Purchased a New Calendar but my date pieces are too BIG! Read on for Solution.

It seems my Post are few and far between, but when I discover things that can help I like to share.  As most of us teachers do, I purchased some new things for my classroom.  Did I need to?  Probably not but that doesn't stop me.  So I got a very interactive Calendar from Really Good Stuff.  I'm hoping to cut down the many pieces on my Calendar bulletin board, but who knows until I try it if I will get rid of things.  Anyhow this Calendar has smaller date spaces (1.5 "x 1.75") than my previous Calendar date spaces (2.5" x 2.5").  So this is what I decided to do.  I went looking for smaller Calendar dates on Teacher pay Teacher and found many regular size (2.5" x 2.5") but no smaller size.  I decided to get some free ones but I also paid for a one that was a whole year.  So here's how I shrank the bigger Calendar date pieces to fit my new calendar.  Easy peesy, When you go to print go into properties and down to multiple page (this is where you can put many sheets/pages on one page).  Touch or highlight 4 on 1 (meaning 4 sheets/pages will go on 1 page).  It ends up the PERFECT size for my new Calendar.  Then I just printed them out on card stock, laminated, and cut them ALL out (have a parent volunteer etc. help with this or instead of doing the whole year stay a month ahead in your cutting).  That's the trick.  Enjoy the new school year!

Teacher Pay Teacher Sale August 4-5

Check out my Store by typing in my name:  Cindy Tirado


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/


Get yourself ready and save yourself some time in your preparation.
No worries, no fuss
Just purchase and download for an easy start to your
new school year!


Here's to a SUPER new school year and Happy shopping!

The Next Step in Guided Reading, by Jan Richardson.

Over the summer I have been reading a book by Jan Richardson.  It's called The Next Step in Guided Reading.  I found it had many interesting ideas and techniques for teaching reading via Guided reading.  For myself I have a Reading curriculum I must follow, but I sure try every year to get my guided reading going.  This year I have another challenge added in that I will be teaching a K/1 combo class. 

While reading The Next Step in Guided Reading I found Jan Richardson's ideas and methods really helpful. She has mentioned that if your class / students know fewer than 40 upper and lowercase letter and hear few, if any, sounds, they probably lack many aspects of concepts of print.  I know how important it is to get our students to learn the alphabet upper and lower case.  I have taught the alphabet in so many ways and this year I decided to make my own alphabet book for my class.  You can find it in my Teacher Pay Teacher store.  It's called My Alphabet/Dictionary Book. 

Using this book the children will trace the upper and lower case letters everyday with the whole class, in small group, or with a tutor/parent.  Saying the names of the letters while tracing, and the name of the picture.  She recommends the tactile experience, which she says is "essential for building memory trace"(no tracing with pencil or marker).  According to Jan Richardson the alphabet book you use should relate to the reading program you use.  I currently am using the Treasures Reading program, so one part of My Alphabet/Dictionary Book I created has the letters and pictures relating to the Treasure wall sound cards, another relates to the Open Court wall sound cards, and the last is just  generic pictures that are usually used in most Alphabet books.  I have decided once the children know their letters to also use this book as a dictionary for each child to keep at their desk.  They can put words they want to use in their writings and high frequency words in it.  You can also just have your students/children practice writing their upper and lower case letters on the pages, or use the cards in a center.  With this Alphabet /Dictionary book there are many uses.  It's up to you. 

Another key reason I made this book is that I teach many second language learners who do not always have much experience with English let alone concepts of print.  Many of my Kindergarten students have never even been to school so anything that can help the children learn their letters and alphabet quickly I'm all for.  Jan Richardson also suggest that "Once students know most of their letters and have enough English to understand simple directions they are ready for emergent guided reading lessons. 

Well I'd like to end by saying  I've been teaching for 30+ years and I'm always looking for new ideas to help me and remind me of methods and strategies relating to teaching the multiple subjects we teach each day.   The Next Step in Guided Reading  is filled with a lot of information, methods, and strategies for Guided reading.  If you have a chance I thinks its worth a read.

I have just upload a new product on Teacher Pay Teacher, it's called:  Color and Color Word Unit for Pre-k, TK, Kindergarten, and First grade (See link or go to TeacherPayTeacher .com and type in my name, Cindy Tirado). 


This is a picture of a mini RED color book I used to make from my Color and Color Word Unit.  But this summer I've made a digital copy of this unit.

Prior to computers many of us teacher drew and hand wrote all the worksheets we used, if you couldn't find a "ditto or black lined master" book.  Boy, things have come a long way. 

This 88 page Color and Color Word Unit makes learning the colors a lot of fun.  I have used it for over 35 years and now it's on computer and very easy to pull up and print.  Some of the pages only need to be printed once on heavier cover paper and then laminated for year after year use.  There are also writing sheets, a cover for a class book, cards with colored pictures, and pages to make a mini book (as above). 

When I do my Color Unit I usually end the week with my students making this mini book and having something RED to eat.  They love it and read the pages over and over.  If your interested check it out.  I feel it's the best value for the money. 

Well, I am enjoying my last couple of weeks of vacation with my family, but will be heading in to visit my classroom next week to start setting up.  I do not know yet how many Kindergartners and First graders I will have ,but have been preparing for 10 K's and 14 Firsties.  We shall see what the final numbers will be.  This will be "an exciting challenge", that is my mantra this up coming year

This summer seems to be flying by.  I am trying to wrap my head around teaching a K/1 combo this up coming year.  Have you ever felt like you were going around in circles?  Well that's where I'm at.  So I keep stepping away to do something else and then I go back and go in circles again.  Hopefully I'll have something figured out by August.  It's funny, there's not much out there on teaching K/1 combos. 

In the meantime I went to a seminar put on by Nancy Fetzer on writing in Kindergarten / First grade.  She firmly believes children need language before they can write.  She makes sure the children are very good at saying what they will be writing.  I have mentioned before I teach a majority of second language learners and the big problem for them is they have very little language in English and a lot of the time very little in their own home language.  Now I'm suppose to get them to write.  Seriously!!!!!  It was an enjoyable day learning with Nancy.  Her ideas, strategies, and methods really make sense.  She has books available as well as many videos. 

I already incorporated  her TPR (Total physical response) method for teaching beginning, middle, and end.  Just by watching her videos and finding some PDF print outs. My students sat on the rug and took notes on a blank piece of paper folded in thirds.  We worked together to figured out the beginning of the story (we had just read).  I drew a simple picture (they copied) and with hand motions we said what happened.  Next, her suggestion was to do the end of the story.  It worked brilliantly.  We did the same, figured out the end, drew a simple picture, and said it.  Finally, it was easy to put some middle part for the story down.  We drew again a simple picture and said what happened.  Finally, by looking at our notes we were able to say our story together in order with our hand motions.  If I asked what happened in beginning they could tell me, if I jumped to the end they could tell me, or middle of story they knew.  I checked again after lunch and they could still tell me.  It worked great.  I will start this earlier this coming year.  If you get a chance check her out. 

Enjoy the summer!

Wow time flies.  I may not write as often as a lot of the teachers out there with blogs, but I hope when I do write it's worth reading. 

I have been swamped at school.  My school is trying to become an International Baccalaureate school Or IB school. What is that you may ask?  IB offers four programmes for students aged 3 to 19 to help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. There are more than 1,098,000 IB students at 3,568 schools in 145 countries.  In elementary school we are doing the Primary Years program.  The Primary Years Program is for students aged 3 to 12 and focuses on the development of the whole child in the classroom and in the world outside.

To get authorized is an intense process that typically takes two or more years and includes site visits by an IB team.  So for the past two years we have been working towards getting through the authorization process and trying to become an official IB World School.  This week is my schools evaluation/authorization visit.  All of the teachers at my school including myself have been working so hard to pass this authorization. 

Throughout April and May I have been so busy trying to work with my class on our Matter unit for IB authorization visit, as well as starting up my Dibles testing,  finishing up our Animal Homes unit, getting ready for our one and only field trip to the Natural History Museum, and finally Open House. Oh and I forgot teaching my students a dance all first graders will do at the end of the month.  Does that not sound crazy!!!!!  You'd think as the year draws to an end things would mellow out.

On top of everything I thought it had been a while since I added anything new to my Teacher Pay Teacher store.  I'm always about things that you can use and save some time putting together for your classroom.  Plus they are things I actually use.  The most recent additions to my store  have come about while I was enhancing my Matter Unit.

Thanks for your time.  I wish you all a relaxing and enjoy Sunday and upcoming week.

Oh Those Leprechauns! St. Patrick's Day Fun

It has been a while since I've written.  So here's a SUPER Fun thing I do for my students and I thought I'd share.  I have done this activity for over 25 years and every year it works!  Mined you I've only done it in the Primary grades.  You'll have to judge your students/kids on their ability to believe.  My first, kindergarten, and pre-school students have all believed.  It takes a little imagination on your part.  Have I enticed you enough. Oh, also you can do this activity before or after St. Patrick's Day as well as on St. Patrick's Day.  So here goes,,,,,,,

Of course, as I said this activity works before or after St. Patrick's Day, but this year St. Patrick's Day isn't until Sunday, so I did it yesterday (Friday).  The Leprechauns attacked our classroom.  It was crazy.  Did we see them?  No, but look at the mess they left us and even a note.

The Leprechauns left us this note.  One of my students asked why it was such shaky writing?  I told him, well you know they're so little they had to probably climb on each others back to up there and write.  The Leprechaun on top was probably moving a lot while the others were holding him up.  My student then said, Oh.

Leprechaun footprints

Poster upside down and in the wrong place

 Not sure if you can read it but The Leprechauns took our letter cards and spelled out "Leprechauns rule"

There where footprints leading from our back door, to the chairs, on the table, and up the closet where you see the Legos and some kids pictures are upside down. (Sorry for the blurriness).

Close up of foot prints.

They also piled a chair on top of my stool to put Frosty the Snowman on top of our closet.  Again they left footprints.

Oh my gosh, our calendar was all messed up.  Months of the year, days of the week, and March were all upside down.

To top it off my chair was on it's side and they left our blocks and Lincoln log/tinker toys out.

 

 

Well as you can see those Leprechauns had a busy fun time in our room.  My student came in and tried to blame me, but I explained I hadn't been in the classroom, I was running off papers.  (My classroom opens to the yard where we pick up our students, so I always make sure I do not get them that day through our back door).  I always walk around the building like I've been somewhere else.  As I did yesterday I had papers in my hand that I had truly just run off.  He He!!

 

 

Anyhow this is a blast for me and a memorable experience for my students.  They are amazed at the mess and really believe the Leprechauns have come.  We had been reading stories with Leprechauns all week, so they knew about them and that they can be tricky.  My student then help straighten and clean almost everything.  It's also funny if anyone comes late as one of my students did yesterday, at least five students come up telling him all at once about the Leprechauns being here in our room.

 

Doing this activity does not make a calm day, they do settle down but will be talking about this all day, to friends, other teachers, and finally to their families. 

 

Oops! I forgot to mention once we've cleaned up most of the obvious mess, I mention to the students about a legend I've heard (many of them know it already because their Kindergarten teachers told them about it last year).  The legend is if you take off one shoe and leave it outside the Leprechauns may leave you a coin (use the chocolate ones).  So of course we have to do it, (even me) to see if it works.  And it does!  due to my aide who I had ask earlier in the morning to put the coins in their shoes before she came in our class.  **This can be tricky to do without anyone seeing but somehow every year my aides do it.  Now this year I have the kids put there shoes on one side of our building but then we had them change them because I said a lot of people use the bathroom right next to us and that might scare the Leprechauns, so we moved our shoes to a better spot.  They had no problem doing it.  They think it's so crazy to run around our class for a while with one shoe off and one shoe on.  My aide did a terrific thing this year too.  She moved our shoes around putting them up on a box and some pipes, so they weren't in the exact spot we left them.  When the kids went out they thought the Leprechauns had taken their shoes, but quickly found them.  They were so loud and excited.  Throughout the day they keep wondering if the Leprechauns would show back up again.  I said, I don't know.  

 

I loved every minute of  this activity.  This is what teaching is about for me.  I'll tell you most of  my former students remember the Leprechauns coming to our room.  Even yesterday, the second grade teacher told me that most of my former students shared what had happened to them in my class last year when the Leprechauns came.

 

Anyhow basically use your imagination to set up your room and as I said you can do it a few days before, on, or after St. Patrick's Day.  You just make a mess.  I also did  a writing once things had settle down. 

                          The Leprechauns were in our class.  They.........

 

Oh, by the way I usually get one or two students that say they're afraid, but I say when did we ever read about a Leprechaun hurting anyone?  NEVER.  All Leprechauns do are tricky things and they like to play.  My student's yesterday thought about writing a big note to the Leprechauns to ask them when they play with our things to please clean up, because it took a lot of time to clean up their mess.  Are Leprechauns real?  Well my answer to you and my students is, "it is what ever you believe in your hear". 

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!