Story Wands- Consolation Prize

I found these super cute story wands in our school's Reading Specialist's room.  She is the Lakeshore Queen!

 

After using them whole group, I have been having my buddy readers use them while reading to each other. The students love them! Anyway, I will need to turn them in soon, and they cost $25 from Lakeshore. Here are my knockoffs:



If you are not a cheap-o like me, click here to get the real thing!

Kite Themed Mini Unit

My absolute favorite activity to do with my kids in the Springtime is to have them build their own kites and fly them. I put together some kite themed activities to do the week of our kite project. At the very end of the unit are instructions on how you can do the "Build a Kite" lesson.



I hope you like it! What is your favorite Spring project?

P.S.: Thanks to everyone who has entered My Very First Contest, and a BIG thanks to Erica Bohrer who is giving away her Jelly Bean Math unit from her TPT store!

If you have not entered, do it! Contest will end Wednesday. :)

Favorite Spot Linky Party!

Mrs. Thompson at Adventures in Teaching is hosting a Linky Party for your Favorite Area or Item in your classroom.  My favorite spot is most definitely the independent reading center.  We call it the "Reading Garden."

       I change out the books in the yellow display case every month.  These are books that I use to teach different topics and seasonal books.  Of course it is filled with Dr. Seuss books right now.  You can also see a few plant books and St. Patrick's Day books.  I put these here so students can go back and revisit their favorites after we read it in class.  By the way, my dad built the display case for me.  Isn't he talented?!
       The little white tub on the floor is for our library books that the students check out each week.  Oh, and I just love my tree with the big flowers in it.

This is the little gnome that lives in the Reading Garden.  Students read to him and tell him about their book :).

      I bought this bench at a resale shop.  It was Winnie the Pooh but I painted over everything but the seat, which has bees on it.  So, I added more bees where Piglet, Tigger, and Pooh were once upon a time, and sewed a few bumble bee pillows to make it super cozy.  The books in the tubs under the bench are leveled  readers that the students can choose from if they do not get one from the stand up shelf.

That's my favorite area in my classroom.  Go join the Linky Party!  I can't wait to see your favorite spot!

Yucky Word Building Center

      I was typing this post last night, when all of the sudden I started feeling very yucky.  I am feeling a little better but not much.  Any way,  when teaching these sounds, I have always told my students that sometimes these four vowel digraphs (ou, ew, oo, and ue) say "EWWWW,"  like when you see something really gross.  So to help them remember this, I made this Yucky Word Building spelling Center.   The teacher would first cut out the pictures and put them in an empty tissue box. In the center students use boogies and tissues (the pictures the teacher cut out) from the box to build words.  If you click on the image above, you can download the whole center.  I suggest printing it on card stock so it will hold up better. 

     I also made a contractions spelling center to go with Green Eggs and Ham for our Dr.  Seuss unit next week.  Someone else posted something similar, but I cannot remember or find who that was.  I want to give credit to the person that inspired me when I post it.  If you know who I am talking about, please tell me! :)