Snowmen You Can Count On! (common core aligned) and a FREEBIE!

Hi All, This is Deb from Fabulously First and I wanted to check in with all of you and see if everyone survived all the snow we have had recently!  

I live in Georgia and we actually saw flurries but no bad weather for us here like some of you have had.  You know if we see a flurry in Georgia the schools close down in a split second.  LOL

This year our only inclement weather day we had was because of some really low temperatures and the school system didn't want students standing out at bus stops in frigid temperatures.  

Speaking of FREEZING!  I have a great little product freebie that meets the following standards that is great for independent centers or a whole class activity.

    Click the Image to Download the FREEBIE!

Extend the Counting Sequence:

CCSS Math Standard 1.NBT.A.1

Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120.  In this range, read and write numerals and represent a number of objects with a written numeral.

CCSS Math Content 1.NBT.B.3

Compare two two digit numbers base on meanings of the tens and ones digits, recording the results of comparisons with the symbols >, +, and <.

CCSS Math Content 1.NBT.B.2c

The numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 refer to one, two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine tens (and 0 ones)

CCSS Math Content 1.NBT.C.5

Given a two-digit number, mentally find 10 more or 10 less than the number without having to count; explain the reasoning used.

If you download the free product and you are interested in the full product please click on the image below.

Thanks for stopping by Primary Chalkboard today for reading and grabbing your FREEBIE!  Stay warm everyone!

100th Day is Here (Or Almost Here)!

The 100th Day of School is one of my favorites! 

It's very momentous for those little ones. 

Here are a few ideas for you guys to think about! 

First, you should try a family project.

Ask them to make some sort of project together using 100 items. 

I got a variety of collections, art work, and very unique posters! 

Another fun activity is to use this freebie exercises page...

This freebie sheet is free on Google Docs, but it is part of my 100th Day pack! 

Here are some of my kiddos last year working out! 

Check out this freebie from Anna! 

Use Scholastic Book Orders to use 100th Day math! 

Making Words with One Hundred Days

This is part of my 100th Day pack as well. :-) 

Make a school train! 

Each classroom gets 4 trains (or 1 if you want a small train). Classrooms must decorate with 100 items. We did this at my old school and it turned out really cute! 

Thanks guys for reading! 

-Jessica from Second Grade Nest-

Some Winter Fun

Hi Guys!
It's Faith from 1st Grade Fantabulous.  I'm not sure that you checked in the last few days, but we have had an awesome giveaway full of Martin Luther King Jr. products.  Well, my friend Latoya picked three winners yesterday.

The winners of our giveaway are:

Now, I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE Pinterest ideas and freebies, but this time of year it is hard to make time to go see what is out there.  Winter seems to leave me a little tired and at times unmotivated.  So, I visited the Primary Chalkboard (PC) blogs and found some of my favorite January activities.  You can click on any of the pictures and it will take you to that PC blog so you can read about what they were doing.

#1 Homemade Snow

#2 Melted Snowman

#3 Snow Globe Writing

#4 Opposite Mittens

#5 Loco for Cocoa

#6 Painted Snowman

Alright friends, I hope you have a great night!  I'll be back next month to share some incredibly cool February ideas from some of my other PC friends.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Products Giveaway

Hi everyone!  It's Latoya from Flying into First Grade !!!

As you gear up for Martin Luther King, Jr. week with your kiddos we are happy to announce that The Primary Chalkboard is having a MLK, Jr. giveaway!!!  As you scroll down you will see many great products that you can win!!!  Check out the products below!!!

P.S. You will find some MLK, Jr. freebies too!!!

Good Luck!!!

Products You Can Win

Some MLK, Jr. FREEBIES

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winter Restlessness...Classroom Management for the Long, Cold Days

With winter break being a distant thing of the past, we're trying to get in our 2014 groove. Our students are too. It's hard coming off of breaks, but there is definitely something to be said about getting back into the swing of things.

We're not going to let our students freeze up this winter with their behavior. We hold high expectations of our first graders, and each time we do they prove us right! We like that part. :)

Here's a few tried and true classroom management ideas...Polar Vortex style. Well, winter style, but didn't that sound so much cooler? 

When we grew up, we had to walk uphill in the snow both ways being asked to write your name on the classroom board was not a privilege. But, it is in our class! Simply draw a thematic character up on your white board or on a piece of large construction paper or butcher paper. Leave colorful markers nearby. Call students up throughout the day to write their name in the snowman. They love it! We call on them as many times as they are caught. Some end up in the snowman 2-3 times before the day is up.

 

 At the end of the day, we let all the students who were "caught in the snowman" head to our class Sticker Station. It's just a tub that hold stickers. Easy! We throw seasonal stickers in there too each month to keep it fresh and fun! To read more about our Sticker Station Basics click {here}.

 Each of our students keeps a Sticker Board inside of their desks. We made generic ones which you can grab for free {here}.

But, today we've made exclusive Snowy Sticker Boards just for our Primary Chalkboard followers! 

Click {here} to grab your own Snowy Sticker Boards.

 You've probably heard of a class marble jar...We put a spin on an old classic just by changing the color and calling the contents a different name. It's all in the packaging sometimes...Ha! During winter, our students work together to earn class "icicles". Each time they are working together as a team to follow our class goals, they earn an icicle. When they earn 50, they vote on a class celebration. In December, we celebrated with a class Polar Express Hot Cocoa Party...Basically movie and hot cocoa station. But, other months we keep it simple ~ Extra recess, class free time, you get the idea.

 Getting our class to work quietly can be a consistent challenge in our class. But, not with the help of some stuffed friends. Each month, we have a stash of stuffed animals that float around the classroom, on the hunt for the hardest, quietest workers. Once found, they swing by for a visit while the student works. Amazing how quiet they get just when we pick him up! This month, Snowball the Snowman will be making his rounds in hopes of catching them for stickers or icicles.

Thinking outside the box when it comes to classroom management is one of our favorite things about teaching. We are firm believers that if we can't behave, we can't learn. 
In fact, we feel so strongly about students truly engaging in their learning at a young age, that we've just finished up our latest project to help them become great listeners.

 Listen Up! 
Auditory Activities for Little Listeners
Active listening is essential in today's classroom and world. Yet, even as veteran teachers, we're finding it more and more challenging to really get today's fast paced students to listen attentively. Listen Up! is helping our students move towards independent, active listening skills in meaningful and fun ways.
Visit our blog for more details.  

There's Snow Business like Snow Business!

For me, today is 'Back to School Eve'!  I don't know about you guys, but...this break was so relaxing and fun!  I had a real blast! :)  I really miss my kiddos...but...R&R?  You can NEVER have too much of that, you know?

So...what's a Florida blogger like me know about snow?

Ha ha!

Quite a bit, actually!  I grew up in New Jersey and had plenty of it in the winters! :)

Even though I'm not snow bound during the winters any more...I still like a snowy center or two in the winter! :)

Right before the break, I made some really cute melted snowman ornaments with my kids!

We had a blast making these together. Explicit instructions for this can be found HERE.

Thanks Marie for sharing the idea with me! :)

Before we left on the break, the students and I were working on non-standard measurement.

We used pop-cubes to create a winter scene with snowmen.

I graded them on a rubric. We turned it into a Christmas Dinner Placemat!

Check it out!

I made two different freebies recently for my word work stations.  One for nouns and one for adjectives.

If you'd like this freebie for your class, please click HERE.

If you would like the nouns freebie, that one is on my blog.

You can click HERE for that! :)

Latoya from Flying into First has a brand new winter writing freebie that has TONS of 'snow' words in it! :)

If you'd like to download this for your 'snow-stash'...click HERE!

Hope you have a wonderful first week back with your kids! :)