Continents and Oceans Interactive Notebook

We have accumulated and created so many things for our Continents and Oceans theme, it was time to condense some things and make it a bit more "kid-friendly".  Instead of making our Continents and Oceans lessons a "writing/paper/pencil" activity, we thought it would be good to just have the kids focus on one key fact about each of the continents and oceans.  Using this format, student would just be building the one key fact we would like them to remember about each of the continents or oceans.

The lesson sequence I plan to use for each continent and ocean lesson:

• Gather students on carpet for read-aloud
• Continent Mini-Books or Ocean Mini-Books (you can find them in my TPT store)
• Continent or Oceans song (you can find them in my TPT store HERE)
• View PPT slides on each to learn facts
• Brainstorm facts about each of the continents using the mimio for recall of details
• Build the cut-apart sentence in interactive notebook

How to Use this Interactive Notebook:  You can purchase it HERE.

• After reading your favorite read aloud book about each of the continents/oceans, watching videos, and brainstorming facts they remember, have your students piece together the fact for each continent or ocean. Then have them color the black line illustrations.

How to Assemble:

• Copy single sided or double sided and staple on the left hand size. 
• Copy the words that will be glued in the book separately. There are three on each page. Only hand out the sentence your students need.

Cut-Apart Sentences Included for Interactive Notebook:

• Australia: Australia is called the Land Down Under.
• Antarctica: People cannot live in Antarctica because it is too cold.
• Asia: Asia is the biggest continent in the whole world.
• North America: North America is made up of mostly three countries.
• South America: There are rain forests in South America.
• Africa: The Sahara Desert is in Africa.
• Europe: Europe is the smallest continent, and it is made up of many small countries.
• Southern Ocean: The Southern Ocean is around Antarctica.
• Arctic Ocean: The Arctic Ocean is by the North Pole.
• Indian Ocean: The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean.
• Pacific Ocean: The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean.
• Atlantic Ocean: The Atlantic Ocean was the first ocean to be crossed by ship.

Space and Planets Interactive Notebook

Going on a few years of doing our Space and Planets theme and it seems like we revamp it every year to make things go a bit smoother.  This year we are going to try doing an interactive notebook where students have to assemble one fact for each of the planets after we learn about it and brainstorm facts they remember.  We are hoping this will help learning one main fact about each planet a little easier for first graders to remember as they do the final project at the end of the unit (where they match the fact to the planet as they put together a Solar System display).

If you are interested in this interactive notebook, you can find it HERE at my TPT store.

How to Use this Book:After reading your favorite read aloud book about space, stars, the sun, each planet, watching videos about space concepts, and brainstorming facts they remember, have your students piece together the fact for each space word. Then have them color the black line illustrations to match the colors of each of the planets and other pictures. The sentences included in this interactive notebook are the exact sentences that are used with my Space and Planets Cut Apart Sentences.  So if you liked those sentences, but you wanted it put together as a book, here is your thing!  I have also included optional pages on how many planets there are.  Some people like to still teach that Pluto is a "planet", but a dwarf planet.  And other people like to just say there are only 8 planets.

How to Assemble:Copy single sided or double sided and staple on the left hand size. Copy the words that will be glued in the book separately. There are three on each page. Only hand out the sentence your students need.

Answer Key:Solar System: There are nine planets in the solar system.
Solar System: There are eight planets in the solar system.
Sun: The nine planets orbit around the sun.
Sun: The eightplanets orbit around the sun.
Star: A constellation is a group of stars that make a shape.
Mercury: Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
Venus: Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system.
Earth: Earth is the only planet that animals can live.
Mars: Mars is called the red planet.
Jupiter: Jupiter has a giant red spot that is a storm.
Saturn: Saturn’s rings are made of rock and ice.
Uranus: Uranus spins around on its side.
Neptune: Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun.
Pluto: Pluto is called a dwarf planet.
Earth’s Moon: An astronaut has been to the moon.
Comet: A comet is made of ice, dust, and rock.
Astronaut: An astronaut wears a special suit to travel in space.
Asteroid: Asteroids are rocks that orbit the sun.

Las Posadas Cut Apart Sentences

Sentences included in this set:

• Las Posadas is a holiday celebrated in Mexico.
• People decorate their homes with poinsettias.
• People carry candles down the street.
• It is a time to sing songs and celebrate.
• They break a piñata and drink hot chocolate.
• Families go to church at midnight on the last day.

Illustrations by:
Clip Art by Carrie, EduClips, Graphics From the Pond

You can find this HERE at my TPT store:

Diwali Cut Apart Sentences

Well, I had a list of a few TO-Do things this weekend, but didn't complete what I SHOULD have...only found a few extras to do.  We decided to add a few ideas to our Winter Holidays Around the World unit and came up with these cut-apart sentences this weekend.  The facts within these sentences are also included in my "What is Diwali?" mini book.

Sentences included in this set:

· Diwali is a holiday celebrated in India.

· People pray for good luck in the new year.

· There are fireworks and people light lamps and have bonfires.

· People decorate their homes and visit family.

· Diwali is a festival celebrated at the end of harvest.

· Diwali is celebrated in October and November each year.

Clip are used:  Clip Art by Carrie, EduClips

You can find this HERE at my TPT store.

Dr Seuss Cut-Aparts Complete Set FREEBIE

I had an earlier post about some of the Dr. Seuss things that I did in my classroom and posted some JPGs of a few of the cut-apart sentences I had made for the two week Dr. Seuss theme that we do.  Decided to just upload the whole set and share with everyone.  There are 9 scrambled sentences to choose from:

• March 2nd is the day we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss.  (This one was kind of hard for my class, but after a few times saying it in "silly" voices, which I called my silly Dr. Seuss voices, they were able to put it back together no problem!)
• March 2nd is Dr. Seuss day.
• The silly cat wore a red and white hat. (Cat in the Hat)
• Plant a seed to show you care about the earth. (The Lorax)
• You should treat everyone the same. (The Sneetches)
• Some are red and some are blue. (One Fish, Two Fish)
• Daisy Head Mayzie had a flower grow out of her hair.  (Daisy Head Mayzie)--2 options for pictures
• Do you like green eggs and ham?  (Green Eggs and Ham)

Click HERE to download the whole set from Google Drive.  All clip art used to create these sentences were drawn by me.

Celebrating Dr. Seuss Day 3

Today we started out our Morning Work by doing a cut apart sentence about the silly Cat in the Hat. "The sill cat wore a red and white hat."  As they finished I had them write a sentence about the Cat in the Hat on the back of their paper.

We also read "The Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss and talked about how all the sneetches were treated differently and how unfair that was to the Sneetches that didn't have a star on their belly.  So I whipped up a craftivity that students had to put together after doing their writing assignment:  "Star or No Star I Like the Way You Are!  I Like Me Because..."  One of my co-workers who used to blog with me came up with that cute little saying!

If you want a copy of this Sneetches craftivity, click HERE.  The border I used was from Graphics From the Pond and the clip art was drawn by me.

Here is my Sneetches themed cut-apart sentence that my first graders did during must-do time during Guided Reading:

Cut Apart Sentences and Stories Templates

I had a request for my cut-apart sentences templates today so I thought I would whip that up and make that as an item for sale in my TPT store.  It's nice to have a variety of sentences to choose from throughout the unit.  I love being able to customize things to meet my classroom needs, so thought this might be a great something to share with others.

These templates are for persona/classroom use ONLY and are NOT to be used for items that you create for commercial resale.  Please respect my design.  Thank you!

You can find this item HERE at my TPT store.

New Hanukkah and Kwanzaa Sets

So excited!  We are planning two new mini-units to replace some "fluffy" stuff in our Holiday theme in December to beef things up a bit:  one week on Hanukkah and one week on Kwanzaa.  These are two customs that I never really knew much about, so its been fun learning some of the vocabulary and what not. Yea, I know, here were are only in October and I'm already thinking about and planning ahead for December.  Only a teacher plans that far in advance, right?  If it eliminates the stress level, its the way to go for me.

My plan was to draw my own Hanukkah and Kwanzaa clip art and use that but I decided that I didn't feel like it and Melonheadz Illustrating already had it done, so why reinvent the wheel right now when I need it fast and don't want to stress myself out?!?  So I went to my favorite place to buy "school" stuff and purchased both the color and black-line bundles.  You'll have to check her sets out.  They are SUPER cute! 

Here are a couple things I whipped up last night that we plan to use during this unit.

Hanukkah and Kwanzaa Word Wall Card Set

Hanukkah and Kwanzaa Cut Apart Sentences:



Pumpkin Unit Mega Bundle

You can purchase this MEGABUNDLE  at my TPT store HERE.

Or you can buy each item separately at my TPT store.  Click on the hyperlink to take you to each item at my store.

How a Pumpkin Grows (Life Cyle of a Pumpkin) Packet:

1. How a Pumpkin Grows Cut Apart Story: Students cut apart the story and piece it back together using the picture clues and what they know about how a pumpkin grows. Can be used as an assessment piece after reading the mini-book.
2. How a Pumpkin Grows Mini-Book: Easy reader with picture labels. Similar clip art pictures as the cut-apart story. Simply copy double-sided and have your copy machine staple on the left hand side. Cut in half with a paper cutter and add additional staples for reinforcement.
3. How a Pumpkin Grows Writing: Picture clues included in the picture box to the left. Handwriting lines included to keep your early learners organized as they write the sentence to match the picture.
4. Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Sequence Cards: Display in your pocket chart or on your bulletin board. Use at a center to have your students put back in order.

How to Carve a Pumpkin FREEBIE:

1. Step by step with picture clues on how to carve a pumpkin writing sheet.

Pumpkin Skip Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s:

1. Pumpkin skip counting cards. Some pumkins are missing the numbers. Students will write the missing number before cutting the cards apart to have for a "put the cards in order" activity.
2. Write the skip counts on the 100 grid sheet.
3. Write the skip counts through the pumpkin patch sheets.

Pumpkin and Halloween Riddles:

1. This is a riddles game that you can play whole group during your fall pumpkins theme and before Halloween. Teacher reads the riddle as students are holding the answer cards (picture cards). They have to listen for the clues for their picture and then come up and answer the riddle by reading the card.

Pumpkins & Halloween Cut Apart Sentences:

1. A pumpkin is orange and round.
2. A pumpkin grows in a pumpkin patch.
3. We will have a pumpkin tasting in first grade.
4. Halloween is for trick-or-treating.

Fall, Pumpkins, and Halloween Word Wall Cards:

1. Fall: acorn, squirrel, apple, leaf, leaves, scarecrow, crow, rake, sunflower, corn, apple pie,
2. Pumpkins: pumpkin, seed, sprout, plant, vine, yellow pumpkin, green pumpkin, leaf, pumpkin muffin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin patch, jack-o-lantern, blossom, carve, stem, weigh, measure, paint, pumpkin harvest
3. Halloween: witch, pirate, skeleton, vampire, astronaut, frankenstein, ghost, spider, bat, gravestone, haunted house, candy corn, treat bucket, treat bag, kettle, cowgirl, cowboy, trick or treating

How to Carve a Pumpkin Cut-Apart Story:

1. Students put the simple story in order by cutting out the story parts and pasting them back in order.  Picture clues are provided to help young children do this on their own.

Pattern Block Pumpkins:

1. This is a step by step hands-on activity to do for your Pumpkins theme. Students create a Pattern Block Pumpkin using a Pattern Block Template or stencil, construction paper, and Pattern Blocks. A great way to combine an art project with your math activity.
2. Pocket chart direction cards for a visual for your students.
3. 1 page directions that can be posted as a learning target.

How a Pumpkin Grows Packet

Just finished this tonight.  Wanted a mini-book to match my new cut-apart story for "How a Pumpkin Grows" that I made last weekend...then I started adding to it and it bacame this new "How a Pumpkin Grows" packet I just put up for sale on TPT!  I am so excited to use this new stuff!

You can purchase this HERE at my TPT store.

Included: 

1. How a Pumpkin Grows Cut Apart Story:  Students cut apart the story and piece it back together using the picture clues and what they know about how a pumpkin grows.  Can be used as an assessment piece after reading the mini-book.

2. How a Pumpkin Grows Mini-Book:  Easy reader with picture labels.  Similar clip art pictures as the cut-apart story.  Simply copy double-sided and have your copy machine staple on the left hand side.  Cut in half with a paper cutter and add additional staples for reinforcement.

3. How a Pumpkin Grows Writing:  Picture clues included in the picture box to the left.  Handwriting lines included to keep your early learners organized as they write the sentence to match the picture.

4. Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Sequence Cards:  Display in your pocket chart or on your bulletin board.  Use at a center to have your students put back in order.

 

 

 

Community Helpers Cut Apart Sentences

This cut apart sentence pack includes these Community Helper themed cut apart sentences. These work great for morning work or literacy centers. Students have to unscramble the sentence and put it in order, then write the sentences on the lines at the bottom of the paper. A great independent activity.

The teacher teaches the class.
A fireman puts out fires.
A policeman will help you.
A construction worker builds houses.
A nurse will give you a shot.
A farmer drives a tractor.
The dentist cleans your teeth.
The doctor helps you stay healthy.
A mailman delivers your mail.
A beautician cuts and fixes your hair.
A cheerleader cheers for the team.
An astronaut goes to space.
A cowboy works on a ranch.
A scientist works in a lab.
The weatherman tells the weather.
A gardener takes care of the flowers.

You can find this set HERE at my TPT store.

Back to School Cut Apart Sentences

Finally feels like summer vacation!  I feel like a taxi this month bringing my two kids to ball practices, summer school, swim lessons, games, etc.  We've been banned from our classroom for June as they are getting rid of our flooring and they have it all sealed off to remove the asbestos.  But June is coming to an end and that means that its not long until I really need to be thinking about getting back in my classroom and doing those "summer to-do things" like reorganizing file-cabinets, etc..  This project has been on my to-do list all year to finish up and now its complete.  (Check one thing off for the summer!  Yay!)  

Sentences included in this set:

• Line up quickly and quietly in the hall.
• Raise your hand before talking.
• Sit cross-cross applesauce on the carpet.
• Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
• Friends are fun to play with.
• Write your name on your paper.
• Some kids ride the bus to school.
• Bring your bag to school every day.
• Put the cap back on the glue stick.
• Listen to the teacher.
• You will learn to read.

Some of them might be a little hard for you beginning first graders, but if you do together as a class to teach them how to do it, they shouldn't have too much of a problem.  For Kindergarteners this might only be a whole group activity for the mimio.  I usually make a mimio lesson out of this and drill the sentences in their head so they can remember that when they go to put it back together.  They can use the beginning sounds to help with putting the sentence together.  I included some labels on the pictures to help with word recognition as well.

You can find this HERE at my TPT store.

Spring and Summer Cut Apart Sentences

Finally got motivated during the time I have been home on recovery from surgery to finally do something school related.  This week I finally feel more like myself and feel like getting back into the swing of things.  I go back to work on Thursday, which gives me 1 1/2 days left with my first graders.  Yesterday, I created these cut-aparts that can be used in the spring or summer or during summer school.

Sentences included in this set:

You can make a sand castle at the beach.

Bring buckets and shovels to the beach.

It’s fun to go on a hike in the woods!

Baseball is a fun game to play in the summer.

It’s time to plant your garden in the spring.

Bees like to buzz around the flowers in the garden.

Plants need air, water, and sunlight to grow.

Have a BBQ with your friends and family.

Don’t spend all summer playing video games.

Hang your clothes out on the clothes line to dry.

Let’s go tubing down the river!

Go outside and look for bugs and put them in a jar.

Take a trip to the zoo with your family.

Go fishing with your mom or dad.

Go on vacation with your family to Disney World.

Run through the sprinkler on a hot day.

 You can purchase this set HERE at my TPT store.

Clip Art used in this set:

Clip Art by Carrie, Graphics From the Pond, Melonheadz Illustrating, Charlotte's Clips

Earth Day Cut Apart Sentences

Started planning for Earth Day week after school with my co-workers, and I decided I wanted to update and create a few new cut-apart sentences for "must-do" time during Guided Reading groups.  I thought I was done with these for all of our themes, but I realized I have a few more sets to make!  :o(

Here are the four sentences:
--We should help keep planet Earth clean.
--Recycle instead of sending so much to the landfill.
--Plant a tree to help our Earth.
--We hold the world in our hands.

You can find this set HERE at my TPT store.

Farm Theme Cut Apart Sentences

Just updated and created some new farm themed cut apart sentences to use for next year.

Sentences included in this set:

A farmer grows corn and beans in the field.

The farmer has a lot of chores to do.

Milk comes from a cow.

A chick hatches from an egg.

Ham comes from a pig.

Watch out for tractors and combines!

The combine picks the crops from the field.

Don’t play in a grain wagon!

A farmer grows vegetables in the garden.

Farm animals sleep in the barn.

The rooster wakes you up in the morning.

Farmers bail the hay to feed the farm animals.

 

You can purchase this set HERE at my TPT store.

 

I would love your feedback!  Thanks for stopping in to my blog!

~Carrie

 

 

 

Celebrating Seuss Day 6-7

This week has been INSANE!  Late start Monday, no school on Tuesday, and Wacky Wednesday yesterday.  Monday our Seussy stuff was pretty low-key, as we had to get in the important math and reading stuff before I attempted Seuss.  I got in reading the book "Green Eggs and Ham" during theme and a related cut-apart sentence.  And in predicting we wouldn't have school on Tuesday I prepped them for Wacky Wednesday!

Here is the "Green Eggs and Ham" themed cut-apart sentence:

 

 

Wednesday was a day of catch-up because of Tuesday's snow day, so my schedule was super  mixed up.  We ended up doing a rhyming pocket chart activity that I found somewhere on the internet last year.  After listening to the story in Monday we talked about how Dr. Seuss liked to rhyme when he wrote his books. I did this pocket chart activity with the group as they sat on the carpet.

I asked for volunteers to come up and put the words in order and then use the pointer to read aloud the part they put together in the pocket chart. Next I had them come up with their own rhyming pairs using this activity:

Since Wednesday was Wacky Wednesday of course there were a few things in the room that ended up being quite wacky. I did have to discuss the difference between wacky and wild a few times throughout the day. Here are a few of the wacky things the kids saw or did on Wacky Wednesday:

Here is a the upside down umbrella hanging from the ceiling:

Here is a sock on the wall

We had a visit from the Cat in the Hat who sat at our computer center with bananas hanging all over our room:

I was running out of ideas for wackiness so I put an iron in our hand in basket:

Our favorite wacky thing for the day was our wacky snack: Banana Dogs! I was pretty amazed myself with how yummy they were. (Hot dog bun, peanut butter on both sides, a banana, jelly and sprinkles to decorate the tops). I cut each one in half and it was the perfect amount for our little tummies.

Celebrating Seuss Day 4 and 5

Thursday we finished up our Sneetches writing response from Wednesday and displayed them in the hallway.  They turned out really cute!  My co-teachers did this activity and had the kids add a head and hair to it so it looked like themselves.

During theme I read aloud my FAVORITE Dr. Seuss book:  Daisy Head Mayzie to the class today and watched the cartoon.  I told the kids the story about how this book was discovered after he had passed, but it was published anyway.  They really enjoyed watching the cartoon!  When I was reading the book I told them that I like to read it using the voices from the cartoon.  This afternoon, during Guided Reading the firsties did a cut apart sentence in honor of Mayzie.

On Friday, we made headbands to wear to lunch to celebrate his birthday.  One of the choices I gave my class was in honor of Mayzie!  I used the daisy that I drew and added a little label to the back that says the name of the book and taped a straw to the back of the daisy so that it wouldn't droop.  Of course, all the girls decided on this one!

 

Another option I gave to give the kids was to make a Cat in the Hat headband.  I used the hat that I drew, taped a straw to the back of the hat so it wouldn't fall over, and added the name of the book.  And the boys all decided on this one!

 

 

To celebrate his special birthday we had a special Thing One and Thing Two snack of strawberry jello cups with blue Cool Whip on the top.  We made these cute little labels to stick to the outside of the jello cup.  Here's a picture of the finished product:

 

 

 

I read a Seuss book during any down time.  We are making a list of all the books we have read throughout the Dr. Seuss theme.  We ended the day doing a cut-apart sentence in honor of his birthday, which was a little bit easier than the other birthday celebration in honor of Seuss.