Learning Puzzles

Sometimes I forget about resources that I have in my classroom, so it is fun to come across things that I haven't used in awhile. Learning Puzzles are one of those things. They are puzzles that I use at the beginning of the year to help students learn sight words. They really could be used for many things, such as letters, numbers, math problems, vocabulary, etc.  They are a good way to have students practice skills that they are working on and it is also a good visual and fine motor skill activity.

These Learning Puzzles are super easy to create. I purchased thin foam sheets from Michael's Craft Store and then I cut out various shape pieces. After that I wrote words on the cut out pieces. Students read the words and then place it where it belongs. Very easy, and students love using these puzzles. 

   

Please feel free to visit my TPT Store or Teachers Notebook Shop to view K-2 resources.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Anna-Navarre

or

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/shop/anavarre

Writing Response Chart

This was my first week back at school, lots of new faces and some familiar ones too. It was a good week. Some students came in of course missing mommy and daddy, but all came in ready and excited to learn. I love this, because it gets me excited.

One of the activities that I enjoyed the most this week was a writing activity that we did for our Writing Response Chart. We had already did our Back to School Interview and graphed students ages, so to have students write a response to the question "How old are you?" was perfect. I explained to students that even though we had discussed our age in class with each other, I wanted a writing that would tell parents how old the students in our class were (parents were coming that evening for Back to School Night). I loved it when a student said, "But our parents already know how old we are." I explained that it was not their parents they were writing for, it was the other parents that didn't know them, this was a good way to provide a purpose for their writing.

Students were told that they would need to introduce themselves and tell their age in their writing. They were provided with two framed sentences that they were to complete.
1. My name is ______ .
2. I am _____ years old.
As an extension for higher leveled students or anyone who wanted, I asked them to write a couple sentences about some of their favorite things.

After students completed their writing they placed it in the two pocket charts that I got during the summer at Target for $1.00. All 27 of my students are assigned a number, so they placed their card where there number is written. I had originally planned on having them place their card in front of the number, but as some of them started placing it behind, I decided I liked that better.

Anyways, it was a fun activity. It allowed me to see what students could do; support writing mechanics, provid support for struggling students, and challeng my higher level students. Pretty good, for $2.00, some index cards (donated by parents), and a sentence strip.

                                       I hope that you like this idea. Like I said I really enjoyed it.

Feel free to visit my TPT Store for K-2 teaching resources.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Anna-Navarre

Classroom AR Leveled Library

Initially, I was just going to post a picture and a quick description of my classroom library, but after thinking about it, I realized it needed a little more. In the end, I ended up with 10 pages, which show how I set up my library, a list of Accelerated Reader (AR) levels, colored stars, and the website I use for finding AR levels.

The AR levels provide a good way for leveling your library, even if you don’t use the AR program. The 10 pages were a bit much to post here, so I’ve made the packet available for free at my teacher’s stores. Please feel free to check it out if you are interested.

TPT Store

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-AR-Leveled-Library-805773

or

Teacher's Notebook

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/anavarre/classroom-ar-leveled-library

"Bonk" Phonics Games

I've recently created a series of "Bonk" Phonics Games. There are six different games: CVC, CVCe, Vowel Team, Ending Blends, ll & ck Endings, and Contractions. This is a fun game with lots of laughs. My family and I play it with my grandson all the time and we all love it. 

"Bonk" is a fun way to have students practice reading words and building fluency, while really enjoying themselves.  It is easy to prep and makes for a great center activity. Please feel free to visit my teachers store to check out these "Bonk" products. 

TPT Store

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Anna-Navarre

or

Teacher's Notebook

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/shop/anavarre