Frequently Misspelled Words

I am so tired of students misspelling the same words over and over again! I finally made a list of the words that the students are constantly misspelling and made them into a chart. I have the chart in my classroom and have told the students that I do not want to see any of the words that are on the list misspelled again!!!!!!

The Keeping Quilt Card and Quilt

In my 2/3 combo, we read The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco. I gave each student a large piece of 20" x 20" white fabric. Using pencils, I had the students draw something on the fabric that was important to them--something that they would want to share with their children and grandchildren. (Let me tell you, some of the drawings were quite interesting!) I also had the students pick out a piece of fabric that they liked. Shhh! The next part is a secret. My mom (Thank heavens for mothers) sewed togethe 28 quilts for me! I made a gift card with an original poem, The Keeping Quilt. On the back of the poem are care instructions for the quilt. The quilt will be a holiday gift from me and my family to the students.

Once the quilts were made, I started thinking how the quilt would also make a great Mother's Day gift or a Grandparents' Day gift.

Holiday Gift Boxes Samples

Holidays are just around the corner. A holiday gift box is the perfect way for the students (or you) to wrap up small gift items. The boxes are easily made and assembled--just need scissors and tape. Fill the box with small candies, a coupon, a class picture, etc. The gift boxes are also great to give a little something to your colleagues during the holiday season.

If you like this box, I have a complete packet of boxes available at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Included in the packet are patterns for two boxes--pyramid and cube. For the pyramid box, there are 3 different patterns (in color and black and white):  gingerbread man, holly berries, Kwanzaa. For the cube, there are 2 different patters (in color and black and white):  Hanukkah and holiday greetings in different languages. There are also blank patterns for students to decorate their own boxes using crayons, markers, stickers, or stamps.

Vocabulary Cheat Sheet

My 3rd graders are having trouble remembering the different vocabulary terms. I made this quick "cheat sheet" that they can keep in their reading or writing folders.

Prefixes and Suffixes Cheat Sheet

It's been a busy year! Nine days into the school year, my 2nd grade class, became a 2/3 combo! While some of the skills are similar, the 3rd graders do need them at a higher level. The students just began working with prefixes and suffixes. The 2nd grade prefixes are a great review for the 3rd graders, but the 3rd graders needed a few additional prefixes and suffixes not covered in 2nd grade. I came up with the following two "cheat sheets" to help the students learn the prefixes and suffixes.

Flat Stanley

I finally did it! I love the story, Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown and have always wanted to make a unit to go with this story. I gathered together the ideas that I have done over the years and compiled them into a HUGE packet!

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3, Testing

Every year at testing time, I have to remind myself to "dial it back", that "this is just one measure of how the students are doing", and "that in 20 years the FBI isn't going to come back and ask me how Sally Johnson did on her CST". It is so frustrating to put the students through six days, yes SIX DAYS, of testing--especially when they miss the EASY questions on the test, questions that were practiced many, many times during class. Again, I have to remind myself to take a deep breath, remind myself they are still babies, and that the test is not a accurate reflection of how much the students have actually learned.

The students were so thrilled when testing finished. We put our desks in groups, for the first time this school year. For the first time, they didn't have to hear me say, "This will be on the CST" or "You need to know this for the CST". We could finally relax, enjoy each other, and dare I say it, ENJOY LEARNING! (I do try to make learning enjoyable during the rest of the school year, but test season just seems to bring out the "ugly" in all of us!)
TGTIO (Thank Goodness Testing Is Over!).

Fun with Money!

This is a great packet to supplement your instruction on money. Included in the packet are worksheets, games, activities, posters, and a 20 question standardized test practice.

Daily Language Checks #121-150

The latest packet of Daily Language Checks is now available! There are 30 more worksheets with engaging and interesting topics. Each worksheets has five questions--one for each cluster on the CST. An answer key is included.

CST Math Standardized Test Practice #2

Just in time for those high stakes tests that are quickly approaching! This fabulous packet has an answer key, standards matrix, and a 40 question test packet for the students.

CST ELA Test Practice #3 for 2nd Grade

This is a great, 20 page packet! It includes 40 questions on 17 state standards for 2nd grade. An answer key and matrix of standards are provided.

What's a Mom to Do?

It's hard enough being a working mom, but try being a working mom to two lazy English Bulldogs! All three of us are overweight. Just the thought of trying to walk my two girls, Bea Bea and Gracie, is enough to put me in the hospital for the week. Bea Bea is blind and won't walk in public--perfectly understandable. So, I have three different strollers for her. Gracie won't walk without Bea Bea, and won't walk on a leash. Trying to push a stroller and hold onto a leash, and keep Gracie from wrapping the leash around the wheels of the stroller, and trying to keep Gracie from getting run over by the stroller--well, you begin to get the picture. After walking the girls for about 10 minutes, I require about a 4 hour nap!

Fun with Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words

This is a great mini-unit for teaching prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Included in this unit are 5 SMART Board lessons and 8 activities (game, cut-and-paste, sorting).

Who's in a Family?

This is a fun packet of materials to supplement your instruction on Who's in a Family? by Sheila Kelly and Shelly Rotner. The packets has a wide variety of materials: Making Words, fluency, bingo, sentence strips, and even a 10 question assessment packet.

Taking a Sick Day

     We teachers like to think we are invincible, but sometimes those nasty germs get us! What to do? Teach it off? Stay home? I always ask myself, "Would I feel better if I stayed home?" If the answer is, "yes", then I stay home. If the answer is, "no". I go to work.

      I think all of us, at some point, say, "It's just easier to go to work, than to make sub plans." Well, your health is more important than dragging yourself to work, getting worse, and spreading your germs. I've learned to keep sub plans--one for each day of the week--on my computers at school and at home. Sometimes, at the end of a school day, I know there is no way I'm going to make it in to school the next day. I can print up a lesson plan, prep for everything, and then go home and rest--without having to worry about getting up early to get plans ready for the day. Other times, I realize at night, I'm just not going to feel better in the morning--such as when I lose my voice. I print up the sub plans--sometimes in the case of laryngitis I know I am going to be out two days--and head out to school early. I get things set up and then leave! (If possibe, I try to get the school's favorite sub to fill in for me. She subs for all of us and knows the kids. I know the students will be in good hands with her, discipline problems will be handled, and parent phone calls returned!) The students will survive without having their teacher for a day or two. And who knows, they might even appreciate you when you return.

Math Tool Kit by Mary Rosenberg

The Math Tool Kit is a great resource! It helps students put on paper, important ideas to use during a test. Primary students will make a number line, a place value chart, and odd/even chart, a multiplication/skip counting chart, fractions, and a clock. Upper elementary students might made a number line with both positive and negative numbers, angles, and formulas. The Math Tool Kit is flexible--the students (and you, the teacher) decide what kinds of information should go on the chart.

What are Contractions? mini unit plus two SMART Board activities

What are Contractions? is a great little mini-unit. It is perfect for introducing, practicing, and/or reviewing contractions. There are seven activity pages, eight bingo cards, a 10 question assessment packet, and two SMART Board activities (one on matching and a multiple choice one). This mini-unit is available as a zip file.

Daily Language Checks #91-120

The next batch of Daily Language Checks is now available! Thirty pages of high interest stories that are sure to capture the students' interest as they practice important English Language Arts skills. The Daily Language Checks are perfect for practicing for the CST (or any other ELA standardized test). The packet is designed for 2nd graders, but is also ideal for high 1st graders as well as for 3rd and 4th graders who needed extra practice or review.

Activity Pages for Making Words Grades 1-3

Do you use Making Words Grades 1-3 by Patricia Cunningham and Dorothy Hall with your students? Then this is a resource you need! There is an activity page for each lesson (warm-up lessons included) for a total of 161 activity pages! Each activity page includes columns for writing the words, a clipart showing the word that is made with all of the letters, and the needed letters at the bottom of the page--no more wasting time handing out letter cards or looking for missing letters! This is a great resource for the classroom teacher!

Super Sight Words

Looking for a way to introduce sight words to a beginning reader in kindergarten or first grade? Then Super Sight Words is what you need! Super Sight Words introduces students to the first 50 most frequently used sight words. Each sight word has its own worksheet. Assessment and flashcards are also in the packet.

The Lesson Cloud: First Grade Lesson Plan with California Standards

The Lesson Cloud: First Grade Lesson Plan with California Standards: This is a fabulous lesson plan for first grade teachers! It has the Math standards for California on the left side and the Language Arts sta...