Camping Week

Three and a half more days!!  I cannot believe it.  Last week was Camping Week and I'm popping on to share a few highlights from the week.

Teacher truth... this was the third straight week of themes and with trying to clean up the room and prep it for summer painting, I didn't do a ton of classroom transforming.  I need to be putting stuff away, not taking more stuff out!

That being said I did put up a "tent" on our word wall that I created using a blue table cloth from Walmart that cost $.97.  I reused the flame from last week's torch to create a fire!  Little prep but it did put us in the camping mood.  

For math tubs this week we played two camping themed games.  The first game was a review of place value.  The kids needed to read and build the tens and ones to determine the different campsite numbers.

The second math tub game this week had my kiddos practicing their doubles facts with a game called S'more Doubles. Little prep and the kids had a ball using marshmallows as markers.

 

During our literacy block we worked on putting different camping words in ABC order.  

We also reviewed several vowel patterns this week.  We built words using our red and blue magnets and then the kids had to record the words on these camping themed pages.  After building and recording 9 words, the kids had to use three words in sentences. Clearly it's the end of the year and I need new markers!

To finish out the week my kiddos got to write about whether or not they liked s'more as well as a campfire story they wnated to share with the class. This was a great way to tie paragraph writing into this themed week!

The kids also listed all the words they could think of that had a camping theme.  Some of them came up with a bunch of words!

This is the first year that I have done themed weeks to finish out the year and I am so happy we did it!  It was so much fun and it gave me a chance to enjoy the last few weeks with my kiddos!!

To all of you that have a few more days left, hang in there, we're almost done!! 

First Grade Olympic Games Week

This year I decided to end the year with three themed weeks and I am SO glad I did this!  This was week two of the themed weeks and my kiddos were so excited and engaged and the week flew by.

First Grade Olympic games commenced on Monday morning and we began by starting a week long scrabble game.  Kids were separated into two teams and the teams were asked to spell and build words that contained patterns we reviewed each day.  

I also wanted my kiddos to be participating in some kind of physical activity so these Olympic games were "authentic".  That being said after each word was spelled and built we had to complete some excercise challenges.  The kids loved this and it kept them moving around during our word work block.  This was so important for this time of the year! 

Our math workshop time also included some Olympic themed games to go along with our week long fun!  The first game my kids played this week is Addition Battle-Olympic Edition.  Each kid picks two cards and then finds the sum.  The player with the larger sum gets a point.  Play continues and the kids can reshuffle cards when necessary.  

I have posted this game to my TpT store along with another version of this game so your kiddos can add two-digit numbers vertically.  Always trying to stretch and challenge the kids.  This is great because you can differentiate this game for different learners in your classroom. 

The other game my kiddos played this week was Place Value Battle-Olympic Version.  Much like addition battle the kids picked 3 cards and built the largest three-digit number they could with the cards they had.  The player with the larger number wins the point.  Play continues and the cards can be reshuffled when necessary.  

I have also posted this game to my TpT store with the Addition Battle game.  

To end the week I had my kiddos work on a spelling inventory so I could see where they are in terms of phonics skills and spelling.  

After our "closing ceremonies," I also gave each of my kids a medal for all their hard work in the First Grade Olympic Games.  I found 24 of these medals on Amazon for less than $5.  The only issue was they were an Add-On item... but don't worry, I found something else to buy!!

Olympic Scrabble Game

With three more weeks of school, I am looking for any way to keep my kiddos engaged and working hard!  Last week was safari week and the kids LOVED it.  This week is our First Grade Olympic Games.  During the week we'll be reviewing many of the skills we've learned throughout the school year. 

To review several of the vowel teams we learned we played a week long scrabble game that the kids were so excited about!

I set out two sets of cards and divided the kiddos into two teams.  This week I gave the kids words to build because I wanted them focused on particular vowel team patterns each day.  In previous weeks I let the teams come up with their own words.

After each team member recorded the word in their Olympic notebook, then I selected 1 student to grab the necessary letters to build the word.  The team that built the word on their board first got an extra point for their team. 

After each team built the words, we added the points together and then recorded the score on the scoreboard.  This was also a great time to review math skills, particularly regrouping when adding!

To add to the game this week we also did some exercises to give the game an even more Olympic feel after each round. 

 Check back later in the week for a post about all the Olympic activities and games we took part in this week. 

Safari Week and a Freebie

Safari week in first grade was a HUGH hit and we loved all the safari themed activities we took part in this week!  

I'm popping on the blog tonight to share a safari-themed math freebie that I've posted to my TpT store. I'm hoping to post all the resources to my TpT store soon but I'd like to use all the resources this week, make some changes, and then get it posted! Click the cover to download the freebie!

We used this game during our math rotations each day this week.  The game is a snap to prep and it's a great way to give your kiddos some review of missing addends as well as fact families.

Just print the cards on colored paper... I printed on two different colors but you can really print on one color.  Laminate the cards, pick a recording sheet and you're ready to go!

To play the kids pick cards and figure out the missing part.  I included these hippo counters with the tub in case some of my kiddos needed counters to help them solve.  

I've also included two different recording sheets depending on what you want your kiddos to work on.  I'm having my kids find the missing addend and then write the fact family for the three numbers.  

I also included a recording sheet for the kids to write just the missing part of the number bond.  Once you decide what sheet to use, just print, copy and you're ready to go.  If you're looking to save some paper you could always put the recording sheet in a page protector and have your kiddos use dry erase markers to record their answers.

I'll put a detailed post up soon with pictures from our first of three themed weeks as we round out the school year!!

Sight Word Games

I'm popping in today to show you a few sight word games I've created for my classroom and have become a hit with many of my students.  I've now created an editable version of one of the games for you to use in your classroom. This game is a freebie in my TpT store.  

 Back to the Hive is a sight word game that I use in my classroom.  The kids love it and it's a game that keeps on going... there's no end to the game which is so great when the kids are using this during literacy rotations.  No "I'm done, now what?" when you're trying to work in small groups!!  

The kiddos pull cards and read the sight words on each card. If the card is read correctly the player keeps the card.  There is also accountability with the other player as he or she needs to make sure the word is read correctly before the other player can keep the card.  

As the game continues players continue to pick and read cards.  If they pick up a "Back to the Hive" card, they need to put all their cards back and the game continues. 

The games I've previously posted align with the words in our Reading Street program.  I've had some requests for an editable version of the game so I've also posted that to my TpT store.  

While the Back to the Hive game is a favorite among many of my kiddos, I know that a change is always a good idea when it comes to games during our literacy rotations.  This "Cold Snap" game is a game I use during the spring months and the kiddos seem to love it as well.  Click on the cover for a link to this freebie in my TpT store.  

The game works with the same rules.  Kiddos pull cards and read the sight words on the cards.  If they select a "Cold Snap" card they must put all their cards back.  This game is posted to my TpT store as well.  

I have also created a version of this game that includes sight word sentences.  I think it's important to have the kiddos find and read these words in context as that is what is ultimately expected of them.  

I hope these are helpful and can be used in your classroom!

Five for Friday - May 12th

I'm linking up for another Five for Friday this week.  Here are some highlights from our week!

ONE: Morning Tubs

I cannot say enough about morning tub time.  Instead of morning written work we typically use morning tubs Tuesday through Thursday.  Morning tubs offer so many opportunities for the kids to use their imagination, problem solve, and work cooperatively with their peers.  

I usually set out 8 different options for the kids to choose from and the only two rules I have for tubs is you can't choose the same tub two days in a row and only three kiddos per tub. 

TWO: I've Got Your Back

This year our school has adopted an "I've Got Your Back" theme for our character education program and this week we did some writing related to this theme.  Here one of my kiddos wrote about how she has my back... so sweet!!

  

THREE: Mother's Day

For the past several years I've purchased vases from the Dollar Tree and I've had my kiddos paint the vases for Mother's Day.  The vases this year came out so darn cute!

To wrap the gifts the kids and I put a ton of newspaper around the vases and then wrapped them again in white tissue paper.  To seal the package we tied ribbons around both ends... all the kids loved the wrapping because they thought it looked like candy!

FOUR: Safari Hunt

I love this time of the year!  The kiddos are so independent and can handle working with a few buddies to "search" around the room for objects/pictures related to a vowel pattern we've been working on.  

My kiddos did a great job this week working on the OU and OW patterns and they were so helpful to their peers as they tried to figure out which pattern to use for each picture/object.  

FIVE: Coding

My kiddos are IN LOVE with coding.  We've been using a few websites to get us started with coding and they have done a fantastic job.  

This week we did a large scale version of coding on our carpet.  The individual squares on our carpet made for an easy transition from the computer to real life.  We worked on this code for a few days as we needed to backtrack and change some of our coding as we realized what we had previously done did not work.  I loved how this got my kiddos thinking through the next few moves to ensure their code would work as we moved forward.  Such wonderful problem-solving skills related to this activity!

Don't forget to check out other Five for Friday posts!  Have a wonderful weekend... Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mom's out there!

Five for Friday - Cinco de Mayo

Happy Friday y'all!  This week seemed to fly by which is always a plus!  I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for another Five for Friday!  Here are some highlights from our week! 

ONE: Scrabble

We still have two more months of school here in upstate New York and I'm trying anything and everything to keep my kiddos engaged and focused!  This week and last week as well we've been playing a scrabble game with our spelling words.  Once the kids saw how the game worked and how they could use existing letters on the board to build new words they were hooked and challenging each other to build larger words.

As you can see in the picture we've been working on the OO pattern. Instead of using two O cards I've created cards with the pattern that we're working on but we could have just as easily used two O cards.  

Teacher confession... I only copied and laminated one set of cards so we've been playing the game whole group.  Honestly, I didn't want to put a ton of time into this if it wasn't something that would work or the kids weren't into it.  This weekend I'd like to prep two more sets of cards so next week I can split my kiddos into three groups so they can independently play their own games!

I also created a recording sheet to go with the game as a way to hold all the kids accountable.  I don't let a team build the word on the board until everyone on their team has the word spelled correctly.  This keeps ALL the kids engaged and promotes teamwork as the kids are "coaching" each other towards the right answer rather than "telling" them the answer.  My kiddos know I'll take points away or at the very least take away a turn if they give away an answer!  

TWO: Main Idea

We've been hard at work over the last few weeks tackling main idea.  This is always a challenging skill for me to teach and this year has been no exception.  I wanted to create a fun way to apply what we've learned about main idea and I felt it was time to see if the kiddos could figure out the main idea of short passages that I created.  

I decided to give the passages a doctor/health vibe and we ran with it... creating "patient files" in which the kids needed to figure out what the main idea of each short passage was.  For this task I had cards that listed details and some possible main ideas... the kids just needed to read the passage and figure out which cards went with their particular passage.  Next week we'll move on to have them come up with their own main ideas... baby steps people!!

  The doctor hats, surgical gloves, white tablecloths, and heart monitor sound file created a great buzz in the classroom and the kids loved it!  

THREE: Math Games

We've been working hard on regrouping over the last few weeks and I wanted a fun way for my kiddos to get some review before our test.  This week we played a large checker game in which each piece was labeled with a number.  The number corresponded to a board with several number sentences that needed to be solved.  This served as a great review for our test and was far more engaging than a worksheet would ever be!

We also played a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos to review regrouping and adding two-digit numbers.  Of course, the amazing Hope King shared this idea on her blog some time back and I've been itching to buy the ball pit balls for my classroom.  I finally caved a few weeks ago and picked up a bag from Walmart for $13.  We didn't play the game quite like her kiddos did, but nonetheless, my kids still loved the game.

We donned our safari explorer hats and pretended we were zookeepers in charge of feeding the hippos.  Each team, I had 6 teams, was tasked with collecting two balls of each color.  When they collected one ball they had two addition or subtraction problems to answer correctly. If they answered correctly they were able to keep the food for their hippo.  If they didn't answer correctly they got one chance to make a correction before the ball needed to go back and they needed to move on to another color.  

My kids did a fantastic job on the number sentences and word problems.  Once again a great review that kept the kids engaged and loving our math block!

FOUR: Morning Tubs

I cannot say enough good things about morning tubs.  We do these tubs three days a week and I am in LOVE!  It's a great time for the kids to use their imagination and work with students that they might not otherwise work with that often.

Here I had some kiddos created trees from Minecraft.  Another student brought in a stuffed animal and asked if she could make a cage for it using Lincoln Logs... of course... how precious!  I also had a student build his name and then sight words using the BrainFlakes pieces!  So fun to see their little minds at work!!

FIVE: New Coffee Maker

I've been on the look out for a new coffee maker.  I'm one of those coffee drinkers that drinks their coffee for an hour... or more some days.  I'd rather enjoy my cup of joe in the morning.  That being said I've gotten tired of bringing coffee to school each day and drinking it ice cold.  The coffee that I've been making at home never seems to be hot... even right after it brews!!  So that coupled with the fact that I'm trying to drink it for the next hour or so has not been good... first world problems I know!    

Pardon my reflection in the picture!

But anywho...enter in the two-part solution... a coffee percolator and a Yeti travel mug!  This percolator makes a GREAT cup of coffee and I'm picky about my coffee and I can say I LOVE the coffee it makes.  It also makes it HOT and keeps it HOT if it stays plugged in!  Best part it was only $37 dollars on Amazon.  No fancy coffee makers for this girl, just a $37 old-fashioned percolator is all I need! 

To ensure my coffee stays extra hot I spent another $30 on a Yeti travel mug.  I'm a believer... the coffee does stay hot in it and it stays hot for much longer!  Coffee dilemma solved for this week!  Now I'm trying to perfect a cold brew that I can make at home for the summer!  We teachers sure do love coffee!!

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out Doodle Bugs Teaching for more Five for Friday posts!