tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27248114833988009152024-03-24T19:32:18.634-04:00Teaching With SightAn early childhood education blog focusing on multiple intelligences and multisensory learning, from the perspective of a blind, National Board Certified Teacher.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-5970149809671775622021-02-04T17:23:00.004-05:002021-02-04T17:24:11.750-05:00New Blog!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkfJqNhN7tCAtt9NVBenDSfx3QlfTzwfPCb-1KDf_BJlmbtF4klchnbQpwfoEZQL7iFlnX2FOW2sqkB_P7ofhlwiSsOs55sICx4hw0MqgaWZO9wAkCWNJvTxkvrTBVglK0Jv1eo8qQBs/s1160/cropped-pexels-photo-1045113-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="1160" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkfJqNhN7tCAtt9NVBenDSfx3QlfTzwfPCb-1KDf_BJlmbtF4klchnbQpwfoEZQL7iFlnX2FOW2sqkB_P7ofhlwiSsOs55sICx4hw0MqgaWZO9wAkCWNJvTxkvrTBVglK0Jv1eo8qQBs/w476-h184/cropped-pexels-photo-1045113-2.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm so excited to announce that I have launched a new blog along with two amazing colleagues! We're all primary-grade educators, and we have over 50 combined years of teaching experience. The new blog is called <a href="https://earlychildhoodoasis.wordpress.com/">Early Childhood Oasis</a>, and I hope you'll stop by and check it out!</p>Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-61467269632881333152020-03-22T14:18:00.001-04:002020-03-22T14:18:25.157-04:00Kindergarten Resources for Learning at HomeHi all! I'm home taking care of my twins, and I wanted to offer some resources that might help parents continue their children's learning at home.<br />
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<a href="https://www.abcmouse.com/">https://www.abcmouse.com</a><br />
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ABCMouse is a colorful, engaging website for students ages 2 to 8. It offers a wide variety of reading and math activities that can be organized and selected by parents. A separate profile can be created for each student to start at the appropriate level and take them to activities chosen by the parent. Student motivation is enhanced by choice of avatars and currency they can use to “buy” electronic rewards such as pets.<br />
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<a href="https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/">https://kids.nationalgeographic.com</a><br /><br />
National Geographic for Kids as an information-packed website with a huge collection of facts, pictures, and videos about all kinds of plants, animals, and environments. Featuring kid-friendly navigation, this is a great resource for science research projects at a variety of grade levels.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sightwords.com/">http://www.sightwords.com</a><br />
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SightWords offers a well-thought-out selection of free games and activities to teach sight words to young students. These are accompanied by effective teaching strategies and tips that teachers can use to improve their instruction. This website has also expanded its scope to include phonemic awareness and counting and addition.<br />
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<a href="http://drjeanandfriends.blogspot.com/">http://drjeanandfriends.blogspot.com</a><br />
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Dr. Jean and Friends is a blog that offers ideas and activities from Dr. Jean Feldman, one of the most well known inspirations to teachers in recent decades. She is a resourceful and enthusiastic educator and accomplished singer who has released dozens of CDs of songs to teach language arts, math, science, social studies, and more. This blog gives teachers access to her latest advice.<br />
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<a href="http://www.starfall.com/">http://www.starfall.com</a><br />
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Starfall is an exciting source of online games and activities that are fun and educational for children from pre-k through second grade. Produced by a publicly supported nonprofit organization, it features a great deal of content that students can explore independently to enhance their classroom learning.<br />
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<a href="https://www.readinga-z.com/">https://www.readinga-z.com</a><br />
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Reading A-Z is an in-depth resource for language arts instruction, featuring free and paid content. This website includes some features that are not often found on similar sites, including webinars, information on teaching standards, leveled readers, and the ability to manage classes of students with a great deal of customization.<br />
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<a href="http://pbskids.org/">http://pbskids.org</a><br />
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PBS Kids connects familiar PBS television shows to dynamic learning games and activities for children age 2 to 8. Students can choose a show or character they like and access educational content linked to that show or character. The site features exciting animations and sounds that help keep young children engaged and looking forward to the next game.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/">https://www.teacherspayteachers.com</a><br />
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TeachersPayTeachers is a resource exchange site for teachers. Educators looking for products to use in the classroom can find a diverse collection of free and paid downloads including documents, worksheets, games, slideshows, books, and more. Teachers can also put their own products up for sale, or offer them for free. Detailed search options are available, letting you filter by grade, subject, type of resource, and price. The huge library of resources ranges from pre-k to higher education.<br />
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<a href="https://www.abcteach.com/">https://www.abcteach.com</a><br />
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ABCTeach is an archive of resources for teachers from pre-k through high school. The resources consist mostly of printable files such as worksheets and workbooks, many of which are free. You can purchase a subscription to access the full library of content. The search engine allows you to focus on key words, and the list of results shows you at a glance the grade range relevant to each resource.<br />
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<a href="http://songsforteaching.com/">http://songsforteaching.com</a><br />
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Songs For Teaching is a diverse resource for educational songs, poems, and plays. Selections include dozens of categories and feature well-known artists as well as some whose songs are hard to find elsewhere. The plays are a unique resource that can motivate students and help them become active contributors to class activities. Most purchases are available as CDs or downloads.<br />
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Let me know if you try these websites and if anything works really well for your child. Conversely, if something does not work, I'd like to hear about that too.<br />
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Be well and take care!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-58111620732682882592019-08-01T22:41:00.000-04:002019-08-01T22:41:31.556-04:00I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a CelloHi all! I've been feeling very musical lately, so I wanted to sing about this beautiful book named<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Know-Shy-Fellow-Swallowed-Cello/dp/1590789466/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=there+was+a+fellow+swallowed+a+cello&qid=1564441968&s=gateway&sr=8-1">I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello</a> by Barbara Garriel. I collect as many books as I can find in the pattern of "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." This one really strikes a note with me because it's all about different instruments. It introduces young children to vocabulary that they might not hear in everyday situations or books. There are words like "sizzled," "tooted," "bellowed," "flashed," "strummed," etc. I really enjoy books that give me an opportunity to teach my students a wide variety of super-cool words!<br />
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I also made this <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Musical-Instruments-Folder-3942407">Musical Instruments Writing Folder</a> to go along with this book, if your kindergarten children want to write what their favorite instrument is, and why. The folder allows them to independently spell the instrument of their choice.<br />
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The Songs For Teaching website has a cool album that I just found called <a href="https://www.songsforteaching.com/store/instrument-friends-download-with-lyrics-pr-58162.html">Instrument Friends</a> by Wendy Rollin that is in perfect concert with this book!<br />
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Here are a sequencing paper and graphic organizers that you can use with this book:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/420513284/Shy-Fellow-Swallowed-a-Cello-Package#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Shy Fellow Swallowed a Cello Package on Scribd">Shy Fellow Swallowed a Cello Package</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="1.293791574279379" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_45256" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/420513284/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-6q7lzuKgKwlVhg4Fnkd9&show_recommendations=true" title="Shy Fellow Swallowed a Cello Package" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Have a melodic week!<br />
<br />Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-84834786206934807042019-06-16T13:05:00.003-04:002019-06-16T13:05:37.894-04:00Saying GoodbyeHi all! Friday was my last day of kids for this school year. I always have such mixed emotions. I'm happy, of course, because I get to sleep in a little later and, well, summer vacation! I'm sad because the 26 kids I have this year are all going be in a different grade next year. It's so tremendous thinking about all the progress they made this year. I wanted to share this card that I made for the last day of school:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/413553770/Happy-Summer-Card#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Happy Summer Card on Scribd">Happy Summer Card</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_18288" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/413553770/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-UbcimVZIdSPAM8WF1aAb&show_recommendations=true" title="Happy Summer Card" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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You can print the pages double-sided (using the short-edge binding setting) on a single piece of paper or card stock so that when you fold it in half, everything looks right. My kids really liked it, and if you print out more than one for each student they can write to you, to other favorite teachers, or to special classmates. We all have to put away a lot of things at the end of the year, so I find that this card is really helpful when many of your centers are packed up, and it gives the kids a real sense of closure to say their final words to you (or whoever they address the card to).<br />
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Hope this helps! Leave a comment below if you would like to share your end-of-the-year thoughts.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-17311580388262712019-03-31T11:06:00.002-04:002019-03-31T11:06:49.474-04:00Addition in Outer SpaceHi everyone! Addition is a key topic that many of us need to cover in math at this time of year in kindergarten, but it can be challenging for some students. Therefore it's important to provide kids with hands-on, engaging activities to get them excited about diving into the subject.<br />
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Music is always one of the best ways for me to reach my students, so one song that I love to use as a warm-up for addition (or subtraction) is "Countdown to Blastoff" by Jack Hartmann. The kids get so excited for the space ship to blast off, so the numbers really hold their attention.<br />
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When it comes to hands-on toys with an outer space theme, some of my favorites are <a href="https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/language/alphabet/lakeshore-alphabet-rockets/p/PP185">Lakeshore Alphabet Rockets</a> and <a href="https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/math/numbers-counting/lakeshore-number-rockets/p/PP186">Lakeshore Number Rockets</a>. Assembling each component of the rockets is so much fun for early learners!<br />
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Education.com, a resource website that I love to browse for ideas for my classroom, has fun downloads for addition as well as other topics. Here's one with an outer space theme to give kids that extra bit of motivation:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/403823291/Outer-Space-Addition-Worksheet#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Outer Space Addition Worksheet on Scribd">Outer Space Addition Worksheet</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7670068027210885" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_309" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/403823291/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-vzI30nZENHVKmKbJtgcd&show_recommendations=true" title="Outer Space Addition Worksheet" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Math fun is out of this world, thanks to this addition worksheet. For <a href="https://www.education.com/worksheets/addition/">more educational fun</a>, visit Education.com!<br />
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Happy spring, everybody!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-83568487036197072632019-02-21T19:39:00.002-05:002019-02-21T19:39:38.338-05:00Sweet Treats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3e7b7VVTr0_Hx42p3BCzt1y_mJd1RwlnrvgSJRB8y8zj6E3VB17ztJWMoinM3kvoev5fk0R7VxmnvwlQAgOVqH8uVbZlG0jrnF488zCbAM3j3O5C6zyYu2XxULvnn9k8mFy195UNKaM/s1600/Book+Cover+If+You+Give+A+Cat+A+Cupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3e7b7VVTr0_Hx42p3BCzt1y_mJd1RwlnrvgSJRB8y8zj6E3VB17ztJWMoinM3kvoev5fk0R7VxmnvwlQAgOVqH8uVbZlG0jrnF488zCbAM3j3O5C6zyYu2XxULvnn9k8mFy195UNKaM/s320/Book+Cover+If+You+Give+A+Cat+A+Cupcake.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>
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Happy February, everybody! The kids in my class asked me to make a cupcake sight word board game for them, so of course I did! I think this idea was so attractive to the children because they love cupcakes. These <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Cupcake-Sight-Word-Board-Games-4389041">Cupcake Sight Word Board Games</a> are free on TPT, and made for two different levels: kindergarten and first grade words. I also made them as cards on a ring, which you can cut out, laminate, and cut out again:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/399940074/Sight-Word-Cupcakes#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sight Word Cupcakes on Scribd">Sight Word Cupcakes</a> by <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/undefined#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View 's profile on Scribd"></a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="null" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/399940074/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&show_recommendations=false&access_key=key-ARQLiVkVTPF7BWsYQFKJ" title="Sight Word Cupcakes" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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My students love them so much that whenever we have a free moment they ask me to test them on their cupcake sight words.<br />
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I did some searching, and I found the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Give-Cat-Cupcake-Books/dp/0060283246/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550533584&sr=8-1&keywords=if+you+give+a+cat+a+cupcake+book">If You Give a Cat a Cupcake</a> by Laura Numeroff. This book is very much in the style of <u>If You Give a Mouse a Cookie</u>, and I think it's really good for building short-term and long-term memory. The places that the cat visits are really fun and well-known to the children, including the beach, the gym, and the park.<br />
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I placed the ring of sight word cupcake cards inside this cupcake for easy storage:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozp6RAYX2k7nxwMtKslnqx5yPOHumOe0svqHQ9ETx2WSGVGu-WHFfKqhVBjDhBK5Nyb7NOqfNz9V6VrNfT1lkSbhTugAtvCjW9tD11B9JwGpckoIT4S6ANtxsNoEg4FtYhXm9ESo60WI/s1600/Cupcake+Sight+Words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozp6RAYX2k7nxwMtKslnqx5yPOHumOe0svqHQ9ETx2WSGVGu-WHFfKqhVBjDhBK5Nyb7NOqfNz9V6VrNfT1lkSbhTugAtvCjW9tD11B9JwGpckoIT4S6ANtxsNoEg4FtYhXm9ESo60WI/s320/Cupcake+Sight+Words.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0Qg0nOPzXA9-6a4Jx4d7E094Kt9ROwHnVWznalUEmxTivhY3_8Mws2a7nw8KUy0urNfad102B3C5Ppzq18UG6lhkaLd9qLhN0szdHkQYEqr5vge4dwjhA9QceW6O8S9BLl0JjPlZF4M/s1600/Cupcake+Tin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0Qg0nOPzXA9-6a4Jx4d7E094Kt9ROwHnVWznalUEmxTivhY3_8Mws2a7nw8KUy0urNfad102B3C5Ppzq18UG6lhkaLd9qLhN0szdHkQYEqr5vge4dwjhA9QceW6O8S9BLl0JjPlZF4M/s320/Cupcake+Tin.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I also tend to lose my sight word rings, and I thought if I put this one in a larger container I would be able to ask the children to look for it and find it, and they would bring it right to me. Whether you're a blind or sighted teacher, it really helps to include the students in finding things that you need for the daily life of the classroom.<br />
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I hope these sweet-treat ideas are helpful to you!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-67498217519567401632019-01-02T17:05:00.000-05:002019-01-02T17:05:05.134-05:00Cassie's Quilt<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KV-1CPmQCiw_wVOB-MmFgb3Dxzypt21zrMOXay24voeXUS4gJGNvfvoghZRJ-VutdBxWVKQQKpFhlqT7dIHzWeZIPjJqVZYMzjjuSY1aDMH3ixgnfJ22zDKRErhRht0AhwMqU7-Zhug/s1600/Book+Cover+Cassies+Quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1380" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KV-1CPmQCiw_wVOB-MmFgb3Dxzypt21zrMOXay24voeXUS4gJGNvfvoghZRJ-VutdBxWVKQQKpFhlqT7dIHzWeZIPjJqVZYMzjjuSY1aDMH3ixgnfJ22zDKRErhRht0AhwMqU7-Zhug/s200/Book+Cover+Cassies+Quilt.jpg" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Cover of "Cassie's Quilt"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Happy New Year, everyone! I am going to try to be much more consistent with my blog posts this year. It's my New Year's resolution!<br />
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In December, I read a wonderful book for my list-and-label unit that I wanted to share with all of you: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cassies-Quilt-Avenues-Faith-Ringgold/dp/0553112333">Cassie's Quilt</a> by Faith Ringgold. This book is really cool, because it's very much on the kindergarten level and it really inspired my children to write about their own homes. What subject is closer to our kids' hearts than where they live? My students were eager to draw pictures of and label their living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms with great detail after reading this book.<br />
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This book worked so well, I decided to make a writing folder with additional items that are better suited to modern times. If you want to take a peek, here it is on TPT:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Home-Writing-Folder-4275010">Home Folder</a><br />
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It's always a pleasure to hear from you! You can leave a comment below.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-9199060971446026612018-12-29T10:46:00.000-05:002018-12-29T10:46:05.237-05:00Christmas BingoMerry Christmas and Happy New Year, everybody! Before the holidays, I was playing <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Superhero-ABC-Bingo-282615">Superhero Bingo</a> with my students and one of my little boys said "Mrs. Dudley, why don't you make us a Christmas Bingo game with letters?" So even though it will be more for next year, I made it. I'm certainly going to show it to the kids who wanted it, but here is the link on TPT if you're interested:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-ABC-Bingo-4267366">Christmas ABC Bingo</a><br />
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Have a wonderful holiday season!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-26451396444749447342018-07-21T09:45:00.002-04:002018-07-21T09:53:56.603-04:00Fun With Education.comGood morning, all! I'm interrupting my Donald Crews author study to talk about <a href="https://www.education.com/">Education.com</a>. I'm a member of the site, and when I'm too busy to make my own paper, games, or activities, I turn to this website. I like how when you're looking for something, you can really zero in on what you want by narrowing it down by grade level or type of resource. A representative of <a href="https://www.education.com/">Education.com</a> sent me the following game. Take a look:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Activity: Play the Rounds of Sounds Game </span><br />
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<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=91f2012ac7&view=fimg&th=1642d8cc25e53b31&attid=0.0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_jirn0m2g0_1642d8b3b0a1736e&attbid=ANGjdJ_HTX-KprnVmIOVzIhCed_wSeiAiPvxpVZi91Y8P8-nx2qHUveVxvoX7SISnMUZC0Z5WL_kWsH2KrvtkNPnpfhzwSEIJeKT95S8CfvjJ2QMeWFbob_SRsI6x4w&sz=w500-h360&ats=1532178111409&rm=1642d8cc25e53b31&zw&atsh=1" /> <br />
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For early readers, the printed page is so tantalizing. Kids can see words they know, interspersed with ones that have them stumped. It can be a challenge for parents: while you don't want to discourage your child with books that are too hard, you also want to help him stretch his “decoding” skills so that when he does run into new words, he's ready to take them on. Here's a <a href="https://www.education.com/games/ela/reading/">kindergarten</a> activity that teaches this skill, wrapped into a cute take-anywhere game. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> What You Need:</span><br />
Nothing — just a kid who's learning phonics <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What You Do:</span><br />
Remember that old chant, “Concentration!” (snap, snap) “Are you ready?” (snap, snap), “If so…” (snap, snap), Let’s go!” (snap, snap)… This game has a major educational component—it works on beginning sounds, but kids love to play it. Why? Giving games rhythm makes them more fun, not to mention, challenging. <br />
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In the game Rounds of Sounds, you’ll clap your hands, snap your fingers, or slap your knees to a slow beat. Then, after you’ve set your rhythm, say these words: I’m thinking of the ______sound/Now let’s try a round/Ready/Set/Go! <br />
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You can substitute any blend into the rhyme, whether it be sh, oa, ing, ee, or fr. It’s your pick! Let’s say you chose the sh sound. First, you’d explain to your child that you’re going to go back and forth coming up with sh words. The sh can be any part of the word, beginning, middle, or end. So words like brush, mushy, and shut are all possibilities. <br />
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Set your rhythm, and try it. Here’s how a sh round might sound: <br />
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I’m thinking of the SH sound/Now let’s try a round./Ready, Set, Go! <br />
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PARENT:Shut! <br />
(Wait about 4 beats and then point to your child) <br />
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CHILD: Shout! <br />
(Wait 4 beats) <br />
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PARENT: Shin! <br />
(Wait 4 beats) <br />
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CHILD: Shampoo! <br />
(Wait 4 beats) <br />
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PARENT: Bush! <br />
(Wait 4 beats) <br />
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CHILD: Bash! <br />
(Wait 4 beats) <br />
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PARENT: Pushy! <br />
(Wait 4 beats) <br />
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CHILD: Mushy! <br />
(Wait 4 beats) <br />
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Keep going with other sounds. You can pick anything you’d like to play this game. Just make sure you set a slow, steady beat when you start, especially when introducing a new sound. Take this game outside, to a party, or on the road. No supplies needed—just your own two hands, and a child that’s game!<br /><br />I like this game because kindergarten kids love to slap and clap, and no materials are needed. I can picture myself using this as a whole-class activity, small-group activity, or when we're waiting to go to lunch. I don't know about your kids, but mine are very talkative when we're lined up unless we're playing a game.<br />
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One additional feature that I appreciate about <a href="https://www.education.com/">Education.com</a> is that when kids go to a particular game, everything is read out loud to them. This is particularly wonderful for ESOL kids. When they're reading a story on the website, each word is highlighted while it's spoken. When they answer comprehension questions about the stories, there's a particular sound if they get it right, and a different sound if they get it wrong. I think this is a good feature because it gives the child immediate feedback about how they're doing, and they can think about it and try again to pick the correct answer. I also like how the illustrations for the comprehension questions name the character or item when you hover your mouse over it.<br />
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The games on this website are interesting, filled with developmentally appropriate activities such as songs, puzzles, matching, and drag-and-drop games. Finally, it's cool that you can do one-shot activities or a whole series of connected activities for any of your students who need extra help with a particular skill.<br />
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Have fun exploring <a href="https://www.education.com/">Education.com</a>!</div>
Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-65929079920135155852018-07-08T20:58:00.002-04:002018-07-08T21:00:53.217-04:00Two Great Train Books<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0wsIl74dekxX5oKk8rcuyA_YxjpiHquS0QT5ylZYN5qXFNKOeUNsvqrO3W4PIphwJi7-hcH8Ce1EQ1DBNxFhlNWd861VkE0rZN1gE_EyH7RTm4RvHzlj6rQ8wGWq8x_v_bKuwRXxlUg/s1600/Book+Cover+Freight+Train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0wsIl74dekxX5oKk8rcuyA_YxjpiHquS0QT5ylZYN5qXFNKOeUNsvqrO3W4PIphwJi7-hcH8Ce1EQ1DBNxFhlNWd861VkE0rZN1gE_EyH7RTm4RvHzlj6rQ8wGWq8x_v_bKuwRXxlUg/s200/Book+Cover+Freight+Train.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Cover of "Freight Train" by Donald Crews</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN1FAPHrp9n8HkztC21MbVTymsj878etf0KK0gsXdd4m4swW6Dyrqil-myBCcU2f7bUIApPqjhrRt9M8zrPqB-KoJ1tGy2YKMZ0rg2EkOA_TyOFE8zMlyRmVbh51AS-dvgCOoh6Am7Mo/s1600/Book+Cover+Shortcut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="500" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN1FAPHrp9n8HkztC21MbVTymsj878etf0KK0gsXdd4m4swW6Dyrqil-myBCcU2f7bUIApPqjhrRt9M8zrPqB-KoJ1tGy2YKMZ0rg2EkOA_TyOFE8zMlyRmVbh51AS-dvgCOoh6Am7Mo/s200/Book+Cover+Shortcut.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Cover of "Shortcut" by Donald Crews</td></tr>
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Happy summer everyone! I'm continuing my Donald Crews author study because I think it was a very valuable unit. Today, I'm going to talk about my students' two favorite train books: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shortcut-Donald-Crews/dp/0688135765/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531057498&sr=1-1&keywords=shortcut+train+donald+crews" target="_blank">Shortcut</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freight-Train-Donald-Crews-2003-03-04/dp/B01FIXKN9G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1531011715&sr=8-4&keywords=freight+train+donald+crews&dpID=510-T7UwUrL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">Freight Train</a>.<br />
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<u>Shortcut</u> is a book in which Donald Crews talks about himself as a young child visiting Bigmama's. A dangerous situation occurs in the book when the students are walking on the railroad tracks and there's a train coming. My ESOL students were really able to describe how the children felt when the train was coming, and how they felt when they jumped off the tracks. We also discussed, after reading the book, how it is unsafe to walk on a railroad track. In fact, my children were telling me, when we read the book for the first time, that you don't do that because it's so dangerous!<br />
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I used this paper to talk about what happened before the train came, while the train was going by, and after the train passed the kids:<br />
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<div style="display: block; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/383435877/Beginning-Middle-End#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Beginning Middle End on Scribd">Beginning Middle End</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="1.2941176470588236" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_96100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/383435877/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-hRY7WhFqpFqu1AwOJGUX&show_recommendations=true" title="Beginning Middle End" width="100%"></iframe>
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<u>Freight Train</u> was also written by Donald Crews, and it mostly describes colors of different train cars. There's a song by Dr. Jean Feldman called "Color Train" that really works well with this book. I use laminated pieces of construction paper with the color word printed on each car. This is a great way to get kindergarten kids spelling their color words.<br />
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The students really enjoyed talking about trains from long ago and today. I was surprised by the great detail my students could give me about the similarities and differences between different kinds of trains. We talked about speeds of long-ago trains being a lot slower than they are today. The kids told me that you had to shovel coal into a furnace. I was pretty impressed with that! They also told me that cowboys used to jump onto the trains and rob them (they must be watching old movies). And one boy told me that trains now don't pollute the environment as much as they used to. I nearly fell off my exercise ball when he said that!<br />
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Just to let you all know, I don't sit on a classroom chair. I sit on a large exercise/yoga ball. That was the best money I've ever spent for my classroom! My back feels SO much better, and the kids really don't touch it.<br />
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Here's one more paper I made for what we've learned about trains:<br />
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<div style="display: block; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/383435957/Three-Things-I-Learned-About-Trains#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Three Things I Learned About Trains on Scribd">Three Things I Learned About Trains</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_33113" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/383435957/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-ZFXJNwxPz4jFtdbegmzJ&show_recommendations=true" title="Three Things I Learned About Trains" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Have a great time reading!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-60376771068384577932018-06-10T19:58:00.003-04:002018-06-10T19:58:20.467-04:00Flying<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7d9kx6fVAO9H5-wjqzLOv_Eq9u6xNtbP1BucYI_8jbVRwizGiADWBhdoTlq_7IxjIf_ZlCaDBpbgXegahhbr2-d7PxxcJGRqtZlMxl4yNn8yBNc2BngSoYXp6zyo_AL9-QpUv5XAtSEU/s1600/Book+Cover+Donald+Crews+Flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7d9kx6fVAO9H5-wjqzLOv_Eq9u6xNtbP1BucYI_8jbVRwizGiADWBhdoTlq_7IxjIf_ZlCaDBpbgXegahhbr2-d7PxxcJGRqtZlMxl4yNn8yBNc2BngSoYXp6zyo_AL9-QpUv5XAtSEU/s200/Book+Cover+Donald+Crews+Flying.jpg" width="162" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Cover of "Flying" by Donald Crews</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The second book in the Donald Crews book study that I would like to talk about is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Donald-Crews/dp/0688092357" target="_blank">Flying</a>.<br />
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This is a great book for discussing sequencing. It also illustrates, through pictures, the process of boarding a plane, lifting off, what you see when you're flying, and the landing process. The book is a little old-fashioned, because of course it shows the plane from Donald Crews' perspective when he was little. My kindergarten kids really thought it was a cool book, though.<br />
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I made two papers for two different days that were very successful. The one idea was a writing paper with a picture and a word bank, where the students could use sentence starters to write their own story about getting on a plane:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/381479666/Airport-Writing-Prompt#from_embed" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" title="View Airport Writing Prompt on Scribd">Airport Writing Prompt</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> by </span><a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> on Scribd</span><br />
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_6869" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/381479666/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-uaGShV3GU9qYgsqUm7RX&show_recommendations=true" title="Airport Writing Prompt" width="100%"></iframe>
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I came up with some easy-to-read sentence starters that my kids have used since January to help them in their writing. I laminate these posters for each table, and they keep them in a bucket in the middle of the table, that they can pull out at any time. It really helps them to not keep writing "I see" a thousand times:<br />
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<div style="display: block; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/381480695/Sentence-Starters#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sentence Starters on Scribd">Sentence Starters</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_15705" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/381480695/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-HKxm6QEnCex5xuo8gBza&show_recommendations=true" title="Sentence Starters" width="100%"></iframe>
The second paper that I came up with is for them to write about a place they would go to on their airplane. This was so open-ended, it made for great conversation! Some kids told me they would fly to Mexico. Some told me they would fly to an island in the middle of an ocean; that was very popular. Others mentioned locations such as New York, Texas, and Florida. One little girl told me she would fly on an airplane to see her grandma, because that's the person she loves the most. That was so sweet! The conversations before they wrote were so rich that it was actually hard to get to the writing. The kids wanted to keep talking about where they wanted to fly!<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/381479667/Donald-Crews-Flying-Prompts#from_embed" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" title="View Donald Crews Flying Prompts on Scribd">Donald Crews Flying Prompts</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> by </span><a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> on Scribd</span><br />
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_30621" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/381479667/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-byMT1CRpqPng5vSyIJLZ&show_recommendations=true" title="Donald Crews Flying Prompts" width="100%"></iframe>
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Here are some samples of my kids' writing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjR79eCFPc5-VJqCzEbNDBfbhNA9p73fvP1IHRTPiWX6X9ur_k8b5F6TW3U7-wZAp3rsYnh5UDcqVYo0oVR0D12LepvqdlkHrVcVyC_aPrNl0Z-uKJNdRbH_kSjJRyPJObeQSZI8cVCQ/s1600/Sample+Flying+Writing+Paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjR79eCFPc5-VJqCzEbNDBfbhNA9p73fvP1IHRTPiWX6X9ur_k8b5F6TW3U7-wZAp3rsYnh5UDcqVYo0oVR0D12LepvqdlkHrVcVyC_aPrNl0Z-uKJNdRbH_kSjJRyPJObeQSZI8cVCQ/s320/Sample+Flying+Writing+Paper.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0njy3Af3REfKSB5PCVchvd_FvOxkXjFJ8Lro_ZSS9bhqC0-w9vnJPTVAuhXUGpLnHJx39W1kVdPl4pLOHNMUL7IqiOssxTzzfKVwlwOcRYfRjALPONMsUCVrPFhFdDsNwZEMn2tZa6BE/s1600/Sample+Airport+Prompt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0njy3Af3REfKSB5PCVchvd_FvOxkXjFJ8Lro_ZSS9bhqC0-w9vnJPTVAuhXUGpLnHJx39W1kVdPl4pLOHNMUL7IqiOssxTzzfKVwlwOcRYfRjALPONMsUCVrPFhFdDsNwZEMn2tZa6BE/s320/Sample+Airport+Prompt.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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I'd love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Crews book!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-74835861063020569812018-06-06T18:52:00.001-04:002018-06-06T18:55:56.318-04:00Parade<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDONxdSnwWzbDAp14ksEeBIlWh0-IaAMHO2gR0R9-OgXHynAhyoBQqGVADfrhn6MjNxwYccE_sP3azUlO9mEP3JLMBGN-OSSqNqSls9dg8sD8goI-_jZdx5jjyFuf2fD4JN3Anz5bDHw/s1600/Book+Cover+Parade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDONxdSnwWzbDAp14ksEeBIlWh0-IaAMHO2gR0R9-OgXHynAhyoBQqGVADfrhn6MjNxwYccE_sP3azUlO9mEP3JLMBGN-OSSqNqSls9dg8sD8goI-_jZdx5jjyFuf2fD4JN3Anz5bDHw/s1600/Book+Cover+Parade.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book cover of <u>Parade</u> by Donald Crews</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Happy June, everybody! We've been doing a Donald Crews author study, and I'm going to start this series of blog posts with a wonderful book called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Parade-Donald-Crews/dp/0688065201" target="_blank">Parade</a>.<br />
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I like this book so much for kindergarten since Donald Crews takes us back to his childhood, where he was a young boy experiencing a parade. I use the word "experiencing" because you can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste things at a parade. I wanted to help my students to write more colorfully and explicitly, so I made up this "Moment in Time" poster to help my students think about what they could experience with their five senses:<br />
<div style="display: block; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/381193810/Moment-in-Time-Mini-Poster#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Moment in Time Mini Poster on Scribd">Moment in Time Mini Poster</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_33002" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/381193810/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-9OJYuIjNkTvPfHf26PRp&show_recommendations=true" title="Moment in Time Mini Poster" width="100%"></iframe>
I also made this picture graphic organizer so they could collect their thoughts before making their own Parade book:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/381193809/Parade-Five-Senses-Paper#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Parade Five Senses Paper on Scribd">Parade Five Senses Paper</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_96070" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/381193809/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-Iut7mdfbc1pCszeEbWig&show_recommendations=true" title="Parade Five Senses Paper" width="100%"></iframe>
I added a Parade writing folder to my package of <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Warm-Weather-Writing-Folders-658104" target="_blank">Warm Weather Writing Folders</a> that you can purchase on TPT. Here are just a few samples of my children's writing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbblPAflFbu-lDnYmTrdnrqtA0_RCYBA47FwuKUA4wNimuA72V2diN-OC_M47DDgVAWaoWx9fo-YIckjzIDJti9xxC94ZYaXwgN3_JPWHTDenmICTTnatwud99LqHpcPYQ7xCZ2gLxzE/s1600/Parade+Pages+Touch+Taste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbblPAflFbu-lDnYmTrdnrqtA0_RCYBA47FwuKUA4wNimuA72V2diN-OC_M47DDgVAWaoWx9fo-YIckjzIDJti9xxC94ZYaXwgN3_JPWHTDenmICTTnatwud99LqHpcPYQ7xCZ2gLxzE/s320/Parade+Pages+Touch+Taste.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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More Donald Crews books to come!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-20642306438211484372018-03-19T16:50:00.000-04:002018-03-19T16:50:06.935-04:00Spring and Clouds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi all! When I think of spring, I think of rainy weather and clouds. We have also been talking about the seasons in language arts. So, I looked through my collection and found <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-Cloud-Gauch-Patricia-Carle/dp/B0073P7TPE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1521491641&sr=8-2&keywords=little+cloud+eric+carle">Little Cloud by Eric Carle</a>. I like this book because I think it helps kindergarten students to imagine what they can see when they look up at the sky. When I was a little girl and I was sighted, I loved looking up at the clouds. I always imagined that if I went up high enough, I could touch a cloud and it would feel like soft cotton. The book really transports you into thinking creatively. I made these writing prompts to go along with the book after reading it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/374295363/Little-Cloud-Writing-Prompts#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Little Cloud Writing Prompts on Scribd">Little Cloud Writing Prompts</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_72821" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/374295363/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-MnK3WQgOc3A7xMyW7Lim&show_recommendations=true" title="Little Cloud Writing Prompts" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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I hope you enjoy these writing prompts and this lovely spring season!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-54522041926463481132017-08-23T22:42:00.002-04:002017-08-23T22:42:28.007-04:00Back to School with BeanbagsSo, with about a week-and-a-half left before I have to go back to school, I've been thinking about the first day. It's definitely true that we have to do rules and routines, as well as explain procedures for how we want our students to do different things in the classroom. But I think it's also crucial that our students have brain breaks that first day, and something really fun and enjoyable to make them excited to get up for school the next day. Therefore I thought I'd share a post about beanbag activities!<br />
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I love teaching position words with beanbags. I teach position words such as "over", "under", "on top of", "between" "behind", and "in front". Some really great songs for this are:<br />
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"Beanbag Balance" by Kimbo Educational<br />
"Beanbag Boogie" by Greg & Steve.<br />
"Beanbag Bop" by Jack Hartmann<br />
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I also like to play with alphabet beanbags. I have the children march in a circle, using the song "Freeze Dance", and have them pick up a beanbag with a letter on it when the music stops. You simply point to a child, and they say the letter they have. If they don't know it, you can give clues to help them out.<br />
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Lakeshore Learning has some great beanbags, such as:<br />
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<a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C894%2C863&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1503533416923">Shape Beanbags</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionYU_I6qYKx6HhggzqSAWbBdWdUWT1D9XiQSsuF4Wj7Q0BoRXHFkpowaCx_GRM2rPBkjKQQd1BSDpwoughnbWiUHUFLSTDryB0vm6mySQBBGCTrHTo5Kand5JG3AhAONfHXebmA980UbS/s1600/Beanbags+ABC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionYU_I6qYKx6HhggzqSAWbBdWdUWT1D9XiQSsuF4Wj7Q0BoRXHFkpowaCx_GRM2rPBkjKQQd1BSDpwoughnbWiUHUFLSTDryB0vm6mySQBBGCTrHTo5Kand5JG3AhAONfHXebmA980UbS/s320/Beanbags+ABC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C894%2C864&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1503533408561">Alphabet Beanbags</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2T9S8iQXWyX3QZ6C2pE5gEoOPZDlNmP0caJvZTdAI3XQtZObz4DZ1ywh93otwtl55ZItxVTEYUAVtRJ-OBwFyfG7Q5xKOgibg4vQzsISaGCL3_yYlNluJtqu73B5Lpyi5Z8xJvu-0fvS/s1600/Beanbags+Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2T9S8iQXWyX3QZ6C2pE5gEoOPZDlNmP0caJvZTdAI3XQtZObz4DZ1ywh93otwtl55ZItxVTEYUAVtRJ-OBwFyfG7Q5xKOgibg4vQzsISaGCL3_yYlNluJtqu73B5Lpyi5Z8xJvu-0fvS/s320/Beanbags+Color.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C894%2C870&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1503533411587">Color Beanbags</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSKh5WvbyRud_30OsIzCl2igBkBlqQ-sWkkYm0eEHGcD_qvUgVJ1SauXs89XG224jxpSW1NjCYTjE8ITFWW3vKQ_lGMZdU44Q1ldEOgHrRkkuk_S6qA_WPFtkNEnKN-LxOjm7y31ZAQrY/s1600/Beanbags+Number.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="135" data-original-width="180" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSKh5WvbyRud_30OsIzCl2igBkBlqQ-sWkkYm0eEHGcD_qvUgVJ1SauXs89XG224jxpSW1NjCYTjE8ITFWW3vKQ_lGMZdU44Q1ldEOgHrRkkuk_S6qA_WPFtkNEnKN-LxOjm7y31ZAQrY/s320/Beanbags+Number.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C894%2C862&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1503533419731">Number Beanbags</a></div>
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Number beanbags are really cool as well. Using any kind of music, sort of in the same ideas a "Freeze Dance" where when you stop the music, the children pick up a number. They have to identify the number and do something (such as hop, clap hands, or blink) that many times. The beanbags can also be put in sequential order. Or if you have a few sets, kids can look around for their partners with the same number.<br />
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I'd love to hear what you do in your class with beanbags! Write a comment below if you'd like to share.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-71714918505984497742017-06-11T14:23:00.002-04:002017-06-12T15:30:59.525-04:00Tick, Tock, Telling Time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi_MpmMMEq-l_QWBaHL5RYrWlFkcPk0p48k3LQbgoSPvlgGsSRNf3VEGm9SkPu73-15CFhO2-alDBrfBfj-T9GmKWSr3jNqcDnrCXum4qGsPm2gKVzQ3pt2mZND2eCuQdHivQQeIrIq0/s1600/Book+Cover+Grouchy+Ladybug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="500" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi_MpmMMEq-l_QWBaHL5RYrWlFkcPk0p48k3LQbgoSPvlgGsSRNf3VEGm9SkPu73-15CFhO2-alDBrfBfj-T9GmKWSr3jNqcDnrCXum4qGsPm2gKVzQ3pt2mZND2eCuQdHivQQeIrIq0/s200/Book+Cover+Grouchy+Ladybug.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Grouchy Ladybug" by Eric Carle</td></tr>
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First Grade is finally finished! I feel both sad and happy at the same time: sad because I've had some of the same kids for two years and I'll miss them very much, happy because I think I did pretty well. I am going back to kindergarten, though, next year. I have more things for kindergarten, and I'm very excited to be going back. I made some things for first grade that my seven-year-olds really enjoyed.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIe5YpXQuN_Zqe5QWPtonhAPylEeMWjGZr-uf2tJPDks1ISzxGnzbihImvmxiC4pDY6OKG979CHLaKtWuBISKkhqem4Pq-r_11z_SP7FfeoOSRTfwa_E34ezXzNV4XkIwVulY4qVXs4l4/s1600/Ladybug+Clock+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIe5YpXQuN_Zqe5QWPtonhAPylEeMWjGZr-uf2tJPDks1ISzxGnzbihImvmxiC4pDY6OKG979CHLaKtWuBISKkhqem4Pq-r_11z_SP7FfeoOSRTfwa_E34ezXzNV4XkIwVulY4qVXs4l4/s320/Ladybug+Clock+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ladybug clock with moving hands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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These ladybug clocks were a big hit. They worked really well with the story <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grouchy-Ladybug-Carle-Eric-Hardcover/dp/B00BR9TEGE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497141210&sr=8-2&keywords=grouchy+ladybug" target="_blank">Grouchy Ladybug</a> by Eric Carle, which is one of my favorites. I also found <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Time-Tom-Veggiecational-About-VeggieTales/dp/0849975352" target="_blank">Time for Tom: A Veggiecational Book About Time</a> by Phil Vischer and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Train-Leaves-Station-Eve-Merriam/dp/0805035478" target="_blank">Train Leaves the Station</a> by Eve Merriam. I had my husband make CD's of all of these books being read aloud, and I placed them in the Listening Center. Here's the paper that my kids complete when they're in that center:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/350970399/Listening-Center-Worksheet#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Listening Center Worksheet on Scribd">Listening Center Worksheet</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a> on Scribd</div>
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My core beliefs about using music in the classroom held true for first grade. My students loved singing and dancing to these time-related songs:<br />
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"Clock Rock" by Dr. Jean<br />
"Match My Clock" by Jack Hartmann<br />
"Hip-Hop Around The Clock" by Jack Hartmann<br />
"Counting Time" by Jack Hartmann<br />
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The kids' favorite was "Match My Clock" by Jack Hartmann. He has one version to match clocks to the hour, and another for half-hour.</div>
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I pulled math groups a lot and found some excellent games on TeachersPayTeachers, such as:</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Have-Who-Has-Its-About-Time-Spring-Edition-1825826" target="_blank">I Have, Who Has Time Game</a> from Friendly Frog on TPT<br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Freebie-Bunny-Time-221194" target="_blank">Bunny Time Matching Game</a> from Positively Learning on TPT<br />
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Both of these games were free and they worked like magic for the kids! I used to be scared of using "I Have, Who Has" games with my kids, but this seller cured me of my fears.<br />
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I made a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Time-Bundle-69534" target="_blank">Time Bundle</a> of my own for TPT as well that includes worksheets, games, and two PowerPoint slideshows. The kids really liked the slideshows because they could see them, and I made it so that the numbers fly in. That way, you can ask the kids what the time is and they can see if they're correct. I also made an Alice-In-Wonderland-inspired time board game where the students roll a die, move a manipulative around the board, and say the digital time aloud based on the analog clock they landed on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHguZD2diZIw1RGsgB06UCXHOB__-ZLu8uQn2hbpeZgcz_nacBZAtez8wP6j0MCnxOHPkQx2cIGKXCTCqFo_-1VPLDfM8D-obJ1pHM7FZYAEHWYMHaD43dTHWZoMBVrKrA9UhMWNE4lWE/s1600/Time+Board+Game+1st+Grade+Tick+Tock+Tell+The+Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1248" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHguZD2diZIw1RGsgB06UCXHOB__-ZLu8uQn2hbpeZgcz_nacBZAtez8wP6j0MCnxOHPkQx2cIGKXCTCqFo_-1VPLDfM8D-obJ1pHM7FZYAEHWYMHaD43dTHWZoMBVrKrA9UhMWNE4lWE/s320/Time+Board+Game+1st+Grade+Tick+Tock+Tell+The+Time.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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See you next <b><i><span style="color: purple;">time</span></i></b>! 😄Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-34046618536283338062017-05-01T17:02:00.003-04:002017-05-01T17:02:58.310-04:00Great Graphing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_DlVv6fgwmzjLeP7QFPjhKKgFaz7epdWQ3Zdf5HyJRj7Duqjbq8drZCnVzq6IcPJdVtY18dzPct8u0WFM4u2xh7AGSxa5VX7tL-BIdLPAKxiGs6bIRB-D7PL9SPEgxdFS6OIOopDOTw/s1600/Book+Cover+Lemonade+for+Sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_DlVv6fgwmzjLeP7QFPjhKKgFaz7epdWQ3Zdf5HyJRj7Duqjbq8drZCnVzq6IcPJdVtY18dzPct8u0WFM4u2xh7AGSxa5VX7tL-BIdLPAKxiGs6bIRB-D7PL9SPEgxdFS6OIOopDOTw/s1600/Book+Cover+Lemonade+for+Sale.jpg" /></a></div>
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Happy May Day, everyone! I found some really wonderful books about graphing for first grade that I wanted to share with all of you.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lemonade-Sale-MathStart-Stuart-Murphy/dp/0064467155" target="_blank">Lemonade For Sale</a> by Stuart Murphy is a really nice book that explains bar graphs in a fun and interesting manner. Four kids and their pet parrot sell lemonade Monday through Friday. The bar graph shows highs and lows, and the group finds out there's a juggler on another block who is making their sales go down. After some problem-solving, they get the juggler to join them and their sales go back up again. I love the plot of this book, how the children are raising money to get their clubhouse into shape. The story is understandable for first-graders and even kindergartners. I think this is an excellent way to introduce graphing!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Graphs-Making-Vijaya-Khisty-Bodach/dp/1429600403/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493487444&sr=1-9" target="_blank">Bar Graphs (Making Graphs)</a> by Vijaya Khisty Bodach and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Graphs-Century-Basic-Skills-Library/dp/162431466X/ref=la_B00E6OOMBE_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493487527&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Bar Graphs</a> by Sherra Edgar are also very cool for teaching graphing.<br />
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As I was searching for more books about graphing I found this treasure: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Graph-Contest-Loreen-Leedy/dp/0823420299/ref=la_B001JRZTJ0_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493487572&sr=1-2" target="_blank">The Great Graph Contest</a> by Loreen Leedy. This book is really phenomenal because it shows a wide variety of ways to represent data (picture graphs, pie charts, tally charts, Venn diagrams, etc.). I was really impressed how my students started using all kinds of new graphing vocabulary. The book was also lively and funny!<br />
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I also made a new <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphing-Package-3112096" target="_blank">Graphing Package</a> on TPT that focuses on bar graphs but also contains picture graphs and tally charts. There are PowerPoints, games, and worksheets that your first-graders or kindergartners will love. If you have time, check it out!<br />
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<br />Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-4070464660452301482016-12-26T10:49:00.001-05:002016-12-26T10:49:14.612-05:00Place ValueMerry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a beautiful holiday. Since moving to first grade, I've spent a lot of time researching curriculum and getting to know my lovely new class. That's why I haven't blogged for a while.<br />
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I think one of the hardest things to teach is explaining tens and ones to first-graders who sometimes don't know how to read larger numbers. As always, I think games, music, and books really help the kids to explore and understand the concept. Some cool songs I found that delve into this concept are:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQSdKlNvrmw">Climbing Up This Mountain (Counting by 10's up to 100) by Harry Kindergarten</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFP6JwOWrlg">Count By 10's to 120 by Jack Hartmann</a><br />
"Grouping by Tens" by Mar Harman<br />
"Counting by Tens" by Mar Harman<br />
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I also found a video for teaching place value:<br />
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<a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/math/early-math/cc-early-math-place-value-topic/cc-early-math-tens/v/place-value-introduction">Introduction to Place Value from Khan Academy</a><br />
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It was really funny. A high school teacher friend of mine told me about Khan Academy. I had never heard of it before. I guess the story is that this man started making videos for his niece to explain mathematical concepts. He's really thorough. My kids were spellbound when they watched the video.<br />
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I haven't found a lot of books that talk about place value, but here are some books that I used this year:<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cheerios-Counting-Barbara-Barbieri-McGarth/dp/0590003216/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482766495&sr=8-2&keywords=cheerio+counting+book">The Cheerios Counting Book by Barbara McGarth</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chicka-1-2-3/dp/1481400568/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482766555&sr=8-1&keywords=chicka+1+2+3">Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 by Bill Martin, Jr.</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Collection-Kate-Matters-Press-Paperback/dp/1575650894/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482766597&sr=8-1&keywords=collection+for+kate+math">A Collection for Kate by Barbara deRubertis</a><br />
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Because I'm extremely new at teaching first grade, I thought it would be good to go to TPT and see what other first-grade teachers have made for this concept. I found this terrific "I Have, Who Has" game that worked great for my kids:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Have-Who-Has-Tens-Ones-Blocks-Game-513782">I Have, Who Has Tens and Ones Blocks Game by Math Minds</a><br />
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I also made a clip card game for greater than and less than with numbers up to 100:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Greater-Than-and-Less-Than-Clip-Cards-to-100-2930580">Greater Than and Less Than Clip Cards to 100</a><br />
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I hope this helps. If any of you have ideas for teaching tens and ones, please leave a comment below. Or just leave a comment say say hello! I miss talking to all of you.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-47057462176665315852016-10-03T16:26:00.002-04:002016-10-03T16:26:41.889-04:00Moved to First GradeHello, bloggy friends! I have recently been moved to first grade due to changing enrollment numbers at our school. I was wondering if any of you could give me names of good first-grade blogs, songs that are great for first grade, and TPT products that you have found to be useful for teaching a diverse group of first-graders.<br />
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Thank you in advance! Please leave me a comment below. :)Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-42502532677107846782016-07-27T16:48:00.001-04:002016-07-27T16:48:04.851-04:00My Four-Legged, Furry Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone! I never understood, before, the joy of owning a dog. Ava is the new addition to our home. She is such a sweet girl! I'm planning to make a book about her and share it with the students once I get back to school. It will be very simple, sort of along the lines of "Ava is eating," "Ava is sleeping," "Ava is running," etc. Since the beginning of the year is a time when we talk about ourselves and our hopes, likes, and dreams, I thought it would be a great time to talk about Ava.<br />
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Does anybody know of some really good dog books to read to kindergartners? Please leave me a comment below.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-74004324137165790492016-04-21T21:45:00.000-04:002016-04-21T21:45:49.889-04:00Rhyme Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi all! I've been doing some cool rhyming songs for my classroom and wanted to share what I'm doing with all of you.<br />
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When I was a little girl, I loved doing Patty-Cake-style songs. I did them at school. I did them at home. I did them in the car. I just love them! Dr. Jean has a very awesome version of "Miss Mary Mack" on her CD <u>Totally Reading</u>. The neat thing about this song is, beside the fact that your children are learning how to rhyme, they're also crossing the mid-line (which is great for building synapses in the brain) and they're learning how to cooperate. There's a song by Raffi called "Willoughby Wallaby Woo" which is basically a name rhyme song that I did a lot at the beginning of the school year. I thought about it, and figured why not do it in April? The kids went nuts for it and were singing "Willoughby Wallby Wennifer, an elephant sat on Jennifer," substituting all their names, when they were at centers. Talk about magical! I love hearing them sing when they're at centers. Another song that I do a couple times a week is "Make a Rhyme, Make a Move" by Jack Hartmann, where the students are singing and dancing. It's on the CD <u>Hip-Hop Alphabop 2</u>. I've seen Jack Hartmann do this at conferences and he mixes it with a little rap flair. <br />
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I don't know if I've ever mentioned how much teaching stuff I have. I've been teaching for over 20 years, so I have over 4 rooms filled with teaching stuff. A couple months ago I was going through my stuff and found these unusual-size big books that are the best treasures! They're the "Pat the Cat and Friends" series by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins, published by DK. They're not available new anymore, but you can get them used on Amazon and from other sources. They're really great for teaching rhyming! I like them so much because they tell little stories about characters in whatever particular word family you're learning about. These books led me to thinking more about word families and how I could help my kids learn certain patterns. I decided to make <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Family-Half-Size-Guided-Reading-Books-2467757" target="_blank">Word Family Half-Size Guided Reading Books</a> where the kids could color, write sentences, and highlight or circle the rhyming words. Check them out if you want on TPT!<br />
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I really love it when people leave me messages, so feel free to comment about rhyming or current projects that you're working on.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-17423394651172228992016-02-08T21:35:00.002-05:002016-02-08T21:35:19.735-05:00Valentine's Week FreebiesIn pre-k or kindergarten, have you ever noticed that your kids have problems telling you the number that comes before another number? It's so weird! 9 out of 10 times, my kids can tell me a number that comes after, but you should hear the answers for what number comes before. Today I tried these heart number lines with the kids:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/298631464/Number-Line-Strips-Valentine" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Number Line Strips Valentine on Scribd">Number Line Strips Valentine</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a></div>
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I just cut them and laminated them. They worked really well, and not only for more/less but also for helping the kids understand which way you go on a number line when you're talking about a number that's less than or greater than a given number.<br />
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I made a worksheet to go with it, for independent practice and for assessment purposes:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/298632210/Number-Line-Worksheets-Valentine" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Number Line Worksheets Valentine on Scribd">Number Line Worksheets Valentine</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a></div>
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<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="1.293791574279379" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="412" id="doc_42976" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/298632210/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-3CYYbaCd2TciuqgAN4qh&show_recommendations=false" width="500"></iframe><br /></div>
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Later this week, I'm going to have the kids read this book, which takes them step-by-step through the process of making a Valentine's Day card:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/298629731/Valentine-Card-3" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Valentine Card 3 on Scribd">Valentine Card 3</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a></div>
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<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="1.293791574279379" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="412" id="doc_75915" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/298629731/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-QvRZGwvkXCqmpdDTKBVd&show_recommendations=false" width="500"></iframe><br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/298630778/My-Valentine-Card-Big-5b" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View My Valentine Card Big 5b on Scribd">My Valentine Card Big 5b</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a></div>
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<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="550" id="doc_93697" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/298630778/content?start_page=1&view_mode=slideshow&access_key=key-w65J4K4On3F05VptOMGt&show_recommendations=true" width="400"></iframe><br /></div>
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I also have a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentine-Writing-Folder-535660">Valentine's Writing Folder</a> on TPT. I think this folder is really sweet because it saves me from having to spell Valentine words many times around the classroom, and it helps the students to be self-reliant.<br />
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I hope you have a lovely week!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-23620187457544672902016-01-26T21:15:00.003-05:002016-01-26T22:23:54.915-05:00Snow Days & A Freebie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Happy snow days, everybody!</div>
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We have had a pretty big snow storm here in Maryland. My husband took a time-lapse video of the snow falling in our back yard. He has described it to me and it sounds pretty cool. Here it is:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DDp39XO7VaU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DDp39XO7VaU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
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That took about 28 hours for those 28 seconds. That's a lot of snow, isn't it? Our county has closed schools all week so far. </div>
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Here is the view from our front porch:</div>
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When we finally do go back, I plan to read this book:</div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1WN7wdP" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzxXSYN0Dns4mKppypjR_keDl6Z1YODaWDOVq3wzjLn7Qzepjo7ZpKXRYmzxXFyQZf0-M1gxqoXnHVl8ywB7R8naPh3Mo2Re9pGkKiUSDo-cITUOen7UsPYhA9xwsRsYYojSvuWsUqgA/s320/Snowmen+At+Night+Book+Cover.jpg" width="249" /></a><span id="goog_1767679653"></span><span id="goog_1767679654"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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Snowmen at Night</div>
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I love connecting the children's experiences to learning. I really want to find out what they did over their long break and how they played in the snow. Of course we are going to write about it and draw illustrations to match our writing. This book is especially wonderful at capturing children's imaginations with the beautiful illustrations and rhyming text. When I was little, I often thought snowmen had their own secret life at night, just like in this story. A few years ago, I read this story to my kids and they were really interested in how the snowmen did all these secret games when nobody was looking. Then I had the cutest little girl raise her hand after we finished. When I called on her, she said "Wait a minute... Snowmen don't HAVE feet!" It was funny to me that out of all the things that the snowmen were doing, that she focused on that one element. I still use that phrase today with my husband whenever something is strange.<br />
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I also just made these winter vocabulary cards. I plan to put them in the writing center so children can make their own little stories and books. You can download it for free with the down arrow link. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/296530129/Vocabulary-Words-Winter" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" title="View Vocabulary Words - Winter on Scribd">Vocabulary Words - Winter</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> by </span><a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/56917457/Sharon-A-Blachowicz-Dudley" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" title="View Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley's profile on Scribd">Sharon A Blachowicz Dudley</a><br />
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Stay safe and warm!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-7344354483115627792015-11-19T21:00:00.002-05:002015-11-19T21:00:41.580-05:00Subitizing SnowmenHi all! I'm in Orlando, Florida today at the NAEYC conference. I will be presenting a session this Saturday morning at 8:00am, so if anyone's around and wants to stop by for a quick hug, I'll be there. Also, I put up a new free product on TPT for December, if you'd like to take a peek:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Subitizing-Snowmen-2193006" target="_blank">Subitizing Snowmen</a><br />
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I realized that some of my children really need extra practice with subitizing. When you use these, you just flash the cards really quickly. It's not a counting activity, it's just for them to visually recognize (from the position) how many are there.<br />
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Have a great night!Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-6016222533696629302015-10-26T21:07:00.000-04:002015-10-26T21:07:57.559-04:00My Almost Halloween Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWv1hyjJIEuInayLynn0BGWmxXM0R5lAq3Vbov507f27aNbWM8be9ntFyoWXEEXHe_5Cckofq5Ey0voliKIYCWZEu5zmQZmU2lugHNXxfQ8j_LADR8p0aA1kyGxVRjVatuiMnqDLcLqk/s1600/Pete+the+Cat+Pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWv1hyjJIEuInayLynn0BGWmxXM0R5lAq3Vbov507f27aNbWM8be9ntFyoWXEEXHe_5Cckofq5Ey0voliKIYCWZEu5zmQZmU2lugHNXxfQ8j_LADR8p0aA1kyGxVRjVatuiMnqDLcLqk/s200/Pete+the+Cat+Pumpkins.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
Hi, everyone! Happy almost Halloween! My kids have been loving this book that's really the classic 5 Little Pumpkins finger play. We have been using this story for subtraction. Here we are holding our pumpkins over our faces while doing the song (because I have not gotten picture release forms back yet)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJvONmpONXIVb_T0RkVlII529Tia8gtah6oJqs11-scXnIdnK-wy724_I9fe1wQV-jh0X3UKAS259fftPmQejUEHX0SXSoJVc99i0hGiPbWfJxs6TH1i_gf4bOypqTRKiIsycga5kqvU/s1600/5+Pumpkins+with+Students.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJvONmpONXIVb_T0RkVlII529Tia8gtah6oJqs11-scXnIdnK-wy724_I9fe1wQV-jh0X3UKAS259fftPmQejUEHX0SXSoJVc99i0hGiPbWfJxs6TH1i_gf4bOypqTRKiIsycga5kqvU/s400/5+Pumpkins+with+Students.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a little video if you'd like to hear how the song goes. My ESOL kids know all the words to the song now. If you leave the pumpkins in Math center, it's really sweet to watch the kids singing and talking with the pumpkins.</div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cm1qvX1ygOo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cm1qvX1ygOo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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So, my county decided that this year we would do addition and subtraction in October! :) Yikes! Some of my kids don't even know their numbers yet! I have to play catch-up and surround them with numbers all day long, especially for those that didn't have pre-K. My kids have also really expressed an interest in all things Halloween-y this year. Hence the creation of my Halloween Addition Cards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5DxewrPlyL-9SKFAcAEEvG5VvceE19XCMFJs-QPXBQdxPIJeB8C9_QqWIMCJrcbg_IGhRA0rBeypXcaze7k6xcFuZWXt3nbmBSN33HGzVyeEr605oOF1rCPzP1FpeTq66o0g7KS2Bdc/s1600/Candy+Corn+Addition+Cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5DxewrPlyL-9SKFAcAEEvG5VvceE19XCMFJs-QPXBQdxPIJeB8C9_QqWIMCJrcbg_IGhRA0rBeypXcaze7k6xcFuZWXt3nbmBSN33HGzVyeEr605oOF1rCPzP1FpeTq66o0g7KS2Bdc/s200/Candy+Corn+Addition+Cards.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJ27OA8lXmQc6dJg9XB20Wm5KIVHot9rAByEvO1RV56bpxGK4iO1vBjlMy5Dhl7HI5VwO6ZnZ6k69DK_ReIicZBiHBTcfHIgfbAO_2CakopaJ7qbP4tE7bYMvXpkYpZuPpkTMC6oPB4w/s1600/Pumpking+Addition+Cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJ27OA8lXmQc6dJg9XB20Wm5KIVHot9rAByEvO1RV56bpxGK4iO1vBjlMy5Dhl7HI5VwO6ZnZ6k69DK_ReIicZBiHBTcfHIgfbAO_2CakopaJ7qbP4tE7bYMvXpkYpZuPpkTMC6oPB4w/s200/Pumpking+Addition+Cards.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8kFbff_kH0sDFXV69C0ZQ5ndNloL_C3NZzRxxGAXxYvmN2Y8ZRgjCZz01w9Cy0aT-7qShhS9KEOCT1jzHDWYCxMPq5BZJ97fe4eaB7Fly2f99HL1R0ZAssv-2DIj9m7hGYHxPpROEgs/s1600/Spider+Addition+Cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8kFbff_kH0sDFXV69C0ZQ5ndNloL_C3NZzRxxGAXxYvmN2Y8ZRgjCZz01w9Cy0aT-7qShhS9KEOCT1jzHDWYCxMPq5BZJ97fe4eaB7Fly2f99HL1R0ZAssv-2DIj9m7hGYHxPpROEgs/s200/Spider+Addition+Cards.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I found that the party store has spiders and bats, and the grocery store has candy corns and pumpkins. I haven't done the ghosts yet (you can see the ghost clip art in the product), but I'm thinking of using white marshmallows. The thing that I like about the candy corns and the pumpkins is that they are not mushy like chocolate candy. I put them in Ziploc bags, ten to a bag, and the kids can use them during math class for problem solving, then take them home and ask their parents if they can eat them.<br />
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You can check out the Halloween Addition Cards <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Addition-Cards-2165461" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Addition-Cards-2165461" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Addition-Cards-2165461" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHIcpaGV7hwj2uFbIqwIUSsvF24Y3ELoUx3qT2D-r-b8x6J1sJAgpsHrYug6CvPbG3qpweB8mdRr6dx8tGn_cFlhBhAYjpvu0XFZ62SfrYwBjGHN0W7PDNGvHtsN8rkRy_JeUmCog4zM/s320/HALLOWEEN+ADDITION+CARDS+Cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I would love to get messages from you and find out how it's going in your classroom!<br />
<br />Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724811483398800915.post-16690888299553088082015-10-04T20:00:00.000-04:002015-10-04T20:00:59.662-04:00Captivating Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello, everybody!</div>
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My curriculum this year for math is very different from every other year. In the past, we've started with shapes and positions. But this year, we started with numerals, quantity, and counting. I found that many of my students that did not have pre-K were calling numerals "letters," "shapes," and all kinds of other terms that weren't numbers. You know what I mean. So I thought it would be really motivating to make differentiated number puzzles for my kids and have them work on them during morning work, and whenever they finish their other school work. After I assessed them and found out what numbers they needed to work on, I differentiated instruction by giving them these puzzles: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6j3WhaSklilxqgtFVYfkyMgDe9mZnYmYXwV00PVZ9h7eWLlq4zRVsrf8EcK_GAOdsXI_4HIA6RPHcRzAeDyxu8Niz3gEFI3484QJDC0eKZ-MnneDvr2ZsxIVeO9HCO3YEYYH2u1dUOg/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6j3WhaSklilxqgtFVYfkyMgDe9mZnYmYXwV00PVZ9h7eWLlq4zRVsrf8EcK_GAOdsXI_4HIA6RPHcRzAeDyxu8Niz3gEFI3484QJDC0eKZ-MnneDvr2ZsxIVeO9HCO3YEYYH2u1dUOg/s320/IMG_0794.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We used Microsoft Publisher to fit the range of numbers on a single page. Then we printed them out on colored card stock. We cut them individually, without guide lines, so that each puzzle would be unique. And the color of puzzle matches the color table they sit at. I put the cut-up puzzles in sandwich bags and had them in the kids' chair pockets by the time they arrived in the morning. They LOVED them!<br />
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We also took pictures of the students. I can't put them up yet, because I don't have all my photo release forms collected. But the students really enjoyed having their pictures taken while they were saying the numerals and putting the puzzles together. Teacher tip: You can also use these pictures for your students' portfolios and conferences.Sharon Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13597411837775747383noreply@blogger.com1