Have you ever been frustrated with your classroom writing? Following a curriculum, finding new and exciting writing prompts for kids to change it up, differentiating your writing activities for different learners, and everything else can make for some stressful lesson planning! Let me help! I have spent significant time perfecting my writing templates for the classroom. Easy-to-follow writing prompts and activities will help your classroom’s (and your) confidence soar! Simple to Teach Writing Prompts I have recently finished a bundle of six “How to” Sequence Writing Projects for Kids. I would use these in first grade or second grade. “How to” writing activities are perfect to use year-round, for a…
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Back to School Lesson Plans Made Easy!
How are you feeling about the back to school season? I know how overwhelming all the lesson planning, meetings, professional development, team meetings, and decorating can get. Not to mention, you are also trying to keep a hold of the excitement you are feeling for a brand new school year! Let me help you plan your first week of school lesson plans! I truly love back to school lesson plans. Why? Because they are perfect for establishing your classroom community, getting to know your students, helping your students establish friendships, enjoying fun read alouds, and more! Check out the back to school writing projects and crafts listed below. Keep in…
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CVC Words and Short Vowels: My Favorite Reading Activities!
Activities for CVC words have always been something I have reached for in the classroom. My teaching career started in Kindergarten. Then I moved to First Grade after my first year. I taught the lowest readers in First Grade and spent a lot of time teaching foundational skills such as short vowels and CVC words. I have found that making sure I had fantastic short vowel reading centers and CVC activities gave my students the extra practice and review that they needed when they were not at my teacher table. There is also a FREE CVC activity in this post, so please keep reading! CVC Words Activity Bundle I have…
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Science Projects for Kids: Solar Oven S’mores
Can you think of anything more fun and delicious during the summer than making s’mores? I can’t! Today on the blog, I am sharing with you one of my favorite science projects for kids: Solar Oven S’mores! I am including my entire science experiment packet for free, just keep reading! A solar oven science project teaches students how they can use the power of the sun to cook food! Science projects like this are perfect for some end of the school year fun and learning! Science Projects Made Simple! Does planning science projects for your students or your own kids seem a little daunting? Do you want access to templates…
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My Favorite Classroom Transformation: Camp Day!
Raise your hand if you love a good (and easy to set up) classroom transformation! -Insert me holding up both hands- My first grade team and I typically planned one classroom transformation each quarter. In the spring, we created Camp Day for our students! A camping classroom transformation was all about review for us. The beauty of a Camp Day classroom transformation is that it can be done at any time of the year! The spring was a great time to do it for us, as we were preparing for testing. Therefore, we had A LOT to review! We set up reading centers for the morning, math centers for the…
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My Favorite First Grade Math Station
Do you ever feel like you are running out of creative ideas when planning your first grade math stations? I want to help with this freebie! I LOVED planning math. It was the one subject that I felt a lot of freedom in, but coming up with new math stations to put out at centers could feel overwhelming. I wanted to have math centers that reviewed the standards I had taught, but didn’t need me to use 15 minutes of our math rotation time going over directions. Time was precious! I also did not want to answer the question “What do I do with this center?” over and over again.…
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Easy Summer Activities for Kids: FREE Classroom Activity
Summer is almost here! You know what that means: it’s time for all the summer themed activities in the classroom! Today on the blog I am sharing easy summer activities for kids in your classroom! Included is my FREE set of Summer Write the Room Task Cards. Keep reading to grab them today! Write the Room activities are so easy to use, and I love how they allow students to get up and moving around the room! Summer Write the Room While you are trying to plan some engaging summer activities for kids, think about themes! My set of summer write the room task cards are perfect for a beach…
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FREE End of Year Math Activity: Camp Theme Day
Are you planning any end of year theme days for your classroom? I loved every chance I had to do a theme day in my first grade classroom. Today, I am sharing with you a FREE end of year math activity perfect for a CAMPING theme day! Some popular end of year theme days include camp day, lemonade day, watermelon day, bubble day, movie day, etc. Each one can be a fun way to wrap up the school year and enjoy making extra classroom memories. I loved my class’ camp day! It was a great way to practice the skills we had been learning all year, and a fun way…
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FREE End of Year Writing Prompt for Students!
Hello and welcome to the blog! I am so excited to be sharing a new FREE end of year writing prompt with you all today! The “end of year” for schools is approaching so fast, and it is truly the best time to reflect on all the awesome experiences you have been able to have with your class. Do you enjoy theme days during the end of year season? I’m thinking camp day, lemonade day, bubble day, beach day, and TACO DAY! A taco themed day would also be PERFECT for Cinco de Mayo, which conveniently falls near the end of school. I have created several TACO THEMED end of…
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Spring Activities for Kids: FREEBIE Included!
Spring is such a fresh time in the classroom! Maybe you like spending some lessons outside or opening your classroom windows. Spring activities for kids are an engaging way to enjoy this new season! I have a wonderful FREE spring activity to share with you today. Free Spring Write the Room Activity One reason I love Spring activities for kids in the classroom is all the fun and colorful clip art! Butterflies, bumble bees, flowers, sunshine, and more! This FREE set of Spring Write the Room Vocabulary Cards include 12 cards (in color and black and white) for you to cut out and place around the classroom. This activity will…