Love ~ Love Predictable Charts!

I LOVE to make predictable charts for each theme in our classroom. 

What is a predictable chart? 

I     It is individual dictated student sentences that follow an oral language pattern.

I     The teacher writes the chart in front of the students. 

I     The students DO NOT share the writing utensil during this activity. 

I     The teacher thinks aloud as she/he takes the child’s idea and composes it word by word.

Why do predictable charts in your classroom?

I     To draw student’s attention to print.

I     Develop “one-word / one-touch” awareness through finger pointing.

I     Illustrate top to bottom directionally.

I     Illustrate the left to right print concept.

I     recognition of sight words.

I     develop common oral language vocabulary and grammatical structures.

I     Develop awareness that print conveys meaning.

I     Make stories more meaningful to students.

I     Promote individual reading success.

PLUS….you can easily turn your predictable chart into a literacy center or a classroom-made book! 

Here are my September predictable charts. 

Here are two great resources for using predictable charts in your classroom.

• Month By Month Reading and Writing in Kindergarten by Patricia Cunningham .
• Predictable Charts: Shared Writing for Kindergarten and First Grade  by Dorothy Hall.

Amber

Don't Be A Little Stinker!

To correlate with the camping theme in my classroom, I use the red, yellow, and green card system for monitoring behavior.  I also incorporated purple for those "angelic" kids that need to be recognized for their awesome behavior, which I read about on the Internet.  I made these cards to put in the students' take home folders at the end of the day.  This is a great way to communicate with the parents regarding their child's behavior that day.  I usually write an additional note on the slip to explain the behavior, if needed.  I copy the owl slips on purple, the moose on green, the bear on yellow, and the skunk on red. 

Camping Theme Behavior Slips

LuAnn

Shape & Color Centers

Can I just tell you that Pete the Cat is the coolest cat around!  I cannot imagine a teacher out there that has not heard of him yet.  I know my kids LOVED his story about his new white shoes.  I started out the Shape & Color centers by singing his song....because it is all good!

I See Colors

The students had to find the backpack (or other objects) and write the color word on the line.  They could use the colored crayon to copy the color word. 

Pete The Cat
The students at this center will read the book with me.  The students will have 10 minutes to color in some of the pictures (to work on their fine motor skills).   Then the students can take their book home to read to their parents and put in their treasure box.  By the way.... I got this book from Fran's (Kindergarten Crayons) Pete The Cat unit on Teachers Pay Teachers.    

Shape Toss
The students like to see which shape is going to make it to the top first!

M&M Graph
The students had to sort and graph their M&M's.  Then the students had to write how many M&M's in each column.  Finally...you gotta love a center when you get to eat the manipulative at the end!

The Shape Song
In the pocket chart I have Dr. Jean's song, The Shape Song, displayed for the students to see. 



This is an example of the book the students look at while we listen to the song on CD.



The students will color in a shape on each page by copying the colors in the pocket chart.  On the last page, I will ask the students each shape.  If the student gets a shape wrong, I will circle it to let the parents know which shapes to work on at home.

Shape Monster Glyph
I got this idea from Mrs. Lee's Blog, and of course I took the idea and made it cuter.  JOKING!  No...really....I look forward to all her great ideas that she shares to use with my students. 

Shape Monster Glyph
Favorite Shape = Body
Favorite Color = Color of my Monster
Triangle/Rectangle Body = 1 Eye
Square/Circle Body = 3 Eyes
Rectangle Mouth = I am a boy
Semi Circle Mouth = I am a girl
Hair Pieces = How many letters in your name

Rainbow Hair
Click on the words "Rainbow Hair" below and you can get a copy of the poem.  You might have to change it a bit because of the different fonts I have on my computer.  
Rainbow Hair

 By the way...I will add copies of my centers to my teacher website at www.luv2teachk.shutterfly.com soon.  Look under the "THEME" link on the top of the website.  Thanks!

I AM SO PROUD OF MY SISTER!

My niece is in kindergarten and brought home a parent letter about "Letter Homework".  My sister not only read the letter...  she went to Wal~mart and bought a 3 ring binder and sleeves to put the Letter Homework in to practice each night.  See pictures below!  At the end of the post, I have a link for the parent letter so you can use it in your classroom, too.  Note...the parent letter is plain and no clip art.  You will have to JAZZ it up! 

Letter Work Parent Letter

Amber

Have You Been Punched Today?

As an incentive to learn high frequency words (sight words, star words, rainbow words, popcorn words, love words, etc.), each student is given a "punch card" to track which high frequency words they have mastered.  For each reading unit, I will send home a set of HFW flashcards for the students to keep at home and practice with their parents.  A punch card containing those same words is paper-clipped (velcro) inside the students' folders.  When the students have demonstrated that he/she can read the HFW, I will punch their HFW card.  This is quick way for the parents to see which words their child has mastered and which ones need additional practice.  Once a student has all of the HFW punched on their card, they will receive the new flashcards and a new punch card for the next set of HFW.

By clicking on the link below, you can view a sample of the parent letter and punch card that I sent home.


Parent Letter Link

LuAnn

Names & Letter Centers

Here is a "SNAP-SHOT" of our thematic centers this week.  If you have any questions, please let me know! 


Making our "friends" names in play-doh.



The students used water colors to find out whose "SECRET NAME" they had.  They could not wait to see if they got their own name or a friend's name.  I got the template from Heidisongs   http://heidisongs.blogspot.com/

We listened to the story, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom on CD and then traced the lower-case letters from A to Z.

We worked on some AB patterns.  You can get the template from Kindergarten Crayons (and many more great freebies!). http://kindergartencrayons.blogspot.com/

Letter Bang
Place all the cards in the middle of the table.  When a student draws a card, he/she says the letter.  If the student gets the letter correct, he/she gets to keep it.  If the student does not get the letter correct, he/she has to put it back into the pile.  If the student draws a "BANG" card, he/she has to put ALL their cards back into the pile.  The student with the most cards at the end ~ wins.

I got this idea from Mrs. Jump.  When the student was finished with their bus I glued it onto white construction paper and made it into a classroom-made book. 

http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/

This is a picture from Miss N's classroom.  On a black piece of paper write their names in white crayon.  Spend a good 2 hours on a Saturday night and die cut little colored squares (HE HE HE).  I remind the students to dab the glue stick onto the little square not the black piece of paper!

Oh Come on....Mrs. Lee

Please~Please tell me...how you "FIT" everything cute & academic into your schedule.  Not only fitting it in the week, but when do you find the time to "prep" for it.  Your advice or any other "ROCKSTAR TEACHERS" advice would be greatly appreciated! 



Please comment here and share with other hardworking teachers all over!

 Amber

Jeremiah was a bull frog...

Now that I have got you singing that song in your head...I am sharing a compound story book with you!

I attended (and presented) at the UW-Stout Early Childhood Conference.  One of the student teachers was sharing her book at one of the sessions.  I wish I could remember her name, but she gave me permission to take pictures of the book and make one for my classroom.  Now I am sharing with you! 

Bullfrog Compound Story

Camp Learn-A-Lot Pictures

Here are some pictures of my 2011-2012 kindergarten classroom.  I really enjoy camping, and decided to use the theme in my classroom.  Plus...I LOVE D.J. Inkers clip art!  http://www.clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/ has great theme ideas for your classroom.  Check it out - after you check out my pictures!  HE HE

Camp Love-To-Learn !

Every morning the students will whisper the secret password into my ear before they enter the classroom. 
I start out with shapes and then the sight words we are learning. 

 

Visual Bus Display for mine and the guest teacher's eye!



Name ticket!  Susie Haas from Scribbles-N-Dots came up with a great idea. 
Each morning the students will write his/her name on a slip of paper.  After a few months, the students will write their first and last name and write numbers (1-10 / 1-20) on the back.  



"Moose Munch" What are you eating for lunch?



Don't Be A Little Stinker - Follow the Rules!

Academic Free Choice (free play) area choice board.  After the students are done with thematic centers he/she can choose an area to go and work/play. 



Rest Time Reading Boxes.  During quiet time the students can bring his/her rest time boxes to their spot and read. 
Gotta love Toobalos!



In their rest box you will find a toobaloo, number counting sheets, wordless books, guided reading books, nursery rhymes sheets, and color songs sheets.

"Beary" Sweet Birthdays

Birthday Balloon from me! 

I tape the construction paper balloon onto a silly swirly straw.



TIME FOR "S'MORE" LEARNING!



Classroom rules. 
I think it is very cute, but I am changing the bears to more visual pictures for the students to remember each rule. 

We give a "HOOT" about writing !
The posters "Writing For the Reader" and "When I'm done I can.." are from Kim Adsits website. 
http://www.adsit.net/
Check out her new blog http://www.kindergals.blogspot.com/



F"ANT"ASTIC LISTENERS !



Don't Bug Me...  Math is Fun! 
During the year, I will add concepts we are learning to the board.

Reading Corner

THREE WAYS TO READ A BOOK
Look at the picture and tell a story.
Read the words.
Tell a story you already know.



I got the reading strategies posters from candokinders.blogspot.com
 

I got the reading strategies posters from candokinders.blogspot.com



Another one of Kim Adsit's poster ideas!  Love it!!!

Amber