OUCH! A Study on ou and ow!

Hello Everyone!
Just a super quick share tonight!  We are coming up on the tricky word work study of the diphthongs ou and ow.  The exceptions to the common rule that ou (as in ouch) is usually found at the beginning or middle of a word and ow is found at the end of a syllable or word are numerous! I put together a mini unit to help kids practice. And OH!! Since it is poetry month, I've also included a way to integrate the word work with Shel Silverstein and a written expression, OUCH! Here are a few pics!

A fun word work game for a little extra practice!

You can get that little ou ow unit if you simply click HERE!! :)

Hope you can use it!!  Or even just parts of it!  thanks for stopping by!! I hope you're having a great week!!

Joyfully!

Nancy

Hot Air Balloon Unit!

Hello Everyone!
I know it's been a few days since my last post, but I've been busy finishing up my newest unit.  I think it would be fun to start the new year off with a unit on hot air balloons. Kids (and adults) are fascinated with hot air balloons! They are so colorful, almost magical, and so interesting!! This 78 page unit includes some beginning of the year poems and books the kids can make, some goal setting, some alphabet and phoneme practice, some math ten frame practice, strategy games, and math tub activities, some information on hot air balloons and science experiments, and much more!  Oh! I can't forget! It also includes patterns for a "Hands On Visual" connection (formerly known as a "craft" connection).
Here are a few pics!

Make a mini hot air balloon science activity with recording sheet

hot air balloon 10 frames with a matching game

goal setting

A Class Graphing Activity with recording and observation sheets

counting phonemes partner game, word cards included

For your free 78 page cross curricular hot air balloon unit, click here!

I would love to hear from you, if you think this is something you can use! I know I can't wait to share it with my new kids!!  Please leave me a comment!  I love reading your responses!! If you would like to see anything else added to this unit, don't hesitate to ask!!  
As always, thanks for stopping by for a peek!! I appreciate you! Till next time, have a wonder-filled week! Keep soaring!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Open Door Words- Oh MY!

Hello Everyone!
Just a speedy quick post tonight.  Back to school for teachers tomorrow. Can't wait to see everyone!
Later this week I am working on reading and spelling "Open Door Words" with my firsties.  You may have heard them called open vowel words.  We have studied all the short vowel CVC words, and are getting ready to take on long vowels. What better way than with "Open Door Words."  Here are a few of the pages from a packet I put together (which is already part of my "Happy New Year" unit)  I did add an "Eat Your Words" activity to this one.

For your free copy of this teeny tiny unit, click here!


That's it for tonight!!  Have a wonderful evening!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Meet the Silent E Gang!

Hello Everyone!!
In January we will dive into reading, writing, and spelling long vowel words.  We will begin with "Open Vowel Words" That unit is included in my Happy New Year unit. After that we will work on using the infamous Silent E.  Last year we used the fun "Sneaky E" puppets and the kids looooved them.  This year I will introduce the Silent E Gang : Sneaky E, Sparkly E, and Magic E.  All are guaranteed to help kids stay engaged and have fun while learning about that important silent e on the ends of words.  I put together a little packet to keep me organized, and I can't wait to do all this with my kiddos!  I hope you will find them useful.  The packet includes, chants, paper bag puppet patterns, stick puppet patterns for each of the gang members, and about 28 pages of short vowel words, some conventional and some nonsense for kids to practice and write.
Here are a few pics of the unit.

Cut out and make stick puppets for "Add an E game included in unit.

For your own little silent e gang unit, click here!  Unit is 32 pages- some color, most black and white.


Hope you're having a great week!!  I'm off to work on report cards! And something for our Teacher Inservice day on Monday (Thanks for the reminder, Tracy!!)

Talk to you all soon!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Lollipops and Dots- Short O Rocks!

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for stopping to take a peek into this wonder-filled world of first grade! This week we are working hard on the short o sound in our word work. We learned a fun song about short o. We brainstormed  lists of short o words.  We tried to include short o words in our writing, and we had fun practicing them.  Two fun activities that will help cement the use of short o in words were our "Lollipop Words" and our "Dot Words." Take a look at the pics! 

Simply cut some white circles. Draw a swirl.  Write all the op words you can think of. Trace over words and swirl with a marker. Color. Tape on a stick! Yum!

Dot words were made with bingo dot markers. (We had some dot markers left over from our bubblegum unit!)  Some kids decided to create dot to dots out of their dot words! Way to go, guys!!

Have a hoppy...I mean happy day!
Joyfully!
Nancy

An Fan and Apple Jack Words

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our wonderful first grade world!  This week we are working hard on the short a chunks. Word work during Daily 5 is one of my favorite places to add some pizazz! This week I added some "Teacher Treats" to my choice board.  One of the choices was to make an "An Fan."  The kids wrote their choice of /an/ words on paint chips (I did ask the sweet WalMart employee before I took so many of them!) traced over them with a sharpie and then punched holes in the other end for a brass fastener to fit through.  I think they turned out beautifully!  They had to find a friend with whom to read and spell their /an/ words from their "An Fans."

Another "Teacher Treat" from our Word Work Choice board this week was "Apple Jack Words."  This time the kids had to write their choice of /ap/ words on a recording sheet and use a, Apple Jack for the a in each word.  So much fun and memorable.  I think they will always think of /ap/ words as "Apple Jack Words!"  

 

For your free printable, click here! :)

I am sure my kids will be ready for their first Spell Check on Friday!!

Joyfully!

Nancy