Anchor Chart ROUND UP!

Hey everyone! Karen here from Mrs. Jones's Kindergarten! 

The year seems to be winding down for many of us (okay I still have over 40 days left... but let's not get picky), so I thought I would do a little anchor chart recap from the year!

Now first, let's be honest. If you are OCD like me, you have a love/hate relationship with anchor charts. Hate when you have to do the hurryletmedrawthisrealquick one when you are with your class of sweeties  {Because when you are sitting in front of 21 five year olds, you have about 3.5 seconds to draw something semi-normal looking} and LOVE when you can then revisit said anchor chart AFTERSCHOOL and make it all presentable and post-worthy. Right? Or am I the only crazy that does this?

Anywhoo, here are some of my favorites from my classroom this year!

Let's start by taking it back to the beginning... September writer's workshop!

Remember fall? Ahh....

Learning how to read is serious business!

(...And I KNOW, I KNOW... "Independent" is spelled wrong! I did fix it! This is what happens when a teacher has ADD! :) )

Our writer's workshop unit showed that little people have BIG opinions!

Who knew that one letter could sound so different?

Setting goals and kicking their butts!

As we wind down the year... we become authors of non-fiction books ...our definite fav!

...And work on digraphs and blends in phonics! Word.

I hope you enjoyed some of my favorites from the year! {And tell me you are an anchor chart OCD'er too?!}

xoxo

karen

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How many times have you ever said this, "I need more books for my classroom library"?  Well, I found this nice little secret a few years back while teaching kindergarten.  I am going to share it with all of you so that you can get books and more the inexpensive way for your classroom library.  Have you ever heard of "Book Sale Finder"?

Click on the image to take you to their website

When you get to the website you will see the image below along with many other images on their website.  Just click on the state you live in and 

you will see the next image that tells you where all of the book sales that your local library has coming up and the dates and times to visit.  

As you can see I have one to go to in Alpharetta, GA.   At my local library I go and get a box or two of books for about $10.00 to $15.00 per box. (they usually run from .50 to $1.00 each) I also find VHS movies really cheap since nobody has a VHS player anymore except me in my classroom!  If you get there early on the first day they open, or go when they have a "library card holder" preview, you can make out like a bandit in the book territory.  I then can use them to send home with my kids and not worry about them getting lost because they can be replaced at the next book sale.  

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they have a Facebook page so click on the link below and follow them to get notifications.

      

Okay, I wanted to keep it short and sweet so you can check out their website and their Facebook pages.  Here's to happy reading and book finding!  

Deb from Fabulously First!

Egg-stra Easter Eggs Lying Around? Use Them In Your Classroom!

Wow! I can't believe that's it's Easter Sunday tomorrow! This year is really flying by. This is a great time of year to start collecting tiny plastic eggs to use in your classroom for Spring Centers. Your students probably have a few lying around at home that you can ask parents for, you may have some from your own children, nephews or nieces, and there's got to be a few co-workers that can snag some for you!

Collecting them is easy, and turning them into fun centers is even easier! Here are some ideas that I found:

Here's how Janaye from Frogs and Cupcakes used her eggs for a great math center!

Littlebinsforlittlehands.com

 

Little Bins for Little Hands, used their eggs to hide small objects that would make counting fun!

http://kindergartenisgrrreat.blogspot.com

These eggs were used for matching rhyming and matching math facts. The possibilities are endless!

Other Ideas:

Building Compound Words

Reading Word Families

Blending Sounds 

Sorting by Color

Reading Questions Placed Inside of Eggs.

Sight Word Practice
Matching Parts of Speech
Matching Opposites

Check out more ideas that I pinned on the Primary Chalkboard Pinterest Page! 

 

Check out our Pinterest Page for more ideas!

Happy Easter to you all! Have fun creating new fun and colorful centers!! 

XO

Mrs. O'Brien 

Bringing the World to Your Students with Virtual Field Trips

Oh, I am SO excited to be writing my first ever Primary Chalkboard blog post! I have been looking forward to this day ever since I was fortunate enough to become a Chalkie :) I hope you enjoy it!

We all know how beneficial field trips are. Students are able to experience, first hand, what they have been learning about in the classroom. Students are able to touch, feel, and see things they might not have an opportunity to otherwise. Well-planned field trips with close curriculum tie-ins help students mesh together the concepts they have been learning about with how it relates to the real world. Field trips, though, do take a lot of planning. They can be expensive. And sometimes the perfect place to go just isn't realistic. This is where virtual field trips come into play!

A virtual field trip can take students to a far off place and can be planned just days in advance. Virtual field trips enable students to travel through space or go back in time. And they're perfect for those teachable moments that just happen to spring up. Just visiting a website, though, doesn't constitute a virtual field trip. The same care and planning that goes into planning a real field trip must be done for an authentic virtual field trip. With advancements in technology and technology becoming more mainstream, virtual field trips have really changed over the years. 

You can have students work through a virtual field trip whole group, small group, with a partner, or individually, depending on your purpose and the level of your students. I have also asked parent volunteers to be the "chaperone" so they are there to help students along the way. One of the first virtual field trips I ever used was The First Thanksgiving. I love how this particular virtual field trip has the option for the text to be read aloud to students. There is a teacher's guide to help you plan out the field trip. 

Students can track the path of the Mayflower from England to America. Students can click on the blue dots and read (or listen) to significant events that occurred along the Pilgrims' journey.

 

Students can also take a virtual tour of the ship and learn about the various parts of the ship.

Students can pretend to be detectives on this virtual field trip where they investigate what really happened in 1621. 

Students can drag and drop the descriptions of myths to the picture it describe.

 There are several interactive pages students can read or listen to to learn more about the Native Americans or Pilgrims.

Here are a few other virtual field trips you might be interested in taking your students on :)

Statue of Liberty

Mount Vernon

Lincoln Memorial

A virtual field trip can also be where your class connects with another class over Skype. Students can even work collaboratively with students in another part of the world on projects using Skype. It will take time and planning, but think of the rich experiences your students will have! I haven't done this yet, but can't wait to give it a try when I get back into the classroom!

Virtual field trips certainly can't replace the real thing, but when the destination isn't realistic, a virtual field trip can further enhance your unit of study and help your students make connections.

I am always looking for additional virtual field trips to add to my list. What is your favorite virtual field trip? Thanks for letting me share one of my favorite classroom activities!

Heather from 2 Brainy Apples