Five for Friday: Five Favorite Freebies

Is it just me or do Fridays seem to roll around really quickly on summer break?  When I was a kid, summers stretched on endlessly and now . . .  not so much.  But since it is Friday, I'll mark the occasion by linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching's Five for Friday.
This week I'd like to do a little something different.  Instead of posting five random things from the week, I'd like to repost five of my favorite freebies that I've been honored to share over the past year.

Number 1

Last summer I compiled my Number of the Day printables into one packet, Number of the Day for a Year.
I created these printables to spiral in complexity as the year progresses.  I really like using these number of the day handouts as part of morning work two or three days a week.  I think they serve as a great review for my students.
If you would like more details or to get your own free copy of Number of the Day for a Year, click on the picture below.

Number 2

Word Work It is a packet of five word work printable activities that I like to use as part of my word work time during our Daily Five time.  My students work with manipulatives, the Ipad, the computer, and these printables each week to practice their spelling words.
While I would prefer to keep our word work time all hands on, the reality is my students need a bit of accountability in order to stay focused during this independent practice time.  Mixing in some written assignments along with the other activities has really helped.
These activities are not specifically designed for use with The Daily Five.  So, if you do not do The Daily Five in your class, these printables can still be useful to you.
Click on the picture for your free copy of Word Work It.

Number 3

The next freebie is for the second semester, which seems like a million years away right now, but bare with me.  If you think you might be able to use this activity, you can always pin it.
Make Way for MLK is a packet that includes two literacy centers, two math centers, and a writing craftivity focusing on Martin Luther King Jr.  Having these centers and the writing activity really gave me a great jumping off point to plan for learning about MLK.
If you would like a free copy of Make Way for MLK, click on the picture.

Number 4

If you use Touchpoint Math, you'll want to check out my Rockin' Touchpoint Numbers.  This freebie is a math center that I use at the beginning of the year when my students are memorizing where the points go on the numbers.
If you are not familiar with Touchpoints or Touch Math, do a little research online.  My students have had great success with addition and subtraction accuracy using this method.
For more details about Rockin' Touchpoint Numbers or a free copy, click on the picture.

Number 5

My final freebie is my set of Whole Brain Teaching Class Rules.  Whole Brain Teaching Class Rules and Mini Book is a packet that includes a variety of posters featuring the Whole Brain Teaching Class Rules and a printable mini book for your students.
I use the posters all year and the mini book is great to use early on when your students are learning the rules.
Like all of the goodies above, click on the picture if you would like a free copy of this packet.

I hope some of these freebies will be useful to you.  If you like them, be sure to browse around School Is a Happy Place.  There are many, many more free activities ready to share.

Thanks again to Doodle Bugs Teaching for hosting Five for Friday.  

WBT for VBS (Free Whole Brain Teaching Printables)

Vacation is over.  We flew home yesterday.  Today we hit the ground running (well in summer break terms) with Vacation Bible School at our church.  I've volunteered for several years, even before I had a child of my own.
While I love working with the kids at our church, the teacher in me sees a need for consistent rules in group settings.  One day it occurred to me that the Whole Brain Teaching Rules that I use at school might work in Sunday School or Bible School.  So I created a set of Christian themed WBT Rules to use with the kids at church.  The clip art is from Scrappin Doodles.

If you would like a free copy, you can click on the picture below.

I also created a printable mini book with this same set of rules.  

You can have a free copy of this mini book by clicking on the picture.

Using this set of rules in the elementary groups has worked our really well so far.  Most of the kids at my church know the WBT Rules from their schools.  Learning the church version of the rules has been a snap.  They also give all the volunteers (most not used to wrangling groups of kiddos) a tool to use when managing their groups.  Add in a little "Class?" "Yes!" and you are all set.

If you are interested in Whole Brain Teaching, check out YouTube.  There are lots of examples of how it looks in a range of class settings.  I have also created WBT Rules posters and printables for a traditional classroom setting as well as a set for home.

You can have a free copy of these by clicking on the pics below.

    

Thanks for stopping by.  Please email if you have any questions.

Best.

Whole Brain Teaching FREEBIES for Your Class

I really love many Whole Brain Teaching strategies.  I love how management is kept in a positive tone. I love the more academic based strategies, especially "teach, OK."  I love how you can implement WBT a piece at a time, making it less over whelming.
If you have not looked into WBT for your classroom, check it out.  There are lots and lots of online resources.  I wanted to share a couple of resources with you.  One is a class set of posters with WBT's Five Rules. There are several variations as far as gender, skin color, and hair color in this set of posters.  Take a look and see if there is a combination that can work for you by clicking on the picture below.

I have created a printable mini book that you might like to use as you are teaching the Five Rules or if your students need a refresher.  Clicking on the picture above will take you to your free copy of the printable mini book as well.

I have also played around creating a variation of WBT Rules for home.  If you have any little darlings at home, you may want to check these out as well by clicking here.

The clip art is from JW Illustrations, kpmdoodles, and Scrappin Doodles.

Enjoy your week!

Whole Brain Rules for Home

I really like using Whole Brain Teaching (WBT) strategies with my sweet first graders.  When I compare my classroom atmosphere before I implemented WBT versus after, there is a huge difference for the better.  If you are unfamiliar, check out YouTube.  There are many fab educators modeling ways to use WBT in a variety of classrooms.  Some of my favorite video clips are posted by Freundlichteaching.

As my daughter has gotten older, I started wondering if I could use pieces of WBT at home.  I decided to give it a try.  I edited the standard 5 WBT Rules (Rule 1:  Follow directions quickly.   Rule 2:  Raise your hand for permission to speak.   Rule 3:  Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat.   Rule 4:  Make smart choices.   Rule 5:  Keep your dear teacher happy.)  I decided to use a variation of Rules 1, 2, 4, and 5 at home.  

You can click on the picture below if you would like a FREE copy of the WBT Rules for Home posters.

These samples are only a few of the posters.  There are twenty in all, including black line graphics if you want to customize your set.  The clip art is from JW Illustrations and kpmdoodles. 

I'm really curious to see if WBT can translate to home.  If I can get my 5 year old to follow directions quickly, I will be super thrilled.  If it doesn't work, at least I have satisfied my curiosity.

If you would like a copy of the Five Rules posters and a Five Rules mini book for your classroom, you can click here.

Best.