Quotation Stations with a Freebie!

We have been brushing up on our quotation skills the last couple of weeks.   It is such a hard skill for students to grasp in first grade, but once they reach second grade it's like something "clicks" and they can pick it up quickly.  (So don't stress yourselves out first grade teachers!)  Here is our quotation mark anchor chart... we used quotes from our Magic Tree House read aloud that we have been reading.

During stations, we used play-dough to create quotation marks on our sentence cards. 

Then we recorded the sentences correctly on the recording sheet.  I always include these with my stations so I can check for understanding when I am not able to roam the room while students are working.

Later in the week, students roamed the room to rewrite sentences correctly including the quotation marks.  You can also use this activity for scoot or stations.

We also added quotation marks into sentences, rewrote sentences with quotation marks, and created our own sentences with quotation marks.

You can grab up the activities in this packet by clicking the image below...

Here is a quotation mark freebie to get you started!  Click on the image below to download.

Teachers Love Ikea { Part 2 }

I absolutely LOVE IKEA and even though the closest one to me is about 3 hours away, I always make a point to go a couple of times a year.  A few years ago, I did a post on items from IKEA that teachers can use in their classrooms.  You can check out that post HERE (most of those things are still available!).  Below are some of my finds from my most recent trip...


There are tons of alternative seating options at IKEA.  Most of the office type chairs are sold in two parts... the seat and then the base.  The seat part is a great floor seat.. similar to the rocker chairs people are using.  Here are just a couple of the options that I thought looked the most comfortable and affordable...

If you need some basic stools for your students to sit on while they work...

IKEA has some awesome cheap rugs.  The rugs I bought for less than $5 over 5 years ago are still holding up and look great (even after 180 days of use a year by primary students).  I use rugs for silent reading but also for my low table where students sit on the ground.  These are a few of the rug options...

I grabbed up two of these larger circle rugs... my kiddos will love them!  Two students can fit on them for partner reading.

I loved this green dot rug.. look at the price!  You can't really tell the size but this would be a great rug in a small area where 3 or 4 kiddos could sit and play a game together.  This would be a great addition to any classroom.  IKEA has tons of deals like this!

They also have a TON of chair pads.. the ones with the strings that you tie to the back of the chair. these would also be great for your floor kiddos.  I picked up these round versions that go on stools... they have rubbery grippers on the back that will prevent them from sliding on hard floors.

If you are looking for "spots" to keep your students in one place while sitting on the rug these could be an option... they are actually placemats!  They have a rubbery backing so they won't slip on laminate flooring and are just the right size for primary kiddos.

This is a longer cushion pad... two kiddos would fit perfect on this for partner read!  I wish I had about 12 of these!

If you want to go kind of big and you are looking for a couch, this is so cute.  I almost grabbed this up but couldn't decide on a color...  It comes in yellow or a dark gray.

These stools are so cute... they would be great at a tall table.  The don't wobble and are sturdy.

They have a ton of other stool options.  I love stools because they can be stacked or pushed under tables so easily!  Here are some lower stool options.  They will work on regular height tables.

If you are brave enough for pillows (I always tell my kids no heads on the pillows....if you get my drift) they have a ton of cheap options.  

This dish rack would be perfect for organizing tablets!  Just slide the tablets into the slots and place any iPods into the silverware holder portion.

I purchased this shelving unit (in white) to transform my fluency station...

These picture frames are perfect for displaying learning objectives at small groups....

If you can screw into walls and cabinets these would be perfect for so many purposes... displaying student work, displaying pics from the year or I think they would be great for hanging headphones.  Just slip the headphone over the wire and you are good to go!

This is my dream item at IKEA...I would love to have two of these to hold my differentiated tubs for literacy and math rotations.  It holds 12 drawers (3 drawers for each group) that can hold different leveled materials.  

If you want to whimsically figure up your data this calculator is super cute...I would love for my principal to come in while I am punching in numbers on this ridiculous thing...

I have never seen this section in IKEA before (maybe it's new or I am just blind) but they have cute party favor type decor.  I often use the tissue balls in my classroom.  I love these options!  

This section also had these number paperclips and quotation paper clips.  These would be a fun little teacher gift!

I also grabbed up this cheap tub to store rugs and pillows.

Finally what my kiddos will be most excited about BEADS (for fun friday).  These are super cheap!   IKEA also has these rolls of paper (should have grabbed a dozen for my artsy kiddos!) for super cheap!

What items do you use from IKEA in your classroom?  If you have any questions make sure to leave them in the comment section!