All Little Books Need A Mommy Version

I am getting ready for our new students and my partner loves this emergent reader. Yesterday she asked me to make it a big book to use with the children before handing them an emergent reader. Smart lady! So I had very little time and this is my quick and easy version for the children to use for practice. Maybe we will build the labels in a pocket chart the next day. Not bad for an easy peasy book. How do you make yours?

All you need to do:
1. Enlarge your images on the computer or a copier
2. You can print them in color or do them in black outline and fill in
3. Bump up your text and use a thick font so the kids have good visibility
4. Separate the words with a few spaces so young children "see" the spaces between words.
5. Frame the text so they can make a connection between the words and the picture
6. Count the words to build concepts of print
These graphics are from DJInkers and from Scrappin Doodles. All I did was purchase them and enlarge them for my classroom.

My Students Flip Over These Books

My kids love these little flip books and they are easy to make and can be used for lots of concepts. This one is for matching sight words, one is lower case and they have to find the matching uppercase partner. I usually provide a recording sheet with this to make it a bit more interactive and to hold them accountable. However,you can have different expectations for different times of the year.

I am selling this in my TpT store for only $2.00! If you are interested in purchasing it you can grab it here.
There are twenty sight words presented and this packet is 22 pages. I hope you like it.

Those Beginning Days of School...

School starts next week and this is a standard activity in my classroom that I open up with. I try not to get a little crazy when I see the results. We have many kids that cannot write their name at all or proudly show it to me in all caps (you know exactly what I am talking about) and I spend lots of time undoing that. Their drawings can give you a ton of information about their developmental stage and often the little girl with cute ponytails and a zigzag part has been to preschool and her person will have clothes, facial details like eye lashes and lots of details. So lets see how they look this year... Save these to show the kids at the end of the year. Some of them are horrified by their poor fine motor and it is cute to watch their faces!

A Cat With A Positive Attitude

At the beginning of the year it needs to be simple and just plain fun for kinders when they first come to school. These can be folded ahead of time and a label can be used for each student's name. My kids might like taking this home with their Pete headband on . I will have to have my camera ready to go! This book is available right here. let me know how your class likes it!

I know that many of you liked these name tags or told me some great ways you are using them in your classroom. So many of you are so creative. So, if you need a set and cannot stand the thought of making them,
I took the names off of mine and want you to have a set to start the year. If you already have name tags you can use them for sight words, letters, numbers, whatever. Click here.

Please don't eat your name tag!

Are you still using name tags with soft yarn? I did this for years until I figured out this system. These badge holders are super expensive in office supply stores but not in Walmart. You can use them year after year and when I have a sub I leave these for her to use. Easy-peasy tags that the kids love to wear. I put them in a pocket chart outside on the first day so the parent can help their child. I also make an extra set of cards with icons in case a new child comes and I need to write in their name quickly. I keep extra badge holders on hand. When students are wearing these we can play name games easily. So, if your kinders tend to eat their name tag or twist it around their neck until they turn blue, this might be your solution! Try it!

Pete the Cat Came Back

I just finished a little reader for the new Pete the Cat packet and I will be adding on other activities as soon as my friend Makda finishes the graphics. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with. The language in this book is too difficult at the beginning of the year (unless you have first graders) so it will be a "shared reader" to help the children to be successful. If I made this into a Big Book I would take photographs of places at my school so the children would recognize them. That would be so much fun for them. The pointer is just a special extra and their name could go right on the stick with a label. It won't be long before I am rocking in my school shoes!

I am obsessed with the ultimate hw folder...

I have changed my homework folder more times than I care to admit. This is the latest and greatest version. I use legal size colored folders and do the boys in one color and the girls in another color. Sometimes notes are just for girls and this makes it easier. Once my class list is stable I laminate these folders completely open, fold them again, and staple them on the short sides. Then I take colored duct tape and enclose each side to cover the staples and make the folder sturdier. The folder reflects many of our big standards that I want parents (in a perfect world) to practice on a daily basis. Does this make sense? What do you create for your students? Wait... don't tell me or I might change them A*G*A*I*N! 

Here is a download of a few of my ideas and I hope you can use them. Click here.

This Rubric Cannot Get Lost !

Writing in kindergarten can be a real challenge especially when you work with young students who have limited English. I have tried lots of different strategies and this is one that has been fairly successful. I call it "The 5 Finger Rubric" and right before I release the kids to write we review each "finger" and talk about what good writers do.
Does it work? Not always but the kids love having the rubric on a stick (you can send one home) and it is a great reminder for them of what we are focusing on. I introduce this after we have been in school for a few months and I have modeled good writing through lots of mini lessons. I thought you might like to see this. I think kids need a rubric so they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.

Kindergarten Count Down...10,9.8

School is around the corner now and I am busy making homework folders and name tags so the reality is beginning to sink in. How about you? I am still working on my room (oh dear) and am hoping to put all the stuff away. So here is what I am thinking... We all get a little anxious about starting all over with the new kinders and we need some fresh things to boost our confidence, right? So I want to offer up some fun freebies to brighten your day. If you have someone new to kindergarten run some things off from this blog, put it in a fancy bag with a ribbon, and have it ready for the first day! Let's all pay it forward as we approach our new year of teaching.

I am offering the little strip book of patterns.

Grab it, use it, and enjoy it. Have a happy year with lots of learning! Click here to print this little book.
Leave a comment if you want and check out my TpT store if you need some fun stuff to open up the year!