Compound Words & a Freebie!

So we are down to 12 school days...I think.  It's the time of year when I get sentimental about my sweet firsties and try to talk them into staying with me next year.  I tell my husband I am sad to let them move up to which he replies, "you say this every year."  But it's true- you become very invested in their little lives and the daily routine is now at the point where it is fun and easier.  But next year will bring new little inquiring minds.

As the year is winding down and end of year assessments are being completed, I am able to see what areas need just that little bit of extra review before my sweet kiddos go to 2nd grade.  We work a lot on combining syllables, specifically focusing on syllable types- ie- combining closed and closed or closed and silent e, etc.  But after reviewing some informal assessments, I realized we needed a little more explicit instruction on plain ol' compound words.  I saw this cute Easter egg activity at The Lesson Plan Diva's site to create compound words.

I also included a freebie that I created.  You can download it here!

I hope everyone has a happy and peaceful end to your school year!  Summer is coming!
Candi : )

Painter's Tape

 Hi Everyone!

I have migrated to my new website www.theinstructionhub.com.

I hope you will join me there and follow me on Instagram and Facebook - @theinstructionhub

Thank you! Happy Sunday Everyone!

I hope you are having a great weekend.  I just wanted to share a quick tip that you may already know- but just in case you don't.  A co-worker of mine introduced me to the idea of using blue painter's tape on a magnetic board (or any white board) in order to create handwriting lines.  I have also created a place value chart on my second board.  I have used electrical tape before- but it leaves a sticky residue.  The painter's tape pulls right off with no residue.  As my student's handwriting has improved I have made the space between the lines more narrow.  It has been great for handwriting practice, spelling, and sentence construction.

Hope this is helpful.  Have a great week!  Candi : )

It's Ridiculously Long Lasting.... Gum

 Hi Everyone!

I have migrated to my new website www.theinstructionhub.com.

I hope you will join me there and follow me on Instagram and Facebook - @theinstructionhub

Thank you! So as I was walking into class this morning I heard one of my friends say, "Here want to try my new gum it's ridiculously long lasting."  Now that is some great marketing if you can get a firstie to recall your catch-phrase. 

We do let our kiddos chew gum only in our classes (not lunch, recess, etc.) as a way to increase focus.  We also try to have gum be peppermint in flavor, because of the research behind peppermint being a flavor/smell that wakes up your brain.

Anyways- I found it humorous and thought of all the reasons for him to offer to share his gum....I really think he just wanted to say "ridiculously long lasting."

A freebie for you:
We are working on the multiple spellings of long e.  I teach it as e by itself (most of the time at the end of short words and open syllables), e-e (most of the time at the end of a word following the e-consonant e/silent e pattern), and ee in the middle (most of the time) of a word.  We will move into ea (most of the time in the middle of the word- also words you eat....eat, meat, treat) and y (at the end of a 2 + syllable word).

Download it here!

Happy Wednesday!

Candi : )

Sequencing, PA, and Spelling Patterns...oh my!

Happy Monday Everyone!
So I tried an new activity today in LT (Langauge Tutorial).  
I saw this version of this activity at the 2012 NCIDA conference.  Susie Van der Vorst F/AOGPE of Camp Spring Creek, shared this during her presentation.  I also believe Kelly Ellis and Parker Tegeler of the Triad School also shared this activity in their presentation at NCIDA.

You can use this with poker chips if you would like to do it on the table.  Susie had put the vowels and consonants on foam circles- consonants one color and vowels another.  This worked great for first graders!!!  It gave them the chance to move and build sequencing, phonemic awareness, and spelling skills.

*This is also a easy and cool review activity to do at home to maintain skills over the summer!

I added one more element just to extend the options for my kiddos.  I put the short vowel flags, silent e, and digraphs on a third color.  So here are the steps:
1. Have students sequence the alphabet- telling them to begin on one side with a, ending with z, and m/n will be in the middle of their rainbow.
2. Have students tell you why there are two different colors (vowels and consonants).
3. Have students bring letter to the middle to create a syllable or word, and always remember to have them swoop under to read the word or syllable.
4. Have students change the beginning, middle, and final sounds to create new words.
*Bonus Layer: as they create new words, they have to put the previous letter back in the correct place.*
5. After we had manipulated several words, I then had digraphs, short vowel flags, etc. on a third color to have them practice building words using each of these.
This is such a great activity.  Thank you Susie, Kelly, and Parker for sharing! I am working on better pictures, but this is what I have so far:


*Note- This idea was borrowed from Susie Van der Vorst of Camp Spring Creek in Bakersville, NC (here is her website: http://www.campspringcreek.org/
and Kelly Ellis and Parker Tegeler of the Triad School of Winston Salem, NC

All pictures are property of The Key School.  Please site this blog when sharing pictures.

Enjoy your week!    Candi : )