Category Archives: Small Groups | Centers

Small group ( 6 or less) and independent centers for students to practice skills and strategies.

How do YOU FIT IT ALL IN? Balanced Literacy, that is!

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BALANCED LITERACY IN FIRST GRADE!

I can’t believe this is year 30!

MY own twins were in first grade

My first year of teaching!
( NOT in my class…TG…)

Each year things CHANGE!

Literacy has changed!

It is SO very important!
CHANGE is NOT a BAD thing!
It can make you rethink, reevaluate, redo, remake, and revitalize!

After 30 years…I can HONESTLY say…

I will NOT throw out the BABY with the BATHWATER!

WHAT????

OK…We have a new curriculum. AGAIN!
EVERY 7 YEARS.
Whether you want it …or NOT!

And so, here we go again.

It really doesn’t matter what “program” you give me.

BALANCED Literacy
is
BALANCED Literacy

My “STRESS” level rises when I try to plan.

HOW TO FIT IT ALL IN?

Reality check…

Some days I can…some days I can’t.

It’s ok.

Life won’t end if you don’t do it ALL!

BUT…

TRY!

Let’s start with :

#1.. READ ALOUDS for Literacy Mentor Texts

I start with

READ ALOUDS!

I start my day with READ ALOUD.

AND

I end my day with a READ ALOUD!

( I try to make ONE of those Read Alouds

a SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, or HOLIDAY story)

INTEGRATE whenever YOU can!

After EVERY story…We Discuss.

Characters.

Setting.

Problem.

Solution.

EVERY Read Aloud.

Discuss for 10 minutes …MAX!

Highly Effective!

When students THINK about a story,

“turn & talk”

about it,

use the “academic language”

from the story, they are engaged!

They might NOT take it on

for themselves the first time…

but…over time, they will!

This week I heard some “reading partners”

discussing our anthology

story.

I heard “MAIN CHARACTER”,

“Beginning, Middle, END”,

“How did they SOLVE that Problem?”

WOWZA!

Teacher Happy DANCE!

If you need suggestions for Read Alouds…

PINTEREST!

Next on my BALANCED LITERACY plan…

#2 INTERACTIVE WRITING

So, how? Where? WHEN?

I LOVE interactive writing!

Interactive Writing is when the KIDS do the writing.

We use chart paper. We discuss a story PLAN.

We start with MAIN IDEA. Then we add 3 detail ideas.

We add a conclusion.

VOILA! A class story!

They help each other spell.

We sound out words together.

We discuss grammar.

And we write..and read…

and edit..and rewrite!

What a wonderful cycle!

I am using my interactive writing skills to

incorporate our

#3 Word Work

NEW long vowel phonics concepts.

We made a chart.

Together we thought up words

that use our long vowel

word families.

We made a vocabulary box

on the chart

to remind us of words

we want to use in our story.

And…THEY WRITE!

Smelly markers are a must!

And we read…

This happens during our morning

meeting time.

We spend about 5-10 minutes writing

each day for 5 days.

Mondays..we begin a new story.

THEY LOVE THIS!

We started with Kate.

Long a with silent e.

Then Irene.

Long e with silent e.

Next week…

Long o with silent e.

Check out ..

BALANCED LITERACY

Next we preview…

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

Write ON

Stop on by and let us know,

HOW do you incorporate

Balanced Literacy into your day?

Wendy

It’s National PUZZLE Day! Do YOU play GAMES??

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GAMES and Puzzles!

Today is NATIONAL PUZZLE DAY!

Wahoo!

Fun times with friends.

Do YOU play games and puzzles in YOUR classroom?

I HOPE SO!

What better way to practice academic skills & strategies?

The BEST way to learn social skills of sharing, taking turns, winning, and losing.

AND..most importantly…

IT BUILDS YOUR CLASSROOM COMMUNITY!

Keep reading for a FUN FREEBIE

Freebie for Followers

Checkers

Boars Games for kids

Chutes & Ladders Board Game

Candy Land Board Game

I also have the children make their OWN games.

We play the “matching” game… A LOT!

Use spelling words, vocabulary words, math facts…whatever!

I give 1/2 the class 1 sheet of colored paper.

I give the other half

1 sheet of colored paper, too

BUT a different color!

We fold it into 8 rectangles.

EVERYONE writes the same words on their paper.

THEN…cut the cards apart!

When we are ready…find a partner

WITH DIFFERENT COLORED PAPER!

Turn over all of the cards.

Pick one of YOURS,

then choose one of your partners!

With different colored papers

…no mistaking whose is whose.

When game “time” ( set a timer ) is done

..pick up YOUR cards!

No mixing them up!

Take the cards HOME & PRACTICE!

Here WE ARE at WORK:

Kids in the classroom playing learning games

Partner students in the classroom playing learning games

Kids in the classroom playing learning games

I hope you play games and do puzzles!

Have FUN!

Here are some MORE blog posts about

CLASSROOM GAMES!

PLAY ON

The Day the Boys Found Dice

I Spy With Word Walls

GOTCHA!

Games for ASSESSMENTS?

What TIME is it?

Here are some games

for YOUR classroom:

CVC Scoot Game

CVC SCOOT

Who Am I Flapbook Game

Who AM I? Flapbook GAME!

What’s a SMORT? A SMART Sort!

SMORTS…What’s A SMORT?

A SMART SORT!

Shelves of Board Games

Check out my

GAMES for GIGGLES

Pinterest board

for MORE fun GAMES!

FUN FREEBIE

Freebie for Followers

Signature

What TIME is it???

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How many “times” today have you been asked…

WHAT TIME IS IT???

For me…

WAY TOO MANY!

And so…

WE TEACH!

Hour hand.

Minute hand.

O’clock.

Thirty.

And OVER…And OVER…And OVER!

Big ones for WHOLE Group.

Little Ones for Small / Independent Practice.

(Practice MAKES Perfect!)

To help out…

I have created a

MUCH NEEDED Packet..

for ME AND For YOU!

WHAT TIME IS IT SNOWMAN?

These games will help my kiddos practice

Hour & Half-Hour

MULTIPLE GAME Formats!

We LOVE GAMES!

Those who like SORTING…SORT!

Those who like a MATCHING GAME…MATCH!

Those who like to write..WRITE!

And so we work, we play, we practice!

And then…

WHAT TIME IS IT??

RECESS! LUNCH! TIME TO GO HOME!

Check out my WINTER Pinterest board!

LOTS of Winter GOODIES!

Data Collecting sends SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE!

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Data Collecting!

The words that send

SHIVERS

down

EVERY TEACHER’S

BACK!

WHY? HOW? WHEN?

Relax…take a breath…

go to your “HAPPY PLACE!”

Data Collecting is very important in education.

We as educators not only need to deliver the instruction, but we do have the need to ensure our students master and apply the knowledge we are delivering.

For me, it was a

CHANGE of MINDSET.

When I change my lifestyle, I need a WHY?

Why am I doing this? Why is it needed?

WHY? WHY? WHY?

BECAUSE.

Collecting data is NOT about the numbers.

It’s NOT about “judging” my teaching. It’s NOT about seeing

HOW many of my students DID or DID NOT master a concept.

It’s about looking for those SMALL skills,

those giant holes,

those little tweeks that

are missing FOR THE CHILD!

What areas are missing…so I can fill them!

IT’S NOT ABOUT ME???

NOPE!

It’s about the KIDS!

Data is to help our kids.

OK. So HOW?

There are a MULTITUDE of assessments

that you can use.

In this day and age, I bet your district has a LONG list of assessments

they want you to use.

USE them!

Don’t just give the test & move to the next lesson.

LOOK AT THE DATA!

You might be surprised at what you see!

I recently gave a math assessment to my firsties.

We had spent 4-5 weeks (YES WEEKS) on place value!

Tens and ones. Tens and ones.

OVER AND OVER!

After my “district” math assessment,

I noticed a trend…

On 5-6 of the tests ( 25% of my class..)

they missed 3-4 questions about

adding ten to a number.

WHAT? ADDING TEN IS EASY!

We had gone over tens & ones,

tens & ones… BUT…

I “assumed”

…remember what they say about

ASSUME…

that it would be easy for them

because they understood place value!

So…a week later of

SMALL GROUP math

…adding tens to numbers

SHAZAM!

100% on the place value review test!

So what if I gave the review test again?

They didn’t get it the first time!

It is NOT important that

OUR numbers

look good to others!

What is important is

DO THE KIDS KNOW IT?

Knowledge vs. numbers.

WOW!

A New MINDSET!

If you are looking for some reading/writing assessments

to HELP your kiddos…

THIS WILL HELP!

See how I use it

HERE…

Winter is Wonderful!

Winter.

Winter is WONDERFUL!

Snow.

Jackets, mittens, scarves, & snow boots.

I am NOT an expert on SNOW!

I live in NORCAL.

Wine country.

Not a lot of snow here.

My students LOVE to learn about WINTER!

Our favorite theme.

WINTER IS WONDERFUL!

UPDATED for 2022

WAHOO!

Bigger & Better

66 Pages of ELA & Math Centers

ELA & Math Centers for Grades 1-2

ELA includes:

Contractions

Present, Past, and Future Verbs

Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives

Mixed-Up Sentences

Writing Topic & Details

MATH includes:

Math Mountains

Addition & Subtraction

Making 10 Strategy

Place Value Addition

“ Ten” Groups

ELA & Math Centers for Winter

ELA AND MATH CENTERS

English Language Arts