Mouse Unit

Now that school's are closed, I know many parents are struggling to find activities to do with their little ones.  It is no different with my family.   My little grand-daughter is not getting the services that she needs.  Her mother and father are at home with her trying to adapted lessons that are sent home for all the students in her class. These lessons do not meet her IEP goals.   So I created a unit at her level and can be used for any preschool/kindergarten level children and it's easy enough for parents to follow.    

It centers around the books Mouse Paint, Mouse Count, and Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  I went to the NAEYC and read the guidelines and made sure that the unit was appropriate and followed their curriculum guidelines.  The unit has a little bit of everything in it: art projects, number and pattern games and a flannel board story.  I tried to keep it as simple as possible and even added steps of how to change it up for different levels.  

 There are ten different activities for your child/children to do:
Activity 1:  Science and Art Project
Activity 2:  Color Patterning Cards
Activity 3:  Color/Shape Memory Game
Activity 4:  Flannel Board Story
Activity 5:  Mouse Counting Cards
Activity 6:  Mouse Bingo
Activity 7:  Mouse Shape Art/Class book
Activity 8:  Pattern Blocks with Shapes
Activity 9:  Roll and Cover Shape Game
Activity 10: Vocabulary Match Boards/Writing Center Cards
Additional Book List/Rhymes

This unit is available at my TPT store and May 6-7-8, 2020 I am hosting a giveaway on my Instagram account.  Stop by and follow and maybe you will win a copy of the unit.  

Stay Safe and I hope you get a chance to get outside and enjoy some nice weather.  😀 

K is for Kindergarten

One of my readers suggested that I make another cover for my book F is for First Grade but for a kindergarten class.  What a great suggestion!  I don't know why I didn't think of it.  Kindergarten is mainly where the alphabet is taught. 

This is a book I generally have my students make the first week of school to introduce themselves.  I read the book A My Name is Alice.  

As a class we brainstorm a list of things that begin with each letter of the alphabet.  Then during centers the students complete the class page.

So thanks to Elizabeth I added a new cover to my unit on TPT now kindergarten teachers can have their class make this book anytime during the year as they are working on the alphabet. 

F is for First Grade/K is for Kindergarten will be my featured product this month and will be on sale for $1.  

  

Author of the Month -- Jan Brett

Jan Brett is one of those author's that has so many books that you could introduce her wonderful books in December or even January.  I like to introduce Jan Brett in December with her Gingerbread Baby book.  

Jan Brett is an amazing author who continues to write and illustrate books each year.  If you want to read her basic bio Scholastic has an excellent page about her.

Otherwise Jan Brett has her own webpage with countless resources and author videos to share with your class.  

I created several FREE POSTERS for my listening center with QR codes so that the first graders can listen to several of Jan Brett's stories from youtube. If you do not have ipads in your classroom you can find the links on my Author page at CK Primary. 

Here are some cute ideas on found on Pinterest that would make great lessons:

This first one is a great idea for a follow up activity for guided reading.  You could use this idea for more than just The Mitten.  

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I love making classbook with my students.  The next three ideas would fun and exciting ways to extend the stories in your classroom.  

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PS  Don't forget to have your students find the hidden hedgehogs in the illustrations of the Jan Brett books.  

F is for First Grader

This is not a new lesson to me, I did a similar lesson a couple of years ago when I taught kindergarten.  I just updated it a bit for first grade. 

On the first day of school I read the book, A My Name is Alice, as a way to begin introducing everyone in class.  

Most of my students do not understand cities or states yet so we just say our names and something we like that  begins with the same letter.  It is a tricky assignment for the first day and it gives me an idea of their alphabet knowledge.

Then each child picks a sticker from my leftover sticker collection for the first letter of his/her name and completes the page for the class book.

Then I put the class pages in alphabetical order and assemble them in a binder.  I do not laminate them, I use page protectors.  I like my binder system a lot.  The books do not tear apart and they are easy to take apart at the end of the year and give back to the students.

If you would like a copy of my F is for First Grade I have it at my TPT store.  

First Grade Prayer Book

Each year I have my first graders write prayers towards the end of the year in their journals.  Five of the prayers are picked to read over the morning announcements.  All the prayers are typed and illustrated in black and white outlines.  Then I make a copy for each student to create a prayer book for all the students.  Then they color it for a keepsake.  

They also color a copy for me as well.  I make a class book with that copy.  It is a favorite in our classroom.  

Book Making for First Graders

After I shared my Spookley lesson with a friend of mine, who teaches kindergarten, she said you have to check out Story Maker at abcya.com.  So when I took my class up to the computer lab I told them when they were done with their math homework they could try something new.  It is simple to use.  I demonstrated how to use the program and let them experiment on their own.  

On the right side are three icons, picture, text, and full page.  When you want to add text you push the text button and the text screen appears.

You push the picture screen and you can create a picture using all kinds of tools and colors.  

On our computers at school if you save your project it will save but not open back into abcya so the children can not go back and edit it.  I have them make one page and print.  So I make sure we have that part of the book.  

The last icon is for preview.

The pages turn out so cute and professional.  I will definitely have my students use this program for publishing some of their work. One of my students had so much fun she made this short turkey story.