Ringing in 2017

Happy New Year everyone.  To celebrate, I've joined forces with some terrific  TpT sellers to bring you

#2017dollardeals

Here are some of my favourite resources for a dollar on January 1st and January 2nd:

Opinion Writing

Valentine's Day Math & Literacy Bundle

New Year's Math & Literacy Bundle

SN Fonts Volume 3

Holiday Sale & Gift Card Giveaway

Hi everyone,

Happy Holidays everyone.  I hope you're enjoying a well deserved break.  You have certainly earned it!

I'm teaming up with a few TpT sellers to offer a two-day sale December 25th and 26th.  As well, Shelly Rees has offered a raffle of  two $25.00 gift cards.  Just click on the picture below to enter the raffle and the link below to find all stores on sale for the two days.

Shops on Sale

Subitizing & Ten Frames

Helping students learn to "subitize" is a valuable skill to learn.  Learning to subitize is the ability to see an amount of objects without counting them.  For example:

Subitizing tells you the number you rolled on a dice or number cube.  In this case, it's 5.  Another valuable way to learn number recognition is by using 10 frames.  Frames are often filled in from left to right.  Students begin with a five frame and move up to a ten frame.

Students will learn number combinations; for example when looking at the number 8, it can be 3 more than 5 or 2 less than 10.  These relationships are the building blocks to complex mathematical computations.

Encouraging vocabulary development is helpful when using thematic images in ten frames.  Here are some winter ones:

The snowmen frame move from left to right.  The shovels use a different combinations.  In this case, 4 and 4 more makes 8.

These frames may be lined up on a "number" line or used as flashcards during a math chat. 

Here's a free download to try:

Getting Ready for 2017

Now that 2016 is coming to and end, I often look for new ways to engage my students after the holidays.  Here are some activities that I have used with my students from grades 3 to 6.

New Year's Math Stations

Start the new year off with some fun math stations. This unit includes 4 activities. The first is number of the day. Using the new year, students will look at place value and fill in a number of the day chart. The next activity involves patterns found in a January calendar.The third activity (Race to Midnight) involves measuring time to 5 minute intervals. The final activity is to reach the target number using cards numbered 0 to 9. The target number is the new year. 

New Year's Roll a Story

Students will be prompted to tell or write story with a New Year's theme. This unit includes a story prompt sheet, graphic organizers, word lists (New Year's & transition words), rubric and specialty writing paper with full and half lined pages. 

Here's a free download:

New Year's Writing Freebie

This is a quick writing task for setting personal goals in for the new year. Students are encouraged to use the hockey paper to write their goals while creating either a class book or an attention grabbing bulletin board. Book cover, planning sheet, sample and writing template included.  Here'a great display for the goal setting activity as well. 

TpT $25.00 Giveaway

Hi everyone,

I've teamed up with some great TpT authors to bring you a $25.00 TpT card raffle.

This has been organized by:   Kelly Malloy (from An Apple for the Teacher), 

The following authors have contributed to this prize:   An Apple for the Teacher, Jackie Crews, Mickey's Place, Kathryn Watts, Jewel Pastor, and Sandra Naufal.

The giveaway ends on December 12th, 2016....

Just click on the link below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 12/12/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

Apple for the Teacher Blog Post

Christmas Writing Freebie

Christmas Writing Choice Board Freebie

Christmas Resource Fun!

The month of December is filled with a multitude of activities in the classroom.  Keep your students busy with Math and Literacy Stations.  Offering choice activities and providing task cards and lapbooks is always a good approach to keeping your students engaged. Here's a sample of the things that I have tried in classes from grades 3 to 6:

Christmas Writing Folder

This interactive folder is a great springboard to assist your students with three writing forms and a bonus Wanted Poster. You will find a descriptive task called Open the Doors to Christmas. With this four door book, students will use 4 of their senses to describe the Christmas season. A procedural writing task is included. Students will write about how to ready their place for Santa. A letter writing activity is included. This is a choice with students deciding on who they would like to direct the letter to at the North Pole. Various letter writing choices are provided. A fun task is to have students create wanted posters for jobs at Santa's workshop. A sample is provided to encourage descriptive details and drawings to make this poster task a fun one.Templates, rubrics and folder assembly instructions are included. All you need is a regular sized folder. 

Idioms Word Work

This unit has expressions on word cards ready for cutting and laminating. Students will be provided with a blank template and task cards filled with an expression related to a Christmas theme. They will then be asked to sketch a situation using the idiomatic expression on the card and then write and sketch their interpretation of it. This is a great addition to your Word Work Station or can be used as an extra activity for early finishers. 


Christmas Writing Task Cards

Task cards are individualized with title and writing prompts. In addition to 24 prompts, you will find graphic organizers and specialty writing paper to assist students with the writing process. These task cards will make a great addition to a writing station. 


Christmas Math Stations

Keep your students engaged in fun math activities with a Christmas theme. Activities include: construction of a Gingerbread House based on money amounts, December calendar math activities involving patterning and operations, completing a hidden picture using decimal operations and playing a Race to the Gingerbread House game based on odd and even sums.

The Gingerbread House construction and Race to the Gingerbread House game may be differentiated. Game boards, instructions, answers and number cards are included.

Christmas Memories Recount Writing

This is a great home-school connection or addition to your literacy writing station. Students are encouraged to write about their special Christmas memories. A helpful planning sheet is included for your struggling writers. This writing activity will encourage writing at any grade level. 


Christmas Writing Paper

This package includes Christmas letter writing paper and lined paper for emergent and established writers. Art work created includes a reindeer, penguin and dog. Bonus gift tags are included in this package.

Silly Christmas Sentences for Fluent Readers

Silly sentences have always been a fun way to explore sentence building and recognizing parts of speech. Students in grades 3 through 6 will have the opportunity to use subject, verb and complement cards to build and simplify silly sentences. Challenging verb cards are included with this unit as well as nouns associated with the Christmas theme, a blank sentence building template, display and label cards and a synonym chart. This is a perfect activity to use in your Word Work Stations or as an extra project for early finishers. 

Christmas Part Part Whole Number Cards

Part-part-whole cards are designed to assist students in computation of number sums. This unit of 25 part-part-whole cards will allow students to practice sums from 2 to 10. The unit includes 2 variations for the numbers 2 and 3 and 3 variations for the numbers 4 to 10. With numbers hidden with flaps, Students can then justify what the missing part is and lift the flap to verify their answers. Cards may be used during a number talks, during guided math groups or for individual assessments. 

Christmas Roll a Story

Students will be prompted to tell or write story with a Christmas theme. This unit includes a story prompt sheet, graphic organizers, word lists (Christmas & transition words), rubric and specialty writing paper with full and half lined pages.

Free Downloads

Christmas Writing Choice Board Freebie

This writing choice board freebie is a great addition to your Writing Station or a useful activity for early finishers. Eight writing options plus a free one are included.

Free Clip Art

Christmas Frames

TpT $10.00 card giveaway

Enter this raffle to win a TpT gift card for $10.00.

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Store Link

Supporting English Language Learners in the Classroom

If you are a teacher who has an English Language Learner in your classroom, then consider yourself blessed.  I have had countless students enter my classroom mid year with an excitement to learn, fear of the unknown and this look in their eyes that screams "hope".  It's an absolute joy for me to be able to watch a student see his or her first snowfall, tie skates for the first time or make friends who are caring and nurturing.

When I'm unsure if I can meet the needs of a student learning a new language, I ask myself "What would I do if I were placed in a country where English was not the first language?"  "How would I navigate around the classroom?" "What would the expectations be?"  What are the cultural norms?"  It often stops me and I say, "What can I do to support this little person?"

I become a detective, looking at ways to foster the emotional, social and pedagogical practices best suited to this child. Get to know this student.  There are great ways to do that if they have little or no English.  Begin by using picture books with families, draw things out, act things out or find a student in the school who speaks the same language.  Allow the student to bring in some photos in or treasures from his or her homeland to show the other students.  Let the class become culturally aware.

Finding a "student match" in the school will definitely provide a comfort zone for the student.  If that is not the case, think of other things.  Often, a multicultural support worker or interpreter is available to you.  Some districts have community centers or welcome centers that can support this.

One of my former students had little English skills.  I kept thinking of ways to support her. She loved music.  She danced beautifully and would pic up lyrics from songs. She loved pictures too. I often dabbled in my own art for her, creating images on my ipad to explain things better.  Then one evening, it hit me.  TEACH THE ALPHABET SOUNDS THROUGH PICTURES!  I remember staying up most of the evening to make sure I would finish this for the next day.  It was a flip strip booklet, targeting alphabet sounds with pictures, and repetition.

She would say and touch the picture, word, repeat the sound twice and then say the letter.  During independent reading, she often reached for her flip book.  I printed it on cardstock and laminated it for her.  She wanted to take it home.  As the sounds registered for her, she would then pick up the words.  When she saw an "ant", she knew what it was.

The booklet became a treasure for her.  Soon, other students were telling new students about it.  I made several copies and it has become a "go to" resource for new students.  

When the flip strips became worn down, I decided to print them into a booklet format.  That way, they wouldn't tear away so easily.  She took the booklet home over the summer.  

Classroom Community - Create a Jar Full of Blessings

Are you looking for a great way to build classroom community?  This jar is a great way to create a positive classroom community and give thanks. Everything but the jar is included in this bundle. You will find a label, a patterned grid to decorate the jar and a blackline master of "Today's Blessing" forms to use. This is an excellent way to celebrate additional holidays as well. Students will read the blessings as a way to say "thank you" to one another and to those who have enriched their lives in some way. 

A Blessings Jar

Thanksgiving Activities in the Classroom

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it's time to find some fun engaging activities for students to use at centers or as a whole class theme.  Below are some of my activities plus a free download at the end:

Thanksgiving Roll a Story

Students will be prompted to tell or write story with a Thanksgiving theme. This unit includes a story prompt sheet, graphic organizers, word lists (Thanksgiving & transition words), rubric and specialty writing paper with full and half lined pages.

Thanksgiving Writing

Celebrate Thanksgiving with your class by writing about it. Included in this bundle are five activities. You will find 5 quick task writing cards and 5 writing templates for an Acrostic Poem, A Text Message Template, An Invitation, a Friendly Letter and a Word & Sentence Generator activity, word list and specialty writing paper. These tasks are perfect for a bulletin board display or even a big class book. 

Thanksgiving Sentences for Fluent Readers

Silly Sentences have always been a fun way to engage readers in developing grammatical knowledge and reading skills. Fluent readers appreciate creating silly sentences using challenging words. This unit contains subject, verb and complement cards with a Thanksgiving theme. Students will be able to create their own silly sentences while exploring verbs that are not used frequently. Increasing familiarity with these verbs will in turn add some zest to students’ writing skills. These verb cards will make a wonderful addition to a “wow” word wall.

Thanksgiving Math Stations

This product is made up of a fun turkey glyph, a turkey trots to 12:00 math game and a turkey three in a row multiplication game. The turkey glyph comes in two variations: the first one is based on American spelling of the word "color" and "favorite"; the second one is based on Canadian spelling of the word "colour" and "favourite". Turkey Trots to 12:00 encourages students to follow directions based on telling time to 5-minute intervals. The first person to land on 12:00 is the winner. Triple turkey looks at products generated from multiplying numbers 1 through 10. The first person to cover up three products is the winner.

Thanksgiving Writing Paper

This package includes Thanksgiving letter writing paper and lined paper for emergent and established writers. Art work created includes turkey, leaf, acorn, pumpkin and cornucopia images. 

Part Part Whole Number Cards

Part-part-whole cards are designed to assist students in computation of number sums. This unit of 25 part-part-whole cards will allow students to practice sums from 2 to 10. The unit includes 2 variations for the numbers 2 and 3 and 3 variations for the numbers 4 to 10. With numbers hidden with flaps, Students can then justify what the missing part is and lift the flap to verify their answers. Cards may be used during a number talks, during guided math groups or for individual assessments. 

Free Thanksgiving Clip Art

Decorate your resources with these clip art images that include 10 color and 8 black and white images of things related to Thanksgiving. Each image is 300 dpi and in a png format. Below is a listing of what you will find in this pack: apple, brown leaf, cornucopia, orange leaf, pie, pumpkin, pumpkins, turkey character 1, turkey character 2, yellow leaf. 

How to Make a Poppy Wreath

Remembrance day in Canada falls on November 11th.  Here's a great way to create a class poppy wreath:

You will need:

- Several sheet of red paper (8 - 1/2  X 11”)

-Sheets of black paper

- Scissors

- Glue

- Something to trace (e.g., small cup)

- Wire hanger

- Heavy duty tape

Instructions:

1.    Bend wire hanger into a circle shape.

2.    Make several copies of the heart template using red paper.

3.   Cut 6 hearts for each poppy.  Crinkle each heart and then glue them together.

4.    Use a small cup to trace a black circle.  Cut the circle and then cut small fringes into the edges.  Glue the black circle into the middle of your poppy.

5.   Attached each poppy to the hanger.  Use heavy duty tape.

6.   To create a full effect, add at least 10 to 12 poppies to the hanger.

 

Poppy Wreath Assembly Photos

You may download the entire free assembly and photo instructions here:

Free Poppy Wreath Instructions

Halloween Activities in the Classroom

Each Halloween, my classroom becomes a series of Halloween activities for about two weeks. Here are some fun things to do to support math and literacy in your classroom:

Recount Writing:  Our Best Halloween Costumes

This is a great home-school connection or addition to your literacy writing station. Students are encouraged to write about their best Halloween costumes. A helpful planning sheet is included for your struggling writers. This writing activity will encourage writing at any grade level.

Speciality Writing Paper

This package includes Halloween letter writing paper and lined paper for emergent and established writers. Art work created includes kids in costumes, jack-o-lanterns, spiders and bats. 

Halloween Silly Sentences for Fluent Readers

Silly sentences have always been a fun way to explore sentence building and recognizing parts of speech. Students in grades 3 through 6 will have the opportunity to use subject, verb and complement cards to build and simplify silly sentences. Challenging verb cards are included with this unit as well as nouns associated with the Halloween theme, a blank sentence building template, display and label cards and a synonym chart. This is a perfect activity to use in your Word Work Stations or as an extra project for early finishers.

Halloween Writing Activities

Halloween is always a fun time of year to introduce writing forms to your students. This unit contains three forms: descriptive writing, procedural writing and informational writing.

The descriptive writing component is introduced through an Onomatopoeia Poem. With the creation of words that produce natural sounds, students can come up with a creative way to explore the world of poetry. It is recommended that a Halloween CD be used for this activity. If a CD is not available, you may access the internet for Halloween sounds or have students come up with their own.  When writing a procedure, students can come up with a Halloween Recipe that will send shivers down the reader’s spine. A step by step “how to” activity is included to assist in the procedural writing process.
Finally, the informational piece is always a fun one that allows students to publish their work on specialty writing paper. Students will explore fascinating facts about bats and explain why bats exhibit certain characteristics, habits or features. 

This writing kit includes a writing guide to assist your students, writing forms, display ideas and book covers (if you choose to turn these into class books), specialty writing paper and a rubric. 

Halloween Math Stations

Halloween Math Stations are a fun way to consolidate learning for students in Grades 3 to 6. This package of activities includes a patterning poster project, word cards, poster templates and a rubric to use after working through terms such as increasing patterns, decreasing patterns and repeating patterns. Two criteria checklists have been developed. One uses the slide, flip and turn vocabulary while the other uses translations, reflections and rotations. A sample poster planner is part of this package as well as images to use in the creative part of the poster. Individual patterning practice activities are included, an addition game, multiplication game and a place value game using numbers between 0 and 99. 

Halloween Roll a Story

Students will be prompted to tell or write story with a Halloween theme. This unit includes a story prompt sheet, graphic organizers, word lists (Halloween & transition words), rubric and specialty writing paper with full and half lined pages.

Halloween Math Chats

Halloween images are presented in an organized arrangement by number. Students will learn to recognize the number of objects without counting them. This is called “subitizing”. Incorporating these images into daily number chats provides opportunities for students to work on counting, seeing numbers in multiple ways and learning combinations. 

Each page contains 4 of the same image but in different combinations for number chats. You may use one set of 4 images per day. The students can apply the strategies from each picture presented in whole or small group math chats.

Halloween Part Part Whole Cards

Part-part-whole cards are designed to assist students in computation of number sums. This unit of 25 part-part-whole cards will allow students to practice sums from 2 to 10. The unit includes 2 variations for the numbers 2 and 3 and 3 variations for the numbers 4 to 10. With numbers hidden with flaps, Students can then justify what the missing part is and lift the flap to verify their answers. Cards may be used during a number talks, during guided math groups or for individual assessments. 

Free Loot Bag Tags

Here's a free product your trick or treaters will love: Halloween Loot Bag Tags. Just add a loot bag and goodies before placing this tag on the treat bag.

TpT Gift Card Giveaway

Hi everyone,

I've teamed up with some TpT authors to celebrate a fellow author's launch of her new store. Michelle Dupuis Education has launched a French and an English store and to celebrate, she's giving away 2  gift cards.  Just click on the links below to enter:

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