It's Raining, It's Pouring: Rain Themed Ideas and Freebies for Primary Classrooms

April showers bring...lots of indoor recess.  Rainy days are not always a favorite of teachers, but maybe it's time to rethink our feelings about rain.

One way to make the most out of a rainy day is with some great read alouds.  There are so many books about rain, storms, rainbows, thunder, lightning, and more.  Two of my favorite rain themed read alouds are Rain! by Linda Ashman and Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyette Lewison.

Both of these stories really lend themselves to activities with various comprehension skills.

One way we used these books was by doing little text-to-text comparison using a Venn diagram. For my first graders, I put together the Venn diagram printable pictured below, that includes cut and glue responses.  Not all of my students needed the cut and glue option, but it was really helpful to most.  Students completed the diagram on their own without glueing their responses.  Then, I went over the answers.  Students could make the changes they needed to and then they glued everything in place.  

Of course, higher flying students can come up with their own responses and write them.  Or, they can use the cut and glue option and then add some additional responses of their own.

For a FREE copy of the Venn diagram we used with Rain! and with Raindrop, Plop!, you can click here.

After reading and comparing these two texts, my firsties had lots of ideas about fun things to do on a rainy day.  It was the perfect time to make a cute writing craftivity to brighten the hallway outside our classroom.

Students wrote about what they would like to do on a rainy day.  They could also write about a rainy day they experienced in the past.  The read alouds really helped students generate some great ideas for their writing pieces.

Click here if you would like more details about this Rainy Day Kids writing craftivity.

Another rain themed activity that my students absolutely loved was Raindrop Adjectives (a write the room activity).
I printed 16 raindrop words on blue paper and cut them out.  I placed them around the room and gave every student a recording sheet.

As students rotated around the room, they wrote each of the words on their recording sheets.  After they had all the words on their sheet, they returned to their desks and colored the boxes that had adjectives.

I picked up all the raindrop words while the students were coloring the adjectives at their desks.  After a few minutes, we gathered together to discuss all the words and which words are truly adjectives.  We taped the adjective raindrops to our anchor chart.
While parts of speech are still pretty tricky to many of my students, they have come a long way in their understanding of these concepts.

You can click here if you would like a FREE copy of Raindrop Adjectives to use with your class.

My students also enjoyed some rain inspired math activities during center time and during guided practice.  This week we started work on telling time.  I put together this simple digital time/clock matching activity for students to complete with a partner.

Students matched the digital time card with the clock cards and then wrote the times for the clocks on the recording sheet.  They did a great job!

Click here if you would like a free copy of Time for a Shower (a time to the hour activity).

Rain doesn't have to spoil your day.  It can be a fabulous jumping off point for some thematic learning.  I hope some of these activities are helpful to you as you make each day count with your young learners.
Thanks for stopping by.

Last Minute Columbus Day Ideas

Happy Saturday.
We've been on fall break, but that fun is just about over.  It's time to start getting ready for next week, which happens to be the week of Columbus Day.  I was a history major in college.  Anytime we have a chance to learn about important people from the past, I love it.
In math we'll use my Sail Away on Columbus Day math mini book.  This booklet features Columbus themed word problems.  It is a great review of the math concepts we've covered so far this year.

You can have a copy by clicking on the picture.

Another Columbus themed activity we will be using is Ship Shape Digraphs.  This literacy center is from my Tiny Tricksters {10 October Themed Literacy Centers} packet.  With this center, students will practice matching initial digraphs with corresponding picture cards and then complete a recording sheet.  

You can have a FREE copy of this center by clicking on one of the pictures.

Of course we'll be doing Columbus themed read alouds.  We will also make a Christopher Columbus craftivity for our hallway.  I'm all about connecting our art projects to our studies.  I really think these little projects help students better retain what they have learned.

After learning some important facts about Columbus, we'll be completing a Christopher Columbus bubble map.  The bubble map will be a graphic organizer to help us with one of our writing pieces later in the week.

You can have a FREE copy of this bubble map by clicking on the picture.

I want to leave you with one final quick and easy Columbus Day idea.  Be sure to check out Brain Pop Jr.'s Columbus Day movie.  It is another great way to explain explorers and Columbus's accomplishments to your young learners.  I especially like the animated maps.

I hope some of these ideas will help you next week.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy your weekend!

WOW MOM (Ideas for Mother's Day and Two Free Printables)

Hi friends.  Hope you are doing well.  I'm down to about two weeks left for this school year.  I cannot believe it!  This time last year I was in total stress mode about my daughter starting kindergarten.  I've always heard that once your children start school time starts moving even more quickly.  I am in complete agreement with that notion.
She has had a wonderful kindergarten year and made so much growth.  She loves her school and especially her teacher.  We were talking last night about her best friends and Ms. M was in the list.  So sweet.

Speaking of sweet, Mother's Day is right around the corner and I'm sure you're planning some sweet surprises for your class moms.  If you are looking for a lovely mentor text to go along with Mother's Day, I highly recommend A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza.

This sweet story follows Choco as he searches for a mother.  He goes from animal to animal comparing physical features to see if he is a match.  He eventually connects with mother bear who brings him into her untraditional family.
Like many of Kasza's books, the students will really enjoy the surprise ending.  This text is wonderful to use with many comprehension skills:  problem and solution, predictions, sequencing, and text to text comparisons (would be great with P. D. Eastman's Are You My Mother?).
I love this book because of the wide scoping definition it gives to what a mother is.  With all of the students that come through my classroom being raised by someone other than their biological mom, A Mother for Choco illustrates how a mother can be anyone who loves and cares for them.

After reading this text, we will complete a thought map about moms.  If you would like a FREE copy of this activity, click on the picture below.  (The clip art is from JW Illustrations.)

We have also been working on a couple of gifts to give to our class moms for Mother's Day.  Yesterday we made our mom glyphs.  They turned out fabulous and the kids had fun making them.

In addition to our mom glyphs, students will also make their My Marvelous Mom booklet.  We'll start work on those later in the week.  But when A saw what I was printing for my students, she wanted a copy.  She gave me my own personal edition of My Marvelous Mom and I LOVE it.

For a FREE copy of this booklet to use with your students, click on the picture below.  If your students are like mine, they will be excited to make these booklets and proud to give them to their moms.  (The clip art is from Scrappin Doodles.)

I hope some of these ideas help you as you plan for Mother's Day with your students.  There are so many wonderful ways for your students to show their moms how much they love them.  I'm sure anything your kids create will be cherished.
Have a great week.

Just a Little Nutty: The Nutcracker for Young Learners

The couple of weeks leading up to Christmas break, is there anything better???  We are down to about a week and a half in counting.  The are so many fun learning opportunities during this time of the year. With Thanksgiving falling so late, it will be a real challenge to fit them all in.

Some of the work we did this week focused on the story The Nutcracker.  We read Mary Engelbreit's version of this classic story.  There are certainly other versions of this story, but I've always enjoyed her illustrations.

After reading the story we discussed the basic story elements and then a couple of days later we went to see a performance of The Nutcracker.  

After seeing the ballet, we compared and contrasted the book with the performance.  I was really impressed with the ideas and observations my kiddos came up with.  Reading and discussing the story before seeing the performance really helped them understand what they saw.

If you would like a free copy of the Venn diagram that we used in class, click on the picture below.  The clip art is from My Clip Art Store (etsy).

Students also made a little art project to spruce up the room.  Their nutcrackers turned out pretty cute.

Our family is going to the public performance next week.  Last year was the first year we took  A.   She loved it.  After it was over she asked if she could touch one of the ballerinas.  I told her no, they were just for watching.  But as we exited, there they were.  It was so sweet.

Thanks so much for reading.  I hope you have a great week.

In November: A Mentor Text and a FREE Graphic Organizer

Hi All.
It has been an eventful week in our household and in particularly for my daughter.  On Wednesday A's dear kindergarten teacher did what I could not bring myself to do, she pulled one of A's very loose front teeth.  Bless her heart.  We were finally able to have a meal with no tears that evening.
On Friday A's class had pajama day.  I know, huge thrill, right?  Even better, A was given a Key Award at a school wide assembly.  Her award was for speaking with good purpose.  We are very proud of her.

By Saturday her other top tooth was super loose and this time she got it out on her own.  An award, pajama day, and two visits from the Tooth Fairy in one week, big news for a 6 year old.

Moving on . . .

I'm linking up with the Collaboration Cuties for their weekly Must Read Mentor Text Linky.  This week's topic is science.  My must read recommendation is by one of my favorite authors and is perfect for this time of year.  It is In November by Cynthia Rylant.

This book is a wonderful jumping off point for all sorts of science topics.  Changing seasons, migration, hibernation, weather, and more.  The illustrations are lovely and capture the feel of this time of year.  

In addition to science topics, there are many skills you can hit on with this book, such as inferencing and adjectives.  Below is a graphic organizer I created to use with this story to combine our science with writing.

After listening to In November, my students will complete the bubble map and eventually use it to write their first paragraphs.  Of course if you have older students, each bubble can be its own paragraph to create an essay.

If you would like a free copy of this graphic organizer, click on the picture below.

In November is a great addition to any elementary classroom library.  This book establishes the mood of November that your students will identify with and enjoy.

For more must read science recommendations, be sure to visit the Collaboration Cuties.  Thanks so much for reading and have a great week.

Something to Crow About: A Fun Fall Craftivity & A Free Comprehension Printable

This week my first graders have been doing all sorts for fun fall themed learning, which is very appropriate since this week it actually felt like autumn.  For the first time this season had to wear a jacket to school.  Scarecrows fit into this fall themed learning perfectly.
One scarecrow activity we did was a fall themed scarecrow glyph.  They turned out really cute and look great displayed in my room.  Students also did a little writing to go along with their scarecrows.  They wrote an opinion piece whether or not they thought they would make a good scarecrow.  Most agreed, being a scarecrow is not their ideal job.

If you are interested in doing this glyph with your kiddos, you can click here to find it at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

There are some fab books that feature scarecrows as characters.  My favorite is The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown.  This story follows Hen as she works with the other animals of the countryside to eventually trade a walking stick with Scarecrow for his hat.

This book has really lovely illustrations and a story that is the perfect springboard for teaching all sorts of comprehension lessons.  Sequencing, characters, setting, plot, conflict/solution, you name it.  Below you will find sample of a comprehension graphic organizer we used with the story, focusing on characters.

The students picked their favorite character from The Scarecrow's Hat and then completed the graphic organizer.  

You can have a FREE copy this graphic organizer by clicking on the picture.

I hope some of these suggestions and activities can be useful to you.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Best.

Going Batty: A Mentor Science Text and Two Free Bat Activities

We're getting close to Halloween and you know what that means . . . Kids that are very, VERY excited and probably sugared up.  Well if you are in the younger grades, it is a great time to channel all of that energy into some creepy science learning with bats.
Bats are so interesting and a great topic during October.  One book I really love to use in my class is National Geographic Kids:  Bats.  True to form, this book features loads of photographs of this nocturnal creature.  This text has many interesting facts that your student will love to hear like what bats eat, where bats live, how they use echolocation, and more.

After your kiddos learn some facts about bats, they can complete the graphic organizer that is pictured below.  (The clip art is from Melonheadz.)

Click on the picture if you would like a free copy to use with your students.

Also, if you are looking for a fun little craftivity to go along with your study of bats, click on the picture below for a free template and instructions for this bat headband.  It's really easy to make and super cute.

For more tried and true science text recommendations and activity ideas, be sure to visit the Collaboration Cuties.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.

The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree: An October Mentor Text and A Free Inference Activity

Apple days are ticking away.  Tomorrow marks the beginning of October.  Bringing with it pumpkins, bats, spiders, and other fun, spooky signs of the season.  I'm linking up with the Collaboration Cuties to share a favorite mentor text for October.  My pick is an oldie, but a goodie, The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree.

This book follows three cubs as they explore the spooky old tree.  They keep coming to terrifying obstacles.  Leaving the reader to wonder if will they go on with their adventure.  If you haven't read this book, I don't want to be a spoiler.  You will have to read to find out the fate of this trio.
I loved this book when I was a little girl.  The illustrations of the corridors in the tree really captured my imagination.  This story is a very readable text beginning readers.  While this story is simple to read, it offers loads of opportunities for various comprehension activities and discussion.
One activity I like to use with my firsties is this quick and easy inference chart.

For this handout, you will read the story up until the point where the bears have to make a choice.  Let the students mark on their inference charts yes or no to the inference question.  After all your kiddos have made their inferences, then continue on with the story.  Once the students find out what really happens in the story they can draw a smiley or a frowny face depending if their inference was correct or not.

I usually have my kiddos use markers for this type of activity, so they do not erase their answers.
If you would like a free copy of this handout to go along with The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Tree, you can click on one of the pictures above.
The clip art is from Scrappin Doodles and the fonts are from Cara Carroll.
This book engages the students and this inference activity is an uncomplicated way to introduce inferencing to your young learners.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you can get some use out of this activity. For more fun October reads and ideas, be sure to visit Collaboration Cuties.