Adverbs and Adjectives Game -- Freebie

Here's  a game to play as part of your whole group instruction to review adjectives and adverbs.

Divide your class into teams. Set a timer for ten minutes. Teams take turns drawing cards. They must tell if the word is an adjective or adverb and use it correctly in a sentence. They get to keep the card if they complete each task correctly. The team with the most cards at the end of ten minutes wins.

Put the cards in a literacy station for extra practice.

Just click on the pic above to get the game cards.

Two Syllable Long Vowel Words - Freebie

I'm giving this activity to my kiddos in a literacy station next week for practice in sorting long vowel two syllable words.

I need to bump up our practice on distinguishing the different long vowel sounds. 

After sorting the words, they will choose one word from each category to use in sentences.

 Just click on the pic above to download the file.

Can you use two syllable words with long vowels in a comment? :)

Santa's Job - Freebie

Steven Krensky has written two books you are going to love!

How Santa Got His Job and How Santa Lost His Job tell the stories of how Santa got the best job in the world...and how he lost it!

This packet combines activities for both books. Although I published them on my blog last year, I've updated them to include the Common Core ELA Standards and put the activities for both books in one packet. 

Just click on the pic above to get double the fun!

To get even more mileage out of the books, I used them both as writing prompts. Before reading, I asked the kiddos to make their own predictions about how Santa first started making and delivering toys. They wrote their own stories, then compared their predictions to the books. We did the same to tell how Santa lost his job.

Please leave a comment! I love reading them!

Have a wonderful end to your Thanksgiving weekend.

Candy Jar Subtraction - Freebie

I'm a little later posting today than usual. I didn't get anything scheduled last night because both of my kids are home from college. That's my first item on my Thankful List!

Here is the companion to the Candy Jar Addition.

Students choose two pieces of candy, arrange them so that they make a subtraction expression, and solve the problem.

Click on the pic above to download the file.

Please leave me a comment....that's another item on my Thankful List!

Candy Jar Addition - Freebie

We're still working on adding and subtracting with regrouping. Here's an activity for a Math station.

Students draw two pieces of candy and find the number cards to match. They must add the two numbers together. You can ask them to draw three cards as an extension.

Just click on the pic above to download the activity.

(And please think about leaving me a comment in my candy jar!)

Updated Polar Express Activities

I posted lots of activities for The Polar Express last year. I've learned a lot about making activities since then, so I've gone back and redone all the activities, added some new ones, correlated them to the Common Core ELA Standards, and put them into one big file. 

Your students can practice sequencing activities, matching synonyms, parts of speech, and alphabetical order. I added cards with discussion questions for the book. If you don't have a copy of The Polar Express, you can listen to actor Lou Diamond Phillips reading it online at StoryLineOnline.

Just click on the pic above to get the file. Please leave a comment if you download the activities. I'd love to know what you think.

I've reached the one thousand followers mark, so be looking for details for a giveaway in the next few days!

This is Why I Teach

One of my sweet kiddos met me in the gym Friday morning with a huge grin on his face. He could not wait to give me a present. The little darling had taken his prized school supply box that he had won in a drawing, added glitter, and magically transformed it into a Treasure Box...complete with treasures!

He asked if I had a husband and if I did he really, really, REALLY wanted me to take my new treasure box to my house and show it to him.

So here are my treasures....keys to my box, Fruit by the Foot, golden beads, a lump of "gold", and a note.

Of course, the note is the most precious treasure of all!

Ask me why I teach.....I can give you a million and one stories like this.