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

Wednesday Pick-Me-Up

AMIRITE THO?

Love Hitchhiker's Guide.  Happy Wednesday!

xo, Ally

Hot Off the Presses Vol. 1

"Hot Off the Presses" is my monthly post that lists all of new products I've posted to TPT within the past month.

I wanted to add more thematic activities this year, so I made this October Math Packet to start.  I haven't decided whether I'm going to use the files individually, or make a packet for early finishers.  Decisions!  Here are more October products, if you're interested.

October Math Packet

"The more things change, the more things stay the same."  Have you ever heard that phrase?  That's how I feel about my sight words.  I've been using fluency charts and sight words in context for years, but I keep changing my word lists.  I used to use the Dolch Words, which I loved, but this year I decided to give Fry Words a try.  SO... new fluency charts and sight words in context it is!  I'll be adding to this as the year goes on.

Fry Word Fluency Charts (First 100 Words)
Fry Word Fluency Charts (Second 100 Words)
Fry Words in Context (First 100 Words)

These Phonics Activity Packs are SO useful.  They're great for centers, homework, classwork, or early finishers.  I've been working on getting the year's worth complete, and I'm almost there!  This month I added R-Controlled Vowels.

Phonics Activity Pack - R-Controlled Vowels

I've been making these Phonics Picture Sorts since my very first year teaching... and it shows! Uploading them to TPT has been a great incentive to upgrade things and get the files organized. Some of them were a mess, with terrible clip-art to boot.  I'm quite happy with the new clipart.

The kids *love* these.  We do them on Thursdays usually, but sometimes I make it a center activity that they visit after seeing me in small groups.  I quickly review the page with them before assigning it, so that they know, for example, whether a picture is a "smile" or a "grin."  Look for more of these soon!

Phonics Picture Sorts - Short Vowels vs. CVCe
Phonics Picture Sorts - Digraphs

These cut and paste files are a new things I'm doing this year.  I like them anytime I need something quick -- a review activity, for early finishers, homework, a sub plan, etc.  They are also good to laminate and put in centers.

Cut and Paste Activities - 10 More & 10 Less

Thanks for staying with me through that long post!

xo, Ally

Phonics Spinners

I have always coveted those plastic phonics spinners that allow students to create three or four letter words.  BUT... there are a lot of things that I covet, and you have to draw the line somewhere, right?

Here is a really cheap, low-tech way to create your own phonics spinners.  They are not as durable as the plastic ones, but the price is right.  I used styrofoam cups, which you can get a hundred of for a couple dollars, and Sharpies.

It's simple.  Just write the letters you want on each cup, stack them, and spin!  I've pictured sets I've made for s-blends and CVC words.

These are great for a literacy station.  I've included some recording sheets on Google Drive in case you would like to use this.

Do you buy a lot of high-end tools for your classroom, or do you go the DIY route?  I used to buy a lot of stuff, but decided to cut back.

xo, Ally

Library Binders

When I first started teaching, I was sorely lacking reading materials for my library.  I think this is an obstacle that most teachers face.  We were particularly in need of books that were on my students' reading level -- the books in my first classroom were a mishmash of K-3 storybooks, so a lot of the material was way over my students' heads.

We use the Treasures series, and it came with some student resource books.  It would have been too cumbersome to make copies of each poem and story, but then I realized that all of our resource books are on disc!  I popped the disc into the PC, pressed print once, and I had a wealth of new reading material for my students!  I put each page in a sheet protector and the sheet protectors in a binder.

Since then, I've procured many books for our classroom library, but the Library Binders are a favorite among students, so I still use them.  I think that the short poems and stories are less intimidating than a full storybook to some struggling readers.

We have about a dozen different Library Binders from various things that I've collected.  I even put fluency charts and sight word sentences into the binders for students who want to practice their sight words.

If you decide to try this, sheet protectors are cheapest at warehouse stores like Sam's Club and Costco. You can also get cheap binders there, but you might do better to check out all the school supply clearance going on right now!

xo, Ally

Sight Word Necklaces

I'm popping in today with something cute and quick that seems to help my kids out with sight words.

I give you... sight word necklaces.

We make them on Monday and wear them throughout the week.  I wrote the words on each pumpkin, but I let my kids color and cut them out.  I actually had each of them make two... a little insurance for those necklaces that will get lost or ruined during the week.  We taped the yarn on the back, and that seems to be holding up pretty well.

Of course, because tape is involved, these necklaces are very exciting to my first graders.  They love to compare words, and I love that they are looking at their sight words so regularly.  They also LOVE to talk about their sight word necklaces to people who are not in our class, like the lunch ladies and the second graders across the hall.

(By the way, each kid gets a different necklace each morning.  I just pass them out randomly.)

Now, these pumpkin necklaces are cute, but I have to admit that I've just written the words on plain old notecards in the past.  Yes, PLAIN notecards.  Not even the cute colored ones.  We've got to do what we've got to do.

If you want a copy of my pumpkin blackline, you can get it here on Google docs.

Product Spotlight: October Prep

My calendar tells me that today is the first day of October, and I am SO excited.  October is one of my favorite months.  I dig the cooler weather, pumpkins, and promise of Halloween candy!

Here are a couple October products that might help you out in the coming weeks!

First up, my October Math Mats.  I use these at least a couple times a week.  Basically, the students fill in the blanks to create their own word problems, then use the provided clip-art to illustrate their work.

There are four different themes for the month -- pumpkins, bats, candy corn, and ghosts.  I use one theme each week, but you could certainly mix them up.  Each theme has seven word problems that address the adding/subtracting situations addressed in Common Core Standards 1.OA.1 and 1.OA.2.  That would be... adding to, adding to with three numbers, putting together, putting together with three numbers, taking from, taking part, and comparing.  (I feel like I need to take a deep breath after typing that.. what a mouthful!)

Here's a little more info:

I also have the Halloween-themed Trick or Treat, which is a game for nonsense word practice.  This goes into my Word Work station for the month.

This game works like "BAM!" or "Kaboom!" if you have ever used those.  The students pick a nonsense word card, read it, and keep it.  If a Trick or Treat card is pulled, then all the cards go back into the bag. It's easy for the kids to play, but they never seem to get tired of it!

BTW, I picked up the cute Frankenstein bag in the Target dollar section.

I hope these might make your October a little bit brighter!  I'm just hoping that we get out of the 80 degree temps down here the tropics of the South.  I want to wear my boots!