Character Traits

We have been studying character traits for the past couple of weeks.  I developed a Reader's Workshop Mini Unit to help with our studies that is leading us into Realistic Fiction in Writer's Workshop.  We have been learning that characters have traits and the difference between the types of traits that characters possess.  We learned that Character Traits are how the character thinks and feels and  Physical Traits are how they look. Then we moved on to creating our own characters to use in our Realistic Fiction Stories.  It has been so much fun and the kids really got into developing their own characters!  Here are some pictures of their creations.

We began this unit talking about what a trait can be using the anchor chart below.

The mini lessons, anchor chart pieces, graphic organizers, and craftivity can be found in my unit at Character Studies

This was a great way to break down and understand characters even better for my kiddos.  What are some things you have done to increase the level of understanding of characters and their traits?

Building Words in K

As we dive into Word Families I bring out my trusty bag of letters.  This is the BEST set of letters out there.  It is from Lakeshore Learning.  My kiddos absolutely love using them.  It comes with 20 individual bags of letters with the consonants blue and the vowels red.

I bought them several years ago but they have been used over and over and over again!  One of the activities that my kiddos play with them is Match Mime (a Kagan game - you can learn more about this game at their website).  Basically there are 2 partners. They put a divider of some sort between them (I use old boxes that the Mac books for our school came in). Partner A will say a word and they both build it. Then Partner B will show a thumbs up sign when they are finished building.  Then partner A removes the divider to see if both partners built the word the same way.  The partners then switch roles and continue play in that way until time runs out. We stick to whatever word family that we are learning that week. Below are some photos of their fun.

Have you found an awesome set of letters? Do you have a favorite teaching tool in your room?  Would love to hear your thoughts! Have a great week!

Plants Freebie

We will be beginning our Plant unit in a week.  I am so excited about it that I just had to share some joy. Here is a leaf rubbing freebie that is part of my Plant unit.  Have a great week!

Leaf Rubbing Activity

Kindergarten Chats

I change the teams in my room frequently.  When the kiddos move they need to get to know their new teams.  Here is a Freebie that I use to help them do that. (Directions are included in the document.) **It also includes activities for B/M/E and problem/solution. Enjoy!

Kindergarten Chat

Learning Landforms

We are about half way through our study of the different types of landforms.  We made these cute little flip books and I love them so much I just had to share!  For each landform we added details (with chalk, paint, torn paper, and whatever else their little minds decided to use) to represent trees, flowers, waves, shells, etc.  After their books were made the kiddos added little cards to each landform.  The cards had descriptions of each landform.  The students glued the cards on so that you could lift it like a flap and see the name of the landform it was describing.  Below are some photos of the day we worked on hills.  The other completed parts of the book that you will see in the photos are: Mountains, Volcanoes, and Canyons. The last photo is a completed book.

The landform riddles on the front came from a fabulous first grade blog called First Grade Wow and I just "tweeked" them a bit to suit my Kindergarten needs.  Nancy has a wonderful landform unit available there.  It goes across the curriculum in several ways. Totally worth looking into if you are a K, 1, or 2 teacher!  I just love Nancy!

The completed books go on to show: Plains, Islands, and the Ocean. Next week we are going to focus on the types of landforms that we see where we live.  At the end, the students built a 3-D landform model to represent what they have learned about the landforms. Here are so photos of their creations!

How do you teach landforms?  How do you assess the kiddos at the end of your landform unit?

Comparing Numbers 0-20 FREEBIE

We have been working with the teen numbers.  We LOVE using the songs by Harry Kindergarten to introduce, learn how to write them and to learn that a number in the teens is a set of ten and some ones. Here are some links to these songs if you haven't already found them! These songs (which are videos also) are FABULOUS for introducing and reviewing teen number concepts.

Numbers In The Teens Start With A One

Numbers In The Teens Have A Group Of Ten

Now for your freebie!  I made this to use with my kiddos with the Easter theme.  It is a math center game.  The students pull a number from the stack of number cards then record that number on the Easter Bunny's sign (on the recording sheet).  Next they have to draw that number of Easter Eggs on the double ten frames.  Finally they have to decide if the first numbers is greater or less than the second number.

Click here to download this freebie!

I love reading your comments and thoughts.  How do you incorporate technology into your Math block? Do you have any handy tricks up your sleeves to get the kiddos comparing teen numbers? I hope you enjoy this FREEBIE and have a fabulous rest of the week!

St. Patty's Day Sale

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