Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Kids LOVE their name!

I just love using the "The Name Game"...."The Banana Song"....or in our classroom...."The Name Song" in my classroom this time of the year.  The students want to read the "classroom~ made" book all the time.




Click {here} to go to our Teachers Notebook store to get the masters for our "Name Song" classroom~made book.  They are FREE! 

Other Kiddo Favorites...
Check out Dr. Jean's Banana Dance YouTube Video.  {Click Here} 
Check out The Banana Song YouTube {Click here}  What kiddo doesn't like to GO BANANAS!

Here are our "lucky" giveaway winners from our "1000 followers"!  Thanks for the comments and you will receive your "goodies" soon in your e-mail!


Thank you, Amber & LuAnn

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

1000 Followers, Pictures, Freebie, and Giveaway!


We are very honored that we have 1000 followers. 

We are also grateful for every sweet comment we receive from our followers and other bloggers.  To show our appreciation, we are giving away all 10 of our phonemic awareness activities from our Teachers Notebook store to 10 lucky winners.  That is a SWEET Deal!  Please leave a short comment telling why you love teaching KINDERGARTEN (or your grade level) along with your e-mail address! 



Here are some pictures to enjoy from Mrs. Osterman's Classroom...
Birthday Balloons with silly straws for my special kiddos!

I finally got the "guts" to mod-podge my filing cabinets.  Thanks Mrs. Lee...for the idea! 

Below is what we chant before we begin teaching/learning in large group
Teacher; Class
Students: Yes
Teacher: Time to learn
Students: Time to listen
Adorable wall hanging by...first-grade-fever blogspot

Famous Pom~Poms from Pinterest! 

BEFORE

AFTER....way cuter!

Another pinterest idea that I use for large group behavior management.  Did you notice that I dyed my clothes pins...black!?!

Our reading corner tree.  Too much work not to share!

Literacy Centers/Daily 5-9 "where to go" chart.  The students will clip their clothespin to a special spot. 

This is an example of the poster hanging in the designated literacy area.

Math Bulletin Board

Posters on top represent each Common Core Math Practices
The resources comes from Jordan School District in Utah...check it out. 
We made our own copy in black in white {click here for freebie!} 

Poster on the bottom is our "All About Number One" Poster  

Common Core Math Buckets
Each bucket contains a common core math standard that needs to be mastered. 
I will keep changing the activities in each bucket though out the year.   

How did this ADORABLE dog get in my group of pictures!?!  I just had to share my dad's new companion...Niko. 
He is an Irish~Doodle.  How can you not smile at a face like that?

This is from Mrs. Lee's I'm a Peacemaker Unit.  Check in out {here} .  I used Velcro dots behind each peacemaker ~ peacebreaker strip so I can use the chart each year.

Here are our A~D~O~R~A~B~L~E "No Davids"!

I just smile every time I see this "welcome sign" when I walk into the classroom. 

My "Secret Password" Sign.  The students will whisper the secret password into my ear before entering the classroom in the morning.  I have used this the past 6 years and I LOVE IT.  The kiddos do, too!

Kindergarten Rocks Banner

We hope that you enjoy our posts and what we have to share!  Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win our giveaway...with your e-mail address...by SUNDAY(September 23rd)!!!
I finally chopped my hair (on the left)....Lovin' it!

Amber & LuAnn

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Word Wall Wonderfulness

Look at my word wall…it is in one straight line!  I cannot THANK Miss Neuenschwander enough for SHARING this idea with me.  I am excited to use this with my kiddos this school year. 

As you know…”Word Wall Words” often do not fit into the "traditional" spelling patterns.  Many of them cannot be sounded out phonetically - the students simply must learn them.

In my classroom, the words are reviewed weekly, and students may refer to the wall any time they need help spelling a basic sight word.  This will help prepare them for reading in first grade…even kindergarten! 

Not only do I use word wall words (sight words~star words~high frequency words~popcorn word~etc), I like to use names, environmental print, vocabulary, common core words, and word family words on the word wall.     

Here is an example of one of the letters as the year goes on…

I will place all the Word Wall Words/Sight Words permanently on the top of each letter.  My sight words are color coordinated by how many letters in each word.  For example, all the 3 letter words have a green background. 

On the bottom of the letters I will place the environmental print, names, vocabulary, common core words, and word families.  The ones on the bottom can be changed periodically during the year.

Remember…The emphasis on having a word wall in your classroom is building the students’ confidence that they will be able to read –because they are already reading!
 
Amber
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