Rainbow Similes {Freebie}

Doesn't that just make you happy to look at?! I just love seeing it when I walk in the room!

This was our rainbow week...in pictures!

We read A Rainbow of my Own. They always love this story. Then we summarized it.

I always love to see their illustrations of this story. Some of them have some great visualizations!

You can get my summarizing cards freebie {HERE}.

For our writing we did another round of similes. This time we did them with color. I love doing this activity. I do it every year!

First we brainstorm things that are the different colors of the rainbow.

Then I did my example on the chart paper. Yes, I realize I didn't draw a Smurf for that sentence. I can barely draw. I don't trust my skills. ha!

Then it was time for them to write out their similes. They wrote their "sloppy copies" in their learner's notebook, then after I approved it, they got their neat paper.

 After they wrote out their neat copy, I told them to go over it with a Sharpie. It's amazing how much they love using Sharpies - such a motivator!

When they were finished with that, they got to work on their rainbow.  I cut up a whole bunch of colorful strips about 1/2 inch wide and then they tore the strips to glue down.

They cut out the rainbow and glued the rainbow and their writing down to blue paper. I just love them! They came out so cute!!

If you want these freebies, click on the picture to download them.

Another activity we did real quick this week, was to do our Pot of Gold writing. The template came from The Teacher Wife, and the writing paper I made to fit the pot. They just wrote about how they found the pot of gold and what they did with it. We added some glitter to their gold and it just made them come to life!

THEN, we added them to my back board! Oh. My. GOSH. I just LOVE this board!! I am never taking it down. Well, I will, but for the rest of the year, it is staying up. The pots will come down (and my big pot), but the rest will stay up. I just love this rainbow. I got the idea from A Cupcake for the Teacher. It just makes the board so much more vibrant than just using my actual bulletin board pieces. I love it!

I hope this posts makes you as happy as it make me... I mean the colors are just so happy!!

9

Hershey's Kisses Similes {Freebie}

I wanted to show you this before the end of the week so that you could plug this in if you wanted to!  This week we're doing similes with Hershey's Kisses! 

I gave them the senses sheet. We talked about it and I added all of their ideas on mine. I told them to choose for each box as we filled it in. 

I was able to add all kinds of details to the conversation...since I probably had about 6 or 7 of them during the lesson! haha... the problem with teaching with chocolate!

I had them write two different sentences in their writer's notebook. I did them with them. I told them they could either copy mine or make their own. Some of them came up with really good comparisons!  Most of them wanted to go with how the Hershey Kiss looked like or how it felt.  To get the brainstorming page and writing pages, click {HERE} or on the picture below.

Tomorrow, they're going to be doing the craft part of the simile writing.  I have to finish cutting out the foil and cutting the paper tonight.  This is what is going to look like. Just use the template to cut out the kisses and use adding tape for the paper coming out of the kiss. If you don't have adding machine paper, then you can just cut 2" strips out of regular printer paper (long ways). I recommend NOT folding the foil in half to cut out the foil. The foil sticks together and then rips when you open it up. Tape the paper to the back of the foil and you've got yourself some SWEET SIMILES!

4

All About Similes!

Today we FINALLY got to finish one of the activities we started last week. We've been working with similes. They are so fun! And when they start catching on to similes, they will find them WHENEVER they read. But we started off reading I'm as Quick as a Cricket.

Another good book for it is Crazy like a Fox.

Then, I had big papers around the room, and we did a little "scoot" activity (or if you're familiar with CRISS, it was a carousel activity). They had enough post -it notes for each color. At each color, they wrote what something could be compared to that color...

Afterwards, we shared each poster - just look at all those pretty colors!

Then it was time to write a rough draft - 

After I proofread it, then they got the neat copy.....

(I like how this one drew a little picture to show the object it was comparing them too.)

I LOVE how she colored the letters!

Click the pic to grab the freebie

THEN....

ok...this was just so perfect - didn't even plan for this to happen, but it was just great how it happened!

We were reading our Scholastic News 

(it was from last year, but I kept it just because I knew I would want to use it again!)

In the article, it talked about how the Orchid Mantis looks LIKE a flower petal....and the Orange Dog Caterpillar looks LIKE bird poop (yes, it really did - best conversation ever - ha!), and the Katydid looks LIKE dried leaves...My kids were going crazy about the similes....SO, we ended up doing a Insect Simile...which is perfect since we've been doing insects!!  SEE? Perfect!

I'm off to plan for Tops and Bottoms - woo!

12

Sesame Street, Similes, and Standards

(like the alliteration?!)

So, I'm sorry I've been MIA for a few days, I've been a LITTLE busy. AND today, I just got pulled in to TWO meetings, one on a Common Core website for Florida - which was actually pretty cool!! It was like FCRR (which is a WAY cool website -and FREE! Check it out!) but for Common Core. One teacher was selected from a grade level (yay, me!) and we're doing some field testing of the activities on the site. Which is actually kind of cool.

THEN, after that meeting, I walked across the room, to another meeting. THIS one was because I'm going to be administering the FCAT - which starts MONDAY to some accommodation groups.....you know what!? I said as long as it's not MY class taking the FCAT, I'll do whatever you want me to - ha!

So, this week, we've been learning soft and hard C and G.... today we were getting ready to do our poem from the Scholastic Book...and then it HIT ME!!! I remembered this WAY COOL You Tube Video!

First off, I"m a HUGE Glee fan. I know. I'm 30 years old and a Glee fan. It's ok. You can laugh at me. I don't mind. lol

Have you seen THIS video??? It is UHHHHHHH- MAAAAZING!!! 

It shows the soft and hard sounds of G

 

We've also been working on our simile writing. We're going to be doing our Rainbow similes tomorrow, but today they wrote in their learning logs what a simile was, wrote one, and drew it!

This Transformers one is my fave!

Ok... soooo.... even though I CREATE my own activities, I BUY activities on Tpt, AND I've been teaching for 10 years and have accumulated and OBSCENE amount of stuff throughout the years, I STILL find the NEED to do my part to help the economy and partake in...

Yep. Scholastic Teacher Express is having their Dollar Deals Sale. Oh Boy. lol

AANNNDDD, last but not least.

I FINALLY got my Grade 1 "I Can" statements for Common Core finished! I've already got my Grade 1 Common Core Gradebook uploaded.

and if you want it bundled...here ya go!

2nd Grade is finished, and now 1st Grade is - on to Kindergarten and 3rd!

ONE last thing - DON'T forget that Kristen and I are doing a

giveaway!!

Make sure you've entered!!

Ok, going to get some rest time - Happy Hump Day!

4

Insect Visual plans, a freebie, and a Giveaway!

Here's this week's plans! This week's "them" is Insects, which will also carry over to next week, with my "garden" theme.

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!)

Click the pic below to see my post on Bookflix, which includes a video on it!

We're still working on my 2-D Geometry unit this week, they were having so much fun with it last week!

The Scholastic News I'm using is from last year, but I LOVE that one.

I'm starting up with some of my Spring Time Centers this week.

And more of my Geometry pack

I'm trying something different this week - the FREEBIE is included with the visual plans download - so make sure to download the plans! This Rainbow of Similes is something I do EVERY year, but I just made it "prettier" to share with you. ha!

NOW, for a giveaway!  

Want to win my farm unit?? Check out my post on it from last year HERE.

*****GIVEAWAY OVER*****

and here are some of my favorite pictures of late...

Update on the kitties....

(yes, we cleaned out the syringe)

Our school participated in the Relay for Life, it's theme was "A World Without Cancer." We were India! We raised enough money for Silver Status!!

And JUST to prove my hubs DOES exsist...lol

And a day at the duck pond with the fam... 

Have a great Sunday, my friends!!

5