My 2 New Obsessions...

Hey everyone,

I cannot believe I have not blogged in over a month!  Yikes!  I have been so buys lately, my poor blog has been neglected.  Well today I am finally posting about my 2 new obsessions!  Ready for it...

Making regular worksheets into...  POSTERS! :)  and Common Core Reading: Comprehension Strategy Sheets for K-2 Fiction Standards by Jen Jones!

I am in love with the Common Core Reading: Comprephension Strategy Sheets for K-2 Fiction Standards from the fabulous Jen Jones!  She has sooooo many amazing comprehension strategy sheets in her pack on TPT and she also has a Common Core RIT: Comprehension Strategy Sheets for K-2 Informational Reading set.  They are amazing!  You can use these sheets for so many different reading lessons and activities.  This year, I have been using them by blowing them up into posters and am loving them as formative assessments.

The students LOVE making these fun posters and I love how excited they are for reading now :).  Here are some of their posters...

For this lesson, the students were split up into groups and given a book to read with their group.  Then they got a Common Core Reading: Comprehension Strategy Sheet (that I had blown up to poster size) and worked with their group to retell the story.  When they were finished, we put their posters up on our Reading Wall.

I've been using so many of the reading strategy sheets from Jen Jones this year.  My kiddos seem to get so excited when they get to show what they've learned on a poster... and they are so proud when they see it displayed in the room.

To blow up the regular sized sheets to poster size, I just went to our school copier and found a button that says "Reduce/Enlarge".  In that setting, you can pick to blow an 8 1/2 x 11 paper to 11 x 17 (I think that is the size :) ).  We have the large paper at school that we can put in the copier, but you could also cut a large piece of construction paper to fit.

After my kiddos had fun showing what they learned on the posters, I used the regular sized reading strategy sheets as a formative assessment.

Paisley helped me grade them :)

To check out the reading strategy sheets, head on over to Jen Jones'- Hello Literacy TPT Shop!

Enjoy! 

An Inferring Activity!

Hey everyone!
It's been a while since I've posted anything... things have been busy!  One thing I've been working on is this fun inferring activity.

 Click any of the pictures or HERE to check this activity out in my TPT shop.

This activity is called Whose trash is this?  It is a great activity to use with students to work on their inferring skills.  Students are shown clues from someone's "trash" and they must infer whose trash it may be.  There is a worksheet that students may fill out as you do the activity.  As you show them each clue, they draw the clue and write down what they infer about the person based on that clue.  After they are shown all the clues they must write down whose trash they think this is and why.  My students and I have been doing these activities for a few days now and they absolutely LOVE it!  They get so excited when they see the envelope with the little dog in the trash on it.

I put the cover page (the dog in the trash) on the front of one of those large envelopes and put the clues inside.  Then I pull out one clue at a time and as a class we talk about what we infer based on that clue. They then draw the clue on their worksheet and write down their inference.  Included in the pack in my TPT shop are clues for 4 different activities (Cinderella's trash, a pirates trash, a detectives trash, and SpongeBob's trash) plus one blank one so you can make another one up if you would like.  Also included are the cover page and a worksheet that students can complete during this activity.  You could use these activities at a center too!

This is the cover page...

I drew the dog in the trash can myself :)... and the clues for SpongeBob's trash. :)

Here is the worksheet that students fill out during this activity.

Hop on over to my TPT shop to purchase this activity!  Your kiddos will love it!

Enjoy!

Point of View Private Eyes & Some Subtraction Activities!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share some resources that my kiddos are loving!

The first is called Point of View Private Eyes.  Point of View Private Eyes is a poster set and a scoot activity that will help introduce first and third person points of view and help your students work on identifying first and third person points of view.  Check it out in my TPT shop by clicking HERE!  You can also click on the picture below.

Next is a set of activities that will get your students up and moving while they are working on their subtraction skills! :)  In Subtraction Detectives #1 students will practice 2-digit - 2-digit subtraction without regrouping.  In Subtraction Detectives #2 students will practice 2-digit - 2-digit and 3-digit - 2-digit subtraction without regrouping.  And in Subtraction Detectives #3, students will practice 3-digit - 3-digit without regrouping.  Cut out the cards and "hide" them around your classroom.  Students use the corresponding worksheet and search for each equation.  When they find one, they match the equation to a box on their worksheet with the same letter, and solve it in the box.  Then they go on to find another one.  They will love getting up and moving while still learning!

Click HERE to check this set of activities out in my TPT shop or click on any of the pictures below.

 Last are two subtraction games- Subtraction Circus and Subtraction Safari- that help your students work on subtraction without regrouping.  They are given a number and then a set of base ten blocks to subtract.  This will help them understand the concept behind subtraction and it will help them work on taking a whole number and "hopping" back by tens and ones.  Subtraction Safari focuses on subtracting multiples of 10 while Subtraction Circus focus on subtraction tens and ones.  These games are great for students to play in pairs or to use in workplaces!  You can click HERE to check these games out in my TPT shop.

I hope you and your kiddos enjoy these games!  I'm working on making similar activities for subtraction with regrouping!

Enjoy!

A Few Anchor Charts!

*The mistakes that you see in the images below have been fixed on the actual document, I just have not uploaded new pictures on here!*

Hey everyone!

Anchor charts are one of the best teaching tools, but it is so hard to make one just right when you're making it with your kiddos.  I like to make cute anchor charts to hang in the room, but kids learn so much when you make the charts with them.  So, here is my solution... I make the anchor chart ahead of time but then during instruction I make a temporary one with the kids.  It is outlined the same as the one I've already made, so when I bring out the cute one the next day to hang in the room, it doesn't look all that different from the one I made with the kids.  They have yet to notice it is a different chart :).  This way, students get the benefit of making the chart with you and learning from that, but you get to have an anchor chart that is cute and you can reuse again next year.

Here are a few anchor charts I have made and use in my classroom.  Enjoy!

Let's Measure It Poster

A great poster to help kids remember about how large each unit of measure. It allows them to relate these units of measurement to themselves. The poster describes a part of their body that students can relate each of the following unit of measurement to: centimeter, inch, foot, yard, and meter. You can teach them gestures to remember each as well! I have done this with my second grade class and now they can each show me about how large and inch is (they hold up their pinky finger and point to the tip of it). It also helps students become more active in their learning by doing the gestures. You'll love it as much as they do!

Strategies for Solving Math Problems Anchor Chart

 

Use this anchor chart to help students remember math strategies for addition and subtraction. Great for them to refer to after you've taught. Can print this as one page for a student handout or as a 18x24 sized poster.

Telling Time Anchor Chart

This is a great anchor chart for introducing telling time or use it for students to refer back to. You can print this as an 18x24 poster or a one page reference sheet for students. This is easy for kids to read and understand. Great to help kids understand each hand on the clock and the steps to telling time.

Giving a High-5 Retell Anchor Chart

 This is a great anchor chart for introducing/teaching retelling. Teaching students how to give a "High-5 Retell" is a great way to help them remember the key elements of retelling a story. Simple and effective. Can be printed to make an 18x24 sized poster.