Recounting Fables FREEBIE!

Part of the second grade Common Core standards is recounting fables and fairy tales.  We have actually have already done a bunch of work with fairy tales and were ready to move on to fables.  I created this anchor chart to share with them.

Do you like my picture cheats?  I was too tired to draw so I just Googled some images...shhh  ;).

We watched this short video on United Streaming about Aesop.  The part about Aesop was very short  (1 minute) and was the perfect length for adding information to the anchor chart above!

The next day we watched  The Tortoise and The Hare from the video above and I modeled how to write a recount on the Promethean board about the Tortoise and the Hare.  We did skip the section on point of view because I hadn't taught that yet and wanted to go into more detail.

To get a free copy of this file click here.

I will go into more detail about teaching point of view later in the week- I need to take some pictures! :)

Prefixes and Suffixes and a FREEBIE!

Over the last few weeks we have been doing a LOT of work with prefixes and suffixes!  My kids are recognizing them in their reading and writing (don't you just love when that happens!?!?).

We watched the Brainpop Jr on prefixes.  I love Brainpop Jr and am very lucky our school provides a membership.  It is FANTASTIC and we use it to introduce EVERYTHING!

I also found these two really cute Between the Lions videos focusing on the prefixes un- and re-.  Beware- they are from YouTube.  I know some schools block it :(

We brainstormed together as a class and made these anchor charts.

Click on over to get your suffixes freebie!

The Brain, Baseball, and Geography

I read a lot about the brain because I find it absolutely fascinating.  I also want my students to learn, so I'm always searching for ways to help them remember what I've taught.

I've found that kids learn best when they get a little bit at a time, frequently, rather than one big lesson all at once, then never to see it again.  (Unfortunately, our present Math program does the latter.)

There's plenty of evidence out there to prove that frequent review and practice is the best way for children to remember what they're learning.

There's also plenty of evidence to prove that connecting the learning to the passions of the children help the learning process as well.

So, what does this have to do with baseball?  Come check out my blog at Elementary Matters to find out!

Earth Day Writing Freebie

I'm a big fan of Earth Day.  I think looking out for our world is HUGE and it needs to happen now.  Each and every one of us needs to do what we can to help this place be around for our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren.

I always celebrate every Earth Day with plenty of good literature.  Here are some of my favorite children's books with an Earth Day theme:

          

Earth Day is an ABC book, and makes a great introduction to the concept of protecting the environment.

The Lorax, is classic Seuss!  He tells about a mystical land of fantasy, which, in true Seuss fashion, a much deeper real story.  Even my second graders understand this valuable lesson.

The Wump World is a fun book to read to the children and NOT show the illustrations (even the cover) until the children have had a chance to show the Wumps and Pollutians that they visualized while listening to the story.  Another great story about a fantasy world with very real lessons!

This one is a new discovery to me, and my new "Earth Day Favorite". 

A River Ran Wild is a story that dates back to the days the Native Americans ruled this area, and respected the earth.  It continues through European settlers, the industrial age, and attempts to clean up the river.  This book is based on a local river, which makes it near and dear to my heart, but it's a valuable message about protecting our world.  My students became very upset when they saw what happened to the beautiful river!

See THIS BLOG POST for more about this book, and an art activity to go with it.

You can click the images above for a link to Amazon, to learn more about these books.

After reading, I intend to have the children do some opinion writing and/ or explanatory/ informational writing based on what they have learned about protecting the environment.

Here's a collection of writing paper with the Earth Day theme that I'll be using.  

Come over to Elementary Matters to download this freebie.

How are you honoring Earth Day this year?

Summer Math Task Cards Freebie

I am so ready for summer, so I created these to have a taste of summer!

  Click on the picture to download a set of 24 Word Problem Task Cards aligned to Third and Fourth grade CCSS. They would be a fun review for fifth graders too :)

QAR Freebie

Are you gearing up for the Big Test?  Do you like using Question an Answer Relationships with your kids? I LOVE it!  

To learn more about QAR's and download a freebie visit my blog! 

Happy Testing!

What's up for Spring Games?

I am so ready for Spring!  Here in New Hampshire, the temperature seems to have trouble getting past the 40s, and there are still patches of snow everywhere, including my garden!

But Spring is in my heart, as well as my classroom.  

Games make up a big part of my centers, and I have several spring activities in my classroom!

Come on over to Elementary Matters to see some of my Spring Activities!