Happy Holidays!

Hoping everyone had a terrific holiday!  Things have been so crazy in December.  Hoping to be back with more ideas and freebies, soon!

Thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation

Just wanted to share a couple great videos from Scholastic about life on Plymouth Plantation, in case you haven't seen them offered.
Wampanoag site video
Scholastic Plymouth Plantation video

A Peek into Daily Calendar Counting

Here's a peek into my daily calendar time.  My children use offices which are pages we combine to follow along with the calendar routine. This allows them to be more active followers during that time. We work on adding: the date, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the digital date, a weather graph, domino numbers, and a daily ten frame.  For the ten frame, the children use bingo chips to show the date on their ten frame, while the daily helper shows the class with my magnetic version.

                                     Magnetic Ten frame
          (Cookie sheet with dot magnets from Walmart with colored dot stickers on top)

After the children show the number of the day (date), I then have them show me and say aloud what one more looks like and one less.
       We then show how many days we've been in school on the adding machine tape with 10 different colored post it notes.  Each day is a different color which adds up to make a great walled number line.  I also add little icons made with the Cricut to the number line that goes around the room every 5th day (high five hand), every 10th day (pair of feet) , and every 25th day ( a star).  This coincides with our daily bank.  Every single day we add a penny to the bank and sing the penny song.  Every fifth day we add a nickel and sing the nickel song, a dime on 10th day and dime song, and a quarter every 25th day and the quarter song.  That way by the end of the year,  the students know their coins and values without a lot of extra effort.  We work on adding coins, sorting, etc. during math station time.

Number line with icons

Daily bank containers - The helper has to identify the daily coin needed and add it to the bank.

Double Ten Frames

I haven't decided exactly how I am going to use these yet, but I thought I would share anyway!

Double Ten Frames

Pumpkin Measurement Journal Prompt

Here is the October version of my Measurement Journal Prompt.  I have a more detailed description here.

Pumpkin Measurement Journal

Community Helpers

This week we are learning about Community Helpers.  We are concentrating on Dentists, Firefighters, Police Officers, and Postal Workers.  Instead of doing our usual predictable chart, we are going to write our own books-one page a day.  Some of my kiddos are still learning to form letters.  Some can write short paragraphs (okay, maybe only one! :)).  So I made one book blank.  The kids at grade level can write I see a ___. on their own.  The kids above grade level can write a sentence or two about the community helper.  I made another book for the kids who are struggling.  They can trace the sentences.

Community Helper Book

Mystery Containers

We are counting objects into the teens now!  The students use the Double Ten Frames to count the objects in the containers.  I am using Halloween erasers, table scatter, and goodie bag stuffers.  This work station can easily be updated throughout the year using seasonal objects and larger items.  Here is the record sheet to go with it.

Mystery Containers Record Sheet

Using Ten Frames to Count to 20

My kinders are doing very good with counting to 10, so we are moving on to counting to 20!  Those teen numbers are tricky!  I made a counting mat to use with objects like erasers, stones, gems, etc..  I differentiated the mats so that the kiddos who don't know the numbers yet can learn.

Ten Frames Counting to 20

10 Frame Fun for Math Work Station

We incorporate ten frames a lot to build number concepts.  This month we are focusing on the concept of 1 more and 1 less.  We've found a great manipulative to use when covering ten frames, and it comes from the dollar store.  Many times you can find they have ice cube trays that go along with the season/theme. They have just ten openings, which is perfect.  We either use pompoms to fill them or themed mini erasers. Changing them out monthly, helps keep the stations/activities fresh.

   Here is the worksheet I plan to use to go along with the work station. I'll use some seasonal number cards to go along with it. (I put a ten frame on the paper, in case you didn't have the trays) Click the link to get your copy.

Ten Frame Fun

Apple Measurement Activity

I love doing this activity every month with different die cuts.  I put apples up on the door.  Each child take a turn to measure himself.  Last year I took a photo and below it the children wrote ______ is __ apples tall.  We made a class book.  This year we put it in our math journals.  First, we measured my daughter's height.  Then I modeled how to write 12 on the line, draw 12 apples, and draw my daughter so that she was 12 apples tall.  My students were all engaged in this activity.  My students are still learning their numerals, so I labeled the apples to help them write the number in their book.

Apple Measurement Journal Prompt

Here are some ideas for die cuts for the rest of the year:

October: pumpkins

November:  turkeys

December: gingerbread men

January: snowflakes/snowmen

February: hearts

March: shamrocks

April: eggs/bunnies

May: flowers

Domino Counting Book

In order for our students to participate in calendar each day, we have them complete calendar books.  This month in Every Day Calendar Counts, students are learning to match numerals to sets.  As we introduce the domino dots to the students, the students will record the dots, practice writing the number word, and practice writing the numeral.  I made this book for them and hope you can use it too!
Domino Number Book

Monkey Math Work

I have the game, Monkey Math by Learning Mates, that I put in my math center each year, and the children just love it.




For the first half of the year, they mainly just explore with it; trying to make equals, piling as many bananas on each side as they can, etc. But as they were exploring with it this week, I was thinking ahead to late winter, early spring when we get into addition, and made a worksheet to go along with it. An example would be putting 3 bananas and 4 more bananas on one side, and trying to find the number that makes his arms balance on the other side like the 7 bananas. The worksheet is to record their findings. Enjoy!

    Monkey Math Addition

I like apples! Predictable Chart

Apple picking season is here!  We love to do taste testing of red, yellow, and green apples.  Each year, I am surprised at how much I like green apples!  We make a graph of our results, and then write a predictable chart.  After practicing reading the sentences, we unscramble the sentences.  This year, we are going to try using this format inspired by Fran over at Kindergarten Crayons.

I like apples! Predictable Chart

Pam's Plans

After many revisions, I have a temporary final draft of my plan template.  I like to make my own versus using a store bought plan book so that I don't have to write my schedule in every week.    Sometimes I enlarge it onto legal size paper.

Pam's Plan Template

I have "organized" my plan book in a few different ways over the years.
1.  on a clipboard (like one a coach uses) with my standards inside (they even make ones to hold legal sized paper

2. in a three pronged folder (what I am currently doing)
3.  use the school's binding machine to make my own more traditional plan book
4.  fill it out on the computer and just have an electronic copy
5.  And finally, a long, long, long time ago, we had to use the school provided plan book so I would just tape/staple the template onto the pages of the plan book.

Hope this inspires someone!

Classroom Pics Continued....

First of all, we hope  everyone came through Irene ok!!!!
We go back to school tomorrow and I still feel like I could use another week preparing for those kiddos.  The room aspect is as ready as it's going to be.  Due to Irene we had a half day of inservice and an Open House all in one.  It felt like a whirlwind, but those children are just so adorable and excited to come to the big school, it can't help but get you excited. Here a few more of my classroom pictures:

As you walk in, these are the cubbies and hooks for the children.

It looks a lot busier than it feels, but this is looking in from the door.

This is my calendar and circle area where most of our morning is spent singing learning songs, doing Everyday calendar math activities, morning message, and calendar work in our mini offices.

This is the dramatic play area.  Small and confined, yet perfect size for 3 which is all I allow in that area at one time. This area is changed every month.  For the first month, it is just a general market area so the children can get used to the rules and expectations.

To the left of the dramatic play area, we have a nice TV area with storage.  I use the storage area as my block center.  The children sit at the city rug ( a great find from IKEA) and build with blocks or use the cars and city workers.
Picture is below.

This is my word wall area.  That table that lines the wall, houses my computer station, on the top are my fine motor trays. The children can choose these when they first come in, and underneath are the puzzles and legos the children may choose at free choice center time.

Here is a zoomed out version of my writing center that I had mentioned in an earlier posting.

In front of the writing center I have a non carpeted area we use for  Shared Reading. This area is at the back of my room. The students choose a carpet square and sit to listen to our weekly story.

To the left of the Big Book area, is my listening center and bulletin board that for the start of school will have our Rainbow Names from Deanna Jump's Names unit. The bucket houses our journals, and on the floor to the left are our pointers for reading the room.

Here is the view from the back corner where our writing center sits.

I still need to take a photo of my Literacy and Math center( oops, just noticing I forgot those.)  Finally for today, is one thing I could not live without in the classroom, my class Ipod and docking station.  As soon as I found out I was moving from fifth grade to Kindergarten four years ago, I was frantic about how to best teach with all the awesome learning songs available.  I thought this is going to take forever to change CD's in and out, etc. My husband had the idea of going on ebay and finding a cheap used ipod.  WHAT A TIME and LIFESAVER!  It sits on my desk and gets used constantly.  The docking station was a great find from the Brookstone outlet.  

Well, there you have it my room.  (Jess) We hope everyone has a great year!