Phonemic Awareness Task Cards for CVC Words

 

Lately, I have been learning a lot about approaches to use with students with dyslexia. One thing I continue to hear is the importance of phonemic awareness. I've started including more phonemic awareness activities in my whole group instruction, because I believe it can benefit all students.

As I was reading about common strategies that do not help students with dyslexia, and can even be harmful, I realized that I was guilty of using some of these techniques in my classroom. One that I was surprised by was the boxes shaped like letters, which are supposed to help students identify the shapes of words. In theory, this sounds good, but it is actually harmful. 

 

Unfortunately, all of the small group phonics task cards I had purchased for use in my classroom used these types of boxes, which I had thought were effective. Of course, when we know better, we do better, so I could no longer use these task cards with my students. That meant that I had to make some new ones based on my current understanding of phonemic awareness.

I have created some CVC task cards with touch points for each sound in the word. Students identify the picture and say the name, then touch the dots one at a time, saying a sound for each touch.

Next, they write the letter that makes the sound they hear at each touch point.

The cards are self-checking, so the kids can flip them over to check their work, and then circle the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to keep track of how many they got right.

I wanted there to also be an ongoing tracking system to help kids remember which decks they need to practice and to motivate them to continue practicing. My students love earning items in online games, so I thought of a way to put this in paper form by creating scene builders.

Each student has a folder with a tracking sheet. They color in a star for each time they practice all 15 cards for one of the vowels.

After coloring in all three stars for one of the vowels, the kids earn an object to add to their farm scene.

This system is fun for kids and is based on best practices for phonemic awareness. It is easy to implement as an independent center, great for teacher-led small groups, or for kids to use with a partner.

You can get these cards here in my store or here in my TPT shop. I hope they help you create easy, meaningful small group work to develop solid phonemic awareness skills!

Keep teaching with heart and passion!

Morning Greeting Choices

I have an announcement to make! After five wonderful years in Pre-K, I am switching it up and moving to first grade this fall. I have the opportunity to teach closer to home, which will take over an hour off my daily travel time. I'm sad to leave my school and my little learners, but I am thrilled for more time with my family, and excited about new opportunities. I already have so many plans for first grade!

One thing I plan to implement is a morning greeting choice board. They are all the rage right now, and for good reason. They are such a great way to start every day by building relationships. Greeting students in their preferred way goes a long way toward establishing trust and respect.

This beautiful poster will hang outside my door, so that students can select how they want to be greeted every morning.

I've also included some options for differentiation. While I won't be in a special education position at my new school, I still have my special education license, and, more importantly, will always hold a special place in my heart for students with special needs, so my resources will continue to reflect that! This morning greeting choice kit contains a sensory-friendly poster with a plain background.

It also includes some individual choice boards for students who need it. I would use hook and loop tape on these and attach them to a clip board so that students can reuse them daily. These are great for students to use with a para!

My quick-reference lanyard visuals and potty training visuals have been so popular that I decided I needed to create a version for morning greeting choices!

While I anticipate most teachers will use the poster option, these layered morning greeting choices are ideal for staff members who aren't typically able to greet students at a classroom door. They're handy for administrators, counselors, or others who greet students daily, or for teachers who are working car rider duty, etc. They're also perfect for those days when you are greeting your students at an assembly instead of in your classroom.

I can't wait to put these into use this fall! Want to try it out yourself? Head on over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store to get all of these visuals to use in your own classroom!

Have any experience using morning greeting choices in your classroom? Leave a comment to tell me how it went for you!

Detective Activities

It's nearing the end of spring break here, so, in addition to spending time with my family, I've also been working on classroom resources. This post is short and to the point because I'm running short on time, but I had to share these new activities! I think you guys are going to love the latest addition to my TPT store: detective activities for letter and number recognition!

First, I have a letter detective activity that helps students learn to identify both upper and lower case letters. They color in all the squares with the specified letter to reveal the hidden letter.

Next is the same concept, but with numbers! The number detective activity focuses on number recognition for numbers 0-20. Again, when they color in the correct squares, a hidden number is revealed. It makes checking work easy, and it's super fun for the kids.

These activities are part of my new Kindergarten Morning Work for the ENTIRE school year, or you can get them individually here:
Letter Detective Activity
Number Detective Activity

I hope you enjoy!

Visuals Lanyard for Behavior Expectations

I hear often about the importance of using visuals with students with special needs. It's true that visuals provide a good way to communicate with these kiddos, as some of them do better with processing an image than the spoken word. I like to take visuals one step further, and use them with all early childhood students. My classroom is made up of students with special needs, and those who are at risk, including a high number of ESOL students. I have found that all of them respond positively to visuals!

Visuals provide the advantage of actually showing students your expectation. I also love that they can be used to give a direction while you are still teaching. Often, in the middle of a lesson, I will hold up a visual to a student who is off-task, while not missing a beat with my instruction. This is why I LOVE the quick-reference design of these visuals in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Another powerful thing about visuals is that they lead to fewer power struggles and defiant behaviors. Students don't feel as challenged when presented with a visual as they do with a verbal command. They don't feel as much like they were called out in front of their peers; in fact, often times their classmates don't even notice the direction has been given, since the teacher is able to continue seamlessly with instruction. While this doesn't hold true 100% of the time, and of course some students will still choose to not listen, I have found that, by and large, a child who is calmly shown a visual to "sit" or "be quiet" will respond better to it than being told verbally to "sit" or "be quiet".

I attach these visuals to my lanyard so that they are always ready to go. When needed, I usually hold up the visual and give it a tap, then when the student complies I give a quick smile and a thumbs-up. We have an entire exchange without any words, and without them feeling embarrassed in front of their classmates. It's quick, easy, and effective.

If you have any experience with using visuals for behavior expectations in your classroom, I would love to hear about it! Drop me a comment below!

Using Task Boxes for Small Group Work

You all know I love finding ways to streamline my planning time. It's important for me to have meaningful tasks for my students, and it is just as important that I have time for my family outside of work, so I strive to keep things as simple as possible. My favorite new thing this year is using task boxes for small groups. They are ready to go, and they have enough variety that I don't have to plan for them the rest of the school year. Yes, you read that right--my small groups are completely planned for the year. Happy dance! Speaking of planning for the year at once, check out this post about morning work for the year, and this post about age-appropriate Pre-K homework for the year.
(Edited to add: Of course I still do planning during the school year for everything else, like whole groups and content instruction; this is only for independent student tasks. I also plan teacher-led small groups as we go, because they are dependent on student skill levels and current areas of need. Additionally, I tweak the task boxes as needed depending on the skill levels of my students.)

Now, I'll be honest with you, this took a TON of planning time up front. I spent weeks over the summer researching ideas and gathering materials. I was 9 months pregnant, so I just pretty much laid around on my couch with my laptop researching and creating task boxes. 

I got the initial idea from a friend and fellow teacher who uses task boxes for IEP goal work in her classroom. She showed me her system and I loved it! In her classroom, all of her kiddos are on IEPs, so they need individual task boxes. My setup is different; teaching in a Unified classroom, about a quarter of my kids are on IEPs, and the rest are at-risk. I needed activities that 3 or 4 kids could complete at a time while I worked with one group on a teacher-led task. 

I decided to have 4 types of boxes: Writing, Reading, Math, and Fine Motor. I have 8 activities for each skill type, for a total of 32 boxes. All of the labels for one skill type are the same color. Fine motor boxes have blue labels, math boxes have green, reading boxes have red, and writing boxes have yellow. Then there is a different symbol on each box.

Each week, I pick one symbol—for example, boxes with squares. Each table group does one box each day, rotating so that by the end of the week they have each completed the activities in the square label math box, reading box, writing box, and fine motor box. The fifth group is a teacher-led group, working on whatever tasks I feel like they need to target. This gives me vital small group intervention time while my other students are still working on targeted skills.

Since I have 8 of each type of box, it takes 8 weeks to get through all of the task boxes, at which point I start the rotations again. This way, students are only repeating activities every 8 weeks, and I am not scrambling for small group ideas every week. It has worked so smoothly so far!

I also have a little cheat sheet with the list of tasks that are in each box.

Since this has helped me so much this year, I have decided to make the labels and master list available in my TPT store for FREE! Click here to download it! Of course, some of the things on my list are curriculum specific, and others I created myself, so the list may not work for you as-is, but hopefully it will be helpful in generating ideas. The good news, though, is that the file is fully editable so that you can customize it to your needs.

Here are some pictures of just a few of the boxes.

I hope this is helpful, and I would love to hear ideas you have for task boxes, or how you would utilize them in your classroom!

Easy Classroom Setup with Fun Classroom Decor Bundles

It's mid-July and we are now past Independence Day, which means it's the time of year we start seeing back to school stuff everywhere. I know that makes us teachers do a deep sigh, as we just want to enjoy our last few weeks of summer. However, this is also a great time to start getting things ready for the next year before the insanity of in-service and professional development starts.

I've been working on projects like purposeful morning work for the entire year, (get yours here!), and setting up task boxes for small groups. I'm really excited about my new task boxes, and plan to share them with you after I'm back in my classroom this fall.

All of that purposeful planning takes time, so today, I wanted to share lots of classroom decor and organizational items in several fun themes to make your classroom setup a breeze. Whether you want something whimsical and cute, or a little more sophisticated, I have decor you're sure to love!

I offer the components individually, and also as part of money-saving bundles. Each of my themes is available in two smaller bundles; one is geared toward early childhood, with things like alphabet, shapes, and color posters; the other, called my teacher organization bundle, has labels, name plates, and the like, and is appropriate for all of elementary. Or, save even more and buy the complete bundle, with all of the resources in each theme! There are also some great coordinating freebies like welcome banners and file, grade, and copy labels, so make sure to check them out in my TPT store!

These classroom decor items make classroom setup so simple--just print and go, and you've got a totally coordinated classroom, with everything from job charts to birthday calendars to teacher toolbox labels. Many of the components are even editable, to make life easier for you! What's better than a darling, coordinated, welcoming classroom with as little effort as possible? That classroom environment is so important, but easy setup allows you to focus on what's truly vital: planning quality education for your learners.


Currently, I have 9 themes available in my store:

Yellow, Teal, and Gray--my bestselling theme! It's simple, pretty, and classy. Great for upper elementary!

Chalkboard decor is all the rage right now! I love this clean look for any grade level.

Is there anything more classic for early childhood than primary colors?

I love this versatile popcorn theme! Use as-is, or pair it with circus animals or movie and film decor!

Who wouldn't love some mischievous monkeys to liven up their classroom?

This comic book theme is fun for all ages, and a hit with teachers whose style isn't so "cutesy".

Check out this Candy Shop themed decor to lend a whimsical feel to your classroom!

This colorful decor pack is fresh and bright!

This black and white classroom decor is perfect for when you don't have access to a color printer, but still want a cute room!

I hope you enjoy these classroom decor themes, and if you have any ideas for future themes, leave them in the comments!

Bakery Dramatic Play Center

I have had this dramatic play center in the works for a while, and am so excited to finally have it up and listed here in my shop (or here in my TPT store)!

What kid doesn't love pretending to cook? The kitchen is always one of the most popular learning labs in my classroom.

This bakery center is particularly awesome, because it can be used as-is, with play food, or you can really extend the fun by using it with play dough!

It includes recipes for kids to follow to make their favorite bakery treats; the recipes allow them to practice following step-by-step directions and simple how-to texts. Of course, there are pictures for each step to allow pre-readers to join in on the fun, or to provide scaffolding for emerging readers. I bound the recipes together to create a cookbook, and it is just adorable!

The menu, order pads, and guest checks allow for differentiation, as there are different options included. The menu is included with and without prices listed. The order pads use pictures only, which students can simply circle to indicate the customer's order.

The guest checks include lines for students to write the price of items ordered and total them at the bottom, allowing for math practice through writing numerals and performing simple addition.

Both the ordering sheet and guest check include a full-color sheet, which can be laminated and used again and again with dry erase markers, and black and white half sheets, which are easy to copy and staple together to make ordering pads like they would see in an actual restaurant. 

This set also includes a shop sign, open and closed signs, and a daily specials board with interchangeable pictures, as well as the menu, ordering pads, guest checks, and recipes.

Watching kids engrossed in dramatic play is one of the cutest things in the world to me. I love how much they get to use language, and it's entertaining to see how they emulate the world around them. They notice so much more than they usually get credit for!

I hope you and your students love this new bakery dramatic play center! Get it here on my website, or here in my TPT store, and tell me about your favorite dramatic play centers in the comments!

Early Childhood Classroom Scavenger Hunts

You know when you try something new with your students, unsure of how it will go, and then they blow you away with how well they do? That's exactly how scavenger hunts have gone in my Pre-K classroom. They are my new favorite activity to do with students! It gets them up and moving, and working together.

The first time we attempted a scavenger hunt, I was sure it was going to be a disaster. I put the kids in pairs, showed them how to check things off their list, and turned them loose with a clipboard and a pen. Then I waited for mass chaos to ensue...and it didn't. Maybe it was because they felt grown up using pens and clip boards, maybe it was because they were able to use some critical thinking skills, or maybe it was because they felt I trusted them and rose to the occasion--whatever the reason, my students worked hard! They synergized and found all of the items on their lists, very methodically checking off items. It was the cutest thing ever, and definitely one of those "this is why I teach" moments.

Since that initial success, I have made scavenger hunts to target many different skills. I have a scavenger hunt for colors, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, textures, beginning sounds, rhyming words, and functional pairs. They provide a great way for students to demonstrate understanding of a topic, and, just as importantly, the kids love them! Yes, the kids need a little guidance as most of them are not yet able to read the words, but there are picture clues on the sheets to help out. The visuals on the page really assist them in completing the activity more independently. Additionally, the words used in the beginning sounds and rhyming hunts are all sight words or simple CVC words, so some students are able to complete them all on their own, depending on their level. My students who need a little more help check in with me when they are ready to search for their next item, then go off on their own to find it. That gives me the chance to make sure they are on track as they go, but gives them the freedom to show what they know. And they know a lot more than we sometimes give them credit for!

Get your scavenger hunts here, and enjoy watching your little learners show off their skills!