Literacy Centers

I would also like to do literacy groups.  I know the teachers in my home town do "The Daily Five" and they love it.  I created some literacy games that I thought about starting this year, but probably not at the beginning of the year.  I need to do some more research on how literacy centers work.

 

Mrs. Ricca's kindergarten has a lot of literacy center ideas that I have been looking into.

 

Here are some free centers that I have in the TPT store:

 

 

Again, these are some of my first centers I created so they aren't my best work- but they are FREE!  I use them in the fall when I do my farm units.  One of my favorite centers is write the room.  You will see this if you have visited my TPT store.  I have a write the room for about every subject.  They are great and super easy to use.  The kids love them too.  I just give them a clipboard and send them on their way.  It is fun to hide the clues around the room and make them really look for them.  I also let them use fun writing utensils from time to time.  I have some crazy pen with fathers, or even just mechanical pencils kids think are really great to add a new spice to the center.

 

This is a free one on my TPT sight.  Click below to be linked to print it.

 

 

I am pretty excited about my Brown Bear write the room I just created.  My class loves this story at the beginning of year- they easily learn to read it on their own!  It is great for our color unit!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Math Centers

I am looking for new ideas and concepts for math centers.  I started math centers last year and loved them.  They consisted of 5 tubs (purchased at Dollar Tree).  Inside the tub was everything the students would need to complete the center.  On the outside a put Velcro with group numbers- this way I could switch the group number easily each day.  Some days, I would pull and work with groups, other days I would work with individual students.  I got many of my management ideas from Kim Adsit.  You can click here and read about how her centers are ran.  I changed mine some to meet my needs in the classroom.  I found that teaching my new math centers or playing the math game as a whole group before we started was very helpful.  We usually went over all the centers at our circle area together for the first few months.  Once you establish the rules and expectations math centers are great!  Here is an example of the types of math centers I use in my classroom:

 

I was looking for more math centers on all of the shapes we are to cover in kindergarten with the common core.  I found these great posters on TPT for free!  They are from Intentional Momma. Click  on her picture below to link to her TPT store to print it!

 

 

You can print them smaller if you click to print multiple pages her sheet on your printing options before you click to print.  I would like them smaller (2 per page- you could even make 4 per page).  I will then gather objects around the room that are these shapes and have the students sort them.  You could also have them go around the room and find these shapes in the classroom and sort them.

 

I have created some simple numbers for on your math tubs.  I got the borders at my cute graphics you can click here to see all of their free borders.  Click the picture below to download the numbers for your math tubs:

 

 

I also make a lot of roll and cover games.  They are easy to make and fun for kids because they can be played many different ways.  You can start with all of the pictures covered and then have the students roll the dice and take off that many objects, you can play the opposite way where you roll the dice and put objects over the pictures.  You could also roll two dice.  I also do add and covers or roll and cover for addition or number recognition practice.  The documents below are examples.  They are some of my first TPT creations- they are all little crude- but this kids don't seem to mine!

 

 

There are other games like these at my TPT store.

 

 



 

 

 

Win free stuff for your classroom

So the first 5 people to start following my blog can pick something from my TPT store for free...  Just leave a comment with your email or if you don't want to post it, email me privately at abbybuettner@gmail.com

 

Blogging Day II

So today I am here with my good friend James.  We like to hang out together and take pics.

So today I was checking out other people's ideas on behavior management.  This year I am trying out some new things.  Last year I used a new idea for my calendar time because I was having troubles with students talking out.  I had 5 fish on a cookie sheet (with magnets).  Each time a child talked, I took off one fish.  Each fish left, earned a "puff ball" (pompom) in our jar.  When the jar was full we had a special something.  They chose things like extra recess time or popcorn and movie.  This year I found this idea for FREE at the TPT store.  Since my room has an ocean theme, I will be perfect.

 

I also purchased some super cute clipart from KPMDoodles in the etsy store.  You can click here to go to the link.  Here is what my chart will look like.  You can click on the image to download the whole thing.

 

 

I didn't use all of these colors last year, but I think I'm going to try it this year.  I will be adding pink and orange, I didn't use those two colors last year.

 

I also hear about "brownie points" at the end of last year from another teacher. She used them to track complements from other teachers and faculty around the school.  I have the cheap cookie sheets from the dollar store to keep track of the "brownie points"  Just print the brownies that I have attached below!

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Blogging

So I am back to try to blog once more.  I have been reading and checking out youtube videos of how to do things.  It seems as though the youtube videos are the best- since I'm a visual learner.  I am going to post my first freebie printable which you can also find in my TPT store.  I love doing a Very Hungry Caterpillar unit which I also tie into Eric Carle books.  I will post more of the things I use soon.

All you need to do is print the pages.  Then I created strips of each food so students could then count them, place them in a pocket chart and add the number/number word next to the foods. 

 

Here are some other VHC activities

Cut and Paste #1-15

 

Many more in my store:

 

 I have found a great site with cute free clipart.  mycutegraphics.com I have been creating all kinds of fun things for my classroom.  These are the new center signs that I have been working on.  Click below to see and print them all.

 

 

 



 With our school using the Common Core, I have created some new games using the ten frame concept.  I have noticed this past year that my students were better at finding the missing addends, grouping ten, adding and subtracting with ten by becoming fluid with this concept.  I have some free ten frame games in my TPT store- this one is $1.