Thanksgiving

Life Goal: Make a basic children's Thanksgiving Book that tells the truth and teaches what actually needs to be taught.

For now, I use paper dolls/ magnetic visuals to help tell my favorite story: THANKSGIVING! Here's the lesson I've adapted from Harcourt Social Studies book (2nd grade). I modify the words for what I want Kindergarteners to know. Until I sit down and specify what exactly I think is super important, I use this script. 

Click here to view my Thanksgiving Packet

Also included in this packet are directions on 

• How To Make Pumpkin Pie in a Cup!

• We make this in our classroom and then "sail" on the Mayflower over to another classroom who is dressed as the Native Americans. We share food and have a feast :)  Have I mentioned I love Thanksgiving?

• I've also included a basic "I am thankful for" paper with beautiful border, in both English & Spanish!

• Also a list of traditional Thanksgiving foods .... and a spot to write the Spanish translation (great for Spanish teacher or ESOL teachers..I used this in Spain).

Read my blog post about when I used these activities while teaching in Avila, Spain! Click Here 

As great as it was to be in Spain during Thanksgiving, nothing beats America around Thanksgiving time.

The Three Little Pigs

For our FOLKTALE unit, we read many different versions of the same folk tale. We started this week off with The Three Little Pigs. We focused on how readers remember the order of events in the story. To practice this, we taped the scenes in order.

I've realized there's a lack of sequence picture cards out on the internet, so I used my artistic talents to create my own sequence cards for 3 of the 3 little pigs books :) They are available on my TpT site in both black & white and color.

Download the Sequencing Events Cards

The Three Little Pigs & The Somewhat Bad Wolf

The Three Little Tamales

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

They were all a hit! Here's what our chart looks like. We'll be voting for our favorite on Monday :) 

I'll huff, and I'll puff.....and I'll blow your house down!

St. Patrick's Day

Having a theme in the classroom is something that I find fun and engaging for students. In December, we had a Gingerbread man that left rhyming poems on our morning message each day. The kids loved it and couldn't wait to see what message he left! During the last week, we had a Leprechaun in our classroom. He is the Gingerbread Man's friend, and he is very sneaky. He loooooves letters. In fact, he stole letters from our Morning Message! That sneaky Leprechaun ;)

Our job was to locate him every morning and get our letters back. We attached them back on to the message with tape. You can't trick us, leprechaun!

The kids adored this, and without them even realizing it, they were practicing phonological awareness! The Leprechaun would take letters from any part of the word and the whole class would work together to put them back. I was amazed at how well the kids did :)

On Friday, we set traps for the leprechaun for Monday (Today is St. Patrick's day, but right now we're stuck at home with our 11th snow day). I wonder if we will catch him!

Love,
Kate

Dr. Seuss- Read Across America Week

Dr. Seuss Activities

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Taking a break from Non-Fiction was pretty nice this week....well, what we had of this week (thank you snow). Here are some things that we did!

-at Word Family Hats
After reading The Cat in the Hat, we discussed words that end with -at. We modeled as a class how to think of words that end with -at, and wrote them on a stripe in our Cat in the Hat hats. The students wrote and decorated their hats, then we put a band around their heads so they could wear them. (this is probably the 5th hat we have made this year...turning anything into a hat is most exciting)

This lesson is easily differentiated - higher students can include words with blends, digraphs, etc., and struggling students can trace the -at letters on their hats. Early finishers can draw pictures of each word to help them remember better!

Hop on Pop-scotch
After reading the ever-appropriate "Hop on Pop," we thought of -op word family words. After modeling how to write them, students were divided into four groups to create Hop On Pop scotch boards -- aka large paper with a hopscotch outline written on them. With dry erase markers, students were instructed to write -op words before they could start playing. They threw a mini bear and played hop scotch, saying each word that they hopped on. It was a blast!.

Left foot, Right foot, feet feet feet....

After reading "The Foot Book" - we traced and measured our feet. And decorated them! This corresponded perfectly with our Math Unit on Measurement. We measured them with both cubes and links.

Oh, The Places We'll Go...

Finally, after reading "Oh The Places You'll Go," we wrote about what we wanted to be when we grew up. We compiled them into a book :) Some cute answers..."When I grow up...I want to be a KID" <---he's got life figured out ;) 

So, in conclusion, although the week was short, it was a blast. I think next week we will do a little bit of "Oh, the thinks we can think," and discuss imagination. It was something I wanted to do this week, but thanks snow :o)

I'll leave it at this: Character day was Friday so my Instructional Assistant and I dressed up as Elephant & Piggie. It was so fun :)

Kate

Number Puzzles DIY

Hi! Even thought I am not a substitute teacher any more, this page received a lot of view thanks to my Pinterest post (even though I think it was the thumbnail picture that did it- gotta love visual learners!). I will keep the name for now! For my first official teacher sharing moment, I will share with you my very popular Math Center, Number Puzzles. This is an easy DIY center that can be kept forever and easily differentiated. It works on number recognition as well as some critical thinking/problem solving skills. My Kindergarteners love them!

Note: This idea was inspired by Make, Take, Teach 's blog post. She has free printables on her page as well! I created a few of my own because they were such a success with my students. 

Number Puzzles:
What you need: 

• craft sticks (10 per puzzle - thick size)
• Picture printouts: visit my TPT store for the FREE download
• Modge Podge (OR make your own Modge Podge using Glue and Water!!!)
• a Spatula
• Exacto Knife
• Thin Point Sharpie

Step 1: Make Modge Podge

Use a glass jar with a lid and pour however much glue you would like. If you added 16 ounces of glue, you will add 8 ounces of water. You need half of the amount of water as glue.

Shake it up!!!!

Step 2: Glue Picture to Popsicle Sticks

Line up 10 craft sticks side-by-side. Tape them together so they don't move! Then, lay a thin layer of glue on the side without the tape and place picture on top.

 Then, add a thin layer of modge podge on top of the picture. 
Step 3: Let it dry!!!!!
Step 4: Write numbers on bottom of craft sticks.
You can use whatever numbers you want!!!! I used a few puzzles as 1-10, a few more from 11-20, and one more as 21-30. 

Step 5:Use Exacto Knife to separate sticks.

Place them in a plastic baggie and label to avoid confusion!

This has actually been a center for over a month now. My students were very slow at first but are starting to figure out ways to finish quickly. It can be independent or group work. 

Enjoy!

Kate

How To: Substitute

Something that they don't teach you as an undergraduate is how to be a good substitute teacher. You go through your entire four years studying elementary education (or education in general), and think "Of course I'll get a job as a classroom teacher right out of college! I'm smart! I'm prepared! I worked my butt off! Why wouldn't someone hire me?!"

All of those things you're thinking are true, with the exception of one thing. You probably won't get hired as a classroom teacher right away. Especially if you live in the suburbs where everyone wants to work. You're best "starting out" options are probably a day-to-day substitute teacher or an aide in an  school right out of college.

My personal story starts out pretty much with that quote. Since I graduated in December, I thought I could get a long-term sub position for a pregnant lady, thus giving me a really good opportunity to showcase my skills and talents in the classroom. After applying for multiple jobs and not getting anywhere, I realized I should probably start looking to become a substitute teacher.

This was a fantastic decision. As a sub, you get to go into a billion different schools, classrooms, and even school districts and get a good feel of what kind of things you like and don't like. AND this way you can get acquainted with different schools and curriculum. My biggest piece of advice - introduce yourself, be friendly, and write down important people's names :) With the school year wrapping up, I've made sure to make my name heard in many different schools. Most schools don't know what the situation will be like until August. Make them remember your name!

How to be a Good Sub:
1) Arrive early. A little earlier than the arrive time is suggested. Not too early where no one will be in the office, but 5 or 10 minutes before the designated arrive time is a safe bet.
2) Ask which number the classroom is, repeat it, and ask if it's unlocked. This will a) allow you to remember what room number you are after (s)he gives you directions as well...it helps if you say it to yourself and b) this will trigger the secretary to inform you on any key policy/door locking technique that the school uses. Sandy Hook triggered a lot of school safety awareness, and schools have different policies now for when the door is locked.
3) Read through ALL of the plans. Some teachers are fabulous and leave detailed plans, some do not even leave plans. There's a wide range of this, and it actually is kind of entertaining. You'll also learn how to leave really great sub plans. If you need help, ask another grade level teacher. This gives you time to introduce yourself!
4) Count how many students should be in the class. It will allow you to take a head count easier later in the day, or if there is any type of drill.
5) Make sure you have enough of each material. Some teachers may ask you to photocopy something.
6) Prepare a piece of paper for attendance. This way you can just write down people's names when the chaotic morning begins.
7) Make your name visible on the board: As corny as it sounds, it helps students so much to just read your name on the board. I always put my full name no matter what the grade, because some students like the challenge of saying your entire last name.
8) Greet the students as they arrive. SMILE. Say your teacher isn't here today, but I get to be here today!
9) Take attendance right away.
10) Introduce yourself and be FIRM yet nice. "I know things seem a little different when there is a substitute, but please remember that the rules are the same. Do we need to go over the rules? And the consequences? Because I know about them and you should too. I am not afraid to follow through with behavior issues. But, I think since you guys are such smart and responsible ____ graders, we can have a great day!" ...is an appropriate way to start the day.
11) Carry a clipboard with the plans on it throughout the day. Pay special attention to the times noted on the plan. That's the hardest part of subbing - pacing something you have never done before :) The clipboard is helpful because it allows you to find that white, typed piece of paper quicker.
12) Leave detailed notes on what you did that day. Thank the teacher for having you in, briefly write what you covered in each subject. If you didn't get to something, note that! It's okay if you didn't, the teacher just needs to know. Also note if anyone struggled with a concept.
13) Summarize the behavior of the day. Note exceptional or star students as well as the not so exceptional ones ;) 
14) Leave contact information (such as an email address) in case there are any questions or concerns.
15) Say goodbye at the office. Tell them to have a great afternoon!




There you have it! 15 ways to have a good subbing day.

Hope it's helpful!
-Kate