This packet includes one week of lesson plans, vocabulary words and definitions, 4 math centers, 5 literacy centers, writing activities, and 5 crafts and activities! The math centers include practice with: the commutative property with addition place value graphing and interpreting data a really fun 100's chart cover up game (one of my student's favorites) The literacy centers focus on: ABC order vocabulary and definitions reading and interpreting data to find two truths and one lie a fun matching game with Wampanoag facts Writing skills focus on writing a narrative! Activities and Crafts include: counting by 5's (turkey hand prints) making head dresses making indian corn and more! Please download the preview to see more of what is included! I also have another packet to go along with this one all about the Wampanoags! This included numerous writing prompts and facts and fluency reads about the Wampanoags If you would like two more weeks of lesson plans that focus on Pilgrims and "thanksgiving" there is another packet available in my store!
Math instruction has come a long way since the timed drills, flash cards, and memorization of facts of my childhood. Sadly, many children did not have a true understanding of the underlying math and number concepts, only the ability to repeat the procedures or memorize facts. They appeared to learn math, but in reality, did not have a deep understanding of number and number relationships. Well, not anymore! We know so much about how kids learn and understand math now and are so much better at teaching math developmentally! Here are a couple of my favorite math authors: So, what about that magic number? If you ask any first grader at my school, they would proudly tell you their magic number. Briefly, it is the highest number they can compose and decompose quickly without counting. That means knowing and understanding number and number relationships (to 10). Really KNOWING, not just memorizing. Knowing that a group of 5 is 5 no matter the configuration, recognizing a group of 5 in a larger group, being able to recognize the parts of 5, even with one part missing. Now, how do we get them there? Well, in the beginning of the year, we really dive into number concepts - counting and grouping and subitizing, oh my! We really work on that Magic Number a little later in the year, around December or January. I start by assessing which numbers the kids already know. This is an individual assessment from Kathy Richardson (see pic/link above). You show the student a given number of counters, then hide some under your hand. The student should look at the remaining counters and tell you how many are hiding. They should do this fairly quickly without having to count. Do this with all the combinations of the number. Then, when I know what numbers they have really well and which number they almost have , but not quite - that's where we start. The kids practice composing, decomposing, and finding the missing parts of their number. For example, if the number the student is working on is 5, then he will only work with 5 of the same manipulative.. He will work to find all the combinations of 5 either by separating the manipulatives into parts or having a partner show one part and determining the missing part. I love the activities we use to do this! Here are a few examples and their sources: I saw these adorable math mats at Me and Marie Learning. I laminated each mat and placed it with the necessary manipulatives into a labeled zip loc bag. Then the kids grab a bag labeled with the number they should be working on and head to their work space to get started. Students record the combinations on recording sheets (early on), scrap paper, or dry erase boards. Real birthday candles in a little 'gift' box Plastic bugs! Pasta shells, but real shells would be great Pompom 'cherries' on top! A ladybug shake and spill mat: Here's the updated version! Get the freebie HERE. Here is another great magic number activity from Kindergarten Crayons: I was inspired by these: to make these: (I don't know why this silly picture is still upside down, but I'm tired of trying to fix it.) You can get the recording sheets here from Little Minds at Work. I love these missing number cards from Kindergarten Rhode. And they were so easy to make! There are really too many ideas to post here - check out my Magic Number Pinterest board for lots of wonderful ideas from other teachers! And lastly, I'm late to the party, but I linked up anyway! I love looking at other teachers' classrooms so I linked up here for International Blog Hopping Day! (It's linked to my previous post about my class.) Go check out the fun! And go check out all the other freebies out there! Have a wonderful Friday! (Although everyday is Saturday in the summertime:) ~Nikki
SEPTEMBER NO PREP MATH AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES
The Lucky Little Toolkit has many amazing Literacy resources including this open-ended reading questions poster.
It just so happens that springtime brings about some of the best activities. Make sure you check out #20 on this list of spring activities for primary teachers.
These sheets are simple in design but allow for extended periods of learning through COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION, either with PARTNERS or TEAMS of students. There are differentiated open-ended pages for: Beginning Sounds Ending Sounds Rhyming Words Word Families / Rimes Fiction and Nonfiction Text Analysis Back to School Ice Breakers Team Building Activities The team-building prompts are great for the beginning of the year as everyone is getting to know one another, but I have also used them throughout the year as our class community shows needs for reconnections. These prompts are standards-based and work well: In Independent Centers As Small Group Warm-Ups During Word Study Blocks For Test Reviews As Homework Click on the PREVIEW to see several sample pages from the set. TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Really fun resource! Used at the beginning of the year to get to know each other better and then throughout the year in small groups and centers. Will use again and again. Thank you!" (Deborah A.) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This was such a fun resource to have at my finger tips! Kids love to play with dice. It never gets old. Thanks!" (Jill A.) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Very good resource and it is easy to use. Combines math and language arts, and there are some really great ice breakers in it too! Worth the money!" (Taylor L.) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Fun way to encourage deep thinking and practice speaking skills." (Sandra F.) Thank you for your interest in this item. After purchasing, REMEMBER TO LEAVE FEEDBACK. Each review leads to TPT CREDIT you can use for future purchases! Copyright © Andrea Knight All rights reserved by the author. Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
Aloha friends! I have been enjoying the last day of my Fall break and now I am prepping for the next few weeks of school. This is a busy month with lots of fun happening. We will be starting out Nocturnal animal unit this week. I am doing many of the same activities as I did last year. {Click Here For My Post}{Here Is Another} I am also prepping for Halloween. We will be making these cute Ghost Riddles together. This template is available in TpT store and comes with other activities. I am adding some fun crafts to our Word Work and Writing centers for the last few weeks of October. These simple paper crafts are much more fun than worksheets and your kids will love making them. I just sketched them out and used construction paper and google eyes. We will be working on contractions so this Contraction Spider will be perfect. Another skill that we will be covering are prefixes and suffixes. These ghosts are a fun way to get kids to write and create. You could brainstorm some ideas together before they create their own. How about using Frankie to write synonyms? You can make some fun shape poems using any kind of Halloween or holiday shape. Have you been to Target lately? They have some pretty amazing goodies in the Dollar section!! I am going to use those little stickers for rebus stories and the pumpkins are perfect for the shape poems. Those post-its are great for some fun bookmarks and can be used by my students to write bucket-fillers. I seriously had to put many of the items that I originally found back, I was WAY over budget!! I love Halloween and I know my kiddos are going to be so excited for these activities. To top it all off ...
In this guide to teaching money and coins in grades K-2, find ideas, activities, methods, manipulatives, games, books, and more for your classroom.
When you teach simple probability, it seems like you have to strike a balance between showing students how probability works and getting them to understand the math behind it. This topic lends itself to a
Basic vocabulary, like knowing prepositions, is necessary for beginning readers. Teach prepositions with this simple game.
This little freebie is perfect for Kindergarten in March! The St. Patrick's Day themed activities that are ready-to-go for your little ones to practice their math, reading, and writing skills. Skills include: number bonds, addition, subtraction, CVCE words, digraphs, sight words, and a writing page. Need some other March activities for Kindergarten? Let's March into Spring! {Spring Literacy & Math Centers for Kindergarten} March Morning Work for Kindergarten {Common Core Aligned}
Notes From the Portable is a blog about teaching, reflecting on connections to Common Core Standards and 21st-Century Skills.
I have created another themed center unit. This time it’s all about spring!! There are 17 centers that will get your kids in the mood for nicer weather 🙂 I have also included 29 quick and easy printable worksheets that go along with each center in the unit. If you choose to purchase my product, …
We are moving forward with number sense in math and learning about more or less. Once they understand the concept, I tell them all about the big kid words "Greater Than & Less Than" I will be introducing more and less using unifix cubes to represent the actual number cards. We will then place the number cards on the More & Less Math Mat. You can get your number cards and Math Mat here.
GRAMMAR UNIT 7: CONTRACTIONS It is time to teach contractions ! My students have come so far with their grammar skills in units 1-6. Our language has improved so much as we have been learning about nouns , adjectives , verbs , adverbs , capitalization , and punctuation .
BOOM! This worksheet is full of all kinds of sound-based words, from creaks to squeaks.
Teaching multisensory math techniques as well as incorporating multisensory math activities into lesson plans is not only best practice for students
Free Compare Sizes Worksheet for Kindergarten Math Look at the two pictures in each box. Color the picture that is heavier. This worksheet is correlated
I’ve been busy, busy, busy working on my new Poem of the Week Activity packs…I ended up falling asleep at 8 pm last night, I was zonked! So, here I am today working on a blog post to share all the great things we’ve been doing this week! I’m linking up with Doodle Bugs for […]
Free, fun and useful Kindergarten - 1st Grade, Common Core aligned lesson plans, math games, calendars, behavior charts, materials and more!
It’s already Sunday. *Sigh*. Another RAINY Sunday. I’m not complaining about that though. Snuggling up on the couch with a cup of coffe {it’s National Coffee Day, did’ya know?!} and Lifetime…while it’s raining…sounds like the perfect way to spend a Sunday :) I’m pretty sure Mr. Spouse doesn’t feel the same. I’m sure we’ll be …
Do you need fun Subtraction Worksheets for kindergarten and hands-on Subtraction Centers? You are going to LOVE these awesome activities.
Check out these winter kindergarten center ideas, perfect for bringing some seasonal fun to your math, literacy, and writing centers!
Homophones can cause a lot of confusion when spelling. In this post, Marie Rippel shares her best tips for teaching homophones plus FREE downloadable PDFs!
Teaching Place Value is an essential concept for students to understand and master. When students successfully understand place value (the value of
I’ve been busy, busy, busy working on my new Poem of the Week Activity packs…I ended up falling asleep at 8 pm last night, I was zonked! So, here I am today working on a blog post to share all the great things we’ve been doing this week! I’m linking up with Doodle Bugs for […]
The hardest part of math or literacy center time is to keep the students on track, focused, and working while they are at their designated center. I have the students fill these out during the week while they are attending their centers. Not only does it keep them accountable for their center work, but I staple this sheet on top of all their center work and send it home with them. It really helps the parents see how independently their child works during center time. Click Here to Download
Back to school ideas to teach your students about sentences and their parts. This color-coded resource is perfect for K-1 literacy centers.
Helping K-2 Teachers Like You Save Time, Grow Instructional Skills, and Teach With Confidence!
I’ve been getting lots of requests to add the wh- digraph word wheel to our growing collection, so here it is! This printable is part of a large series of free activities focusing on learning math and literacy when your child only has a minute or two. Wh- Digraph: What you need Download the Wh- [...]
make math rotations a favorite time of day, see how to manage and implement math rotations with visuals of each station. Resources for all math rotations.
If you need STEM projects ideas, this is THE place to go! This is a collection of over 200 STEM projects and activities that kids love!
When teaching a phonics skill it’s often helpful to use a key word and picture to help the students remember the sound to the letter combinations. For the oa/ow/oe phonics bundle, my fabulous artist created these “bubble” themed borders and game boards and they turned out absolutely adorable! I just love them! This phonics bundle contains […]
Most children can identify living and nonliving objects, but can't explain WHY something is living or nonliving. These hands-on activities will help!
Get the bundle ... Or purchase individually... Let's talk guided math. We started implementing ...
This Free Printable Dragon Tacos Spin and Graph is a fun activity to teach your little learners about graphing. Hop over and download it now!
