Peek At My Week- Spiders

I am super excited to link up with Mrs. Wills Kindergarten: Peek at my Week.

Our corporation kindergarten curriculum map is developed so that all kindergarten teachers teach according to the Common Core standards.
This week we are to teach:
* The initial and ending sound /s/
* sight words- have, is, in
* comprehehsion skill- setting
* writing standard: K.W.2

This week my theme is SPIDERS!!  I am so ready for some non-fiction teaching!!

I am including this week's lesson plans on Google Docs.  Just click the image below to view my plans.

I know it is hard to read.  Click on the image above to see it in Google Docs.

I will be using the following units for my Guided Reading Workshop.

One of my favorite components of my reading block is using Jen Jones' Phonological Awareness.  I will be using the book Spiders by Gail Gibbons this week for Phonological Awareness.

In kindergarten, we do a lot of writing in response to literature.  This week I will be using parts of each of these units.

In math, I will be using my October Daily Math Journals.  These are available in my TpT store.

I also came across a mini-unit on TpT that was FREE.  It is by Miss Kindergarten Love.  I already had my plans done when I found this wonderful treasure!!  I will be squeezing it in sometime this week.

Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie

Five for Friday

I am loving these numbers by Jen Jones from Hello Literacy!!  She is one of my favorite TpT'ers and bloggers.  I have all of her Phonological Awareness packets.  If you teach kindergarten or first grade, it is a must to check out her sets.

Now, on with Five for Friday...

My kinders completed an "Apple Investigation" this week.  This covers so many math skills and is so engaging for students.  Not only is it a great activity...  it is free!!  Julie Lee has this in her TpT store.  Go ahead, print it out and file it away with your apple unit for next year.

I had each of my students bring an apple for the Apple Investigation.  I have an incredible group of students this year and couldn't resist taking this picture.  They are so proud of their apples!!

Our writing standard that we were working on this week was "labeling".  What is the best way to learn to label?  Well...  I say, "Label your teacher!"  My students had so much fun using the sticky notes to label me.  (Ignore the tight clothes...  I am expecting baby number 3 and have not switched to maternity clothes yet.)

Speaking of my own children...  Have you ever been into school work, talking with your spouse or cooking that five minutes pass by so quickly?  This happened to me on Monday.  My five year old was in the kitchen and got into the mints.  A few minutes passed and this is what I found!!  Yes!!  He ate 14 mints!!  I counted the empty wrappers.  I was shocked that he kept a nice neat pile of trash.

Finally, I have been working in my RTI group with letter naming fluency.  I have an incredible group of parents this year and decided to create this Letter Naming Fluency At-Home Reading Intervention.  It is free in my TpT store.  I am sure it will help with letter naming and letter recognition.  I even included a parent letter.  It is a quick intervention that anyone can use.

Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie

 

Math Journal Fun with a Chance to Win!

This is my first year using math journals in the classroom and I have to say it is a HUGE hit.  I honestly did not expect my kiddos to LOVE math journals.  One of them actually said "Math journals is my favorite part of the day!"

We use composition notebooks for our math journals.  At the beginning of the year I broke open my craft locker and let the kids decorate their composition notebooks.  They used scrapbook paper, jewels, crepe paper... you name it and ended up with some "bling"ing notebooks.  Some teachers would totally flip at the idea of such crazy notebooks but the kids LOVED it and totally took ownership of THEIR math journals.

Ignore the date... we are still working on that... :)

Each day all I have to do is pick the skill we need to work on and then copy one of the prompts to go with that skills.  Most prompts have six prompts to a page to save paper.   Each prompt is labeled with the actual standard which is a huge plus come evaluation time..:).  Students glue the prompt into their notebook and we get busy.  Right now I am completing the journal with them (I even have my own journal) but I am already seeing students starting to complete it by themselves with no help.  This is by far one of my favorite parts of the day... the kiddos come in from lunch and know that they need to grab their math journal from their book boxes, grab a prompt and get started!  It's a great way to introduce, review or reinforce the standards!  I have to say that I love the "lived in" look of these journals.  You can tell they are real and used and that students are involved!  It's awesome to hear a students come in and when they see the prompt say "Oh, it's a story problem today!"  Also, you can send the journals home ever so often to get a parent signaure so that parents/guardians can see all the awesome work that their child is doing in the classroom,

You can grab up these math journals by clicking on the picture below.  There are 5 prompts per first grade common core standard.  I plan to add even more of some of the standards (writing numbers, story problems, graphing etc.) that most first graders need extra work on.

If you would like a little sampler of these math journal prompts you can click on the image below!

Leave a comment with a unique way you are covering the Common Core Standards or a creative math product you have created!  I will pick one winner on Wednesday to win my newest "Apple Math for Firsties" math stations unit!

Endless Possibilities,
Stephany

Settling In with Beginning of the Year Procedures!

I have to say this is one of the best back to school times I have had in a long time.  My class is AWESOME!  They are great at learning procedures, following rules, and are a sweet bunch of kids.  I am totally knocking on wood and doing all of the superstitious things you do when you don't want to jinx yourself!

We have been working on our expectations and procedures quite a bit this year and one those areas is supplies.  I am really emphasizing taking care of their supplies and the classroom supplies, putting things back where they belong and respecting the property of other people.  I used the book "Too Much Glue" to start off the lesson.  Basically, the character Matty LOVES glue.  Who hasn't had THAT kid (or THOSE kids) in their class?  It is a super cute book... the illustrations are eye catching and the kids loved the story.  They keep bringing up Matty anytime we use glue!

 We had a discussion and made the anchor chart below to help us remember how to use supplies.

We also completed the freebie below.  We discussed if the actions were good choices or bad choices and then placed them on the right side of the chart.   You can grab it up by click HERE or on the picture.

You can get a copy of "Too Much Glue" from Amazon by clicking on the picture below.  If you would like a copy of the supply freebie click here to go to Google Docs to download!

 

Hope you are all having a great year so far!
Endless Possibilities,
Stephany

Visuals in the Classroom (chance to win)

Routines and procedures.
Procedures and routines.
Practice, repeat, practice again.

If this sounds familiar, we have something in common.  Over the past few weeks of school, I feel as if I have been teaching rules, routines and procedures more than ever.  We have a procedure for everything!  When we choose our lunch, we have a procedure.  When we line up for the restroom, we have a procedure.  When we go to recess, get our book boxes, go to our cubbies, grab backpacks, and even when we sit on the rug...  we have a procedure.

I use "one way" signs taped on my floor for those students who need a visual.  See below for examples of what I tape to my floor.

Even with the signs, I still have a one or two students who may interpret the sign as this...  (just kidding)

 

Anchor charts are another great visual we use in kindergarten.  As a class, we have created many anchor charts already.  I am a believer that anchor charts help as a visual to remind students what they learned.  We refer to them frequently throughout the year.  The only problem I have is that I have no room to hang them all.  This year, I decided to hang them on my ceiling.  I just staple them to the tiles above our rug area.  Here are a few that I already have hanging this year.

I think my favorite anchor chart of all is one from Kim Adsit's Shapes Galore Unit.  I refer to it so often at the beginning of the year that it hangs on my clothesline near the rug.

Since I am posting about visuals, I decided to wrap up this post with a crazy teacher picture!!  This was so unplanned!!  That is me on the far left.  Jessica is in the middle.  She teaches second.  Shelby is on the far right.  She teaches third grade at our school.  What a visual!!

Comment below to tell us what visuals you use in your classroom.  I will choose three random comments to win my Attention Grabbers packet from my TpT store.  Be sure to include your email address in the comment.

Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie