Beginning Sounds Crowns

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Beginning Sounds Crowns are a fun way to keep early learners engaged. They may be used to introduce, practice or review letter names and sounds. They are great for whole group, small group, or in a center. This activity brings the child’s attention to the beginning sounds in words.

alphabet crowns for beginning sounds pics
The focus letter is positioned at the top of the crown.

alphabet activities in kindergarten


Students may add a pattern to the round gems that are lined up across the crown pattern.

making patterns in kindergarten

 

There are 4 graphics on the crown to represent the beginning letter sound. This is where students can name each picture, then write the first letter in each word. You can have students name the picture in one of two ways:

option #1: bird, bird, /b/, /b/, /b/

option #2: /b/, /b/, /b/, bird

beginning sounds in kindergarten

 

This activity is geared towards Pre-K to 1st grade students. But, as you can see… I have been using them with my own 3 year old. They are so easy and fun to do. Even my little Isabella was engaged in learning.

literacy activities for kindergarten

 

Not only does she have wonderful fine motor skills, but was able to create an ABC pattern on the round gems all by herself 🙂

alphabet phonics hats for preschool and kindergarten

Here is her finished crown on a sentence strip. So cute 🙂

alphabet crowns for beginning sounds pics

Available in English here.

Alphabet Crowns- English

 

Available in Spanish here.

Alphabet Crowns- Spanish

Facebook Winners:

Thank you so much for entering this giveaway! I used the woobox app to select the winners. I selected 4 winners instead of 3 to give you an extra chance to win. If you are a winner, please leave a comment in the box below. It will ask you for your name and email. Your email will not appear in the comment section unless you enter it in there. I will send you this packet as soon as I see your email in my dashboard 🙂

 

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Christmas in July Giveaway Winner Announcement

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Winner Announcement

We have a winner 🙂 

Thank you all for participating. This giveaway was so much fun.  Tracie Davis is the winner of the Paper Pro Easy Punch. I will contact you soon for delivery details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where can I find the Paper Pro Easy Punch?

I found mine at Office Depot. It’s very light. You will have no trouble carrying it in your purse for those take-home projects.

Who won the bundles?

Head on over to Freebielicious to see who won the bundles. I hope it was you. Good luck!

Freebielicious

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Classroom Decor Linky Party

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This week’s topic is about wall decor in our classrooms.

As the new school year approaches, we begin to make a list of the things that we need to set up our classrooms. The majority of these things are tied to wall decor, things such as a world map poster that will let the students have a reference for the world around them, and other wall-mounted items that brightens the space. We want to provide a warm and inviting environment where students feel welcomed and know that there is truly a place for them in our classrooms.

Bulletin Board

The first thing that I want students and parents to see is a bulletin board with student names. This will assure them that they are in the right place. The bulletin board can be in the hallway, next to our classroom door. It can be decorated brightly with some neon lighting (like what you get from Neon Mama) to make it look welcoming. If you do not have a bulletin board nearby, you can also decorate your door. Many teachers like to choose a theme for the classroom and will decorate the bulletin accordingly. Here’s a sample:

I created this bulletin board with yellow wrapping paper and school borders. Then, I added some cute owls that I cut out of a poster from the Dollar Tree. The alphabet banner and pom-poms add the finishing touch to make this welcome board stand out.

Backpack Labels:

Now that students know that they are in the right room, they will look for a place to set those heavy backpacks down. I like to have the backpack rack labeled on the first day of school. This way, they will become familiar with the morning routine and begin to have a sense of ownership to the classroom.

Nameplates

Even though we do not know the children well yet, I believe that it is very important to have those nameplates ready on the first day of school. Students see their names on the table and begin to feel at ease because they see something that they are familiar with. Our names are very powerful, plus it will help our Kinders find their place in the classroom.

Calendar

Calendar Time is a big deal in Kindergarten. This is where most classrooms begin their instruction. Students will learn about the months of the year, the days of the week, the date, etc. If you do not have a pocket chart for a calendar, you can use a desk calendar like this one. I found it at Big Lots for $3. You can either pin it up like I did, or you can laminate the current month so that you can add the number cards every morning.
My calendar pack includes the months, days and number cards. Available in English and Spanish.
Tables

Classroom Labels

I strongly believe in environmental print. Students begin to distinguish between letters, numbers and pictures. They make connections between words and objects. They see patterns in words… well, I could go on and on. We all know the benefits of visuals… The more print they see around them, the more they become curious about reading and writing.
Available in English and Dual Language.

Alphabet Posters

You can use letter-size posters to decorate a long wall or 1/2 page cards for a smaller area. Make sure to post the alphabet in a place where students are able to see it well in the room. These will help students with letter-sound relationships, letter formation, alphabet sequence, etc. You could also add some glow-in-the-dark stickers or neon lights to the wall that could be in the shape of animals or even alphabets. There could not be a better combo than vibrant colors and light, to attract children’s attention and curiosity. Custom neon lights can be purchased from online stores like Neon Filter (check out, www.neonfilter.com), for instance.
Posters available in English here and here, and also in Spanish.

Word Wall

This is a colorful word wall. I used 99 ¢ wrapping paper from Party City. I like how the letters and words stand out. Each alphabet header has the letter and an object that represents the sound it makes. I only used red, yellow, blue, and green cards, but these colors lend themselves to some fun word wall games.
Center signs
A good way to define the areas of your classroom is by adding center signs. These will help students know where to go during a center rotation and where to remain during a center activity. These need to be posted in an area where the students can see them clearly. I use Astrobrights (neon cardstock found at Target) behind the center signs so that students can find them quickly in a room.

Math Wall

We can’t forget about the math wall. I post the hundreds chart, numbers 1-30 posters, colors, and shapes. As we learn new objectives, these are added as posters and charts.
This pack was originally made for the numbers 1-10, then I updated it to 1-20. Now, I made them up to 30 but they have not been posted yet. I need to make sure everything looks right. They will be available in English and Spanish soon.
Available in English and Spanish.

Reading Corner

Create an inviting area where students can take their browsing boxes. Add a basket of plush toys. Students can choose their favorite one and read a story to it… I found these colorful pillows, rug and baskets at Big Lots.

Freebies:

Here are some freebies in English and Spanish. Enjoy!

Well, that’s it for today. I hope that you enjoyed this post 🙂

Link-Up

Add a blog post with your classroom decor ideas. Make sure to link back to this post 🙂

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Guided Reading Ch.4: Early Guided Reading

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Wow! There is so much information in this chapter. You will definitely be happy if you purchase The Next Step in Guided Reading. It will walk you through with specific lessons for your guided reading groups. Plus, you will also see some scaffolding examples. 

Early Readers

Jan Richardson says that most first graders are considered to be in this early reading stage.  They are beginning to read words and are using those reading strategies that will help them become fluent readers.  Some of the things that they will be working on include sight words, comprehension and word study. Visual prompts can also make reading easier for this age group, with picture books and comics being ideal reading material. You can click here to learn which comics are favorites, as your first graders may already be familiar with the characters.

Guided Reading Lesson: 20 minutes

Some guided reading procedures include:

Dictating Sight Words

Purpose: Develop visual memory
Time: 1 minute
Teacher dictates a sight word and the student will write it on an individual  dry erase board. The teacher will help students as needed.

Reading a story

Purpose: Develop vocabulary, fluency and comprehension
Time:
1- Introduction: 3-4 minutes
The teacher will introduce the characters and problem of the story.
2-Picture Walk: time was not specified
The students will preview the book with a picture walk. The teacher will point out new concepts and sight words. It’s a good idea to write and introduce those tricky words before the students read the book.
3-Reading: 8-10 minutes
The students read the book independently in a soft voice. This will help them monitor their reading and help them remember what the story is about. Silent reading and choral reading are not encouraged by Jan Richardson, at this point.

4-Target Strategies

Self-monitoring prompts:

The teacher will teach self-monitoring strategies that the students will be able to use during their independent reading. These include;
*Does it make sense?
*Does it look right?
*Read it again.

Decoding Prompts:

Students need to learn the strategies that will help them figure out tricky words…. If it does not make sense, what can I do to figure it out? These might include finding chunks they know, reading slowly, saying the first sounds in words, looking for clues, etc.
These are some reading strategies posters that serve as a visual in the classroom as students engage in their reading activities.

Fluency Prompts

The teacher will use prompts that will help students read with fluency and expression.

Comprehension 

This is mainly done through group discussions which include the following:
1- Students will retell story events by recalling what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 
2- Students will summarize  the story by using the Somebody-Wanted-But-So strategy.
3-Students will do the five-finger retell which includes characters, setting, problem, events, and the conclusion of the story.
4-Students will predict what might happen next in the story.
5-Students will state the problem and tell how it was solved.
6-Students will talk about the character’s feelings.

Discussion Prompt

The teacher will present an open-ended question each day for the reading groups. This will allow students to draw conclusions and draw inferences.
*As the students engage in these discussions, it will prepare them for the use of graphic organizers during independent work. These are some graphic organizers that I made into bookmarks. I still need to make them on a full page so that our kinders can have more room for writing. 

Teaching Points

The teacher will teach a strategy each day that she meets with a group. This will be a strategy that focuses on decoding, fluency or comprehension.
More on Comprehension

Sight Words

Purpose: To develop visual memory
Time: 1-2 minutes
 The teacher will select and teach ONE sight word with every book. We must do all of her suggested activities to help develop visual memory.

1. What’s missing?

This pictured activity features a focus word. The student will read the word, then write the missing letters on the words below. The book suggests that this be done as a hands-on activity during your guided reading group. First, the teacher will build the word with magnetic letters. Next, you will point to each letter as the student spells out the word. Finally, the teacher will present a word on a dry-erase board and erase a letter or more. Then, the students will tell which letter is missing. I just came up with this activity to use as independent practice in a center.

2. Mix it! Fix it!

This is a simple way to practice making new words. The teacher will give students the letters to make the target word. Students will mix the letters and then fix the word by using correct letter sequence.
Independent Activity for centers:
As you can see, the students will rainbow- write the word. They can do this by tracing each letter with different colors, or by using a different color for each letter. This word serves as a model for students who need a little more help. Advanced students can cover their rainbow word before they build the word (“fix” the word). 
First: Students use rainbow writing as they sound out each letter.
Then, students cut the sight word letters and mix them up.
Finally, the students will “Fix” the letters in correct sequence
and add it to the printable mat.

CVC Trace, Color, Build

This is another word-building activity that I created. It is organized by word families so that we can find the target word quicker. Jan suggests working with specific words for each reading level. Level A will work with words which contain 2 letters. Levels B & C works with words which contain 3 letters (cvc words). Level D works with diagraphs, and so on.

I have these CVC printables that will help with:

1. Seeing patterns in words (the initial consonant changes while the ending remains the same)
2. Paying attention to the correct sequence of letters in words
3.Becoming familiar with vowel sounds in CVC words
4.Developing fluency
5.Hearing words that rhyme
6.Decoding skills

Word Study

Some activities to use during your word study minutes include:
1. Picture sorts: Students sort words by short vowels, diagraphs, etc.
2. Making Words: These activities allow students to see the sequence in words and help with visual memory.
3. Sound Boxes: This will help students segment the sounds in words.
4. Analogy Charts: These are not used until students are reading at a level g. 
You might find these activities helpful for your students:
*This bundle includes many hands-on activities for “making words” and seeing patterns in words 🙂

I highly recommend this book. It has so much more information that will help you understand and plan for your guided reading groups. I tried to include some information and resources for visual purposes that you might find useful.

Learn from other teachers

I am co-hosting this chapter with Maria from Kinder Craze, Krissy from Mrs. Miner’s Monkey Business and Caitlin from Kindergarten Smiles. Head on over to see their posts 🙂

Link-up

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Classroom Management

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Rules and Procedures
Sometimes it can be a little difficult to find a good classroom management plan, but with time, it can be done easily. There will come a time when even parents are amazed at their child’s behavior compared to how they behave at home. Pre-K and Kindergarten students are very young and need a lot of structure, consistency and patience. They are also VERY capable of learning. The one way to take advantage of every learning opportunity is by establishing rules and procedures. These little ones do not come to school knowing what you want them to do or how to do it. You need to STATE your EXPECTATIONS and practice, practice, practice rules and procedures for several weeks. With the help of sites like https://www.classdojo.com/studentstories/, you may have found the answer to successful classroom management. When it comes to putting new methods into place, it can be trial and error, but it is worth giving anything a go, especially if it means having a productive classroom environment. Did you know that classroom lighting can also play a part in children’s focus and concentration (you can click if you need more information)? Having a combination of the right methods and the right learning environment will ensure that you have a wonderful school year and a classroom full of children who are ready to learn.

Classroom Management

Classroom Management and consistency are the key to a successful school year. Students must have clear expectations of rules, daily routines and center and material use in the classroom. This provides an environment of organization and calmness. Otherwise the students will feel lost and you will become frustrated with behavior problems. If you teach them good classroom management early on then they will learn to repect you, the other students and the classroom furniture and equipment.

Examples of rules and procedures:

Procedures begin the moment the student arrives to your classroom in the morning. It is ideal to display your procedures with visuals so that students always know what to do before and after they walk in.

Dismissal Time

Many teachers run around trying to get students ready for dismissal at the last minute. Dismissal procedures take time. Make sure to work it into your schedule. You have to wrap up your lesson, students need to turn in their work, everyone has to clean up and put things back where they belong and chairs need to be stacked to make things easier for the commercial cleaners who come in after school. After that students need to gather on the carpet area quietly, teachers hand out daily folders, notes and homework while the teacher helpers bring backpacks in to each student. Finally students put all their materials in their backpacks and wait to be called to line up. Implementing procedures will make the difference between last minute chaos an loud students and organized dismissal with students ready to walk out of the classroom quietly and in an orderly manner.

The Hallway

The hallway is a place where student’s behavior reflects the teacher’s classroom management skills. Teachers who take the time to introduce and practice rules and procedures the first few weeks of school have a much orderly classroom than those teachers who expect good behavior without spending the time to practice, practice, practice.
Here’s a good tip: Always walk at the end of the line to monitor student behavior. How many times have you seen a teacher walking ahead of the students? Students are not keeping up because they are too distracted by talking, playing around, touching everything on the walls and fighting. Whether you decide to walk in front or behind your class, always monitor and redirect hallway behavior. It feels good when fellow teachers and administrators compliment your classroom in the hallway!

Restroom Procedures

The main reason that you need to implement Restroom Procedures is so that students do not adopt the restroom as the hanging out with friends place. When more than one student goes to the restroom at the same time, students start playing around and losing out on learning time. Students will quickly learn that they can go the restroom to get out of learning and classroom work. The one student at a time procedure will eliminate these distractions. – Teachers, please always make sure that your students wash their hands after using the restroom. These germs can end up in their mouth, on your door knob, on your pencils and crayons, in your hand shake… Yuk.
Do not forget to teach restroom procedures. Taking the time to address your expectations makes a big difference between clean restrooms and dirty, smelly ones.
Teach them these procedures and send home a note to request emergency clothes for wetting accidents. You can find my free printable at the following link to send a note home for emergency clothes. The link:

Water Fountain

Yes. You do need rules and procedures for everything if you want your day to run smoothly. Here’s the one for drinking water in the classroom.

Lining up procedures.

I do not like to leave the classroom and come back to a messy classroom. We do not always put EVERYTHING away. When students have not finished their work, they are taught to gather their own materials and stack them neatly on the table (or on their chairs). When we come back to the classroom, everyone has their own material to continue working. This eliminates the chance of not finding their materials when the students get back.
It’s always nice for the students to greet visitors whenever they can. This will also help them learn the names of administrators since they visit our classrooms often.

Recess Procedures

Rules to keep our students safe during recess time.
Calendar time is a time for sharing and having fun by participating in these learning activities. You will see that some students are shy at first, but will come out of their shell during calendar time.

Meeting Area

Procedures for the Meeting Area whether in the classroom or at a School Assembly.

Give Me 5

Give Me 5 is such a popular attention getter. You must always have everyone’s attention before and during a lesson. This is also a quick way of redirecting student behavior throughout the day. The teacher just says GIVE ME 5 and raises her arm up so that students can see her hand with all 5 fingers spread open. It’s a good visual for students to respond quickly and demonstrate that they are following all these 5 rules at the teacher’s request.

What do I do when I finish?

We always have students asking “What do I do when I finish my work?” Here’s a procedure that you can post for your students.
And again, students want to know and need to know what to do throughout the entire day in your classroom. Some students do not know that when they finish with one activity in a center, they just have to put their things away and choose another activity. They think that they can not make a move without your approval. Teachers should always provide a variety of material in each center and pull out the ones that you expect students to use by placing them on the table. This will ensure that students are always engaged.
You should post a sign with a list of activities that students can engage in when they finish their independent work. Here is an example.

Classroom Management Clip Chart

I like to make students feel special about themselves in kindergarten. The past 16 years, I have used a the clip chart system. It is a wonderful visual for students to know where they are throughout the day. It helps them stay on track and try a bit harder when they need to.
I always refer to their behavior in royal terms. They must be following rules, procedures and stay on track with their learning responsibilities before I address them as princess or prince. It’s amazing to see how quick they change their behavior to prove that they are worthy of their royal titles. Sometimes I say, “I am looking for a princess that is looking forward” or “I wonder which prince will finish his work on time today.” This has always worked well for me.
Everyone begins with “Ready to Learn.” Then, their clip will be moved up or down according to how well they follow rules and procedures throughout the day. I have three cards above “Ready to Learn” and 3 cards below it. I never have them move their clip down on the first warning. It just serves as a reminder. We begin to move clips down starting with the second warning. Once these students begin to demonstrate positive efforts, clips begin to go up again.
I like to use colorful clothespins. Sometimes you can find some neon colored ones at the Dollar Store. Here are some in primary colors that you might also be able to find in your local stores like Wal-Mart or Target. Just use a sharpie to label them on both sides. I place the boys’ pins on the left side and the girls’ pins on the right side of the charts so that students can find their clips easier. This also makes it easy for me when I need to label both sides of the pins. Make sure that the name is not upside down when you use the opposite side of it.

NOTE:
I introduce parents to our behavior system at Open House. Then, I start sending the Behavior Recording Sheet home daily so that parents can praise and celebrate their child’s efforts every day. I do not like to contact parents only when there is concern about their child. Daily communication is a great way to keep them informed.

These are the charts that I use.

Here is a free recording sheet.
Your classroom can run smoothly throughout the day using these and many more procedures. The key is to practice these rules and procedures with your students throughout the year.

These are rules and procedures that work for me. What works for you?
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Guided Reading Ch.3: Pre-A & Emergent Guided Reading

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Last week we learned that assessments are important for creating our guided reading groups according to letter knowledge. You can find that information about Chapter Two here. This week we will review Chapter Three of the Guided Reading book study. This chapter covers Pre-A and Emergent Guided Reading.

What does Pre-A stand for?

This is the group of students who have limited letter knowledge. They typically know less than 40 upper- and lowercase letters and struggle with letter sounds. The Pre-A lesson plan that works for them includes: working with letter and names, working with sounds, working with books, and interactive writing. Jan Richardson recommends this framework for students who are beginning to learn English and for those who have special learning needs.

Trace an Alphabet Book

For students who do not know at least 40 upper- and lowercase letters, it is recommended that they trace an alphabet book EVERY day (with a tutor). This alphabet book will only have the upper and lowercase letters with the corresponding pictures. These students should also receive small-group instruction with the teacher. Keep in mind that the alphabet tracing should not be part of your guided reading lesson. .

Student Procedure

1. Trace each upper- and lowercase letter with pointing finger for the tactile experience (do not use pencil or marker)
2. Say the name of the letter each time
3. Point to the picture and name it like this… “R, r, rainbow”

I used these posters and cards for the activity.

Pre-A Lessons

A Pre-A Guided Reading Lesson should cover the following 4 activities within 15-20 minutes. You are probably wondering how to cover so much in such little time. The key is to present the activities in the amounts given. As long as the teacher does less talking and maybe keeps a timer, this lesson can be done within 15-20 minutes. The four activities must be presented within EVERY lesson without trying to split your time or activities up. This will allow students to make connections between the skills presented. Remember to keep a letter/sound checklist for each group. Use this checklist to during each session so that you know which letters to work with and to check-off new learned letters 🙂

Working with Letters and Names (3-4 minutes)

Name Activities

Purpose:  Teach visual discrimination
Time: One minute (for ONE name activity)

Name Puzzles: 

I like Jan’s suggestion. First cut the student’s name into two parts. Work on this until student is able to put his/her name together without a sample or help. Then, you gradually cut the name into more parts.

Make names with magnetic letters:

Gather the letters that make up the student’s first name and place them in a bag or envelope. Students use this to make their names.

Rainbow-writing:

Write the student’s first name on construction paper. They will trace over the name with one color, then with another and another.

Eight Ways of Working with Letters

Purpose: Build automaticity with letter that they already know
Time: 2 minutes

1. Match the letters in the bag
2.Match letters to an alphabet chart
3.Match upper- and lowercase letters
4.Sort magnetic letters by color
5.Name letters from left to right when you place them in a line
6.Name a word that begins with a letter they know
7.Name a letter that begins a given word (use an alphabet chart)
8.Find a letter on the alphabet chart that makes a given sound

Working with Sounds

Purpose: Teach phonological awareness
Time: 2-3 minutes

1. Clapping Syllables
This is so simple because it is something that we already do every day. The teacher will show the students a picture. Then the students will clap the syllables to determine how many syllables are in the given word. I always teach my students to slow down and talk like a robot when clapping the syllables. How fun is that? They totally love the robot talk. If I see that some students are not matching their syllable clapping with their words, we s-l-o-w down even more by taking a longer pause between syllables. I created this tablet apptivity that teachers can use during guided reading instruction. The mats are letter-size so that all students in the group are able to see the target word…  Later, these syllable mats can be placed in a center where students can practice this skill independently.

2. Working with rhymes
The teacher will say two words to the students. Students will use the thumbs up, thumbs down response to let the teacher know if the words rhyme. Kids love the thumbs up, thumbs down game. It makes sense to use it with a learning activity. The important thing is that the students need to HEAR the two words. They can repeat the two words it if they want, but they have to show you a thumbs up or down. If you are using rhyming cards during guided reading, it will be so easy to place them in a center for continued practice.
3. Picture Sorts
*The teacher will choose two consonants that the students already know. 
*The teacher will select the corresponding picture cards to give to a student.
*Students will follow a specific procedure:
     -Say the name of the picture
     -Say the first sound of that word
     -Next, say the name of that first letter
     – Finally, sort the picture under the correct letter on the board or pocket 
       chart 
*All the students will follow the same procedure with the same two cards

Working with Books

Purpose: Build Oral Language
Time: 5 minutes
We always take a picture walk first and talk about the pictures in the book. Students are expected to describe the pictures in complete sentences. This helps them put their thoughts together, increase vocabulary and make connections between pictures and pages. Then we read the book together. Students point to each word as they read, as I pay attention to their concepts of print. I love to use the leveled readers from A-Z. com.

Interactive Writing

Purpose: Build Letter Knowledge, Concepts of print
Time: 5 minutes

I like to use books and themes for our interactive writing lessons. We use short and repetitive sentences. And, sometimes they are planned sot that the sentences use specific sight words that I want students to become familiar with. For example; if we are learning about Back To School, we will talk about things that we see in the classroom or around the school.  Most importantly,  these sentences must include letters and sounds that you have been reviewing with them during small group… We usually write the responses on large chart paper. The book recommends that we only write one sentence during the Pre-A guided reading lesson. So, if you already wrote something like this during whole group, you will choose one sentence from there to do the following:
1. Teacher dictates a sentence
2. Students repeat the sentence
3. Teacher draws a line for each word on dry-erase boards
4. Students take turns helping to write each word while the others in the small group use the alphabet chart to practice their letters and letter formation.

As an independent activity, I like to choose a few sentences from the chart paper. Then, I type their sentences as seen in the picture below.

Here is a freebie for you 🙂

How long should a student remain in the Pre-A small group?

Students graduate from the Pre-A group when they are able to write their first name, name at least 40 letters of the alphabet, can hear consonant sounds in words, follows directions, and has gained left to right directionality skills.

That’s it 🙂

Well, that’s pretty much how a Pre-A lesson goes. I hope that you have learned something new today:) I have been very excited about this chapter and the corresponding resources that have been tucked away just waiting for this post… I posted THE very first ipad apptivity back in April. These new resources just compliment my original idea 🙂

Hopefully, you are having a wonderful and safe summer break.

Learn from other teachers or link up:

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Guided Reading Ch.2: Assessments

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This is week 2 of our Guided Reading book study. We are using the book The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson. This chapter is all about assessment and grouping.

Beginning of the year assessment

I do my assessments on the first couple of weeks of school. On the first weeks of school, we focus on activities that will help our students become familiar with and practice rules and procedures. I also like to incorporate thematic units that will make learning a little more interesting. The literature that I use in the beginning of the school year lends itself to activities that lead up to an assessment.

Use literature to make assessments fun

Step #1

I LOVE  to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom at any time during the first couple of weeks of school.  This book is a great way to introduce letters and their purpose. The students ask for this book time and time again throughout the year and awakens their interest in letters and reading.

Step #2

As a follow-up activity, our students create a coconut tree craft. They simply cut a pre-made template for a trunk and tree top then add little brown coconuts. Students will assemble and glue the tree on colorful construction paper. I love to use yellow, orange or blue as the background to make the tree stand out. This craft is done with a purpose in mind. But for now, it will be set aside to dry.

Step #3

During the week, I call on students to my table. I work with one student at a time during independent work activities. The student will be presented with a Letter Identification sheet and I will have one behind a book where I can mark on letters that are identified correctly. In the beginning of the school year, I do like to use an alphabet chart where the letters are printed in correct sequence.  I do not want to trick the student with random letters and have them stress out during their first assessment. I want this to be a pleasant experience. Even though the letters are printed in alphabetical order, I do point to random letters. I do not mind if they begin to point to each letter as they recite the alphabet. I want to see that they are able to recite the alphabet correctly, have one to one correspondence and are good problem solvers. The letters marked correctly on my sheet are the ones that he/she was able to read easily without much thought.
Here is a free copy of these letter identification assessment sheets.

Step #4

Next, I will give each student pre-made alphabet stickers. These stickers are created with simple bright dots that I buy at Wal-Mart. I simply use a sharpie to write the letters on them. Now, students will decorate their trees with the alphabet stickers. This will be a good visual for them and for myself so that we can see how many letters are mastered and how many more we need to work on. The students will take their coconut trees home when they master all the letters and acquire all the alphabet stickers.

Progress

A copy of my marked student sheet will be placed in the student’s daily folder. This will be a good visual for students and parents to see which letters they need to work on every day. I will assess the students once a week and mark the mastered letters in their folders. Students and parents have a great  sense of accomplishment as they see this weekly progress.

Grouping

I use the data collected from this assessment to create my guided reading groups. This data information also comes in very handy when start creating table groups. I want to make sure that each table group has a mixture of abilities so that these students may learn from each other.

Learn from other teachers

Would you like to see what other teachers are doing for assessments? If so, you can hop on over to the Sharing Kindergarten blog where you can find a linky of teachers sharing about this topic.

Sharing Kindergarten
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Bright Alphabet Clip Art Collection

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I gave my beginning sounds clip art a makeover and created these bright alphabet sets. This Bright Line includes MANY more graphics, including the additional JPG formats. I can’t believe that there is a total of 832 images in this A-Z clip art collection.  Due to the size of these sets, they will be sold in individual files (by letter sets) and in small bundles. 

Each letter includes:

– 8 graphics 

-brighter colors

-PNG images in color

-PNG images in black and white 

-JPG images in color

-JPG images in black and white

   

   

    

    

    
    

    

    

     

    
    
    

    

The Bright Bundles:

I wish that I could offer these sets in one big Bundle, but the file is too big. I had to divide it into 4 small sets.

Set #1 = Letters A-G

Set #2 = Letters H-N

Set #3 = Letters O-U

Set #4 = Letters V-Z

It was so much work to make these new sets, but I think that they turned out nice.

The old bundle:

See the difference? This older bundle uses bolder colors and only has 320 images. My new Bright Alphabet Bundles total 832 images!

This version with BOLD colors is not available anymore. 

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End of the Year Party Favor Ideas

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My niece, Abby, had her 6th grade graduation party last week. She is the school’s Queen for the year and wanted to make something fun to give out to her classmates during their end of the year celebration. Abby and her mom (my sister) came up with the idea of making party favors out of ring pops and caramel popcorn. All they needed was a cute saying and the tags to attach to the party favor baggies. My sister called me up for a little help and this is what I came up with… I LOVE how they turned out 🙂

Freebie:

You can find the party favor tags for class rings here.

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Cute Bugs, Sea Creatures, Farm Animals, and Sneakers

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My latest clip art for teachers. 

Cute Bugs Bundle

This set includes: butterfly, housefly, dragonfly, ladybug, ant, praying mantis, bee, mosquito, caterpillar, firefly, spider, grasshopper, and 4 bug letters.
cute bugs clip art

Sea Creatures Bundle

This set includes: whale, dolphin, seahorse, jellyfish, starfish, crab, 2 fish, sea turtle, viperfish, shark, 2 types of seashells, bubbles, and 3 types of seagrass.

sea creatures clip art

Farm Animals Bundle

This set includes: red barn, cow, bull, rabbit, hen, pig, horse, dog, sheep, chick, rooster, cat, fish, duck, turkey, and a goat.

farm animals clip art

Colorful Sneakers Bundle:

This set includes fun and colorful sneakers. Left and right sneakers are individual images so that you may move them around however you want.

colorful sneakers clip art

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