The Polar Express Book Companion

This past weekend I was 86ing old documents from my computer and I stumbled into a book companion I've flirted with for a few years but never seem to wrap in time for the holidays!  I decided to hop right on updating clipart and adding new (more relevant to my current teaching style) activities.

This 41 pager is PACKED full of reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing, crafts, and math activities!

In the Reading Comprehension section you will find large picture cards for a whole group retelling and a sequencing cut and paste to provide students with individual practice.  There is also a beginning, middle, and end graphic organizer for students to use to retell the story through pictures and summarizing.

Finally, there are 3 variations of the story map.  Each map asks for characters and setting but they differ in requesting problem & solution, plot & conclusion, or main idea & supporting details!

The Vocabulary section provides words that are used in the story and extension words such as "caribou" to extend your students vocabulary on beyond "reindeer".

There are puzzles and mini-vocabulary books for students to practice using the language of the Polar Express!

There are 2 very simple crafts available in this book companion.  The first craft is a gift that you can print on contrasting paper and allow students to decorate.  Add the narrative writing prompt to the front for a fun little holiday display!  The second craft is a ticket that students can cut out and use to "board" the Polar Express!  Each year I put the tickets on a string and have my students wear it while we read the book and watch the movie.  This makes for an awesome and extremely adorable keepsake!

To round out the pack and provide cross-curricular themed activities I added some math activities!  In it you will find common core addition, subtraction, and data based games for your students to participate in.

The addition and subtraction activities include a battleship game, part-part-whole game, ten frame game, and story problem game with work mat.  There are also printable numeral cards and printable manipulatives for students to use to build models for each problem!

The data activities include 3 questions where students will collect, represent, and interpret information on a graph, and tally chart.  There are also sets of questions for students to answer about their data sets!

Last but certainly not least, there is a FREEBIE in the product PREVIEW on TPT!  Just click PREVIEW and scroll to the end to snag this sequencing activity for FREE!

Back to School 2014-2015

I can't tell you how excited I was to start this school year!  I'm working at a new school in a new county with my oldest teacher friend!

I spent my summer with family and friends.  I got to meet a lot of my new coworkers at beach and pool days so I felt really comfortable getting started in a new place.

This year I've decided not to share pictures of my students faces because my new county is smaller and more protective of the students privacy.  I did get releases from their parents (as always) to share students working through pictures and video however their sweet faces are only for us!

We did a staggered enrollment so half the students came the first day and the other half started the second day.  It was nice to ease back into kindergarten with 6-8 students each day.  Everyone came on the third day and no one cried...hallelujah!

During the first few days we took pictures...

...participated in Kissing Hand activities...

...and got a little silly with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

The following week we hosted Open House for the parents to come learn a little more about kindergarten expectations and routines.  We had a few technical difficulties but overall it went well.

Because Open House came out of no where, I kept it simple.  We did a grade level PowerPoint in the Media Center and then headed back to our classroom to share teacher-specific information.

I hopped on the Flipbook bandwagon and created my own version.  I set up some sign up sheets and posted a cute wish list...that I totally forgot to point out.  I told a few jokes, talked to parents (I love getting to know them) and wrapped it up.  Sometimes it's nice to keep it simple!  

Homework Menus

Click here for more information about Kindergarten Homework Menus!

If you are like me you get LOTS of unsolicited feedback about your homework each year.

"It's too easy.  We need more!"

"It's too hard."

"It only takes us 7 minutes to complete the whole week..."

"It takes 2 hours, tears & a bottle of wine for me to get this child to write 3 words that rhyme with cat."

Everyone has an opinion about homework because we all have that reference point from our own childhood.  At my former school we stopped including spelling words in our homework and the parent response was similar to the way the Bible describes the Apocalypse.  Their argument was that kids need to learn how to spell.  Our stance was "Duh, of course they do!"  Spelling words don't need to be the centerpiece of homework though.  There are more important standards that children need to work toward and this opens up the possibility of more engaging home learning!

For me, homework is about finding a gentle balance between family time/extracurricular activities and continued learning.  I believe that in kindergarten and first grade homework should consist of brief tasks connected to classroom learning.  It can serve as a gradual release of responsibility from teacher led concepts at school to practice with those skills independently at home.

Another important component of homework is that it provides parents with the opportunity to measure their child's learning.  It allows teachers, students, and parents to work closely to develop a "team" mentality.  We are all working together for the students success!

Since I've started using my most recent homework format Kindergarten Homework Menus and First Grade Homework Menus, the critiques I've received about homework have been replaced by more engaged parent discourse about things they see their child struggling with and what else they can do at home to support their little person, which was an unexpected and pleasant surprise!

Click here for more information about First Grade Homework Menus!

For the past year and a half I've been experimenting with new homework formats.  Last year, I taught first grade and created Homework Calendars.  These were VERY successful and I saw more completed homework than any year prior.

The August Menus have simplified tasks and a book log.

This summer I was thinking about how much I liked the calendar format but I wondered if I could increase student engagement by making their homework choice drive. This is when I came up with the idea of a Menu!

Each month includes 4-5 tasks for Reading, Phonics, Writing, Science, and Math.  Each Menu also includes weekly high frequency words (I prefer to use Fry words, find more information HERE).

The tasks are tied into what we are working on in class and students choose one task to complete each night.  They complete the task on notebook paper and color in the square on their Menu.

In Kindergarten, the month of September focuses on letters and sounds and then students work with 5 high frequency words per week from October-May.  Kindergarten students are introduced to the first 150 Fry words through these Menus.  The First Grade Menus plow through the first 340 Fry words at a rate of about 10 per week.

***TIP:  Instruct parents to help students set up their tasks!  They can complete multiple tasks on each page to save paper.  Students will need help setting it up for the first few months but after that they become self-sufficient!

Both Kindergarten and First Grade packs include monthly high frequency word assessments (pre-assessment & post assessment) to help gauge student acquisition of these words!

You will also find book logs and a dual June/July Menu for continued learning through the summer.  The August Menu serves as an introduction to this home learning format.  You will see a practice book log and an abbreviated Menu with simplified tasks.

                          Kindergarten Book Logs                                      First Grade Book Logs

Both Kindergarten and First Grade Homework Menu downloads come in the form of a compressed file.  In each download you will find:

1. Completed print and go Homework Menus (1st grade also includes the old Calendars).
2.  Monthly High Frequency Word assessments.
3.  The Three EDITABLE options:

• Blank, fully editable PDF of the monthly Menus.
• Menus with set tasks and editable high frequency words.
• Menus with set high frequency words and editable tasks.

4.  Blank, EDITABLE Calendars that can be used for a multitude of purposes.  I use mine to communicate behavior grades with parents.

                       Fully editable                                                                                     Editable
                     (tasks & words)                             Editable tasks                      High Frequency Words

           

 

Please note that the directions are not editable on any of these forms.  Please review them to ensure your satisfaction!  I will add this option in the future but that is not something I will be working on anytime soon!

Editable Monthly Calendars that can be used for multiple purposes.  I use them to communicate daily behavior.

For more information about Kindergarten Homework Menus or First Grade Homework Menus please check out the product descriptions and the FREE PREVIEW!

Ultimate Word Work Pack

Click here to check out the Ultimate Word Work Pack!

If you're like me, you are always looking for ways to embed high frequency word practice into everything you do.  The more ways you provide for your students to practice reading, writing, singing, and playing with the words the more opportunities you provide for them to memorize them effectively and efficiently.  

I prefer to use the Fry word lists because they are the 1,000 most commonly used words listed in order of frequency in text.  In 1996, Dr. Edward B. Fry expanded on the Dolch word lists and research.

The first 25 words make up approximately 1/3 of all published items.  The first 100 words make up 1/4 and the first 300 words make up 65% of all written material.  

In kindergarten and first grade children pick up words like little garbage collectors.  My goal is to immerse them in words that will make them the most successful and competent readers possible and in my opinion, the Fry words are the most efficient way to accomplish this.

High frequency words, sometimes referred to as "sight words," are words that do not always sound the way they are spelled so students need to memorize them to become fluent readers.  These words should be recognized instantly by readers.  

We all remember the pain of memorization, my goal is to make memorization fun and engaging by providing a variety of ways for students to practice these words.

The Ultimate Word Work Pack provides teachers and students with the opportunity to teach and practice high frequency words each week in many exciting ways!

The monthly sight word cards can be used on your word wall or to play a several games such as Memory, Swat-a-Word, and Fishing.  Directions for each month are located at the beginning of the pack.  You will also find 3 partner games: Bingo, Battleship, and Snakes & Ladders.  

The sight word song can be sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.  There is also a word search for each month!

Here is an example of one of my students singing an old sight word song!

Finally, there are weekly word work pages where students will practice 4-6 words.  Spin*Write*Graph, Read*Stamp*Write, Roll-a-Sight Word, and Graph-a-Sight Word.  

I like to use all of these activities in my literacy centers each month, they provide students will multiple, meaningful ways to practice using the words as they work on memorizing them.  

These words are paced out to match my Kindergarten Homework Menus.  These menus utilize the first 150 Fry words.  I also offer First Grade Homework Menus which cover the first 300+ Fry words so The Ultimate Word Work Pack would help you provide practice for about half of the first grade words as well!

To learn more about high frequency word practice and find some helpful and creative ways to support your child at home please check out this article on Childhood101!

Establishing Routines and FREEBIES!

Its been a minute since I've worked with kindergarteners!  I forgot just how much work kindergarten teachers do to engrain rituals and routines into students minds and behaviors.  The reminder that they build so much of the foundation that we all work off of has made me appreciate kindergarten teachers even more!  Throw a kindergarten teacher a hug TODAY!

Two of my little people practicing "Buddy Reading".

Establishing rituals and routines can be tedious but it is an essential part of good classroom management.  It needs to happen in EVERY. SINGLE. THING. that you do with your students so that they understand expectations and consequences.  Lining up, coming to the rug, getting water, using scissors, sliding down the slide, partner work, independent work, blowing noses, and so on and on and on and on, over and over and over again!  Oh, it's painful, but the payoff for a few weeks of tedium is a year of peace!

I'm a big fan of the collaborative expectation setting approach.  For example, today we are going to use scissors but I think we should make a list of rules to follow while we use them so that we can all be safe.  Turn and talk to your partner to create 1 rule you think we should follow to be safe when we use scissors in our classroom.  Partners share their rules and I chart them.  When the chart is complete I ask what the consequence should be for someone who chooses not to follow the rule.  Usually a warning and clip move is the decided upon consequence.  The result is a memorable discussion and chart to display and refer to through the year.  

After our discussion and expectation setting I give them an activity to practice their new ritual/routine.  For the next few weeks, every time we use our scissors, we review the chart before we begin the activity.  After that it's typically smooth sailing because the expected behavior has been engrained in their minds and they understand the consequences.

To make establishing these rituals and routines a little easier I'm sharing my anchor charts and activities for cutting and gluing with you for free!

 Click here to get Scissor Practice for FREE!

Click here to get Glue Practice for FREE!

What Does the Fox Say...on Valentines Day?!

I know what you're thinking, this is a smidge late.  You're right :).  The past year was a little challenging professionally and ended up bringing lots of changes with it but I wanted to take some time this summer to share a few of our special moments!

Did your students freak out over the song What Does the Fox Say?  Mine did, they sang it EVERYDAY.  On the bus going to field trips, during literacy centers, during independent work in math, while they were writing, swinging, walking, picking their nose...you get the point.  Around the holidays I finally gave in and pulled up the "Just Dance" video and let them get all kinds of weird.

I have to admit, watching kids sing and dance along makes the song EXPONENTIALLY less annoying.  One chilly, well chilly for Florida, January afternoon a 5th grade class saw us dancing (I participated too, don't judge) and challenged us to a dance off.

5th graders versus 1st graders on a Valentines Day dance off to What Does the Fox Say.  

After one full month of trash talking 1st grade brought the HEAT!  I cut red feather boa's to make fox tails for them and used Halloween makeup to draw a fox nose and whiskers on their sweet little faces.  Several of them wore their fox shirts and one little guy even wore his tuxedo!  #fareal

After an intense "dance off" an impartial panel of judges declared 1st grade winners!  

We had a blast and ended up adopting this class as our FCAT buddies.  To help ease the pain of their embarrassing loss to the littles we brought them these valentines.  Snag them HERE to use next year if you'd like!

Last Day of 2013-2014

This year has brought so many changes to our district, school, and my career.  Professionally, this year was a real challenge but it was also incredibly rewarding.  I was nominated for Teacher of the Year and for the Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice.  I got to work with my best friends and one of the most unique, special groups of students I've ever known.

I could go on for days telling you about each of these wonderful little people.  I could tell you about how they sing ALL DAY, EVERYDAY.  Or about how they dance around the classroom because "dancing is better than walking."  I could tell you about how they were always each other's BIGGEST cheerleader, regularly sharing high-fives and kind words even when they didn't win themselves.  They are enthusiastic, funny, kind, loving, silly, full of laughter, witty, smart, hardworking, thoughtful, and SO many other things.  

They taught me to find a way to enjoy every moment I have with a class.  At the beginning of the year I didn't realize that this would be my last class at the school I have been at for 8 years.  I didn't make the most out of everyday, I settled into our routine and grinded it out until I realized that our time together had an expiration date.  At the end of the year I'd leave the school and the district.  I wouldn't get to see them grow into 5th graders.  

In teaching and in life, there is always an expiration date.  Make the most out of every moment you have with your people and find the wonder in all the small things.  Like when a dragon fly lands on your students shirt and then lets you pass it around for some spontaneous show and tell!