All About Animals

This week we finished up our All About Animals unit of study.  We spent about 6 weeks researching and writing about animals.  I love this unit of study each year because it engages kids while covering nonfiction reading, writing, and science standards.  The end result is a chapter book full of nonfiction text features showcasing their learning.

I give my students a choice between 8 different animals to learn about: snakes, elephants, dolphins, sharks, penguins, butterflies, orangutans, and bears.  I have chosen these animals strategically.  They cover a variety of animal groups (reptiles, mammals, insects, etc.) and habitats (ocean, dessert, polar, etc.).  For my lessons I use frogs (amphibians) as my animal for research together as a class.

A benefit to using just these 8 animals to choose from is that I have collected lots of books to be used for research.  Also, we visit the Indianapolis Zoo as a culmination of our learning and I know all of these animals can be found there, which is very exciting for the kids and extends their learning.

Okay, enough about animal selection... on to the writing!

One of the areas I hit hard during this unit is nonfiction text features.  Here is just one student's book (not all of it... just a taste)…

Front Cover

Title Page

Dedication Page

Table of Contents

Chapter with Headings and Sub-Headings

Diagram

Glossary

(We bolded words throughout the book and then included those words in a glossary.)

Meet the Author

Back Cover

(Note:  This kid added the reading level info all on his own.  Hahaha!)

These books will be on display this spring for an open house with parents.  My students are very excited to show off all their hard work.  Hope you enjoyed taking a peek into our All About Animals unit of study!

It's Time for a Sale!

It's time for a TPT sale!  Everything in my store is  up to 25% off when you use the promo code below.  Happy Shopping!

CYBER MONDAY SALE!!

Happy Cyber Monday (& Tuesday!)

EVERYTHING in my TPT store is on SALE!!!

We love Tic Tac Boo!

Tic Tac Boo has been a big hit during math stations this week.  My high ability 1st graders have loved the challenge of adding and subtracting by tens.

TIC TAC BOO

I only printed one set of this game, which includes the ghost cards with number sentences and 6 different game boards.  My kids are playing as a group of 4-6, depending on how many kids are at that station during a rotation.  They love to be able to play together in a larger group, rather than just with one partner.  Good to switch things up sometimes!

Of course, using the Target Dollar Spot mini erasers helps, too!

Grab this in my TPT shop this weekend and you are set for this Halloween week.

Pirate's Booty

Arrgh, Mateys!  It's time for Pirate's Booty!

In this game of Bump!, your students will collect pirate's booty by occupying spaces on the game board.  The treasure they covet is candy, of course!

Students will roll 3 dice, add the sum, and place a game marker on that number.  If a player is on that spot, they can bump them and take over that spot on the board.  The player with the most spaces occupied at the end of the game wins.

Now available in my TPT shop, just in time for Halloween math activities!

Tic Tac Boo!

New!  I just created these Tic Tac Boo! game boards so that my advanced 1st graders can practice adding and subtracting with tens.

Now available in my TPT shop!  CLICK HERE to preview!

Teacher Tip:  When cutting out the ghost cards, leave a 1/8" or so border of orange background around each side to add a pop of color to your cards.

Shiplap Pencil Cup Labels

New!  These shiplap style pencil cup labels will look great in any classroom!

Included are both circle and rectangle shapes.  Both come in these 3 designs:
- white labels with shiplap background
- shiplap labels with white background
- white labels with white background

Grab yours today during the TPT sale and save up to 25%!  {SHOP HERE}

Happy Shopping!

TPT Sale!

It's on!  The TPT Back to School Sale is happening today and tomorrow!  Enter in the promo code BTSFRESH to receive up to 25% off on all your back to school resources.  

Happy Back to School!

First Day Photo Booth Props

Only 2.5 weeks until our 1st day!  Yikes!  I'm starting to feel the pressure!

Today I'm sharing these fun photo props you can use for those adorable first day of school pics.  These are new to my store this summer and I can't wait to use them with my students!

The First Day of School sign is so, so simple to put together.  Simply print it out, trim it to 8x10 size, and add a frame.  I purchased a super inexpensive frame from Wal-Mart that sort of has that worn wood farmhouse feel.  Students can hold these, you can lean them on a chair or stool, or have it in the background right behind them.

The speech bubble props are also super quick and easy to put together.  Print onto white cardstock.  I do NOT recommend laminating because the glare becomes an issue when taking photos in the light.  Trim around each speech bubble, leaving a small white border all the way around.  I attach mine to some simple wooden dowels, which can be found at any craft supply store (Jo-Ann's, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, maybe even Wal-Mart).

Now you're ready to take those first day photos of your students, your fellow teachers as you celebrate opening your rooms and beginning a new year, or even your own #selfie!

This resource is sold two ways:

If you only need props for the first day:  FIRST DAY PICTURE PROPS includes 28 different speech bubbles to choose from.
If you want the BONUS pack that includes everything in the first day pack plus props for the last day of school: LAST DAY PICTURE PROPS includes an additional 13 speech bubbles to choose from.

Be sure to check out the preview and product descriptions to get an idea what is included.

Have a wonderful first day of school, whenever that may be for you!

Oh, Fiddlesticks!

Hello!  Sharing a fun and simple game with you today to help your students practice sight words.  {In my class we call them Super Words!}

It's a simple game of Fiddlesticks.  Sort of like Old Maid... you don't want to get stuck with the fiddlestick at the end of the game.  Students draw a stick out of the container and read the word.  If they get it correct, they keep the stick.  If they do not know the word, they return it to the container and the next player goes.  If a player draws a fiddlestick, they must return all their sticks to the container, exclaiming "Fiddlesticks!". Play continues until time is up (you can either set a timer or just play until clean up time) or until the fiddlestick is the last stick drawn.  The player with the most sticks wins.

Prep is quick and easy.  You'll need a Sharpie, some craft sticks, and several Crystal Light containers (save them up or ask friends to save them for you...)  The covers were designed to wrap around these containers perfectly.  Just print, wrap, and tape.  Easy peasy.

In my Fiddlesticks packet, you will get 9 covers to make 9 games, each with a different set of sight words.  I use the 220 Dolch sight words.  Each game has approximately 24 words, enabling you to differentiate for your students.  You'll notice the sets are labeled "weeks 1-4" etc.  That's because these games coordinate with my Sight Words Flashcard Ring resource, an entire year of sight words learning and practice.  You DO NOT need to have that resource to use these games, but I encourage you to go check it out!

My students LOVE this simple game of Fiddlesticks.  In fact, they often beg to be able to play during our choice time.  Gotta love that!

Check out all my Super Words (sight words) resources in my TPT shop!

KRAZY KOOL

I'm super excited about my newest resource... Krazy Kool Balloon Toppers & Gift Tags.  Yes, balloon toppers have been circulating for a few years.  I didn't invent it and who knows who did!  I have used them for several years for my students' birthday gifts and have created resources that I have sold on TPT for a few years now.

BUT,.... THESE are SO MUCH BETTER!

First of all, they were made with all new fonts from A Perfect Blend.  I just recently discovered her fonts and, oh my word, I am in LOVE with them ALL!!!  Simply gorgeous and ON TREND!

Second, there are 14 different sentiments / font styles to choose from.  FOURTEEN!  I created them to use for not only birthdays, but also for thank you's, volunteer gifts, valentines, friends, etc.  Lots of options here.

Note:  Although I created these with Krazy Straw and Kool-Aid gifts in mind, a lot of the tags can be used for other gift items and occasions. 

Third, each sentiment / design was created in 3 formats:
1) Balloon toppers (designed to be used with Krazy Straws

2) Large circle tags (designed to be used with Krazy Straws, but can be used for anything you need a larger gift tag for)

3) Small circle tags (use for literally anything you want)

This resource includes full instructions for printing, cutting, and making the projects shown in this post.  I am also sharing the following Teacher Tip video to show how quick and easy it is to cut these out.

I typically make a whole classroom set of birthday balloons during the summer and I display them in my classroom for students to choose from on their birthday.  It's a minimal investment of time... I literally made mine while watching an episode of the Bachelorette this past week!

Check out the video tutorial and then go and check out the preview of this product in my TPT shop to get a glimpse of what's included.

Have an awesome day!

Target Dollar Spot 2018: Opposite Puzzle Cards

I found many, many things that I *needed* from this year's Target Dollar Spot teacher supplies.  One of the things I picked up were these awesome Opposite Puzzle Cards.

I plan on using this in my Word Work stations this year.  I'm always on the lookout for ways to incorporate some grammar, so when I saw these I had to have them.

I bought 3 sets of them for $1 each.  Who can beat three dollars for a no-prep word work station? Done and done.

T E A C H E R  T I P:  The only thing I did was use a Sharpie marker to write numbers on the back.  I put all 1s on the back of one puzzle's pieces, 2s on the second puzzle, and 3s on the third.  This way, should a puzzle piece not be put away properly (happens ALL THE TIME), my students can easily identify which set the wayward piece belongs to.

Target Dollar Spot also had some alphabet/letter sound puzzles.  Go get these before they're gone!

Cactus Table Labels are Up!

I'm tutoring this summer, so I usually try to do 30 minutes worth of work in my classroom while I'm there.  Might as well get a few things done, right?

Today, I took in the Cactus Table Labels I had printed and laminated and I put them on all my table baskets and caddies.

The longer, rectangular ones are for my baskets.  I use these baskets to put my students' baggie books and iPads.

The smaller, circular ones are for my table caddies.  In addition to the Super Words sight words books and scissors you see pictured, these also hold pencils, erasers, and glue sticks.

Side note: I bought the cute little faux succulent as a variety box of 3 at IKEA.

If you'd like to check out the Cactus Table Labels and Super Words sight word books click on the links to visit my TPT shop.  Thanks for stopping by!

Cactus Table Labels

I'm starting to work on a few things for the new school year.  I made these Cactus Table Labels for my table baskets and caddies and I've uploaded them on TPT.

 I printed them out on white textured card stock.  I love the simple black and white design and, of course, the doodle cactus.  Next up: to laminate, cut out, and adhere the labels to my baskets and caddies using Velcro dots.

I created both rectangle and circle designs, in different sizes to help accommodate differing needs.  I plan to put the rectangle ones on my baskets and smaller circle labels on my smaller table caddies.  I'll post pictures once I've got them all set up.  

The packet also comes with larger circle labels which can be hung from the ceiling, if desired.

You can find these Cactus Table Labels in my TPT store.  Thanks for checking them out!