Word Families-Word Sort & Study

Happy Friday! Sorry I've been out all weel...it has been crazy (once again) and I just haven't been able to get online. Last weekend Mallory had strep and no I had to bring Dylan home early with a stomach ache :) I'm praying that it doesn't spread!
Now that the kiddos are all down, I figured I'd share a goodie for my Kinder/1st teachers out there. I put together some of the word endings that Kinder and 1st grade are studying. I have included both the color-coded and black/white version if you do not have a color copier. We usually cut them out and match them to a picture mat (which I am working on and will post soon). Until then, this is a great activity for students to manipulate on their desk or pocket chart. It has the word endings, first letter sounds, blends, and digraphs. Here is alist of the endings:
ack
ad
ake
am
an
ang
ank
ap
ar
ark
art
ash
at
aw
ell
en
et
ick
ill
in
ine
ing
ink
ip
it
ob
ock
oil
ook
oom
op
orn
ot
out
oy
ug
ump
unch
ut
Let me know if you can think of any others to add.
Thanks!
~Erin



Click on the picture above to download the black/white version!

Click on the picture above to download the color-coded version!

Primary Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling Choice Boards

 
I don't want my primary teaching friends to think I've forgotten them! Here are the spelling tic-tac-toe choice boards I created to allow students to practice their spelling words each week. I have also included a parent letter I created for parents; this letter explains the pre-assessments you can do each week and then differentiate your lists depending on students need.
Use if you'd like!
~Erin

Cheez-It (Take 2) Area, Arrays, & Making Words

So, I created my original Cheez-It math activity in 1999...yes, I've been teaching that long :) and LOVE this activity! I have an "activity page" (AKA worksheet) that goes along with it (which I'll have to find), but quite honestly, I'm more of a "record your work in your math journal" anyway. I posted the SB lesson a few months back, but then received some feedback about how some of you would like the PDF version since you don't have a SMART Board. Wwwweeeelllll here you go!
Use if you'd like!
~Erin

Click on the picture to download the Cheez-It Math Activity!

Spelling Buddy Study Resources

Buddy Study Spelling Resource Documents

 

The following documents (6 pages total) are available to assist you in implementing a Buddy Study spelling program for your classroom. I wish I could take credit for this, but Beth Newingham is the word study guru :) and she presented this on her website and I have found it be to highly effective in holding students accountable for knowing their high frequency words and using them correctly in their writing.

1.Give students their initial test of sight words (200). I wouldn’t do all 200 at once, but do 25 at a time…whatever works best for your students. Page 4-7 are available if you’d like to use them for these initial assessments.

 

2.Next, conference with the students and together highlight the words they got correct on the assessment. Then you will make a list of the 10 words they will begin to study. These words can easily be written in their word study journal OR on the sheet I have provided (page 3).

 

3.Students will study these words using a variety of methods (all are available on the Buddy Study handout given during the training or on the LA wiki.

4.Finally, once students are ready to take their test, they can use the ½ page slip sheets. These sheets should be turned in to the teacher to be graded. Once graded, you can meet with them again to have them highlight the words they got correct and add to the list they will study. *Students may not get all the words correct on their buddy study test…those words can carry over onto their new study sheet.

 

 

For a list of the High Frequency Words, check out Beth Newingham's website...they are all available there. Otherwise, visit THIS WEBSITE.

 

 

More Spelling Choice Boards-Intermediate

Soooo Strep has hit the Mills' household and I am quarantined in a room with my poor sick little Mallory :( What better way to pass the time than to work on your blog! Right?!
With that in mind, I know a few of you asked for any other spelling choice boards I may have created. I am posting the INTERMEDIATE Spelling Choice Boards I created. There is also a letter I sent home to parents explaining the pre-assessment we did (on Mondays) so that we could differentiate students lists.
Use if you'd like!
~Erin

Click on the picture to download the intermediate spelling choice boards & parent letter.




Adapted SMART Board Sequential Phonics Prefixes and Suffixes Lessons 36-39

As we continue to utilize the Systematic Sequential Phonics Prefixes & Suffixes book by Patricia Cunningham in our Word Study initiative, I am adapting these lessons for use on the SMART Board. The second unit of study has been CONTRACTIONS and are available below.
Have a great weekend!
~Erin

Lesson 36
Lesson 37
Lesson 38
Lesson 39

Reading Response Choice Board All-in-One

Here you will find activities your students will enjoy before/during/after reading a "just right book." There are 12 different activities so that students have the opportunity to choose one that interests them...including some technology integration!
Use if you'd like!
~Erin

Click on the Choice Board above to download the file!

Transition Words with Visuals

Our writing workshop is slowly but surely taking root...when planning, we decided it would be good to do a lesson on transition words. Most teachers created anchor charts and then we created a poster with visuals for a reminder/ mini-poster for their writing notebooks. We print them 4 per page on regular paper and the kids LOVE it. If you have a Plotter, you can print this out and have a nice big poster to refer to. :)
Use if you'd like!
~Erin


Click on the picture to download the poster.

Virtual Literacy A-Z

A little over a year ago, I was able to present at the University of Houston Victoria Teacher Symposium. This was a great opportunity to share one of my favorite topics....technology integreaton. I just realized that I haven't share this with you guys yet soooo here goes :)
First, I created a Glog that goes along with this presentation as well as printed posters from the plotter so posters were stationed all around the room. While attendants learned about the different online web resources, they were able to fill in an A-Z chart (remade from readwritething.org). Below you will find the posters, Glog, and A-Z chart.
Use if you'd like!
~Erin

Click here to see the Glogster.

 

Click here to download the posters. They can also be used as a presentation :)

 

Click on the picture above to download the A-Z Chart!

Book Whisperer-30 Book Challenge

For our 3rd through 5th grade students last year, we all decided to use the Book Whisperer's book challenge...we created an Animoto video to get the kids excited and we really revved the kids up to this challenge. I figured I'd share the video and menu we shared with our students.
Use if you'd like!
~Erin

Click on the above picture to view the Animoto video we shared with our kiddos!

Click on the picture to download the book challenge.

Parkway Fellowship!

James and I looked a long time for the right church for our family; having an Autistic son, makes finding a church that accepts differences and shows compassion to our special and uniquely made children VERY difficult. Needless to say, we were THRILLED to find Parkway Fellowship.
For my birthday (today) I decided to become a member! Yeah me!! I also wanted to share this AMAZING church with each of you (like someone did for me) and invite you to the Opening Celebration Party next Sunday, September 16th! For more information just message me or click on the link above.

Cereal Math Using Cherrios

For all my K-2 teaching friends out there, this is for you! I love cereal math and WAY before they came out with those teaching books, I created lessons (for just about every cereal I could find) that used cereal as a manipulative...Cherrios (fruity version) can be such fun when creating patterns. I usually have students create their own graph and then we make a class graph so they can compare. Either way, who doesn't enjoy eating, practicing math skills, and having fun at the same time?!
Use if you'd like!
~Erin


Click on the picture to download the cereal math activity!

Cursive Handwriting Hotel Make-Over

One of the 3rd grade teachers I worked with last year gave me a copy of some cursive practice called "Handwriting Hotel". It looked as if it was from the 80's but had some fun activities students could complete to practice their cursive handwriting. I would LOVE to acknowledge the original publisher of this work, but the copy this teacher had was so used and distorted, I had trouble even recreating it.
I recreated the document and tweaked it to be more "current". If anyone knows the original publisher to credit, feel free to message me and I will happily do so.
Anyway, I have attached this activity/packet for you below and  it would be perfect for 4th graders NOW or 3rd graders later in the year.
Hope you enjoy!
~Erin



Click on the picture to download the packet.

Sticky Note Response Poster

I saw a great idea from Cheryl's Classroom Tips on Pinterest recently that showed a poster with squares all around so students could- respond to any topic using sticky notes. . I've taken this idea and tweaked it to allow space for the large rectangular stickies for longer student response. I printed this PDF on the Plotter (poster maker) and teachers have used it to have students respond to:
-What do you hope to learn this year?
-What is a characteristic of a good citizen and why is this characteristic so important to being a good citizen?
-Sharing schema you have with the text read
-Seed ideas for writing workshop
You really could have students respond to anything. It is a great way to preassess what students already know so that you can differentiate their learning.
Use if you'd like!
~Erin



Click on the picture to download the sticky note response poster!

Transition Words Poster With Visuals

We are currently in the process of implementing Reading and Writing Workshop. We are tweaking some materials from Beth Newingham (one of my favorites!!) and a few other things. Hopefully, I will be able to share some of these resources with you guys this weekend...I"m playing catch-up :) For now, this is a PDF you can print on the Plotter (if you are lucky enough to have one at your school) as a poster, print it from a color printer, OR my favorite...after our Writing Workshop mini-lesson, I always have "mini posters" the students can glue into their notebooks. If you take this document and print 4 pages (multiple sheets per page) and then cut them in fourths, you have your mini-posters :)
Use if you'd like!
~Erin


Click on the picture above to download the poster!