Primary Junction

Five For Friday!

2013-05-17T22:52:00.000-04:00

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching once again for Five for Friday. Here's a look at five photos from my week:

I'm also linking up with Molly at Lucky to Be in First! for Fabulous Freebies on the Fifteenth!

On the 15th of every month you can find fabulous freebies (hence the name!) at her adorable blog. Yup, I am a few days...a nasty bug hit me on Wednesday. Ugh. I do have a fun summer-themed freebie for you today though! I hope you can use it!

Download Here.

Five For Friday!

2013-05-10T22:34:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to be participating in Doodle Bugs Teaching's Five for Friday for the very first time! What took me so long? Well, I really don't know! I've intended to link up several times but come Friday, I guess it just slipped my mind, and then, when I would remember, I often felt that it was too late. Not this week though!

Mother's Day Freebies

2013-05-09T06:29:00.001-04:00

So, I'm a little sad that Teacher Appreciation Week is almost ever. Especially now that the big sale is done and over. I love to stock up on clip art during the sales. I'll admit it. I'm kind of addicted to it. I can't help it! Whenever I see adorable graphics, I get ideas, which is great for my classroom and kiddos but not so much for my wallet. I do think I stocked up on enough during the sale though to last me for awhile. ;-)

Now that I have the sad news out the way, I have some fun and exciting news to share! I have joined the fabulous authors at Teaching Blog Roundup! It's a great, new collaborative blog that just began this month. Every single day there will be a post from a different author with helpful information, classroom tips, and, of course, fabulous freebies to share! I'll be posting on the 9th of every month, so make sure to stop by!

For my first post today, I shared some ideas and freebies for Mother's Day, including how to make these books:

I included the instructions on how to make these books in a fun Mother's Day Packet *FREEBIE*!

Included:

*Mother's Day Book Instructions

*Brainstorming Bubble Maps (templates for mom, grandma, and aunt)

*First Draft Writing Plan Sheets (templates for mom, grandma, and aunt)

*Fill-in-the-Blank Writing Activity (templates for mom, grandma, and aunt)

Visit my post at Teaching Blog Roundup to download the freebie!

Teacher Appreciation Sale!

2013-05-07T04:00:00.000-04:00

By now you've certainly heard the BIG news! Teacher Appreciation Week is upon us, and that means it is time for huge sale! So, sit back, relax, and shop! That's what I certainly plan to do! :-)

Everything in my store is 20% off May 7-8, and you can receive an additional 10% off (so up to 28% off in all) using the code below:

If you're wanting to get a head start on next year (like me!), here are a few units that might help:

Click here to go to my TeachersPayTeachers store.

For those of you who prefer Teacher's Notebook, my store there is also on sale for 20% off, and you will receive an additional 10% off at checkout. While there, make sure to enter the daily giveaway for a $100 Gift Certificate to Oriental Trading. There is a winner every day, and you can enter every day from now through May 10th for a chance to win!

I also have a fun surprise to announce! I'm linking up with the sweet Christina Bainbridge from Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge for her Fabulous Feedback Linky Party. The purpose of the linky party is to share fabulous feedback we have received and to say "thank you" to those who have bought our products. We love to receive feedback, and I, especially, love to hear (and see photos!) of how you are using my products in your classroom! It always makes my day to know students are using (and most importantly, ENJOYING!) the things I have created.

I have selected three pieces of feedback left on my products. If your feedback was chosen, send me an email (use the "contact me" address on the right side of the page) because you get to choose one item from my store for free!

Check out this unit here.

Check out this packet (which is based on one of the very first lessons I ever wrote!) here.

Take a look at this unit (one of my all-time favorites to teach!) here.

If you are selenamartin12, lindalouhoo, or lovin2scrap, let me know, so I can get your freebie to you!

Last but definitely not least, I've teamed up with some fabulous friends for the sale as well!

Make sure to check out their stores (click on the images) and blogs:

Lucky to Be in First Blog

The Tattooed Teacher Blog

Closing the Gap... in a Cute Outfit! Blog

Collaboration Cuties Blog

Ideas by Jivey Blog

Little Miss Primary Blog

The Pinspired Teacher Blog

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
(Thanks to The Wizard of Boz, KPM Doodles, Gingersnap Fonts, Kimberly Geswein Fonts, and Kevin and Amanda Fonts for the graphics and fonts!)

Instagram Fun!

2013-04-29T22:58:00.000-04:00

After being tempted for awhile, I finally decided to jump on the Instagram bandwagon today! I'm so excited that I did! It's a great way to connect with other teachers and take a peek into their classrooms. If that isn't exciting enough, What The Teacher Wants and Apples and ABC's have joined forces to throw a #teachertalktuesday party every Tuesday! Every Tuesday on Instagram, hundreds of teachers will share a picture from their school day using the hashtag #teachertalktuesday.

I'll be sharing a picture from my school day every Tuesday. The pictures will range from informative to funny to random! I hope you will join me!

Follow my Instagram by clicking here or search for my username primaryjunction on your Instagram app.

This is what my profile looks like:

Some pictures on my Instagram so far:

Fun classroom photos, including this summer countdown,

sweet and tasty food photos,

& fun travel photos!

I hope you'll join me! It's going to be a blast!

If you're on Instagram, leave your link in the comments! I'd love to have some fun, new friends to follow! :-)

15 End of Year Test Prep Ideas

2013-04-28T08:48:00.000-04:00

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, end of year tests will be here before we know it. I've scoured the Internet and some of my favorite teacher blogs for ways to not only get my students prepared for their upcoming tests but also excited about them. Since teachers are so busy at this time of year assessing students, re-teaching concepts, and preparing students for assessments, I want to share some of the amazing ideas I have found!

Review Games

Mrs. Harris from Adventures of Room 129 shares Graffiti Wall, a review activity that would be great for vocabulary words but could also be adapted to fit different needs.

Simplifying Radicals shares a fun review game, Bazinga, that can be used to cover almost any objective.

In a guest post on Rachel Lynette's Minds in Bloom, Samantha Harrell from Riveted Little Readers shares Fun Test Prep Alternatives to Drill and Kill.

Tara from 4th Grade Frolics shares these cute Multiple Choice Stick Fans. These could be used in a variety of ways, and they would certainly make test prep more fun and hands-on!

Test Prep

Ashleigh from Ashleigh's Education Journey shares these adorable Testing Tip Posters.

Angie at Timeouts and Tootsie Rolls shares this Math Strategies anchor chart.

Mandy from Mandy's Tips for Teachers shares how she teaches her students how to read and answer comprehension questions.

Vanessa from Savvy School Counselor shares eight tips test-takers should know and includes several activity ideas, including this helpful folder.

Heather from Working 4 the Classroom shares this adorable acrostic poem and paper chain test strategy review activity.

Student Preparation

Tiffany from The Lemonade Stand shares this ADORABLE craft that has students writing a "set list for success".

Melissa and Nicole from Lesson Plan SOS share these Smart Little Cookies that have students writing a recipe for success.

Test Day Motivation

Sarah Cooley from First Grader at Last blogged about Brain Sprinkles, a sweet way to give students an "extra boost".

Joanne from Head Over Heels For Teaching shares Smartie Pants, a fun, sweet treat for test day.

Ginger from Ginger Snaps shares these adorable Candy Motivational Testing Notes. Attach to candy and leave on students' desks for a sweet treat!

Lindsay from The Teacher Wife shares a treat idea, testing sign, and parent letter.

Read-Alouds

For more testing ideas, check out my Test-Taking Pinterest Board!

How are you helping your students prepare for their big test? Leave a comment, or link-up your blog posts!

Earth Day Fun!

2013-04-14T23:37:00.000-04:00

We have had such nice, Spring weather here lately. It's consistently been in the 70's and 80's for a little over a week now. To say I am loving it would be quite the understatement!

Speaking of Spring, Earth Day is only a week away, and I spent this week getting ready for it. In the past, I've always based my Earth Day lessons and activities around Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. I once had a Lorax unit with all of the activities included, but since Seuss Enterprises no longer wants teachers creating resources to go with their books (grrrr!), that is no more.

The good news is that I finally got around to updating the unit and replaced all the Lorax references with an Earth Day theme! The unit can be used by itself or with an Earth Day-themed book, and if you'd like to use The Lorax, it will work perfectly with it as well! If you previously purchased my Lorax unit on TpT, you can get the update (which also includes a few new activities), by re-downloading it from your TpT Dashboard.

This Unit Includes:

*Earth Day Fluency Sheet with Written Comprehension Questions
*Earth Day Emergent Reader
*Earth Day ABC Order Color, Cut, & Paste Activity
*Earth Day Word Search
*Earth Day Making Words Sheet
*Earth Day Craft with Responding To Topic Writing Activity(includes 5 topics!), & Earth Fact Book Writing Activity
*Earth Bubble Map
*Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle Fluency Sheet with Written Comprehension Questions
*Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle Emergent Reader
*Recycling Bubble Map
*Mother Nature Fluency Sheet with Written Comprehension Questions
*Personification Sentence Writing Activity
*Personification Poster
*Mother Nature Poem Writing Activity and Bubble Map
*Environmental/Social Issue Research Project (with service project idea included!)
*Needs vs. Wants Magazine Activity
*Needs vs. Wants Color, Cut, & Paste Sheet
*Products Made Out Of Trees Listing Sheet
*Recycled Art Project with Included Writing Activity
*Bird Houses/Helper Project Idea
*Leaf Rubbing Project Idea
*Tree Age Calculations Project Idea
*Earth Day Book Suggestion with Included Activity Sheets (Rhyming Words, Context Clues Lesson and Activity, Character Development, Visualizing A Character, Comparing and Contrasting Characters, Writing A Continuation, Plot (Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then)
*Earth Day Book Suggestions
*Earth Day Web Site Suggestions

Earth Day-themed Personification Sentence Writing Activity

Earth Craft and Responding to Topic Writing Activity

Earth Craft and Fact Book Writing Activity

Click Below To Purchase:

~~I'll be giving away TWO copies of this unit on my Facebook Page!~~

~~Visit my~~ ~~FB Page~~ ~~to see how you can enter!~~

Counting and Segmenting Syllables

2013-04-12T04:54:00.000-04:00

I've previously shared a lesson on counting syllables and segmenting words into syllables:

I've taken it a step further now and created a packet to go along with this lesson:

Students seem to catch onto counting syllables pretty easily. Once they get the hang of it, I use syllables to teach students how to break words into sounds/syllables and how to use them to help spell words. It's a great activity/mini-lesson for struggling spellers. I always have a few kiddos who are not confident in their ability to spell, and it really holds them back from trying. This is a strategy they can use to become inventive spellers, and it really helps them to become more confident!

Here's a look at some of the activities included in the packet:

In this activity, teachers/students cut words into syllables. They then piece them together to sound out/spell a word:

In this activity, students can spell words using syllables or use letter tiles to piece syllables together:

Another activity involves using a Syllable Box.

I made my first "teaching how-to" video on how to use the box. I filmed it myself, so bare with me! :-)

Included In The Packet:

*Counting Syllables Lesson

*Syllable Cards To Cut and Piece Together

*Counting Syllables Picture Worksheet

*Spelling with Syllables Worksheet

*12 Segmenting Syllables Rule Posters

*Syllable Counting Boxes and Suggestions For Use

*Breaking Up Two Syllable Words Worksheet

*Breaking Up Three Syllable Words Worksheet

*Breaking Up Four Syllable Words Worksheet

*Identifying Syllables Worksheet

*Breaking Up Words To Help Spell Them Worksheet

*How Many Syllables? Worksheet

*Syllable Cut and Paste Worksheet

*One Syllable Word Hunt Highlight Worksheet

*Two Syllable Word Hunt Highlight Worksheet

*Three Syllable Word Hunt Highlight Worksheet

*Four Syllable Word Hunt Highlight Worksheet

*Segmenting Words Into Syllables Picture Cards and Segmenting Tiles

*Syllable Dash Board Game (Counting Syllables)

*Syllable Picture Sort Activity

*Hen House Syllable Match Activity

*Answer Sheets

Common Core Standards Addressed:

*CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.2b Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.

*CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.3b Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

*CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.3e Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.

*CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3c Decode multi-syllable words.

Click Below To Purchase:

Second Grade Common Core Measurement Unit

2013-04-10T05:22:00.000-04:00

If you're a follower of my blog, you might know that measurement is one of my favorite units to teach. I love teaching math in general because of how hands-on it is, and, in my opinion, it doesn't get much more hands-on than measurement! With the Common Core in place now, my measurement unit needed some revamping this year.

Here's a look at some of the things we did in Second Grade:

Students made the transition from non-standard to standard units using these concrete colored rulers, which can also easily be extended to 12 units instead of 10.

We also did a lot of hands-on measuring activities. This activity involved using an "inchworm ruler".

Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy is one of my favorite children's books. It's a staple in my classroom. I use it every year while teaching measurement. After reading the book, my kiddos did a fun Penny craftivity and homework assignment.

I created two booklets for the unit as well. One was used at the beginning of the unit to teach students how measurement is used in the world, while the other was used as a component to a measurement activity after covering both the Customary and Metric Systems.

One of our favorite activities from the unit was a lesson on comparing length differences. Students became "Official Zookeepers" and compared the height differences in animals. SO MUCH FUN!!!

I also created five centers for the unit.

"Community Dash" is the first center. Students measure the paths of community service workers on their way to work.

"Farmer's Market Shopping Trip" has students estimate heights, make non-exact measurements, and compare results using a line plot.

"A Camping Adventure" has students solve camping-themed measurement word problems.

"Art Company Mix-Up" has students helping to solve a major mix-up at an art company where a faulty machine caused markers to be produced at a variety of sizes. Students have to compare markers and find their length differences.

"The Unit Scoot" is a board game where students choose the best unit to measure objects with.

The unit also contains unit overviews, a parent handout, step-by-step lesson plans, and fourteen daily review checks:

(This is the first page of several!)

(There are additional pages to this lesson!)

I've compiled all of these activities and MUCH, MUCH more into a 285 page unit. It includes:

*Unit Introduction
*Common Core Objectives Met
*Unit Overview
*2nd Grade Common Core Measurement Checklist for Teacher (keep track of student progress)
*Parent Information Letter (Overview of all unit objectives, suggestions for how parents can practice objectives at home)
*Vocabulary Word Cards
*Unit Pre-Test (fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice)
*Unit Post-Test (almost identical to pre-test)
*Introduction To Measurement Lesson Plan
*How Do We Use Measurement? Emergent Reader (also includes an easier reader)
*Measuring Attributes Lesson Plan, Station Activity, and Assessment Sheet
*Exploring Length Lesson Plan, Measuring Activity, and Assessment Sheet
*Measuring Penny Craft and Measurement Activity
*Measuring Penny Homework Assignment
*Non-Standard Units Scavenger Hunt Lesson Plan, Measuring Activity, and Assessment Sheet
*"Inching" Around The Room Non-Standard Units Activity (includes inchworm ruler and assessment sheet)
*Moving From Non-Standard To Standard Units Part One Lesson Plan, and Measuring Assessment Sheet
*Concrete Colored Unit Ruler (option for 10 blocks or 12 blocks - blocks are in increments of one inch)
*Concrete Colored Unit Ruler with Numbers (option for 10 blocks or 12 blocks - blocks are in increments of one inch)
*Moving From Non-Standard To Standard Units Part Two Lesson Plan - includes Line Plots Lesson and Activity
*Teaching Line Plots Suggestions
*Non-Exact Measurements Activity and Assessment Sheet
*Moving From Non-Standard To Standard Units Part Three Lesson Plan
*Measuring Hand and Foot Craft Activity
*Tips and Tricks For Memorizing Measurements
*Posters - Centimeter, Meter, Inch, Foot, Yard
*US Standard Units (Inches, Feet, Yards) Lesson Plan
*Measuring in Inches Cutting Activity
*Measuring Paths Lesson Plan (includes Measuring Paths Around The Room Activity and Recording Sheet)
*Measuring Paths Assessment Sheets
*Looking For Objects In The Classroom Recording Sheets (Yard, Inch, Foot, and Yard)
*Metric System - Centimeters and Meters Lesson Plan and Assessment Sheet
*Looking For Objects In The Classroom Recording Sheet (Centimeters and Meters)
*Student Mini Book of Measurements (cut and staple book of measurement unit posters)
*Measurement Me Emergent Reader (Body Measurements Activity)
*Measuring Objects with Two Units Lesson Plan and Class Activity
*Length Differences in Objects Lesson Plan and Assessment Sheet
*Height Differences in Animals Measuring Activity (students pretend to be zookeepers and compare animal heights) - also includes line plot component
*Choosing Tools and Units of Measurement Lesson Plan, Class Activity (includes recording sheets), and Assessment Sheet
*Estimating Lengths Assessment Sheet
*Solving Measurement Word Problems Lesson Plan, Class Posters, and Assessment Sheet
*Blank Number Line Templates
*Guess That Measurement! Review Game and Game Cards
*I Have, Who Has? Measurement Review Game
*Farmer's Market Shopping Trip Center (Estimating Heights, Non-Exact Measurements, and Line Plots) and Recording Sheets
*Community Dash Center (Measuring Paths) and Recording Sheet
*A Camping Adventure Center (Solving Measurement Word Problems) and Recording Sheet
*The Unit Scoot Center (Choosing Measurement Units) - includes game board
*Art Company Mix-Up Center (Length Differences in Objects) and Recording Sheet
*Daily Measurement Check (includes 14 review sheets - each contain around seven problems and could be used for morning review or homework)
*Book Suggestions
*Web Site Suggestions
*Answer Sheets

Common Core Objectives covered in this unit are:

2.MD.1. - Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

2.MD.2. - Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for two measurements; describe how tow measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.

2.MD.3. - Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.

2.MD.4. - Measures to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.

2.MD.5. - Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same unit, e.g., by using drawings ( such as drawings of rulers ) and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

2.MD.6. - Represent whole numbers as lengths from 0 on a number line diagram with equally spaced points corresponding to the numbers 0,1,2…, and represent whole number sums and differences within 100 on a number line diagram.

2.MD.9. - Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in the whole number units.

(Please note Common Core Objectives 2.MD.7, 2.MD.8, and 2.MD.10 (time, money, and data) are not covered in this unit.)

Click Below To Purchase:

~~*I'm giving away one copy of the unit! To enter, simply pin this unit on Pinterest, and leave the link and your email address in the comments! I'll select a winner on Sunday (April 14)!*~~

Congrats To Polka Dot Owl! I sent you an email. Thanks to all for entering! I appreciate your sweet comments! :-)

The 101st Anniversary of the Titanic Sinking

2013-04-09T05:38:00.000-04:00

Last year was the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster. This year's 101st anniversary, which is Monday, April 15th, isn't a major occasion, but it's an important historical date nonetheless. Kids today are still fascinated by the ship and its story.

To mark the 100th anniversary last year, I created a mini Titanic unit. I thought I would share it again this year incase some of you might want to use it with your class or own children at home. :-)

Titanic Booklet

It Includes:

*Titanic Emergent Reader (Color Copy)
*Titanic Emergent Reader (Black and White Copy)
*Titanic Fluency Sheet (Easier Reading)
*Titanic Written Comprehension Questions
*Titanic Fluency Sheet (Challenge Reading)
*Titanic Written Comprehension Questions
*Finding Titanic Fluency Sheet
*Finding Titanic Written Comprehension Questions
*Titanic Facts Student Reader
*Titanic Bubble Map
*Titanic's Maiden Voyage Bubble Map
*The Sinking of Titanic Bubble Map
*Finding Titanic Bubble Map
*Titanic Book Activity (Craft and Writing) - Instructions, Patterns, and Templates
*Titanic Book Suggestions
*Titanic Web Site Suggestions

Click Below To Download:

Spring-Themed Four In A Row Game

2013-04-08T05:58:00.000-04:00

Last year I picked up these adorable Easter/Spring-themed mini erasers from Target's Dollar Spot.

I decided to use them this year in a fun Spring-themed Four In A Row Sight Word Game. I love this game because students get the chance to practice sight word recognition, and students love to play it because it is fun.

Students play in partners, and take turns reading words on the board. If they read the word correctly, they get to place a marker over it. The first person to get four markers in a row wins!

When creating the boards, I had an end-of-first-grade student in mind and used both the Dolch (Pre-Primer-1st Grade) and Fry (First Two Hundred) Sight Word Lists. The lists contain many of the same words, and I think it only helps to cover words from both lists. :-)

Download the game boards below. The packet contains eight cards designed to cover multiple word lists.

Beatrix Potter

2013-04-07T10:15:00.000-04:00

I hope y'all have had a fabulous Spring Break! I have certainly been enjoying mine. I do wish the weather was a little nicer though. It's been quite chilly here this week, and it even snowed one day! Warmer temperatures are on the way though...just in time to head back to school! That's how it goes though, doesn't it?!? I'll definitely be thankful for the sunshine and warm weather come recess time though! Cold, windy weather sure makes for some dreary playground days, especially for me since I get cold very easily! I think I enjoy the warm weather more than the kids! :-)

Before Easter/Spring Break we began my favorite Spring unit...Beatrix Potter! I absolutely adore Beatrix Potter books. Not only are her illustrations easily identifiable, but she used vibrant and illustrative language in her books. More often that not, Beatrix connected the two, which make her books perfect for comprehension and word study.

Every year around Easter, I pull out several of her books to do an author study with. My go-to books are The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies, and The Tale of Jeremy Fisher. Another thing that I love about these books is that they are all connected in one way or another. The first three books listed contain familiar characters and settings, which is great for character comparisons, character progression, and author traits. I often do an in-depth study of the characters Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and Mr. McGregor. Peter Rabbit in particular is a great character to study for how a character's feelings impacts their actions. He is also a character that is easy for students to connect and relate to. I really love to use Beatrix Potter's books in the classroom. It's somewhat rare to find such high quality children's literature today that can pretty much be adapted to fit any standard with ease.

The Tale of Jeremy Fisher is my go-to book for teaching visualizations and word meaning. It contains rich, descriptive vocabulary and provides great opportunities for students to use context clues and illustrations to determine meaning.

Making Visualizations with Jeremy Fisher

If you're interested, you can get these activities are more in my Spring Unit:

Check back tomorrow for a Spring-themed Sight Word Freebie! Until then, what is your favorite Beatrix Potter story? I have to go with her best-known work The Tale of Peter Rabbit!

Jellybean Sort and Graphing Freebie

2013-03-29T07:26:00.000-04:00

Here is a fun freebie to use with jellybeans:

It includes a sorting and graphing activity.

Download Here.

St. Patrick's Day Fluency Sheets

2013-03-11T06:33:00.001-04:00

Here's some fun St. Patrick's Day-themed Fluency and Comprehension sheets:

Included:
*Saint Patrick's Day Fluency Passage, Comprehension Questions, and Bubble Map
*Ireland Fluency Passage, Comprehension Questions, and Bubble Map
*Leprechauns Fluency Passage, Comprehension Questions, and Bubble Map
*Rainbows Fluency Passage, Comprehension Questions, and Bubble Map

Click here to get your free copy!

Building A Reader At Home - Spanish Handout

2013-02-27T20:34:00.002-05:00

My Building Skills at Home - Parent Handouts packet now has a Spanish copy of the Building A Reader At Home handout! Thanks to Edith for the translation!

You can download the Spanish copy, as well as the English version and more, for free by clicking below:

President's Day

2013-02-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

It's time for my all-time favorite unit to teach, President's Day! Call me crazy, but I love teaching history, and I personally find United States/Presidential history fascinating. I love sharing my (limited!) knowledge with my students, and I especially love being able to teach a subject that I feel doesn't quite get the love and attention it deserves. Needless to say, I go all out for President's Day!

This week, among many things, we will be learning what Presidents do and how to become President. We will make our own Presidential Portraits and write about what we would do if we were President.

In addition to learning about cultural symbols such as The Liberty Bell, The United States Flag, and The Statue of Liberty, we will also learn about Presidential symbols such as Air Force One and The Secret Service. We will even make our own portfolios to apply for a Secret Service Agent position!

Our centers this week will involve a Presidential/US theme as well:

Students will practice odd and even numbers as well as ordering numbers.

In another center, students will determine if sentences are facts or opinions.

In another Math center, students will practice basic math facts. They will have to match problems and answers using these cracked Liberty Bells.

For fun this week, we will also play this 'I Have, Who Has?' President Game. I love this activity since it exposes students to all 44 US Presidents.

At the end of the week, students will use all of the newfound knowledge to create these White House booklets:

I've put together a unit containing all of the above activities and MUCH, MUCH more! Over 185 pages are included, as well as an interactive file for the SMARTBoard or ActivBoard.

*If you've previously purchased my President's Day Unit, make sure to download the update! It contains font and graphic changes, as well as new activities!*

You can download a free George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Fluency Sheet and Comparison Activity by clicking below:

To read more about the unit and purchase, click below:

Valentine's Day Poem Templates

2013-02-14T10:07:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! Here is a set of poem templates that I hope you might be able to use.

Included in the packet are four templates. You can use these in many different ways. One idea is for students to write a poem to both something they love and something they don't love so much. As for the poem to something they don't love so much, it is a great opportunity to talk about tone - specifically a sarcastic tone.

Click Below To Download:

Dental Health Activities

2013-02-07T06:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends! I've been working on an update this week to my Open Wide! Dental Health Unit, and I am happy to announce that it is complete! I created the unit last year, and it's one of my all-time favorite units. The new update includes font changes and seven "worksheets" to accompany the included science experiments. The new sheets cover activities including writing, making predictions, the Scientific Method, recording observations, and more!

If you have already purchased the unit, you can go to your "My Purchases" tab on TPT or your "My Files" tab on TN to download the update.

If you are interested in learning more about the unit, take a look at my post from last year.

Click below to purchase:

Super Bowl Sunday Sale!

2013-02-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

Who is ready for the Super Bowl or, if you're like me, the Puppy Bowl? I'm not much of a football follower, but I do enjoy Super Bowl Sunday. During the game, I switch back and forth between the Super Bowl commercials and the adorable Puppy Bowl. :-)

This year I have another reason to look forward to Super Bowl Sunday. Teachers Pay Teachers is throwing a huge sale! I can't wait to empty my cart!

I've also teamed up with the fabulous and sweet Vicky from Traditions, Laughter and Happily Ever After for an awesome sale! Our sale begins tonight at midnight and runs through midnight Hawaii-time, Monday, February 4th. All items in our stores are on sale for 20% off. At checkout, enter the TPT code SUPER for an additional 10% off.

Here are the links to our TPT stores:

Kayla - Primary Junction

Vicky - Traditions, Laughter and Happily Ever After

Here are some of the February units you can find in my store:

Thank you for all of the support you have shown my blog and TPT store. I have become a better teacher because of it, and I so greatly appreciate you!

Have a fun and safe Super Bowl Sunday!

Freebie: Valentine's Day ABC Order Center

2013-02-01T06:30:00.000-05:00

Happy February! I'm always so excited when this month rolls around! It is my absolute favorite month to be a teacher..just about all of my favorite units occur in February! I'm sure you'll be hearing from me quite a bit this month. To start off, here is a Valentine's Day-themed ABC Order Center. It's available for FREE in my TPT store!

The center includes 18 Valentine's Day word cards for students to put in ABC Order (up to the third letter). Also included is a recording sheet for students to copy the words onto. I hope some of you will be able to use it!

Click the Image Below to Download:

Have a great weekend!

Celebrating 2013 with 13 Bloggy Friends Giveaway

2013-01-02T12:22:00.002-05:00

I've teamed up with Tania from My Second Sense and eleven other fabulous bloggers for an exciting giveaway! The winner will receive 13 items from our TpT stores!

Here's what is included:

1) Primary Junction: Blog, TPT store, and a product for you!

2) Second Grade Math Maniac: Blog, TPT store, and product for you!

3) Castles and Crayons: Blog, TPT store, and product for you!

4) Swimming into Second: Blog, TPT store, and product for you!

5) Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera: Blog, TPT store, and your choice of product from her store.

6) The Hive: Blog, TPT store, and a product for you!

7) Little Miss Organized: Blog, TPT store, and your choice of product from her store.

8) Second Grade Perks: Blog, TPT store, and product for you!

9) The Second Grade Surprise: Blog, TPT store, and your choice of product from her store.

10) Soaring Through Second: Blog, TPT store, and product for you!

11) Hello Mrs. Sykes: Blog, TPT store, and product for you!

12) Second Grade Nest: Blog, TPT store, and product for you!

13) My Second Sense: Blog, TPT store, and your choice of product from my store.

Go To My Second Sense To Enter!

2012 Bloggy Best and Brightest Linky

2013-01-01T03:07:00.001-05:00

Another year has come and gone. It's kind of hard to believe 2012 is over, but I'm very excited to see 2013 arrive. I have great prospects for this year and am looking forward to seeing them come to fruition. I started this blog in 2011, but 2012 has truly been the year that made this blog. What has come out of my blogging has been beyond my wildest imagination! Connecting with other teachers, sharing ideas with them, and learning from them has changed my life. I am such a better teacher because of it, and I want to take the time to say "thank you" to the fabulous teachers who blog and share their ideas and to all of you for reading my posts, believing in and supporting my lessons/ideas, and using my creations in your classroom. It means more than you could possibly know!

Although it is 2013, I want to take a quick look back at my most popular posts from 2012. Christina Bainbridge from Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge is having a linky party for 2012 posts, and I am joining in!

Top 3 Posts of 2012:

I'm so glad this packet of parent handouts has been so well-received. I'm proud of the way they turned out and that so many parents are using them a resource to help their children.

This is the little post that just keeps on! If you can't tell by the graphic, this 'Great Websites for Kids' post was one of my very first. As a teacher, I love incorporating technology into my classroom, and I'm so glad other teachers and parents have been able to use this list.

I never know which posts are going to be useful to others, but this post about a Hundred Board Freebie Packet has been popular. I'm so glad others have found it useful.

Products I Created:

It's impossible for me to pick an absolute favorite, so I'm choosing my top 3. My Christmas Around the World Unit is something I am very proud of. It is one of my favorite units to teach, and I am so glad I was able to put together a unit to go along with it.

President's Day is another unit I absolutely love to teach. It's such an honor to know other teachers and students have used this unit in their classrooms. I love sharing my love of history!

As is the theme with all of these products, Dental Health is another favorite unit of mine to teach. It may be because it is so hands-on. I love how this unit turned out. It's full of lessons, activities, crafts, and centers!

Each unit is on sale for 20% off TODAY ONLY!

Teacher Blogger Friends:

I want to give a special shout-out to Vicky from Traditions, Laughter, and Happily Ever After. Thanks for your friendship and support! :-)

Finally, in 2013, my goal is to blog and share more. Although I get into a posting habit every now and then, I seem to always get distracted by something else, and I don't post as frequently as I would like to. During my break, I've been creating new units and updating older ones. I hope to have those finished shortly! In the meantime, here is a free Happy New Year fluency sheet with comprehension questions!

Download Here.

Thank you again for all of your support. I hope you have a wonderful New Year in 2013! Happy New Year!

Christmas Around The World Update

2012-12-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note that I have updated my Christmas Around The World Unit. I have had requests for readers and comprehension questions among other things, and although it has taken me much longer to do this than I intended, I'm happy to say they are now done! Although it's too late to use them this year, maybe you will be able to another time.

Here's what is included in the update:

*Over 50 pages of new additions:

*To make it more versatile, new additions include revised title (Celebrating Christmas & Other Holidays Around The World), "holiday"-themed resources such as "Holiday Airline Ticket", "Holidays Around The World Journal, etc.

*New passport that includes all 10 countries

*Emergent Reader For Each Country

*Fluency Sheets with Comprehension Questions for Each Country (2 Levels of Differentiated Sheets For Each Country. Comprehension Questions Are A Mix of Multiple Choice (3 questions) and Written Response.)

If you have previously purchased this unit, go to 'My Purchases' on Teachers Pay Teachers or 'My Files' on Teacher's Notebook to download the revised file. If you don't already have this unit, it is on sale now through January 1!

Silence For Sandy Hook Elementary

2012-12-16T09:03:00.003-05:00

First Grade Reading Interventions & More

2012-12-11T07:41:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the fun that is mid-December! I certainly am but am also looking forward to next week! :-)

You might remember me mentioning awhile back that I would be working with some First Grade kiddos a few times a week on reading/sight word interventions during part of their reading block. We met for a few minutes last week to get to know each other, and this week I will start assessing. The goal is to start jumping into interventions in January. Here's what I've put together so far:

With First Graders, it's easiest for me to go to them. I use my Thirty One Organizing Utility Tote. (Oh my gosh, I love these bags!)

Here is a look at what is inside:

Starting with the top left and moving right:

*Dolch Sight Word Bottle Caps

*Intervention Binder (will explain below)

*The Moffatt Girls' Ready2Read Unit 1 Level 1

*Cara Carroll's ADORABLE Reading Strategy Posters

*Individual Student Data Folders (will explain in a future post, but these will hold student work, student data graphs, etc.)

*Making Words Folder

*Four In A Row Sight Word Game Boards (will explain below)

Starting with the bottom left and moving right:

*Ho! Ho! Ho! Jolly Old Man A Sight Word Game by Deedee Wills

*Game Board Markers (Handmade by laminating circles)

*Lindsay's (The Teacher Wife) Pow! A Zeno Sight Word Game

*Christmas Erasers Used as Game Board Markers (I bought the small box for $1 at Staples)

*Dice Eraser (I bought this at Staples for 50 cents. They come in a pack of two and also in blue and purple!)

*Books (For the first week, I just picked some fun reads incase I need books to refer to, read, or have the students use. Also included are Bob Books and Scholastic Readers for students to use and practice with.)

Front:

*Abby's (The Inspired Apple) First Grade Comprehension Question Cards (LOVE these!)

In the front pocket, I have copies and assessment pages for the First Two Hundred Fry Words. You can find the downloads here.

Inside of the binder are RTI probes from Jennifer Jones' RTI: 125 CBM's for Progress Monitoring Foundational Literacy Interventions.

First in the back pocket are copies of the Primary Spelling Inventory. Click here to read my previous post about the Spelling Inventory and how I use it.

Also in the back pocket are copies from The Moffatt Girls' Ready2Read Program for each student.

Future posts will go more in-depth into how I use each tool, student data folders, and the intervention binder, but for this week, I plan to asses each of my First Grade friends. I'm going to do the Two Hundred Fry Words, Primary Spelling Inventory, Foundational Literacy Assessments, and a reading sample. During the last few minutes of our sessions, we will explore some sight word games mentioned in this post. We will only have time for a quick game or two, but they will help the kiddos ease into intervention group as well as practice their sight word recognition!

Also included is a brand new Christmas-themed Four In A Row Sight Word Game I put together. Four In A Row plays just like Connect Four. Students must first read a word correctly to place one of their chips on the word. The first student to get four words in a row (diagonal, vertical, horizontal) wins. Students should work to block their opponent! For chips, I use either seasonal erasers, bingo chips, handmade chips (paper circles laminated), or plastic counting chips.

I use both the Dolch and Fry Sight Word Lists. I find both lists to contain many of the same words and don’t think it hurts students to learn words from both. In creating these board games, I had an end of First Grade learner in mind, so only the Dolch Pre-Primer – First Grade Sight Words and Fry First Two Hundred Sight Words are included. Words from both lists are mixed on the boards, and I tried to arrange them from least difficult to most difficult. I created these game boards with my students in mind but hope you might be able to use them with yours as well!

DOWNLOAD HERE! *(Please click on "File" then "Download".)*

Also, I just want to pass along two other recent finds of mine. I scored this awesome Melissa & Doug Wooden Alphabet Stamp Set during Black Friday week for only $10 bucks! I plan to use it in intervention groups and Daily 5 stations! I also found the set of dollar bills (50 are included, I think!) at Staples last week for 50 cents. $1-$100 bills are included. As of now, I plan to laminate these and attach magnets to the back. I'll use them on a magnetic board during our whole group lessons, morning reviews, etc. Can't wait!

Finally, I want to share an AMAZING deal with you! Between now and December 24, Samson's Classroom (www.samsonsclassroom.com) is offering a one-year subscription at $15 off (a 50% discount on the single-user plan) AND a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate to go with the subscription! Enter the promo code AMAZON12 at checkout. After placing your order (using the promo code), you will receive an email containing your Amazon gift card plus a printable holiday card to present to the child.

If you are unfamiliar with Samson's Classroom, please click here to read a review I wrote about the program earlier this year. This amazing program combines sight words, spelling, and reading comprehension, and is a wonderful resource for both the classroom and home. I would HIGHLY recommend passing along this information and code to parents in your weekly newsletters. Samson's Classroom would make a great Christmas gift, and with this deal, it's hard to pass up! Please check it out!

*Also, I'm working on a very exciting update to my Christmas Around The World Unit. I'm trying to get it finished ASAP and will have it up in the next day or two. Stay tuned!*