The BEST Book, and Class Book Freebies to Go with It!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

First graders truly think that they are the BEST. (Well, if you ask most first grade teachers about it, they'd agree, in my opinion! Also, they're the CUTEST, with kindergarteners coming in as a very close second.)  Of course, most of them also think that they are the fastest, the smartest, the bravest, the coolest...   Hmmm, time for a book about superlatives!

Judi Barrett, the author of  Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, has the BEST book about superlatives. Ha! Just foolin' around a bit with language there for a minute, but Things That are Most in the World actually is a good book, and a great way to introduce a writing activity with superlatives. Here's a sample, quite likely to be the favorite page for many of your little guys: "The smelliest thing in the world is a skunk convention." The accompanying illustrations by Jon Nickle are perfect, this one being political skunks cheering their candidate, all of them wearing clothespins on their noses. There are 13 equally imaginative superlatives here, all likely to bring giggles and "oh, yeahs!!!" from your students.



You'll love the last page, where there's a reproducible that would be a great beginning for a class book or writing display.

Here's a cover you might like to use for your class book.

The download also includes this chart, in case your writers need a bit of extra inspiration. You can click on the cover image to get them both.



Interested in more activities with superlatives? Guide your first, second, and third grade writers along the road to more powerful writing with this set of 153 comparative and superlative word cards and 36 picture mats.  Click here to see it!

Happy Teaching!

Vocabulary Game Freebie!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

It's the time of year for tying up the loose ends and filling in the gaps... it's time for review, review, and more review! Here's a set of games and activities that will help you do just that with any set of words you choose!

Word Wall words? Sure.
Robust vocabulary? Got it covered.
Spelling words? Yep.
Content area vocabulary? Done.

The nice thing is that you can teach these games once, and use them over and over again for different words.  Also, your students will be doing the writing of the words on these activities, so once you've prepared them once, there's virtually no more for you to do!

Want to try one free? Here you go!

Enjoy!

Freebie! Multistep Word Problems for Earth Day

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Here comes Earth Day again!  I love developing cross-curricular materials to support your content area teaching and save you teaching time. Here's a set of Common Core Math activities you might enjoy using for Earth Day. Click on either image to see it at my TPT store. There's a free game for you when you download the preview!

Most of the activities in the set above are for first and second grade standards. If you're looking for something at a bit higher level, here's a set of multi-step story problems that are designed for second through fourth grade.  There are five problems in the set and they come in two formats: 

* All of the problems on single page, which can be cut apart to use in interactive notebooks

* Five task cards to use in a math center. You might want to punch holes in them and put them on a ring, to remind your students that the problems need to be solved in order.

Click here or on the picture to get your copy. Enjoy this freebie! 



New "School Days" Riddle Set - Want One Free?

Hi, Teaching Friends!

I love the challenge of making learning fun. There are the reasons we all know... primarily, of course, keeping engagement in learning high. But I also have to admit that watching kids have fun learning is also a huge part of what makes teaching fun for me! Even though I'm not in the classroom anymore, I just can't resist sneaking in the fun and watching kids grab on to it. I had a great time this afternoon working on patterns with my three-year-old grandson. Just picture us stomping and jumping, clapping and tapping toes, drawing happy and sad faces on the magnadoodle ... I had a blast watching him have fun!

So, on the subject of fun, how about riddles? I've never met a primary grade kiddo who didn't love 'em! Yes, we're addressing the Common Core, practicing inferring, and drawing conclusions. And especially for the littlest learners, we're also increasing the time they can focus and we're building auditory memory. But, above all, the learners are having fun and so are the teachers!

Regular readers here know that I love creating riddle sets. You can click here to see ten different sets at my TPT store! Here's the newest set:

 

 

...and here's a closer look at what's inside.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm looking for a few people who might like to have a free set to try in their classrooms. In exchange, I'd love it if you'd be willing to proofread and tell me how your class liked the riddles. If you're interested, please leave your name and email below. I'll send it out free to the first six readers who leave a comment!

 

Happy Teaching!





New Design, New Giveaway, New Deal!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

I am SO excited to debut my lovely new blog design!! The sweet, talented, and oh-so-patient Megan at A Bird in Hand designed it, and I love it!!  Megan has a new "Build Your Blog" option which is just perfect for impatient people (like me). You tell Megan the colors you favor, choose a few other design options, and Megan waves her Magic Wand of Beautiful Blogs and puts it all together for you - fast! Her work on Primary Inspiration was completely done in less than 48 hours! If you're considering a new blog design, hurry on over to Megan's site! Thanks, you sweet, smart, amazing lady!!

Are you interested in winning some new classroom resources? Of course you are! Lisa at The Lower Elementary Cottage now has 200 followers and is throwing a terrific giveaway to celebrate! I hope you'll head on over to enter! (While you're there, be sure to notice my cute new blog button. Can you tell how happy all the sweet blue birdie stuff is making me?)

Do you remember hearing about the terrible destructive floods in Queensland, Australia a while back? Well, a group of Australian teacher-authors has organized a project to help teachers who've suffered the unimaginable loss of everything in their classrooms. This set, listed at TPT, has 550 pages of resources for just $15, all of which will go directly to the teachers at Bundaberg East State School in Queensland. $70 in resources for $15... and helping fellow teachers, too! It's only available through April 30th... won't you click on the picture and take a look? Thanks!

Happy Teaching!

{Note cute new signature below!}

Subtraction Freebie!

Hello, Everyone!

Well, it's definitely spring in New Jersey - 85 degrees yesterday and close to 80 again today! Daffodils, crocuses, singing birds, magnolia blossoms, and poppin' up perennials are filling our yard and gardens...glorious!!

Is spring fever hitting your classroom? There's nothing quite like trying to teach math to a group of little ones fresh from a half hour of recess on the playground in spring. I know, it's sooo good for their little bodies and brains, but sometimes it can make getting the academic focus back a bit of a challenge!

Hopefully, this easy prep one page subtraction bump game will come in handy to help you get those spring fever brains back on track.

* This math free freebie was updated  in 3/22 and now includes the original version you see pictured below as well as the same game with less color (less colored ink!), plus a font that you may prefer for your little learners.

Click now to enjoy your freebie!

If you're looking for more math games to keep your students' addition and subtraction skills sharp this spring, here are a few you'll like!

         

Happy Teaching!

Time for Earth Day, and An Earth Day Freebie!

April is zipping right along, and we're quickly headed toward Earth Day. I'm a big proponent of
cross-curricular teaching. How else can all of those core standards be addressed in a five hour day... or for that matter, in an eight hour day, right?

First up is a math set. It includes telling time, word problems, dominoes for matching representations for multiples of ten (e.g. 30 matches 3 tens or 3 dimes or 50-20 or 10+20, etc.), and practice with adding and subtracting ones and tens - all with an Earth Day theme!

Here are the literacy resources: sorting and graphing words by their syllables, reading phrases for fluency, identifying elements within words, and alphabetizing.

Want to get more and save? Here's the combo bundle, which includes both the math and literacy resources!



This freebie is from the math set. I love it because it combines math skills with strategizing! Click on the picture to get yours! Enjoy!

Happy Teaching!