Saturday, February 28, 2015

Guided Reading…How About A Freebie?

Finding just the right worksheet to go with a particular guided reading book can be a challenge. To help with that I have made a freebie that includes worksheets for readers from the first through fifth grades. That makes deifferentiation a little bit easier! One worksheet is included for each grade level. Better yet, the Common Core addressed on each sheet is noted in the lower right hand corner. SO….if you need a little something for your guided reading groups tomorrow…download this freebie….click below!



What's included:

1st grade


Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade


Hope you enjoy the freebies and they are useful in guided reading!!
Jan



Saturday, February 21, 2015

St. Patrick's Day Goodies!





St. Patrick's Day is almost here! That's one day my Irish grandmother and I have always loved! I've found some fun games/activities to use with your students as you prepare for the fun! Many are thinking games, which kids just can't get enough of! If you have a classroom blog/newsletter these sites would be great to recommend for home too! Don't miss the freebie page at the bottom of the post!

 This terrific game helps kids practice simple math fact families. Very engaging! Other games here are good too!


Coloring pages, jigsaw puzzles and more are waiting for you on this fun page!




There are lots of fun games here! This one is called "Leprechaun Coins". Be sure to check out the Tile Swap Puzzle…it's a real thinker!



Jokes, worksheet, and so much more are right here for the taking!!




If you need a St. Patrick's Day center don't miss this fun site. There are activities for 1st-3rd here!




How about a FREEBIE!
Kids ALWAYS need more practice telling time! The freebie is geared to second grade.



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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Quick-Math Review Freebie!



I LOVE a great freebie!


It's that time of year! It's time to review math skills to keep them nice and strong! To help with this I am offering a Quick-Math review page for 3rd grade as a freebie!  There are two pages in the download, the freebie page, and a page that includes the math standards and grading key for the page. Download it in google.drive

I've also included two great math sites that are perfect to use for math review!




Now for those math review game sites!

This site is GREAT for review! There are lots of great fun games on this site. It includes this one on rounding, clocks, money, basic facts and more!


One thing is always vital when reviewing math, and that's knowing the facts! This site has many great math fact practice sites. Many are geared to boys, so that will really pull them into the practice!





If you like the freebie, you might be interested in checking out the resource it comes from:








Thursday, February 12, 2015

8 Reasons Why Foldables Should be in Your Classroom!



Foldables can be messy and time consuming. All that cutting, pasting and folding, is it really worth it?  

Actually…Yes! Here a eight reasons why:

1. A study done in 2007 by professors of education at Tusculum College in Tennessee discovered that there was a significant improvement in students' attitudes about the material being learned when using foldables. It was also noted that behavior improved when foldables were used because students were more engaged with the material. For more on this study see:
2. Foldables help improve retention and recall of information for students at all skill levels (Bos & Anders, 1992; Ritchie & Volkl 2000).
3. Using foldables motivates unmotivated students. 
4. Foldables keep the attention of distractible students.
5. Kinesthetic learners love foldables because they are hands-on, not just pencil and paper. 
6. Visual learners love the pictures, drawing and coloring involved with foldables.
7. Foldables are perfect for learning disabled students, as they allow them to process information in a different way from using pencil and paper.
8. Foldables are 3-D graphic organizers that help students foster higher-order thinking, and construct their own meaning.


So are you ready to tackle a few foldables? If so, test drive the three foldables below in my freebie for figurative language. Let the foldable fun (and learning) begin!




Below are a few of the pages included:







Check outlay store for LOTS of resources to make teaching easier for you, and more fun for your students!


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Give Me Some Force and Motion!


If you need a unit to grab those reluctant learners and "Power" them up, you can't do better than force and motion! It's filled with experiments, plus lots of movement and action. It's everything kids could want! I've scoured the Internet looking for the best activities out there to help you get the "inertia" out of your students, and get them in motion!

These great videos and self-tests are part of the  Force and Motion StudyJam series. Students play the videos, then test themselves. It's PERFECT for centers! There are six studyJams that will not only teach your students lots, but they'll enjoy every minute of it!

It includes videos on Newton's three laws of motion.



This site has ten short videos on inertia, speed, gravity and more. Choose the number in front of the video you want, then type it in the space below the video box. Really good stuff here from Eureka. Click on the picture.



This is a great video on force and motion!



This is a great site for force and motion games!



This is a great game made specifically for 4th graders.



If you are interested in task cards, or a great PowerPoint on force and motion, check out my resource below!