Fairy Tales and STEM...and other fun!

When I picture Kindergarten from my time, I think of: play time, story time, center time, nap time, circle time, snack time, and lunch time. Does anyone else picture it that way?

With the push to independently read at a Level D at the end of Kindergarten, most often listening to a story (especially a fiction book) can be pushed aside to make room for guided reading and studying nonfiction.

This is an injustice to our students. Why? Students need to know and deserve to hear the classic fiction stories. I base these thoughts on the fact that later in upper grades, students are often asked to compare/connect a story they are reading to a classic story.

Teaching at a Title I school, I know that a lot of my students do not get to hear these stories at home. I want to give each of my students access to texts that their peers would have heard.

What I mean when I say classics: Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Stone Soup, The Little Red Hen, Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, and many others that you probably remember from your own childhood.

So the challenge is...how do we use the classic stories we know and love to teach the academic content of today's Kindergarten??

Here is what I have been doing in my classroom.

1. Each week I pick one book to study (could be nonfiction as well). Usually it is tied to whatever we are studying in science/social studies. Sometimes I just pick a fiction book and work on ELA standards.

2. I also pick a STEAM activity to correlate with the book. Examples below.

2. Over the course of 5 days, I teach the story and its theme. This week I am doing Stone Soup and sharing.

• Monday: Students listen as the story is read by the teacher. At the end, students share their initial reactions and thoughts with a friend. I also introduce the theme for the week and place it on some sort of anchor chart (usually a bubble map). This week my theme is sharing. *We take time to add new knowledge from the books/discussion/activity to clarify the theme each day.

• Tuesday: Quickly review the story (who, where, what?). Reread the text and stop to discuss and clarify 4-5 words. I pre-select the words based on what I think my students might not have heard before or understand. We stop at the word, look at the picture, and listen really hard for clues. Then the students guess and share the reasoning about the meaning of the word. We usually flip the word with what we think it might be and read it to see if it makes sense. This teaches students about using context clues AND it widens their vocabulary. Often I hear students using the words correctly WAY after that story has been taught. Our words this week for Stone Soup are: fancy, plenty, bubbling, stone, and barley.

• Wednesday: Review the vocabulary words (usually I reference the words in a retell of the story). Discuss 3-5 text dependent question and reread the part of the text that applies to the question. Have students answer and share why they think their answer is true (make connections to their schema, infer, look for clues in the text/picture to support their answer). 

• Thursday: Review vocabulary. Use the vocabulary words in a question discussion. Each word has its own question. For example: The word is fancy. What did the old lady put on the table to make it fancy? How would you dress if you wanted to be fancy? Where is somewhere fancy that you might go? After our discussion, we read another book on the same topic (fiction or nonfiction) and compare and contrast the two OR make connections between the text. 

• Friday: Wrap up with an art activity, science experiment, STEM challenge, or cooking activity (and cooking totally teachers science)

The lesson style described is also referred to as "Close Reading." I recommend checking out Tara West at the Little Minds at Work blog for more information! 

Here are pictures and details of past activities:

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: We did not know what porridge was so we cooked and ate it. Tasty! You can also graph "Did you like the porridge?" to tie in math. I am very lucky to have a stove in my classroom!

Three Little Pigs: We used toothpicks, marshmallows, gummy bears (I prefer gum or spice drops but they were hard to find) and paper plates to build our house. I did not say it had to look like a house, just that it stood up. Then we went around and chanted "I will huff, and puff, and blow your house down!" while pointing my hairdryer (the big bad wolf) at the houses. The tepee style house did the best! If their house fell over, they had time to make design changes and try again :)

These are the cute pigs we made. We also added labeled and I put some questions/responses on the board. This is a "work in progress."  **I will add a template tomorrow!

The Three Billy Goats Gruff: It was so hard for me to figure out what the bridge would cross for this one. I finally walked around dollar tree until I saw the baking section and the idea came to make two areas of grass with a blue river in the middle from frosting. I dyed one can of frosting green and one can of frosting blue, then painted the frosting across the plate with a Popsicle stick. So we used blue frosting, green frosting, toothpicks, gum drops, marshmallows, and Popsicle sticks to build bridges. I put "three goats" (really cows from my farm counters) and the rule was the goats could not get any blue on them/fall off the bridge while we chanted the troll's speech from the story. If their bridge failed, I asked them to go back and make changes to improve it.

Stone Soup: One of our vocabulary words is bubbling. These week we are going to talk about why soup would bubble and the changes happening to our veggies as they cook. Here is a snapshot of the flyer I am sending home.

Thanks for reading! I plan to update soon about our craft for the Three Little Pigs, Stone Soup, and how our soup turned out. Check back for craft templates. 

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Peek at My Week: Fall

Linking up with Deedee Willis for Peek at my Week 

Click here to download PDF (clickable images)

Writing:
We are working on writing words to go with the objects/people in our sounds. I love this writing unit that comes from Ms. Lilypad on TPT. These units have helped shape my writing instruction so much
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Phonics:
Working on the letters Tt and Ss this week in our phonics program, and we will be using my ABC Mega Pack to practice the sounds and letter shapes. My students LOVE using the Do-A-Dot markers/pages to practice writing the letters.

Guided Reading:
We start this time off with a shared reading using the KinderLiteracy units by Tara West. This week we are focusing on Retelling and reading the Three Little Pigs.

Math:
Reviewing numbers 1-5 as well as practice counting strategies, comparing, and 2D shapes.

Science/Social Studies:
Using Project GLAD strategies to learn about the season of fall.

Enjoy; and check out other teachers here!

The Day Has Come

August 1.

It seems like just yesterday that it was mid-June, and sweet summer was just beginning. Alas, only two more weeks to soak in summer and freedom before teacher workdays begin again!

Here 10 of m,y summer highlights:

1. The movies: My summer goal was to see 1 movie per week in a movie theater with popcorn. I did really well with this goal until about mid July...there weren't any movies out that I was dying to see. However, I did end up watching movies from my bed via my iPad, and I think that forced relaxation counts. I am planning to see the new Vacation movie next week and A Little Chaos once it comes to a local place where I live. Max has been my favorite so far-I bawled like a baby during the beginning.

2. Braces: I got braces put on last week. I am glad that I did it over the summer so I could avoid those miserable first few days in the middle of teaching. However, this eliminated all chances of eating popcorn at the movies. Sadsville.

3. Camp: I worked a.lot. of hours as an office assistant at the same camp for the third year in a row. I am lucky to have a summer job I love as much as my school job!

4. Vacation: I didn't really have one because of camp. My husband and I are planning a trip for somewhere/anywhere on a weekend when the beaches are a little cooler and less crowded in the fall. We did go on a FAST overnight trip to Charlotte for our third wedding anniversary, and it was a lot of fun.

5. School work: I made my pacing guide for the upcoming year, started working on printing lesson plans/materials, and got some decorations done for my classroom. Not too much work-I do less each year.

6. Back to school sales: My highlight of the back to school sales was finding a GLITTER closeout at a teacher supply store. They told me whatever they had in stock no matter the size/color/type I could have for a quarter....I bought 30 bottles of glitter/glitter glue in HUGE containers for a total of $7.50. I also got those art trays that are $14 each for $1.85 each. Also, a Melissa and Doug grocery store center that retails for $160 for $20. It was the summer of classroom bargains.

7. Snowballs: I finally got to try out Pelicans in my hometown area...now every time I go home I have to get at least 2 snowballs or I am sad.

8. Professional Development: Does Pinterest count? Just kidding. I spent 3 days developing myself and only 1 day leading a session for others. This is the least amount I have ever done over the summer. I made enough money (did not expect to be paid) to pay my car payment for August! It was a pretty nice surprise.

9. Teachers Pay Teachers: I updated a handful of products and made a couple of new ones. I am looking forward to doing more during the school year when I don't have a crazy camp schedule to live by.

10: Walking: I started a new habit of walking every other night for 35-40 minutes. I plan to up my time/go towards daily when school starts back. I had to take a couple of weeks off due to a toe injury (I tore a chunk out of my toe). There is a former golf course/now a park by my school that I will walk at everyday once school starts, and I am on a regular shedule.

I am planning to hit up the Dirty Dancing festival in Lake Lure as my one last hoorah before workdays start the following Monday :) 

What are your top 10 summer highlights? Feel free to share a link to your blog in the comments! 

Free Math Games: Teen Numbers & Making Ten

I am always on the hunt for math games to supplement our math program. What's the saying, "Adapt instead of adopt?" That's what I am going for this year! 

I teach guided math and have 4 rotations: Work with the teacher, work with my assistant, math by myself, and math with a friend. I am always looking (and usually creating) many games to float through my rotations. Games are so easily differentiated...others might be using the games to master the basic facts while others are building fluency through repetition. Plus the kids love games so it's only a bonus if they're learning, right?

Here are two games that helped us in our learning the past couple of weeks (Click on the links below the image to download for free).

Teen Numbers: POP! (Math with a friend)

This game really helped my friends build their ability to recognize teen numbers as well as see them as tens and ones (2 standards in 1 game)!

Directions:

1.Print and laminate 1 set of games cards and 1 board (1 set can be enough for 2-3 players)

2.Students turn cards over in a deck. One player picks a card and counts the quantity on the tens frame.

3.That player finds and covers the number he or she pulled with a counter. The numbers are in order so if a child needs to count to find the number, he or she can.

4.If a player pulls a POP! Card either all counters go back OR just the player’s counters that pulled the card. 

DOWNLOAD POP

Making 10: How many more fireflies to 10? (Math by myself)

Directions:

1. Print the game board you prefer, counters (if you need them), and laminate.
2. Give students a 1-6 dot dice (or whatever you have that's between 1-10), and the needed number of counters for that dice (whatever the highest rolled can be..usually 6)
3. Students play by their selves. Roll the dice, build what they rolled, write that number down, and figure out how many more to 10, write that number down. 
4. Erase and repeat!

DOWNLOAD HOW MANY MORE TO TEN

Hope this post helps you hop into spring math on the right foot ;)

(^Too much?)

Differentiating A Sight Word/Word Work Center Through Color

Every single year, I am overwhelmed with the thought of teach 20 five year olds a list of 40-50 sight words. Especially when most of mine come in without any letter/print awareness knowledge. But that's what I like about Kindergarten...they make so much growth and change in the course of the year.

Anyways...

The biggest frustration in my literacy centers was figuring out how to differentiate my sight word/word work center and know that each child was working on words/activities that would benefit them. I would have some activities for some of my words, and other activities for others. I got really overwhelmed by teaching them different activities and expecting the higher/lower ones to only stay on the activities I told them to do. The biggest frustration was trying to figure out a way to get them to work on the words they needed to keep on moving up in reading levels.

This year has been a magical year for me. Things are starting to click and I am starting to figure out how to solve a lot of problems I have had in years past. The sight word center problem was FINALLY solved this year, and I am not sure how I did not figure it out earlier: color code my words and centers.

Let me elaborate on how this works.

1. I took my 40 word list and broke it up into four lists of ten words...each list gets a little bit harder and matches up with harder words in the harder reading levels. It is much easier to learn a small group of words than an overwhelming list of 40 words.

2. I assigned each list a color: yellow, orange, pink, or green.

3. I created identical activities for each word list, then ran them on that list's designated color.

4. I assessed the kids and assigned them a color for the word work center.

5. I taught the new and improved center activities one time to each child, then I explain to them that in order to share "I had to assign all of them a color." There is a list of names at the center, and a dot next to their names. They are to only work on the color assigned.

So Sally might not know any words and be working on yellow (the first list I expect them to learn), but Johnny might know almost all of the words and be working on the last list, green. They could both be playing "Word Detective" but are working on words each of them need to practice.

Here are some pictures of how it all works:

Here are two students playing "Word Detective," but the colors of their activities are different. This means one is working on a higher or lower list than the other. But the exact same activity!

Two students on the same level...one playing "Word Detective" and one playing "Spin to Win."

 Another activity I enjoy is giving them a set of flash cards for one list on one color, and beads/pipe cleaner in the same color. They use the pipe cleaner and beads to build the words. The beads that I wrote on with a sharpie marker can be found here:

 http://www.joann.com/star-pony-bead-neon-multi-200-ct/12143251.html

If you are interested in the specific activities  I use, I created this pack that breaks down how to set it up and get it going. Each list includes assessments, spinner games, dice games, tracing activities, flash cards, and much more! This can be found in my TPT store here.

Cooperative Learning in Kindergarten

I have always learned about how beneficial it is for students to work together and not just on worksheets. When I reflect back on college classes and professional development sessions, I always know I am happier and retain more when I am working with a group instead of just listening to someone speak. I have also always believed in a "noisy" classroom where students are talking, sharing, and collaborating.

However, I know that realistically it can be tricky to give students chances to experience cooperative learning in Kindergarten due to many things...time and resources usually being a big one. I usually see great examples of small group/partner work ideas and think to myself "I wish I taught an older grade so my kids could do something like this." But I have realized that my kindergartners can do WAY more then what I expect if I just give them the chance.

I have made it a goal this year to incorporate more cooperative learning opportunities during whole-instruction. I know that my students get plenty of time during guided math and reading, but I knew collaboration was lacking in other parts of our day.

Here are some snapshots of how I work in collaboration throughout the day:

(Please ignore the terrible photo quality)

Above: I like to give them marker boards and let them spread out around the room and work through a couple of math problems together. My TA and I bounce around and check in. I have them trained to grab their materials quickly and find a spot. This also works well for phonics to practice spelling words, and in writing sometimes we write sentences together. I only give them one marker and they both want to use it, so it works out well that they pass the marker back and forth and BOTH do the work. This took a little modeling, but is a great routine in our classroom now!

Above: For science, I put colored dots on their hands one day. Then I called them by color to certain spots in the classroom and gave them photos (that we laminated on colored construction paper to match their group) and had them pass around the photos and discuss what they noticed about winter. It was so funny to see how they worked...some passed around all the photos then shared at the end...some held up the photos and had a group discussion on each's photo...while others raised their hands to share. I was nervous about this but we have done this a few times and it's been great! I even had a few "behavior issues" end up in the same group...and they were fine!

Above: For a quick digraph review, I gave them word lists and had them highlight the digraphs and practice reading the words. I made sure I gave each group/partner different color markers. When I walked around, I could tell based on color who understood what digraphs were and who did not. I could hear them sounding out the words which was GREAT, and then we all read through them together. We have also done this in math with shapes and numbers. 

Hope you enjoyed reading and found something you could use in your classroom :)

Also, I'm on instagram now under GrowLittleKinderGarden follow along for more fun and sharing!

Peek at My Week: Back to School!

I've been in denial for a solid 48 hours, and I can't remember what time we go to lunch or what time I teach math. I am sure it will all come rushing back to me tomorrow at 7:30 AM.

I also decided to skip the "optional" workday the other day, so I am a little afraid of the mess I am going to walk back into...but it will all be okay.

I am linking up with Dee Dee Willis to share a peek at my upcoming week at school.

Here is a peek at my plans (Click to download):

Here are the items I am using to make it through the week:

Go join up with Mrs. Willis too :)