Celtic Core Capers: Core Aligned RtI Centers

I'm back with the next round of centers for RtI!  I'm so excited to break out these bad boys tomorrow!  All activities are aligned to core standards.  Here's a preview...

Tacky Celebration {Freebie Lesson}

Today's Tacky Celebration was outstanding!  The kids and I dressed in our tackiest sweaters, discussed compassion and empathy, played tacky sweater centers, read Tacky the Penguin, and more...

Don't you just love the ornaments threaded through the sweater?   What a fantastic way to make any sweater tacky!!!

If you missed my Tacky Sweater Freebie, click the image below...

The kids just loved this reading of Tacky!!!

Tacky the Penguin from PPLD TV on Vimeo.

AND for the freebie Tacky the Penguin file...

All Aboard! {Freebies and Pictures}

Good Evening Peeps!  I've been out and about preparing for tomorrow's tacky sweater celebration.  Oh boy, I cannot wait!  So I'm stopping in today to share a picture of our Santa's Stuck activity {posted yesterday}and share a Polar Express freebie!

I found a literature unit for Santa's Stuck last night.  Lisa Richling has this for $4.00 in her store!  Click the image below!

On Friday, the gals on my grade level and I are having the annual Polar Express PJ party.  This year I'm going to Build Background with Katie King's wonderful unit!  We began with her Santa Adjectives and Graphing Yummy Goodies Today!  I'm so bummed that I forgot to snap a picture.  One of my precious parents stopped by to drop off a gift and chat.  Good kind of distraction, right!?!

I have a Polar Express freebie that I'll use on Friday!  I hope you find useful as well!

Deanna Jump has two fantastic holiday freebies.  I'm using both on Friday too!  Don't you love free!?!

I heart teaching during the holidays but I'm worn out!

Happy Teaching!!

Oh, No! Santa's Stuck Freebies

I'm back with another file for you!  This past year, Cara Carroll featured Santa's Stuck on her blog and I about died!  Terribly cute!!!  I pulled together this file that wouldn't keep me cutting all week. *Low parent involvement*  I love that the graphics are simplistic for kinders with practice their skills with scissors!  This will be a page topper, similar to the Grinch pictured below.  My brain went in overdrive thinking about different ways to respond in writing.  I provided sheets for summarizing, how-to, persuasive letter, and a prompted response.  

Isn't the clipart darlin'!?!  Stacy Johnson created this set.  See here!!!

I want to share a REALLY cute resource from A Year Of Many First {Lyndsey Kuster}!  Click image below to link to her blog post with wonderful pictures of this freebie file!

Did you scoop up the persuasive freebie yesterday?  Writers workshop was interesting.  We focused on using synonyms in our writing since persuasive elements are in place.  

*Sidebar* During the lesson on synonyms, one of my darling girls says to me, "I'm a synonym."  Her name is Caroline.  Since her family has TONS named Caroline, the family calls her Sabrina.  Honestly, I died laughing.  Precious! 

I wanted to share a few pictures with you...

Love this one...

I plan to be back tomorrow with Polar Express! 

Grinning Grinch {Persuasive Freebie}

Engage students with holiday fun!  Persuade that Grumpy Grinch to Grin with this simple freebie.  I provided my kinders with persuasive format that would allow the kids to focus on the content verses the format. 

Holiday Lesson

During the Cyber Monday sale, I shared a unit from my cart.  The Great Reindeer Rebellion by The Bubbly Blonde. This past week I was able to dive into holiday themed learning.

To engage students, I read Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.  As each character is introduced, we charted their characteristics.  Before reading the end of the story, I asked the kids which of the below listed reindeer was their favorite based on characteristic.  

Cupid {sure-footed}, Comet {fastest}, Donner and Blitzen {twist and turn with ease}, Dasher and Dancer {biggest and strongest}, Prancer and Vixen {smoothest landing}, Rudolph {guide}

After we finished reading, I asked the kids to "turned and talked" about why they connected to the character  selected.  During this discussion, I had students graph their data.  What a remarkable graphing and data analysis math lesson!!!

I began our studies of reindeer/caribou with Gladys' unit, Reindeer Magic.

She always does a magnificent job with incorporating vocabulary, easy readers, and graphic organizers in her units!  

I found a great resource online to help build background of caribou. Link here!

To build on our persuasive studies, I used Alisha's The Great Reindeer Rebellion Literature Unit.  She provides story vocabulary and fantastic organizers to compare and contrast the reindeer in the rebellion to caribou. 

I had some troubles getting the book to class before the holidays so I went to Barnes and Nobles online and purchased their book through Nook.  It's sooo cheap!  $4~   I don't have a nook but I do have an iPad.  With apps available, you can download the Nook app and read through your iPad or iPhone.  Cool Right?  In October I purchased a neat $29 dollar VGA-Adapter from the Apple Store.  {I use this anytime I cannot find books in print.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!}  This will allow you to project from your iPad or iPhone through a LCD projector!  You can click the image below to link.

 

With an already strong understanding of elements in persuasive {we've been working on this for a few weeks}, many students did a wonderful job at convincing Santa to hire their caribou for the job.  I had to share one of my little guys cute paper...all he wants to do is eat cookies with Santa.  Ha! So Honest!!

Happy Teachings!

It's a Common Core Christmas!

Meeting Common Core Math Standards with a bit of holiday spirit can be sooo delightful!  After a lesson on sorting objects from shortest to longest, students were given a set of precut papers.  I alternated colors and shorten the length approximately two inches each time.  The kids were given the sheets in random order and asked to arrange.  During this time, I asked the kids to turn and talk about any "other" math observed during the process.  Within minutes we were talking about patterns.  A few students were struggling to determine the correct order of objects but immediately identified shortest to longest as discussion of an AB pattern took place.  

Once this objective was met, kids were given a set of precut bulbs.  I'm so blessed to have girls from my past looping class drop by each morning and assist with organization, cutting, tutoring, and general maintenance.  Students were asked to write each of the letter from their first name in the bulbs.  We strung their strand on their newly created Christmas Tree.  With a new calendar rug donated this past month from Donors Choose, we were able to easily sort into groups.  Names with 3 letters, 4 letters, 5 letters... all the way to 8 letters.  Allowing time for my students to turn and talk about the data is crucial to my understanding of who is meeting objectives and can clearly explain least and most.  PLUS it's so much fun listening to the kids talk curriculum content.  It makes my heart melt. 

Fun With Persuasive!

This past week I prepared my kiddos with a little elf excitement.  I introduced the Elf on the Shelf with the video An Elf's Story.  This twenty minute holiday classic introduces the concept of the Elf.  

You can link to Amazon for more information.  I purchased mine at the Hallmark store last year.

To add a little more excitement, we have a motion detector in the classroom.  I explained that Santa and his elves are working around the clock.  At times, Santa is too busy to take a peek into the classroom so he has lots of elves watching over each of us!  When the motion detector changes from green (elves) to red (Santa), you can hear the silent shrieks.  LOL!

Currently, we are in the middle of persuasive writing.  I decided to have the kids write Santa and persuade the Jolly Ole' Man to send an elf to Classroom 113. We mailed the letters to the North Pole on Wednesday and received a treasured letter and poinsettia from Saint Nick on Friday

The kids were over-the-moon when they caught glimpse of Shelby!  

I found the pattern for the Elf on Pinterest.  You can link {here} for my pin board with TONS of elf ideas!  The letter writing paper to Santa is pinned on my Christmas board {here}.  

Oh.boy! We've been on a persuasive kick.  The scholastic magazines are rolling in faster than I can keep up with this month: Firefly, Seesaw, and Holiday Favorites.  When I passed out student book orders from  November, I had lots of sad eyes.  I decided to have the kids persuade their parents to purchase a book from the December forms.  Each student was given a catalog page to circle three books. At this point in our genre study, the kids are aware of meaningful reasons.  One darling said, "Books help me become smarter so I can make us lots of money one day."  How can you argue with that?!?

"Could you buy me a book please?  I will clean up the room.  I am helpful!" 

With all the holiday excitement, my kids and I were noticing the beautiful fall leaves.  Here in Florida we experience seasonal changes very late in the year.  Last year, winter forgot to visit the Sunshine State.  With each change of the season, I take the kids outside to the same tree to take pictures.  Today, I captured the kids having some December Fall Fun!  

~Happy Teaching~

Thankful for you! {Gigantic Freebie}

My goal last week was to be back on Tuesday night with a post.  I feel terrible I hadn't!  My father always said bad things come in threes.  Oh.boy, you could multiply the bad by two.  I'm grateful Thanksgiving went off without a hitch!

I've been working on a bit of a secret.  A GIGANTIC freebie for you, my followers!  If you follow along my fan page at http://www.facebook.com/primarygraffitiresources then you received notification of this freebie yesterday.  139 pages packed! I'm thankful for you!

Click to Download Your FREEBIE!

Included

I'm building my wishlist of items over at Teacher Pay Teachers.  Monday and Tuesday begins the HUGE Cyber Monday sale!  Warning, if you load into your carts too early, the sale price may not apply.  You will need to download into your cart after the sale begins.  I learned the hard way and paid full price two years ago!  

 Don't you just love the snowman holding a Starbucks?

Thanks Ashley for a cute graphic!

I have listed my entire store on sale!  You can browse my widget and see some great units.  

Here are a couple of products I've found that are worth a look from various stores in blogland...

Alisha, The Bubbly Blonde has a cutie patootie unit preview for this bad boy!  I absolutely have this in my cart to purchase!

 Click Images Below to Link

 This unit and craft revolve around the book below!

I also included Katie King's All I Want For Christmas Center Games.  Her work is neat and organized.  With a gifted group of students, I'm always looking in the direction of first grade for activities to keep these kids engaged during work stations!

 Freebie

 Work Stations

Files that I'm really excited to implement into literacy stations are from Growing Kinders.  Oh.How.I.Love.Her.STUFF!  She has worked hard to upload dramatic play centers! 

Finished my newest sub tub.  Themed lessons and activities for an entire day!  Click here for a blog post with wonderful images.  Click the picture below to link to my store!

Before I go...I just have to cheese it up and post the one I'm most thankful for... it's my hubby.  Each day is an adventure.  It's our crazy adventures that make growing older together so enjoyable!