iPads, iPods, iPhones Oh My!

Wonder what I have been working on this past week?  I have started loading all of my multimedia files for the Smart Board, Interactive Whiteboard (IWB), and computer into files for the iPad, iPod, and iPhone.  Previously, you could only purchase them as a CD pack set at my conferences.  Whoever said loading things to Teachers Pay Teachers was easy . . .  Oh my it is so time consuming loading pictures, demo versions, the files, the categories, and I am half-way through my 15 files.  I think I can I think I can . . .

Click HERE to view my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Anyway, if you have one of these gadgets for your classroom, are getting them soon,  here is a fun way to have access to these videos or multimedia files as an individual center during Reader's Workshop, "Read-to-Self" or "Listen to a Book" during the Daily Five.  These gadgets make it easy to differentiate for your students.  Since the multimedia files cover a wide range of skills from  letter sounds in Pre-K to more complex phonics patterns for 1st and 2nd grade, I am able to choose the multimedia file that addresses the skills my students need to work on individually.  I also use these with my students who are on Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education students too. And what's more fun that using an iPad, iPod, or iPhone to do it? And you are not limited to your own classroom.  Maybe your own child or grandchild has one of these gadgets and needs practice, reinforcement, or review on learning these skills.  My 6 month-old grandson's favorite is "Five Word Families!"  I know I am starting him young! LOL!

I should have all of the files on TpT by tomorrow night.  And who knows, I might just get a splurge of energy and get it done this evening.  If you are like me, I am on the countdown to the end of school.  It is a mixed blessing as there is so much to do and so little time. Testing, assessing, teaching, mixed in with a whole lot of fun.  I have such a great group of students this year, and I am already missing them.

Thanks for stopping by and check back again soon.  Our "Ocean Inquiry Study" is in full-swing, and I can't wait to show you the great work my students have done in researching about their "ocean animal."

Listening and Following Directions Fun

I found them!!!!!  If you have attended one my sessions:  A Circle of Friends:  A Circle of Learning, or my "Games" session, you have seen my famous "grabbers" and possibly volunteered to play the games in the session. (Thank you!) They are sometimes hard to find.  I usually find them at Michael's or Toys R Us around Christmas.  This weekend I was at Target, and I shouted to the rooftops with excitement when I found them.  So for my Tulsa, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Florida teachers who attended one of my recent sessions- go to Target.  They are even higher quality and sturdier than my original ones.

Click here for the link to Target and the location that sells them near you.

So if you have never attended that session and you are thinking, "This blogger is a little over the top,"  I will give you 20 ways I use these in the classroom.  We sit in a circle and pass 2 grabbers around the room after we complete the skill individually. We grab each one separately or together depending on the skill.  It is an "all-time" favorite of my classroom, and it transfers from Pre-K to 2nd grade.  


1.  Play follow the directions game using 1, 2, 3 or 4 step directions. 
2.  Spell you name. K (squeeze left grabber) a (squeeze right grabber) t (squeeze left grabber) h (squeeze right grabber) y (squeeze left grabber) and then pass to the person on the left.  Play continues until everyone has a turn.
3.  Count the syllables in your name. Ka (squeeze left grabber) thy (squeeze right grabber)
4.  Blend compound words. sun (squeeze left grabber) shine (squeeze right grabber) sunshine (squeeze left and right at the same time)
5.  Spell your word wall words. Refer to #2
6.  Segment phonemes in words. cat (squeeze both at the same time) "c" (squeeze left grabber) "a" (squeeze right grabber) "t" (squeeze left grabber) Pass to the person on the  left and continue around the circle.
7.  Blend phonemes into a word. "d" (squeeze left grabber) "o" (squeeze right grabber) "g"    (squeeze left grabber) dog (squeeze both together)
8.  Delete the first phoneme.
9.  Substitute the first phoneme.
10.  Do math combinations:  5+5=10
11.  Skip count by 2's.
12.  Count to 5.  
13.  Count to 10.
14.  Count backwards from 5.
15.  Count backwards from 10.
16.  Pattern games. Squeeze left out, squeeze right up, squeeze left out, squeeze right up
17.  Practice phonics' patterns. ay (squeeze both together) "a" (squeeze 
18.  Say your letters and sounds.
19.  Place value.
20.  Practicing left and right.



And if you are interested in attending this session, I will be presenting it at the DI Conference (Differentiating Instruction) in Vegas, Di Midwest Conference in Chicago, and I Teach 1st in Chicago through SDE (Staff Development for Educators).  You can click on the links at the top of my blog or on the right for details about the conferences.  It is one of my favorite sessions!


Happy GRABBING and "Following Directions!"  Thanks for stopping by!

In Memory of My Father

     It's been a tough week with little time to post.  Just a quick note to my readers that I will be posting again starting tomorrow.  My father passed away on Monday after a long battle with cancer, and his funeral was Friday.  
     My father had the ability to make a rhyme or song to anything.  It was one of those things that I thought was really cool when I was little, annoying when I was a teenager, and just a way of life as an adult.
     Well, if you look at my project that began last summer, I would say that I am my father's child.  I have always made up songs to teach my students concepts, but last May 2011, I decided to put it all on the line and create a CD, multimedia files, books, and literacy centers to teach phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading.
     I was fortunate enough to be able to play some of it for my father last fall while he was still able to understand what I had done.  I remember he smiled at me, and then looked at me with tears in his eyes.  
     So I guess to summarize this post, I would like for everyone this week to think about the impact singing has on teaching students.  Singing with your students can help them retain information, put a smile on their faces, and make an impact on their learning.  And if you have one of my songs or multimedia files, play it for your students and think of the man behind the teacher who created it.  Because without his passion, and quirky jingles, I might have never written "Growing Dendrites with Kathy Griffin."


Rest in peace Dad. I am glad you are no longer in pain. I love you.

FREE Smart Board Monday

I created a fun game for your Smart Board just in time for Easter!  The Common Core Standard is to work with numbers to 10.  So, this game could be used with Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade, or as an RTI (Response to Intervention) activity with 2nd grade students.  It is called the "Easter Egg Ten Frame Game" and is for working with subtraction using a 10 frame.  Here is a picture of what it looks like:

Click here to download this FREE activity.  Spread the word or help pin it to Pinterest!  Click on "Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers" under Kathy Griffin to get updates when I post new activities.

Learning the Vowels and Common Core

Teaching those pesky vowel sounds in the early childhood classroom can be challenging. Students must learn the difference between a consonant and vowel, the sounds for each vowel, and that every word must have a vowel.  These concepts can be abstract for our little learners.  So why not make it fun by making vowel flags, singing a song, marching around the room, and ending the activity with a vowel hunt.  


Today's post will show how I teach the short vowel sounds in my classroom, and at the end of this post, I will show the correlation and connection to the Common Core Standards. I first play the song "I Know My Vowels" from my CD "Growing Dendrites with Kathy Griffin" (c) Copyright 2011.  Sometimes we watch the multimedia file on our interactive whiteboard or Smart Board, and sometimes I just play the song on the CD player depending on the objective.  Here is a sample of the multimedia file:

Interested in purchasing the multimedia file for your Smart Board, Interactive Whiteboard, or student computers for $3.00?  Click here for a link to it on my TpT store.

Want to purchase the mp3 version of this song for $1.00?  Click here for a link to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

We decorate our "vowel flags."  The children personalize their flag for next activity.
I hot glue a Popsicle stick to the back of the flag.  We turn the song on again and use our flags for marching around the room to the song.  The children love to wave their flags while they sing.  This is a picture of one of my students with her flag.  

We keep our flags in our desks and use them for several activities over a few weeks and then bring them back for review.  I have three different recording sheets that go with the song/flag activity.  I differentiate the activity depending on the needs of my students.  The recording sheets look like this:

The focus is to locate words, write them in the appropriate column, and highlight the vowel.

Differentiating for students who are ready to find words with blends.  The focus is to locate the words, write them in the appropriate column, and highlight the vowel.

Differentiating for students who are ready to add word endings which is part of the Common Core Standards. Students locate words with vowels that have the word endings listed on the recording sheet and write them in the appropriate column.  Students may also locate words and then add the word endings too.

We use our flags frequently as we learn, practice, and review our vowel sounds.  On the last time through, I have the students record the words they find that contain the vowels directly on their flag.  When they are finished, they take their vowel flags home for a home-school connection. Here is a sample of one of my flags along with the directions. Click here to download a copy of the vowel flags and recording sheets.

Cut the sheet into 2 flags, hot glue or tape (packaging tape works best) to the back of the flag.

The pictures below show how I differentiate the activity to meet the needs of my students.  Sometimes we make vowel flags for the short vowel sound, and other times we focus on finding words that make the long vowel sound or they "say their name."

Do you like this vowel activity?  It is part of the "I Know My Vowels Activity Pack" from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.   Click here to view it on Teachers Pay Teachers. Click Download Preview at the top of the TpT page to see more activities from the packet.


You can also purchase the book set for guided reading or use as a "Just Right Book" for book boxes. Click here for a link to the book set on my TpT store.


Common Core
So exactly how and where does "learning the vowels" fall within the Common Core Standards?
For Kindergarten:
English Language Arts Standards: Language
Conventions of Standard English
L.K.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
*Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).
*Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.
Reading: Foundational Skills
Phonological Awareness
RF.K.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
*Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable words.
*Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.
Phonics and Word Recognition
*Demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or most frequent sound for each consonant.
*Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
For 1st Grade:
English Language Arts Standards: Language
Conventions of Standard English
L.1.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
*Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
Phonological Awareness
RF.1.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
*Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
*Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.
*Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence on individual sounds (phonemes).
Phonics and Word Recognition
RF. 1.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
*Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Nonfiction Text Features & Common Core

There is a lot of discussion going on about aligning our teaching and curriculum with the Common Core.  I have been doing a lot of research on the subject and pouring over the information on their website.  So here is my position on the Common Core:  It's just good teaching practices.  I decided to take a look at what I am currently doing in the classroom and how it stacks up to the Common Core.  For future blog posts, I will make a connection and reference to the Common Core to help teachers realize what we are already doing that matches with the Common Core and some ways to meet the standards. 


My class is working with nonfiction text features as we enter the first phase of our next inquiry project - Ocean Life/Habitats - after spring break.  We are creating an anchor chart modeled after The Comprehension Tool Kit for K-2 by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis. It is a work in progress that will continue over the next 3 weeks.  The following shows the chart we have been creating over the past 2 days.  We use Scholastic Readers, and I am able to show the interactive version on our Smart Board.  When we were finished, we cut one of our "magazines" apart to show the nonfictions features the magazine used.  Later in the day, we worked in small groups to identify the nonfiction features in our "magazines."  I save the extra Scholastic Readers every year and laminate them to use for this activity.  This gives us multiple versions on various topics.  I cut Post-it-Note labels into small strips to help color-code their findings.  The students used our anchor chart to help identify and label these features.  My 1st grade students LOVED it!  It was also great fine motor practice too.

Building an Anchor Chart

Sticky Post-it-Labels cut into strips for identifying nonfiction text features

Cooperative Learning:  Identifying nonfiction text features - photographs

We found photographs, illustrations, and labels.

We found more illustrations.  But wait!  The question at this table became, "Are there illustrations in the photographs?"  After looking at the Scholastic Magazine, they were right!  And they were so excited they discovered this on their own.  This led to a conversation about why the author would do that.  Cooperative learning at its finest:)

Update 11/20/12:  I have created a unit along with 2 multimedia files, 2 Power Points,  2 songs, and a 124 page unit to help teach nonfiction text features to our students.

Click HERE to view the blogpost about it.

This Post included:
Common Core for Kindergarten: English Language Arts Standards - Reading - Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details RI. K.1, RI. K.2, RI. K.3

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI. K.7, K.9

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI. K.10

Common Core for 1st Grade: English Language Arts Standards - Reading - Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details RI. 1.1, RI. 1.2, RI. 1.3

Craft and Structure RI 1.4, RI 1.5, RI 1.6

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI. 1.7, RI. 1.8, RI. 1.9

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI. 1.10

Common Core for 2nd Grade:  English Language Arts Standards - Reading - Informational Text

Craft and Structure RI. 2.4, RI. 2.5, RI. 2.6

FREE Smart Board Sunday Word Sort

It's FREE Smart Board Sunday!  Do you need a Smartboard word families sort for whole group lessons or as a literacy center? This word sort can be used independently or as a complement to "Five Word Families" from the CD and the multimedia files "Growing Dendrites with Kathy Griffin" (c) Copyright 2011.

Sort the words by their ending word pattern.  Use the picture clues for as an added anchor.

Sort the words by their ending word pattern.  Use the picture clues for as an added anchor.

Sort the words by their ending word pattern.  Use the picture clues for as an added anchor.

Sort the words by their ending word pattern.  Use the picture clues for as an added anchor.



Sort the words by their ending word pattern.  Use the picture clues for as an added anchor.



Use this file as a literacy center.  When your students get to this page, they know their turn is over.

Click HERE for the FREE Smartboard Download.

Click HERE to see how I use the multimedia file on YouTube.

Click HERE to see the multimedia file for the Smart Board, Interactive Whiteboard, or student computer on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Click HERE to view the Game & Activity pack on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Click HERE to see the book set on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Click HERE to listen to a clip of the mp3 song on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

Raising a Child with Special Needs

Tonight's post comes from the heart and is dedicated to my beautiful daughter, Tessa.  It comes from the personal side that I experience from raising a child with Down Syndrome, diabetes, Celiac Disease, and a thyroid disorder.  And for all of the teachers out there that go the extra mile, work those extra hours, ponder how to modify lessons to include our children, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  


It's that time of the year again for many parents of children with special needs.  It's either IEP time or time to think about the placement of where our children will be the next year. Change is hard for everyone.  Yet, change is especially hard for parents who have a child with special needs.  We have to trust that schools make the right choice in placing our children with the right teacher and the right amount of services.  And as Tessa nears the end of her education with one year to go in the public school system, I find myself looking back at the long road we travelled to get to this place. It hasn't always been easy.  We've had our share of "good times" and "challenging times."  But ultimately, we have travelled down a path that led my daughter to many wonderful friends, peers, and teachers. 


I wrote this very personal poem last year and had kept it tucked away in "My Documents" on my computer. I looked at it the other day and decided that maybe it was time to share with others. So here is a very personal glimpse into my life and how hard IEP meetings can be for parents. And let's never forget that behind every student, there is a family that deserves our respect and support.

My beautiful daughters Tessa and Brandi

So for all of the teachers who will be attending IEP's this spring and next fall, here is a strategy for working with families of children with special needs.  Make a mental picture of this poem and remember how hard "IEP Day" can be on parents.  Then think of 3 positive things about your students with special needs in your class and share it with their families.  Thank you for caring and giving so much every day.


Thanks for stopping by.  Tomorrow is FREE Smart Board Sunday!

Listening Strategies that Work

I was in travel mode this week with a quick trip to present at the Pennsylvania Kindergarten Conference in Harrisburg, PA, so I didn't have time to blog.  Today's post is an anchor chart that I use in my classroom (minus the clip art) to help my children learn strategies to use when they "have the wiggles."  I spoke about these strategies at my session on Recognizing Red Flags and working with students with special needs in the early childhood classroom.  This anchor chart shows the strategies my students use to help them listen during group time.  I should have a listening strategy song and book released this summer to go with the chart.  Until then, have your students learn these strategies a few at a time and use when they "have the wiggles."  They can work miracles with all of the students in your classroom from Pre-K to 2nd grade.  My suggestion:  Add clipart or student drawings beside the strategies to help nonreaders.  If you have any questions about the individual strategies, let me know. Just think of all the ways adults sit still during meetings.  We doodle on paper, cross our legs, play with our hair, wiggle our thumbs, tap our fingers, etc . . .

UPDATE:  I now have a activity and song packet on Teachers Pay Teachers for these strategies.  Click HERE to take you to the blog post about my new packet and to listen to the songs. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Teachers Pay Teachers Leap Year Sale

I am participating in the Teachers Pay Teachers Leap Year Sale on Wednesday, February 29, 2012.  All of my book sets and activity packs will be 20% off and TpT is giving another 10% off all of my products.  Stop by and select what you want tonight and Tuesday and put it on your wish list.  Then you will be ready to shop on Wednesday. 
 
Remember to enter the PROMO CODE: L2P9Y when you check out to get the TpT's discount.  Happy Leap Year!

It's FREE Smart Board Sunday Jingle Bell Word Families

It's FREE Smartboard Sunday!  Today's download is to complement my song "Jingle Bell Word Families" from the CD "Growing Dendrites with Kathy Griffin."  Here is a peek at the multimedia file on my YouTube Channel.

Click here to purchase the multimedia file for $4.00.
Click here to purchase the mp3 song for $1.25.
Click here to purchase the book set for guided reading, independent reading, the listening center, book boxes, or as a homework song folder for $4.00.


And here are sample pictures from the FREE Smart Board Sunday Smart Board games:

This is the Image Sort Game.  I created an image of the bells and grouped the word with the bell.  Use as a whole group mini-lesson or as a literacy center to sort "ang and ing" words.  If using as a literacy center, duplicate the page multiple times so your students can rotate through the center.  Or you can keep all three games together and let your students play all 3 versions.

The Vortex Word Sort - Students sort the "ang" and "ing" words by their word pattern.  If they are right, the word gets sucked into the vortex.  If they are wrong, the vortex spits it back out.  Students love to be wrong on this game:)  Use it as an opportunity as to what does NOT belong. Use as a whole group mini-lesson or as a literacy center.  If using as a literacy center, duplicate the page multiple times so your students can rotate through the center.  Or you can keep all three games together and let your students play all 3 versions.

Matching Pairs  - Students match words ending with the "ang, ing, ong, ung" word patterns. Tiles disappear when the words match.  Play continues until board is cleared. Use as a whole group mini-lesson or as a literacy center.  If using as a literacy center, duplicate the page multiple times so your students can rotate through the center.  Or you can keep all three games together and let your students play all 3 versions.

Click here to download this FREE Smart Board activity.


Don't have this technology?  Here is a FREE word sort activity to use as a literacy center. 

Students can color the bells by their word family pattern.

Students can cut the cars apart and tape on their word work books or on the sheets provided on the FREE download.

Students can tape the word sorts on the paper provided.

Dendrites, Do Not Disturb, Guided Reading Groups, OH MY!

Wow!  Have you ever had one of those weeks that just flew by so fast you wonder where the week went?  That is how my week went.  The students were out of school on Monday for Presidents' Day while the teachers had professional development.  I attended some great sessions on Inquiry in the Classroom, Math Centers, and a new program that was just installed on our computers - Graphing Club.  Plus, I got a student teacher this week from ORU who is absolutely fantastic and amazing with the children.  It's going to be a great 8 weeks.

So today's blog is going to be about DENDRITES!!!  My students love that word, and take their new learning seriously.  We've talked about growing dendrites all year, and of course, that is the name of my new CD so they see/hear it in my multimedia files, songs and books.  I decided to show them an actual picture of the brain with dendrites and neurons on an imaging scan I found on the Internet via the big screen, digital projector/Smart Board. Whoa!  You need to google that and show your students.  The children were so excited to see what it actually looked like as the dendrites branch out to all of the neurons.  We contemplated what might be on one of those dendrites branching out to the neurons.  


I love how children think . . . Combinations of 10 such as 5 + 5?  The doubles facts? The phonics patterns "ch, sh, aw, eu, the silent e?"  Our "Outlaw Words?" Reading strategies?

Do not disturb -We're growing dendrites!  This is my teacher hat to wear during guided reading groups.  Students know when I am wearing this hat, there is "serious brain work" going on:) It's been a great visual for the children.

My student teacher Ms. Johnson working with one of my students during "Read to Self."  She is rotating around the room getting to know the students and their reading patterns/strategies.  We decided she needed a "Do not disturb hat" too because they were all wanting to read to her.  

It's going to be a great 8 weeks!  Well I guess we have 7 left.

So there is my strategy for the week.  Purchase a $1.00 foam hat, staple on some pipe cleaners, and add some colored pom poms.  I love being an Early Childhood Teacher!


Visit my TpT store and check out my songs, multimedia files for the Smart Board or IWB, games, and books that teach phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, and reading strategies.


Thanks for stopping by!  Tomorrow is FREE Smart Board Sunday!

It's FREE Smart Board Sunday Short A Vowel Game

Do your students need practice with their short "a" word families? Here is a sneak peek at the FREE Smart Board Download.  Don't have a Smart Board.  Look at the bottom for the PDF version and use them as a paper version for literacy centers, guided reading, or in your students' book boxes for extra practice.

 Click here for the FREE Smart Board Download for the Short A Vowel Rapid Naming Activity.

Click here for the FREE pdf version to use as word work in literacy centers, during guided reading, in book boxes, or as homework practice.