Totally Diggin' Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I'm sure you've heard the news that Google Reader is going to be a thing of the past here pretty soon.  So what's a blogger/blog stalker reader to do?  Find something EVEN BETTER!!

And I am totally diggin' Bloglovin! Making the move was super simple.  Just head on over to Bloglovin and join.  The fine folks there will even import all of the blogs you follow from your Google Reader whilst you sip your summer iced latte.  There are so many wonderful features of Bloglovin; here's a fantastic tutorial from Nutrionella that tells about many of them.

I hope you will join me at Bloglovin and see how AWESOME it is!  

Science Process Skills Posters {Freebie}

I'm working on a professional development piece for my amazing district, and this class centers on helping our students develop their science process skills.  If you're like me, you might be like, "Huh?  What are those?"  You'll recognize them when you see them.  They are basically the tools that our budding scientists use to carry out scientific investigations.  They are what they need in order to learn new knowledge.  And, I believe teaching them and giving our students lots of time to practice them are just as important as teaching content.  Check out The Institute for Inquiry for more information.

I also believe our kiddos need to know what they are and when & how they are using them.  Here are some posters (8.5" x 11") from which you can use to teach as well as display in your classroom.

Science Process Skills Posters

I'd love for you to follow me if you grab these freebies.

 Have a blessed week and enjoy!

Six Types of Syllables Posters {Freebie}

One more school year is in the books!  Woo hoo!  What a great school year!  Now it's time to regroup for next year...well, maybe a few naps first.  :)

Today's freebie is a set of posters (8.5" x 11") that may help our students learn about the six types of syllables. Learning about syllable types can really help our struggling readers and spellers.

Grab your free copy of my {Six Types of Syllables Posters} today.

Have a blessed week and enjoy!

Five Spelling Rules Posters {Freebie}

There are five spelling rules that help us know when to double, drop or change letters in words.  Check this out for a more in depth look at these rules.

I developed these posters (8.5" x 11") in hopes that they would help my students become more confident spellers. Hopefully they will help yours too!  Don't forget to check out my post about my free multi-sensory spelling activity cards. 

Grab your free copy of my {Five Spelling Rules Posters} today.

Have a blessed week and enjoy!

Multi-Sensory Spelling Activity Cards {Freebie}

We have 9 days left of this school year.  That's right; we're in the single digits, people! I'm looking forward to the summer, and I'm working on a training class that I'm doing for my district - Multi-sensory Spelling Instruction.  As part of this professional development, I'm offering these multi-sensory spelling activity cards along with these spelling routine cards.  The first cards (done in color as well as black and white) can be used as a reminder as you go through your short, daily spelling routine.  These can be laminated and laid on the table, posted on a white board, used as a bookmark, etc.

Spelling Routine card for students

The activity cards (below) can be used during your students' daily practice.  In researching and preparing for my training class, I came across this quote:

The act of tracing with fingers on a texture helps make a sensory imprint on the brain that increases memory and retention.

With that in mind, many of these activities intentionally provide an opportunity for students to practice their words by tracing.  They also focus on getting as many senses involved as possible and hopefully your students will find them fun.  This is a compilation of ideas targeted for students who struggle with spelling and need something different than the typical ways we ask kids to practice spelling words.

Multi-Sensory Spelling Activity Cards

Have a blessed week and enjoy!

Singular and Plural Nouns Foldable {FREEBIE}

Helping kids understand when singular base words stay the same and change when becoming plural is a part of the journey of 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades.  Giving them tools they can refer to can definitely assist them, and foldables glued in notebooks can do just that.

Here's another one that I use.  (See this post, this one, and this one for more ideas and some background on how to use them.)  For this one, I usually model a couple of singular base words in each category along with their accompanying modified plural words.  Then I ask my brilliant word nerds to offer suggestions and we add them.  Finally, I tell them to hunt for words in their reading that they can add to their foldable.  (If they run out of room on their notebook paper, they write on the back of the flaps.)

I've included a black and white version which you can print on white or colored paper as well as one that has some color on it.  Use this colored one however your little fancy pants heart desires.

Glue on the back under the words Singular, Plural and Nouns.  Cut flaps for all other words.

If you like the fonts I used, get them for FREE at Rowdy in Room 300.  Love them!

Have a blessed week and enjoy!

Creative Ways to Line Up Your Class {Freebie}

Let's admit it; we all do it.  We creatively ask our kiddos to line up...not because we want to know how many kids are wearing red shirts or how many have laces on their shoes.  No, we do it because it helps to get our kids quiet and listening...the perfect prerequisite for a peaceful line.

Sometimes, if you're like me, you need a fresh idea for lining up your little sweet peas.  Maybe you'll find this helpful.  Twenty-four ideas (download the {free document} to see them all) that will get your kiddos in line and ready to go.  I'd love to add your ideas, so be sure to follow me and leave a comment with how you creatively get your kiddos in line.

Print, laminate, cut out, put on a binder ring and you're all set!

Keep them in a handy location!

Add a little bit of ribbon to your binder ring for a little bit of cute!

Of course, if you're like me, you'd also like a handy-dandy list of these same ideas.  You can put this list on your white board (just slap some magnets on the back), display it near your door, or use it as a bookmark in your lesson plan book/binder.

 

Grab your free copy of {Creative Ways to Line Up Your Class} today!

Don't forget to leave a comment with your creative ideas for lining up.

Have a blessed week and enjoy!