Things I love!

Sorry, it's been awhile since I have blogged!  I have been so busy getting used to the new school and new district.  Just when I think I have things figured out, I find out something else that I am missing.  Now to start report cards.  It's so different than my old school!!!

With guided reading being a big part of our afternoon I needed to stay on track with my time!  I need to make sure that I am watching the clock; which I am not the best at.  So this summer I got a new Time Tracker from SmileMakers!  I LOVE IT!! It is so helpful; not only to me but to the kids.  They can see when we are almost over with guided reading groups.  They don't need to ask.  The colors on the Time Tracker helps the students see how much time we still have!  I HIGHLY recommend this product!  I has been a much needed addition to my classroom.  I'm not sure how I ever taught without it.  Head on over to SMILEMAKERS  to get yours today!  You will love it! 

Well, I have been making things to supplement the 1st Grade McGraw Hill Wonders Curriculum.  I just made this cute SWAT game for Unit 2.  I have a games workstation.  They have been playing BANG!  I thought I'd change it up a little bit.  The kids use pick a card and read it.  If they know it they keep it.  If they don't it goes back in pile.  If they pick a SWAT card all their cards go back in the pile.  I also have a shower curtain keyboard so I might pull that out and let them spell with that.  Depends on how quiet they can be.  It's hard to play some of those games during workstations.  They get a little uncontrollable!!  SWAT!

I also took all the Essential Questions from the Curriculum and made them fancy!  I got tired of writing them out every week on sentence strips.  They are in my TPT store. If you would like to grab a copy just click on the picture.

 

 

SWAT

Cups, cups and more cups!

Well, we are going crazy over cups.  Lately I have found myself with a surplus of cups.  I actually got a lot last summer from Camp Invention.  I have been trying to figure out what to do with them.  So here is what we came up with. Most of these came from my teacher partner! She's so creative! They are so fun!

First, is a simple easy game to play.  A great review for anytime over anything. You know the old trick where you hide a ball under and cup and move them all around and ask someone which one it is under.  Well just write on a label on the cups.  I wrote addition problems.  Then mixed the cups up and asked students to find the chocolate.  I used chocolate because I had it leftover from the 100th day.  You could just put a ball, button, cotton ball, conversation heart, possibilities are endless, you could use anything you have.  Hide something move the cups around and let the fun begin.  I'm also making some with words to review the harder to remember ones. :)

The second one is a great word work activity the kids are sure to love!!  Just write words on your cups. Students pick a cup read the word and build a tower.  Then the record their words on their sheet.

 

I made a sheet but it's on my school computer.  I will have to upload it later. Sorry!

 

The third one I also used ping pong balls.  Just a little weird that I had 50 ping pong balls but I did so that I what I used.  My teaching partners used craft sticks.  I wrote the word family on the cup and then different words on the balls.  I had the students sort them by word family and then write them on the recording sheet.  I like to make them accountable for their work :)

 

And click here for the recording sheet.

The next math station doesn't have anything to do with cups but I just made this so had to share.  So simple.  I used addition flashcards that were free on TPT and cut them up and glued them to cardstock.  I laminated the cardstock and then put hold punches under each number.  The student link the correct number of links to the card.  Then add them up and write the answer with a dry erase marker.  Simple and effective learning through manipulatives!  MY FAVORITE!! 



 

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