Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

Revising and Editing Tip

It's late and I'm tired, but that doesn't stop me from sharing this quick tip I just learned with you all! Take a look at the picture below. These acronyms help students remember what it means to revise and edit.  

My kiddos are already referencing these posters a bunch! And I also love that it's something that can be used at many different grade levels. Hope you find this helpful!

 

On a related note, I recently uploaded some resources for winter writing onto TpT. Take a look:

 

Click on the pictures to check out the products!

 

 

More Shenanigans

Yippee! Winter break just keeps getting closer and closer! I am also moving into my new house during that time so I am double excited. The chain in my room counting down the days isn't just for my kiddos....Ha!

Speaking of the chain, Elfie is at it again! Take a look:

He began the week by making a chain for the number of days left in school before break. If you look closely, you can see a red ball on his hand. Well, one of my kiddos wanted Elfie to wear a clown nose so she left it next to him. The students got a kick out of how he chose to wear it! Elfie is also holding a stapler {BIG mistake! I can't even count the number of times I needed it throughout the day!} and is wrapped around one of the chain links.

 

Next up, Elfie threw all the students center cards on the ground and made his own to put in the center board!

 

Unfortunately, while at the center board, he fell. Sooooo, he disappeared for awhile. I think he was a little upset. When he came back, here is what he had to say:

(It says: Please be careful with me)



After that, he was caught playing in out classroom tickets!

 

Then, he was found relaxing in my chair with my coffee!

 

Here is was found playing one of out center games under a table.

 

And you can't forget about the party he threw with several other elves in neighboring classrooms!

I hope you are enjoying Elfie's adventures! Do you have an elf in your classroom? I would love more ideas of what he can do! 

 

FREEBIE Alert!

My kiddos and I are in the midst of place value review. I have found that this can be SUPER DUPER difficult to make enjoyable for the kiddos. Review, I mean. Not place value. I think place value just lends itself to fun! However, review?! Not. So. Much.

My first plan of action was the SCOOT games I developed. See the first grade version here and the second grade version here. The students are obsessed with SCOOT! They love moving seats and we always chant as we go, so that adds some fun...and loud noise. {Attention any coworkers reading this: that is why you may occasionally hear yelling coming from our room. Sorry! Sometimes it's just more fun to yell. Especially when chanting. :) }

Anyways, back to my point. Some kiddos need more review than just SCOOT, sooooooo I developed "Math Hikes." I started them last year with my Camping Unit and it worked out FABULOUSLY! I completely forgot about the idea until I was trying to brainstorm ways to make review fun. Well, anyways, long story short: I got the idea+I made some=FREEBIE! Take a look.

 

 

For this activity, you will cut out the cards and post them randomly around the room. Copy enough of the recording sheets for your class and then it's GO time. Make sure students record their answers on the correct numbers- the numbers on the cards should match up to the numbers on the recording sheet. I let the students wander the room in any order to solve the problems. They love hunting for the numbers.

 

I made two versions. Our entire class did the first version, "Math Hikes," today and then tomorrow {after grading their work}, I pull small groups to reteach while the rest of the kiddos work on the challenge version, "Math Hikes 2."

 

Enjoy the freebies! I'll be back later this week with more Elfie updates and another Math Hike focusing on comparing numbers.

 

More Elf Madness and Repost of Freebie

Elfie has been a bit mischievous in our classroom all week. Take a look here to see what he was up to first. Since then, here are some of his positions:

 

 He built this sentence in our word building pocket chart and left letter cards all over the floor!

 

 He drew a picture for the students and left a note saying happy "Fryday." He isn't the best at spelling. 



 After a stressful day, he took a nap in our tissue box. He even cut off the top!

Then he build a red and green tower out of our math cubes! He left a trail of the cubes from the cabinet they were in all the way to our kidney table.

 

Can't wait to see what's in store for next week! ;)

 

On an unrelated note, here is the freebie I posted on TpT earlier in the week. It is now available here rather than on TpT.

Special Class Visitor {Elf on a Shelf}

I've been hearing about Elf on a Shelf for awhile now and today I officially got my own and used him in my classroom! My kiddos are pretty well behaved so I'm certainly not doing it to try to influence them to be good for Santa. I'm doing it because....well, it's FUN! It's debatable who is going to have more fun with it- the kiddos or me! Hehe.

When my class arrived this morning, he was perched above our daily schedule.

 

After reading the book, my class named him Elfie! It's not the most original, but they like it.

Before I left today, I set up the scene for tomorrow:

 

Stay tuned for more Elfie in all his mischievous positions! SO.MUCH.FUN!

Link up with your own Elf on a Shelf ideas by clicking below!!

 

Busy Busy Busy {and a FREEBIE}

I've been busy the last couple of days and I admit...I haven't even had time to buy my items in my TpT wishlist yet. {Insert gasp} Don't worry...I'm heading over there right after presenting you all with this freebie.

This mini booklet asks students to identify and use the different parts of speech in sentences. I developed it primarly for my kiddos still struggling with this. I will be using this in small groups, but it can certainly be used whole class as well! Take a look at some of what's inside {there are 18 pages in all}.

Head on over to TpT to pick it up by clicking here or the image above.