ALL ABOUT EARTH Get ready for a month filled with so many fun activities to teach your kiddos all about our planet Earth . I teach this unit in April so it coincides with Earth Day. I’ve loaded up this blog post post with read aloud book ideas, free videos you can share with your students,
Story retelling is an ongoing core kindergarten skill and takes place when a student is able to comprehend a story and retell it in their own words. A retell should include key details like characters, the setting, the problem, main events (BME) and solution of the story. Kindergarten students do most story retells from listening to a story read aloud. Because of this, I feel it’s super important to select high quality and engaging texts to help develop a real love for reading. For me, I’m drawn to a silly or feel good story that opens up the floor for a great conversation. I want it to be a memorable and lovable story that they'll want to tell and retell! My Master's is actually in Library Science, so I'm extremely passionate about book selection AND story retelling for littles. So much that... I've married them into a series of monthly retelling activities, using high quality picture books, that work perfect in a kindergarten and first grade classroom. Pre, During and After Reading: Set your students up for success! Book talk the text prior to reading. When reading, an interactive read aloud goes along way with comprehension, I love to occasionally stop and really dig into an illustration or get student input when reading aloud. Whether you retell on day one or later, your kiddos will need to recall key details, and I love doing it with multiple and varied exposure using a single story. Retelling Hand: I like to start and review with a retelling visual like the retelling hand! You can grab a free retelling hand by clicking here. Review the parts of a story retell and then give the kiddos time to "turn and talk" to recall information in the story together. Retell Games: I love board games and just games in general. They're engaging, casual and get you TALKING and moving a little bit! After the kiddos have spent time with a partner, I like to take it up a notch and retell it in a gaming setting. My retelling activities generally include a low-prep game to help the kiddos start chatting alongside some visual support. Anchor Chart: Shared Writing and Sequence: After double exposure with a buddy, it's time to come together and discuss the retell. Review and record the characters and setting. For the sequence portion, students will help you order the events. Once the events have been sequenced, students will help come up with the beginning, middle and end to wrap up the retell (great shared writing practice). If you're looking for interactive writing opportunities, scripting the BME sentences would also be a great way for students to come up and assist with writing. The picture card activity works great on chart paper, a pocket chart or even repurposed later on using a pocket chart in a literacy center. *all corresponding activities can be found here. The Retelling CRAFT or Printable Option: To offer a chance for independent practice, the story craft or cut & paste printable will allow the individual student to practice sequence and retelling the story at their own pace and sharpen fine motor skills. I've always told my students a retell activity is a keepsake... because it's almost like you're taking the book home to read it to a loved one. This retell activity supports the mentor text Florette by Anna Walker. *all corresponding activities can be found here. Written Expression: The written and illustrated graphic organizer is another way for students to show their comprehension of the story after reading and practice writing. If you're making a follow-up literacy center with the picture cards in a pocket chart, this printable (or any of the others within the kit) would be a great add-on. For more retell activities, click here!
Get your kids up and moving with positional words activities! This unit is full of activities from mini lessons to a quick assessment!
Click here to download a free snowman States of Matter activity to use with Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright. Also included are States of Matter book craftivities for solid, liquid, and gas.
ALL ABOUT FRIENDSHIP Friendship and conflict solving skills are so important to teach our kiddos. Our job is to teach them important social skills. They need these tools to ensure successful relationships with their peers and adults. It is tricky, but it can be done! I am sharing some
These STEM challenge cards make measuring fun and easy. Students will love discovering whether one pile of objects is heavier than another.
Phonemic awareness is an important pre-reading skill. Phonemic awareness is understanding that words are made up of individual sounds.
KINDERGARTEN MATH UNIT 2 - GEOMETRY I am thrilled to be sharing my kindergarten Geometry Unit with you! The kids love all of the hands-on activities we get to do, and I love how easy it is to keep them engaged. I am sharing so many freebies with you right here on this blog
Try this fun positional words activity with your preschool or kindergarten students! It's free to download!
Lemon juice secret writing! Make DIY invisible ink and sen secret messages. Plus learn the science behind how these messages are made!
Get your kids up and moving with positional words activities! This unit is full of activities from mini lessons to a quick assessment!
Print this free kindergarten assessment pack to use as end of the year testing for your kindergarten students. This is a great way to see where your students are at, and find any areas for development.
Rosie Revere Engineer was our inspiration for this paper plate hovercraft. My kids are big into engineering and STEM, so when we found the book Rosie Revere Engineer, of course we had to buy it. This book is so much fun, because not only does it show kids that they can be inventors too, but
Free Compare Sizes Worksheet for Kindergarten Math Look at the two pictures in each box. Color the picture that is heavier. This worksheet is correlated
The Alphabetic Principal. It sounds so fancy, right? It’s talked about in the Science of Reading. What does it mean? It is knowing that oral sounds (phonemes) in spoken words are represented by letters in print. We know, once children develop the alphabetic principle, their ability to read improves. How do I support students with ... Read More about The Alphabetic Principle
Click here to download a free snowman States of Matter activity to use with Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright. Also included are States of Matter book craftivities for solid, liquid, and gas.
Pattern activities are used to teach kids the math skills of identifying and creating patterns. Keep kids engaged and having fun as they learn.
ALL ABOUT FRIENDSHIP Friendship and conflict solving skills are so important to teach our kiddos. Our job is to teach them important social skills. They need these tools to ensure successful relationships with their peers and adults. It is tricky, but it can be done! I am sharing some
Start off the school year with these easy, no prep, printable worksheets! This packet includes 28 worksheets and 1 instructional page to help your little learners practice math skills, literacy skills, and fine motor skills! Great for preschool, pre-k, transitional kindergarten (TK), or kindergarten. Use these worksheets for distance learning, early finishers, centers, or send home for homework practice. This packet includes: "Alphabet Tracing"- 1 Uppercase & 1 Lowercase "Dot Dot Not A Lot" "Cutting Practice"- 1 Straight Lines & 1 Zig Zag Lines "Apple Dot to Dot" "School Supplies Puzzle Match Up" "Gumball Count and Color" "Happy Shapes Match Up" "Back to School Number Tracing" "Gumball Machine Color by Number" "Find and Color: Which One is the Biggest?" "Find and Color: Which One is the Smallest?" "Bubblegum Name Practice" "I Can Write My Name" "Tracing Bubble Shapes" "Celebrate the Color Red" "Celebrate the Color Orange" "Celebrate the Color Yellow" "Celebrate the Color Green" "Celebrate the Color Blue" "Celebrate the Color Purple" "Celebrate the Color Pink" "Celebrate the Color Black" "Celebrate the Color White" "Celebrate the Color Brown" "Celebrate the Color Gray" "My School": Guided Reading Booklet "My School": Booklet Instructions
Preschool and kindergarten kids alike will love these Name Tracing Worksheet Printables and activities to help kids with their letter formation and pencil grip.
Grab our easy-prep Subitizing Activities and Centers for Pre-K & Kindergarten to strengthen early counting skills in the classroom!
Alphabet Letter Activities are puzzles that provide an interactive way to practice letter building, recognition, and sound.
How to plan centers in the classroom that are low prep but high fun and engagement your students will love to use all year long.
I can't even believe May is almost here…. time flies in the spring! This might just be my favorite time of year to teach kindergarten.
Kids love learning letters using this fine motor activity. Get out your q-tips for a fun & easy way to teach letter recognition & proper letter formation. How Do Kids Learn Letters? Kids
Grab our free, clickable Mega List of Themes and Skills for Pre-K & Kindergarten Lesson Plans to see what themes/skills I cover in my classroom all year!
Read about activities, lessons, and centers you can implement to help teach numbers. Download 6 free activities for your students.
Are you looking for a FAST, FUN way to review basic math and phonics skills? These foldable math and phonics mini books allow students to practice a
Learn more about how to use Kindergarten Math Journals to supplement your math curriculum and fit in meaningful math everyday...
Keeping centers simple is key at the beginning of the year to help students develop fine motor and basic alphabet and numeric skills.
If you have been following me for a while, you will know that I LOVE teaching young ones how to read, and the alphabet is where it all starts! Truly one
Top 20 name activities for teaching children to recognize their names in preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. Fun hands-on learning activities for kids.
Name activities for early learners. Students will have fun practicing their names with these math and literacy activities that are great for back to school!
