Friday, November 30, 2012

Winter Holiday Tips and Freebies Ebook

I'm so EXCITED to announce that the 2012 editions of the Winter Holiday Tips and Freebies Ebooks are ready to download on TpT.

The books were created by a group of TpT sellers as holiday gifts to TpT buyers. Each contributing seller has a special page with a holiday teaching tip and one or two freebies for you to download.

Here's the Pre K & K edition.


Here's the 1st and 2nd grade edition.


Krissy from Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business did the most wonderful job of designing the covers and compiling the books. Thank you, Krissy!

Here's my contribution to the 1st & 2nd grade edition:

Sneak Preview

{includes some FUN holiday writing printables}

Click on the picture to download my freebie: What Can You Write About Santa and Helpers? 

Click on the Ebook covers to download them for FREE!

Enjoy these. And happy December {tomorrow already} to you!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

After Thanksgiving and Christmas Writing

It's the last day of our Thanksgiving break, and I'm thinking about seeing the kids in my class tomorrow {after having a week off}.

The first day back will start with a lot of chatter about what happened over the break.

We'll start the morning off with a sharing circle {something we do each Monday}. It's a great opportunity to work on listening and speaking skills. The sharing animal {small stuffed animal} is passed around the circle and held by each child as he/she shares. It's a great way to start the week. I'm also able to give children my undivided attention as they share. I learn about their lives outside of school.

I'll also have the children share by writing about what they did during the Thanksgiving break. I created some writing activities that I call "Thanksgiving Writing {After the Feast}".


"Our Thanksgiving Feast" is a great way to integrate reading, writing, and listening. The students get to read their writing to two friends. {Make sure you model this first.} The students stop and listen to their friends read their writing to them. Children love an audience for their writing. Their FAVORITE part is putting their "official" signature on their friends' papers. 



Now, it's on to Christmas writing. I have two new packets filled with holiday writing printables.

Christmas Writing for Firsties

Christmas Writing For Kinders

Both of the packets include printables for a letter to Santa and a "Greetings From an Elf" holiday card. Click on the pictures to preview more.

Enjoy the last day of your break!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

It's a SALE!

Hi everyone!

Are you ready for a sale? Two FANTASTIC sales are around the corner.

The Teachers Notebook 3-Day Sale starts this Saturday, November 24th and runs Saturday, Sunday, and Monday {thru November 26th}. Members get 10% off everything in their entire order.

{I will have an additional 25% off my Teachers Notebook products.}
AND

The Teacher's Pay Teachers 2-Day Cyber Monday Sale is a two-day sale that starts on Monday, November 26th.
{I will have an additional 20% off my Teacher's Pay Teacher's products.}

I just completed two new Christmas/Winter products:


I Love Christmas Literacy and Math is a packet of literacy and math activities and centers for FIRST GRADE. It includes lots of writing activities and 3 literacy and 3 math centers.


Winter Math Story Problems Addition includes addition math story problems with a winter theme for FIRST GRADE. Winter season, Christmas, and Valentine's Day story problems are included.

Click on the pictures to see more.

Happy shopping!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Thanksgiving and Christmas Class Books

Our school is off for the entire week of Thanksgiving. The extra time helps me enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. We traditionally get our house decorated for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving, so I want to savor the spirit of Thanksgiving before the house is transformed. {I also plan on going to school to do some extra planning and organizing.} Do you do that, too, on your breaks?

Throughout the year, I include students' writings in CLASS BOOKS. I put the class books in our classroom reading center, and they are always FAVORITE reads. The students especially love to read them with a partner.

The class books will be read repeatedly, so I always laminate the covers and bind the books.

Two class books for Thanksgiving and Christmas:





Download them for free HERE.

A FUN tip: Raffle off the class books at the end of the school year. The children treasure these.

The Christmas class book is from "I Love Christmas Literacy and Math." It will be available shortly in my TpT STORE.


I'd love to hear about the class book ideas you have for your class.

Enjoy your Sunday,


Sunday, November 4, 2012

Thanksgiving Literacy and Math Centers and Autumn Art

The holiday season always seems to pass by so quickly. We were just immersed in Halloween, and now I'm preparing for all our Thanksgiving activities. We have the week of Thanksgiving off, so November is a short month for us.

I created a "JUST for FIRST GRADE" packet of Thanksgiving Literacy and Math activities. It's called Talking Turkey and Thanksgiving Literacy and Math Activities and Centers. It's filled with graphic organizers, a Thanksgiving booklet, a class book, 3 literacy and 3 math centers, and MORE! Click on the picture to preview.


I fell in love with this Scarecrow art lesson on Pinterest.


I used it as a directed art lesson. The students drew the scarecrow step-by-step with pencil. They then traced the pencil marks with crayon. Lastly, they painted it with watercolor. The children's artistic styles always amaze and delight me!










I'm so fortunate this year to have a parent volunteer who is an artist. She brought all sorts of adornments for our autumn hand collages. We hung them from a small potted manzanita tree with loads of branches for hanging artistic creations.







What Thanksgiving and autumn activities are you doing with your class? I'd love to hear about some of your ideas.