Back to School Vocabulary Freebie!

Hello, Everybody!

Have you ever had a day when the computer just seemed like it was just determined to drive you crazy? Well, welcome to my day!  If this post gets finished, it's going to be a miracle! This is the third attempt at this post, and between google docs and the little grabber hand that has mysteriously taken control of my cursor (grrrrr) , I'm about ready to throw the computer out the window!

Enough ranting. So far, so good, so I'd better get focused before the window closes again.

Well, Bloggyland is bursting with "Back to School" thinking, and I'm on board! I just posted a new product at Teachers Pay Teachers called Back to School Vocabulary. It includes 5 sets of word cards, picture cards, and picture/word cards, and 6 games and activities to use with them.

 

At TPT      



In case you might be wondering what the vocab words are, here's a free little word chart that will show you! It will also be a nice addition to your back to school writing center. Enjoy!

Happy Teaching!

Free Four in a Row Game for Opposites

Hi, Teaching Friends!
First, I'd like to thank you for the many kind and encouraging comments you left here, on TPT, and on Pinterest regarding yesterday's post on Sharon Dudley. If you missed the post about this inspiring educator, click here.
A few weeks ago, I shared a free Summer Vocabulary Four-in-a-Row game with you. Since it proved to be quite a popular post, I though I'd make a new variation. So, here is a four-in-a-row game for antonyms. The game is designed for end of first grade through early third, and would also be good for small group remediation or ESL. Click on the picture to collect it at google docs.

Happy Teaching!

Challenges in Teaching: Meet an Incredible Overcomer!

Hello, Everyone!

What are some of the obstacles that you must overcome as a teacher? Maybe your obstacle is juggling the time and organizational constraints of school and family. Perhaps it's the challenges of ever-changing curriculum or a difficult administrator. Sometimes, something as minor as a headache on the day of a tough-to-teach math lesson can loom before us like a brick wall.

Well, today I have the honor of introducing you to an educator who daily faces and triumphs over obstacles that make all of the ones I mentioned seem like a mere pebble in your shoe. Meet Sharon Dudley,  a Pre-K teacher in Maryland.  

Sharon has been teaching for more than 20 years.

She blogs at http://www.teachingwithsight.blogspot.com/  .   Great blog - check it out!!

She is an author/seller on TeachersPayTeachers   , with 123 great products in her shop!

She holds National Board Certification.

Sharon is blind.

Please take a moment to watch this clip and see Sharon in action.

                                       

Wow. I can only say "Amen!" to the teacher's words on the video: "Sharon is amazing!"
Sharon, thank you for allowing me the privilege of sharing your story.

Do you know a teacher who has triumphed over the odds? Please pay tribute by sharing his or her story here.

Math Freebie for My PreK & K Friends!

Hello, Everybody!

I was thinking yesterday that it's been a while since I've made a freebie for my PreK and kindergarten friends. I've been on a roll making math games lately to post at TPT and Teachers Notebook, so - a math game it is!!

Counting Kittens is a card matching activity that can be completed independently or with a partner - nice for your math centers! Click on the cover to download your copy. Enjoy!

What are some other math topics for your grade level that you'd like to have more games for?

Happy Teaching!

A Day at the Beach - Generic Game Board Freebie!

Hi, Everybody!

It's a toasty day here in NJ, with predictions of the temperatures going higher for each of the next few days. It got my mind thinking about the beach. I was also thinking about you folks who are teaching summer school, or will be heading back to school while the beach weather is still here. How very hard it is to keep your little ones focused on learning when they really just want to feel the sand in their toes... and so do you!

So, putting those thoughts together, here's a little beach-themed generic game board for you.
You can use it with any skill that your little guys could use some extra practice on, from addition facts, to coins, to sight words,... Simply print the board and spinner and use your own flashcards. Click on the picture to download "A Day at the Beach" from Google Docs.

Happy Teaching!

        

Dice Dots Game

Hi, Everybody!

I sure hope that you've been enjoying the freebies I've been sending your way - I know I'm having lots of fun making them, and have lots more in the works! Today I want to tell you about a new almost-freebie that I just posted at my TN shop and TPT store.

Dice Dot Battle is a card game played like the traditional 'war' game. Your students will add the dots on 2 dice and compare the total with a number card to determine which is greater. The game is $1.50 at my store.

While you're there, I hope you'll take a look at the numerous free items also available there. Some have been featured here on my blog, but a number will be new to you, and I'd love for you to have them. The blog-only and store-only freebies are a good reason to be a follower at all three places - many thanks to those of you who I know already follow!

Click on the cover to go directly to my store ... and don't forget to pick up those freebies!

Happy Teaching!

Fluency Activity for Your Literacy Centers

 
Hi, Everyone!
The increased emphasis on fluency instruction is making such a difference for our young readers, both in the way their text reading sounds and their level of comprehension. Can you remember how   a poor little struggler would be stumbling along and couldn't possibly remember the beginning of a sentence by the time he got to the end of it? Who knew that focused instruction and practice with phrasing, expression, and intonation could make such a difference ?!?

I can remember as a Reading Recovery teacher when I would prompt a child to "Read it faster", but honestly was thinking that the child was probably reading as quickly as he could. But it turns out that the specific prompting, practice, and expectation really do work! As in lots of other areas, we just can't assume that our struggling learners will "get it" unless we intervene with very specific and explicit  instruction!

Here's a bit of what the Panel had to say about fluency:

"Fluent readers are able to read orally with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Fluency is one of several critical factors necessary for reading comprehension. Despite its importance as a component of skilled reading, fluency is often neglected in the classroom. This is unfortunate. If text is read in a laborious and inefficient manner, it will be difficult for the child to remember what has been read and to relate the ideas expressed in the text to his or her background knowledge. Recent research on the efficacy of certain approaches to teaching fluency has led to increased recognition of its importance in the classroom and to changes in instructional practices."

 Most of your work with fluency will probably be during reading conferences, but here's a way to add fluency practice, specifically fluent phrasing, to your literacy centers.

Your students can use this set of cards independently or with a partner. You might even want to use a stopwatch or the second hand on your classroom clock (aha! some sneaky practice with time!:) for your students to play beat the clock with the phrase cards.

Click on the picture to download your copy at my Teachers Notebook shop.

 

Happy Teaching!



 



Vowel Game Freebie!

I'm planning to give you lots of freebies this summer! Let's get started with this vowel card set, Cups and Cones. 

As your students match these 20 word card sets, they'll be strengthening the visual and phonetic association between cvc and cvce  words like mat and mate, cap and cape, etc. If you're emphasizing phonics in your teaching of reading based on the Science of Reading, I think you'll find this set to be very useful!

How can you use these cards?

* Have your students use them independently as a sorting or a matching activity.

* You can also use with partners for memory and Go Fish games.

Cups and Cones has a little-bit-summery theme, but raise your hand right now if there's any time of year that you don't like to have a little ice cream.  Hmmm, I didn't think so!

Enjoy your cups and cones vowel cards, and be sure to put your favorite kind of sprinkles on top! :)

Click to download your free copy!

Are you looking for more games and hands-on activities to use in centers and morning tubs when you're teaching vowels? Try these!

Happy Teaching!

 

 

Trading Pennies for Nickels - A Free Game!

Well, the Core Curriculum standards seem to be shifting our teaching of coins all around across the grade levels! That's not necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion. The series used in our district had some awfully high expectations for coin combination mastery for first graders. 

Money is tough!  It's not a bad thing to aim high, but it sure did cause an awful lot of frustration for most of the little guys and all of their teachers! And it's a funny thing, isn't it, that all kids eventually learn how to count coins just fine, right on time for them to start actually using them!

I'm a firm believer in doing lots of hands-on work with real coins. Those little black-and-white pictures on math pages are a real puzzle for some children, and let's not even get started on the circles labeled P, N, D, and Q in them!!

Here's "Pennies and Nickels", an entry level coin game that will have your first graders counting coins, subitizing with dice dots, and trading pennies for nickels. 

Click here or on the picture to download "Pennies and Nickels" from Google.

 

Like the superheroes on the game board, your students can conquer the challenge of coin trading!

Happy Teaching!