Practicing Opposites with the Gingerbread Elves ...Hidden Freebie!

Hello, Teaching Friends!

Certain concepts like opposites seem so basic, it's like, "How can they not understand this?" But obviously, sometimes some of our students just don't. So we go back to the drawing board to invent yet another way to present and to practice the concept.

Opposites are an example of that. Sometimes the concept just begs for some more and varied repetition.

You'll find some fun seasonal ways to practice of opposites in this set. Opposites word cards (21 pairs), two board games, and a read the room activity with recording sheet.

Here's your hidden freebie: Download the free preview for this set at Teachers Pay Teachers and you'll find this opposites reference chart. Use it as a reference for games, or give copies to pairs of students and watch them bounce the words back and forth like this...

                     "Hot!"
                     "Cold!"

                     "In!"
                     "Out!"

                     "Quiet!"
                     "Noisy!"

Okay. No quiet this week, only noisy.  :)

Happy Teaching!

Teaching Opposites... and a FREEBIE!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

How do you teach your students about opposites? Some of our little guys seem to come to the understanding of them very easily. But others struggle until one day you can practically see the light go on for them. The problem, as I'm sure you know, is that everybody's light switch has been installed in a different place- the trick is to find it!

It's hard to define "opposite" without using examples, so in our class we'd find lots and lots of them, and practice them in as many ways as we could.  For the active learners ( and, seriously, in first grade, who isn't one??), we'd be up on our feet acting them out.  Reach up high to put the cookies on the "top" shelf, bend down low for "bottom".  Sit up on your desk for "on", jump down for "off". Run in place for "go", freeze for "stop". Bing! A few light bulbs just lit up!

Some kids learn and remember so well with music. I guess I must be somewhat of a musical learner, too, because I sure do love to be a musical teacher! :)  So we'd sing a song to the tune of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?". I've tried to find the source - I'm thinking it might have been a Nellie Edge resource, but I haven't been able to find it at her site.  The "stick in your memory" lines are "Do you know the opposites? The meanings aren't the same". They're followed by a list of examples. Very cute! And Bing! Bing! A few more lights would go on.

Visual learners like using anchor charts, so we always made two of them on chart paper: a word list with opposing arrows  (sort of like this <----> ) between each pair of words, and also a picture chart. For that one, I'd mark off  6-8 boxes and we'd put pairs of words with stick figure illustrations for each. Nothing fancy, but it did get the bulbs lit for some more of the kiddos!

Ultimately, no matter how they acquired the concept, they all needed some extra practice, so we'd use some games in centers and small groups. Games are really the key to motivating practice, don't you think? Learning while you're having fun - can't beat it!


I just uploaded a set of games about opposites at my TPT store. There are 42 word cards, 2 board games, and a read around the room activity. The Cyber Sale ends tonight, so like everything else in my store, it's 20% off, plus 10% more with the code CMT12, which makes it $2.52!

Click here to see it at TPT.

Here's a little freebie from the set. Your students can work with partners, with one reading the word in the first column and the other reading its opposite, then reversing roles. If you challenge them to read quickly, your kids will get very giggly but also get in some fluency practice! Click on the picture to get your copy!

Do you have any special ways of teaching your students opposites? Please share! Thanks!

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!

Summer Camping... Plus, an Antonyms Freebie!

Hi, Everyone!

My project-of-the-week (in addition to weeding, edging gardens, and mulching... and, oh yeah, the rest of life! hah!) is updating my Summer Camp Literacy and Math Unit, which was one of the first items I posted at TPT last summer.  It's packed with activities to use with your camping theme or summer school program in first grade and second grade!

The major update was converting from Word to Powerpoint.  I've also added several new camping activities (since sometimes I just don't want to stop! :)

UPDATED AGAIN, May 2021! (because that's what we do on TpT :), and this one snuck by me for too long!)

I thought you'd enjoy a little sneak preview camping freebie! It's an easy-to-make puzzle for practicing opposites in literacy centers.  The download also includes a black and white version - just jazz it up by printing on pastel cardstock, or print on white and let your students do some coloring before you laminate!  

Click here to get your copy at Google Drive.

If you're looking for more summer activities, here's the link to the complete summer camp unit, 93 pages of math and literacy games, centers, and printables to complement your summer camp theme! 

If your focus is on math in your summer school program, here are two sets of camping math games for kindergarten and first grade that you and your students will love! Each set has 15 easy prep one page games for grade level topics.  

The kindergarten set also includes 18 pages of manipulatives for counting, sorting, and sequencing:  dice, dominoes, ten frames, hundred chart, number word cards, counting pieces, and sorting cards.

Just click on either cover for a closer look!

          
                

                  Click here for kindergarten games                         Click here for 1st grade games

Happy Teaching!

                                                  

Free for Valentines Day!

Now that I've got the hang of Google Docs :) , I'm just having fun making new little goodies to send out to you! I hope that you'll enjoy them... and I'd appreciate it if you could help me along the way to getting 100 followers. Please sign on, so you'll know when I post more free items!

Here is a set of Valentines-themed cards for antonyms. Your students can match the opposites and then use the card to check their work. You can also turn these cards into a memory game by printing the first card on one color paper and the second card on a different color. As long as you use pastels, the darling bears by Aisne (she has such cute stuff on TPT!) will turn out just fine!

Click on the picture to download.