"The Thanksgiving Story" mini-book and FREEBIES

HERE is mini-book we just put together using a pocket chart poem that we wrote a few years back:

The pilgrims took a trip
across the big blue sea.
Riding on the Mayflower
America they did see.
The winter was so cold.
Then spring time warmed them up.
They listened as Squanto told
how to plant corn, fish, and hunt.
And when the crops were gathered
a Thanksgiving party did begin
with Pilgrims and Indians
giving thanks for all brought in!

We added to the poem to do a whole class retelling, but this is the original poem.  We thought it would be fun to put it into mini-book format as another way to help our first graders retell the Thanksgiving story.  The more they hear it, the better they will remember it. 

You can find it HERE at our TPT store.

If you like doing pocket chart poems with your students, here are a couple FREEBIES of the pocket chart poem and the matching file-folder retell that we created last year for a free-time center.  Clip aft included in this pocket chart poem is from DJ Inkers and other sources.  We laminated the cards and a file folder and used velcro on the inside for students to put the poem back in order.

The Thanksgiving Story Pocket Chart Poem: HERE through Google Drive
(Created with DJ Inkers clip art and other images)

The Thanksgiving Story File Folder Retell:  HERE through Google Drive
(Created with DJ Inkers clip art and other images)

Thanks so much for stopping into our blog. We would love a comment or just a note to say "Hi!".

Habitat Riddles

We are right in the middle of our Animals and Habitats unit and the kids are having so much fun.  I have been working on putting together a set of Habitat Riddles cards to use as a review at the end of the unit.  I just got them done today after school.  This group has really been in to riddles, which is GREAT because they have to be a good listener in order to know when it is their turn to come up and show and read their card.  You can find them at our TPT store HERE.

Cards are included for:
cactus, chameleon, camel, desert mountain, tumbleweed, sand dune, ocean, seaweed, sea shell,, walrus, deer, raccoon, mushroom, oak tree, mountain goat, mountain, vulture, grassland, lion, bison, rain forest, bananas, arctic, antarctic, wetlands, flamingo

Clip art in this riddles cards set by:

Clip Art by Carrie

KPM Doodles

Big Dot Border from Graphics From the Pond

Public Domain Sources--clker.com, wpclipart.com, openclipart.org

Thanksgiving Vocabulary Book

I know this is "off-season", but I decided to revamp our First Thanksgiving Vocabulary book using my Thanksgiving Doodles clip art.  Our old version of this book did not include pictures...and it took our first graders a LONG time to illustrate it.  A great activity, but we realized it was sort of a "repeat" once my own kids went through Kindergarten and they came home with a similar (but much shorter) book that they had to illustrate.  We wanted this to focus more on the vocabulary words and the story...and by having the illustrations on each page, we hope that we can reach the "reading" part of the lesson.

Focus words:
pilgrim, king, Mayflower, cabins, home, winter, spring, indian, Squanto, chores, Thanksgiving, corn.

We plan to use this during shared reading to read with our students and have them fill in the missing vocabulary words as we go. 

You can purchase this book at our TPT store HERE.  And if you like the Thanksgiving Doodles clip art used in this book, check out my clip art collections at my Etsy Shop, my Teacher's Notebook clip art gallery, or at our TPT store.  Click on the links on the right side of our blog.

Here is a thumbnail of the book:

"Teacher's Pet" font used to create this book by:  www.kevinandamanda.com

"My Space Book: What I Learned"

This year we created a "My Planets Book" that our first graders used during journal writing to record what they learned about each planet.  After listening to different books about the planets, we had them write the facts they remembered and also draw a picture of each planet.  We wrote the facts down on sticky notes and displayed them on a planets anchor chart.  Sometimes we had them write their own facts independently using the fact journal sheets first and other times we had them generate the facts together as a class first and the teacher wrote them on the sticky notes.

Here is a picture of the pretty basic page we whipped up during our Space unit.  The kids drew a picture of the planets at the bottom and wrote on the top.  (All the planets pretty much looked alike...so knew I wanted to revamp so they took a little more time with coloring it how the planet actually looked.)

I decided to use my Space Doodles clip art and revamp it into a "My Space Book:  What I Learned" so that students have a place to record everything they learned throughout the unit.  This year, we kept the fact generating to just the planets, but next year we hope to discuss and respond about other things they learned about space.  My son came home with his "Planets Book" and had to read to me all the things he learned about in Christine's class.  So...I thought...if he loved it so much, why not extend their learning a bit and dig a little deeper into other space concepts?

Here is the updated version in our "My Space Book".  Now students will focus on writing the facts and then color the planet to match its colors they see on the covers of the planets read aloud books we use.

The "My Space Book:  What I Learned" book includes facts sheets for:  Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Sun, moon, star, galaxy, universe, astronaut, astronomer, solar system, asteroid, and comet.

If you'd like to purchase this book you can find it at our TPT store HERE.

Here is the "My Space Book:  What I Learned" book:

If you'd like to puchase the Space Doodles clip art you can find it at our TPT store, Carrie's Etsy shop, or Clip Art by Carrie on Teacher's Notebook.

Here is the cover of the Pebble Plus book "Mercury" that we read aloud to students. It is an awesome series of books that teaches about each planet in "first grade language".

Farm Vocabulary Book

The vocabulary book that we do during our Farm theme includes many of the vocabulary words and concepts we want students to read and understand.  We recently updated this book by adding a few more details about each of the farm concepts on each page.

Farm words included in this book:  barn, farmer, hay, cow, hen, horse, pig, rooster, sheep, corn, beans, tractor, combine, wagon, apple trees, goat, chores.

You can preview one of the pages and purchase this book at our TPT store HERE.

We would love your feedback!  Let us know what you think.  And thanks for stopping into our blog.  We hope that you were able to find something you can utilize in your own classroom.

"Teacher's Pet" font used to create this book by www.kevinandamanda.com.

Farm Riddles

Here is a set of riddles cards that we will use with our Farm theme next fall.  It includes many of the farm animals and things you'll see on the farm, how they relate to the farm, and also how you should stay safe around the farm.  This will be a great introduction or review of the farm theme.  Can't wait to use them!  Set includes 26 riddles cards:

You can find this riddle card set at our TPT store HERE.

The cute big dots border is from Graphics From the Pond.

Other clip art is from KPM Doodles and some drawn by Carrie: Clip Art by Carrie.

Check out all the Farm Doodles clip art at our TPT store HERE or in Carrie's Etsy shop HERE.

Thank you for reading our blog!!!

~~Carrie

Thanksgiving Riddles Cards

Seems like you never have enough ways to review and tell the Thanksgiving Story.  Here is a set of Thanksgiving Riddles cards that tell about the Thanksgiving characters that we plan to use with our Thanksgiving unit in November.

Riddles included for 20 Thanksgiving characters:

1. turkey
2. deer
3. Pilgrim girl
4. Pilgrim boy
5. Native American girl
6. Native American boy
7. Squanto
8. King of England
9. corn
10. pumpkin
11. Crow
12. Mayflower
13. Indian Chief
14. rooster
15. chicken
16. clams
17. fish
18. cabin
19. winter
20. green tree

You can purchase this riddle card set HERE at our TPT store.

I got a little creative and drew a few clips for this project myself.  Other clip art is from KPM Doodles, so be sure to check out all her cute clip art at her BLOG. 
Cute Yellow Big Dot border is from Graphics From the pond.  You can click on button on the right hand side of our blog or HERE.

Thanksgiving Mini-Unit

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Just updated our Thanksgiving unit last night and today and wanted to share it with you all.  (Can you tell we LOVE our new clip art from KPM Doodles?)
During the month of November we do a theme all about the Pilgrims and Indians and their voyage over on the Mayflower.  Students LOVE hearing the different versions of the story.  You can purchase this unit at our TPT store HERE.

Included in this unit are the following activities:

Thanksgiving Story Retell

Cut Apart Sentence:

Squanto taught the pilgrims how to plant corn.

Cut Apart Sentence:
The Indians and pilgrims had a big feast.

Pocket Chart Poems (sing to I’m a Little Teapot):

I’m a Little Pilgrim (with Fill in Blank Sheet)
I’m a Little Indian (with Fill in Blank Sheet)

Turkey Counts by 5

Thanksgiving (looks, smells, sounds like)

Writing Sheet:  What I Would Pack

Writing Sheet:  I Am Thankful For…

Writing Sheet:  I have ___, but a pilgrim did not.

Poem:  Thanksgiving Story

Anchor Chart:  The Pilgrims

Anchor Chart:  The Indians

Venn Diagram:  Thanksgiving THEN and NOW

Bartering & Trading Sheet (bring a toy to trade with someone)

Venn Diagram:  Pilgrim Boy and Girl Jobs

Pilgrim Boy and Girl jobs chart (for teacher to refer to)

North Pole-Christmas Mini-Unit

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So excited to share this updated mini-unit with you all.  We just purchased some new clip art by KPM Doodles this weekend and couldn't wait to start revamping some of our North Pole theme activities and create some new!  During the month of December we teach a unit all about Christmas and what Christmas is:  a time of giving.  Some of the big projects that we do are:

1. Write a special messgae to mom or dad and laminate for an ornament to hang on tree
2. Handprint Reindeer ornament for tree
3. Holiday Cookbook (student version of their favorite recipe); See picture below of our example of how we used picture clues to help write the directions to a recipe:



Activities included in the new North Pole mini-unit at our TPT store:

1. “Dear Santa” letter writing sheet
2. “Santa Claus is coming to town.” cut-apart sentence
3. “Christmas is a time of giving.” cut-apart sentence
4. “Why Did Santa Grow a Beard” writing sheet
5. “If I Was Santa’s Helper” writing sheet
6. “Christmas Is” writing sheet (looks, smells, sounds like)
7. “In My Stocking” pocket chart poem
8. “In My Stocking” poem fill in the blank sheet
9. Poems: Santa, Little Elf, Little Reindeer, Christmas Tree
10. “Counts by 2 Santas” (2-18)
11. “Elf Ornament” writing sheet
12. Santa Claus PP Sight Word mat
13. Mrs. Claus PP Sight Word mat
14. Boy Elf Primer Sight Word mat
15. Girl Elf Primer Sight Word mat
16. Teddy Bear Primer Sight Word mat  

You can preview and purchase our unit at our TPT store:  HERE.