What's better than a kid reading to other kids?! 
I've discovered that in almost all circumstances, 100% of my students were instantly engaged when I either showed them a video of another kid reading or had a special kid visitor come to my classroom and read to them. There's something magical about it. Students like to see other kids in action. 
That's why I like the Book Nook Girl's YouTube channel
She offers a variety of books that kids can watch and even interact with...yes, I said interact, lol. I can't tell you how many times my students have conversed back with the video they are watching. 

She has many videos, but I am only going to highlight a few...

1.) 10 Little Pirates - A Counting Book
I love that at the end of the story, she practices counting both forward and backward with her audience!

2.) Elephant & Piggie - I Love My New Toy
The Book Nook Girl demonstrates great expression when reading from one of our favorite series from Mo Willems!

Do you stop eating your favorite food when you encounter a mushy banana? LOVE this story...a great reminder to always try things more than once before walking away!

NO DAVID! This one is great for back-to-school. Let the Book Nook Girl read to your students while you set up the next activity for your classroom!

Another great back-to-school read aloud. Have you students chant the story with Book Nook Girl as she reads!


Make sure to become a subscriber so that you get notifications of new read alouds. She's been posting a new one every few days!

-Til next time
            

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My daughter needed some fresh, new flashcards to brush up on her letter ID & Sounds, so I made these adorable animal themed ones that I'm going to offer FREE for a limited time. So hurry quick & download them....Don't forget to leave a rating! Enjoy! 



-Til next time
       

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Hey friends! It is with jittery nerves of excitement that we share with you that we've begun the process that will grow our family through adoption! 
We have decided not to go through an agency and are instead working with an adoption lawyer to find an Illinois infant/baby that is in need of a family & home. What can you do to help? First, PRAY for us through this journey. We firmly believe that God has placed this on our hearts & are excited to see who He brings into our lives. Second, JOIN our adoption Facebook page {http://bit.ly/1ROnpSJ} and click 'follow' so that you will receive the updates in your newsfeed (Please invite/add people to our pages as well...the more the better). And finally, help us spread the word & SHARE, SHARE, SHARE our adoption page frequently. With your help, we know that our adoption page and/or profile books will reach the Illinois birthmother that was meant to be matched with our family. Check it out: http://bit.ly/1ROnpSJ

>>UPDATE!<<
Our adoption shirts are ready to purchase! We absolutely LOVE them and hope you do too!  Modfund​ has put together a perfect design for our campaign. Their shirts are super soft & comfy (I've ordered from them before) and 50% of every purchase goes directly to our Baby Castle adoption fund! To order, go to: http://www.modfund.com/product/castleadoption/


(I won't be posting constant updates here on this page, so if you're wanting to keep in the loop on what's happening, make sure you join our adoption FB page! )

Thanks for helping us spread the word! 

-Til next time
          

Help your Kindergarten students develop confidence in their reading comprehension abilities while learning about spring at the same time! This free download will go right along with the other Spring activities and crafts you have planned for your class. The strategies used with these worksheets will feel more like playing you are playing games with your student than it will reading!

Spring is in the air!
Ok, actually, for me it isn't. Not at all. It's March 13 and we are getting hit with a mini snow-storm right now. And that's AFTER I'd already packed up all the kids snow gear! (Should I add that it's been 50s-60s here and there before this snow came?!) Got to love good ol' Illinois weather! 

Now where was I? Oh yes, spring! I was sitting here yearning for spring. And technically, it is just around the corner...only 13 more days. So this snow had better melt fast!

So with spring in the air (for some people!), I'm going to show you one of my Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension Packs, the spring themed one. I'll show you what it entails, how I use it, and then I'll give you a FREE DOWNLOAD so that you can try it out! 
Help your Kindergarten students develop confidence in their reading comprehension abilities while learning about spring at the same time! This free download will go right along with the other Spring activities and crafts you have planned for your class. The strategies used with these worksheets will feel more like playing you are playing games with your student than it will reading!
Now you can help your littles develop confidence in their reading abilities while having fun and learning about spring at the same time!

I made these reading passages (with corresponding comprehension questions) with Kindergarten students in mind using the Flesch-Kincaid reading comprehension leveling formula. The passages range from .1 - 1.0 levels. 

The kid-friendly font that is used in these passages makes reading the text even easier. 

There are 10 passages included that teach students about the following topics:
-snails, bees, gardening, frogs, the sun, rain, chicks, birds, tulips, and kites

When I use these passages with my students, I introduce them by first asking what they know about the topic. This allows me to pulls as much back-ground information as I can so that I can base my direction and discussion around their prior knowledge.  

I've found that some of my students tend to instantly shut down when seeing so many words together in one passage like this, so we break it down before reading so that they can see that they actually already know many of the words that they'll be reading. 

First, we find out what the topic is about, and then highlight the topic word all throughout the passage with an orange crayon. 

Then, we go back through the passage (not yet fully reading it) and highlight with yellow any high frequency words that we can find. 

Finally, we notice that there is a word underlined, which probably means it's pretty important! So we highlight that one pink so that we can pay close attention to it. 


After we've fully read the passage, we move on to the comprehension questions. 
Sometimes I read these questions to the students, sometimes we read them together. If a student is able, I allow them to read the questions to me. 

Many times, the students can recall the information needed to answer the question without going back to the passage. But if they don't know the answer, I guide them back to the passage and together we look to see if we can find the area that might give us the answer. Then we fill in a dot next to that question so that later, when I'm recording their data, I can remember that they needed help answering that question. 

Here is what I record their data on: 

Currently, I have five different Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension Packs. You can get them all in one bundle if you're interested, which allows you to save some money compared to purchasing them individually.  
Help your Kindergarten students develop confidence in their reading comprehension abilities while learning about spring at the same time! This free download will go right along with the other Spring activities and crafts you have planned for your class. The strategies used with these worksheets will feel more like playing you are playing games with your student than it will reading!

Now - let's get you that FREE DOWNLOAD! I'm going to give you the Slippery Snail reading passage, with its corresponding reading comprehension questions so that you can try them out with your students. Don't forget to leave a rating after downloading, it's important to me to hear what you think!
Help your Kindergarten students develop confidence in their reading comprehension abilities while learning about spring at the same time! This free download will go right along with the other Spring activities and crafts you have planned for your class. The strategies used with these worksheets will feel more like playing you are playing games with your student than it will reading!

Click here to get it:
Spring Themed Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension FREE DOWNLOAD
Don't forget to leave a rating - I love feedback!

-Til next time
     

Help your Kindergarten students develop confidence in their reading comprehension abilities while learning about spring at the same time! This free download will go right along with the other Spring activities and crafts you have planned for your class. The strategies used with these worksheets will feel more like playing you are playing games with your student than it will reading!



(Not familiar with the NGSS standards? Then take some time to read "Getting to Know the Next Generation Science Standards: Kindergarten" first.)

Today, we're going to take a look at resources that will help you meet the "Earth & Human Activity" standard....which I just simply call the "We Love Earth" unit. I'll show you all the different parts to my We Love Earth Interactive Notebook and a few other resources too.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
Just like the other interactive notebooks we've already covered, this one too comes with a set of corresponding classroom posters to hang in your room. But for this We Love Earth unit, there are only 4 simple posters included:
The We Love Earth unit also comes with its own interactive notebook cover.
The cover pages for each core idea will help your students keep their notebook well organized.

And just like all of the other core ideas covered, here is the vocabulary reinforcer for We Love Earth:
The Pocket full of Vocab matches the poster set (shown above), and also has additional words such as  love, care, and celebrate.  Have students pull the cards out of the pocket and review the meanings of the terms or how they apply to the topic of loving our Earth. They can quiz themselves, quiz a neighbor, and even write short definitions on the back to help them remember.

The Worm Challenge for this unit challenge students to consider what can be done with food that is waste. Rotten vegetables, scraps, uneaten leftovers...how can they help our Earth?

If you're up to it, a classroom compost would be an awesome addition to your discussions. 
Not sure where to get started? 
A Few Short Cuts will take you step by step to get you going. It's easier than you think...


...and the kids will LOVE digging up some worms! If you don't have an area at school that they can worm-search, then have them look around at home for some. They can put them in a clean 20 oz. bottle, or some other container with a secure lid, and bring them in. 

The next two pages of the interactive notebook encourage your littles to get up close and personal with caring for the Earth.
What can THEY do to make a difference? Have them come up with some ideas, and then write & draw them out. Then challenge them to keep track of ways that they put the 3 R's into practice.

Humans aren't the only living things that impact the Earth...animals and plants do too. In fact, they impact us as well! 'Living on Earth' gives you an opportunity to talk about how animals change their environment. The example given, is the groundhog, who digs holes in the ground to make his home. An example of how the Earth impacts us is when tree roots break the sidewalks we've created.

The next three pages shown in the above picture give students a chance to brainstorm and illustrate different objects in their day to day lives that they can reduce, reuse, and recycle. 

As I've mentioned in each of the different interactive notebook post, I've noticed that kids LOVE to prove how smart they are. So I created this page that not only reinforces your class discussions during this unit, but also give the kids a chance to feel smart, review with their friends, and practice what they've learned.
Students simply pull out one of the many questions and either answer the questions or do what it says.

If your looking for a great 3R's song for your students to listen to or learn, Chelsea Woolhouse has put together a great video with Jack Johnson's 3Rs song:

If you're looking for additional activities to use during your Earth unit, I have a few more to show you, that are not part of the interactive notebook.

 Here is a Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension resource that includes various reading passages with corresponding comprehension question sheets.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
You can help your little sweethearts develop a confidence in their reading skills while having fun at the same time! The kid-friendly font that is used in these passages makes reading the text even easier. 
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
It's a perfect pack to send home for parents who are asking what they can do at home to help their little readers. All of the passages included have between a .1-1.0 reading comprehension level based on the Flesch-Kincaid reading comprehension level formula.

These FREE Earth-Themed Pathway Mazes are fun for early finishers or indoor recess.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
These block-free mazes ensure that all students are able to successfully complete them! For more advanced mazers, have them draw in their own blocks...maybe some litter to clutter the path.

Learn about different types of biomes with this Our Earth Biomes Emergent Reader.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
This "Our Earth" reader practices reading the sight word "our" while teaching your littles about the various types of biomes in our wonderful world. Each page has the repetitive pattern: "Our Earth has..." and covers deserts, oceans, forests, prairies, mountains, ponds, and more! 

Well, that's it for Earth & Human Activity. Next, we'll cover some helpful resources that will help you cover the Engineering Design standards.

-Til next time


I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!

I'm linking up with I Teach Kinder to share with you the ideas we love most!
Leave an adorable duck Valentine on each student's desk for Valentine's Day this year, with these FREE Lucky Ducks Valentines printouts!

I love to get my duckies from Oriental Trading. Simply because there are so many thees to choose from, including "ABC" duckies. Target has pretty cheap ones too.

Enjoy!
-Til next time
    


Today, we're going to take a look at resources that will help you meet the "Earth's Systems" standard....which I just simply call the "Weather Patterns" unit. 

(Not familiar with the NGSS standards? Then take some time to read "Getting to Know the Next Generation Science Standards: Kindergarten" first.)

I'll show you all the different parts to my Weather Patterns Interactive Notebook and a few other resources too.
Are you teaching a weather unit? These interactive activities are a perfect addition to the rest of your spring lesson plans, ideas, and crafts. Whether for Preschool, Kindergarten, or First Grade, kids will love the interactive pages of this science notebook!
Each science interactive notebook set, including this one, comes with a set of corresponding classroom posters to hang around your room. But for this Weather Patterns unit, there are actually three different sets of posters that I've included. The first set includes basic types of weather:
The next set includes more severe types of weather:
And the third set includes tools that are used to predict weather:

The Weather Patterns unit also comes with its own interactive notebook cover.
The cover pages for each core idea will help your students keep their notebook well organized.

And just like all of the other core ideas covered, here is the vocabulary reinforcer for weather:
The Pocket full of Vocab matches the poster set (shown above). Have students pull the cards out of the pocket and review the meanings of the terms. They can quiz themselves, quiz a neighbor, and even write short definitions on the back to help them remember.

You'll also want to spend some time talking about meteorologists and the tools that are used to predict weather. Talk about how we use weather tools to help us prepare for the weather that is coming.
On the meteorologist page, have students flip up the flaps and write information they learn about meteorologists. Then have them color in the pictures of tools that meteorologist use for reporting and predicting weather. 

There is a great app to use with this unit called Kid Weather. It reiterates 
My favorite thing about this app? It was CREATED by a six year old kid (with the help of his dad)!  It's a great way to spend just a few minutes every day going over the weather predictions for the next day, plotting/graphing them out, and preparing for how we should dress for the weather.

Have your littles record the weather for ten days and see if they notice any patterns that will help them make weather predictions. 
Have them poll the class, tally up the results, and graph the predictions made by classmates.

Here are a few more pages that are included:
Use a pencil and paperclip to spin n' tell more about each of the pictures shown in the circle. What season is it? What is the weather like during that season? Also, keep track of how the temperature changes throughout each day by coloring in the thermometers as you record morning, noon, and night (or afternoon...before students go home).

As I've mentioned in each of the different interactive notebook post, I've noticed that kids LOVE to prove how smart they are. So I created this page that not only reinforces your class discussions during the Weather Patterns unit, but also give the kids a chance to feel smart, review their friends, and practice what they've learned.
Students simply pull out one of the many questions and either answer the questions or do what it says.

If you're looking for additional activities to use during your weather unit, this Weather Write-the-Room Set might be perfect for your class.
Are you teaching a weather unit? These interactive activities are a perfect addition to the rest of your spring lesson plans, ideas, and crafts. Whether for Preschool, Kindergarten, or First Grade, kids will love the interactive pages of this science notebook!
Hang up these posters and let your students wander around the room finding them. When they find one, they look for the corresponding picture on their printout, and then write down the words they see.

Next up, we'll talk about Earth & Human Activity...

-Til next time

Are you teaching a weather unit? These interactive activities are a perfect addition to the rest of your spring lesson plans, ideas, and crafts. Whether for Preschool, Kindergarten, or First Grade, kids will love the interactive pages of this science notebook!


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