Word Work Promo

Randi over at Teach it With Class gave me an idea with her Everyone's a Winner Post a few days ago. She was giving a Buy One (leave a comment), Get One Free Promo. Of course, I can't resist an awesome BOGO sale, so I bought her Visualizing Unit and got her Bunny Ears Unit for free. Both are fabulous! Shhh, don't tell Randi, I would have paid for both. :)

One of the activities I LoVe to do with my students as a Word Work activity is called Round Up The Rhymes. It is a great activity to do on the second or third reading of a book or poem that contains lots of rhyming words. It helps students use words they already know to SPELL and or READ words they do not know. I have blogged about this activity before. See the Teacher's Guide to the Four Blocks for more great word work activities.

I made several packets a few years ago for our first grade assistants to use while we were working with RTI students everyday. This year our assistants do not cover for us since students are engaged in Daily 5, yet K & 1 teachers still borrow these activities. For this promo, I have FANCIED them up a bit with graphics and made word cards for you.

Here's how the promo works. Purchase the Twenty-Six Princesses activity from my TPT Store and leave a comment. When you leave feedback, enter the word ALIENS and leave your email address. When I receive your feedback, I will email you the free Aliens Love Underpants activity!

I hope you have as much fun using this activity as I do with my class!

(Promo ends June 1st)

A Wonderful Day!

Today we took our final field trip of the year to Dan Nicholas Park. It was perfect once the morning chill wore off. This was Miss Crabb's first field trip as a "teacher." Below, Miss Crabb and I are smashed into a small train seat meant for 2 small children. I was a little worried our first graders may have to pull us out!

Above:

Tina (left) - the terrific Teacher Assistant! We happen to live in the same neighborhood and both love camping.

Lindsay (middle) - the Stupendous Student Teacher. We both went to the same elementary school and high school. GO BLACK KNIGHTS - class of 88 and 2008! I could be her mother!

JUST ME ON THE RIGHT.

Landforms

My class has been studying landforms over the course of a week. To end our study we made landform models using a salt dough recipe. I ordered molds from Lakeshore Learning (which is one of my FaVoRiTe stores)! Click here to see the molds.

First, students pressed the dough into the molds.

Second, carefully remove dough by pulling the corners and letting the dough slowly fall out. This takes patience. Then, let the dough dry for several days.

Finally, students can paint and label the landforms. My students LoVeD this activity.

If their landforms cracked like this one, I told the students it was an earthquake.

Hints:

• Spray molds with lots of cooking spray to make for easier removal.
• Have parent volunteers work with small groups.
• Make dough ahead of time or have 1 parent in charge of mixing the dough.

Freebie

I am lucky to have a wonderful student teacher this spring. She took on the full load last week which has given me more time to formally observe other teachers, remediate, plan for a workshop this Friday on "Text Complexity and the New Reading", and work on organizing my math files to reflect the new Common Core Standards. I am also trying to create materials to share with my grade level. Tonight, I was working on review activities for 1.NBT.5. Here is a freebie I would like to share.

Click here to download. Please let me know if you have any trouble downloading. I am still kind of new at this.

Top 10 Blog Award

I am excited to have my second blog award given to me by the Marvelous Michelle over at Our Sweet Success. Please check out her blog. I hope you will check out these other fabulous blogs. I visit them daily for inspiration and ideas.

Round Up the Rhymes

Rounding up the Rhymes is a fun activity I do with my class to reinforce the idea that spelling pattern and rhyme are often connected. (This is also a "Using Words You Know" Activity.)

• First read a book containing lots of rhyming words. I often use this as a Read Aloud the day before. Here, Miss Crabb is reading One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
• Second, reread the book. As you read, let students chime in on the rhyming words. Make a chart of the rhyming words. (Stop after about 15 rhyming pairs.)
• Next, underline the rime in the words and X out the words that do not contain the same spelling pattern. The rhyming pairs left are the words you will use for the spelling and reading activities.
• Reading Activity: Use these rhyming pairs to read other words. Write a word that rhymes and has the same spelling pattern as one of the rounded up pairs. Ask a child to put it with the words that have the same rime. THEN, read all three words together.
• Spelling Activity: Use these rhyming pairs to help students read other words. Call out a word that rhymes and has the same spelling pattern as one of the rounded up pairs. Ask a child where it would go on the chart based on the way it sounds. Then, have all students try to write it on their white board.

Student spelling far using star and car as a model.

My First Award

Thank you so much Laura @ Kinder Kraziness for gracing me with my very first award: One Lovely Blog Award. In a side note, I also reached 50 followers this week and won a Shelley Gray mental math unit. I am smiling in NC!

I am passing on the award to 15 other bloggers I feel deserve the award. Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

2. Pass the award onto 15 other lovely bloggers.

3. Follow the person who sent it to you :)

Here are 15 bloggers I check in with almost daily!

• Erica at Erica Bohrer's First Grade
• Amanda at One Extra Degree
• Kathy at First Grade a La Carte
• Lindsey at The Teacher's Wife
• Andrea at Stepping in to First Grade
• Melissa at F is for First Grade
• Kelly at Busy in Kindergarten
• Elisabeth and Rebecca at Twins, Teaching and Tacos
• Mrs. Scoma at First Grade FUNdamentals
• Mrs. Schmelzer at Mrs. Schmelzer's First Grade
• Mrs. Arnold at Oceans of First Grade Fun
• Heather at Heather's Heart
• Katie King at Queen of the First Grade Jungle
• Mrs. Browning at Darlin' in First
• Jenn Bates at Finally in First

Now, off to bed!

:) Tamera