Read and Recall Update

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great holiday and if you're like me you're definitely enjoying your time off school. Yes I love and miss the kiddos and have seen some updates about them on FB but I've really enjoyed no alarms, comfy clothes, Netflix, organizing my home, and staying up late. The joys of winter break. :)

I've also decided to use this time to update some products and classroom activities I've updated my Read and Recall homework assignment from a few months ago. I've increased the complexity of the questions and I've covered different reading skill to better reflect what I'll be teaching in the second semester. The original is still there if you didn't get a chance to snag it. Oh and it's still FREE. I also plan on adding/updating some Journeys products so keep an eye out if you are also using the Journeys reading series.

Please leave feedback (what you like and what you'd like to see when I create more pages)

FEEL FREE TO PIN!

click here to download from TpT

Reading Comprehension

I'm starting to really teach and practice comprehension skills. Based on our reading assessments (TRCs) at the beginning of the year I came up with this worksheet to aide in recalling details. I had many firsties that couldn't tell me complete sentences about what happened in the story and struggled (hard) with sequencing a story when they could recall events.

I've been sending this home on Wednesdays when I send our reading books home. It is to be completed with help from an adult but the ideas should be from the kids. I do plan on making versions of this that will grow and develop as first graders do throughout the school year.


Best of all--->IT'S FREE!

click here to get your freebie

Addition/Subtraction December Freebie

Hey everyone!! I feel like I've been MIA for a while. December is a crazy month and like so many of you I've been super busy. Most of my blogging buddies have carved out time for blogging and creating and sharing and for that I'm envious.

Here's a quick freebie for you:

click here to get your freebie

I had a snow day on Friday so I didn't get a chance to bring my reading book home and work on my next weekly packet for Journeys. I did make one for Seasons that I finally posted.

click here

Included in this packet:

spelling practice pages (including challenge words)
identifying spelling words
3-contraction sorting pages
spelling practice test template
spelling pretest template
practice spelling test template
spelling test template
2 vocabulary test templates
spelling word stamping
spelling word graphing
vocabulary word graphing
use a spelling word in a sentence
illustrate the four seasons work page

the template is included in my Seasons packet

500 Follower Wowza?! (winner & Journeys)

I did it!!! I made it to 500 followers!!!

Thank you all for the follows. The feedback love. The inspiration. The great adventure of blogging.

I'll be having a giveaway. Details coming up soon!

The winner of my November Math & Reading centers is

check it out

I also posted my newest Journeys pack tonight.

click here

New Journeys & Spider Mini-Unit

I'm still plowing away through Journeys. Each week I create some word work activities so we can practice spelling, vocabulary, and a skill of the week.

We're in Unit 2 and here are my two latest creations.

click here

click here

I'm also finishing up a Spider packet. I have a short week this week because of conferences and fall break so it's time to do a Halloween inspired mini-unit. Last year I did bats and the kiddos loved it. It was actually such a popular unit on TpT and Pinterest (from A Cupcake for the Teacher) that it turns out the kindergarten teacher did it, too. So not only did we have the same hallway display but half of my class this year did it last year.

So, I created a mini-unit on Spiders called "The Amazing Arachnid".
It comes with:

• organizational charts
• craftivity template
• 9 writing templates
• 1 interactive reader

click here

Pages from interactive reader:

most pages suggest an activity to do "Cross off the insects. Circle the arachnid."

Unit 1 is done & bundled!

TpT was taking

I'm sorry I didn't post Gus Takes a Train yesterday...truthfully it wasn't done & and I some professional development today. Blech.

So I posted Journeys: Unit 1 Story 5 Gus Takes a Train today and then I decided to bundle ALL 5 of them and if you buy the bundle you save $.

So here's Gus

click here

Here is the bundle (I even included the binder pages you may have seen on Instagram. I am compiling all of my Journeys stuff and organizing it in binders, and now you can have those binder covers and tabs)

click here

ALSO since I didn't have it up yesterday I'm putting all of my Journeys stuff on sale (15%off) for the next 24hrs.

Just a Few Hours Left

I finished my Lucia's Neighborhood packet for the Journeys reading series.

 

 

 

I really like customizing my word work for my class. I can choose what we need help with. I also get to specifically target our grammar skill (adjectives this week) and other skills such as alphabetical order.

 

This was created to accompany the Journeys reading series. This is from Unit 1, story 4 Lucia's Neighborhood

Included in this packet:

spelling practice pages
mats to laminate for clay
identifying spelling words
identifying high frequency words
word family pages
alphabetical order practice
word search
spelling pretest template
practice spelling test template
spelling test template
2 vocabulary test templates
1 partner game (spin, read, and cover) 


A few more hours to enter! I've been wanting a pink one so badly!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

**I'm only 10 followers away on BlogLovin' from 500!!! Please help me make it happen :D**

It's okay to let your firsties play with shot glasses, right?

So last week was a short week. No school on Monday because of Labor Day (woohoo!). I also had an ALL DAY curriculum mapping meeting on Tuesday....so sub plans had to be made. In July I made a doctor's appointment well that was on Thursday....more sub plans had to be made. I don't know about you but my sub plans seem sooooo long because I feel like I have to be so detailed.

So basically I was with the kiddos 2 days last week. The kids part is the fun part of my job and I missed it. It's really more work to not be there than it is to be there.

Anywho.

I think I'm finding my stride with Journey's Reading. Monday is jam packed so I may have to reschedule a computer lab time. :/

I'm really enjoying my word work time and the activities I made to use with Journeys. I finished up my newest one just moments ago.

click here to get it on TpT

It has very similar activites to my sets for What is a Pal? and The Storm. Actually most of them are carbon copies but with the short o vowel, new vocab, and new spelling words. There is a verb worksheet and a noun/verb sorting page. I also made a new partner game like the freebie I posted a few months ago.

(the next picture is not included in the Curious George at School packet but I made a game  like the ones included below especially for the packet. Click the image to learn more about the freebie.

Click here to get this product for free

A run-down of what is included:
spelling practice pages
mats to laminate for clay
identifying spelling words
word family pages
noun/verb sorting
word search
spelling pretest template
practice spelling test template
spelling test template
2 vocabulary test templates
verb worksheet
simple sentence unscramble
2 partner games (spin, read, and cover)

Also on the word work front...it's okay to let your firsties play with shot glasses, right?

So I found these sets of plastic shot glasses at the Dollar Tree the other day. I just knew I could do something with them....and if not I'd have colorful disposable shot glasses.

I used a wet-erase (old school overhead Vis-A-Vis) marker to write on them. I wrote our 6 vocab words for the week on one set. The kids will need to read the word and with each word they read they can add a piece to the stacking tower.

I'm going to test the word work choice out before I make more permanent/pretty labels for the shot glasses. You could also use dry erase but I was afraid that would smudge with their fingers. I may use those circular (yard sale) stickers and affix them to the bottom and write the word. You don't want to stock up on hundreds of shot glasses at the Dollar Tree though..looks weird, lol.

My other idea was to practice spelling with these. I wrote the consonants on blue and the vowel on the pink glasses. Students will need to find the letters to spell the word.

Oh and my dry erase circles came from Amazon this week! I put them on my group table. (Pardon the mess remember, I was gone most of the week) I have some with air bubble that reallllly irritate me but they work great and I can't wait to use them with the kiddos. (They are removable and won't cause damage but I'm not sure how many times you can re-stick them)

Oh and thank you Amy for the amazing feedback. This is a big reason we do what we do!

14 days down... & New Reading Series

Hello blogland. I've missed you. I haven' really had much of a chance to blog or read many blogs (thank heavens for scheduling posts!)

I've finished week 1 of official first grade Journeys. I know from some replies that some of you use it, too. Thoughts? I was just overwhelmed by how much they packed into Monday (Day 1). I mean...wow. Then, all week we are learning about nouns and types of nouns then action words are on the test?! Not 1 noun on the test...yes we do use the weekly reading tests.

Luckily the Journey's pack (mostly word work for  D5) was helpful.

click here to see what it includes

Well, we made it through the week and I even have plans in the works for next week. I've decided that I'm going to take the new reading series with a good attitude and look at it like I (finally) did with Daily 5. I'm going to make it fit my students, not feel pressured to do everything in the book,  and hopefully I'll be able to transition into the different world of Journeys.

This week we'll be reading The Storm. I was so jazzed to do this story. I even won a really cool weather packet from Stephanie from Falling into First. Now the week I'm supposed to teach this is a 4 day week. (Hey, don't worry about me--I will not be petitioning to have school on Monday) So, I have to 'cram' a week of reading into 4 days...well on top of that I'm going to be out of my room a lllll day Wednesday so I can attend a curriculum mapping meeting...and on top that I'm going to be out of school on Thursday because of a doctor's appt I scheduled in July!

 I can't have subs teaching the awesomness I wanted to teach. They won't invent my Miss Cosbyisms, they won't be able to explain it the way I would, they won't be able to impart this knowledge onto my barely trained firsties. (Okay, exaggerate much?!) I think we all feel this way about substitute teachers--even the best one. I'm actually sure they'll do a nice job but having two different subs in a row at the beginning of first grade is rough.

To help I've made a unit for The Storm (Unit 1, Story 2)

click here to check it out on TpT

It basically includes the same pages but focused on short i, new spelling words, and new high frequency words. After posting the What is a Pal? unit I went back and added more stuff. Here's a preview of what you'll get (not all inclusive)

Included in this packet:

spelling practice pages
mats to laminate for clay
identifying spelling words
word family pages
noun/possessive noun sorting
word search
practice spelling test template
spelling test template
2 vocabulary test templates
possessive noun worksheet
simple sentence unscramble

Daily 5 is hit or miss in my room now. We're doing Word Work, Read to Self, and Read to Someone. My powerpoint with those three activities seems to be working. I have a few more kiddos than last year (and have already lost 2 and gained 1) so it's been a bit much. We're also a very chatty group. We have to talk after everything...and sometimes during everything. I know it's about routine, consistency, and procedures. I have to remember consistency--we'll have a really good day, or really good morning and I'm less 'strict' then it's total regression. I do take blame....but c'mon kids. Just listen to me! I have a loud voice, I'm tall, I brushed my hair, look at me!!!

Oh, and I got my birthday board hung up after school today!!

click here to read more about it

Routine! and Journeys

Ahhhh! I'm in week 2 of BTS. Right now with our current reading series we have a week of BTS Kindergarten review. Well, my school started on a Tuesday and since I have D5 anchor charts and stamina, procedures to teach, and BTS crafts I've decided to turn it into two weeks. Which is fine, we'll get some extra letter sound practice and what not. HOWEVER--I need routine people. I'm teaching Read to Self and Read to Someone stamina.

Next week we start a real reading story AND spelling. We'll also learn about nouns. Geesh, way to throw ourselves in there, huh?

I needed some word work (one of my fave parts of D5) to go with our new reading series. (Journeys). Here's what I came up with.

click here to get it on TpT 

Here are a few pages from the packet:

These can be used for Word Work, Morning Work, intervention, small groups, RTI, homework, spelling practice, etc. I'm planning on using them during word work time and maybe some morning work.

Teachers Pay Teachers still has a few hours of their back to school sale--I've added this product to my 20% off sale!

I'll be updating my Station Rotation Automation (how I organize my D5 groups) powerpoint very soon! (new graphics and fonts)