I was searching for more phonics worksheets for my classroom warm-ups as well as extra homework support. I came across a great teacher site that has helpful and free printable worksheets. Everything from letter sounds to sight word worksheets. Not all of them are alike either. The activities vary to keep the children interested. It’s worth taking a peek at. Check out the link here.
Finding quick and cute crafts can be difficult. I’ve found and used these crafts through the years. The children love them and parents have memories that last through the years! Check them out!
I started something new. I decided that children are never too early to learn new words. Why speak to them using a small vocabulary? They are quite capable of learning the same things we do as adults. I put up a new word each and every week. I tell students that if they use the word in their everyday vocabulary and writing, that I will reward them. We go over it everyday. I have a student pronounce it and another tell me what it means. By talking about it everyday, they are more likely to use it. Why not widen their vocabulary at six so by the time they are adults they have an extensive vocabulary?
As you already know Earth Day is April 22nd. It is a great opportunity to teach your students about recycling, reducing, and reusing, as well as planting trees and picking up litter. Have your school create a clean up day. Each class can have a 30 minute slot to clean up your school campus or plant flowers. PTA may be able to help and you can raise money as a school to plant flowers or trees. I have also attached cute printable bookmarks for the students. Click on the link below.
As an introduction to skills, I gave all my students a shot of shaving cream on their desks. They smeared it and I began shouting out their spelling and high frequency words. They started spelling them in the shaving cream. It was a blast and they loved it, not to mention the desks came out sparkling. What a great way to get the kids involved and excited to learn!
Each March I get the children pumped up about leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day. I tell them about a very bad leprechaun who likes to destroy our classroom and he has yet to be caught by any students. My students this year are very determined on catching him.
The day before St. Patrick’s Day I read them a few books about the upcoming holiday. I tell them that we need to create a trap for this very destructive and naughty leprechaun. I have five groups of six students. Each group gets random items to create their traps. Items like milk jugs, cardboard boxes, straws, lids, etc.
From the books we have read they have gotten some background knowledge about what leprechauns like and what they are attracted to: gold, shiny objects, etc. With all this vital information, they are now ready to form their leprechaun traps. Each year it’s intriguing to see what they come up with. I am always impressed by their innovations and ideas. Once the traps are finished, we set them up all over the classroom in hopes to catch our sneaky friend.
The next day (St. Patrick’s Day) the students enter the classroom to find little leprechaun footprints all over the classroom (green paint), chocolate gold coins, and a very trashed and messy classroom. Again, our sneaky friend has gotten away. The children get such a kick out of it and enjoy creating the traps and learning about the holiday!
In math I’ve been teaching my students how to properly give directions on a map. It is part of our curriculum in Math Investigations: Quilt Squares and Block Towns. I started my lesson using a hook. I pretended I was a robot and the children had to give me instructions on where to go. They soon found they had to be precise about their directions. They began using words like right, left, forward, and backward. Once I had used that as my introduction, I created a map using smartboard (if you contact me, I can email it to you). Students used the smartboard pens to draw lines from point A to point B. They were also verbally telling me to move right, left, up three blocks, etc. It was a great lesson and proved to be successful.
Need some fun holiday center ideas? Since I teach first grade I knew I had to have a few centers that displayed some holiday interest. One of my centers is word families. There are six paper plates with word family such as the at and ad family. On laminated gingerbread men are beginning letter like C, M, B, and so on. The children must put the correct letter on the plate and form words. Another center I have is where the student make a snowman ornament (simple) and then write a functional in their reading journals about the steps. The children get into the activities and you can tell they love the change.
I was writing my lesson plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day Holiday. I found several cute ideas, but this one caught my attention. I made a sample for the children and it came out so cute. This is a good activity for any primary grade level and students use their fine motor skills when cutting out things as well. Click on the turkey below to see the toilet paper turkey. The website www.abcteach.com is a great source for all holiday lessons and activities. They are one of my favorite! The best part about their website is some things are offered free and some can be purchased for a small price. It’s nice to see some websites that offer free things instead of having to pay for them all the time!
Many students now a days have self esteem issues. It’s hard to believe that a seven-year-olds can have stress, but it’s true. I’ve found a great activity that helps boost their self esteem and get them smiling in no time. It’s also great as a first day ice-breaker.
Have students sit on the floor in a circle. You should also be in this circle. You will pass around a cup with three sticks (popcicle sticks are fine) in the cup. One stick will say me, you, and both. When the student chooses a stick from the cup, let’s say “me” for instance, they must say something nice/positive about themselves. If they choose the stick that says “you” they must say something nice about the person to their left. If they choose the “both” stick they will say something nice about themselves as well as the person to their left. Once they pick the stick they should put it directly back in the cup for the next person. Do this activity until each students has had a turn.
