All Things Green: Fresh Finds for March (Including FREE Literacy and Math Activities)

Can I just say how happy I am to see a little sunshine.  February was brutal.  It made me even more grateful for March's longer days, tiny buds, and early flowers.  Plus, spring break is next week.  

Before we left for spring break, we did plenty of green inspired learning.  One resource we've used (and will continue to use throughout the month) is my Oh So Lucky Literacy {10 Literacy Centers for March}.  With these centers, we're reviewing many skills that we've worked on so far this year, verb tenses, parts of speech, rhyming words, synonyms, antonyms, and syllables.

Students also practiced sentence sorting (determining if sentences are statements or questions).  We've worked on this type of activity in different centers over the few months.  It's encouraging to see how much better my young learners are at sorting sentences in this way.

We also did a favorite writing activity, How to Catch a Leprechaun.  These assignments are so fun to read.  It's a great way for students to practice using sequencing language in their writing.

For a FREE copy of my How to Catch a Leprechaun handout, click here.

We made these St. Patrick's Day themed glyphs to hang outside of our class.  Students answered various questions to create their glyphs.  Then, to get in a little math practice, we did some data collection and analysis, based on our glyph display.

This was the first year we made this particular glyph and they turned out terrific.  

If you are interested in making this project with your own students, click on the picture below for more details.  My Lucky Lad {A St. Patrick's Day Glyph} will be on sale at my Teachers Pay Teachers store through St. Patrick's Day (Tuesday).

Many of our math centers for March are green as well.  We've been using my Oh So Lucky {10 Math Centers for March} to review and sharpen our math skills.  

Students have been working on time to the half hour, fact families, missing addends . . .

number comparisons, fractions, addition, subtraction, balanced equations, place value, and more.  

These type of activities offer the ongoing review that my students need.  Before I started using math centers on a regular basis, students would forget that they learned certain skills.  But, with math centers, they can have that much needed review all year long.

Speaking of review, we did a little green themed nonstandard measurement write the room during math at the end of the week.  I printed two sets of these cards and placed them around the room.
I then divided the class in half.  One group rotated through one set of cards and one group rotated through the second set of cards.
I set it up this way because there are only ten cards to measure.  I wanted the students to work independently.  With our class size, two groups measuring at the same time worked out perfectly.

Students measured each picture with their clover rulers.  My more advanced students had to use a standard ruler on each picture as well.
If you would like a FREE copy of Lucky Day Measurement, click on one of the pictures.

March is passing by so quickly.  So many things going on, both in and out of the classroom.  I feel like if I blink, it is going to be April.  If that means pretty weather, green grass, and more sunshine, I'm a happy lady.

Oh, one more green goodie you'll want to check out is a awesome spring giveaway over at Primary Powers.  More than 20 fabulous products for your classroom and 10 winners.  Be sure to visit and enter.

This Is the Way We Write the Room (Three Write the Room FREEBIES)

It's really not my intent to be a once a week blogger.  But it's that time of year at school when all systems are go and in a blink, Monday becomes Friday.  It's also a great time of the year to mix things up a little bit for young learners.
We haven't "wrote the room" in a while, so I put together a telling time write the room activity for math early in the week.  We were wrapping up our work with time to the half hour and this activity went over really well.  My firsties thought it was fun and I thought it was a wonderful assessment tool (every o'clock and thirty time was somewhere in the room).

If you are interested in using this activity with your class, click on one of the pictures for a FREE copy.

Since our time write the room activity was such a hit, I was really excited to pull out a nonstandard measurement write the room activity I used last year with (one of my favorite books) Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy.
I love to kick off my unit on measurement with Measuring Penny.  It is a great introduction to measurement since it covers many types.  Every year my students really love this book, with this year's group being no exception.
I used Measuring Penny as an inspiration for a  write the room activity where students use dog bone rulers to measure different Penny related pictures.  You can also use the picture cards with other measuring units, like cubes, paper clips, and even rulers.

For a FREE copy of this activity, click on one of the pictures below.

We also used write the room for a review of r-controlled vowels.  I printed various ar, or, er, ir, and ur word cards and placed them around the room.  With clip boards in hand, students sorted the words on their recording sheets.  I actually used it for morning work one morning, since we ran out of time to do it the day before.  It was a great way to start the day and awesome practice.
As a side note, any of these activities could work as a center as well.  Just don't post the cards around the room.

For a FREE copy of this write the room activity, click on one of the pictures.

Yes, I might have went a little overboard on writing the room this week.  But once I got going, it was hard to stop.  It's a fabulous way to get students moving and can be used with any subject.  It's my goal to use this format once a week for something.  If I come up with anything of interest, I'll be sure to share.  So . . .  check back :).
Best.

Getting My Red and Green On and Two Free Centers for December

Snow before Thanksgiving!  I live in the south and I never ever remember snow before Thanksgiving.  There was just enough to cover the branches and make a few snowballs.  It was also enough to get me geared up for all the festivities coming during the next few weeks.

I have an endless to do list between now and Christmas.  But one thing I can check off is literacy and math centers for December.  On our last day before Thanksgiving break, I stayed late and put away all of the November centers and got out the December ones.  We only have two and a half weeks before winter break, so we need to hit the ground running on Monday.

For math centers we will be using my To Be Jolly {10 Math Centers for December} packet.  

Skills included in this packet are:  number order, place value, addition, subtraction, missing addends, time to the half hour, nonstandard measurement, fact families, and more.  Click on the picture above for more information.

Below is a free center from this packet, Silver Bells Measurement.  This nonstandard measurement activity features adorable Polar Express clip art.  Click on the picture for your own free copy.

During our literacy center time we will be working out of To Be Jolly {10 Literacy Centers for December}.  This packet includes work with parts of speech, sight words, vowel discrimination, contractions, antonyms, syllables, digraphs, blends, and more.  Click on the picture below for more info.

You can also have one center from this packet for free by clicking on the picture below.  In Naughty or Nice Noun students will sort words according to if they are people, places, or things.  

December is such an exciting (and distracting) time for kids.  Learning activities that incorporate holiday fun are a perfect way to keep progress moving forward with your dear students.
Speaking of holiday fun, don't forget Sunday is December 1st.  If your class has an elf, he or she will be reporting for duty.
Best.

Measuring Penny: A Must Read Mentor Text and a FREE Measurement Activity

Hi Friends.
I am linking up with the Collaboration Cuties to share a favorite book to use with math instruction.  My favorite math based text is Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy.

This book covers every type of measurement a early elementary teacher might ever want to talk about.  The story is cute and the illustrations are fabulous.  I actually need a new copy of this book because I reference it with the class over and over as we work on measurement.

If you would like a free copy of the measure the room activity I used to go along with this story this year you can click on the picture below.

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

I highly recommend this book for your classroom.  Now if you would like to check out some other math text suggestions hop on over to Collaboration Cuties.

Have a great week.