Rolling and Learning!

So, I like to do a LOT of dice rolling activities...

You can find one in all of my Common Core Literacy Menu packs....

all of my Common Core Math Menu packs....

MOST of my grammar and phonics packs....

(I'll actually be updating the "oldest" packs I have to incorporate all of the activities found in my newer grammar and phonics packs)

Even a long time ago, I shared a sight word freebie where I used dice!

Click the picture to grab the freebie!

and I even have thematic rolling sheets that I shared once upon a time... lol

Click the picture to grab the freebie

( I know there's only 5 columns...but I only had 5 words, so I just told them to roll again if they got a 6...or to use that one to help a word get ahead - ha!)

SO... as you can see, I'm a big fan of dice/graphing activities...ha!

Now...the big question... what kind of dice do I use??

I used to use jut regular ole dice...I have TONS of them... I really don't even know where they all came from, but I still have them...tucked away into my drawers.

But the noise was driving me crazy! And I didn't feel like making those "quiet" containers for all 20 of my kids plus some for my centers...so I just broke down and bought a $6 pack of 36 foam dice!

 

 And for my centers I like to have the kids use the BIG foam dice..it makes the centers feel even that more special. Anything to make them want to do the center even more...right!?  

 I also really like to use the photo cubes... I like to use them if I want to differentiate the words (for spelling or sight word rolling activities) for my kids and tell each kid (or group) what color die to use... 

It works great!

 When I bought them about 4 years ago, I could only find the baby photo blocks... 

   

 but now Carson Dellosa has a version too...but they're the same thing - ha!

 

So... do you use dice??? Are you like me and have such a wide variety?! haha

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Keeping Spelling Throughout the Year Organized!

I've had some good responses to my organization posts!

My Common Core Statements

My Tasty Fact Quizzes

Math With a Deck of Cards 

and my monthly tubs and centers (this one is a favorite!)...

AND, I've had a few questions about how I organize and display my Spelling Throughout the Year packs. 

So, here's what I do.

First, I print up the word wall words (both spelling and sight words) and cut them out to shape.

Then I glue them to their specific color. I chose teal for sight words and yellow for spelling.

Then I run those sheets through the laminator, and cut out the words again, but just in rectangles this time.

Now here's how I organize it all.

I print up the table of content sheets and put them in front. I just like to see where the skills are so it's a quick flip in the binder.

Then I put all the weeks together. For example...here's what week 1 looks like. I put the student list page up front, and then I put all the other sheets behind it in the same sleeve.

 

Keeping it all together makes it super easy when it's time to copy off for the week...I just take out the plastic sleeve and head up to the office to make my copies!

I even keep the word wall cards in the same sleeve (yes, you'll need a bigger binder by the end of the year!)

It keeps going like that for the rest of the binder....

Now, how do I display them?? Well, that's really up to you and your preference...or what you have available in your class. Here are some examples of how I do it.

Both the Spelling and Sight Words in one pocket chart.

Or, you can do one set per pocket chart, since depending on which pack you have, the words can get pretty big.

OR, you can do no pocket chart and just tape or magnet them to your chalkboard!

If you're interested, I have 3 different grade levels.

1st Grade                            2nd Grade                                3rd Grade

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You can look for them at my 

TpT Store

TN Store

Shop on the Blog Store

P.s...make sure you come back tomorrow - I have a special surprise for you!!!

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Spelling Throughout the Year - 2nd Grade edition!

Well....I finally finished it!!

This is my 2nd grade Spelling pack....I have been doing spelling this way for YEARS!

It's a different way to do it. Instead of giving the kids 15 words to study and THOSE are the 15 words on the test, I only give them 5 phonics words (which also may use word families if it can!), and then on the test, I give them 5 MORE spelling words that they didn't study, but that follow the rule for that week....they also have 5 sight words to study, AND I pick 5 more from the list of words that has been accumulating throughout the year. This list is made up of the words that they've already studied, so it's just my way of making sure that they still remember them. So they study 10 words - do their homework with those 10 words, and we do activities in the class that practice that spelling rule and those sight words, then their spelling test is 20 words!  Yes, that's what I said...20 words! The first week is only 15 since there are no previous sight words to choose from....

This pack follows a phonics continuum that progresses and builds off previous skills throughout the year! It also uses word families, which allow students to learn how to apply the skills they learn!

Here's what is included:

Student homework lists, where the sight words build upon each other throughout the yearTeacher homework lists, with the possible extra tested wordsStudent homework papersStudent Test sheetsWord Wall cards in configuration for both the spelling and sight words

This is a zip file. When you download it there are two packs. They are the same phonics and word family words, but one pack is the Fry Sight Words and one pack is the Dolch Sight Words. 

When you go check it out, you can download the preview to get a better look at what is included and to see the phonics continuum! 

This is the 2nd Grade Edition - 1st Grade and 3rd Grade editions coming soon!

Check it out! It's on sale for the next 24 hours!

TeachersPayTeachers

or

Teachers Notebook

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Snow week Visual plans with lots of freebies!

This week, we will be focusing more on just SNOW. - not snowmen, but just snow.

I only have a handful of kids that have ever seen snow, so I have a few activities that I want to show them.

Last week, we've already focused on penguins and snowmen... (check out THIS post)

So here are my plans for THIS week...

(I have pushed a lot of last week's stuff to this week because we just never got to all of it!)

Remember...click the picture of the plans (or click HERE), and it'll take you to a PDF document to download...when you download the PDF, you can click on all the pictures and links to take you where you can find all the activities (TpT, blogposts, websites, or Freebies!)

hopefully THIS week we'll be finished with our penguin books - they are coming out sooo cute!!!

There are a lot of freebies in this week's plans... so you definitely want to download the plans to click on those links!

Here are mine that are in the plans... 

AND have you seen this??

it's a freebie from her pack - i plan on trying to stick into my plans somewhere, somehow..lol!

And don't forget that today is the SUPER sale at TpT!!

The extra percentage from TpT is only for today, but my store will be on sale on Monday too just in case you forgot something!

Here are a few of my favorite things from my store.

and yesterday I showed you a few things that I will be updating soon that are not in this picture.... I'm sure that they will be getting bigger, so you might want to snag them while they're smaller.  lol

and I leave you with this week's favorite pictures!

(up until last night - lol!)

B turned a year old a month ago, but I just got her smash cake pictures yesterday, and this is one of my faves BY FAR!!

and yesterday, I went to a gender reveal party...and this is how we found out - I just LOVE this picture!!!

It's a boy!!! I'm sooooo over the moon excited for them!!! Some of my most favorite people, hands down!

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Visual Plans: Tacky, penguins, Money, and Matter

Here are my plans for this week! I had them all done and then realized that we don't have school on Monday. haha...while I'm loving the 3 days weekend, it really messes with my plans.

So, I decided not to do Reading Centers and focus more on their non-fiction book writing, which actually is more reading response because we're going to be reading books and responding to them too. See?? Reading and writing go hand in hand.

Remember...click the picture of the plans (or click HERE), and it'll take you to a PDF document to download...when you download the PDF, you can click on all the pictures and links to take you where you can find all the activities (TpT, blogposts, websites, or Freebies!)

This week, for Reading and Writing (and a mixture of Science), I'm pretty much just using my penguin pack.

     

You can still get it 1/2 off for a few more hours!! (until about 3p.m. Sunday) Sale started yesterday!

Click on the pictures below to grab your freebies from the unit!

I'm not sure why I haven't told you about Lori's sight word packs before. I use them literally EVERY week. I started with them last year, and They are just part of our every day/week activities. I've even made them part of our spelling HW each week - instead of the RANDOM words that our Treasures series gives us to do. Blarg!

She has both a First Grade pack (which I start halfway through in the beginning of the year) and a Second/Third Grade pack, which I got to about Thanksgiving, I think?? I know we're on that one now. Those are the words that are on my word wall...

And I've had many questions about how I got the letters boxed in like that.

It's an actual font from 

Font4Teachers

It's a paid-for font, sorry, or else I would share!

And the alphabet cards are from my Beach-themed Classroom set

I don't have the picture of the books I'm reading in the non-fiction, but it'll be probably these books:

 

I'll also have Tanja's penguin pack printed up for the kids to read throughout the week - this pack is great!

She did all my research for me for all the different kinds of penguins! lol So, I'm going to print it up as a book and have the kids read through it throughout the week. They love with when I KNOW the authors of books!

And Lisa has a super cute pack FILLED with information about the different types of penguins...

again, doing my research for me! (thank you ladies!)

And I found this cute penguin crafrt - he's free!!

And for my math centers, I'm using a few things from Katie's pack

(I'm saving a few for next week!)

And Kristen's pack has TONS of stuff in it! There's a coin activity I'm going to do with my kids in guided math...IF I can get these STUPID district tests done.

and I'm still going on in my Matter Pack for science... check out what we did Friday with matter! This week, they'll be doing their own books of matter.

And SINCE we're on the topic of planners.....

LOOK what I just got!!

You know how much I love my E.C. planner, well, LOOK what Leanne over at Mrs. Prince & Co. just made! When I first saw it, I though it WAS an E.C. planner....she has done an awesome job!!

Of course I have it now, because I'm a sucker for being organized...and let me tell you, it's awesome! Check out her blog post to see what's inside.

and I leave you with some new pictures

The cutest beautician, ever!

Sometimes, living in FL is such the hard life!!

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