I was strollin' through the Christmas section at my local Walmart and found these holiday stakes. They really are meant to placed in the ground around the house, but they are oh so cute and I just couldn't resist using them for an activity. We have just a few little first … [Read more...]
R Controlled Vowels
When a vowel is followed by an r, the r changes the sound that the vowel makes. The vowel is called an r-controlled vowel. Sometimes teachers refer to the "r" as the "bossy r" because the r "bosses" the vowel to make a new sound. When the "a" is followed by r, it makes the … [Read more...]
Super Easy DIY Project- Loud, Rolling Dice Problems Solved!
This week I was visiting a second grade classroom during math centers and the teacher had such a clever and simple idea for keeping those rolling dice contained in an area for the math games. I loved how independent and on-task the students were during math centers and tools … [Read more...]
DIY Magic e Wands
Look what I found at the Dollar Tree! The Dollar Tree is literally a gold mine of fun stuff for creating engaging classroom activities. I found this pack of three foam wands in the arts and crafts section and thought how easy it would be to write an "e" on the star and make … [Read more...]
Eyeball Bingo
Yesterday I decided that I really needed to be done with making Halloween activities and move onto Thanksgiving, but then I received the Dollar General flyer with our newspaper. These eyes were literally staring back at me! Oh my gosh! They look exactly like the 4-In-A-Row … [Read more...]
Using Blending Boards During Small Group Instruction
We've finished our DIBELS Next testing and our intervention groups are now in full swing. Our teachers have been bringing out those blending boards that the Career Tech students made us last year (love them!) and are using them within their small group instruction. We started … [Read more...]
Focus Sticks
I love my job. I really, really do! One of the favorite parts about my job is that I get to network with a whole bunch of very talented teachers. I love hearing about and seeing them implement creative strategies to improve student learning. During the past several years, … [Read more...]
Build It- Write It Cards for CVC and CVCC/CCVC Words
A few months ago, my good friend Keri from the Sweet Life of Teaching was preparing for a training that she was about to offer. On the table was a roll of vinyl chalkboard paper (I've never seen or heard of it until this time). As she was describing what it was and how she … [Read more...]
Super Easy Privacy Screens
My teacher friend, Deb, has a super easy (and cheap!) way of making privacy screens for the students in her classroom. She simply purchases boxes from our local Office Max and cuts out one side. So easy! Deb says these privacy screens are durable and they are the perfect … [Read more...]