It's Friday!!!!

I don't know about you...

BUT I AM EXHAUSTED!!! :) I'm sure you all are feeling the stress of the first few weeks of school in these primary grades. I wanted to share some more of the activities we did this week. This week was very successful! We filled it with not only routines, but ice breakers, energizers, and hands on activities to engage these first graders all day! Take a look at some of our other first week items...

Chrysanthemum Bubble Map 
How many of you use Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes at the beginning of the year? It's a great book, isn't it? We use it over and over again throughout the year as a mentor text. The first graders relate to it so well. We first use it during the first few days to start that team building comfort of the children. We discuss how special Chrysanthemum felt because she had such a special name. We then transition it into a class meeting and discussion about what kinds of things make us special and unique. The first graders partner up with each other and tell what makes them special. This way they get more than one idea and get to know each other and feel more comfortable. After the moving around, I fill in the bubbles with four things that make me special. The students then fill out the bubble map with their partners with things that make them special. Some draw, some write, and some do both. It's accessible to all!

Hopes and Dreams for First Grade

For those of you who follow the Responsive Classroom Philosophy, this is a must. It's an easy way to set those expectations by using the student hopes and dreams. We start by discussing why we come to school. The first graders come up with come great ideas! We chart it on the Smart Board or Chart Paper. The next day, we go back over the list we made and discuss how we could hope to achieve all or some of the things on the list, but we elicit one hope or dream for first grade from the students. That also gets charted. _____ hopes to _________. They fill out a speech bubble and draw their picture of themselves from the first day of first grade. Then have them glue the speech bubble to the picture and back with a 1/2 piece of construction paper. I post them in the classroom for students to revisit regularly. The next day, we take those hopes and dreams and tie them into one of three expectations set for the class. 1. We take care of ourselves. 2. We take care of each other. 3. We take care of property. Virtually every rule you've ever made on a list or contract fits into one of these expectations! It truly puts it into kid friendly language that they can understand. Instead of a list of 'no's - like no hitting, kicking, yelling, hurting etc...you set a positive tone for the students. We then focus on how can we take care of ourselves, each other and property? I take pictures of students who are doing those things and put them on the expectations chart. It's posted in the class for the year. They own it and love it! Try it! It works!

This is a 4 page tiled poster!

Don't forget about our easy to use Alphabet Flip Cards to Review Letter sounds. We use a sound pack with just the letters to intervene, but use our flip cards to help tie a picture to those letter sounds. There is one animal picture for each consonant and two pictures for each vowel sound. We do a 1 minute quick review during transition times or snack or whenever we can fit it in! They help and they are cheap!

Have a peaceful restful weekend! Stay tuned to looking to next week! It's time to start blending letter sounds to make words; at from Phonics Workshop starts next week! I'll repost materials and lesson plans!

Christine :)

What have you done so far?

Well the first week of school is almost over. My new class is wonderful. Thought I'd share some of the fun and engaging activities we completed this week!

Our Class Puzzle Project - In our class we are all like pieces of a puzzle. Each piece is important. Each piece is special. Each piece is unique. Each piece is needed to create a beautiful picture! The kids loved it! I printed pictures of just their heads and shoulders. The each got a precut piece and glued their picture on. They decorated the piece around the words too. Then they set out to find their matches. Next, they all met together to glue it to chart paper. They had to work together as a team and help each other to figure it out. They had to take turns and encourage others to participate. Afterward they completed a writing response to tell how they could contribute to the class to be a good piece of the classroom puzzle. I was so proud! Check it out!


Birthday Pictograph! Instead of buying a pre-made birthday board set that the students don't really use for any type of data collection, we created our own birthday pictograph and started data collection using the students right at the start! It goes along with Common Core Mathematics as well. The kids get a birthday cake with their name and birthday on it. We glue the cakes to the large tile printed poster that's been trimmed and glued together. The noticings and identifications began immediately. It prompted a hearty mathematical discussion right from the first day. It's not too late to do this great activity. First graders know more than we give them credit for!

Stay tuned for more first week activities! Not too late to do them! They were all great!

Let's talk about the back to school expo on Teachers Notebook!

Why should you check out the BACK TO SCHOOL EXPO from August 25th to September 1st?

Right now there is a goodie bag for everyone who joins  worth over $179.00. 

There are more than 74 shops participating in this great event.

For $10.00 you get a ticket for yourself and get to send two randomly selected teachers for free!

Participating shops have 30% of items listed for sale.

This is your opportunity to get a TON of  BACK TO SCHOOL items at a completely minimal cost! We all need them. We all deserve to save money on them!

There are going to be online pd sessions offered as well. Top selling stores are offering ideas and back to school tricks on many different topics; reading, science, technology and much more!

This is an event you shouldn't miss. See what your colleagues around the country are doing!

We are not just participating! We are going!

Totally worth the entrance fee. You spend $10 and, at the very least, receive a goodie bag worth more than $179.00...Click the picture above to join and check out the event!

BACK TO SCHOOL EXPO! AUG 25TH

Come see our virtual booth at Teachers Notebook's Back to School Expo!

<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/virtual-teaching-expo?a=725531"><img src="http://virtualteachingexpo.com/bts/badges/save.jpg" border="0"></a>

<a href="http://virtualteachingexpo.com/bts.php"><img src="http://virtualteachingexpo.com/bts/badges/joinme.jpg" border="0"></a>

Check out Teachers Notebook BACK TO SCHOOL EXPO! This an unprecedented event. By contributing $10 to the event, you get your ticket and help two teachers go to the event too! The tickets were originally $19.95! So you save 50%

This is something I've never seen before! If you join the event, you will be able to visit virtual booths of hundreds of stores from Teachers Notebook! (Including us here at Phenomenal First Grade Phonics and Reading!!!)

Are you ready to see what you get???

30% off of items listed for the event!

A goodie bag with well over $100 of items donated by stores!

An opportunity to see five high quality speakers from different parts of the teaching world.

The event launches August 25th! Get your tickets today! You won't be disappointed!!!

Going Back?

Going Back to School this week?

I started today with a full day professional development in technology...it's actually a great committee my district has created to help develop coordination between Google Docs (Drive), the IPad and the Smart Board! It was great and I may be sharing some of those creations in the near future...

For those of you going back to first grade, don't forget to look for materials on our store sites....


Great BACK TO SCHOOL STUFF!

    

    
Great Reading Comprehension modeling material!

       

Great Phonics Stuff! 

        

Anchor Charts for Reader's Workshop Coming Soon!  

Have a great start! Let us know if you see something interesting that you would like tailored for your needs...We all need to do tweaking sometime! If you tell us, we will do it!!!

Are you ready for phonics instruction?

Just a reminder! Our Common Core Phonics Workshop materials and lesson plans are available in both of our stores! 

Teachers Pay Teachers & Teachers Notebook

We have split it up in a number of ways to suit your needs! All of our short vowels are bundled together in one pack for a discounted price. We also have it split by vowel if you'd like to try it that way. We also have bundled our materials together by item. All the Word Wheels are in one pack. All the picture cards are in another pack. All the Word Sorts are in a pack also. Whether you want to use the whole system or just supplement your instruction we can help you. If you want it split up a different way, email or post on our blog. We'd be happy to help you. 

Because we make everything, we can change anything to suit your individual needs. 

Phonics Workshop - Made by teachers, for teachers!

Common Core Phonics Workshop - Short Vowel Bundle!

Now available! A bundled pack of all of our short vowel materials for $30.00 You save over 50% if you buy it all together. 

We are also now on Teachers Notebook. You can purchase this pack at either store!

    Teachers Notebook Store        

      

   Teachers Pay Teachers Store

In this zipped file you get ALL THE SHORT VOWEL MATERIALS FOR COMMON CORE PHONICS WORKSHOP AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE! All the word wheels, picture cards, word sorts, Smart Board files, and Writing Papers for each short vowel pattern. (at, an, ap, ag, ack, ot, op, og, ock, it, in ip, ig, ick, ill, ing, ut, un, ug, uck, unch, et, en, eck, ell, and est.) There are also progress monitoring tools to assess teaching and learning after each vowel is completed. This includes various forms of fluency grids. We do quick 1 minute assessments with students to see how many words they can read in a minute. You learn very quickly who has embedded the decoding of the patterns and skills you have taught. You also learn who needs more practice. The varied forms can be sent home for practice or added to your stations to help embed the skills. There is also a cumulative dictation for each vowel. You can identify who is having difficulty with what sounds with these dictations. There are alternate assessments offered as well to tease out the issues students may be having. You can totally pinpoint specific sounds and pattern issues.  

The introduction and lesson plan format is also included in this pack. Phonics Workshop is basically a 3 day process for each word pattern:

• Day 1 - class word web with pictures (or Smart Board) and word wheel.
• Day 2 - Word Sort
• Day 3 - Word Ladder

It is taught in the workshop model of minilesson, guided practice, independent/partner practice. I do it, we do it, you do it! It is made for teachers by teachers. It is EASY TO MANAGE, TEACH, PLAN, AND ASSESS. We get it and have created something that works.

Let's keep the freebie for Saturday too!

What's going on this weekend!

I'm going to keep the Chrysanthemum bubble map up for free this weekend also! I think we could all use a break. Going back is a whirlwind, isn't it?

Also free on our Teachers Pay Teachers store---
our Phonics Workshop materials for at, an, and ap! Included are: Word Wheels, Smart Board, Word Sorts, Lesson plans, the Scope and Sequence for the whole year, and Writing papers. They are the beginning of your phonics instruction for the year. Those three word family/patterns can get you through 2 weeks of lessons on blending by individual sounds (cvc) and onset and rime, while beginning the teaching process for decoding and recoding. I've had it all listed as separate free materials, but now I've bundled it into a zip file for you to get it all together! Check it out! It's FREE!

Common Core Phonics - at, ap and an for free!

Freebie for Friday!

Chrysanthemum - I am special bubble map! Goes along with Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes! Great read aloud/mentor text for the beginning of the year!

Chrysanthemum Bubble Map

More Back to School Items Added Today!!!

Check our our new items added for back to school!

Do you follow the philosophy of Responsive Classroom? We have offered out hopes and dreams activity for first graders. This also includes a 4 tiled poster to display your expectations in your classroom. We take pictures of students actually performing things that fall into the categories of taking care of yourself, others, and property and add them to our expectations poster.

Hopes and Dreams Packet

Open House Thank You Letter to Parents

 

 Do you read Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes at the beginning of the year?

Chrysanthemum - I am Special Bubble Map

Check them out! Plus more classroom items added!

The Problem and Solution - Common Core Organizer!

Here is a great form for Problem and Solution...If you are teaching young learners how to discuss and report the story elements of a story in detail, using our comprehension forms with interactive read alouds is a great way to start. We first do reading minilessons and study the Setting, Main Character, and then move onto the Problem and Solution. We have found greater success in teaching comprehension skills this way, rather than teaching them all at once with a story map. (We do story mapping next, but because of all the previous learning in the elements, we are able to go deeper with story mapping.) It builds independence and confidence in young readers. We first learn together as a whole group with an interactive read aloud. (We also revisit Mentor Texts!) Next, it is filtered down to small group instruction (where applicable, mostly students who are at about Level 14 DRA or G/H Guided Reading. Those who are 12 and below are focusing more on decoding and sight words with basic oral comprehension during small group instruction). Finally, it is used as an independent tool to track their thinking with their just right free choice books. It's a process that works. It also sets the stage for teaching reader's response. You are giving students a wealth of background knowledge in discussing the basic story elements in a given selection. This is all part of the Common Core. Rather than teaching a story, you are teaching skills and strategies to discuss the important events and parts of a story.

Our goal as teachers of reading is to teach students to read and think independently.

Let us know what you think! Respond to our thoughts. We'd love to start a dialogue with teachers out there! What do you do to teach the story elements?

Happy Birthday Sale - Extra 20%

Happy 3rd Birthday Ariella! (my daughter!) In addition to the 10% off on Teachers Pay Teachers, all of our materials are 20% off today! Check it out! 

Common Core Supported Phonics and Comprehension materials!

Back to School Classroom Items! 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Phenomenal-First-Grade-Phonics-And-Reading

Don't Forget the Sale!!!

Today and tomorrow--big sale! All of our materials are an additional 10% off...Here are a few more products added for Common Core Reading Materials!

The Main Character is - The Most Important Who!

Very often, as teachers, we jump right into character traits of those in a story. We have found that students need some practice with identifying who the main character of the story actually is. We teach it through interactive read aloud and then follow up in our reading minilessons. We teach that the main character is the most important 'who' in the story. We create an anchor chart telling some of the ways they can tell who the main character is: Their name may be in the title. They usually have the problem. Their name may be in the title. We revisit past read alouds and mentor texts to prove our anchor chart. Students learn to show their thinking on the Main Character Organizer below. First with whole group guided practice, then in small group instruction with 'just right' materials, and finally independently with their choice reading. In first grade, we have found great success in using the organizers before transitioning into blank reader response. 

The Main Character Form

Also included with your purchase!

Banner included to help display student work!

  Still to discuss: The problem and solution! It's up on Teachers Pay Teachers now...

BACK TO SCHOOL SALE!!!

Tomorrow and Monday (August 12th & 13th) is the big back to school sale on Teachers Pay Teachers!!! In addition to a site percentage off, all of our items will be an additional 10% off!!!

Great days to try out our phonics materials at up to 28% off of some items! 

Visit us at Phenomenal First Grade Phonics and Reading for Back to School items and Common Core Phonics and Comprehension Materials for young learners!

Also visit us and like us on Facebook! 

Common Core Comprehension Skills in First Grade!

Take a Look at our Common Core Supported Comprehension Materials

 Latest item to be added to Teachers Pay Teachers: 

The Setting is: Where and When!

When teaching comprehension skills to young learners, we have found great success to first model with an interactive read aloud. We focus on studying the story elements one at a time to get an in-depth look at each. September/October is a great time to study the setting of a story. The change in seasons is so prevalent in a first grader's mind and easy to identify. The color of the leaves, Halloween, pumpkins, apples, etc. We often use mentor texts that display fall to teach the setting through read alouds whole class first. Guided practice with how to identify and display their understanding helps to embed their skills. The students go off during independent reading to look for clues that tell where and when the story they are reading takes place.

The writing about the setting needs direct instruction. Although we use many oral opportunities to study and discuss the setting, we also teach them to use the organizer. Many first graders are ready for the written response early on.The Setting organizer is used as a tool whole class first then used in small group guided instruction, and finally independently through the first months of school.

Take a look! Two different versions are available; one with lines for writing the words that describe the setting and one without for those students who need to illustrate their understanding first before writing the words. Two different Setting banners accompany this purchase to help you display the student work!

More Items Added Today!

Hi Everyone,

We are working hard on getting back to school things online! Here are today's additions!

Complete Calendar Set!

Reading Strategies Bookmarks and Poster!

 Back to School First Grade Friends Activity

Back to School Items!

 Now that all of our fabulous phonics materials are up and ready for sale....

We have just begun adding our back to school items...I got tired of buying new things every year and spending hundreds at the teacher's stores...so I made my own things! This way I can reprint them year after year to start the year. Let's face it...who really has time to work on all the decorative things? With the Common Core and new curriculum coming and changing regularly? Well, take a look at some of our things to help get you started for that beginning week!

All About Me Booklet!

  Team Building Puzzle Project and Writing Prompt!

(Poster of 9 tiled pages!)

  

Class Birthday Pictograph 

(Poster of  9 tiled pages!)

Full Paper Size Alphabet Cards

Can be used for your alphabet line!     

 

8 different Student of the Week Awards!

 

AND MUCH MUCH MORE!

TAKE A LOOK!