Day 10 of Freebies!

Well, I've stretched it a little longer than 10 days....but hey, it just heightened the anticipation, right?

You may or may not remember my "Number of the Day" booklet my kids complete (you can click HERE to see the original post).  Well, since then I have varied each book.  We switch 'em out every 20 days.  

Since it's Freebie #10, I thought I'd put together what I have created so far and you can download it from Google Drive {here}.  I placed them in a zipped folder, so be sure to extract it to a safe place!  They're in Publisher, so hopefully you'll be able to see them.  If not, let me know and I'll try to resave them as PDFs!  Update:  PDF version available {here}!

At some point (maybe by the end of the year?) I'll stick 'em all together and throw it up on the teacher stores, but until then...enjoy! :)

Place Value and a Freebie! :)

I would love to say today's freebie was my own lil' idea....but I cannot (and unfortunately, I cannot give her credit, since it's not on her sheet!).  However, I can say that I improved on a GREAT idea! :)

In second grade, we build numbers to the hundreds.  I had this great little center that dealt with rolling tens and ones, building them with base 10 blocks, and then identifying each tens and ones place.  My kids really enjoyed it!  Soooo....along comes my design (and I must say, I don't know how the original creator made those boxes, but they were very time consuming!)....now, students are rolling, building, drawing, and writing to 100s! :)

Pick it up {here} as Freebie #9 (!) for my (almost) 100 followers on Google Drive.  Hope you're able to use it in your class! :)

Pirate Tweets and Freebie#8

At least, I think it's number 8 :)  If I'm off, please let me know! :)  

I have some lego-lovin', piratey super hero star wars fans in my classroom this year, so I'm sure you've noticed a theme in some of the centers and games I've been making!!!

Today is no exception, except I decided to do something my girls would like as well.  I present to you my "Pirate Tweets."  Figure they're cute enough for the girls, but the boys will like the theme!

My class is filled with students who, um, let's just say need to be active!  That also includes writing.  I created "Grammar Adventures" for my class last year, and we had a lot of fun solving grammar mysteries.  This year, though, my students are a little "needier" and I haven't been able to use those adventures as much.   I'm so excited we're getting to the point where the students can start doing more things independently!  

So, they are going on a treasure hunt and finding correct verb tenses!  I've also included a sort with these cute pirates that students can do for reinforcement.  The whole packet is on sale at my teacher stores (and ON sale!!!), but you can pick up the verb sort {here} as a thank you for being my loyal followers! 

Synonyms and Antonyms Plus a FREEBIE!

So, FREEBIE #6 comes from a new collection of synonym and antonym centers with a December theme.  I usually create these centers so that they are introduced in class, practiced in reading groups, and then placed in a literacy center.  I'm excited about the cute moose and reindeer clipart that came from my favorite website, Scrapping Goodies!  If you've never visited, they are a reseller of clipart and you can often find very cute themes for a great deal, including licensed superheroes!

My class is restless by nature and often learn best by movement.  Since "same" and "opposite" are familiar concepts, the first game is a "match up."  Print the cards on sturdy paper, such as cardstock, and laminate for durability.  Then, hand out the cards (there are 12 matches...a total of 24 cards).  Students must then find their match, depending on whether you use the antonym cards or synonym cards.  Other suggested activities are included as well.

The next game I created was with one of my favorite clipart, "Moosey Occasions."  I used just two of the moose for New Year's and Christmas.  There is also one for Valentine's Day, birthdays, and St. Patrick's Day.  Very cute. :)  In this game, students match up the synonyms on the cards (to make it easier for struggling learners, they match one of the New Year's moose to the Christmas moose).  There is a recording sheet at the end of the packet to assess student understanding.

I listed both of these at my stores, but for the #6 freebie out of 10, you can click {here} for "Moos-ing Around With Synonyms."  Please let me know what you think!  By #10, do you think I'll have reached 100???  That would be awesome, but I am so thankful for the 98 that are already following me!  Thank you so much for sticking with me through this year, for all your support and comments.  It really means a lot! :)

Oh!  Don't forget about the cyber sales coming up on Teacher's Notebook and TpT!  You can really stock up and save!  Be sure to check out the linky on Charlotte's Clips blog!  There is a list of shops participating, as well as freebies! :)

Are You Turkied Out Yet?

I love turkeys, but feel they've taken over my holiday!!!  Poor Pilgrims and Native Americans....but turkeys are so cute and fun - I just can't help myself!  Also, I am one who will still do a few more Thanksgiving-themed things after the holiday, so I'll make it up to the Pilgrims then. :)

Today's FREEBIE actually comes from Mailbox magazine.  I must admit that I have let my subscription lapse since I discovered Pinterest.  I simply don't have time to read it anymore!  However, I still have good ideas stashed in files, and this was one of them!

We are learning about related facts, and this came along at the right time!  The template for the turkey is from Mailbox.  Unfortunately, it was one of those things I copied long ago....but I took a picture of the template and downloaded it to a PDF.  You can download it and the turkey call template (below)  {here}.

One last idea I do for Thanksgiving comes from the National Wild Turkey Federation.  Years ago, I attended a state fair and received the teacher packet for free!  Now, I notice it's $50 on the site, but if you can get your school to fund it (and maybe share or put as a resource in a Science lab) it is definitely worth it!

Two of the things I use the most are the CD-ROM which has actual turkey sounds, and the video (VHS...does that tell you how long ago I got it?).  It teaches the kids a LOT about turkeys in a fun way.  After we watch the videos, (it's a series of 3 short videos), then we make turkey calls!

Simple and easy:  plastic cup (like a Solo cup), twine, and a toothpick. 

*Poke a hole through the top of the cup (it's easier to have the cups stack and use an adult pair of scissors to poke the hole).

*Thread the twine through.

*Tie a toothpick to the top of the twine so it doesn't go all the way through the cup.

To make a "cutting" sound for a turkey, tug firmly in short bursts (not too hard!).  The kids love this and I actually had a former student take it turkey hunting!  He competed in national competitions for turkey calling, so I thought it was funny when he gave it his seal of approval! :)

I know it's a little late posting Thanksgiving ideas, but I figure you can put this away for next year! I'll also be posting the photos on Pinterest, if you'd like to repin, or you can pin straight from this post! 

I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving and good luck to all the Black Friday shoppers out there! Don't forget for teachers, both Teacher's Notebook AND Teachers Pay Teachers are having their sales! :)

Enough turkeys! Bring on the Pilgrims!

Okay, so I realized that most of my Thanksgiving activities are turkey-based.  We make turkey calls and study the information from the National Wild Turkey Federation.  We do turkey math fact craftivities.  We even have a turkey glyph that goes with one of my favorite books, 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving!

So, today, I gave a little wave to the turkeys, telling them to sit back for awhile and let the Pilgrims take the spotlight.  I found this cute hat clipart from The Enlightened Elephant on TpT as a freebie and voila!  A center was born!

So, for #5 FREEBIE for my (almost) 100 followers....something that is for sale in my teacher stores (but for you, my loyal followers, it is absolutely free!)....I present "Wearing a Lot of Different Hats!  Related Facts Featuring the Pilgrims!"

Click on the picture to take you to Google Drive to check it out.  Even if you can't use it this year (and I actually plan on using it AFTER Thanksgiving, since my students are just starting related facts), save it in your file for next year! :)

Thank You, Sarah!

I LOVE this book by Laurie Halse Anderson!

 

I use it each year for Thanksgiving and even though some of the information may be over my second grader's heads (Civil War, for example), they understand the basic concept.  How appropriate is it this year that we are studying Famous Americans during this time...and it was Abraham Lincoln who granted Sarah Hale's request for a national holiday of Thanksgiving!  I can't wait until they make that connection. It's too bad we won't have discussed Susan B. Anthony by the time we read the book next week, but hopefully they'll remember when we get to her after Thanksgiving break.

So, in my round of freebies this is, I believe, number 4 of 10 FREEBIES to celebrate the (almost) 100 followers.  Click on the link {here} to check it out!  I'll also be posting it to my teacher stores as well...hopefully before Thanksgiving!

Famous Americans....A Reboot

I don't know what's wrong with me.  Every year, I seem to want to "redo" or "revamp" my unit plans.  I can never seem to teach things the exact same way twice.  Do you do that, too?  Of course, Pinterest and the teacher blogs haven't helped!  They've inspired the creativity and "ooohh...I can do that!" to make me change the way I do things!

So, even though last February, in my beginning blog days, I blogged about the Famous American unit, here I am (somehow moved to Fall) making a few more tweaks and changes!

First, I was inspired by Pinterest.  I saw the coolest idea of making a visual for biographies.  Thought hmmm...I can do that!  So far, we've discussed George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  Here is what we have posted.  

It's a bit different than my normal anchor chart, but I think it looks pretty good! :)  The "bubbles" are actually the thought bubbles from Publisher, only with lines on them.  I am doing 3 "thought bubbles" for each Famous American to highlight WHY they are famous!  (My kids really wanted to put wooden teeth and wigs, but I told them that's not what made him famous!!!).

I was then inspired by a fellow VA teacher with paper bag books.  What a cool concept!  I've already passed it on to a fifth grade colleague. :)  Doris over at Third Grade Thinkers posted this on reviewing Famous Americans for our statewide test.  What a cool idea!  She had some other ones on there as well, including a bio poem that you can email her and she'll send you a copy!  Please be sure to check her out!

I have revamped mine so that it includes George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr, Helen Keller, Susan B Anthony, and Jackie Robinson.  You can find my pages {here} along with a flipbook template in Publisher.  (That way you can adjust it to whatever people you need!). 

If you'd like to check out the things I haven't quite gotten to yet, check out my Famous American Pinterest board!  The water bottle people are so cute....I'm trying to find a way to fit them in! ;)

Day 2 of Celebration

Okay, still stuck at 98 as of this post...but here is Day 2 of freebies! :)  Maybe by Day 10 I'll have 100??? :)

Listening to the melodious tones of The Voice (I just love Terry!!!), I created a singular/plural sort for my students using that cute Fall cat theme I mentioned.  My kids did a really cute pirate-themed sort today....and then bombed out on the sheet (long story short + one major headache - my kids thought they had to write everything straight across and did NOT pay attention to my directions, nor the ones on the sheet!).  So, I wanted to give them another go and voila, a new center was born!

I gave in and had them match up the singular AND plural of 6 pairs...but I made it a bit more tricky...not every card HAS a match, and there are 7 matches, but they must pick 6.  Okay, not so tricky but at least it makes them think (or as one of my students observed today with their sort....there were two pages and if she cut everything out in order, it was a pattern!  Proud of her for observing the pattern, but I mixed mine up a bit more!).

Go ahead and for Day 2, pick it up at Google Drive {here}.  Hope you enjoy!

98 and counting....

Okay, I can't wait :)  I was trying to figure out something fun to do with 100 followers.  I mean, 100 is a BIG milestone, right?  While I would LOVE to be able to give away gift cards, etc. my budget simply doesn't allow me to do so.  Boo.  So, instead, I thought I'd offer 10 (because frankly, I don't know if I can produce 100!) days of freebies...(If I miss a day, I'll post 2!).

So, since Thanksgiving REALLY snuck up on me this year (where's the time to lose the extra pounds before heading to parents for Thanksgiving dinner???), I don't have a ton of Thanksgiving/fall themed items.  However, I DO have one I just listed on TpT.  To you, my lovely followers, I will offer this as a FREEBIE!

So, Day 1 is "Turkey Trot."

I am soooo addicted to spending my earnings from Paypal on clipart!  So, when I saw these turkeys, I splurged.  Aren't they cute?  To help support my newest addiction, I made them into a place value center.  This can be geared towards any level really.  I have several suggested activities included in the packet.  Since my kids work on two and three digit numbers, these are the examples I made for them.  (Yes, I really did do 437 tally marks!  Whew!).  

Pick it up {here} as part of the 10 days (or so) of FREEBIES! :)  *Please let me know if this does not work (I put it on Google Drive, and "share" so that anyone with a link can access it!

I have an adorable cat fall theme I'm going to try to do something with for the 10 freebies!  Maybe watching the DVR version of "The Voice" tonight will inspire me! ;)