Peek At My Week- Spiders

I am super excited to link up with Mrs. Wills Kindergarten: Peek at my Week.

Our corporation kindergarten curriculum map is developed so that all kindergarten teachers teach according to the Common Core standards.
This week we are to teach:
* The initial and ending sound /s/
* sight words- have, is, in
* comprehehsion skill- setting
* writing standard: K.W.2

This week my theme is SPIDERS!!  I am so ready for some non-fiction teaching!!

I am including this week's lesson plans on Google Docs.  Just click the image below to view my plans.

I know it is hard to read.  Click on the image above to see it in Google Docs.

I will be using the following units for my Guided Reading Workshop.

One of my favorite components of my reading block is using Jen Jones' Phonological Awareness.  I will be using the book Spiders by Gail Gibbons this week for Phonological Awareness.

In kindergarten, we do a lot of writing in response to literature.  This week I will be using parts of each of these units.

In math, I will be using my October Daily Math Journals.  These are available in my TpT store.

I also came across a mini-unit on TpT that was FREE.  It is by Miss Kindergarten Love.  I already had my plans done when I found this wonderful treasure!!  I will be squeezing it in sometime this week.

Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie

Five for Friday

I am loving these numbers by Jen Jones from Hello Literacy!!  She is one of my favorite TpT'ers and bloggers.  I have all of her Phonological Awareness packets.  If you teach kindergarten or first grade, it is a must to check out her sets.

Now, on with Five for Friday...

My kinders completed an "Apple Investigation" this week.  This covers so many math skills and is so engaging for students.  Not only is it a great activity...  it is free!!  Julie Lee has this in her TpT store.  Go ahead, print it out and file it away with your apple unit for next year.

I had each of my students bring an apple for the Apple Investigation.  I have an incredible group of students this year and couldn't resist taking this picture.  They are so proud of their apples!!

Our writing standard that we were working on this week was "labeling".  What is the best way to learn to label?  Well...  I say, "Label your teacher!"  My students had so much fun using the sticky notes to label me.  (Ignore the tight clothes...  I am expecting baby number 3 and have not switched to maternity clothes yet.)

Speaking of my own children...  Have you ever been into school work, talking with your spouse or cooking that five minutes pass by so quickly?  This happened to me on Monday.  My five year old was in the kitchen and got into the mints.  A few minutes passed and this is what I found!!  Yes!!  He ate 14 mints!!  I counted the empty wrappers.  I was shocked that he kept a nice neat pile of trash.

Finally, I have been working in my RTI group with letter naming fluency.  I have an incredible group of parents this year and decided to create this Letter Naming Fluency At-Home Reading Intervention.  It is free in my TpT store.  I am sure it will help with letter naming and letter recognition.  I even included a parent letter.  It is a quick intervention that anyone can use.

Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie

 

Math Journal Fun with a Chance to Win!

This is my first year using math journals in the classroom and I have to say it is a HUGE hit.  I honestly did not expect my kiddos to LOVE math journals.  One of them actually said "Math journals is my favorite part of the day!"

We use composition notebooks for our math journals.  At the beginning of the year I broke open my craft locker and let the kids decorate their composition notebooks.  They used scrapbook paper, jewels, crepe paper... you name it and ended up with some "bling"ing notebooks.  Some teachers would totally flip at the idea of such crazy notebooks but the kids LOVED it and totally took ownership of THEIR math journals.

Ignore the date... we are still working on that... :)

Each day all I have to do is pick the skill we need to work on and then copy one of the prompts to go with that skills.  Most prompts have six prompts to a page to save paper.   Each prompt is labeled with the actual standard which is a huge plus come evaluation time..:).  Students glue the prompt into their notebook and we get busy.  Right now I am completing the journal with them (I even have my own journal) but I am already seeing students starting to complete it by themselves with no help.  This is by far one of my favorite parts of the day... the kiddos come in from lunch and know that they need to grab their math journal from their book boxes, grab a prompt and get started!  It's a great way to introduce, review or reinforce the standards!  I have to say that I love the "lived in" look of these journals.  You can tell they are real and used and that students are involved!  It's awesome to hear a students come in and when they see the prompt say "Oh, it's a story problem today!"  Also, you can send the journals home ever so often to get a parent signaure so that parents/guardians can see all the awesome work that their child is doing in the classroom,

You can grab up these math journals by clicking on the picture below.  There are 5 prompts per first grade common core standard.  I plan to add even more of some of the standards (writing numbers, story problems, graphing etc.) that most first graders need extra work on.

If you would like a little sampler of these math journal prompts you can click on the image below!

Leave a comment with a unique way you are covering the Common Core Standards or a creative math product you have created!  I will pick one winner on Wednesday to win my newest "Apple Math for Firsties" math stations unit!

Endless Possibilities,
Stephany