Short U Sound CVC Practice

 It's March and some of my students are still struggling with CvC words. Those short vowel words that you have tried a million different ways to help your kids learn. The short vowel sounds can be hard for some kids to master. They can easily get confused, especially when you start to introduce the long vowel sounds. Repeated practice is KEY to creating a solid foundation. How can we make this fun and meaningful when it feels like we are always working on the same skill? 

I recently made a slide deck using powerpoint and Google Slides for the Short U Sound, and my kids went NUTS! They loved checking their answers and revealing the Spring Mystery Picture with every correct answer. They were totally engaged! 

It can be hard to create fun and meaning fun was for students to get some much needed cvc practice. Especially in the days of hybrid and distance learning. This digital slide game for cvc words short u was such a hit that I will be making more short vowel games for my kids to try out. So excited to change up our phonics routine this spring. 

3 Sight Word Practice Ideas for a Digital Classroom

I love sight word worksheets. I mean I LOVE sight word worksheets with my entire teacher heart. A fun easy low prep way for my kids to get much needed sight word practice, and bonus they actually want to do it! Who wouldn’t love that? But what happens with distance learning?

SIGHT WORD PRACTICE

What happens to those sight word worksheets when you’re not in a physical classroom? They just don’t work with digital, trust me I tried. Those sight word practice activities that are tried and true just don’t always translate to the digital screen. I cannot wait until the time when we are back to full time in the classroom face to face teaching and my beautiful sight word practice centers can come back out, but for now we need a digital option, we need some new sight word practice ideas.

SIGHT WORD PRACTICE ONLINE GAMES

Now I know a lot of people are using Boom cards for online games and those look really really cool. I mean seriously jealous over here. However my district isn’t supporting that platform and I am guessing there may be a few of you out there with me. Right? Seriously I hope I am not the only one.

So for those of you in the same boat as me I started thinking of some digital sight word practice ideas that could be fun and engaging while still being low teacher prep, because if it is even possible our workload got heavier this year!

SIGHT WORD PRACTICE IDEAS

1. Sight Word Shout out!

Ok so I know we have been teaching our kids all about Zoom meeting etiquette and using our indoor voices during our Zoom meetings, but this game will give them a chance to let loose and be the crazy kids they are. Just like in the classroom my kids love shouting out our sight words during our flash cards time. They just can’t help it. They love to be loud! Whither you're using a Jack Hartman sight word Rap song on you tube (personal favorite) or using a powerpoint slide show of specific words (Brilliant)! This will allow your students to let loose, get loud, and have fun practicing those all important sight words. I recommend doing this in small groups as it can get a little crazy!

2. Sight Word Flipgrid Flash Cards

  This last spring I used Flipgrid as an assessment tool. It saved my life and really allowed me to get a sight word assessment for each of my students without having to arrange one on one zoom meetings. Use a pdf list of sight words and attach it to your flipgrid topic. Students can record themselves reading off the list of sight words. BONUS you can set the recording time for 1 min! I loved using this for fluency. If you have’t already checked this out as a possible digital sight word assessment, you should! 

3. Sight Word Builders

My absolute favorite sight word worksheet or sight word activity were the ones that pulled double duty. Maybe they were sight word sentences that helped my students work on sight words and conventions. Maybe they were sight word coloring pages that combined sight word practice with art. Or maybe they combined phonics with sight word practice using beginning picture sounds to spell out the sight words. These worksheets always gave me the most bang for my buck! 

Are you looking to up your digital sight word games?

Check out these Sight Word Builders featuring the First 25 Fry Words, they will save you time and engage your students with digital sight word practice. 

Also available in a money saving bundle featuring the first 100 Fry Words! 

Check Out My TPT STORE for more digital center activities for Kindergarten and First Grade. 

First Grade Chapter Book Study : Using The Alien Next Door Series

 Last year, before COVID made all our lives a little crazy, I had a problem. And it was a wonderful problem to have. Our first grade class had a large group of above grade level readers. I KNOW! What a problem. So incredibly proud of how far they had come but they needed more from me.

So I got together with another first grade teacher who had taught second grade the year before and we came up with a solution for intervention. A first grade chapter book study! We took the handful of higher level readers from each first grade class to create a group that would participate in literacy circle time activities. 

These kids would be reading a chapter from the book every couple of days and use a text dependent questions worksheet to model comprehension and discuss their thoughts with each other. 

Now that we had a plan we needed to find the book. I already had 10 copies of a favorite chapter book series that I used for read alouds so we decided in the name of time we would chose them, The Alien Next Door Series! Kids love love love it! (and bonus it has a diverse set of characters) We were a little nervous at first since The Alien Next Door reading level is a 3rd grade reading level. (DRA 34-38, F&P O, Lexile 530)

Once we found the book we needed to make the novel study workbooks. Here is where we ran into another problem. I have been spoiled when it comes to TPT and I took for granted that it would always have exactly what I was looking for… Well this time it didn't. There was NOTHING for a book study of The Alien Next Door. 

   

Not to panic. Not to panic. We had already told the kids the title of the book they were going to start next week so we couldn’t and wouldn't turn back now. So I buckled down and made this especially for my students. It was so amazing to watch them get deep into the text and work to answer text dependent questions, learning to use evidence from the text, and just generally loving reading, because reading is fun! 

   

This resource worked so well for my kids and I know they'll work well with yours! Check them out and watch your kids dive deep into The Alien Next Door book series. Perfect for independent readers in first, second, or third grade.

Color by Number Worksheets

I love color by number worksheets! I use them year round with my first graders, they are one of our favorite tools to use for independent student work. One of the best things about using the same type of worksheet year round is that my students build familiarity with it and gain independent work stamina over time.

Fall themed Color by Number- Addition to 10

Trying to run a small group, or check in with a student who needs extra help is virtually impossible if your class can't work independently. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially for those of us that teach the younger grades. Some teachers just don't think that 5-6 year olds can be independent so they don't even try. I am here to tell you that they CAN be and SHOULD be independent! This is how we get them to believe in themselves, build a growth mindset, and achieve their goals.

One of the ways I do this is with familiar and KNOWN activities. These are the activities that show up in my classroom every week, every month, all year long! And one of our favorite activities is the color by number coloring pages!

All kids love to color, even the big ones, so give them some purposeful coloring that reviews what you've been learning in math all month. I like to use mine to help boost fact fluency. Repeated exposure to these equations is going to pay off now in first grade and create automaticity in 2nd grade. At the beginning of the year, and after any major break, we review our classroom and activity expectations and routines. One of the activities we spend time explicitly teaching and reviewing is always our color by number pages. Once we have gone over the skill reviewed in the color by number printable the kids are ready and set to go!

                                       

I make sure to have them be fresh images that get the kids excited about what the mystery picture might be. We have Fall color by number worksheets, space themed, Halloween, Christmas, Spring, and any other them or character you can imagine. And my students LOVE it. They never get tired of using the color by number coloring pages, and bonus they are reviewing their number sense, addition and Subtraction skills at the same time. 

Try out this FREE color by number for kindergarten that focuses on number identification, click image to grab your copy!

Flexible Seating with Social Distancing

So we are going back into the building and the CDC recommends that we keep the kids 6 feet apart. Ya you heard that right, keep 5 year olds six feet apart. How the heck do we do that?! Might seem pretty overwhelming and unattainable, even with a reduced class rotation. But it is totally doable! 

I use flexible seating in my classroom. What is flexible seating? Flexible seating can vary from class to class but overall it is non traditional seating options which allow for student choice and teaches them to find what learning space works best for them. And best of all, flexible seating is research based. (thats a whole other blog).  The flexible seating benefits are insane! The one benefit to flexible seating I am going to talk about now though is that with flexible seating you will be able to utilize MORE of your classroom and help to create that “social distance” while still creating a classroom community filled with learners.

Ok, so If you have been using a traditional layout for your classroom this is going to seem radical, but a flexible seating layout doesn’t have to seem chaotic when done right. A flexible seating layout will have you using chairs and traditional desks while also utilizing things like TV trays, clip boards, wiggle seats, and yoga balls. 

I have been using flexible seating in my classroom now for four years. It started out of necessity as I was co-teaching and we had 40 plus kindergarteners in one room. It quickly became obvious that flexible seating was IT. It was the thing I had been missing to create a productive community of independent kindergartners. Yes, thats right 5 year olds that would work independently, assess and adjust their own learning! I was in heaven.

Ok back to how you can use a flexible seating layout in your classroom to create six feet of social distance without it seeming cold and alien in you and your classroom. First you need to decide how deep you want to go. Do you want to fully embrace flexible seating options and grab some yoga ball chairs? Or does that thought of kindergarteners bouncing at their desks while you're teaching make you break out in a sweat? 

Well, one thing is for sure, our “traditional” desks aren’t going to be an option this year. Here are some ways I have used flexible seating in my classroom effectively these last 4 years.

1. Clip Boards - This may seem super simple, and it is. Some students just cannot keep themselves at a desk and end up laying on the floor. You know what I’m talking about right? Well, give that student a clip board and LET THEM work from the floor. You will be amazed at how productive they will be in their preferred space. 
2. Kids activity or TV Trays - Ok I bought these kids activity trays off Amazon but I know they have them at Micheals and Walmart as well. These are the perfect mini desk and can be used in any part of the classroom! This is one of the options that is always in demand. 
3. Portable Lap Desk - These are the more expensive version of the activity try and might be a better fit for the upper elementary sized kids. I’ll be honest I haven’t used these yet (they didn’t fit into my teacher budget) but they are waiting patiently in my Amazon cart for next year.
4. Yoga Ball Chairs - These are what make some of the more seasoned teachers, you know the teachers who have been doing this for years, the most nervous, but they shouldn't! These yoga balls allow for those kids who just can’t seem to stop moving to work with a little bounce. Happily bouncing while getting their reading done. Now these are the flexible seating option that needs the MOST training and practice. Hey I have had to put the yoga balls in ‘time out’ when they weren't being used properly so I get it. However they are worth the effort.
5. Exercise Disks - Those flat inflatable disks that kill you in the gym? Yup those. They act as a pillow or cushion (since we won’t be allowed to have those in the rooms next year) I have my student’s use these at our low desks or at the kid activity trays.
6. Standing Table - Yea thats right its just a table I had adjusted to its tallest option (thanks to my amazing custodian) You would be surprised how many kids just don't want to sit down. 
7. Small Single Student Desks - I also usually have 2 - 3 solo desks for kids that just need some of their own space. I get those little LACK desk from IKEA (usually about $7) There is always a student who discovers that they need to be alone in order to get their work done.

Ok now how do you implement a flexible seating layout in your classroom? Slowly. It takes time for kids to learn our new seating options, especially if they have never been given an option before. I introduce all the options that are available in my class, as well as the rules for those options. We review the rules A LOT in the beginning of the year. I also make every student try all of the options before giving them the choice. That way they re familiar with each option. Now in a normal year I would let the students choose their seat every morning as a part of our morning routine. Now that student spaces are going to have to be cleaned after each student? I am thinking they will choose their option for a couple days or even a week. 

Now you have the flexible seating tools you can get rid of , or push to the side, those huge tables that take up 75% of your room. Now without those you are able to create a classroom where students can learn and still use social distancing. I will be using those velcro carpet dots to help students understand their zone, or 6 ft bubble space. This will provide a visual cue for the younger students who may have the most trouble keeping to their own zone. 

Classroom Newsletters

Are we heading back into the building next year? We really don't know, but one thing is for sure, parent communication is KEY to a successful year. We need to be able to effectively communicate with parents so we can be a team. Especially if we are going to start the 2020 school year at home doing distance learning and not in our classrooms. 

These templates for classroom newsletters can be used traditionally, just type and print, then send them home. Or if we are not in a traditional building they can be used as digital newsletters, sent via email, google classroom, or using parent communication apps like Remind. These classroom newsletter templates are perfect and come with cute seasonal themes for the entire year.

With monthly design options for monthly classroom newsletters, available in color or black & white. As well as weekly designs, for more frequent parent communication.

Before this year I used these classroom newsletter templates in the traditional old school way. I just clicked on the text box, edited the classroom newsletter information, and printed it out. Off it went in my student backpacks. (Some more successfully than others)

Now with this year bringing some extra parent communication challenges, I had to step up my game. So I converted my print resource to digital. Next year I will be sending out our classroom newsletter to parents via email and posting it on our google classroom. These templates are fully editable and come with pre made headers or an editable header option. Ready to go with text boxes to make our teacher lives easy.

Now I still plan on sending it traditionally , because for some parents that is still the best way to communicate. But now I will have an easy digital option for if they year goes sideways again.

Welcome

My name is Katie and I am The Iced Latte Teacher! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I am a primary classroom teacher with endorsements in Elementary Education and as a Reading Specialist. I have my master’s degree and am passionate about student choice. This will be my 8th year in front of the classroom and my 13th year in education. I believe that all students can become independent learners with a goal getter’s mindset. I have recently started creating resources and sharing them on Teachers Pay Teachers. Join me as I explore the crazy world of teaching to little humans.