ABC Order and Guide Words - Freebie

One of our skills for this week is learning to use a dictionary to determine word meaning. My kiddos have to learn to use alphabetical order before they can look up a word, so I made this activity to use in a small/whole group. I'll probably put it in a literacy station next week.

Give each group of students a set of word cards that all start with the same letter. I printed each set in a different color of card stock so it would be easier to manage when I'm handing out the materials. The groups work to put the words in alphabetical order. I have eight words in each group. Each group can be broken down into two different groups. Once the students have put the words in alphabetical order, they have to determine which set of guide words will contain each group of words. But be careful! They may not all fit!

I Love Words - Dictionary Skills Freebie

Here's one of my literacy stations for this week to give the kiddos extra practice on dictionary skills. They had rather work with the dictionary than do anything else I give them! I've never seen a group like this....they love absolutely everything I give them! 

Thankful for Dictionary Skills!

I mentioned in an earlier post that our local Rotary Club gave all of our Third Graders a dictionary. The kiddos were sooooo excited! It was like Christmas in October. They beg and beg to look up words, so I promised them I would add a dictionary station to our rotation. Here is the first one. Give them a timer and turn them loose! Click on the pic below to download the Google doc. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you do to help your kids with dictionary skills.

Graphics by ScrappinDoodles.com    Fonts by KevinandAmanda.com

The Best Laid Halloween Plans

Well, I have a plan for tomorrow.....and we all know how classroom plans for Halloween go!

I'm planning on having a slide show on my Promethean Board ready when we get to our room after Morning Meeting in the gym.

Each slide explains one activity we are going to do during the day.

First up, the students are going to work with their table group and look around the room for clues to help them make inferences about what we are going to do during the day.


Next, the students are going to choose RingPops and use their senses to write a descriptive paragraph. See the PowerPoint file at the end of the post for directions. I got the whole box of RingPops at Walgreens for about $5.00.

Next, students choose a pack of chips and look for nouns in the pictures and words on the pack. Walmart had boxes of Halloween themed chips.

Next, it's Buddy Reading time. Partners will read Halloween stories and joke books together.

After that, we will use the Spooky Noun Scavenger Hunt in our Science books that I posted about earlier. Click on the pic below to go to that post.

Then it's time for some Magic School Bus fun and fact and opinion practice.

Our local Rotary Club delivered dictionaries for each student to take home. The kids beg to race to look up words, so we are going to have a Spooky Speed Demon Race and use our dictionary skills. Click on the pic below for the PowerPoint for the activity or HERE for a pdf file. I didn't put a timer on the slides so that you could do that and use what is appropriate for your class.

For Math, we are going to use the activity I posted for The Thirteen Nights of Halloween. They have worked with it in centers, so now we are going to pair up and make posters showing different ways of representing numbers. Click on the pic below for the original post.

By then it will be time for refreshments. I have my other activities I've posted about throughout the month to fill in any gaps.

Click on the pic below if you would like a PDF doc of the PowerPoint slides or HERE for the PowerPoint files.

I hipe you have a fantabulous Halloween Day with your kiddos!

Don't forget to go HERE to enter my Giveaway for a $25.00 Amazon gift card. You have until tomorrow night at midnight.