designed specifically for young learners. These worksheets focus on introducing and reinforcing the names of the days of the week, making it easy and enjoyable for your child to grasp this essential concept. Whether you are a teacher looking for classroom resources or a parent seeking educational materials for home learning, our worksheets are the perfect tool to support your child's learning journey.
I completed my First Grade Morning Work for third quarter after many requests. It is a spiral review of math and language arts standards that are aligned with Common Core Standards. Ev…
Worksheets for 1st grade math, first grade math worksheets for free for the basic math topics taught in grade 1.
Summertime is the time to sleep, read, and catch up on things. Here are five things that I have done this last week.
How to Avoid the Summer Slide! Summer is right around the corner! We all LOVE our summer vacation, but not the "Summer Slide!" The Summer Review Packets
Our adorable First Grade Worksheets for Spring are here, and they are loads of fun. Preview them now and get a fun Spring Worksheet for FREE!!
Hi friends! How many days do you have left of summer? I refuse to count, haha! 🙂 I don’t start back until the 18th, but I start training pretty soon […]
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Learn how to setup homework folders for elementary students. Check out how to organize, prioritize, & create meaningful homework assignments.
I have been on a math kick lately. I think it is because my kids are strugglingggg with basic math concepts lately and it’s killin’ me! We have been learning addition strategies and practicing addition within 20 for two weeks now and my class has just started to pick up their momentum. They are […]
These FREE 1st grade spiral review morning work worksheets are a great way to start the morning or to use as homework.
Hi friends! How many days do you have left of summer? I refuse to count, haha! 🙂 I don’t start back until the 18th, but I start training pretty soon […]
Learn about five different biomes as you color and read key facts about with free printable Biome Coloring Pages for Prek-4th graders.
Learn to tell the hour time with this easy activity. This telling time worksheets help kids to learn to write the time and draw the hands on the clock. They also learn to tell the analog and digital time. This set consists of 16 printable US Letter (8.5 x 11. in) Print the worksheets in black and white. Laminate for lasting use. Thank you for visiting Worksheet Digital. For more worksheets like this, visit worksheetdigital.etsy.com
Lots of fun 1st grade math practice with first grade math worksheets that can be used to play Mad Minutes Math Game. Print pdf HERE!
Hi again!! I know that here in Louisiana, we are all getting ready for a new school year starting soon!! For some, like Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, and Catholic Schools, it's already begun. We at Mayfair are busy preparing all those little behind the scenes things that need to be done in order to start off on the right foot. I thought I would take this time to talk about my OZ binders and Homework Packets. I know that homework is a hotly debated topic among some schools and parents. Here's some information about it: Research shows that First Graders should be reading 10 to 20 minutes PER NIGHT in order to increase fluency and comprehension. Not be read to, but they actually have to read. And btw, the amount of time it takes to "do" homework will vary with the age and developmental stage and abilities of the students, so anticipating how long an assignment might take is not easy, especially given all the other things students tend to do while completing their homework, such as TV breaks and other distractions. So while it may take Johnny, an ace at math, 10 minutes to do two math pages, Sally may need 20 minutes because she's a slow reader. That's not a bad thing. That shows Johnny could use a little more challenging higher order thinking work. While Sally may need to focus on reading and comprehending more, so she may need to read longer at night. What's the ultimate goal here? Finish homework in 20 minutes because they are 6 years old and that's what the handy note on the back of the report card says? Or is it to nurture a successful student? Some schools have a specific time chart per grade or the whole 5 minutes times your age thing. This is irrelevant in today's world with today's students. Look at your child, determine his or her abilities level and then tackle homework. Education is not one size fits all; neither is homework. Which of course brings us to the Homework Packet, or as I like to call it The Greatest Invention Since the Coffee Maker, or Coffee itself. I have been using packets for five years and they are awesome!!!! As a parent myself I know that things come up during the week. Families have church, kids have dance or soccer or karate or baseball games four times a week til 9 pm or football practice or swimming or you name it. There's emergencies, there's last minute family get togethers, there's traffic jams, there's a PTA meeting, or church dinner, or school play, the list goes on and on. Some weeks are fuller than others. So this packet really does help out drastically as I have been told multiple times by multiple parents. We begin with a cute cover. Ok so it doesn't have to be cute or even have a cover. It's up to you! We glue it onto a 9 x 12 envelope, then run it through the laminator for durability. You have to carefully slit the opening on the back after laminating. I've also just opted for taping the bottom and sides with packing tape before instead of laminating, but the laminating machine we have is pretty awesome. Our first page is the reading log. Students are asked to read 10-20 minutes per night and record what they read. It doesn't have to be a whole book. It doesn't even have to be a book - have children read a recipe while you're cooking dinner, the billboards outside on the drive home, turn the TV on mute and have them read the captions, the newspaper, magazines, etc. The point is to get them to read, expose them to real life print. We also keep the week number and spelling words on the page. Now, since we differentiate not every student has the same words each week. Some students are working at a higher level than others so there is reason to challenge them. We also include a reading comprehension page. This page is taken from the best book ever. Click on the picture to go to Scholastic Teacher Express to purchase. They also make one for grades 2-3 and grades 3-6. This book has been wonderful for homework packets. There are 30 stories, some fiction, some nonfiction, with activities on the back. Sometimes the activities are just comprehension questions and sometimes they are some other type of reading response. But they are always open ended response. Never multiple choice. The story is on the front and the response is on the back. There is a little note to parents and simple instructions. We copy one passage per week and put that in the packet. It's great for kids in first grade because they can read and reread the passages every night. GREAT practice with sight words and fluency. And it counts towards nightly reading!! We also differentiate this as well. Some students can read this page without blinking perfectly, with proper inflection, speed, and comprehension. So we skip ahead a few passages and give those kids a higher selection. BUT REMEMBER that real reading isn't just saying words on a page but saying the words properly and comprehending what is said, both silently and out loud. No cookie cutting here! This year we are trying something different with our homework packet: Since we give the same spelling homework each week for nine weeks we decided to make a copy, laminate it, and put it in the binder (more on that below). This is put behind the behavior chart in the binder. This way we save on paper and copies :) You can grab your own FREE copy of the Tic Tac Toe sheets {HERE}. We include three sheets of loose leaf in the packet so students can complete their spelling activities. We round out the packet with some math work. This year it is taken from our Singapore math workbooks. We try to align the worksheets with what we are teaching in class, and since I was the only one writing the Year at a Glance and the Year in Detail for first grade for the entire EBR Parish, I aligned the lessons with what we are teaching based on the Lab school outline we did way back in June. We start them off slow with the first packet, but then the activities become higher order thinking. We may occasionally create our own homework to include in the packet or assign fluency practice, etc. And that's pretty much it. Sometimes we may add some science or social studies homework or slip in a unit review. But it's perfect for first grade! Parents love it and it gives just enough practice and review for a week. We give out the Homework packet on Fridays, and they are due back the following Friday. A child may turn in their packet earlier if they so choose. The binder is something I started 6 years ago in my second grade classroom. Thank goodness for MOOSE binders. I found this website through some of my classmates at LSUA. That website has everything you would possibly need. I've changed my binder somewhat over the past half decade, but I think it works out just fine for my purposes. Some people use folders. That's what is so great about our jobs. We can make ideas work for us and our kids!! The MOOSE website also has tons of acronyms to fit your theme. At my old school, our mascot was the panther, so I had a PANTHER binder for my kids. PANTHER = Practice And Nurturing Teaches Honesty, Excellence & Respect Last year I had a PIRATE binder and this year, we have an OZ binder. OZ means Organized with ZEAL! I use a 1/2 inch binder with a clearview front pocket that I found at Costco. Love Costco!! They were 6 for $7 bucks. Can't beat that. I of course made my cover page using Microsoft Publisher to match our theme. And our lovely secretary made me wonderful color copies on our copy machine!! When you open the binder you see inside the front cover: This is the LEFT side of the binder, so things are LEFT at home. We use a sharpie and write on it, though I have used labels and cut out right and left hands in the past. The first item in the binder is a zipper pouch. I used to use Ziploc bags with the zipper lock and tape duct tape on the bottom then punch holes, but they didn't last long. So I found these at Walmart for $0.97 each. SCORE!!! This pouch is used so that parents can send notes, lunch money, fundraiser money, etc. and it won't fall out of the binder pockets and get lost in the book sack. Parents love this! Behind the pouch is where we keep the behavior form. Our school uses the following chart for behavior: This page will only be marked if the child doesn't follow the rules and they don't have the chance to erase that X. In the classroom, we use the clip chart behavior system. We also include a calendar that the children are responsible for filling in, so parents can see how children rank on a daily scale according to the clip chart. We copy this onto card stock for durability. There's a spot for students and parents to set a goal and work towards that goal. After this is the Spelling Tic Tac Toe sheet for homework. Next we have two page protectors. In the first we put our Weekly Assignment Sheet and monthly calendar back to back. Click {HERE} to read about my Weekly Assignment Sheets. The assignment sheet is removed weekly and the calendar is changed monthly. In the second page protector, we put the schedule and a proper handwriting sheet. The schedule is so parents can know when subjects are taught and plan doctor's appointments, early checkouts, etc. The handwriting page is to help practice proper letter formation at home. The back pocket (right) comes RIGHT back to school. This is where we put any unfinished assignments that need to be completed and the Homework packet. They bring this binder home from school and back every day. Throughout the year we keep poems behind the page protectors. That gives the students something else to read at home if they choose and something to read in school if they so choose. Well I hope this gives you an idea of how homework packets can be used. How about you? What do you use in your classroom? What does you child's teacher use? What works for you? Thanks for reading!!
ALL ABOUT EARTH Get ready for a month filled with so many fun activities to teach your kiddos all about our planet Earth . I teach this unit in April so it coincides with Earth Day. I’ve loaded up this blog post post with read aloud book ideas, free videos you can share with your students,
I get this question every year so this year I decided to put it all down in writing so I would have it! How do you communicate with parents and how do you send home all of the STUFF! Here is a little back story to why I use these folders. Your eyes can just keep on scrolling if you don't want to know but if you are nosy like me you will keep reading. Haha! A couple of years ago.....well more like 10... I was teaching 1st grade for the first time. I had all of my procedures in place and I thought everything was going well. My kids knew where to turn in their homework every morning and we were getting some real learning done. About 3:00 one day I get a phone call from Johnny's mom that he isn't on the bus. Well, um....yes he is I put him on there. She asks me if I got the note she sent this morning telling me his bus changed. Nope. No note. She swears she sent it. We find Johnny on his regular bus and I add this "extra bus" to his weekly schedule. Next day (I cringe just thinking about it).....buses pull away from the school and Johnny's mom walks up. Where is Johnny? Um.....on the bus like he is supposed to be. She proceeds to ask me again, "Did you get my note?". Ugh. No. No I did not! Where are all of these notes going? And why do you change how he goes home every day??? LONG story short this happened a few more times and I was beyond frustrated. I eventually found all of the notes at the end of the week when I finally had a chance to go through all of the turned in homework. ALL of the notes were there tucked in with Johnny's homework. I was mortified. #1 because it took me that long to look at their homework and #2 because I should have had a better system in place. I made folders that weekend and gave everyone STRICT instructions that all notes, money, and important things go in their folders. I check them first thing every morning. Problem solved. I also added in some behavior management calendars to keep track of how we are doing in class and those became a huge part of my parent communication system. I never looked back and continued with these handy dandy notebooks every year. So now every single year I purchase 3 prong folders for each of my students to take home each day with important papers, daily homework, our behavior calendars, and some at home resources that are helpful. Here is a peek at what I include: I just made a simple label and printed them on Avery 8163 labels. You can get the template I used HERE. I used KG Second Chances Solid and KG Lego House for my fonts. You download them for personal use by clicking on the links or just use your favorite fonts. Behavior Calendar (free in my TPT store. You can get an Editable copy HERE) ABC Chart (free in my TPT store) Sight Word List (free in my TPT store) 100's Chart (free download) A pencil pouch (I reuse them year to year so I don't have to buy more). We use this for money or notes from parent so they don't get lost. I put them right in the front. Welcome letter explaining our most important procedures and the purpose of the folder A shipping label in the front of the folder with all of my contact information. These are a lifesaver for all of that back and forth communication for parents. This year they can be used as an at home resource for students during online lessons. The possibilities are endless! Thanks for stopping by today. Here are some great products for back to school that you might be interested in. And don't forget to FOLLOW ME ON TPT for updates on products and 50% off all new products. Surviving Kindergarten Lessons Plans and Activities Back to School Desk Nametags Want to save this post for later? Pin it here!
These super adorable Melonheadz edition Homework Cover sheets are just the perfect resource to attach to your weekly homework packet. This product includes 30 homework cover sheets that go along with 1st Grade Benchmark Advance curriculum (California Edition). Each cover sheet includes...the weekl...
Math games are always a class favorite! They're great for centers, homework practice, and small groups. This set of games includes five monkey-themed math games that your kids will love! They might even go bananas for it (tehehe)! Doubles, place value, addition, and more. Each game comes in color and black & white. You can grab them HERE. I hope your kids love them!
Today was Presidents Day. Unlike some lucky teachers who got to stay home, I had to go to work today. We had a full day of workshops. On top of that, we ended up getting 5+ inches of snow this morning. It started in the morning and it fell hard and fast! My first part of the morning was spent learning how to do my web page. I loved that we were walked through...step by step...how to set up our pages. We then had to go our home school to work with our PLC's on goals that we set. I am excited that I will be doing Reader's Theater with my group. I found these fun plays from Kristin at A Teeny Tiny Teacher. I am so excited to use them. After lunch, we spent the rest of the day at another school in our district. We listened to Steve Dunn talk about writing. My head is spinning with all the great ideas that he gave us. I loved that he gave us examples and ideas of how to teach writing in our classroom. I can't wait to go back to my classroom and try some of the things that he shared with us. The afternoon went by so fast! Tonight I created some different writing papers that I want to use during Writer's Workshop based off the ideas that he gave us. This paper is meant to be used for kindergartners who are in their beginning stages of writing. They will draw a picture in the box and then write their sentences below it. This paper is meant to be used for kindergartners in January and first graders throughout the school year. The page on the left side of their journal will have the box on it. That way when they are done writing, they can go to the next page and still see their picture. Finally, this paper is meant for first graders and higher. Students will draw pictures of what happens in the beginning, middle and end of their stories. The boxes are on the left side of their journal and the extra lines are on the right side so they can still see the pictures. You can find all these papers HERE. I hope you find them helpful to you. I hope you had a great day! Sara
First Grade is just the beginning of a wonderful life of learning. Help your kids learn with our free 1st Grade Worksheets. Education is the foundation of a successful life. Promote learning every day with fun! Our worksheets can help with that. Print them all for free. We also have all types of other worksheets […]
Story elements can be a blast for kids with these free graphic organizers and worksheets for character, setting, and plot.
Word work activities for ANY words! Word work is an essential part of language learning in the primary grades. Make word work FUN while LEARNING takes place! There are seventeen different word work activities included in this pack. They can be used for absolutely ANY word learning! Perfect for literacy centers or sub plans. A must have for Kindergarten- Third Grade! #wordwork #wordworkactivities #spelling #1stgrade #2ndgrade #kindergarten
These FREE Human Body Emergent Readers are a fun way for kids to learn about the systems of the body like organs, muscles, bones, and more.
This summer homework packet is designed for students who have completed first grade and will be entering second grade. This pack contains 116 no-prep pages of student materials. You can also use some of the pages as an end-of-the-year review (or beginning of the year for second grade). The materials have a summer theme and include workbook pages, activities, and games. This pack is very parent-friendly, so teachers can just print it and send it home as is! The activities are also great for homeschooling parents or any parent who wants practice materials for over the summer. Here's what's included: 116 pages of reading, writing, and math activities Certificates of completion Answer key Math Skills Addressed: Addition Subtraction Word problems Addition of 3 numbers Turnaround facts Unknown addend Number lines Inequalities and equal sign Counting tens and ones Adding and subtracting multiples of ten Counting coins Measurement Telling time Reading graphs Shapes and attributes Simple fractions Reading and Writing Skills Addressed: Reading fiction passages and answering questions Reading nonfiction passages and answering questions Identifying characters, setting, problem, solution Comparing and contrasting texts Writing conventions (capitalization, spelling, punctuation, etc.) Long vowels R-controlled vowels Inflectional endings Sight words Alphabetical order Writing opinion, narrative, and informational texts Handwriting Apostrophes Verbs All of the Common Core math standards for first grade are covered, as well the majority of the Common Core ELA standards. Please view the preview images before you purchase! For a Kindergarten summer packet, click here! For a Second Grade summer packet, click here!
ALL ABOUT FALL Fall is almost here! Those long hot days in August at the beginning of the school year are just about the hardest days of the entire year for me. I am just so tired. But as soon as the mornings are cool and the days start to get shorter, I get a huge burst of energy. Fall
