Category Archives: Uncategorized

Valentine’s Day is Coming Soon

Valentine’s Day is coming SOON!

Here are some Valentine’s resources to help your day run smoothly and be exciting!

Keep reading for a Fun FREEBIE

Freebie for Followers

ARE YOU READY?

Here are a few of the “KINDNESS” Products

you can find at 1stgradefireworks.

Can You Make 10? Making 10 Math Strategy Booklets

Be Mine – Place Value Game

Valentine Themed.
Place Value Cards ( 54 Cards in ALL) for sorting.
Includes:
Sorting Header cards
Place value cards
( Expanded notation, base ten, ten frames, number words, numeral, ten & ones)

Sweet Treats Math for Grade 1

Math Practice for Grade 1
Includes:
Place Value
Printables
Sorting Cards
Missing Addends
Cards
Centers

More February “TREATS” from 1stgradefireworks

Follow ME on IG, FB, & Pinterest

Happy Valentine’s Day!

For MORE fun ideas:

Getting Ready for January

Calendars

FUN FREEBIE

Freebie for Followers

Do You teach NONSENSE words?

Leave a reply

I’ll admit it! ( Head hanging down).

I DID NOT TEACH NONSENSE WORDS!

UGH! BAD TEACHER!

WAIT! Let me tell you why!

I teach first grade. My students speak 6 different languages this year. They are JUST learning to read!

I thought NONSENSE Words were…NONSENSE!

I THOUGHT I was helping them by NOT CONFUSING THEM!

I admit it.

I WAS WRONG!

They need to experience PHONICS all around them!

They need to understand the phonemic sounds of ENGLISH!

Thank You, Della Larsen.

It’s NOT CRAZY! It’s good. It’s HELPFUL!

As I am re-thinking my BALANCED LITERACY instruction,

I will NOW be adding phonics fluency using real and nonsense words to my lessons.

A short “BURST” of phonics, multiple times during my day, will help my students become

PHONICS MASTERS!

My newest change of “TEACHER MINDSET” is …NONSENSE WORDS!

OK… I’m IN!

Here is my newest product to HELP my kiddos with NONSENSE WORDS!

EARLY PREVIEW for YOU! 🙂

Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency.

Tpt Link HERE!

Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Great for EL's and EO's. — Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Great for EL’s and EO’s.

Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Fluency Practice and Sorting .

Real or NONSENSE? Helping your readers with BOTH!

Finally…helping Readers is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO!

So, I will add READING REAL & NONSENSE WORDS to my literacy repertoire!

How about YOU?

Let me know how it goes!

Wendy

How to Survive WINTER in the Classroom (with KIDS!)

Leave a reply

It’s Here. Ready or Not.

WINTER IS HERE!

It’s ALL about SURVIVAL.

Winter Survival.

Think JUNGLE. Think SWAMP! THINK SNOWSTORM! EEEKKKKK!!!!

Our of bed — Yes you must get out of bed…YOU are the TEACHER!

You can do it. You are the teacher.

Now, we here in NORCAL have rain, fog, some snow (in the Sierra mountains)…but YOU ALL have

WINTER SNOW DAYS!

And YOU get a SNOW DAY..and YOU get a SNOW DAY — And YOU get a Snow day!

NOT EVERYONE.

We get to go to school. No recess ( rain ). Short lunch. BOUNCY KIDS!

So to help out with the teachers who are INDOORS in WINTER with a class full of students who want to be OUTDOORS…

I have put together a WINTER SURVIVAL Guide for YOU!

First and foremost, GET IT READY NOW!

DON’T WAIT!

( You won’t have time to prep ALL of it the WINTER Day you NEED it! )

Have it ready to pull out and VOILA! SUPER TEACHER!

Here are a few samples to help:

Baby It's COLD OUTSIDE Winter Centers — Baby It’s COLD OUTSIDE Winter Reading, writing, & word work centers

BABY It’s COLD Outside! Winter Language Arts Centers

WINTER Place Value Snowman — Do You WANT to build a SNOWMAN? Place Value FUN! Winter math craftivity for first and second grade!

Do YOU Want to Build a SNOWMAN? Place Value FUN!

Here are a few more

Winter Survival Products

to check out!

The ELVES are Working OVERTIME!

Word Trees for Reading Fluency — Word Tree BUNDLE for Fall, WInter, & Spring. Reading Fluency for ALL!

Need some WINTER “HOW-TO?” 🙂

Here you go!

BALANCED LITERACY

5 Packet WINTER BUNDLE

Winter PINTEREST BOARDS

So..Get READY, Get Set, GO!

Get Ready for the WINTER SURVIVAL in the classroom! HURRY!

Breathe. Relax. and Remember…

The sun will come out…EVENTUALLY! HAHA

January..are YOU ready?

Winter is Wonderful!

Leave a reply

WINTER is my Favorite Season

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

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

Contractions

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

VERBS

MIXED UP SENTENCES

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

WRITING…MAIN IDEA & DETAILS

MATH

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

Math Mountains

Missing Addends

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

MAKING 10 STRATEGY

PLACE VALUE

ELA & Math Centers for Winter

WINTER IS WONDERFUL

Easy Prep & Go! Get started

organizing now!

BALANCED LITERACY

Click Here

Check out the WINTER Literacy Products from 1stgradefireworks

How to get ready for Christmas without the STRESS!

4 Replies

I know…BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Folks..LIFE IS BUSY! Christmas time is BUSY!

Sorry to be the one to tell you that.

BUT…

30 days …from TODAY (11.25.22) 4 SUNDAYS! YES, 4 SUNDAYS…

Christmas will be here!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

So??

How to get ready??

PACE YOURSELF!

Think

MARATHON…NOT SPRINT!

Where to start?

#1…..Make LISTS!

(I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE LISTS! )

List ALL ( YES ALL ) of the people you

WOULD LIKE to give gifts to.

Now…

PUT A STAR next to the people you MUST give a gift to.

(I know that sounds weird..but..I would LOVE to give gifts to

EVERYONE…but…my bank account says I must prioritize).

It doesn’t mean I won’t give a gift…

just might be a “thoughtful”… not-as-costly gift.

Reality people!

If money grew on trees…

#2…..DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN DEBT FOR THE NEW YEAR!

So…there is officially 1 more PAYCHECK until Christmas.

( Or figure out HOW many PAYCHECKS YOU have until DEC. 24 )

Take the number of gifts YOU MUST purchase

and divide by EXTRA $$.

***If you have been SAVING for Christmas, which you WILL DO for NEXT year, add that too!

That tells you HOW many GIFTS you MUST purchase and the amount you have to spend.

That’s important because

now you can begin looking for a gift

for the PERSON…not just a checkoff on a list.

SLOW DOWN! Not ready to buy yet!

Now….start talking, texting, asking others…

#3…..DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE!

ASK!!!!

What items do the people on your list WANT…NEED…LOVE?????

Add this to your LIST!

( If for kids…ASK THEIR PARENTS…sizes, likes, ages,etc )

Now…start looking…

online? Look for FREE shipping!

(AMAZON PRIME ..I am speed dial!)

Friends & Family …FAR AWAY??? ( Sorry )

SHIP TO THEM!

Don’t ship to YOU & then pay to ship to them!

SHIP DIRECTLY! FREE!

STOP!

YOU HAVE NOT MADE A BUDGET YET!

#4…..Figure out what you can spend..

AFTER PAYING YOUR BILLS & feeding your family.

They always come first…don’t forget to add them to your MUST list!

Your kids COME FIRST!

And NOT going into SEVERE debt!

Only charge what YOU can pay off the next month!

NO DEBT AFTER JANUARY!

OK..then..start listing whom you will purchase for.

After you purchase…keep the receipt!

I write the name of the person I purchased it for on the back..

RETURNS? Easy Peasy!

After you purchase…

or it arrives from SANTA’S HELPER

IN THE BROWN UPS TRUCK… 🙂

WRAP IT AND ATTACH A NAME TAG!

( This from a Santa’s Helper…who has forgotten and was wrapping WAY TOO LATE INTO CHRISTMAS EVE! )

After Thanksgiving..

#5…..I begin to look at my

LIST of ” WANT to purchase for”

but NOT necessarily,

“Must Purchase For”

on my list!

( Yes I keep it in a little book in my purse! )

Now I have a better idea of “extras”…

Do I need to do “homemade”….giftcards…..”I thought of you- but have no $$ left” card?

What kinds of gifts can you give for NO MONEY?

How about a picnic at the park? A TEA PARTY for kids? A trip to the library to read books? Take a young child to the ZOO???

Gifts of “ONE TO ONE” time…ARE THE BEST!

And you can schedule them AFTER the holidays.

The gift that keeps on giving!

Whatever fits YOU!

RELAX!

NO GUILT!

Christmas is NOT about who can GUILT YOU the MOST!

It’s about telling the people you care about..

THEY ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU!

Enjoy the season.

Spend time with friends & family!

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!

Make Memories!

And when JANUARY comes around..

SMILE!

(And maybe a mani / pedi for yourself?)

But…remember…

Christmas is from the HEART..not the WALLET!

Have FUN!

Elf on the Shelf… FAILURE!

Do OVER!

What do YOU do to get ready for CHRISTMAS????

How Calendar Time Starts MY Day!

1 Reply

My favorite CALENDAR,,,Krista @ Creative Clips Paper

Calendar Time. I’m NOT sure WHO needs it more..

ME? or my students?

Coffee?

Restroom Time?

RECESS????

NO!

CALENDAR TIME!

I Love Calendar Time.

I Love reading through the MONTH.

What’s happening THIS week

Next Week.

All month!

It keeps my “getting older” brain…

FOCUSED!

It helps my kiddos stay on top of events for this week and this month.

This week we are discussing:

CALENDAR TIME

and

MORNING MEETINGS!

My calendar is next to my focus board.

This is where we begin our morning meeting.

After vocabulary discussions, calendar,

days of the week ,months of the year, HFW cards..

I get to do a READ ALOUD!

Working on reading strategies!

All of this in about 15-20 minutes!

Whew!

My calendar is in PLACE VALUE numbers!

I got it HERE.

I also have MELONHEADZ Holiday cards.

LOVE THEM TOO!

I try to “release” the CALENDAR instruction to my students as the year progresses.

By the end of the yer, THEY lead the calendar time.

But , I still get to do the READ ALOUD!

I LOVE IT!

Just a quick shout out to

Krista@Creative Clips Papers Collection

This is MY Calendar!

I use it every DAY!

My Preps, meetings, Notes, appointments, etc.

AND I GET TO USE MY FLAIR PENS! 🙂

One PAD lasts 2 years!

I LOVE MINE!

I do MATH Calendar after lunch.

Math wall, focus wall, math calendar wall

We go back to number of days in school, place value, etc.

This begins my REVIEW of math concepts BEFORE we begin anything new!

We count to 120 by 5’s & 10’s ..2’s to 50 at the end of the year.

This is my FAVORITE!

It ALL begins with Calendar TIME.

Check it out on PINTEREST and TPT!

Making A LIST and Checking it TWICE!

Leave a reply

Making a LIST? WHY?

IS SANTA ON HIS WAY?

Is SANTA on his way? In JULY?

NO! I am checking MY list.

My Back to School LIST!

And that list get LONGER, every DAY!

My Back to School is next week.

In my district ( a modified traditional calendar) we start at the end of JULY!

No tears for me…we are off the first two weeks of OCTOBER! I LOVE FALL BREAK!

And so first, I make a list – A LONG LIST!

Thank You @createteachshare

Teacher To Do list@createteachshare

Here is how my list begins…

Clean teacher desk
Clean students desks
Number each workbook ( I put numbers on EVERYTHING!)
Get student materials ( books, pencil holders -FILLED, & other things that stay IN THEIR DESKS) on their desks. We will go over them the first day.
Number homework folders, Read at Home folders & books
Tear out & runn of homework for the first two weeks.
Clean out & check literacy & math centers.
Purge ANYTHING I have not used in two years! YES!!!!
Find my teacher tools.
Check technology… after updates…check technology. After call to district office…check technology AGAIN! Finally works! UGH! I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with technology!
Schedule teacher PD meetings. ( 5 days before kids come..starting tomorrow!)
Write Lesson plans for the FIRST WEEK! ( don’t go further…things WILL change.)
Update list.
Unpack the 10 boxes of NEW Science Curriculum. Inventory. Find missing pieces. Inventory again. Store? Stack in a corner.
Add to my list: Unpack science curriculum & go through it. Plan?
Make sure resources on the WALLS are for Back to School ( Not END of School). Update.
Are class lists ready? I need to ADD names to numbers!
Make a LIST ( alphbetically, of course) of students by first names. (WOW! I have an “extra” student on my list…boy will that mess up my alphabtical list. TEACHERS: YOU GET THIS!)
Don’t care that my alphabetical student names will be OUT OF ORDER! 🙂 Breather!
Cross things OFF list. ( After you have added MORE) I know. It’s LONGER than when I started. It’s OK. Ths kids won’t know!
GO HOME EARLY! Relax. Take a walk. Pour some wine. Hug your family. It’s a job. The kids will be there ready or not. THEY won’t care if I didn’t finish ALL of the ANCHOR CHARTS I want to make. ADD that to my LIST!