BOOM! Sink the ships in this free printable, Hundreds Chart Battleship math game to help kindergarteners counting with 100s chart.

Well this past week was a complete blur! I'm finally sitting down to share a bit more about our first two weeks - for more frequent photo updates, check out my instagram!! We've been practicing our calendar routine and learning some basic school vocabulary: We practice the days of the week, months of the year, counting to 30, the vocabulary on the calendar squares (bus, school, backpack, books, girl, boy), weather, and our preposition song once a day. I've been reading "Mon ecole" to them every day, and they repeat each page after me. I have also recorded the book so my kids can practice at home! We then review the vocabulary playing "SMACK". I choose two students to stand in front of the board with fly swatters. Then I say a word, and whoever smacks it first gets another turn. The other student passes their swatter on to another classmate. Now that they're familiar with the words, I let a third student call out the word (instead of doing it myself). Next week they'll be making their own copy of the book and taking it home to start building their own French library! We learned how to say "je m'appelle" and labelled our self portraits with colour words! They used the colour posters in the classroom to help label their clothes. We're also working our way through making our own colour books! We are doing one colour a day. We started our first social studies unit and have been talking about rules at school and rules at the park. We also talked about what happens when we don't follow rules. We brainstormed different consequences to breaking different rules around the school and at recess. Our song this week was "Bonjour, comment ca va?" We practiced it all week and then it went home in our French duotangs to practice over the weekend. We practiced saying "Comment ca va?" to a partner, and the possible answers they could give. We took turns sharing our mini conversations with the class! As we filled out the lyrics page, we talked about things that make us feel each of the possible answers from the song. Mlle Lawson replies "ca va bien!" when she has a starbucks in her hand ;) Each week I type up a page to go on the back of the song/poem page that gives parents a few QUICK activities to complete with their child at home. The entire thing could be done in less than 10 minutes, so hopefully it doesn't add stress over the weekend. Here's the one that went home this weekend: This week we also started very simple colour centres. I showed them our word wall cards for colours. I attach them with shower curtain hooks from Dollarama and then hang them on 3M hooks by the carpet. They used whiteboards to write the colour words. We use black mittens from Dollarama as our erasers! We also practiced matching our colours to the words! I gave them a visual dictionary page with the colours to help them check their work when they were done! TIP for your centres - use numbers or letters on the back of each set so you can quickly sort them! I have 3 sets of colour bang cards in different containers, and they somehow end up mixed up. You can quickly flip them over and sort them! It took me wayyyy too many years to figure this trick out!! After years of fighting to erase my whiteboard, I've now got it completely figured out. I used expensive expo whiteboard spray for a while, but once you start using that you can't go back to a regular whiteboard eraser because it leaves a film on your board. SO we have spray bottles of water and microfiber cloths from Dollarama. Once you've removed all the build up and residue from your board with the cloth and water, you probably won't need to wet the cloth at all. Life changing!! Next week we are focusing on classroom objects and continuing on with colours, calendar, weather, and our rules unit for social studies. We will be starting to talk about fall changes soon, too! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Add a little fun to your Valentine's Day classroom celebration with these agamographs! Kids will love decorating them and writing messages!

These spooky mummy eyes are such a fun Halloween project! I saw a version of this project online and just had to recreate it. The oil pastels are a bit messy but this is a no-paint project that can be completed in one art session.

What comes next? Assess your students’ understanding of patterns by having them identify and continue shape patterns.

Here's an open math problem I'm doing today (September 23) with my SK/1s to support the Ontario FDELKP and Grade 1 curricula - Mathematics: Patterning. Share your answers online by using the hashtag #mathstory on Twitter! Students will design a repeating pattern and draw it on the shirt. My students glue these into their math problem-solving exercise book and date stamp their work. After, we make a community circle and share our ideas. Feedback on this freebie is greatly appreciated! Clipart by: http://mycutegraphics.com Want more open math problems? Click here for the package!

Let's take a little peek in a day in first grade! I love my job and working with the kids, tap to get some tips and tricks you can use too!

Teach your patterning unit without the need for boring worksheets. Yes you can teach patterns for grade 1 with pattern activities and some pattern worksheets for grade one. Pattern activities for Kindergarten and pattern activities for first grade will keep you students happy and learning.

Well, with the new school year well underway I am delighted to be working with 7 classes of students at Charlie Lake School again this year. I am fortunate to have a room to base my math lessons in…

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!

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

I don't know about you, but sometimes something that seems like it would be so easy to teach seems a little daunting. How can I make sc...

This first grade lesson took about (2) 40 minute art classes to create. Students first learned about the artist Sanford Biggers and we discussed his AMAZING artwork. We also discussed how we’d be u…

One of our Phonics Curriculum Downloads. Here is what you get! 20 Printable Blends Dab It Worksheets. -Blends include bl, br, cl. cr. dr, fl, fr, gl, gr, pl, pr, sc, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tr Prints a total of 20 pages. The worksheets were designed by Annette Sutherland, owner of Teach at Daycare in Arkansas City, KS. Please see our other great educational items in our store and thank you for visiting.

Hi guys! Today I'm sharing my subtraction lesson plans & activities from this year. I hope this can give you some ideas for planning your subtraction unit! Day 1: On the first day we introduce the word "subtraction" and define it as "when you take away from a number and get a smaller number". I also introduce these 2 subtraction sentences: ___ take away ___ is ___ & ___ - ___ = ___ Then we watched the "5 Little Monkeys" video on BusSongs.com: and we practiced the ___ take away ___ is ___ subtraction sentence by acting the song out and writing a subtraction sentence as we sang and acted out the song. I had the kids sit on the edge of the carpet and laid down a mat to act as out bed. Then I chose 5 kids to wear these number necklaces and stand on the mat. We sang the song and the kids acted it out by jumping on the "bed". At "one fell off and bumped his head" the kids hopped off the "bed" and just lightly tapped their head with their hands. Then they went and sat back in their original carpet spot or chair. We wrote a subtraction sentence on the whiteboard each time a monkey "fell off the bed". The number necklaces helped them remember who was falling off the bed. 5 is first, 4 is second etc. They loved this activity and begged to do it again the next day! Day 2: We reviewed the anchor chart from day 1 and practiced subtraction with 5 Little Monkeys again. We sang and acted the song out like Day 1 but I also put this file up on the SMARTBoard and we practiced crossing out a monkey on each slide and completing the subtraction sentences as well. Day 3: On Day 3 we introduced the learning goal and success criteria. Learning Goal: We are learning to solve subtraction number sentences and story problems. Success Criteria: I know I can do this when... - I can complete one of these sentences to solve a subtraction problem ____ take away ____ is ____ ____ - ____ = ____ I also showed them how to solve subtraction sentences with fingers and then we practiced this strategy as we read Pete the Cat & His Four Groovy Buttons. This is my FAVOURITE book to read during our subtraction unit! It is great for teaching the subtraction symbols in the context of a fun story! Day 4: We started by adding "I know I can do this when I can use subtraction strategies to solve subtraction sentences." to our success criteria. Then I introduced the subtraction strategies: and we practiced the strategy "use your fingers" again while watching the video "When You Subtract with a Pirate" on YouTube. Day 6: I review the subtraction strategies and tell the kids that today we will be focusing on the strategy "use manipulative". I use this subtraction mat to demonstrate: I put a couple stacks of the subtraction flash cards and pick students to choose a subtraction card and read the equation. I demonstrate how to read the first number and put that many counters in the rectangle. Then we read the second number and take that many away and put them in the cup. Then we count how many counters are left in the rectangle, find the answer card and place it on the mat. Then I leave this out for the kids to try at centres as well. Day 7: On Day 7 we start working on subtraction stories and the strategy draw a picture. I put this subtraction story on the SMARTBoard: Then I had the special helper pick a friend from the class and pick how many cookies that person ate. We filled in the blanks together, read the question again and wrote the subtraction sentence. Then we drew 10 cookies and crossed out the number the they picked to practice the "draw a picture" strategy. We repeated this several times and then I set it out as a centre for the kids to try on their own. Day 8: We quickly talked about "count back" as a strategy and showed them how to put the first number in your head, put fingers up for the second number and then count back as you put fingers down. This is a tricky strategy though so I don't focus on it much! Then I move on to use a number line. We review how numbers get bigger when you go right on a number line and smaller when you go left on a number line so when we subtract we go left. Then I get a student to pick a subtraction sentence card and read it to me. We use this mat to practice using a number line: I put this mat up on the SMARTBoard and we write the question, use the number line to solve the question and write in the answer. I also leave these laminated sheets out as a centre choice for the kids to practice with independently. Here are some other subtraction centres that are out during out subtraction unit! SUBTRACTION CENTRES: 1. 5 Little Monkey's Spin & Subtract Students spin the two spinners and create a subtraction sentence. Then they use the monkeys as manipulative to solve the question and place the answer in the third box. We used toothpicks and paper clips to make the spinners! The kids just hold the paper clip in the middle of the spinner and flick the paper clip with the other hand. 2. Bowling Subtraction This one is always a huge hit! In the past I've just used water bottles and a tennis ball but this year I found this plastic bowling pin set at Michaels and bought them since they were on sale! We set up a bowling alley with our wooden blocks (arranged in the shape of a U) and 2 kids took turns rolling and recording how may pins they knocked down and how many pins they have left. You can grab the recording sheet you see above for free by clicking on the image below! 4. Play Dough Subtraction SMASH! This was another big hit! The students pick a subtraction sentence card, make play dough balls for the first number and smash (or smush) the second number with their first or thumb. Then they count how many play dough balls they have left to get the answer. 5. My Animal Subtraction Book We used these in guided math groups for students who needed some more practice with subtraction. The kids got to pick how many animals they wanted to take away, cross them out and write a corresponding subtraction sentence. 6. Stamp/Dot & Subtract Yes, these stamps again! #obsessed. For both activities they stamped or dotted first and then they crossed out however many they wanted and wrote a subtraction sentence to match their picture. The "teacher bingo dabbers" only come out once in a while so the kids are always excited when they get to use them! You can grab these recording sheets for free as well by clicking on the image below: All of the other printables you see in this blog post can be found in my subtraction pack on TPT "Take It Away! A Kindergarten Subtraction Unit". If you are interested, you can check it out by clicking on any of the images below! I hope you were able to gain some new ideas for teaching subtraction! What are your favourite lessons and activities for teaching subtraction?

Download the Ontario Curriculum in a checklist format grade by grade instead of by subject. Easy to use. Now updated to the 2019 learning outcomes!

These fun and engaging hands on measurement activities will help teachers plan and implement lessons on length, capacity and mass. Includes a FREEBIE!

I hate it when I have a day off and I can't sleep in. My body is just to used to getting up at 5:00 AM. So here I am blogging and blog stalking when I wish I could be sleeping. Maybe I can't sleep because I'm excited about my new packet. I think it's pretty cool. We've been working on Shapes for the past few weeks and I put together a packet of some of the things we did. This is a great activity for analyzing and composing shapes. My kids LOVE! This is a fun game where the kiddos get to use the skills they discovered on the Cover the Shape mat above. I LOVE this book and was sad to find out that it is out of print. But you can find it on some of the used book sites. I read the book and then my firsties used their imaginations and came up with some cute pages for our class book. This is a picture of our class sort with 3D shapes. I'm using this next week in Math Stations with a 4-In-A-Row game. The packet is 31 pages of fun with over 50 pictures of 2D and 3D shapes. You can find the packet at my shops. Just click on the words below for a link. TpT or Teacher Notebook Oh and if you haven't heard, there are BIG sales this weekend on both sites. THANK YOU! At this Thanksgiving time I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be a teacher and work with my little ones. Some days it is VERY hard and I wonder if I'm doing any good. But then one of them gives me a big smile or a high five or a hug and then I know I might have taught them something today. I'm so grateful for this blogging community of wonderful teachers who inspire me to step it up and do a little more. I love the ideas everyone shares and the willingness to collaborate. It makes teaching much easier when I know I'm not in it alone. FREEBIE! Here's a little freebie to say THANKS for following me! It's from my shape packet above. Click HERE to download these 2 pages. GIVEAWAY! Also, as a BIG THANK YOU I'm going to give away my new shape packet to 3 of you. All you have to do to qualify for the giveaway is COMMENT here on this post before MIDNIGHT TONIGHT (Utah time). I will select 3 winners at random and send you the packet so make sure you leave an email address. Winners were Kim, Tina, and Mrs. Brinn. Thanks everyone for your great comments! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and lots of love.

I love making rubrics for things! Here are a few rubrics I've used for writing assignments. They are pretty standard, but helpful none the ...

Looking for tips and ideas for teaching kids about patterns? Books and videos are great tools to teach the basic concept of how repeating sets of objects creates a pattern. Check out this great list!

We've been working hard on our number sense and how numbers work together. We've moved into adding two numbers together and are ready for some extra practice. This free printable domino addition page will help reinforce this concept.

Fun With Firsties

Procedural writing or "How-to" is one of my favorite units! Read this post to discover some fantastic mentor texts to use in your classroom!

This simple roll and write activity is great for kids to practice writing addition and subtraction number sentences, as well as understanding subtraction.

Hello Everyone!! If you are working on fractions, you have to read this book! Equal Shmequal by Virginia Kroll is a perfect book to introduce kids to the concepts of equal and unequal, symmetry, same, congruent, etc. This week I used this darling book to introduce our fractions unit. Today we worked hard on the symmetry aspect of equal and unequal. In first grade, symmetry is an important mathematical concept that actually serves as a jumping off point for many different mathematical objectives. We naturally look for balance and order in our lives, as well as in math. Symmetry can be taught with real life examples and leads beautifully in to a study of fractions. To help grasp the concept further, I made up a life sized game of equal schmequal! Kids got some paper triangles. I made sure that there were two of each color. I taped a line of symmetry down the carpet and we reviewed some of the math talk words that would be important for this game. Then the kids took turns placing the shapes one at a time making sure that the design they were creating was symmetrical, the shapes were congruent, the sides were even, the same, mirror image, etc. They were delighted with the design created and definitely understood the idea of symmetry. Equal Schmequal!!! I have some similar activities in a symmetry mini unit I shared last spring. This little unit includes : 2 mini posters with definitions A hands on shape activity creating a class symme “tree” 4 visual activities 3 center or math tub activities A vocabulary word search For your 20 page symmetry unit (free) click HERE!! :) We had a great day!! We hope you had an equally great day!! Thanks for stopping by for a peek into our little Window On Wonder!" Let us know what you think!! Joyfully! Nancy Oh! And stay tuned for a quick little terrarium unit to help learn about living things and dependency!!

Hi friends! I wanted to share a fun little activity we did this week to go along with one of everyone’s favorite Back to School read alouds! I’ve mentioned before […]

WHAT IS SUBITIZING? Subitizing is not a term that we use often, but it is an important mathematical concept that can greatly benefit student

Ready to learn about the second largest country in the world? Grab these printable Canada Coloring Pages to learn about Canadian wildlife, Mounties,hockey, and more!

Please Note: All images seen below are of my students artwork only. These photos/lessons are not posted in any particular order regarding the flow of my curriculum. 3-D WINTER MUGS This lesson in…

Now that my new air conditioner is installed and up and running (YES- I lost air at the start of the summer! EEK!), and I've gotten my fair ...

Community Helpers Write and Color the Room is the perfect addition to your community helper unit. It's great for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students.

I’m proud of this lesson and how colorful and unique each of these pictures turned out! I like to introduce a bit of art history to the younger kids, but I didn’t want the kids to copy a famous painting. Artistic Behaviors: Artists develop their own style. Artists create art that honors someone or something. Skills & Concepts: Discuss the differences and similarities between two artworks of a similar theme. Develop hand/eye coordination through painting and collage. Learn various techniques … Read more... →

Free, fun and useful Kindergarten - 1st Grade, Common Core aligned lesson plans, math games, calendars, behavior charts, materials and more!

Check out this symmetry self portrait bulletin board from Pineapple Paintbrush . Each child is half photograph and half drawing. I am sure...