10 New Phonemic Awareness Activities @ Teachers Notebook!

Good phonological awareness skills make learning to read, write, and spell a lot easier.  Stop by our Teachers Notebook store to grab your activities now. You WILL NOT be disappointed!  We have been wanting to make these activities all school year, and we finally found some friend~time to get it done this past weekend.

The more ways we teach students, the more ways we reach students...right!?!  These 5 to 15 minute activities can be used in your daily schedule or in a spur-of-the-moment time frame.  Each activity provides many examples to choose from, so there's not need to think of words off the top-of-your-head. 

Please click {right here} to go to our Teachers Notebook shop to view our acitivites.  When we hit 1000 followers we will be having a GiVeAwAy with all of our phonemic awareness activities in one BIG bundle...spread the word!

Have fun with these phonemic awareness activities to help your kindergarteners or beginning first-grade students begin to develop a lifelong enjoyment of language and reading, so they will become a successful reader!

Thanks for stopping by. We truly appreciate you and your support!
Amber & LuAnn

Sizziling Summer Tip # 8

One of the most important tools for teaching math for kindergarten is math manipulatives.  Manipulatives provide a hands-on learning that allow young children to be able to understand the math concepts being taught and make learning those concepts fun.

I have a variety of math manipulatives in my classroom from bears, farm animals, foam shapes, buttons, mini car toys, pom~poms, links, unifix cubes, etc. 

You can teach many concepts with a handful of manipulatives. 

First ~ count how many
Second ~ sort the manipulatives by color 
Third ~ say the color names
Fourth ~ which color has the most, the least, and the same amount
Fifth ~ add or subtract the two colors together

Other ideas to teach with manipulatives: shapes, time, weight, temperature, fractions, etc. 

Using math manipulatives can be fun and easy.  I believe it is a great VISUAL tool to use with your students!  WHAT MATH MANTIPULATIVES DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR CLASSROOM? 

Summer Rocks,

Amber

Sizzling Summer Tip # 7

Writing With Kinders!

Modeled Writing ~ Writing to Children
Our students need to see us write daily. In modeled writing, the teacher models the writing process, talking out loud as he/she writes. For example, Daily News

Shared Writing ~ Writing with Children
The teacher guides the children through the writing process. The children help contribute ideas on what to write but the teacher is still in control of the pen. For example, letters, lists, messages, stories.

Interactive Writing ~ Writing with Children
The teacher and children decide on a topic together and "share a pen". You must know your students and their abilities. Invite children to come up and help write letters and sight words they know.
For example, write about a shared activity....walk to the post office together.

Independent Writing ~ Writing by Children
This is the time when children write in their journals. The children write in their journals daily.

I hope when you read this you were thinking...I know that...I know that....I know that....I know that.  See how SMART you are.  If anything...I bet it was a nice refresher for you!

Summer Rocks,
Amber

Sizzling Summer Tip # 6

KinderGals Rock....enough said! 



Click {right here now} if you have not been to her blog.  It is AmAzInG!  I hope after 25 years in teaching (and hopefully still teaching K) I am as FaBuLOuS of a teacher as Kim Adsit.  Her daughter is very fortunate to have such a wonderful mentor~mother! 

Summer Rocks, 
Amber 

Sizzling Summer Tip # 5

Gift Ideas For Parents

Besieged by their children's requests for trendy gifts, parents might appreciate suggestions for gifts that would be suitable to each child's skills and interests.  With a little research, you can compile a list of and then choose five or six ideas for each student. 

The possiblities for gift ideas might include some of the following:
Fine Motor Coordination: mazes, jigsaw puzzles, children's carpentry tools, art materials, craft kits, building sets.

Language Arts: books or story record (suggest titles or themes for particular children), word-building games, magazine subscription, diary or blank book for journal writing, children's cookbook.

Math and Science: inexpensive calculator, compass, protractor, calendar, indoor.outdoor thermometer, planting kit. 

Send the gift ideas home with each student (in a plain sealed envelope to discourage curious eyes) or mail them.  Be srue to enclose a brief cover letter assuring parents that the ideas are meant to be helpful suggestions, not mandatory purchases. 
Resource: Learning Magazine's Superbook of Teacher Tips

Summer Rocks,
Amber

Sizzling Summer Tip # 4

Ways To Write Letters and Words Without Using Paper and Pencil

• Shaving cream on the table or cookie sheet
• Fingerpaint
• Paint with water on the blacktop
• Rainbow write with markers
• Use masking tape on the floor
• Use magna doodle
• Sponge letters
• Math links
• Whiteboards
• Play-doh
• typpe on a typewriter or computer
• Use a labeler
• Yarn letters
• Alphabet stamps
• Stencils
• Use glitter pens
• Use bingo markers
• Cut out letters from magazines
• Use sticker letters
• Salt boxes
• Black paper and gel pens
• Wikki sticks

                                    Picture from brooklyn street art!

Fun finger~paint recipes (click here) to go to Tip Nut.

I would love for you to comment with some more ideas!  Thank you!!!

Summer Rocks,
Amber

Sizzling Summer Tip # 3

Writing is contagious!

Kindergartners can and will write. The most important ingredient in the recipe for writing in kindergarten, especially if the children do not have any previous experience with writing, is the attitude of the teacher. If the teacher pretends that the children will write, they begin to expect that they will. Use language that indicates that you believe the children are already writing, that what they are doing is writing. “Let me see what you wrote.” Yes...a capital at the beginning of your sentence...nice job" “Wow! You wrote that?” "You did a great job using spaces between your words" “What are you thinking of writing about today?” etc.

Resource found at Writing Fix Website.

Summer Rocks,
Amber