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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Sunday Night Summer Planning

Hi Ladies and Gents!
Actually I am not feeling too bad about it tonight. Maybe that is because I only have 9 kid days left! That is right, I am down to the wire. So no complex plans for me this week. Instead I want to share with you two excellent summer resources for your kiddos.

There has been LOTS of talk about "Summer Slide" at my school in the past two years. Now let's face it districts don't have the funds to run summer programs anymore. This year my school is offering a summer program, via mail. We will be sending home a Summer Learning Packets. Now this may not be news to you as many, many teachers already do this. 

The difference for my school this year is that they will be sent over the course of the summer! This way students are reminded every time they get a package in the mail. Can you think back to when you were a kid, and imagine how exciting it was to get mail? It also helps students and parents who aren't as organized because if one pack is lost, another will come shortly after. The funds allocated for this will pay for the copies and postage too. How sweet is that?

Then came the part where we had to start thinking about what activities would be ok to send home. This had to come in the way of activities my students could do on their own, and would take very little in the ways of supplies. Naturally I thought of Hadar's, from Miss Kindergarten, summer learning packs.
This pack is created with current Kindergarteners in mind. 
It includes pages for a writing journal, as well as literacy and math practice pages. It also contains reading incentives and graphic organizers to keep those compression strategies fresh in the kiddos brains.
To see more pictures and read more about it click here.

OK so not all my Kinder ELL kids have met grade level standards, big surprise there. For them I wanted more of a kindergarten review to reinforce some of the basic skill we learned this year. For them I am preparing and sending... 
This pack was created for incoming Kinder kids but it is also perfect for my ELL kids who still have to work on some vocabulary development and should review their letter recognition skills.
On My Way to K includes alphabet books and mats for daily letter practice, number practice pages, and I can even get in some vocabulary practice with the color and shape pages. 
Though I have to admit my favorite part is the Summer Bingo!
How fun is that?!?
To see more pictures and read more about it click here.

I also hear there is also a 2nd grade pack you can find by clicking here.
I will absolutely have to check this pack out for my current first graders who are ready for a challenge this summer.

Hope you have a great week! As for me, I will try to...

Friday, May 9, 2014

Five for Friday 05/09/14

Hi Everyone,
It is Five for Friday
http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2014/05/five-for-friday-linky-party-may-9th.html
1. Graduation
We had a fellow kinder teacher get her Doctorate degree and were so proud of her that the whole team, kids included decided to celebrate all the hard work she did.
We also decorated the lounge and brought in yummy treats for the staff to share. The kids painted a banner for her and took a picture before celebrating with cookies! It was a very nice day and great surprise. I created the diplomas, and I am pretty proud of them, even if someone did tell me they looked like rolled up towels. :P
2. NE Huskers
Yesterday our ELL team took our kids on our annual field trip. Throughout the year we attend trips with the grade level teams but we also make sure to take 1 trip as a team. This means kids grades first through fifth receiving ELL services. This year we took the kids to Memorial Stadium.
 Personally I did my college football time in my early 20's so it was my first time there too. However, if you live in NE you know that Husker football is a BIG thing.
A BIG red thing.
 It really was the most amazing trip I've been on. The kids had an incredible tour of the stadium and even got to run on the field.
Last they got to speak with some student athletes, most of which were also immigrants, like my students. It was the most wonderful experience for them and a trip I would love to go on again!
3. Some More
Right before that though, we went to the Children's Museum. The kids really did have a blast. Here are some of those pics.
 
 
 
4. Nature Center
Today the Kinder and First Grade students went to the Nature Center for a nature hike. I had to hike twice and by the end of the day I was dragging so bad I was afraid I would not make it to the bus. Yikes. Here are a few nature shots I got.





5. Instagram
I am doing the Picture A Day Teacher Challenge over on Instagram. Hope on over and come see all the fab pics. While you are there, click on that Follow button so you don't miss any pics. :)
#PADTeacherChallenge
That's all folks.
Have a great weekend. 
Don't forget to check out all the other bloggers on Doodlebugs Five for Friday Linky.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Peek At My Week: 05/05/14

This is another short week for me. I have two field trips so my classes will be canceled for Thursday and Friday. I am grateful I am not starting anything new. Oh, did you al know I only have 3 weeks of school left before summer break? Yep, it is true.
Kinder ELL
This week my kinder kids are learning their last long vowel, and their last 2 HFWs. We will also continue learning about plants, focusing on what plants need to live. (Last week we learned the parts of the plant and life cycle.)
Long Vowel Work

Books we will read...
Resources we will use...
Technology Resources...

First Grade ELL
My first graders have finished and are in review mode. However, I am going to take some time to review S blends. We will be reviewing all HFW by reading and writing them. We will also continue our weather unit, with a focus on precipitation, rain and storms. (Last week we learned about sunshine and windy weather.)
Books we will read...
Resources we will use...
Technology Resources...
Crafts we will make...
That is all folks, but before I go...
Come follow my Instagram account so you don't miss out on any of the fun pictures I am posting for a Picture A Day Insta challenge.
Don't forget to check out the other bloggers that posted their plans over on Mrs. Will's blog. 
Just click the button below.
Also, if you are looking for a lesson plan template you can grab a pre-made lesson plan from A Teacher's Plan
Just click on the button below.