Freebie Magazine - October 2014

Here is something new I'm trying this month!  It's a short, free publication for the month of October.  I've included an October calendar, plus three printables.  The printables are samples from some of my other products, and links are included in the publication.

Check it out here!

xo, Ally

Symmetry Sort (Freebie)

Here's a quick activity that I would like to share -- it's a differentiated symmetry sort.  I used this in first grade the past couple years, but it seems that symmetry is no longer a first grade standard under Common Core.  In fact, I didn't see any mention of symmetry until fourth grade.  Still, I'm sure that some of you will find this useful.

The students carefully cut out the shapes, then fold to determine symmetry.  They sort the shapes into symmetrical and non-symmetrical.

There are three sets of shapes.  The most difficult one contains more intricate shapes, and the least difficult one shows the students where to fold.  I told my students that I wanted to have a variety of work to hang up, and that's why their shapes were different.  They thought that was a great idea.  Got to love first-graders!

When they are done, the students complete the word problem and create an addition sentence to determine the number of shapes in all.

You can download the activity HERE for free on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Crafty Lessons - Apple Time! (Freebie)

I don't know what it is about apples, but it seems that kids love learning about them.  I think it's because an apple is such a familiar item, so they already know a lot about it. That may be why so many teachers use apples as a beginning-of-the-year theme.

Here's an adorable apple craft that I have made with my Firsties, along with a pack of freebie printables at the end.

I looove paper plate crafts -- paper plates are so affordable, and they can be turned into so many things!  This time, we cut the plate on both sides so that it resembled an eaten apple.  (I recommend having your kiddos mark where they are going to cut -- the curved cut can be difficult for them to eyeball.)  We used one of the cut-off pieces to make the leaf, then cut a rectangle out of the other scrap to make the stem.

I think it would be awesome to glue real apple seeds in the middle instead of drawing them.

Then, their favorite part... which happened to be the most educational part!  We labeled the parts of the apple with Post-it flags.  You could also give each child a regular Post-it and cut it into strips.  (It seems that we forgot to label the flesh!)

We did this activity after reading a bunch of apple books all week.  I also have a pack of apple printables available for free in my TPT store.  The pack includes 4 graphic organizers, writing prompts, and apple stationary.  Nothing fancy, but I wanted to pass it on!

Word Work Idea #1 - Consonants & Vowels (Freebie)

I'm starting a series of blog posts called 50 Word Work Ideas... which I think is pretty self-explanatory.  I hope that it will be a great resource for teachers who are looking for word work activities for centers, Daily 5, interventions, etc.  I plan to post a new idea every Wednesday.

This is the first installment -- it's a simple activity that doesn't require a lot of prep work.  I've included a freebie mini-poster at the end.

This activity reinforces the concept of consonants and vowels.  It's also great spelling/phonics practice.

First, have the kidlets create a key. I let the students pick their own colors, but they must create a key to show which color is for consonants and which is for vowels.  Making a key is a very big deal in our class, and I spend a bit of time modeling and explaining the concept.

Students should write their words with a pencil, then go over that with a crayon or marker.  You might have students use the word wall, spelling list, etc, as a source of words.

Very simple, but effective.  Plus, markers make everything fun!

Here is a mini-poster/instruction sheet that my students use for reference.  You can download it for free at my TPT store.