What's Blooming In My Store?

I finally finished this packet but it was so huge that I split it up into two parts. Seriously. This has every trick in the book that I have learned to motivate students to work on blending cvc words.The theme is Spring even if it is still snowing where you live! April is here and this is when  I would go into panic mode over what my students couldn't do. Do you get crazy too? I am not interested in first grade teachers storming into my room wondering what I did all year. Right? You can relate to this. So I work on this skill with nutty intensity. It shows up all over the room, in the morning message, and even on the yard when the kids are "trying" to have some recess fun. I have been known to drag out sidewalk chalk to spell out words on the blacktop but the custodian ends up hating me! Oh well. A teacher has to do what it takes. 
These packets introduce just 25 CVC words and students practice using them through games, activities, and literacy stations. The second packet allows students to practice these words through cutting and pasting 
( hello- some have not mastered this even in April) and I even sneak in some letter writing practice known as handwriting. Can you imagine? Check these out if you are a desperate kindergarten teacher, an intervention teacher (aren't we all) or a Special Education teacher. It might help your students learn these important CCSS Foundational Skills and your principal will realize that you are truly  a super hero.
Click on each flower to plant those seeds of knowledge

 

A Deal Breaker In Kindergarten: My Newest Packet

I was recently in a meeting with a district administrator and she asked me what I considered to be crucial skills  for students to have before moving on to first grade. For once, I paused and gave this some careful thought since I think all of us are faced with this issue as we approach the end of the year. First, I look at a child's social and emotional development and that truly guides my thinking. With that being said, I really am concerned if a child cannot blend sounds to make words. This is a real deal breaker in my head because students who struggle with this skill often become overwhelmed the following year. Our first grade program moves at a crazy speed and these kiddos are not ready for the pace or the demands being placed on them. Administrators fight us on this but kindergarten teachers get to know their students quite well and often have well thought out reasons for wanting a student to spend another year in their classroom. Retention has become a dirty word! Right? The child who only recognizes a few letters or only knows a few sounds will obviously have a difficult time but not being able to decode simple cvc words makes reading laborious and difficult. It makes building fluency almost impossible. What do you think?

At this time of year I use every trick in the book to teach my students how to blend sounds to make words and decode simple cvc words. This packet is filled with activities that I have had great success with. It is filled with books that students make, cut and paste work, cvc word searches, literacy stations that are taught in a small group setting, games and much more. I only work on these skills with 25 words, five from each vowel group (a, e, i, o, and u). This builds student confidence and has been highly effective in my classroom.

I am almost finished. My husband is my official editor but he is out playing softball so keep your eye on this and I will let you know when it is in my store. I hope this makes a difference for you. The theme is Growing Flowers. Let the games begin!