Kindergarten Time Capsule

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Last year I posted about the Kindergarten Time Capsules that I do with my students.  They are a perfect way to wrap of the year and preserve kindergarten memories.  I have just updated the time capsule packet and posted it for free on my Teachers pay Teachers store.  I hope you can use it!

Five for Friday, Graduation Freebie and Some End of Year Stuff!

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Well, I haven’t checked in for a while, I’d make an excuse but the fact is that life in half day K is very busy and well I am sort of a bad  infrequent blogger!  I’m linkin up with Doodle Bugs teaching for five for Friday, because I’ve got five pretty good ones!!!

This first one is something nice, and well sort of hilarious!  During teacher appreciation week our PTA sent home these papers for our students to write –Our teacher rocks because.. well all of the responses were adorable and sweet, but this last one was turned in a little late and it didn’t have a name on it.  I read it quite by accident when I was about to put them in my “special cabinet that I keep at my house”. 

For those of you who don’t read kindergarten..” She makes learning fun. She is the awesomest teacher in the world.  Her style is the greatest.  She is rockin’ that hair.  She is awesome”  I laughed for a while on this one because my jeans, flip-flops and ponytails have made quite the impression!

The next thing is not the greatest!  On Thursday, I decided to rock my hair.  It took me ten tries by my hair was in a pretty great sock bun.  I was wearing a cute outfit and I felt pretty good.  Until I put my hot pocket in the microwave and set off the fire alarm in the middle of the day.  My principle looked kind of mad, I don’t think he was.  Mostly he used it as an opportunity to try to humiliate me.  Making an announcement for anyone with a fan to bring it to my room, stuff like that!  Oh well.  I really just felt bad for the poor second graders who had their lunch interrupted and my kinders who had to smell the stink Thursday and Friday.

This is my microwave tray-post fire incident!  

 

The end of the year is coming up quick.  We have finally nailed down our playlist.  We are singing.

The Kindergarten Class-to the tune of the Addams Family

I am a Pizza-Charlotte Diamond

Kids Just Wanna Have Fun-Dr. Jean

What a Wonderful World-Louis Armstrong

It’s Time to Say Good-bye-Dr. Jean

The Kindergarten Class isn’t really that difficult to learn, but I made a shared reading book and student book that you can get for Free on TPT

I’ve also been working on our kindergarten slideshow.  For some reason I decided we should have 3 pictures of each kid. Unfortunately, when I put them into the movie maker program, the movie was going to take like 20 minutes.  Way too long!!!!!  So I decided to go back to power point and make one slide for each student.  We have my two classes and my teammate’s two classes- 100 plus students!!  I think I’m getting carpal tunnel!!!  I made a slide with my daughter (who is also graduating but not really in my slideshow) because I can’t show my own students faces.  It’s super cute but my daughter’s pictures don’t really fit! Oh well, how many of you have to make slide shows? 

That's sort of five if you count the songs and freebie as two!

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Sale!

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I'm a little late to the party, but all of my items are now on sale until May 10th!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jody

Five for Friday

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I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share five random things from my crazy week!

1. My baby, my little girl is graduating this June.  We just got her pictures back and I have been frantically working to get invites and announcements done.  I absolutely love the way her pictures turned out!
   
   
   
2. Monday is my birthday-turning 40!!!  Having a little trouble dealing with this number, but what can you do?  Well, I figured it would at least be good for a TPT Sale!
3. A few years ago, after years of suffering from stomach problems, if finally figured out that sugar was the main culprit.  Since then, I try to eat healthy and as naturally as possible.  Last week I found this awesome blog http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/.  I made granola bars and they were delicious!
   
   
   
   4.  Our class been plants grew like crazy!  And now our Surprise Garden (which I usually forget to take care of) is growing too!  I think I have a green thumb!
   
   
   
   5.  Next week our class is starting a new theme-The Story of Three's.  We are starting with The Three Little Pigs, then we go to The Three Little Bears and finally we finish with The Three Billy Goats Gruff.      I have never done this unit before but I love the idea.  My kids have been having trouble with retelling but I think that these stories will be great to help them practice.  And I am definitely going to use Dr. Jean's retelling bracelets!
   
   
   
   Thanks for reading my babbling!
   
   
   Jody
   
   
   
   

Caterpillars, Shared Reading, and a Quick Little Giveaway!

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We just finished learning about plants and my little friends are shouting things like "I Love Science"!  You just can't beat that!  Now we have started learning about caterpillars and butterflies.  Technology is so awesome!  I am actually able to project the image of our caterpillars onto the smart board.  Anyway, I was working on my shared reading for next week.  I'm teaching 1/2 day this year and I need my shared reading to be quick, engaging and effective.  I've been going back and forth between big books and poems, playing around with my schedule each week.  Next week I want to use the finger play-The Fuzzy Little Caterpillar.  It was a bit tricky taking the poem to a book.  So, I'm hoping someone can help.  I would love for someone to do a quick edit of this product.  So, if you would like to have this and are willing to do a quick edit just comment below (make sure to leave your email).  It's free to the first two people who want it!  Thanks for stopping by!

Beans, Plants and a Little Freebie

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This week my class continued to learn about seeds and plants.  They are loving it.  They are so excited to come in everyday and see how their little lima beans have grown!  We started by reading One Bean by Anne Rockwell.  I highly recommend reading this book before planting beans.

I'll have to post pictures of the beans we planted, I can't believe I haven't taken a single picture!  Tomorrow!

This week for shared reading we read Little Brown Seeds using the shared reading pack I made.  The kids loved acting out the poem and finding the sight words in the poem. 

We practiced ordering ordering or plants by size-This is free on TpT

At the end of the week we read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. Then we made our own flowers.  It was a quick project.  Perfect for half day kindergarten. 

Here's how we did it:

I cut the paper out the night before:

Cut 9 by 12 green construction paper in 1/2 to make 4 1/2 by 12-1 per student

Cut orange, yellow and brown paper into 3 inch squares-each student needs 6 orange, 1, brown and 1 yellow.

I had the kids cut one long stem from the green paper, then trim it so their stem wouldn't be too long.

Then I showed them how to fold the remaining paper and cut 4 leaves at the same time (they really loved that the left over green could be used as a mask)!

Then they just rounded the corners of the yellow for the center of the flower.  I showed them how to trim the orange to make petals.  Then I had them get big finger muscles by tearing brown paper to make the seeds.  

Last I had them label the parts of the flower.  We did this together on the smart board so they really just had to copy, but most tried to spell the words on their own.  At least I think that's what happened!

I hope you found something useful!  Thanks for stopping by!

Jody

CVC Spelling Help!

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I am a very lucky teacher in that I have several reliable, wonderful parent helpers.  The problem is that I only have a few minutes to prepare materials and instructions for them.  Many of my kids need help with spelling CVC spelling words.  So I finally sat down and made my own book of scripted lessons to help my parents help my students!  This packet has tons of simple lessons to help students spell CVC words.  All of the work is done on whiteboards so there is no copying to do!  Check it out at my TPT store!  If you like it, keep your eye out for more.  Long vowels, digraphs and blends, and letter sound packs will be coming soon!

I have also recently spruced up my my Reading Group Comprehension Pack.  I've added a couple of new comprehension cubes.  If you've already purchased it, you can just re-download the product.  Otherwise, it you can pick it up at my TPT store!

Hope you find something that can help!