Do y'all use anchor activities in your room? I do! I refer to them as anchor activities & desserts...a little something for the kids to do {independently} when they're stuck or when they're finished with their work. I love anchor activities because they lend themselves to easy differentiation. They give kids a sense of independence and autonomy, too. The activities I include in mine are concept/skill specific and thematic. I keep them out for a few weeks, until I feel the novelty is wearing off, or until the themtic unit of study comes to an end. The activities included are always independent ... Read More
Musical Matching – A Blending Game
Hey y'all! How's the week going so far?! If it's anything for you like it is for me, then it's crazy...and jam packed full of Halloween insanity {I'm talking about the kids, of course;)} I love, love, LOVE Halloween, but I know you feel me when I say that celebrating it at school with the kids is nothing short of....well...crazy. Fun, absolutely. But crazy nonetheless. I feel ya, friends. I really do! But let's go ahead and keep it business as usual until all Hallow's Eve and remain thankful that Friday's festivities don't coincide with a full moon {can I get an amen?!!??!} I wanted to ... Read More
Five for Friday
It's been a while since my last post. I just realized I can't do everything. Actually, I came to that realization a long, long, LONG time ago, but it slapped me in the face yet again this past month. Between getting 8 presentations ready for the TN 1st grade conference, being the grade level chair for our community Fall Fest, and *trying* to take care of my little family, everything else in my little world just got pushed to the side. And I'm okay with that. If you purchased my growing Work on Writing Year Long Bundle and are wondering why I didn't meet my October 15 deadline for adding the November edition, I ... Read More
It’s Tuesday & I’m a Little Batty
See what I did there?! In all seriousness, happy Tuesday!! Did y'all have the day off yesterday?! We did. All 3 of my boys had a "man day". That basically consisted of a lot of bathroom jokes, lunch out at Chili's, and a trip to Home Depot. I spent the day putting the finishing touches on my presentations for next week's Tennessee First Grade Conference. Will I see you there?! I sure hope so! If y'all haven't learned about bats yet, or even if you have, I just wanted to share a few things we've done in years past and give you guys a few more freebies to add to your ever growing collection of ... Read More
FrankenFUN!
During this time of the year, I'm always looking for ways to incorporate the "holidays" into our learning. I think it's really important to be sensitive to negative connotations this time of year can evoke. Let's be real. Not everyone is a fan of Halloween. And I know many schools/districts don't approve of the symbolism that goes along with it all. But that doesn't mean we can't make it fun :) Halloween has always been my favorite. I mean, I LOVE Christmas....errrr..Winter Holidays?!!?!??!...but there's just something about Halloween. It reminds me of my childhood. I can still smell our school ... Read More
Take Me Back & A Freebie
Hello October. I missed you. Don't you feel the same?! I took a break from blogging and whatnot to enjoy a very special Texas tradition...Antique Week in Round Top! I spent a day there with the girls and another day there with my mom and her friend. When it was all said and done, I ended up with a muddy pair of boots {my own}, two chairs, two quilts, some farmhouse decor, and great memories : Since I'm still trying to get into the swing of things...and get this ... Read More
Columbus Day Fun & a Little Sale :)
I spent the day yesterday helping some of my teacher friends get ready for their Discovery Day! SO fun!!! I love the idea of having "theme days" to teach particular concepts and events. My friends are incorporating the Columbus Day holiday into a day of learning they're calling "Discovery Day". Instead of focusing on Columbus being the first to discover America...which, by the way, is highly disputed...they're focusing on exploring, new discoveries, and Christopher Columbus' explorations. I came up with a few craftivities and printables to help them supplement their Discovery Day plans and thought I'd share ... Read More
Alphabet Questions Answered!
Happy Saturday, y'all! Anybody else feeling like this today?? Hahaha. I wish that were true. I did laugh at the thought of doing housework, but I'll be running around with the family all day, so I actually have to get out of my pj's. Darnit. Moving on. Y'all had some really good questions about my last post on Small Group Alphabet Instruction, so I wanted to answer those for you here in case anyone else has the same question :) I hope this helps!!! The only video I have is this one of my antsy son. I asked him to recite the alphabet with motions the way he was taught by his ... Read More
Small Group Alphabet Instruction (AKA – The Longest Post EVER)
Yesterday I posted all about how I introduce the alphabet in my classroom. I told y'all a little bit about what I do during small group and showed y'all a little sample of what that small group instruction entails.... Now let's go ahead and dive a little deeper. Before I get started, let's quickly talk about some invaluable resources I've used in my classroom to help teach and reinforce letter recognition and letter to sound linking. These are materials I use during small group, tutoring, and I keep these out in literacy tubs as well. This isn't everything I use...it doesn't even really touch the surface...but ... Read More
All About the Alphabet
When I hosted a little Coffee Talk a few weeks ago, one of the things a few of y'all wanted to know about was how I introduce the alphabet to my Kinder friends. Instead of answering with a little blurb, I felt like this was a concept that deserved a lot more than just a little explanation. So let's get started, shall we?! Before I start, I think it's important for you to know that I wholeheartedly DO NOT believe in "letter of the week" alphabet instruction. Although letter identification and letter to sound relationships should be taught systematically and thoroughly, the sequence and spacing of instruction doesn't need to ... Read More
