Game Time! Classroom Sudoku & Boggle

As we finish up the year, my first and second graders are doing a mini unit on Sports, Games, and Play.  We are talking about the different types of play and activities, and what good sportsmanship looks like in all types of games.  Since my first grade literacy students are familiar with Boggle, and my second grade mathematicians have been playing Sudoku since the beginning of the year, I decided to make poster games for both activities.  For the rest of the year, I will change the games every couple of days.  The students will be allowed to work on the games individually as a fast finisher activity, and with partners at other times. 

I have seen numerous versions of Boggle on Pinterest, and decided to use various ideas to make my own.  I found the letters on mrsrojasteaches.blogspot.com , and printed them on card stock.  I had both the poster and letters laminated, and then put Velcro on all of the pieces.  I barely had the game on the wall and the kids were finding words!  I also made simple worksheets for the kids to use as they find words.

My second graders love playing Sudoku.  We started the year playing the 4 x 4 version, moved to the 6 x 6, and now we are working on the full 9 x 9 version.  What I like about this activity, is that it teaches logical and spatial reasoning in a way that is engaging and enjoyable for my class.  The board I made does not have grid lines.  I did this on purpose so that I could change between all 3 versions of the game.  For 4 x 4, I will only use the 4 squares in the top corner, for 6 x 6 the top two rows, and the whole board for 9 x 9.  I will be able to use this activity in class no matter what grades I teach in the future.  I wish that I had had this for an activity to complete with my high school reading students who were working on inference and logic skills! 

I used a 22" x 28" piece of tag board, pre-cut letters, and 7" x 7" squares of card stock - that is it!  I made two separate sets of numbers - a larger set for 4 x 4, and smaller for the other versions.  I will post pictures of the Sudoku game with numbers tomorrow.  The kids are so excited to start playing the "big board" version!

Sudoku Tiles 1

Sudoku Tiles 2Pin It

Mastering Multiples

My second grade math students started learning the basics of multiplication today.  We first started with with skip counting, and then moved on to some multiple riddles.  We practices making groups and then using the "count by" strategy.  The area that seemed to give my students the most trouble was setting up an equation.  I created this visual to help them to further understand what each part of the equation represents.  To practice, I have chosen several riddles from the book "The Grapes of Math," and will have the students set up equations using this chart.  I printed extra copies so that the students can use one while they complete their assignments; just until they are grasping the concept and feeling more confident. 

You can download the worksheet here.
Mastering MultiplesPin It

Bouquet for Mom

We had so much fun today making bouquets of flowers for all of the kids' moms.  First the kids made 5 flowers, complete with stems and leaves.  On the back of each flower, the students wrote household chores or fun things to do with their mom.  Then the kids made a flower pot pocket attached to a piece of white construction paper, and added a Mother's Day sentiment.  The flowers slid right into the pocket.  All of the kids were so excited about giving this gift, and I think that was because they had the opportunity to choose what chores or activities they put on the card.  I love seeing them so excited about their work!  I saw some beautiful hearts today, that is for sure!

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Don't Be Crabby ...

As the year comes to an end, I wanted a way to count down the final days.  All year we have kept track with stars on the wall the number of days of school.  Once we reached one hundred, we started counting backwards.  Since there are 21 days of school left, and I have 21 students, I decided to make a board where each student could represent one of the final days.  As we pass a day, one student will get to move a star from the wall and put it by their crab.  I came up with the design for this idea from a few similar projects on Pinterest: theusserys.blogspot.com gave me the idea for the phrase, and a hand paint/print crab project that I can no longer find.  My kids made the crabs by tracing their hand two times,  overlapping the hands, and then gluing google eyes to the top of the thumbs.  This project was fun for the kids and super quick to complete.  I love that we have a hands on count down to end the year as well!

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Swing into Spring! Baseball Activity

Spring activities are so fun, but so many of them seem to be along the same lines: flowers, insects, rain, and sun.  Since we had done several multidisciplinary activities along these lines, I wanted to do something different.  Then I got another middle of the night idea - Baseball!  I came up with a literacy activity today, but have plans to tie the sport into our new science unit on balance and motion, as well.  Today we watched a video about baseball and opening day, and then talked about other activities that get people excited about spring.  The students then did some independent writing - Swing into Spring.  We made baseballs using tracers that I made, and put the two pieces together.  I covered our "wall" (a pole that serves as our art display area) with green paper and added a baseball diamond.  I also took pictures of the kids posing with a baseball bat, and their picture will go in the middle of the baseball.

Here is some individual student work.  The first is a first grader's work, and the next is a second grader's project.  The kids wrote about everything from playing tennis and running marathons to finding bugs and going for bike rides.  These two examples just happen to be about baseball.

I also will be making a sign for the wall that says "Swing into Spring".  I will not post pics of the completed wall, as it will have all of the student pictures on the projects, and I want to protect their privacy.  I hope to find more baseball ideas this weekend that I can tie into our lessons.  I am so excited to wrap up the school year this way!

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Seussical! Parade of Things Banner

Today was our first and second grade musical, and it was a huge success!  The production was excerpts from "Seussical" the musical.  Each class completed a Seuss-themed project to decorate the hallway outside the gym.  I wanted to do something a bit different, so I had the kids make a poster wishing the other classes good luck.  I had seen hand printed Thing 1 and Thing 2 characters on Pinterest a while back. (I did not pin it, so I cannot give credit - I wish I could because they were adorable!)  I had the kids created a "parade of Things" by first stamping a Thing body in red, and then a thing head and face in blue and white.  When this part had dried, we added a Thing number to the center (a piece of printed card stock), and each kid drew their Thing's face with a blue sharpie.  I then made our good luck sign and it was ready to go.  This was the easiest project I have done with kids in a LONG time!

Here are a few pics from the set:

We had such a great time!  I can't wait to get the DVD.  Their families were all so proud, as well they should be!

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My White Board Solution - Laminated Card Stock

My students use white boards every day.  It never fails, we always need more boards at a lit center or in the math area.  Since white boards aren't cheap, I decided to make extra boards by laminating card stock.  Now, rather than moving boards around all day long, I can have stack in different places throughout the room.  The best part is that they take up hardly any space!  I can keep about 30 of them in a file folder.  I even thought of making file folder white boards!

I have had an ongoing problem with white boards, storage, and math class this year.  We have math class in our meeting area by our Promethean board, and every day the kids are bringing white boards, markers, erasers, pencils, and their activity books.  Materials get mixed up, forgotten, or broken constantly.  For the obsessive organizer, this is chaos!  Today, I finally think I came up with a solution.  I took some "card stock white boards" and attached them to the back of a few students' math folders.  The students will have their white boards with them all of the time.  I don't have to store them, and now there is one less thing for the kids to keep track of daily.  I plan to have my "test" students use these new boards until the end of the year and see how it goes.  Maybe this will be a great solution~

 

Now, on to "Seussical" - my students have their spring musical on Friday, and each of the nine first and second grade classes are completing a Seuss project to decorate the gym.  We started ours today and it is already adorable.  Pictures to come tomorrow! 

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More Looking for Long Vowels...Digraphs!

Here is the latest addition to my long vowel activities.  This activity can be completed independently or with other students.  There is a separate worksheet for each long vowel sound and digraphs, which makes differentiation fairly easy.  I designed the activity to meet the needs of my first grade students in the Words Their Way middle vowels category; however the activity also lends itself to enhancing and supporting the skill sets introduced in our class reading curriculum.  My goal with these activities is to make my students more aware of what they are reading, and to help them practice both the silent 'e' and digraph spelling patterns.  My next step is to design another level of activities that requires the students to apply what they have learned in both reading and writing.  Let me know what you think, and if anyone might try using these with their students.
Here is a sample~

You can download all 5 vowel sheets here

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Great Pyramids Spelling

Here is another spelling activity that my students have been doing most of the year.  I had heard of spelling pyramid activities before, but my first graders needed a visual in order to complete the activity correctly.  This double sided worksheet has worked great.  Since using this, they are also able to spell in other shapes as well; such as a diamond and reverse pyramid. 

You can download the Great Pyramids worksheet here .

I am still working on some more long vowel search activities, as well as another word building and changing activity.  As soon as I pull something together, I will post it for download.  If anyone has an ideas for improvements, I would love to hear them!

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Spelling Tests!

So many spelling tests and so little time!  As I continue to work through the Words Their Way methods, I wanted a way for both my students and I to get the most out of our weekly spelling tests.  I first tried basic writing paper, but found that I needed something that was easier to look at and grade.  I then tried a few different spelling test forms I found online, but none of them seemed to give me everything I wanted.  I decided I wanted something that would be easy to correct, provide students with additional practice space when needed, and a parent/guardian component.  Since I couldn't find what I needed, I made one!  So far, I love this form.  I have even had the form printed on different colors for each group of kids and their sort.  Doing this has helped me so much to stay organized.  The best part is, I know if parents & guardians are seeing the test each week.

You can download the Spelling Test herePin It

Looking for Long Vowels

This is an activity I designed to help my first graders recognize and decode long vowel/silent 'e' words when reading.  The students either use their current guided reading text or decodable book.  As they read, they search for words, and as they find them they write them down under the correct vowel.  I have found that the students pay more attention to what they are reading, rather than quickly skimming over difficult or unfamiliar words.  Since the long vowel/silent 'e' is an important element in first grade, this has proved to be an excellent activity for extra practice.

You can download the Looking for Long Vowels worksheet here

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United States Symbols Book Cover

Earlier this year, my first and second grade students completed a Social Studies unit on United States symbols and landmarks.  The students completed projects and graphic organizers for the various places and things, and then compiled all of their work into a book.  I wanted the cover to be different from those of other classes, so I asked the students to help come up with an idea.  We came up with several ideas, and then voted as a class.  (Of course I turned the vote into a Social Studies lesson and a math/graphing lesson - wouldn't want to miss a potential teaching moment!).  The cover isn't overly flashy, but it was student created, which makes it so much more important to the kids. 

Each student traced 3 stars and layered them on the front of the cover.  I printed off title and name labels, and the kids cut and pasted them into place.  That was it!  It turned out so clean and patriotic!Pin It

Flip, Slide, Turn! (again)

My second grade mathematicians have been working on some tricky geometric concepts: flip, slide, and turn.  This is not an original idea, but I'm sharing it because it truly worked for my 2nd grade students.  One of my team members did this activity, and I liked it so much I wanted to give it a try.  I'm so glad that I did, because the kids enjoyed completing the activity.  I had the students start by cutting out six hands.  We then practiced each of the concepts a few times as a whole group before I set them loose to glue and label.  Good luck!



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Easy Words Their Way Idea

As I've become more familiar with the Words Their Way program, I've discovered the need to become more efficient.  With students working in numerous different word sorts, I wanted to find a way to limit the amount of copies I was making.  I decided to make permanent copies of my word lists, so that I wasn't being wasteful, and so that the students could easily find their materials.  I made 10 copies of each sort and had them laminated.  Each sort has its own file folder, which helps with the organization piece, and the students' responsibility in caring for our materials.  These sorts are stored in a file crate, along with countless folders of spelling activities.  When I assign an activity to a particular student, they go to the file and get it themselves, which has saved me on set up time and space.  So far, this has worked great!  I have reusable materials that both the students and I can locate when needed.

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Plants and Animals in the Springtime ...

I have been away from the blog for a bit, but I'm fired up and ready to get back to work!  So much has been going on in our classroom and at home, the blogging had to take the back seat for a short time. 

Our class has been studying Plants and Animals in science, and we follow the 2nd grade Foss Science curriculum.  The kids have been so excited about every aspect of the unit!  We have grown grass, alfalfa, wheat, oats, and plant cuttings, and just this past Thursday, we planted terrariums.  By the second day, we had sprouts!  It has been a good time for all of us, especially since we have worked hard to incorporate parts of the science unit into literacy and math as well.  As an extension activity the week we focused on the parts of a plant and their jobs, the kids made potted plants out of construction paper.  The front is a beautiful plant, while the back is a diagram.  At the end of the activity, the students were given labels.  They then had to label the various parts of the plant.  Since we hang all of our projects from the ceiling, this double sided project worked great.  Here is an example:

I used online coloring pages to create tracers.  The students came up with the idea to make it a "double flower" on top.  They each cut out 2 petal pieces, and then glued the stem between them.  When they attached the petals, they did not line them up perfectly, but "in the spaces", which made the flowers quite attractive. 



Here is a pic of the first plants the kids planted.  We "mow" the grass once a week, and take measurements.  We also make predictions for how much the plants will grow.  We have even gone outside of the curriculum and started experimenting with different locations and amounts of water to see what happens.  Their enthusiasm for this unit inspires me! 

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Winter Literacy Work

Here is some of our new literacy center work (I needed a little spark to keep them working hard this time of year).  My students love "making sentences" activities, so we have done a series of four different winter themed activities.  Here is the final one:

Download Winter Sentences here

Another activity that I have added is Word Building Boggle.  I know that many teachers have created versions of this type of activity; however none of them seemed to fit the needs of my students - so, I created one of my own.  In order to make the activity even more individualized, I fill the boxes with letters from the students' current story activities.  It takes a little bit of time, but I sat down and did about five themes for each group all at once - no sweat.  My students have completed the activity twice, and have not only enjoyed it, but done quality work.

You can download Boggle here

I hope that some of you can use these, or copy them to fit what your students need.  Even though I love finding activities created by other bloggers, I truly enjoy making my own as well :)

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Mini White Boards

 In my ongoing quest to not only be organized but efficient, I came up with a new idea: erasable flashcards.  With four different reading groups, all at different places in the curriculum,  it seemed like all I was doing was cutting paper and making flashcards for each story we read.  With limited space, I have found that I have no more room for all of these activity cards.  The other day I came up with an idea that has already proved useful.  I cut up a stack of cardstock into 4 1/4 by 3 inch rectangles, and then laminated them, essentially making them into mini white boards.  I went through each group's word activites for the next day and wrote them on the cards with a dry erase marker.  I could easily change letters in front of the kids to make new words, which was a great word building activity.  When we were done, I erased the cards that I didn't need for the next day's lesson, and then wrote the new words on the same cards.  The best part is, they don't take up any space - just one little stack of cards.  I've only been using them for a week, so we'll see how it goes, but so far, so good!

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Update on the eagle cam!

UPDATE: Right after I posted our eagle project and information about the eagle cam, I found out that the Decorah eagles now have 2 eggs in their nest!  We hadn't been on in a few weeks, but I made sure to show the kids as soon as I heard.  Since we are now entering a new Foss science unit on Plants and Animals, I am going to continue to show the eagle cam from time to time enhance our unit.  The eggs are supposed to hatch in about 34 days, so I know the kids will be eagerly awaiting the big day!

You can find the cam at http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheaglesPin It

No Bug Zone!

Here is the latest addition to my room and classroom management repertoire. I found the idea on The Schroeder Page, which I love (Thank you Monica!), and I immediately had to do the same thing. So far so good! the light is located right above my teacher/reading table. When I am meeting with a group, the students aren't allowed to "bug" us. We use the "ask 3 before you ask me policy," as well as the class question answerer trick, but lately we've need a little more reminding. The kids see the light and know to start problem solving.

The Schroder Page can be found at http://schroederpage.blogspot.com

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National Symbols Unit: The Bald Eagle

As part of our continuing Social Studies unit on national symbols and landmarks, we studied the bald eagle. We read books, researched eagles, and learned about the history of how the eagle became such and important symbol for our country. We even watched the live bald eagle cam from Decorah, IA - the kids loved this! I put the live shots on the promethean board during writer's workshop and let the kids write about what they saw, what they thought the eagles were feeling and thinking, and consider both the live birds and the eagle's place in our nation's history. This was the final project we made. It was inspired by numerous projects that I saw online. The only change I would make is to add tail feathers to the eagle. I had a tracer made, but when I laid my own sample out, you could not see the tail feathers due to the placement of the shield - the students did not have this same problem!We are going to add the tail feathers this Friday to make sure that the student work is as accurate as possible. Hope you enjoy!

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Cute Valentines

Valentine's Day is over, and most of us have moved on; however I did not want to forget these cute ideas for next year.  My daughter received these Valentine's at day care.  The first is a simple doilie on a heart, but the fun part is that her teacher included a heart shaped crayon.  I remember making these crayons as a kid in muffin tins with crayon shavings, and I loved them! 

The second card was so simple, I wish I had thought of this as an activity for our Valentine party - at our party we had 4 stations that the students rotated just like they do for lit centers. I love that only the sides of the small heart were glued down so that it made a little pocket. These were great Valentines~



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Valentine's Making Sentences

My student's really enjoy "making sentences" activities, so I made a Valentine version.  The basic words are simple, since the "holiday" words are a bit more difficult.  I will also encourage my stronger students to write a few sentence in which they add their own descriptive words.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Making SentencesPin It

Love Bugs - A Quick and Easy Valentine Project

This is a project that I did with my students at the end of last week to add a little holiday flair to our classroom.  This was a last minute addition to our day, since my diligent workers finished their Social Studies activity in record time (In fact, I came up with this on my lunch break!).  I made a bunch of heart tracers, and this is what the outcome was.  My students loved this, and in fact, the kids immediately started calling these cute heart creatures, "love bugs".  I wish I would have had time to have them make antennae for them.  Oh, well, next year ....

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A Map Project

My students are currently studying maps in Social Studies; as well as state and national symbols and landmarks.  As we wrapped up the portion on our home state, Minnesota, I had the students make this project ( I had seen a similar one completed by another teacher in our building, and recreated it with a few changes.)  After tracing and cutting out a map, the students selectd pictures of state symbols and other important representations, and added them to their map.  We have created many projects this year already, so I was pleasantly surprised to see how proud they were of this relatively simple project.  They don't want me to take them down! (I tried on Friday in order to hang up a Valentine project, and they were really bummed - I decided to leave them up :) )

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Student Work File

I needed a new way to organize completed, student work, and this is what I came up with.  Since I my partner and I share students for two subjects, that means we are both collecting work from 43 students everyday.  With these files, I can very quickly check to see how each student has done for a day or week.  It also makes it easier for returning and recording work.  I can do a few students at a time until I am done, and then staple their work and put it in their mail boxes immediately.  No more work piling up if I miss a day or two of correcting!

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Report cards done, now back to work

Now that I have finished my report cards, I've returned to my quest for organization.  I bought some more storage drawers, and they have already made a difference.  I have a drawer for papers to be copied, one for game boards, and one for lit activities - now rather than having to search in my cabinets for these things when I need them, they are handy all of the time.  I also made 3 drawers for substitute teachers.  One drawer has the basic sub information: class lists, school information, student medical concernes, etc.  The next drawer is for lesson materials (for prearranged substitute situations), and the last drawer is for extra activities for a sub if they need it.  That drawer includes geometric coloring/pattern pages, extra Scholastic News issues, word finds, math games, and other similar activities.  Knowing that I have all of this prepared for a sub has lifted a huge wight off of my shoulders!  In addition to my new system, I also have my "day of the week system," so subs can just pull the drawer for that day of the week and have the materials right there for them to use.  I have had a sub tub, but I think this will make it much easier for me to be prepared for those last minute situations. 



I also came up with a new way for my students to turn in their work, that I'm excited to start using tomorrow.  It should make recording the work completed and passing it back out much simpler.  I'll post pics tomorrow~

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Winter Word Work

Here are a few new activites that I came up with to perk up our literacy centers.  Since my students always enjoy "making sentences" activities, I decided to make some that had a theme. 

Snowy Sentences

Snowy Sentences 2

I created a few more that I will share soon.  So far, my class has done the first one, and they did a great job coming up with interesting, and complete, sentences.  Have fun!Pin It

MLK Day 2012

My first and second graders just finished a Social Studies unit on Great Americans in History.  Last week, our final two influential people were Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.  A team member of mine did this activity with her class, and I loved it so much I had my students do the same project.  I do not know who created the activity originally, but if anyone does, let me know and I will give them full credit for this wonderful lesson.  It was the perfect way to wrap up the unit.  The students were inspired by what they learned about these two individuals, and therefore wrote in a careful and thoughtful manner.  They were all quite proud of their work.  The timing for completing this project happened by accident, but worked out perfectly since today we celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..

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Organizing for Survival

This year, I was hired for my current position just a few days before school started.  Since then, it has been a daily job to find new ways to organize a space that does not have any storage space.  My latest means to organize my lessons has been my lifesaver.  I saw something similar in another teacher's classroom, and decided to adapt the same method to fit my needs.  I now organize everything by days of the week.  Whatever worksheets, activities, and supplies I will need for that day's lessons go in the corresponding drawer.  There is also a bin for next week's materials so that on Friday, I can pull out that drawer and just as easily put them in the correct drawers for next week.  I think this will also be extremely helpful for when I have a sub.  I won't have to go crazy pulling stuff together, but just pull out the drawer and make a copy of the days's lesson plans.

The teacher who inspired this organization method had each drawer labled for each subject, as well as for art activities, coloring pages, math games, and sub activities.  I also have a bin full of sub activites; however having another set of drawers for sub materials might also be a good solution for my storage and organization issues!  I'm excited to give it a try!

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Difficult Days in First Grade ....

It's been a tough week in the first grade.  All year, personal items have been disappearing from students in our classroom/house.  Unfortunately, this week was a very dramatic one.  We discovered who was taking items, and it has been hard to deal with on all levels.  First of all, I want to know why.  Second, I'm sad for everyone involved.  This is such a tough life lesson for all of us.  As a teacher, I want to make sure that the emotional needs of all of the students are met, and that we are able to move past this as a community, but I am mostly concerned for the student that has been taking things.  It's going to be a tough road ahead for a few weeks.  I keep hoping that I am handling it the best way possible.  I am so thankful for my partner, as well as our principal and support staff.  I would love to hear how others have worked through these situations.  Comments welcome!Pin It

Math - What's the Decade?

Yesterday in my 2nd grade math class, I introduced the concept of rounding to the nearsted ten.  I was suprised how confused many of the students were, even while using a number line.  I woke up at 4:45 this morning with an idea: a game to practice rounding.  This is what I came up with:

The first student draws two cards from a deck, and makes a two digit number.  They then write that number down, as well as the nearest decade number, ten, to practice their rounding skills.  The students played with a partner, and I found that the peer support they received while practicing made a huge difference.  Each student had their own worksheet, but they wrote down both player's numbers.  The kids had fun and did not want to stop.  I think I will use this for a math warm-up activiity once in a while to keep skills sharp.  This game could also be played with dice, or by drawing three cards.

You can download the free worksheet herePin It