School Is In Session!

Well, as many of you know school has been in session and I have been in full throttle ever since! This year will be packed with planning events for our school's Spirit Committee, TOT/Eagle Patrols, doing homework, planning a wedding, oh yes...and creating fun packed lesson plans! However, let's stick with our fun packed lessons for now.

This year I have a small group of students with such wonderfully exuberant personalities!  They definitely keep me on my toes and challenge me to come up with fun and engaging activities. Our center time is an awesome time for each of them to gain a hands on experience of what we are learning in class.  My students love discovering new centers.  Just the other day, as I explained how to do a few math centers, one of my students said, "Ms. Yarde, I love the way you teach!"  I sweetly smiled and said "thank you" as I sung the happy song and did the happy dance inside my head!

Here are some of our math centers:

This center was introduced early on within the school year to help identify numbers that are the same.

This was another early center activity that we have switched so far.  I felt that it was so appropriate early on because we had so many August birthdays this school year (including mine :)).

 I introduced this counting center this week that I found on teachers pay teachers.  The kids love using little acorn pieces as counters!

 We have really dived into the meaning of greater than and less than.  For some reason, grasping the concept of less than can be a pretty daunting task.  That is why I introduced this center. Students grab a handful of two different colored cubes, sort and count, and then circle the number that is less.

This is another greater than/ less than activity (which focuses on less than) that one of my students within my small group suggest I introduce as a center.  It was a big hit, I guess kids really know what they like when it comes down to learning!

 Here is a fall color, count, and graph center.

 In honor of our apple theme we have a number order center and...

a "how many apples on top"  counting center.

Here are some of our literacy centers:

 We use magnetic letters to place letters in the correct order, spell our friends names, and to spell sight words.

 It was a challenge helping my students fully understand that we do not make pancakes with play dough any more!  I tell them that was so pre-k.  Finally we are using the play dough the way kindergarten students are supposed to :)

 

 I believe thy are beginning to get the hang of it....

This is apart of my big book center.  Students are able to read/recite the chart and find the letter that the chart represents.  Students can also find new sight words and use wikki stix to circle around them. 

 This sight word center was just introduced this week to help practice reading and writing our sight words.  

 Although our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom theme is long over, I believe this is an important skill to master.  So I haven't been able to part ways with this particular center. 

 Remember this play dough mat?  Well, now it has become a part of our write the room center!

Here are some of my kiddos reading the booklet of the week on our pocket chart!

 Here are some friends reading the booklet of the week from their book basket!

I hope you enjoyed this "window into our classroom!"  

Live, Laugh, Love 2 Teach

Classroom Tour

One week until school starts and my classroom is ready!  So here is a sneak peak of my birdie/polka dots and paisley theme in action!

This year I decided to put my cubbies  at the very entrance to create somewhat of a "hallway" into the classroom and free up some wall space.  I made sure to put my small group table directly across so that I can see the entire classroom (since that is where I spend most of my time anyway).  

Here is a better view of my small group table.  I use the clipboards as running records for each subject and that lovely Dr. Seuss hat is what makes me "invisible" when a have a small group at the table. I would say that this is one of my favorite spots since I spend so much time here.

This is where my cubbies used to be.  This wall has been reserved for morning work, homework storage, a pocket chart center, and independent reading bins.  So much better than using it for a cubby!

Now this is my all time favorite area!  I spend a good amount of time in this area during whole group teaching, read alouds, and calendar math time.  Soon, I will have a white board easel over here that will hold chart paper and other things.  Ubber excited!! :) :) 

Here is my birdie theme word wall.  I normally put picture cards up over here with the correct spelling for students to reference.  If you like this word wall check it out on here on TPT it also comes with numbers!  

What's up with all of those file folders?  Well, this is my teacher budget version of classroom mailboxes.  I tried this in pre-k my first year teaching and it went pretty well.

Here is my desk....taking advantage of storage space in this corner.

Here is my birdie theme behavior chart!  I love this thing...If you like it too check it out in my TPT shop right here.

Here is the hallway bulletin board.  The yellow papers are to display exceptional student work. 

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peak!

Interactive Calendar Math Journals!!

Get ready for the Calendar Math Interactive Journal!!!!! (and the crowd goes wild).  I have finally finished an interactive math journal that I believe my kiddos will appreciate.  Calendar math is such an important part of our day.  We gain so much information and review soooo many skills that I have deemed it absolutely essential.  That is why I have come up with this awesome possum Interactive Journal!!!

This pack reviews 5 frames, 10 frames, counting on strategies, addition, subtraction, graphing, place value, money, shapes, days of the week, months of the year, 100s chart, and much more!  I have a feeling that my kiddos and I are going to have a blast during calendar math!

I thought about buying a spiral journal or using a binder for this, but then I got this God-inspired idea!  What if I just make the journals myself!!  I know what your thinking....."do you have a life?"....but I ensure you I do!  These journals did not take long to make and they were much cheaper than buying a set of 20 for my students.  The average price of a spiral notebook is $1.82 plus tax.  For a set of 20 kids that's like $40.  I decided to buy 1 pack of card stock paper and 4 packs of heavy paper (500 ct), which round off to $20.  I was able to go to my local Teacher Depot (which has all kind of goodies for free!) and use their binding machine and binding combs for FREE!!!! That's my favorite word....FREE. ;) Anyway, this is how it turned out:

I can't wait to use these! If you would like to check this out in my store click here!

Live, Laugh, and Love 2 Teach

Learning Through Play Dough and Sale!!

I don't know about you but I love to teach through play dough!  I know a lot of parents and even some teachers can't stand it and yes I understand.  It's not always fun finding a glob of play dough stuck in your carpet.  I must admit I was very hesitant in introducing a play dough center to my kinders, but this past school year my kiddos did AMAZING!!  I will be honest, there was a lot of explicit teaching going on when it came down to this center, but it paid off very well!

My students love working in these centers because:
IT WAS FUN!!!!!

I love these centers because:  
It was fun; The students loved it so they were totally engaged
It was versatile; The students could  mold their weekly sight words, family words, seasonal words.  Some kids even decided to mold out sentences! This center lasted throughout the school year and all I needed was play dough!
It was educational; This fell under the Daily 5 Word work or Writing activity (if you allow students to write after they mold)
It helped with fine motor skills; Those kiddos who have a hard time writing in general...challenge them with this fun activity!

Here are some fun pictures of my kids in action!
                           
                       

If you like these ideas then you are going to absolutely love this activity in my store!  Check out this Alphabet Number and Shape molding center which is now on Sale at 50% off (wink, wink)!

Click here for fun!

                      
                      
                      

Not quite sure why this pic. is being so hard-headed.....Just lean your head a little to the right for this one

 This bad boy is hot off the press!  These are monthly words.  You can use this as a play dough mold center and then have your kiddos use the "Mold and Write" worksheet to write the word that goes along with what they just molded.  Or you can post these pictures all around your classroom and use the "Write the Room" worksheet for student to write the room.  I like to reserve wall space for the the monthly word wall.  That way when October rolls around the kiddos will still have a September word wall reference.

This is the September/October play dough mat and write the room.  Check it out in my store!

Click here for fun!!

       

                    

Live, Laugh and Love 2 Teach!