Halloween LA Freebie for PreK to First!

     Fall is in the air here in Chicago, so I've been having a little TOO much fun lately buying some fall graphics--including the cutest Halloween ones!  I combined these with the needs of my students, some of whom need more practice merging the sounds to read 3-letter words.  This group includes my 4-year-old daughter, who is just SO excited to be finally reading like a big kid!  She wants me to bring home each and every game for her to play, so I've been making some new games to meet the demands of home and school!  And this great new FREEBIE is one of the results:

FREE CVC reading game for PreK to first

    My students were playing this yesterday and LOVED it!  It's a matching game, so it's easy for younger students to play on their own.   It comes with 4 word sets for each medial vowel, instructions in case you want to send it home, a full-color response sheet to laminate, and a black-and-white response sheet.  
    My beginning readers got a lot of practice because they have to read each word they turn over.   They also liked the adorable graphics and Halloween theme, so they wanted to play it over and over.  In fact, I'm going to have to make another copy to send home (I send games for homework.)  because I decided to add this one to centers a little early.    
     So, click on link below the first picture and get your Halloween CVC FREEBIE!  While you're there, take a moment to add my store to your favorites list.  That way, you'll receive notices when I post a new item, or have a sale, or (and this is my favorite part) have a giveaway!  

Happy teaching (and happy Halloween a little early)!  
Tammy

Second Language Learning for My Little Ones (and ME!)

     In case you missed it last week, I was telling everyone how I FINALLY opened the Rosetta Stone box and actually got started learning more Mandarin!  (insert applause here) For adult learners, I would highly recommend it.  I changed the options so I not only hear and learn the words, but the characters, too.  And, while I won't be writing the Chinese characters any time soon, my hope is that I will at least be able to read enough to know which public bathroom is the right one!  
     In fact, the way Rosetta Stone teaches the language is very similar to the way my kids are learning it at Language Stars*.  It's what I like to call the "sink or swim" method.  Nothing is directly translated.  Rather, you are expected to figure out what they are saying from clues in the pictures that are presented.  Similarly, the kids in class learn language in this natural manner by tying language to its usefulness.  It looks very different from the French classes I took in high school, which mostly relied on rote memorization.  For both Rosetta Stone and Language Stars, language is tied to necessity.  LS:  Where is the banana? (The child is expected to get it.)
RS:  Where's the picture of the girl with the banana?  (The adult has to choose the correct picture.)  

At Language Stars, children learn through play and real life situations.

I am finding that it is both easy and effective to learn this way, not to mention kind of fun!  At Language Stars, my children are learning through play and repetition.  With Rosetta Stone, I am learning in a similar manner through computer games.  
      Contrast this method of learning with that of the Pimsleur method.  While I have also found this to be a highly effective method (for adults, anyway), it relies on translation.  Therefore, I think it takes me a little longer and, unfortunately, encourages me to continue translating things into English in my head in order to understand.  For example, the CD says, "Say 'Where is the bathroom?' "  Then you have to say it in Mandarin.  Sometimes it has to answer questions directly from Mandarin with no translation, but this is not the norm.  I'm finding that the Rosetta Stone and Language Stars methods actually discourage translation.  Therefore, you learn faster.  The children and I are learning a second language just as we learned our first:  Naturally with an emphasis on communication rather than memorization.  Now I even find myself thinking of the Mandarin word for something first!  THAT is a very cool feeling!  
     So, we are all learning, slowly but surely.  While it would be great to get to spend six months or a year in China, I don't see that happening any time soon.  Language Stars and Rosetta Stone (for kids and adults, respectively) are the next best thing.  

Thanks for reading!
Tammy

*We receive 50% off our tuition for blogging about our Language Stars experiences.

Beaded Bracelets With Sight Words!

     My sight word bracelets were such a hit in my classroom today that I just HAD to come home and blog about them!  If you follow my store (or have a student in my class), you might notice that I'm a little bit obsessed with bracelets this year.  (Well, any sort of "wearable" really, as you might soon see if I have time to put it together.)  Anyway, here's what we did today . . .

Today, we made sight word bracelets for the word "THE."  

     I think I should just stop looking at any sort of catalog that comes to my house.  The School Supply and Oriental Trading Company ones should go straight to the recycle bin, as a matter of fact.  But, they don't!  I just happened to check out the craft pages and spied these big letter beads with large holes, just perfect for little hands.  (Click HERE to see them.  Scroll on down the page for similar, cheaper options.)  Of course, they are just perfect for spelling sight words!  
     A few great things came out of this that make me eager to keep doing more sight words:  

1) My students really enjoyed this activity.  They worked on fine motor skills, did patterning (it was optional today), identified letters, and read the word.
2) Everyone was eager to read their word to someone else, including friends on the playground, another teacher, or a parent.  Reading the word over and over was exactly what I wanted to see!
3) You know they like something when they wear it ALL DAY!  

     Of course, this activity would get to be "old hat" after a while, so I plan to do it only a couple of times a month, focusing on main sight words.  Well, really on the sight words that I have the letters for.  For example, we used almost all of the Ts today, so any word with T is out of the running for now.   

     Anyway, I would highly encourage you to make sight word bracelets with your students.  They're sure to be a hit!

Happy teaching!  
Tammy

Back to Schools and Schedules!

       Today was technically our first day back to the reality of everyday life.  We were on vacation last week, enjoying the last HOORAH of summer.  Today, it was back to Language Stars* classes and tomorrow it will be back to preschool.  New year, new teachers, new schedule . . . and no more summer!  :(
     My youngest son attends the Parents & Tots class with me.  He seemed really excited to get back to class today--a little TOO excited, as I suppose 2-year-olds can be.  But, his new teacher (new to him, not to me, because my older children had her for a teacher) was very patient and tried her best to keep him engaged today.  

Learning the color blue with a blue bowl and a blue dog

     The theme was "Colors of the Rainbow" (or something like that).  First, we played with dogs of different colors, matching them to bowls of the same color.  I suppose this sounds kind of silly until you think about how much 2-year-olds LOVE putting smaller objects inside larger ones, carrying them around the house, dumping them out, shaking them, and so on.  This is actually one of my son's favorite pass-times.  If you're missing something (like keys, for instance), just look in his recent favorite sack or container.  

Learning colors with several dogs and bean bags in bowls

      The teacher continued this idea by bringing out bean bags of various colors to sort.  Of course, I think the kids were just too used to the idea that you throw bean bags, so this required a little more parent direction.  I guess I should have taken his bowl across the room so he could appropriately throw the bean bag.  But, to be honest, it's hard to try to learn Mandarin AND think of these things at the same time.  

     Our craft/coloring project was really cool today.  We made windsocks (We called them kites in Chinese.) with rainbow-colored streamers.  He really enjoyed whipping it around and around in circles.  Very cute and colorful.  
     So, even though summer fun is over,  I need to remind the kids (and myself) that fall fun is on the way!  

As always,
Thanks for reading!
Tammy

P.S.  Here's a little update on my own Mandarin efforts.  I finally opened the box!  I did it!  I took the Rosetta Stone Mandarin with me on vacation and I am now about 4 or 5 hours into it.  I have to say that it is just as amazing as they say.  You learn new vocabulary and sentence structure at once, as well as the characters!  Pretty cool!  

*We get 50% off our tuition for blogging about our Language Stars experience.  But, still, all opinions expressed here are my own.  We LOVE our Language Stars classes!  

The Virtual Teaching Expo!

  Wow!  I think Teachers Notebook has really outdone themselves on this one!  Check out this training event:

*  5 presentations by TN teacher authors  
* Buy your ticket on or before Aug 24th and get it for half price!  Only $10!  
* Plus, not only is YOUR ticket only $10, but TN will make sure 2 other teachers get 
   FREE tickets!  
* There's also a VENDOR HALL where showcased items will be 30% off  Aug 25th - 
   Sept 1st --- ONLY for attendees of the event!

Doesn't this sound AWESOME?!  

But, you still haven't heard the best part . . .
All attendees will receive a GOODY BAG with well over $100 in FREE materials!  One of mine will be included, as well.  I chose to include my "Add and Read Sight Word Sentences for Spring" (a $3 value) because my students really liked these games last year and the pack covers PreK to 3rd grade, so more teachers will be able to use it.  

I also have 3 items in the vendor hall for 30% off:

1) Math Journal Prompts for Kindergarten COMBO Pack

2) First Grade Math Common Core Cut-and-Glue Workbook

3) Word Work Pack:  CVC Word, Sight Words, Sentences, Blends & Digraphs

So, click on the "Save Big Teach Big" logo above.  Scroll down and look to your right to sign up!  Hurry because the promo ends soon!  

Thanks for reading,
Tammy 

What?! It's the end of summer already?!

          I got a real kick out of my son's Mandarin class this week. In our Parents & Tots class at Language Stars*, we were studying emotions. It was the last class before the fall semester starts and the last "summer camp" outdoor class for my two older ones. Needless to say, it sort of crept up on me (happens to me a lot, actually). As a teacher, I know that HIS teacher was saying to herself, "Doesn't she read ANYTHING we send home?" as I proceeded to ask when the last class was and when the fall semester started. It reminds me of an infant with a jack-in-the-box. Surprised every time. 

     Anyway, the topic was "emotions." There's really nothing funny about that at all. Or, at least, there wasn't until the teacher took out this big picture of a stuffed bear. Also not funny. But then she started sticking these different faces to it and I found it incredibly funny. I just had to take some pictures. And, not only was it funny, but some of the faces reminded me of myself and my reaction to the end of summer.  

    First, this is how I looked at the beginning of the summer.  This is supposed to be bear's angry face, but I think of it more as a "game face."  I was ready to get things done this summer.  1) Start some more serious Mandarin study of my own.  2) Read more Mandarin books with the kids.  3) Find or make them each an age-appropriate workbook . . . . 

"Mama bear is gonna get stuff done this summer."

This, however, is EXACTLY how my face looked the last day of summer classes:

"What do you mean this is the last class?!"
 

This is a picture of me now that, not only do we not have class all week, but I also somehow managed to accomplish ABSOLUTELY NONE of my goals for the summer. 

"But summer classes just CAN'T be over!"

  Needless to say, I'm quite sad that summer is coming to an end.  And, just as I have every school-related semester since college, I vow to actually get something accomplished during the fall semester.  Promise.  This time, I'll at least try to read the memo about when it's over.  

As always, thanks for reading,
Tammy

*We get 50% off our tuition for blogging about our Language Stars experience.  But still, the opinions expressed here are my own.




    

WIN my Math Journal Prompts for Kindergarten COMBO Pack!

CLICK HERE to take a look!  

     I am really so excited about my new Math Journal Prompts for Kindergarten COMBO Pack that I decided to give 3 sets away for FREE (a $10 value)!  It includes Common Core based journal prompts with back to school, fall, Christmas/holiday, winter, & spring themes.  That's 200 prompts!

   Last year was my first year using the prompts and I felt that they really helped in many ways.  First of all, many students loved getting to draw and color during math, adding details to their illustration of each math problem.  Second, the journals are a wonderful assessment tool.  I knew right away which students had a good grasp of each topic and those students who needed more examples and opportunities for practice.  Third, the journals were a real asset during conference time.  They served as a tangible example of each child's math work, progress, and conceptual understanding. 

An example from the Christmas/holiday set

  Of course, I will be using them again this year!  And I want to give 3 lucky teachers out there the opportunity to use them, too!  


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