I have decided to write a short...very short blog about organization and then show some photos of ways to organize that are pretty much self explanatory. So here goes...my advice...is to be ORGANIZED BEFORE THE KIDDOS STEP INTO THE CLASSROOM and ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, LABEL, LABEL LABEL!!! You can never be too organized if you are    a primary teacher!  If you start at the beginning you will feel less stressed all year long.

Writing Station!

A few tips:

1. Put all game pieces and boards in file folders or if they don't fit in folders, put them in a shelving unit with drawers and make each drawer for each game and label the front of each drawer.
2. Use a basket to store class books and label the basket.        

   

   Class books, suggested reading, 

   chair to read, whisper phones 

   all labeled and ready to use!

   
   

3. Use a basket for kiddos to turn in finished work and homework and label it.
4. Use folders with pockets for Daily 5 and stations labeled with YES and NO for completed or not completed work and have a basket for these labeled.
5. Use can holders rubber or plastic as shown below in the picture for scissors, pencils, markers 

   

   Organizational ideas from cup holders 

   for pencils to baskets for station, Daily 5 

   and center activities and games.

   etc and label. I usually color coordinate by table by colors and all materials are coordinated for each table.
6. Use bins and storage for ALL materials and label.
7. Use shoe boxes or small index card files for sight words or rubber band each set and place in a shoebox and label. this is easy access for your word wall etc.
8. Use dish drains with slots for storing materials at station with files for differentiation.

Reading Center with reading buddies,
labeled book bins and more!

Color coordinated tables! 

I know you get the idea.  I cannot emphasize enough how important getting your room organized before the first day of school is...so think about it now and be ready for the fall...you won't regret it! It will make you feel so much better as the year progresses.  Check out more images for Classroom Organization on My Pinterest Board. I have organizational tips and images from  all over the place...LOL!

Game organization...doesn't have to be

Pinterest fancy...just labeled for identification!

Another game!

Bookmarks so everyone knows just 

where the book they picked belongs! 

A name is on the back of each wand 

and the kiddos place it in the 

basket where they chose the book 

and take it out when they are finished 

reading!

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Some Fun Ideas to Reinforce Letter Recognition

While working with some students with Special
Education needs, who were having some difficulties with letter recognition, I decided to try this idea and the kiddos LOVED it. They ask if they can trace and say the letter every time I work with them!  I simply took some "sparkle foam letter stickers" and stuck them onto some paper.  As the children look at the random letters, they trace and say the letter and sound.  So for W, they would say, W, /w/, wind or any word that they know that might begin with that beginning sound.

This was so easy to make and the sparkles feel like sandpaper when you trace them so the students are getting tactile and sensory needs met.  Why not give it a try?  ( I now have to find some lowercase letters, but for now this is working quite well!!) ENJOY!

Another Fun Idea to that Really Works Well 

                                                                    We placed wooden or plastic letters in a brown paper bagged. The student reached into the bag AND TOUCHED THE LETTERS WITHOUT PEEKING...then visualised what they had touched!  

After a few seconds of feeling the letter, the students tried to guess the letter that was in the bag!  Sometimes we would pass the bag around the circle and keep our thoughts of what letter it could be a secret until the last person had a change to feel the letter shape!

Another oldie but goodie is to have one student or the teacher use skywriting to make a letter in the air and students can guess what letter was written. in the air.

                                

How about Trying Geoboard Letters?

Kids love to make designs on Geoboards!  So how 

about turning that enthusiasm into creating letters on

Geoboards!  You can call out a letter or pull one out of a jar and have the kiddos create that letter on their board.  Fun for everyone!

Writing Letters in SAND

I have done this with my grandkids at the shore and we have also written letters in the SNOW...yep in the snow!  You can also try shaving cream on a cookie sheet too!  

Clay or Play-Doh Letters

Using clay is always a fun idea when learning to recognize letters!  

You can simply call out a letter and see how creative they can be with making the letter out of Clay or Play-Doh. Easy and very little prep.  keep a asket with clay handy and pull it out as needed.

Make Some beaded Alphabet Bracelet

Call out a letter and have each student or the student you are working with thread the letter on string or a pipe cleaner.  After all the letters are on, ask the students to read back the letters!  EASY PEASY!        

Have you Tried Creating Letters from Magnet Shapes?

Add some fun with magnet tiles. Children try to create letters using these tiles. They come in many different shapes and connect to each other! JUST IMAGINE ALL THE FUN!!!

I hope these Letter recognition activities support your child with getting ready for kindergarten.

I hope you will with these captivating letter recognition activities helpful and FUN! 

These hands-on activities for preschool and kindergarteners will set the stage for literacy success. 

I would love to hear your ideas in the comments! Happy Learning!

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A few weeks back, I was having breakfast with my daughter and granddaughter. We were relaxing and eating chocolate chip pancakes (I am supposed to be dieting, but I couldn't resist...actually it is becoming a Sunday ritual. Well....I probably indulge in pancakes more than I should!)

Anyway, as we were sitting and chatting, a young man looked at me and said,"Aren't you Mrs. Simpson?" I hesitated and replied,"Yes." As he was about to say, "You probab...," I quickly blurted out, " Joseph? Oh my goodness! How are you?"  He then in complete shock," You remember me?  I can't believe it!" I remarked, "Yes, I took away the beard and all the other facial hair, shrunk you down and looked at your eyes!" Somehow in a nanosecond I KNEW exactly who he was!  "Wow, you are good," he responded. He then introduced me to his wife who was expecting in a few months and caught me up on his life since first grade.  I told him how proud I was of his accomplishments and began to share that I had just looked at something that was from him. He interrupted,"It was a Christmas ornament that I made for you!" I answered, "Yes, it was. I still have it and hang it on my Christmas tree every year."  We then chatted about his family and future family.  We hugged and I left one of my favorite breakfast spots feeling uplifted and content.  He was such a nice young man...polite and respectful.  I taught him in first grade about 24 years ago. I thought to myself isn't funny how you can see someone who you have not seen in over 2 decades and recognize him by his eyes?

You know what..teaching is a great profession.  Although it is extremely time consuming, which not one person realizes unless you are an elementary school teacher,  it is also rewarding... especially when one of your students becomes a successful adult and you bump into him or her later in life...what more could you ask for as a teacher?

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As I was working with a few children in my daughter's classroom, it was evident to me just how much these first graders and kinders LOVED to play the game BANG, but they hated to put their sticks back when they pulled the stick with the word BANG so.....I came up with a cool idea to make this game a bit more interesting and created a few variations of the game. But before I go an further, I want to make sure that you are aware of the game.  The basic game that I have played with my students over the years is simple:  You write the sight words that you are working with onto some tongue depressors or Popsicle sticks and you add a a few sticks about 1 for every 20 words that have the word BANG written on them.  The players take turns pulling sticks and reading the words, If they are correct, they keep the sticks.  If they are not correct, the sticks go back into the bucket, but if they pull the stick with BANG, they have to put ALL their sticks with words back including the BANG. Play continues in this manner until all sticks with words are pulled or the designated time is up.  All the children LOVE to play this simple, yet educational game and they play it during indoor recess, free time and at home.

Now for the variations to differentiate the game a bit for different levels and also make it a bit more FUN:

1. Write upper and lowercase letters on the sticks for children who need letter recognition skills.
2. Put random consonants on the sticks,but make sure you have added lots of vowels so the kiddos can make words with the sticks. As children pull the sticks, they can make words with the sticks.   If a player pulls BANG, they only have to put back the random letters that are not a part of a created word. ( You might want to actually make sure that you enough letters CVC pattern to create many words).
3. Write sight words on the sticks in sets 1-50, 51-60, 61-70 etc. and label each bucket with the numbers and actually designate who can play which buckets then the children are using words they need to learn or master. Keeping with this idea, if a child pulls BANG, but they can construct a phrase that makes sense with the words, they can keep the words in the phrase and put back the others.
4.  When you are creating the sticks in addition to the sticks with BANG, add some sticks that have a foam star sticker on the bottom.  If a player chooses that stick s/he can keep it and when they get Bang, they can put the star back with the BANG stick and keep their words! (The kiddos actually like this the BEST!!)

   
5. Write numbers on the sticks for a number recognition game.  You can label your buckets 1-20, 21-30, 101-120 or what ever numbers they need to know or with which they need work.
6. Write addition facts on the sticks. The players pick a stick give the answer to the fact, their partner checks their answer and if they are correct, they keep the stick. If not, the stick goes back into the bucket.  If BANG is pulled ALL sticks go back or add a few star sticks to this as well.
7. Write CVC words to read on the sticks.
8. Write CVCe words on the sticks.
9.  Write words with digraphs, bonus letters, vowel combinations, 2 syllable words or whatever your students need on the sticks that can be written and reinforced in this manner.

So, what are you waiting for...run to Michael's and get some small buckets, sticks and if you are stuck in the snow like I am at the moment, get out your markers and start creating those BANG games!

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So...you have been away from teaching for about 10-12 days. You hopefully felt relaxed and were able to catch up on some well-deserved sleep and rest. I know that is probably a little idealistic, but it sounded positive! Well, in reality you are just NOW able to relax and catch up on sleep and tomorrow is New Year's Eve!

In a few more days, for most of you, it is back to schedules, lesson planning, testing, interventions, parent communication, listening, counseling and of course sugared up worn out kiddos!  You walk into the classroom and on Day 1, the students seem tired but okay.... You feel exhausted.  it is the first day that you and the children have not slept late and actually let's face they as well as you are in a sugar coma from all the cookies, candies, gingerbread houses, lollipops, staying up late and doing whatever they and you wanted to do for the past week and a half.

Day 2 comes and if the truth be told, you wonder what you even taught, what you planned for the week, why you are here and your desk is filled with empty coffee mugs that you did not have a chance to throw out or wash due to sleep deprivation for past 2 days and worst of all, your kiddos have seemed to forget everything and anything you taught!  Rules, how to spell, classroom procedures have seemed to gracefully float out the window on the clouds.

Never fear here are some things to remember when you get back into the classroom after the New Year!

• Give your students a soft landing: time to chat with friends and share their Winter Break experiences.
• Don't assume that your students remember the procedures and as you transition into each stage of your day, take a few minutes to review your expectations for everything and anything!
• Work slowly the first week and give many Brain Breaks or choose some activities that are knesthetic. 
• Choose some fun activities to start your week. Perhaps a New Years Booklet for children to reflect on memories of 2014 and goals for 2015 would be a great way to start the week.
• It may even be necessary to add an extra recess and play some group games to develop cooperative play (playing on video games all day is not promoting sportsmanship!)
• Give yourself a well deserved soft landing by simplifying your plans.  One week will not make or break the curriculum!
• Remember to do your best and your best depends on the day, how you feel and what's happening in your class with YOUR students.
• Don't compare your class to your colleagues' class!
• And....check out all the products on Teachers pay Teachers and Teachers Notebook.  We have done all the work to save you time so you, hopefully, were able to enjoy your holiday or land softly into your first week back!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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