Autumn Math and Literacy Centers

Autumn is my favorite time of the year! I grew up in Chicago, and always welcomed the cool weather, changing colors, and sweaters. I have lived in Phoenix for 8 years, and I'm still not accustomed to the lack autumn here in the desert. That is why I was so excited to make my fall unit! It brought back so many fall memories of when I was growing up in Chicago. 

Inside this bundle are a total of TEN centers for your classroom. There are five math centers and five literacy centers as detailed below. You can check out the bundle in my store here. 

This bundle is packed with everything autumn including: 

-pumpkins

-leaves

-acorns

-scarecrows

-birds

-small animals

-and kids

I love how quick and easy these these centers are. All you have to do is print, cut, and put them in a basket, and you are ready to go!

True or False Acorns - 
Students determine if each equation is true or false with these lifelike acorns. You can have students fix the false ones to make them true on a piece of paper. 

Base Ten Match Up - 

This is memory game where students match the numeral to the base ten representation. Such a fun way to practice place value concepts!

Line Up the Pumpkins - 

This center helps student place number in order either from greatest to least or least to greatest. There is a lot of room for differentiation in this center. You can choose 4 or 5 numbers for students, or they practice 10 or more! Numbers range from 0 to 100.

Addition Bingo
I love the personal Autumn themed bingo boards! These are perfect for a math center. There can between two and six players.

ABC Order

Fall into Order - 

This is such a fin way for students to practice their sequencing skills to help them comprehend better. Being able to retell the events in a story is crucial to understanding the story. Students just grab the sentences that have the same picture and they are ready to go!

Sight Word Memory - 
Each word pair has the same picture to scaffold student learning.

Fall into Story Time - 

This is one of my favorite centers because it allows for student creativity. This is a great narrative writing center. This can also be done whole group because there are 9 different story prompts. There is a story map and writing paper included in this center. 

Check out the whole pack here!

I am so excited to share this bundle with you! Remember that all products in my store are half off for the first forty eight hours!


Happy (early) Autumn!!

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Short Vowel Word Work is Now Here!

I am so excited to share my new short vowel word work pack with you! I love how interactive this word work is, using different supplies from around the classroom. It's perfect for word work during centers. It is also great for struggling students who need extra practice with short vowels. The visuals are a great help! To check this great product out click here or on any of the pictures!

                 

 Highlighting Houses gives students an opportunity to decode words and highlight the color according to its word family. 

Cut and Sort gives students an opportunity to interact with the sounds and sort them according to their word family.

Word Hunt gives students an opportunity to find words in different word families. This can be a great challenge with so many letters mixed in!      

Color by Code gives students an opportunity to find words in a given word family and color them according to that word family. 

I hope your students enjoy these activities as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Happy Teaching!!

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Seating Arrangements

26 students. 26 desks. Endless possibilities for seating arrangements. How can we make just ONE decision when deciding seat placements for our students? 

First:

Check IEPs, 504 Plans, and medical records for students who need preferential seating. Students who have visual or auditory issues will need to be seated closest to the front of the room. 

Second:

After you get a feel for your students' behaviors, move students who struggle with attention towards the front of the classroom. Another option for these students is seating them on the outside of your desk cluster. If they are enclosed and near other students they may be easily distracted. Allow them to have easy access to get up and move if they need to. 

Third and Fourth:

Mix boys and girls as evenly as possibly. I like to alternate their placement so they are mixed as much as possible. This allows them to interact and collaborate with students they may not play with otherwise.

I also like to mix students to work with people they have not worked with before. It is important that students step out of their comfort zone and share ideas with new peers. Working with friends is great (and give your students these opportunities,) but open their minds to new peers. This is very beneficial for them!

Fifth: 
When students don't get along or work well with another student, I sometimes purposely place them next to one another. This varies per situation. Why? In life we sometimes have to work with people that just aren't our cup of tea. Teaching and guiding students to work out their problems with their peers is a lifelong lesson! Children need to learn to work well with others, and that includes everyone. This strategy does not always work, but I have been successful with it time after time.

Sixth: 
Teach on!!

Happy Teaching!!

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First Grade Math Journal through the Year!

It's here! I am so excited that my year long math journal is finally finished, edited, and ready to go! This math journal is packed with problem solving and scaffolds for the year! The rigor increases as the math journal progress through the school year. Just print double sided, staple, and watch your mathematicians' skills sky rocket! Check it out here or by clicking on any of the pictures!!

Problem solving is a crucial skill for all students to have, even outside of mathematics. These journals will help your students learn to solve mathematical problems, solve the problems in different ways, and understand the deep meaning of the skills they are being taught. Plus, they are fun!

I always have my students share their math journals with the class. This allows for students to be able to see how others are working on the same problem. It is important to look at different ways to solve one problem. It also allows students to practice speaking to an audience and explain their work. 

I have created this freebie rubric to go along with the math journals! It is a super easy way to assess your students' progress. I like to staple a rubric onto a random problem throughout the week. It is so amazing to see the progress through the year! Click here or the picture to download for FREE!! 

Back to the math journals: 

There is a total of six units, which are also sold separately. 

First Grade Math Journal Unit 1: Addition and Subtraction to 10

First Grade Math Journal Unit 2: Addition and Subtraction to 20

First Grade Math Journal Unit 3: Measurement

First Grade Math Journal Unit 4:Place Value and Addition & Subtraction to 40

First Grade Math Journal Unit 5: Shapes and Fractions

First Grade Math Journal Unit 6: Comparison, Place Value, and Addition & Subtraction

Be sure to follow me on Facebook for freebies and giveaways!! 

Happy teaching!!

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August Currently

So excited for my first "Currently." I am linking up with Oh, Boy 4th Grade for this August Currently!

Listening - I need some powerful and upbeat tunes help power me through these first few weeks of back to school! It has been a crazy few weeks (as it always is,) but well worth all the work!

Loving - This stuff is AMAZING! It's a great way to help cool off during this 115 degree Phoenix summer! I'm so obsessed!

Thinking - We adopted a new reading program this year. I'm eager to learn about everything it has to offer!

Wanting - I would love a new road bike to cruise around town in. Such a great way to save on gas and get some exercise.

Needing - I am over this Phoenix summer! I am need it to cool off already! This stormy weekend has brought the temperatures down a tad. :) 

1st day - We have already begun our school year and we are off to a great start. I am looking forward to all the adventures my class will have this year! 

Head over to Oh, Boy 4th Grade to read some more currentlies!

Happy August!!

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