Spring into Blends

Some of my kiddos needed a refresher with blends and digraphs.  This interactive bulletin board was a great way for them to review.  We worked on it as a small group but it could also be a center or individual assessment.
I used two sizes of flower notepads.  The larger flowers are programed with the blends and digraphs.  The smaller flowers are programed with a picture.  I used these pictures.  Click here for pictures.  Click here for labels.

Each large flower has a small magnet in the corner.  The small flower has a paper clip taped to the back.  I also wrote the answer on the back very lightly so they could self-check.  Mine are laminated for duribility.

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Fern Michaels

Just finished reading Hey, Good Looking by Fern Michaels.  It's an older book, 2006.  I got it from a second hand bookstore.  You can't beat 50¢ !  It was a cute story!  I flew through it!  I know we don't have a lot of time to read with our busy lives but I try to fit it in.  It sure relaxes me! 

We set up an adult book section in our teacher's lounge where we can put books we are done with and then we can take new ones.  It's been a nice set up!

Do you have a good book suggestion?  With summer coming I'll read even more!
Happy Reading!
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Newsletter LInky Party

A New Blogger Friend at The Brand New Pencil is hosting a Linky Party on newsletters!  Stop by and join her Linky Party and become a follower!

I send home a weekly newsletter every Thursday or Friday.  I prefer Thursday because more families look at it.  I use publisher which is really easy to use.  I use clipart from Thistle Girl which I just found out I can not give out on the blog.  Google Docs wasn't excepting the publisher doc for some reason.  If you want the format you can email me and I can send it. tlplus3@wi.rr.com


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Good Behavior for the Substitute!

Lutton 519

Thoughts of a Third Grade Teacher is hosting a linky party for help with the substitute!
One thing I started is a behavior incentive that I use every day but it has an extra incentive when I'm gone.  I saw this idea somewhere on the web but I have no idea where.  I have a 100 grid and I have put stickers on five spots.  Like having free spots on a bingo board.  The class earns stickers for doing certain things.
1 sticker = walk quietly in the hall
2 stickers = work quietly during rounds in daily 5
2 stickers = quiet in the bathrooms
3 stickers = a teacher tells me what a great class they are
(this could be a specials teacher or anyone who comments as we walk by)
4 stickers = principal or administrator tells us we are well behaved
4 stickers = THE SUB TELLS ME IN A NOTE THAT THEY WERE WELL BEHAVED!
4 stickers =  Well behaved at an assembly.

When they get 10 stickers in a row they earn a class prize.  I've given candy, extra recess, we played games and much more.

Have Fun!
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47 Followers

I'm honored to have 47 Followers!  Thank you!  I would love to reach 100 and do a give away like fellow bloggers have done!  I'm looking forward to that day!  Please become a follower!

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Happy Easter FREEBIE!!

~Happy Easter to All~
Grab this Good Egg for Free!

I will keep the Weather Unit Free on TpT
for this week only!
I have a corresponding Promethean Board unit
that goes along with this.
While you're there check out anything else you may like!

Click the image to take you there!

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Popcorn, Popcorn


This week we've been studying the /or/ sound so I've been using the popcorn unit from Abby at The Inspired Apple.  What a cute unit she put together.  Yesterday we used our senses to write adjectives while we popped popcorn in an air popper.  Today we used the adjectives to write a poem.  Here's the pattern:


Popcorn, Popcorn
________________ (Adjectives)
Popcorn, Popcorn
________________ (last word rhymes with second line)

My example:
Popcorn, Popcorn
Fluffy and White
Popcorn, Popcorn
Going to eat it all night!

The kids did a great job on this.  They wrote the rough drafts today and they'll make the final copy on a popcorn kernal!
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Stay Tuned

I'm trying to update my blog with some new graphics so please bear with me!
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Earth Day Shirts Day 2

What fun we had today while we finished our Earth Day Shirts.

Materials Needed Today:
Multiple colors of fabric paints
sponges
bug foam stamps (I found mine at a craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels)  Next year I'm buying them from Oriental Trading.  I've bought other stamps before and they were really nice. 
                                                                          Click Here
12 Going Buggy! Foam Stamps

Using a small sponge I paint the chosen bug stamp rather than dipping it in the paint.  This prevents too much paint and blobs on the shirt.  I let the students chose three to put on.  They would love to have more but this can take about an hour for 15 students.  After they go home I add the slogan that we've come with and the year.  This year they chose "Save Our Earth!"  They look so cute when they all wear them  together when we clean up the school yard.
I let the students put on the stamps after I put the paint on.  I usually have about 6 different insects and I chose one color for each.  All students get the same color so I don't have to clean the stamps in between.



These are the stamps and sponges that I used this year.  I've used them for a few years and with the other first grades so they last quite awhile as long as you wash them right away.

Before I added the slogan.






Hope you all can add this into your day.  I have 5th graders telling me.  I remember when we made those.  Kids in my class get excited because they remember when their sibling made one.  A third grader told me he still had his even though it didn't fit!  This is a treasure to make.






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Aaargh - Me Mateys!

You have to check out Babbling Abby's Pirate Mark unit she's made.  I bought it from TpT and it's so cute.  The class is just loving it!  Thank you for all your hard work, Abby!  You can find her blog at The Inspired Apple.

Here's the pirates we made today.  They are so cute!




You gotta love the lips and teeth on this one and his eye over the patch!!

Sorry I don't have Day 2 of Earth Day Shirts we weren't able to work on them today.  Tomorrow's another day!
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Outfitted and Inspired


Outfitted and inspired is hosting a Linky party for great finds that you find at the dollar store!

I just spent a $40 on Thursday!  I don't have pictures though!

I bought the bunny shakers that Crazy for First Grade posted.  They are so cute.  I can't wait to use them. She posted free worksheets to download. Click on the bunnies to go there.


I got Peeps for the activity I'm doing with The Old Lady that Swallowed a chick.  I posted previously about this lesson.

I also made a hauling on some things I need for VBS.  I'm the coordinator and we're doing Pandamonium.  It's setting is in China so I got paper lanterns with LED lights.  I was so excited.


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Earth Day Shirts

Today we started making our Earth Day shirts!!  Each child brings in a white t-shirt. 

Materials:
Fabric Paint in large bottles - green and brown
Fabric Paint in small bottles with points - various colors
Bug rubber stamps
Sponge Paint brushes
"kitchen" sponges (those yellow ones)

First you paint their hand and arm in brown with the sponge paint brush.  You need the student to hold up their hand facing you so you paint the arm in the correct spot.  If they lay the arm flat while you paint you paint the wrong part of the arm.


Then have the student spread out their fingers.  Put the hand down first and then help them put the arm down straight like a trunk of a tree.


Take "kitchen" sponges and cut them into various size triangles so they can use green paint to make the grass and leaves.




Today we finished the tree trunk and leaves and grass.  Tomorrow we will add bugs, a slogan and the year.  We will wear them on Earth Day to clean up the school grounds.
Stay tuned for Day 2 directions!


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Teaching Blog Addict
What a fun site!  I was very excited that I found a posting from Ladybug Teaching Resources about how to make your link live at the end of a comment.  How exciting!




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Monday Blues

As I been visiting a few other blogs tonight I realize that a bunch of us are having the Monday Blues!  I have a big bag of work and I don't want to do it.  I even exercised instead!  Hoping that tomorrow brings a better day!
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Readopoly

My friend, Tammy and I run an after school reading program called Readopoly.  We run this program for children who are in special education and Tier 2 or 3.  We have a Readopoly board that is based on Monopoly.  We have it on the Smart board so get to roll gigantic dice.  It's so much fun!  Each street is an author name or topic.  When they land on the street they need to read the corresponding book or we have a reading game they play.  They earn money as they travel around.  They get to buy prizes with the money.  It's a great reading motivator.  This year Action Territory, a local amusement and game park, gave us a gift certificate for a party.  Since we had low enrollment this year we decided to take them all as reward rather than give the certificate to one person.  So this morning I'm off to play games and ride a bumper car!  This is going to be so much fun!
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There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick by Lucille Colandro

The week of Easter I'm going to read this book!  I've planned out some fun activities to do with it. 

We're going to act out the story with clip art pictures and add them to the stomach of the old lady dress that I made.  I used a ziplock baggie attached to the back of the dress that becomes a pocket to hold the pictures.
We're going to work on rhyming this week from the items in the book that the old lady swallows.  I've programed the laminated old lady with a word and they will interactively write more rhymes.  I used a coloring page of the old lady and made a transparency of her and projected it onto the poster board and traced it.
I've made some Easter Basket worksheets to go along with this.  Each basket is programmed with a word and the students write the rhymes in the eggs.  The bulletin board heading is going to be, "A Tisket, A Tasket, A Colored Rhyming Basket!"
You can get this at TpT for $2.00!
Happy Easter!
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Making Thunder

Today we learned about thunder and lightning.  We sang the song below a few times.  Then I gave each child a paper bag and they blew into it and banged it to make thunder.  We sang the song and when we sang "Clap - goes the thunder!" we all hit the bags!
They had a blast!!!  They wanted me to give them more bags!  I wish I had a photo of them making the thunder!
Click on the page to download this song and a sample from my weather unit.  The whole weather unit is available at TpT.  Tomorrow we're learning about rainbows!!
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Adjective Lady

Meet the Adjective Lady!
I dress up in all different kinds of clothes and items and then I come into the room to meet the kids and behave like someone else!  The kids are crazy with laughter!  "That's you, Mrs. M!"    I put this picture in the center of the chart paper and now that I have an interactive board I will use that.  Then we draw lines off of different things I'm wearing and describe the item.  What fun!

What adjectives activities do you do?  We're suppose to teach adjectives for three weeks and I'm running out of ideas.  Next week is color words!  Help me out!
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Technology Tools Linky Party!

Mrs. Snowden is hosting a Linky Party about your favorite techy thing to do in your class.

One of the things I love to do is a Life Timeline.  Students find a photo to represent each year of their lives.  These can be brought in as a physical photograph or what I love the most is if the parents email me the photos.

Here is a sample of a letter I sent home.  This letter doesn't include the emailing the photos.  You would need to add that.  With the letter I send home a page for each year of their lives.  They attach a photo and write a sentence about it.  Of course I can't find this document to attach it!

Using powerpoint I upload each photo in chronological order into a powerpoint.  Each picture is it's own slide.  This is the powerpoint.  I know it's plain but the kids are taught to change the background color and font style.  Then they each type their sentence that they had written at home. 

This project takes awhile but it has a fantastic output!
Sorry I don't have pictures of a finished project but I didn't think I should share all their personal pics!

Have fun trying it out!


1st Grade with Miss Snowden
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Water Cycle Bracelets

What a fun day in science class!  We are studying the weather and the rain cycle.  We watch a youtube video by Mr. Davies on the water cycle and the kids just love it.  We've watched it 4 times in the last two days.  I was singing it in the shower this morning!  We made water cycle bracelets to remind us of the pattern and the kids loved it! 
Light blue = Rain, Green = Grass, Navy = Puddle, Yellow = Sun, Crystal = Evaporation, White = Cloud

You can find my whole unit on TpT which includes this pattern sheet.

No rain today in Wisconsin!!  Nice and sunny!
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My Classroom

I was able to take a few pictures of my classroom today.  Didn't get the whole room - recess is only just so long!!  :)
This is my back counter where the students store their book boxes.  I bought these from Really Good Stuff.  I just love that magazine!  My word wall is behind it.
These are my mailboxes for all their notes, homework and corrected work.  It works out really well.  Students bring their take home folders every day and empty them into the "Done" Basket and then put the folder into the big basket on top because they don't fit in the mailboxes.  Our folders are called "B.E.E. Folders"  Bring Everything Everyday.  It really works out well.

Here's my reading corner.  The first book cart is full of leveled readers that the students can choose to put in their book boxes and take home to read.  The second shelf has theme boxes. 

Sorry this is sideways!  This is our Family Tree.  Students bring in family photos and they stay up all year for them to look at when they get loenly.  We also add to it as new siblings are born.  The kids love it!

This is my CAFE board.  I used fabric as the background for most of my boards.  I don't have to change them every year becasue it doesn't fade!

Here is my writing bulletin board for Six Traits.  I found this idea on the web somewhere but I don't remember where.  Each can has the trait.  Each paintbrush has a skill that we've done within the trait.  We have the songs listed above the trait.  The bottom papers are ideas for them to write about when doing Work on Writing.

I use this for my different writing papers and supplies.  It works great!

This is a big box of big books.  It was amazing how many big books I wasn't using anymore to teach with and they were just sitting there.  I know it's scary to let them use the books for fear of them getting ruined but it's better than collecting dust.  The kids love them when they do Read to Someone.  They use the pointers.

Here's another sideways photo!!  This is my star student board.  They are Top Bananas to go with my Jungle theme.  On Monday they bring show and tell that they bring in a stuffed cheetah backpack along with photos.  Tuesday they bring their favorite book.  Wednesday they bring a letter to school that was written by their parents telling the class about their child.  Thursday the student has someone come and eat with them and Friday they get an autographed book from their friends.  I schedule their week during the week of their birthday.  It makes it very special.  For summer birthdays, I fit them in on open weeks.

Have a great week!!  I'm off to do report cards!
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Frog and Toad Literacy Take Home Bag


Meet my Frog and Toad Take Home Bag!  I got this adorable stuffed frog bag from Discovery Toys a couple years ago.  I honestly don't know if they sell them anymore!  I put a Frog and Toad Treasury book that contains 4 of the books and Owl at Home which is also written by Arnold Lobel.  I have a stuffed frog and toad for the students to read with, have an adventure with and be friends!  There's a journal for them to write down their adventures and a Checkers game with Long and Short O sounds.    I'm selling the printouts on TpT.  There is also a couple of other worksheets I use during the week that we work on this unit.

Have a great Week! 

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