Do you struggle with teaching CVC word families to your students? How about teaching them to blend phonemes? I've been working on a project for a couple of months and it is finally finished!
Preview a sample of my new mini-video bundle. There are 12 videos for teaching 12 different word families. They focus on the sounds the letters make and blending those sounds to make new words. They also teach the phonemic awareness skill of substitution of the first sound.
Copy the printable on colored card stock and then either laminate or place in a pocket protector. Use these sheets during small group instruction. Sing, chant, spell, and blend over 60 words.
Use these sheets for independent practice or for assessment. The flip books can be placed in a center to complete and then used during small group instruction to do word work. Send the flip books home for students to read with their families.
Are you ready for school? Here are some great Back to School videos on YouTube.
First up! Patty Shukla! Love, love, love this song. This one is so catchy and has a great theme. Be responsible - be safe! Thanks Patty for your great songs and videos. I have a link to her songs on Amazon at the end of the post.
The next one is about feelings. You can do the same thing with your students. I always read books about feelings at the first of the year. We discuss them and then I take pictures of my students making these expressions. I then turn the pictures into a video presentation through Animoto. Children love acting out the different emotions. Children just love being DRAMATIC!
Next is Harry's Kindergarten. It's about the rules of the classroom in a rap version.
This next song is about feelings too. Young children need to express how they are feeling. They need lots of practice naming the different emotions and how to deal with them.
Next is a song by Jack Hartmann. It is called Here We Go - The Directions Song. Our young children need fun ways to learn how to follow directions. Put directions to music and dance and let the fun and learning to follow directions begin.
Do you like Wikki Stix? Wikki Stix is great for building names, ABC's, sight words, and word families. It is also a perfect fine motor activity which makes it a win-win for the early childhood class. As a teacher, I loved that the children stayed engaged, but I didn't like the sticky mess or organizing it. Then, I came up with a simple way to use wikki stix.
WIKKI STIX NOTEBOOKS
Materials Needed:
1 inch notebook with plastic pockets
Wikki Stix
scissors
ABC chart
painters tape
plastic tub
Directions:
Place a strip of painters tape across the middle of the notebook (right side).
Place ABC strip inside pocket on left side.
Cut Wikki Stix pieces in half.
Arrange Wikki Stix pieces by color on the right side.
Ready to use!
Storage:
Place in a plastic tub with a lid.
And there you have it. No more Wikki Stix mess on the tables. It stays on the notebook and will last through the whole school year. Storing it in the tub help keeps it pliable. I also place a package of baby wipes beside the tub and remind my students to wipe their hands before they build words.
WIKKI STIX CLIPBOARDS
You can also use one notebook for storing the Wikki Stix and give the students black clipboards
as a place mat to manipulate and build words. This takes up less space, but they have to share the wiki stik. Either way, when center time is over, have your students put the Wikki Stix back on the right side and sort it by colors. Easy Peasy!
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I have some new games, songs, and books ready just in time for school! And they are on sale through Wednesday, August 5, 2015. Remember to enter the code BTS15 to receive 28% off the original price. Keep on reading. There is a FREEBIE ALERT in here too.
PHONICS
Young children learn best through a multi-sensory experience. If they can sing it, they will remember it. Knowing letter-sound combinations is crucial in learning to decode words and read. Just turn on the mini-music videos and let them sing away :) As a request from many buyers, I put 6 together in a BUNDLE. I've also updated some of the videos with new clipart and fonts over the past year.
Learn about the rules at school from the Gingerbread Friends. This packet contains 2 books along with multiple versions (color, black & white, 2 teacher books, 2 student books, and 2 power point versions) and a poster set of the rules. It also comes with a mini-video and mp3 song.
This is a fun book to use at back to school to show how to make friends. This packet contains a teacher book, 2 student versions for differentiation, and clipart to build an anchor chart with your students. I've included both the color and back and white options.
This a fun game to play the first week of school. It is supported with picture clues so even young children can play.
PHONICS GAMES
I designed these games so children can play them independently and practice their fluency at the same time. There are picture clues to support them in reading and finding the correct words. I copied mine on colored card stock and laminated for durability. I also included other ways to use these cards including word sorts and in Read & Write Around the Room. Recording sheets are provided with all packets except the Alphabet Fluency Card Game and Blends Packet. Alphabet Fluency Card Game
This comes with 4 different versions.
Uppercase
Lowercase
Uppercase & Lowercase
Uppercase & Lowercase with Picture Supports
Purchase the bundle and SAVE! I combined all of the phonics card games above into one bundle. Once you teach the rules to the game, your children will be independent in playing the other versions.
If you haven't been to my store in a while, drop by and visit. I've added more mini-videos and activity packets this past year. You can search in the drop down menu under most recent to see the newest packets.
I just returned from presenting at the SDE National Conferences, and WOW I am so inspired by all of the teachers I met. There was so much energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to our children. I will be sharing some slides from my sessions over the next coming days and weeks. First up is a topic I am very passionate about.
REMEMBER HOW YOU TEACH IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU TEACH
I know many times we feel like we have no control over what happens in our classroom because of changing standards, assessments, or political mandates. But we really do. How we choose to teach those standards can make all of the difference.
How will our students best learn these standards? As early childhood educators, what do we know about teaching young children? Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. But we must see clearly when planning learning activities for our students. When looking at our curriculum and standards, we must remember to use our early childhood lens. Young children learn through play. Young children learn through hands-on, minds-on activities. Worksheets do not keep our young children engaged. A recording sheet can just be another name for a worksheet. Balance is key when planning activities.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
We tend to overplan. Overplanning is fine but don't let it consume you. Pinterest and blogs are amazing resources, but everything you do does not have to be picture perfect. Don't wear yourself out trying to make everything color-coded, sprinkled with glitter, and in a perfect package. Children like authentic. You establish the climate of the classroom. You make a difference.
I hope you are enjoying your summer break, even though I know most of you are already thinking about the upcoming school year. Don't forget to add some time in there to relax too.
Are you ready for Earth Day on April 22nd? Do you need some videos, books, songs, and activities for Earth Day? I have rounded up the following resources to make your planning easier. Enjoy!
This is a cute song from Patty Shukla. Don't forget to subscribe to her channel while you are there.
The next video is from Reading Rainbow. Levar Burton shows what happens to all of the things we recycle. Wow! This one is fantastic! Give your children a clipboard with post-it-notes or notebook to write down interesting facts as they watch the video. They can draw pictures, write words, or both to record their thinking. Use their recordings to build an anchor chart or list of how things are recycled.
This video is from D-rop (drop of water) explaining reduce, reuse, recycle. Cute and engaging for children.
Need an uplifting, catchy song for your children to sing? I've used this one with my children for a few years. Love, love, love! They can learn the same motions as the children and even draw their own back ground posters to hold up as they sing. This would be a great way to share information with other classes by putting on a performance show.
You've gotta love Harry's Kindergarten and all of his videos. He has two on his YouTube channel that would be great for Earth Day.
This one adds in some movement too. I call that a win-win video.
Here are some great books about recycling for Earth Day. Many of these have a kindle version. If you have a kindle or an iPad, you can use these books to display on a projector or put in a folder for independent reading and research. The kindle version is usually at a reduced price.
The first book has a preview to show what it is about. I included the link to it on Amazon (affiliate link below). I like how it gives examples of what it does "not" mean to be going green.
Do you need some fun songs about the zoo for your children? Get your children singing and moving to these fun animal songs on YouTube.
This video is one of my all time favorites. Your children can sing, move, and count too.
We're going to the zoo! How about you?
This video gives movement examples for the children to do while they are singing. Move, sing, and build vocabulary while having fun!
If you are talking about monkeys, you'll love this version of Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Check out these math and reading activities to do with Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.
One of the favorite animals my children love to watch at our zoo is the otter. Jack Hartmann's song is perfect because you get to watch a real-live otter while you sing and move.
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Thanks for stopping by!
as a place mat to manipulate and build words. This takes up less space, but they have to share the wiki stik. Either way, when center time is over, have your students put the Wikki Stix back on the right side and sort it by colors. Easy Peasy!
