It's the beginning of the year, and you have a whole new class that is sitting in front of you. You don't know them besides the information you got on the student information card. You know the first few weeks are getting to know them. Both personally and academically. You also know the first few
Check out these 5 ESL Speaking Activities that can be adapted for different grade and proficiency levels to get your English learners talking
This post could alternatively be titled "what works for me" because lets face it, there are a million ways to do centers, and what wo...
Combine name recognition and art with this Hidden Name Art Preschool Name Activity and sensory bin for preschoolers and kindergarteners learning their name
School has officially started for us! We are several days into the school year and I am loving my new class! It's a big group but they are a great group of kids! We are *for-sure* crammed into the classroom this year... nice and cozy. To build confidence and review, we have been working on letter identification, sounds and letter formation. Students have been sorting upper and lower case letters.... They have been working on each letter as they trace, write, identify the beginning sound and locate the letter... They have been sorting beginning sound pictures... They have been "spinning a letter" and then tracing the letter they spin. (This also works on graphing skills, YEAH!) Hands on students can stamp letters... Students are matching upper case to lower case.... You can grab up this packet (which is 120 pages of goodness!!) in my TpT store by clicking below! It's marked down so grab it up! We have also been doing a student of the day writing paper. Part of our writing assessment includes details in the picture so we are concentrating on hands and fingers, no "floating" people, facial features and backgrounds. We start with the sentences "I can see ______." I model my drawing of what a person should look like and then they draw their own version... each day they get better! Click below to get the super simple printable page that we use. I have included a traceable version for kiddos that need a little help. I have also included an editable version of the cover page for the books. I bind all of the pages together and then send it home so each kiddo has their own book with pictures of them drawn by the whole class. Here is a sample of what I send home... Stephanie has started off the year using Sherri's Alphabet Practice Chant with her kindergarten class. Using it daily all year is a great way to learn letter sounds while having fun! I plan on purchasing it to use with some kiddos that still need some letter/sound reinforcement in first! I have a recorder so I plan on recording the chant as a group and then putting it with the slide show so that students can listen to it at the listening station. I will have to update later to let you know how that worked out! It is going to be an awesome year! We have a lot of ground to cover but I think this group is up for a challenge! Endless Possibilities, Stephany
The first few weeks of school are all about setting the foundation. We're establishing routines and procedures, encouraging a growth mindset culture, building classroom community, etc. I also like to spend some time laying the foundation for what students will need to be successful writers throughout the year, especially since writing is a focus that threads through all subject areas. In second grade especially, sentence structure is a great place to start. We review the 4 parts that every sentence has to have in order to be a complete sentence:
Discover the perfect All About Me preschool activity designed for young kids! Get a free printable worksheet that's simple, engaging, and ideal for emergent readers. Download now!
Before brilliant minds came up with Pinterest I used to save all the pictures of great ideas I found. I have been scouring the internet for ...
I have updated this link with a freebie! Click here to get there. "No, David" is one of our favorite books to begin the year or use anytime we need a little review of what our classroom expectations are. One corner of our classroom is devoted to David and our school rules. We read the book several times then the students chose one rule they thought was especially important to them and they typed their rule during Computer Lab time. Then each student created a picture of David and they turned out AMAZING! We had so much fun with David this year that we decided to use iMovie to create a short video of David following the rules and showed the video to the entire school. How FUN! If you would like to view the video you can see it on my classroom webpage. The poster shown above was printed at Staples. I used PhotoShop to edit the title to fit our lesson and class.
Boost early literacy with our free 10-day print awareness lesson plan! Teach concepts of books and print, adaptable to any book. Download today!
Getting to know your students' interests and reading habits helps in understanding them and in developing an engaging reading program. Use this one page Reading Interest Inventory at the beginning of the school year to assist in creating literacy opportunities that will entice your students to ac...
Ready to rock teaching beginning of year writing in first grade? These early days of writing instruction must be targeted and on point. Click to learn more.
Can I just say I have one of the most creative colleagues ever!! You guys remember Jayme right? She made the cute farm games at the begi...
SETTING, CHARACTER, and PLOT chant! 💗 updated with new movements & some extra wording. I teach this chant at the VERY beginning of the school year and incorporate it within teaching as much as...
Here are some helpful tips for name practice in Kindergarten. I also created some freebies for your first week of school.
These Beginning of the Year Picture Books with QR Codes are great to use in a listening center in early childhood classrooms.
Listening and following verbal or oral directions is an important skill that many students lack. You may relate to Charlie Brown's teacher after going over step-by-step directions. Students often hear the sound the teacher's voice is making, but fail to tune into the meaning of the words. When students aren't actively listening, they miss important information that can impact their academic AND behavior in the classroom. One way you can help your students practice active listening so they will follow directions is with a fun activity called Listen and Draw. Listen and Draw is a great activity to do with your class at the beginning of the year when you are teaching class procedures. Include these with your plans after breaks as a warmup plus a good reminder about practicing listening and following directions. Grab a free copy of FREE Listen & Draw - Following Directions Activity. Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE. Click HERE to read my blog's disclosure statement.
Want something to send home to your parents in the beginning of the year?? I store this in my communication folder in a plastic sleeve and store all the notes I get from parents behind this…. Come on over HERE to snag a copy. Would you like to have your printables ... Read More about Parent Survey for Beginning of Year
Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.
With the beginning of the school year right the corner, it is time to start thinking about which lessons will be most valuable for our students. Starting the
Discover the perfect All About Me preschool activity designed for young kids! Get a free printable worksheet that's simple, engaging, and ideal for emergent readers. Download now!
Pre-K & Preschool activities for the first days of school. Find more Beginning of School Activities for Pre-K In the beginning of the year, we spend a
Making a Self-Portrait is always a fun and enriching activity. I am going to describe today's learning experience in doing a self-portrait. First I showed the paper the students would use and I projected it on a white board. You can use a smart board of course or just chart paper I recommend having something to model drawing yourself. We defined self-portrait and thought about which shapes we have in our bodies. I asked a volunteer to come to the front and asked the kids to help me draw her face. I add all details the children suggested. We were happy with the results. I modeled using a mirror to look at my face and draw it. After I finished my self-portrait I asked for the students input. They were fantastic. They asked me to add my hanging little camera purse, earrings, glasses, my toes showing because I was wearing sandals, patterns from my dress, and more. I then handed a mirror and a paper to each student. The kids had a ball looking at their faces in the mirror They could work sitting or standing. And look how this girl is so focused on her drawing. Even the younger ones did an amazing job. Princesses did a great job too. After they were all ready we shared them with the group. I have different ways of sharing work. We had targeted our audience. It was our friends and our parents as we thought that this would be a great portfolio piece. The way we chose to share today was for me to hold each drawing and ask the class to tell what they liked about the self-portrait I was holding. And here are some more self-portrait samples. You can download the self-portrait template by clicking on the picture below. If you are doing portfolio with your class I have made two templates that can be useful. One to be used at the beginning of the school year and another one for the end of the school year. This way we can see the progress of drawing a self-portrait. Click on the pictures below to download the templates.
A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue book activities unit with literacy printables, reading comprehension worksheets, book companion activities, lesson ideas
The story Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate is a great book to engage student learning for young and emerging readers. This resource is a fun to use at school at the beginning of the year for your incoming Kindergarteners. Here are some no-prep worksheet activities. This book companion activity is great for a literacy and math practice with early elementary learners and adapted for use in special education classrooms. This resource includes: - Storybook Matching (Cut&Paste) - How Many Words: Kindergarten - Which One is Different Worksheets (B&W) - Complete the Pattern Cut and Paste Worksheets (B&W) - Coloring Miss Bindergarten/Apple Patterns (B&W) - Spelling Worksheets - Line Tracing - Horizontal (Color/B&W) - Bingo Dotter Fine Motor Activity (Color/B&W) - Matching Shapes (Color/B&W) - Story Picture Cards (Color/B&W) - Writing Prompts: My Favorite Part of Kindergarten - Rate the Book (up to 5 stars) Explain your rating. I hope your students love and enjoy this book, Have Fun!!!
Name games are a great way for you and your students to remember everyone in class. They also build community, vocabulary and connection!
Tips for Primary Teachers.
How to writing is one of my favorite writing units to teach. My students just get it and they enjoy writing many, many pieces! Maybe it’s because my students think they know how to do everyyyytthiinngggg. 😉 If your students are like mine, let them run with the idea that they know it ALL and have […]
These Back to School Lacing Cards will help kids to develop and improve their fine motor skills at the beginning of the year.
Beginning Letter Sounds Alphabet Mats | you clever monkey
Get everyone onboard for exploring their reading life and creating a display for all to see.
Are you looking for ways to incorporate environmental print in your preschool classroom? This post has five different ideas to easily incorporate...
Environmental print is any words or images that are immediately visible in our environment. It includes things like signs, logos, advertisements and product packaging. You encounter environmental print all the time, but did you know it can also help us learn how to read? Children around the age of 3 years and above begin to recognize environmental print, such as street signs, labels, and advertisements. Environmental print allows them to learn important sight words that are commonly seen in the environment. These ABC charts with examples of environmental print A-Z are a great tool for students to combine what they already know with their letter sounds/letter names learning. These ABC charts are great for boosting reading confidence for emerging readers and allows students to begin their academic letter learning in a non intimidating way. This download includes 3 different ABC charts full with environmental print. Great to use as posters, writing supports, or to keep in students book boxes as they practice independent reading. Students will be able to build on their growing reading skills by learning how to recognize environmental print in their everyday surroundings. Some examples from the file are: H like Hulu. M like McDonalds. G like Gatorade. X like Xbox. Y like YouTube. I like iHop. S like Starbucks and SO MUCH MORE! The more students are aware that environmental print surrounds them, the more they will interact with the print around them. Don't be surprised if after using this activity with your students that you get excited announcements from them in the hallways calling out "exit" signs or reading the Crayola crayons around the classroom! Environmental Print ABC Chart
Click on the image above for these free passages! These free reading comprehension passages are summer themed but can be used any time of the year. The nonfiction passages are a fun and easy way to get students settled at the beginning of class! They can also be used for homework or in a reading center. Enjoy! Christina
How has your summer vacation been going? Mine has been both relaxing and busy at the same time. I have been working like a busy bee planning for my mid-August nuptials! If you follow me on Instagram, then you’re definitely up to date on all things wedding! I’ve also been making more of an effort...
The beginning of the school year is an important time to assess the writing skill levels of new students in our English classes. One way to do this is to assign a diagnostic essay in order to "diagnose" each student's writing level. This creative approach to essay writing helps students t
Math About Me, Back to School, Freebie
*A DIGITAL OPTION HAS BEEN INCLUDED FOR GOOGLE SLIDES AND FORMS/GOOGLE CLASSROOM* Be sure to re-download! There are directions and links inside the pdf. 🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5. Hello, ELA! This resource is a unique way to get your students warmed up at the beginning of your ELA block.Each month contains 4-5 weeks of ELA bell work, which will have a theme around the season, national holidays, or events associated with that particular month. The morning work is focused on ELA 6th Grade Common Core Standards. Each day has a thematic structure to cover language standards as well as enhance vocabulary and comprehension skills.Save money by purchasing the year long BUNDLE!ELA Daily Review 6th Grade {Growing Bundle} Each week follows a predictable and engaging structure: Meaningful Monday: Monday is focused on making meaning. Tasks will focus on synonyms, antonyms, vocabulary words, context clues, and making meaning in a short amount of text. Some tasks may require students to make meaning in the text (inference, message, adages, proverbs, etc.) or build vocabulary skills.Text Structure Tuesday: Tuesdays will have a paragraph that requires students to identify the text structure, signal words, main idea, author's perspective, or vocabulary, or any other question types related to the Craft and Structure standards. Wordy Wednesday: Wednesday is all about working with words. Tasks include working with shades of meaning, homophones, spelling, prefixes, suffixes, roots, and other word skills.Throwback Thursday:Thursday is all about grammar usage and conventions. Figurative Friday: Figurative Friday tasks include working with various types of figurative language including similes, metaphors, idioms, poems, alliteration, structures of poems and more! This ELA + Math Morning Work is available for the following grade levels: ELA + Math Bundles 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade ELA Bundles 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade ELA Weekly Assessments 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade Math Bundles 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade Let’s connect! The Literacy Loft Blog The Literacy Loft on Instagram The Literacy Loft on Pinterest The Literacy Loft on Facebook I hope this resource works for you! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or feedback. - Jessica
