My Doctor & Me {a new ABC book}

Top 5 reasons I love an alphabet book:

They're fun to read.
The kids pick up on the patterns & start to predict what comes next.
They teach letters & sound with alliteration and picture clues.
They're perfect to start a lesson when you want a spin off activity.
There are so so many out there...and now there's one more!  :)

How adorable is this alphabet book called My Doctor and Me ABC?!

The author, Stephanie Cox, is a doctor herself.  Plus, her daughter was in kindergarten last year so she knows exactly what our target audience {ie. the littles at your feet} need to know.  The book cleverly works in eating well & exercise as well making healthy choices like getting enough sleep and wearing sunscreen.  Look at these cute illustrations!

I plan to use this book multiple times throughout the year.  As I'm introducing the alphabet to my kindergarten students, it'll work perfectly with my other ABC books.  But we're all teaching a health unit, at least informally {wash your hands, cover your mouth, don't eat that}, and you can totally pull this back out again to highlight different lessons.  My Doctor and Me ABC is great for teaching  vocabulary, easing fears of children who are nervous to visit the doctor and just giving kids an overview of what they'll be experiencing as they get their regular checkups.

As a farewell to summer she has graciously agreed to let me give a copy away to one of you!  Just like this blog {via Google connect or Blog Lovin, whichever you prefer} & leave your email in a comment below!  The winner will be announced Sunday, August 17th.

at-home packets.

I spent my weekend writing sight word flash cards, highlighting activities that each kid needs to practice at home and making number cards.  Luckily, this was all work I could do while catching up on Bridezillas and watching reruns of The Cosby Show {for the ten zillionth time}.  Because today was...ta-da!...Parent-Teacher Conferences.

This is the packet I sent home at my conferences...a little varied based on each child's need.

{Reading A-Z books, sight word flash cards for 1st & 2nd quarter and number cards along with my Common Core checklist for parents - now available in Spanish too!}

I previously sent this packet within the first couple weeks of school for my few that were really struggling and not making appropriate growth.

 {tracing capital & lowercase letters and Handwriting Without Tears letter formation cues}

{I can Read It bag - letters or sight words mastered go inside to build confidence - and name from MyMoondrops}

 {cutting practice & Handwriting Without Tears number formation cues}

I also include a pencil, scissors, dry erase marker and crayons along with ABC flashcards {capital on the front & lowercase on the back}.  What do you send with your kids to have them practice at home??

ABC recognition.

I saw this adorable idea on Pinterest for letter recognition.

{photo from tonsoffunpreschoolactivities.blogspot.com}

But when I went to find the printable, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.  She has letter path printables but I wanted multiple letters to show up on the same page so I created one!

{click to download}

I put letter cards {any kind will work} in my pumpkin bucket.  Students pulled one out then "dobbed" wherever they saw it on the paper.  When they switched to a new letter, they also switched to a new color for easier assessment on my part.  ;)

You can differentiate the activity by only putting a few letters in the bucket depending on what each student needs to work on.

If you don't have BINGO dobbers you can use highlighters, markers, whatever!

If you don't use this activity during the Halloween season, use a regular bowl or bucket.  Or use a black pot with the letters on gold for St. Patrick's day.  Or pull them from a stocking at Christmas.  Ooh!  Or a sand pail when it's almost summer!  A heart shaped box at Valentine's day!!  A bunny bag at Easter...

I like where this is going.  ;)

sorting letters.

Just a quick one today friends.  We've been out serving our community this morning {and hanging out with Emily from The Biggest Loser...holla!} and I am zonked.

I did just create this for an alphabet or word work center this week, though, and figured you might like to have it.  :)

I'm always looking for activities or lessons that will help with alphabetic principle.  I feel like there's not much variety with letter ID because they just have to learn the formations but I did hear about letter sorting and thought it'd be great in a center.  I couldn't find a printable mat so I made one.  It is SIMPLE but it'll work!  There's a generic one and one specific to capital or lowercase letters if that's how you roll.

Your kids can use magnet or letter cards just to practice sorting or you can give them an additional mat to use as a recording sheet if you want the data for your records.  You could also print out a page of letters and have them glue the letters down as they sort.  Oh so many possibilities.  ;)

Have a great weekend!  Feel free to share your best letter recognition strategies in a comment!

Dr. Seuss' ABCs

Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?  And why are we limiting his influence to his birthday month?  Seriously...there are so so so many things to do with his literature that I've decided to stop stressing about squishing it all in to March 2nd {because I never can} and let his exposure shine all year.

Typically after reading Dr. Seuss' ABC book we make a class alphabet book.  Each kid gets to pick their own letter and write an alliterative sentence.  Kids who finish early can do a second one and we do the toughies {Q, X, Z} together.

Now, your firsties will probably be able to do that BOY {beginning of year} but our kinders?  Not so much.  So...use a circle map to have students draw things that start with the letter!

Feel free to brainstorm together for your kids who don't have a grasp on alphabetic principles yet and help them label their drawings.  {totally not cheating and perfectly acceptable for early writers!}  Or pull the Circle Map back out for Dr. Seuss' birthday - kids who struggle can use it create a "bank" of words and pictures to choose from when writing a sentence.

Growing Kinders posted a similar activity where students write & illustrate six words that begin with their letter.

Since this is one of Dr. Seuss's most rhymish stories, we also have Rhyme Time after reading it.  The kids can basically say whatever they want as long as it rhymes.  "Are you ready?" {keddy!}  "Understand?"  {gunderstand!}  "Can I go to the bathroom, wathroom?"  As long as they rhyme, I don't really care how it comes out.  The kicker: no rhymey, no talky.  ;)

I've had to remove all of my Dr. Seuss products from TpT because Seuss Enterprises, Ltd. doesn't like anyone to sell or give away any Seuss related products.  So...as long as you promise NOT to use these printables on March 2nd...you can download them by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B49Ez_FUuVcIOVNPdWxkdlI1ZDg/edit?usp=sharing.  Remember, they are for alphabet & rhyming practice only in a boring, old lesson!  ;)

Happy snappy rhyming!

literacy love.

workshop.  daily five.  guided reading.  whatever you want to call it.  here's some ideas for literacy love.  {in case you're all Christmas'd out or are already planning for january!}

{sight} word search:

I got this idea from Hello Literacy via Pinterest!  She has tons of anchor charts, educational apps, technology hints and {of course} literacy activities.  This one was super easy.  Pick a few sight words {more or less depending on the group} and write them all over chart paper.  I made sure to write each word in every color so they couldn't pick up on any kind of simple pattern.  In my group, I {re}introduced each sight word, we found it on the chart paper by pointing it out and then I turned them loose to find & circle each one with a yellow marker!  

They had to read the word before circling it so I could be sure they were making the connection.  Next time I might give each kid a different color to circle with so I can see who read which words.  {Did they choose the same word over and over?  Did they only do 2 or 3?  Instant assessing!}  ;)

Boomer goes to school {journals}:
We read Boomer goes to school by Constance W. McGeorge then used him as our writing topic!  Focusing on the sight word {is} and writing with sentence structures, we made "Boomer is _____" journals.

 We brainstormed a list of words on the board from our own observations and vocabulary in the story {big, curious, hungry} and the students were allowed to use some of those words in their sentences then sound out their own words on the last two pages.  Illustrations accompanying, of course!

{I Spy} with Environmental Print:
I asked parents to send in their child's favorite snack wrapper, cereal box or other familiar packaging from home.  {I also emailed our staff to help with the collection.}  After I used them in flashcard fashion to encourage the kids that they are readers I hung them up in the alphabet center.

Then I created a simple I Spy recording sheet to along with it.  The kids use their Word Windows to hunt for each of the four letters in words to write down in the boxes.  They really feel like readers, it's an independent center that doesn't require my immediate supervision and it's spread out enough for 3 or 4 students to work there simultaneously!

{at} hats:
so simple.  so cute.  diecut hats {or cats or bats or mats or whatever your school has} and write various -at words on each one!  My kids love a crown...and this was no exception!  The possibilities are endless: {ig} words on a pig, {up} words on a cup, {og} words on a dog or a frog, {ed} words on a bed...or just your head!  :)

songs for phonics.

I really hope you have a SmartBoard or some sort of technology that allows you to use Smart Exchange.  I found a phonics file that I absolutely love!  It's called Jolly Songs and has a slide for each letter with a picture, lyrics and quick little tune to teach the sound.  Even my kids that already know their sounds have loved it and it's such a quick activity that I can work it in easily everytime we introduce a new sound without worrying about not sticking to my schedule!

At the beginning I kept it on the SmartBoard and used it in place of Daily News.  I let the kids come up to find capital and lowercase letters and sight words.

After doing it that way a few times I copied the files onto a Microsoft Word document and printed it out for Morning Work.  They actually like coming in and unpacking their bags to find these on their desks after turning over a new sound card {ImagineIt curriculum} the day before.  If they finish finding the letters and sight words they list words beginning with that sound at the bottom.  Words copied from the room are just as accepted as originally spelled words to keep everyone accountable to their current capabilities.

an animated alphabet.

This may be a little much for my kinders if I try to explain every new word as vocabulary {anamorphosis?!}, but if they just want to sit and watch the alphabet be animated, they'll probably get a kick out of this.  Watch for D...it's sure to be a favorite.  ;)

life management.

Ladies {because I'm assuming your husbands and boyfriends are currently parked on the couch in front of football like mine},

I'm having a struggle.  This is a new school year for us all, full of many exciting & new things.  For me, the list includes but is not limited to...teaching inclusion.  special need students.  additional 45 minutes in the day.  common core.  new science objectives.  new social studies curriculum.  new behavior plan.  {hopefully soon} new puppy in the new house complete with a new and longer commute to work.  And I have to say, I'm taking it all in stride!  Except for one thing...

no. time. to. blog.

Our bell schedule has been extended by 45 minutes in an effort to cut the budget by way of having less bus drivers {who are also working longer days by the time they get our kids home around 5 o'clock but that's another story}.  On top of it, our day has been backed up with a later start and end time.  Like many of you, I'm a teach-a-holic working extra hours, not for the money {ha!} but because it's necessary to give my students what they need.  Now I'm running around in 20 minutes or so after school trying to set up for the next day before getting in my car and driving half an hour home to stay just ahead of the city traffic.  By the time I get home, it's after five o'clock, I work in my office until dinner's ready {because I'm lucky enough to have a husband who cooks!} then it's about an hour with him before I have to go to bed early in order to get up extra early to get ahead of the city traffic going back in.

I apologize for the semi-rant, but I just have to ask...how do you ladies do it?!  I just can not find the time to get online with you all like I used to when we dismissed at 2:45.  I was getting on to complain when I saw a comment from Pam at Can Do Kinders, who was awarding me for being one of her top 10 favorite blogs.  {thank you!!!}  When I read her reasoning, "So many great ideas and so positive!  She is the best!" I was both humbled and smacked in the face for my desire to vent.  So for all of you who are sticking with me while I'm AWOL and all of you feeling the crunch of a new school year with new challenges AND especially you mothers who are juggling all of this plus kids of your own...I give this to you.

I know it's probably against the rules and I apologize for not choosing just 10, but I think we all deserve a little recognition for the hours, the frustrations, the challenges and the exercise of just managing life.  And hey, while we're at it...why not a freebie?  Pour yourself another glass of wine {just wait for the cheer of a touchdown and you'll completely go unnoticed} and take a few moments to do the things we love the most.  Browse blogs and research Pinterest, those things that force you to relax.  Just be sure to leave some recognition and a little appreciation in your wake.

Click for a letter sorting activity for your newest of learners!

No Time for Flash Cards

I have found the BEST blog while building my newest cyber home on Pinterest.  I was immediately drawn to the name No time for flash cards because my brain started firing off all kinds of responses as I waited for the page to load and guessed what I would find.  hands-on.  interactive.  new thinking.  fun.  excitement.  integration.  And when I got there, I was happy to to see that I was on the right page.  {literally and figuratively!}

The site was started by Allison McDonald and her background in young children is obvious.  In case the tagline "A resource of activities for young children that promote play, discover and learning" doesn't grab you, the looooong list of links to the right certainly will!  There are videos of Allison singing songs related to topics, photos of her adorable son creating projects and enough directions and examples for even the most unexperienced of teachers.  I was immediately drawn to her alphabet posts and LOVE that she has projects not just for capital letters but lowercase letters as well!  {I can hear the cheers and applause from my fellow kindergarten teachers everywhere.}

What are you waiting for?!  Head over to No Time for Flash Cards to get more ideas on the alphabet, back-to-school, superheroes, baseball, popsicles, camping, robots and anything else you could think of!

And don't forget to LINK UP below to share how you organize jobs in your classroom!  :)