Little Literacy Learners

Letters and Sounds With a Fall Theme

2014-10-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share some of the fun Fall themed activities we have been using here in small group to help reinforce the letters and sounds!

A current favorite is the Pumpkin Letter Identification pack!

This pack includes

~ 2 sets of small pumpkins, one with upper and the other with lower case letters

~ 2 sets of larger pumpkins, again one with upper and the other with lower case letters.

~ 1 upper and 1 lower case pumpkin alphabet chart (for students to color as they reinforce their letter/sound identification)

My Monster Love Identification pack includes very similar activities, but I incorporated some not so spooky monsters!

(Want to know a secret?? I use this pack now and even again around Valentine's Day because of the hearts and "love" theme!)

This pack includes:

~ 2 sets of letter cards: 1 set of upper case letters and 1 set of lower case letters

~ 1 page of game cards to play simple letter and sound identification game
~ 1 upper and 1 lower case alphabet chart with hearts (for students to color as they reinforce their letter/sound identification)

Fun activities you could do with either of these packs, include:

~ Practice pointing to and reciting the alphabet with one of the alphabet charts!

~ Match upper to upper, lower to lower, upper to lower, lower to upper case letters by putting the targeted cards into a festive container and having your students select them one at a time and then coloring the matching letter on the alphabet chart!

~ Practice naming letters and/or sounds by putting the targeted cards into a festive container and having your students select them one at a time and name the letter and/or the sound!

For some fun finding cute and matching cute candy corn and pumpkin letters, try my Fall Letter Finds and Mix Ups!

You will find both upper and lower case versions of candy corn and pumpkin:

~ Letter Finds (letters are listed in alphabetical order)

~ Letter Mix-Ups (letters are mixed up on the page)

~ Some suggestions for use at each level, that include using candy corn, candy pumpkins, bingo dotters, and bingo markers!

Finally, my Daisy Scouts had lots of fun creating their snack this week by making a peanut-free spider and mummy juice box!!

Didn't they come out great?

Using Bags to Find the Main Idea and Details-UPDATE

2014-09-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

I recently updated a fun activity that was originally put together for my 3rd and 4th graders who were having a difficult time finding the Main Idea back in 2011. It was definitely in need of an update!

My kiddos were having such a difficult time, so I really wanted to pull them away from the text for a bit, but still address Main Idea. So I decided to have bags full of items that go together. As the items are pulled out, the students think about how they are related to one another and ultimately what the main idea would be of all the items together. In most cases, one item is the key item that really ties everything together, the detail to best support the main idea. It worked really well and the kids loved it!

I simply went to the dollar store and bought some tote bags and put the items inside. As I slowly pull the items out of the bag, we discuss how they go together and make predictions about what the main idea of the bag could be. Each time I pull something out, I remind the students how we don’t know for sure what the bag is for, because we haven’t seen all of the items. There should be one item (generally the last, but it does not have to be) that ties them all together. This is the detail that best supports the main idea. By making this the last item, it helps to show students that, just like reading a paragraph, they must read through the entire paragraph.

What is included in the download:

~ lesson plan to be used with any bag

~ worksheets/graphic organizers for bags

containing 3, 4, 5, and 6 different items

~ item suggestions for three different bags, (including the order of presentation for items)

~ reminder sheet for the students, "When thinking about Main Idea, don't forget to..."

So if you've already purchased this item, make sure you head over to download the updated version! If you want to check out my original post, you can do so by going here.

Plastic Book Boxes-GIVEAWAY!!

2014-09-13T07:12:00.002-04:00

Want some help organizing your classroom? I have a great product to share with you that will help do just that AND make it look great!

Steps to Literacy has asked me to review their wonderful plastic book boxes!

I just love them!

I use them to organize my collection of picture books used for read alouds. Instead of being lined up on the shelf, as you see here (to the left).

They are now in these great looking plastic book boxes, grouped by topic! I just created and printed out some labels that match my room and stuck them right on the front of the plastic book boxes. The bins are nice and sturdy and each one can hold many books!

In addition to storing books and making your classroom look great, these plastic book boxes can also be used to store other things as well!!

So guess what?! Steps to Literacy has not one, but
two sets for me to giveaway!!
Each set is comprised of 8 plastic book boxes, an orange, lime green, purple, bright blue, red, yellow, green, and blue box!
2 winners will be randomly selected!! If you want to win a set of your own, enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you Steps to Literacy for contacting me to review these plastic book boxes and to share them with my readers!

Letter and Sound Assessment

2014-08-27T19:07:00.000-04:00

I like to take an inventory of the letters and sounds my students know at the beginning of the school year. To do this, I use my Letter and Sound Assessment!
I use this as a means to assess and then monitor the progress throughout the year.

I begin by showing the students the upper case letters. I ask them to tell me the name of each letter and what sound it makes. I then move on to the lower case letters. Although this isn't a "timed" test, I only give the child credit if they are able to name the letter or sound automatically (within 3 seconds). They do not get credit if they need to employ some type of strategy in order to recall the letter name or sound (i.e., they have to recite the alphabet, spell their name, etc...).

Because I use this informal assessment multiple times throughout the school year, I make sure to mark the letters and sounds in a different way and with a different color each time I assess. There is a space to assess the child three times on one form (6 times total if you print front-to-back).

There is also a box to write notes each time the child is assessed. (I tend to take a lot of notes on my students, do you?) I like to keep track of what letters/sounds they did not know, especially if they demonstrate inconsistencies between assessment periods. Another thing I like to note is if the letter or sound seems to be emerging and I note the strategy the student is using to identify it (i.e., they had to spell their name, recite the alphabet, state the letter-keyword-sound in order to produce the sound). Here is a picture of the assessment with one of my students for some of the year:

I do suggest that you print pages 2-3 front-to-back. Then you are able to see the child's growth and have the data for six different assessment periods on one sheet of paper!

Thanks for stopping by!!

StickerUSA Activity Book Giveaway!

2014-08-22T06:48:00.003-04:00

Today I get to share the fun we had with the

StickerUSA Activity Book

from Barker Creek

This book is jam-packed with information about the states! My little one loved to learn about the different states. Each state has their own page and reviews the state name, nickname, capital, flag, flower, state bird, and abbreviation. I love how each state page has a map that shows where the state is located within the United States. On the back of each page there is room to write notes about each state. All of the pages are very clear and are in black and white, so they will be easily reproducible. There are also tear-out flashcards for each state that lists all of this information, plus a neat fact about the state!

Here are just a few samples of some of the pages we completed.

We began by learning about our home state.

Since we just made our first trip to Walt Disney World, we learned about the Sunshine State.

Would you like to win one of your own? Please enter below!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Thank you Barker Creek for contacting me to review this great book! Please make sure you visit their website to see all of the great teaching materials they have!

Emergent Student Readers Set 1 & 2 UPDATE

2014-08-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

I have been busy updating and revamping my Emergent Student Readers!

This has been something I have been meaning to do for quite awhile now. I wasn't really pleased with the order they were listed in, because they weren't listed in the order I teach them to my own students. So I went ahead and fixed that. Now they are listed in order of difficulty. Each reader builds upon the previous reader as the sight words are reviewed and new words are slowly introduced. The sentence patterns change slightly from line to line, to ensure the students focus on the text and do not just memorize a patter that is repeated over and over again.

Set 1 now consists of 7 Emergent Student Readers. Each reader includes a copy for the student to read in class and also a Home Reader to take home.

Also included are sight word flash cards and pocket chart picture cards to go along with each reader.

The following sight words are reviewed in Set 1:

I, see, a, my

I, see, a, the

I, see, a, and, the

I, see, a, and, the, my

I, see, my, the, can, go, you

I, see, my, the, can, go, you, is, in
I, see, a, my, can, is, it, no

In addition to introducing sight words, this set is geared to help students develop their concept of word. I have placed dots under each word in the first five readers to remind students where to point with their finger as they read. I also use this set to introduce the reading strategies of looking at the pictures for a clue and also using beginning sounds to determine unknown words. Rhyming pairs can be reinforced with the 1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th readers in this set.

You will find 6 different readers in Set 2, which continues to build upon Set 1.

The following sight words are reviewed in Set 2:
I, see, my, the, can, is, no, in, on, me, like, look, it
I, see, the, can, you, is, on, me, like, little, we
I, see, the, can, you, is, in, on, look, it, at
I, the, my, is, me, look, at, this, that, am
a, is, this, that, he, she, has, have, do, or
a, my, the, you, is, on, this, that, he, she, do

In addition to introducing sight words, this set is geared to help students develop and apply additional reading strategies. I generally reinforce the following with this set: checking the pictures for a clue, using beginning sound knowledge, thinking about all of the sounds to decode simple words, and making sure what they are reading makes sense.

If you want to learn more about how I use these Emergent Student Readers in my classroom, please click here.

Also, stay tuned because Set 3 is currently in the works!

High-Frequency Magnetic Words and Magnetic Kidboards

2014-07-29T05:30:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to share my thoughts with you about two of great products: High-Frequency Magnetic Words and Magnetic Kidboards

There are a total of 205 learning magnets that included nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, word endings, punctuation marks, etc... The best thing is that they are color-coded!! My daughter couldn't wait to open the packages to try them out. So we opened them up, I sorted the magnets by color and placed the Kidboards right on the tabletop. It was the perfect size!

What a wonderful, hands-on and engaging way to provide instruction on sight word identification, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, complete sentences, rhyming, fluency, etc... I explained what each color meant and my little one jumped right in, building sentences.

Here are some great teachable moments that happened in just a few moments with the learning magnets:
Concept of Word: I reminded her, "What comes in between each word?"
Capitalization: Sometimes the word she used at the beginning of her sentence did not start with a capital letter, I would ask her, "What happens to the first letter of the sentence?" or Which letter should be capitalized? Why?"
Punctuation: "What comes at the end of the sentence?"
Sight Word Identification and Fluency: I made sentences for her to read aloud to me.
Grammar: As she built her sentence, there were times she would say, "Do we have the word ___?" I could answer by saying, "Yes, that is a verb. Go ahead and try to find it in the red pile."

I can't wait to use them with my students!!
Guess what?! Great news is that you can win a set of your own!
Just enter via the Rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway (Please be sure to read the Terms and Conditions!! You must be a U.S. resident!)
And to have a little fun, make sure you leave me a comment telling me what word is hidden under my daughter's hand below!

Thank you Barker Creek for contacting me to review these items!

Click on the pictures below to learn more about each of these amazing products!

And if you haven't visited Barker Creek's website, click on the picture below to see all of their great teaching resources and supplies!

Good luck!

Learning Surveys for Parents and Students-FREEBIE!

2014-07-25T22:17:00.000-04:00

The new school year is about to begin! This means there will be new kiddos coming through our doorway. What do you do to learn about each and every one of them as learners? Look through their portfolios from their previous grade(s)? Speak to their previous teacher?

In addition to those things, I like to send home the following

Parent/Guardian Reading and Learning Survey

This basic survey is completed by the parent/guardian of the student. It asks about what the child likes to do, what they are good at, what may be difficult for them, etc... It also allows the parent to share any important information that will help me support and motivate their child as a reader.

I found a great two-page student survey from

The Teacher Organizer right on TPT called

Things That Interest Me!

I have used this with both first and second graders.

For older students, I have them complete the following

Student Learning Survey:

This two-page survey helps me learn about their interests at school, at home, and when reading. It also helps me learn about my students' thinking during reading, writing, and more!

What are some means that you use to help better understand and learn about your new students?

End of Year Lollipop Holders EDITABLE FREEBIE

2014-06-05T05:23:00.000-04:00

A few years ago I shared a picture of the lollipops and holders that I created for my students to send them off for the summer, telling them,
"Have a sweet summer! Love, Mrs. McKown"

Just recently, "The Mailbox" shared it on their Facebook page. Ever since I have been receiving emails, requesting a copy of the flowers. I hadn't shared the file before because I had listed my name right on the flower, but I just recreated the file to say,

"Have a sweet summer! Love, Your Teacher"

You can choose to print them out as is. Or since I left the file as editable, you can change the text so that it includes your name or your own clever saying!

Once printed, simply cut the flowers out, stick whatever brand of lollipop you choose in the center of the flower, and hand them out to your little sweeties!

In the picture of the final product, you can see that I used the "DUM DUM" brand of lollipops. By reading comments posted through social media, I learned that a few people found this brand to be somewhat offensive. To be quite honest, I never even thought of them that way before I read the comments and they are just great little lollipops to me! I have used this brand of lollipops a lot, both at home and at school, and the kiddos really enjoy them and do not think twice about the name of them.

Summer Early Literacy Calendar FREEBIE

2014-06-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness...it is June!! I just can not believe how fast these last few months have gone!

I still have a few more weeks, but soon the school year will be ending. As I think back to the beginning of the year, I am so proud of the amazing progress my Kinderkids have made! Now I start to worry about regression over the summer.

My little ones truly need daily practice and reinforcement in order to maintain what they have learned. Knowing that routines will soon be changing at home once school gets out, I want to provide my parents with some fast and fun early literacy activities they could easily slide into their daily routine. So as I have in the past, I created a calendar for the summer months. Each weekday, I listed a simple activity that could be done almost anywhere. I tried to keep them somewhat quick so that parents can combine a day or two together in case they need to skip a day.

The activities are pretty much the same as listed on the calendar I created last year. They include reinforcement of:

~ rhyming

~ syllable segmentation

~ alphabetic knowledge

~ phoneme isolation (beginning, ending, and middle sounds)

~ sight words

~ early reading

Knowing that school districts across the country have different beginning and ending dates, I made two sets of calendars. One for June-July of 2014 and the other for July-August of 2014. The activities are the same for both sets.

I also wanted to add that since at the end of each school year, I send home all of the Student Readers the student has read. There is an activity listed on the calendar that says, "Read your pack of student readers". If you do not have these Student Readers, you could always supplement with a bunch of reading at the student's current reading level!

As always, I would love to hear ways that you try to prevent the summer slide!!

The Best Blogs in the Universe

2014-05-19T12:08:00.000-04:00

Want to go blog hopping with some of the best blogs in the universe? Teaching Blog Addict has a huge collection of A+ teaching blogs that you can search through and visit!

After you check out your grade level, be sure to check out the other tabs as well, such as the M (Multi-Age), SE (Special Education), S (Specialty), etc...

(My blog is listed under the M tab!)

Simply click on the picture below!

Happy Hopping!

Earth Day CVC Word Find FREEBIE

2014-04-22T11:28:00.001-04:00

Here is a little FREEBIE I threw together to help practice reading CVC words just for Earth Day!

Kiddos will look at the picture to find a CVC Word.

They will then blend the sounds together to read the word and write it on a line.

They will continue this until they find all 20 words!

Happy Earth Day!

Valentine FREEBIES and Goodies!

2014-02-09T06:41:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be helpful if I combined all of my Valentine goodies into one post!

Some of these items are FREE!! Those that aren't are on sale until Valentine's Day!!

Just click on each picture to be directed to my shop!

Thank you!

Valentine Product Updates and SALE!

2014-02-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

Hi there!
I spent some time updating two of the products I use for Valentine's Day!

The first one is my

Sight Word Finds-Love Birds and Puppy Love

I use this as a fun way to practice and reinforce sight words. I have hidden 16 teeny, tiny words in a full-paged picture. The students have fun using a magnifying glass to find the words! I also included a recording sheet for students to write down 15 words as they find them!

This is split up into K and 1. Each grade has two different Sight Word Finds-Love Birds and Puppy Love.

The following words are hidden:

K-1: Love Birds: I, my, go, a, see, can, me, and, is, it, am, in, for, the, at, no

K-2: Puppy Love: on, you, like, look, said, to, be, we, not, was, little, this, that, are, up, yes

1-1: Love Birds: like, look, said, then, when, with, me, my, from, for, she, he, here, play, all, are

1-2: Puppy Love: little, has, his, come, some, here, into, your, went, make, who, away, there, where, what, was

The second one is my Monster Love Letter Identification.

I use this pack as a fun way to reinforce letters and their sounds. This is a great addition to any Valentine's Day theme because the graphics used are adorable little monsters with hearts!

Guess what? Both of these products are listed at half price until Valentine's Day!
Enjoy!

The Valentine Student Reader

2014-02-01T20:06:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner!
Can you believe it? I'm just not sure where January went!

I wanted to share the Emergent Student Reader I wrote for my Kinderkids just for Valentine's Day!

"The Valentine" is a story about finding a valentine, but who is it for?

This Emergent Student Reader practices:

~ the sight words: can, you, see, the, is, it, for, my, the, no

~ concept of word

~ 1:1 correspondence

~ use of picture clues when reading

and more!

Have you found some fun Valentine's Day goodies out there this year?? Please share!

Oh, and if you want to learn more about the Emergent Student Readers I have created, and how I use them with my kiddos, please click on the picture below:

The Bear-New Student Reader

2014-01-28T17:37:00.000-05:00

Today I am excited to share that I have added another title to my Emergent Student Readers-Set 2!

"The Bear" is about a bear who keeps popping up in silly places.

While reading, students will practice:

~ the sight words: see, the, look, like, is, it, I, at, in, on, can, you

~ concept of word

~ 1:1 correspondence when reading

~ use of picture clues and other beginning reading strategies.

Don't forget that this title is an addition to the titles in my Emergent Student Readers-Set 2! So if you have already purchased the set, please head to download it again!

If you want to learn more about the other Emergent Student Readers I have created, click on the picture below:

Upper Case Letter Identification Freebie

2014-01-24T15:38:00.001-05:00

Here is a fun activity for your students to independently practice their upper case letter identification and alphabetical order.

The students color a path, one square at a time, from A to Z. As they color, the following box must be touching the last colored box. I remind my students that if they get stuck, to head back to the beginning of the alphabet and recite the ABC's as they point to each letter.

This download includes two different versions. In the first version, the students start at the snowflake and create a path to the snowman. This path moves from top to bottom. In the second version, students begin at the the bottom with a penguin and creates a path moving toward the top, to reach an igloo.

Hope you and your students enjoy!

Beginning and Ending Sounds Update

2014-01-22T20:28:00.000-05:00

I am excited to share that I have updated my

Beginning and Ending Sounds-Isolation

pack today!

I made it twice as long!!

I made this pack to provide activities for my students to isolate the initial and final sounds (letters) in words.

This pack includes:

~ 32 picture cards. On each picture card, either the beginning or ending letter is missing. I use these cards in a small group setting and ask the students to say the word, supply the missing sound, and then name the letter that makes the sound.

~ 6 worksheets for independent practice. Students look at the pictures and write the missing initial, final, and both initial and final letters (there are two worksheets for each skill).

~ 3 worksheets for additional practice writing the initial, final, and both initial and final letters of a word. There are no pictures on these worksheets, instead they allow you to dictate words for the students to write the targeted missing sounds.

If you already purchased this product from:

my TPT shop-click here.

Thank you!

Can You Help Me? New Student Reader

2014-01-12T18:28:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to share the news that I just added a new title to my Emergent Student Readers-Set 1!

"Can You Help Me?" is a reader about a little boy who can not find his bat. I know many kids will be able to relate to losing track of an item or two!

While reading, students will practice:

~ the sight words: the, see, can, you, no, I, in, on, is, it, me, my, look, & like

~ concept of word

~ 1:1 correspondence when reading

~ use of picture clues when reading

~ identification of basic punctuation and how it influences fluency

Don't forget, I have added this title to my Emergent Student Readers-Set 1, so if you've already purchased the set, head over to download it again!

If you want to learn more about the other Emergent Student Readers I have created, click on the "Student Readers" tab on the top right of my page or on the "Student Readers" Label on the right.

Personalized Hand Sanitizer

2013-12-20T13:24:00.002-05:00

What teacher doesn't keep a bottle of hand sanitizer handy?

To send along Christmas wishes, we made personalized hand sanitizer bottles for my daughter's teachers at school.

They are very easy to make!

Here is what we did:

First we bought the clear bottles of hand sanitizer and removed the labels. (Goo Gone works great to remove those stubborn labels that just don't want to come off easily!)

Then my daughter did her magic and drew pictures for each teacher with a black sharpie.

Then I scanned the pictures into my computer and resized the drawings to a size that fit just inside the front of the bottle. (You can skip this step entirely if you have your child draw a picture that size to begin with.)

Here is the important step: Print/copy the picture onto an overhead with a laserjet printer/copier. Do NOT use an inkjet, the printing will fall right off of the overhead and into the sanitizer/soap. (We learned this the hard way last year!!)

Once it is printed, cut it to size and roll it up (with the writing facing forward).

Slide it into the opening of the bottle and use end of the soap dispenser to push it forward and move it into place.

Add a bow and you have a great personalized little gift!

We had fun making these as gifts for family members last year using clear hand soap!

Decorating the Seasons

2013-12-10T19:45:00.005-05:00

I have been having so much fun decorating this year!
Not only does it make the children smile,
but the the adults enjoy it too!

Who likes snowmen? I really do!
This is who is on our door right now:

(I apologize for the poor quality of this photo.)

This is who is on our refrigerator at school:

And of course I had to build one at home, too:

And finally, this is who was on our door before the invasion of all the snowmen!

Phoneme Isolation-Beginning and Ending Sounds

2013-11-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

Before working on segmenting all of the phonemes in a word, children need to be able to hear the individual phonemes. According to research, children develop their phonemic awareness on a continuum. When kiddos start the phoneme level, they begin by listening for the sound heard at the beginning of a word, then the end, and then move onto the middle sound.

Many of my students are working to isolate and name the sounds they hear at the beginning and end of words. They seem to do well with hearing sounds at the beginning of the word, but then tend to become confused when asked to name the sound at the end.

I updated my pack that helps students with the concepts of "beginning" and "ending" in words using the following visual:

I can't remember where I first came across the star with the arrow, but it is something I have used ever since with my little ones. I have found that it is really helpful in making those concepts more concrete for the kiddos.

I begin my instruction by explicitly teaching the students how to use the visual through modeling. Here are my general directions:

1. Start with your finger on the star.

2. Slowly stretch out (or say) the word.

3. Slide your finger toward the arrow as you slowly stretch out the word.

I then repeat it again and again, showing that when you begin to stretch the word out, your finger is on the star. And as you come to the end of the word, your finger is on the arrow head.

As students become more proficient with it, they generally internalize the visual and it is no longer needed. (This is evident when you see them slide their finger across the table or even in the air.)

Here is what is included in this pack:

~ Star with arrow visual for teacher modeling.

~ Star with arrow visual for student use.

~ 27 Picture cards for group work or sorting

~ 6 Worksheets for independent practice that provides students with systematic practice as they develop their phoneme awareness (as listed below):

- "What is at the beginning?"-all pictures begin with continuous consonants.

- "What is at the beginning again?"-combined pictures of continuous and stop initial consonants.

- "What is at the end?"-all pictures end with continuous consonants.

- "What is at the end again?"-combined pictures of continuous and stop final consonants.

- "Where is the sound?" and "Where is the sound again?"-combined tasks of beginning and ending isolation where the students identify where the sound is heard.

Please note that my initial instruction is based at the sound level. This is when the students use the visual and picture cards to name the sound they hear. As students gain knowledge in their letter sound correspondences, I then begin discussing what letter the word would begin or end with and introduce the worksheets for more independent practice.

How do you practice isolating phonemes?

New Updates-I See Student Readers!

2013-11-09T09:21:00.000-05:00

Are you familiar with my Emergent Student Readers?

I use them throughout the year to help develop my students into readers.

Each year I start my students off with the following reader:

This reader practices the sight words: I, see, the, a.

I use it to reinforce:

~ concept of word, sentence, and space

~ 1:1 correspondence when reading

~ use of picture clues when reading

~ rhyming

~ onset-rime blending

This year I added another reader that is very similar, yet different:

This reader reinforces the sight words: I, see, my, a,

along with the same concepts written above.

How do I use these?

I begin my instruction by writing out each sentence on a sentence strip. I attach the corresponding picture and display them in my pocket chart. We review the sight words in the reader and discuss the use of picture clues if we become puzzled on a word. Then we name the pictures shown.

I model how we read by pointing to one word at a time and we read through each sentence together. I then have each student come up and read with a fun pointer. Once each student has read, I give them each a copy to begin their Student Reader folder.

As additional Student Readers are introduced, I will add them to the folder. Each week the kiddos go through and read through their folders independently to practice fluency.

I will also have them take their Home Reader home with them to read to someone special.

I have combined the two readers into one download:

If you had already purchased the first "I See" Emergent Student Reader, please go back to download the file again so that you can receive the second "I See" Emergent Student Reader!!

Click on the picture below to see all of the Student Readers I have created:

A Letter ID Game for the Entire Year!

2013-11-06T19:51:00.000-05:00

As a Reading Teacher who works with Kindergarten students who are below grade level, I tend to work on letter and sound identification throughout the entire school year. One way I do this is by playing a fun pocket chart game all year long that they just LOVE!

Here is how to play:

~ Display the target letters on a pocket chart.

~ Choose your picture to "hide" and place it behind one of the letters.

~ Have your students take turns pointing to one of the displayed letters and naming it (and the sound sound).

~ If identified correctly, remove the chosen letter to see if the graphic is hiding behind it!

Here is a close up of the game in use in my classroom:

It is really, very simple! I will use the same letter cards but change the graphic to go along with the seasons or holidays of each month! The kids love trying to find the hidden picture! (The first round of each new month is really fun because I don't tell them ahead of time what is hidden!)

Another nice thing about this game is that I always have it displayed in my pocket chart. So if I have an extra few minutes here or there, we play a quick game. The kids have fun and it is reinforcing their letter-sound knowledge!

I created a document that puts all of the letter cards and pictures together in one download. The download includes:
- Cards for the 26 upper and lower case letters.
- 12 pictures to correspond with monthly holidays and/or seasons to hide behind the letter cards.

The uses of this game are endless! I personally use it with sight words, sight word phrases, and CVC words. It could be used with numbers, math facts, vocabulary words, etc... Have you played this game before?

Rhyming Activities Pack

2013-11-01T06:26:00.000-04:00

I have been working hard with some of my kinderkids to build their rhyming skills. I have been reading aloud lots of rhyming texts, chorally reciting rhyming poems and chants, and playing games.

I decided to update my Rhyming Activities Pack and made it bigger (and better)!

I tend to do a lot with picture cards in my small groups, so I decided to add more. Now there are 12 pairs of Rhyming Picture Cards along with suggestions for use.

I also added 10 cards for a Rhyming Around the Room game. My kiddos LOVE having a clipboard in their hands, so this activity is fun and engaging for them!

To help provide some independent practice of rhyme, I also included 3 worksheets for rhyme recognition and 2 worksheets for rhyme production. So that is a total of 5 sheets for them to show me what they can do independently!

What are some fun rhyming activities you do with your kiddos?