End of the Year Testing Printables

Yowsers.

So y'all... Can I just take a moment to tell you how BUSY my life has been for the past two weeks??? AYE-YI-YI!!!! Seriously, there has been nary a moment to fix my mascara much less log into Blogger as of late.  But, I am very pleased to announce the end of the madness because... let's face it- life without internet-laden free time is

HOR.EN.DOUS.

And that is why I am back.

Backety-back-back-back and oh-so-excited!

Well, wanna know what I've been up to while I've been gone?

I have been testing the willies out of nineteen of my favorite First Grade friends.  DIBELs, sight words, math, you name it, they've done it. And if they haven't done it, they probably should have. 

Of course having all of this testing to do, I was naturally faced with the age-old teaching dilemma of what to do with the nineteen students I wasn't testing while still managing to maintain a silent classroom for the one student I was testing.

Answer?

I used Cut and Paste friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  These little buddies occupy AND assess. 

TOTAL. BONUS.

 I use them to assess my Firsties knowledge of various components of language (syllables, parts of speech, etc.) while I get my testing done. Keeps the kids occupied, gives evidence of learning, and gives me a product to send home for parents to enjoy and admire (refridgerator work, anyone?) 

These buddies aren't much, but having TOTALLY saved my life in the past two weeks, I just knew I had to share them. (And don't mind my tacky Easter-themed syllable sort. What can I say? Giant chocolate-dispensing rabbits just gets me in the mood to decorate syllable sorts.)

Want your own cut and paste friends?

Click any picture preview to download.

Compound Word Sleuth 

Contraction mania!

Easter Syllable Sort

Homophone

Match-Up

Synonym

Match-Up

Verb and

Noun Town

Wishing you a marvelous Monday!

Easter Workshop!

Alright, y'all. Want to hear something that is sooooooooooooooooo not funny?!?!?!?!!

Here it is. And, you can't laugh:

There is a mouse LIVING in my classroom. 

TOTAL EEK, right?!?!?!

And, you'll never guess when charming said-mouse chose to make his first grand appearance. SMACK-DAB in  the middle of a parent-teacher conference.

I. could've. died. 

Life lesson learned? It's hard to appear professional when standing on a table in the middle of a parent teacher conference yelling, "Mouse, mouse" to everyone you see. Let's face it: these are just not the kinds of situations that professionalism conferences cover, people.

With that being said, there have been two mouse sightings since the aforementioned incident on Friday. Do you think it would be wrong to call a Code Red the next time I see my fuzzy little friend? Because I'm pretty sure he is an unwelcome intruder and I for one want to see him removed from the building.  IN HANDCUFFS.

But, seriously, that would be extremely unprofessional, which is why I am just going to call an exterminator. That, or a cardiologist. Because let me tell you, I will never stop having a heart attack at the sight of my newest little class pet until he is safely and soundly relocated... in Saudi Arabia.

Whew... Did I mention that it's Monday???

Well, with all of the nature moving into my classroom last week I just had to take a trip to the Dollar Tree to cheer myself up.  Normally shop therapy isn't my thing but rodents must bring it out in me....

Here's what I found:

Exhibit A: Darling Easter containers. These little buddies were PERFECT for sentence scrambles. I filled each little container I had with the words for a sentence. Then, my kiddos unscrambled the words to form a sentence which they wrote on their recording sheet (see download below). Super simple, cost $2, the kids love it, and the containers are precious. SOLD! 

April Sentence Scramble

Recording Sheet

(Click any picture preview below to download the entire file!)

Exhibit B: Read Around the Room Easter Egg Pointers! AHHHHHH!

LOVE them!!!!!


Any mouse extermination advice? Y'all gave me the *greatest* ideas for an end-of-the-year bash so I know you must be mad mouse exterminating geniuses, too.

Wishing you a mouse-free classroom full of learning and fun!!!!!


Word Work Fun

Alright, y'all, so want to see one of my fav, fav, favorite children's books of all time?!?!?!?!!

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More, by Karen Beaumont. 

LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!!!!

Seriously,  it's hard to say who gets more excited about reading this book: the Firsties or me... HA!

With that being said, it's a classroom favorite so I just had to incorporate it into our workshop. Here's how:

First, I had my kiddos read the book in pairs. Then they come picked up this little rhyming activity to complete with their partner. The low down?  This activity is just a variation of concentration that uses rhyming words from the book. To play, kiddos flip over two cards at a time, read the words on the cards, and decide if they rhyme. If they do, the kiddo keeps the pair of cards. If the words on the cards don't rhyme,the cards get turned back over and it's the next kiddo's turn. After all of the cards have been picked up, the friend with the most cards wins.  They ADORE this activity.  Want a copy of your own? Click on any picture preview to download the file.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More

A Rhyming Activity

(Click on any picture preview to download the entire file!)

And what workshop activity wouldn't be complete without a Show What You Know?  Hence this little buddy.   I use him to make sure all of my Firsties REALLY know how to read the concentration words and identify the rhymes.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More

A Show What You Know Activity

(Click on the picture preview to download the file!)

Have a spectacular weekend, Y'all, and enjoy the BEAUTIFUL spring weather!!!!

Reading Riddle Game

Alright Y'all, so I gotta tell you, my stomach is in some SERIOUS knots.  ELL endorsement test in T minus 3 hours.

YIKES!!!!!!!!

I sooooooo  cannot wait to have it over with. A chocolate milkshake will definitely be in order to celebrate. And then.... it's Spring Break time!!!!!!!!!!!! Heading with Mr. Handsome to the family farm, and then we're off to good ol' Minnesota.  (Going someplace even colder than Kansas for Spring Break??????  AHHHH!!!!! So unjust......)

But, we are going to have a FABULOUS time.  After all, who doesn't love Minnesota? Problem is,  we have to figure out what all there is to do up there. Suggestions?!?  I'd love to hear them!!!! We're going to be in Rochester, but a weekend trip to Minneapolis will probably be in order. I would LOVE to hear about your favorite places to shop at the Mall of America. The tax free clothes are calling me.... <smile>

But, I digress. Want a  Reading Riddle Game.  Here it is. And, y'all  I had SOOOO much fun making this!!!!!!!  Just grab some game pieces (My kiddos use little toy cars), a dice, print the gameboard,   print the playing cards, and you're in business!! Kids just roll the dice, move their little car, and have a friend draw a playing card to read them a riddle. The riddle is a question and the answer has a short or long vowel sound in it.  If they get the answer to the riddle correct, they can keep their car where it is. If not their car has to go back to where it came from.  <so sad>

Super simple, the kids love it, and it gets all my kiddos involved in some higher order thinking.  

LOVE IT.  

Hope it helps you and your Firsties!!!!!

honk, honk: a riddle game

 (Click on any picture preview to download the file)

honk, honk: the game board  

 (Click on any picture preview to download the file)

Have a SUPER weekend, Y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You deserve it!!!!!!!!!

Ow Sort

So, I have a confession to make.....

I. LOVE. PHONICS.

And not just a little bit, my friends. Sounds spelling relationships, schwa sounds, the phonetic alphabet, blends, digraphs, EVERYTHING!!! The whole nine yards.

But, the sad this is, I was a whole language learner.... 

Devastating, right? 

I never even ENCOUNTERED phonics until I student taught at age TWENTY. 

Saddest story ever.

BUT, there is a happy ending, for when I got my grimy little paws on phonics we became inseparable. Believe me, it did not take long for sound spelling relationships to ROCK MY WORLD.  Everything I knew about language went completely kaputs.  The fact that short o says, "ah"??????? INCREDIBLE!!!!  That one alone had me for 6 MONTHS.   My “ah phase"...  I remember it like it was yesterday. 

  

But, I am sad to announce that I have finally found a flaw in my dear friend phonics. And here it is:  One spelling SHOULD NOT be able to say two sounds.  Seriously. It is SOOOO confusing to First Graders.  The poor darlings get in such a tizzy.  And, recently their tizzy has been with the 'ow' spelling.

Enter this sort.  And, can I just share how excited I am that it's all black and white?  NO LAMINATION OR EXPENSIVE COLOR INK NECESSARY.  Woohoo!!!!! I hope I'm not the only one excited about that fact, because let's face it… I'm pretty excited about that fact....  Ha!!!!!

So, here's the deal: There are two cows. There's a Long O Cow and an /ow/ Cow. There's also a page of spots for the cows. Kiddos just read the word on each spot and decide if it says the Long O sound or the /ow/ sound. Then, they cut out the spot and glue it on the corresponding cow. Easy as cake and the kids LOVE it.

Hope it helps you and your Firsties.

Mrs. Thiessen

The Dairy Cow “OW” Sort

(Click on any of the picture previews to download the entire file)

 

  

Leprechaun Homophone Concentration

LETTER TO FEBRUARY

Dear February,

So this is it, huh?? You're leaving and I wasn't even done with you yet. Goodbye teeth.... Goodbye presidents.... Goodbye February To-Do list, and.....

HELLO MARCH!!!!!!  SPRING BREAK, above-freezing temperatures, meeting the National Teacher of the Year, starting our Frog Unit, beginning First Grade Anthologies, and did I mention, NO SNOW?!?!?!?!? 
 

Y'all, I don't know if anyone else is feeling this way, but I am MORE than happy to watch February sail off into the old blue yonder. Bring on the SPRING!

Speaking of Spring, need a Leprechaun-themed homophone concentration game???? Well, guess what you lucky duck?!!?!? I made one. HA!!!!! (No one actually thinks to themself- "Hmmmm... I really need a leprechaun-themed homophone concentration game..." except me.  What. A. Dork.)  Anyway, there's also a Show What You Know quiz to check your kiddos' understanding of Homophones after they play the game. 

Have a MARVELOUS Monday and happy almost-Spring!
Mrs. Theissen

Leprechaun homophone concentration

(Click any picture preview to download the entire file)

 

Leprechaun homophone show what you know quiz

(Click the picture preview to download the file)

Reading Centers

So, this week I was standing around scratching my head thinking, "Golly, what on earth am I going to do for literacy centers next week?"  And, of course I'm thinking this as I'm surrounded by PILES of stuff I've accumulated but never seem to use.  So, I got to thinking: Why don't I use all of my extra stuff to make reading centers? Two birds, one stone, right?

I can't say that what I came up with is too terribly brilliant, but I thought I'd share a couple of activities anyways just in case you're knee-high in extra supplies too!!!!! 

Unifix Cube Compound Word Building

Here's how it works: Program unifix cubes with compound words. Write each smaller word in the compound word on a different color of unifix cube. 

Then, put the cubes for each compound word into a baggie.


Whenever you use the center, kiddos just come and grab a baggie of cubes and build a compound word. By having each smaller word in the compound written on a different color of cube, kiddos can figure out the compound word without being overwhelmed.  It also helps them break the compound word down into its two components.  Here are some example words written on the cubes.

Finally, you can have your kiddos write the words they build on this recording sheet in a word sentence.

I'll be doing compound words with my higher kids. For my lower kiddos, I'll just throw a bunch of letter cubes for a certain sight word into a baggie, and they'll have to unscramble the letters in the baggie to build a sight word. Then, they'll have to write the sight word on a recording sheet and use it in a sentence.

Pattern Block Vocabulary

This center is SUPER SIMPLE. And, who doesn't need a little bit of simplicity in their life?

So, to make it just get some pattern block picture templates (I got mine from my FABULOUS and LOVELY co-teacher Mrs. Enge).  Then, write vocabulary words or sight words you want kiddos to practice on each shape blank.

This center is designed as a game to be played in pairs. To play, students grab a pattern board and a tub of pattern blocks. Then, they take turns trying to cover up all of the spaces on their pattern picture with blocks. To cover a space, a student has to say the word on the space AND use it in a sentence correctly. If they can do those two things, they can cover the space.

The first kiddo to cover their entire picture wins.

Oh, and did I mention how excited I am that it is THE WEEKEND?!?!?!? WHOOOOO!  Can you say Pajama, Bible and Star Trek marathon?  FAB-U-LOUS. I am so excited.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!!!

Mrs. Thiessen

Reading Comprehension Printable Sort

Well, I am very pleased to announce that there are only 14 days of school left until Spring Break.  But, who’s counting?!?!? HA!!!! I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but the BEAUTIFUL weather we’ve been having is definitely putting me in the mood for a break.  Bring on the above freezing temperatures, please!!!! 

So, did anyone else watch the season premiere of the Amazing Race last night? What happened, Cowboys?!?!?! My favorite team in last place??? So sad. Good thing I believe in retroactive prayer, because they need some serious prayin’ if they are going to escape elimination after ROUND ONE. Total sadness….. But, it’s okay, Cowboys. I believe in you. I promise ♥♥♥    

But enough about the Amazing Race… On to business… 

We’re well into the Second Semester of First Grade which means reading comprehension is BIG TIME on my mind. Below is a reading comprehension sort to provide practice recognizing past, present, and future tenses.  In addition to the sort, I’ve included a small quiz you may want to give your kiddos, too. I always like to give the kids a “Show What You Know” activity following any kind of group work to make sure they’ve understood the concept individually.  

Have a fabulous Tuesday!!!!!

Mrs. Thiessen

Sail, Sailed, Sailing

A Past, Present, and Future Tense Sort 

(Click any picture preview to download the entire file)

  

  

 Sail, Sailed, Sailing

A Show What You know Quiz 

(Click the picture preview to download the entire file)

  

President's Day Activities Two

So, here are a couple of things we're doing in First Grade this week to celebrate the old presidents. 

First, we read a couple of books about Lincoln and Washington and documented our learning (the kids LOVE this.)

Lincoln’s Log Sorting Center

This week I wanted to incorporate President's Day into my reading workshop, so I made this little center. President’s day theme? Lincoln’s cabins. The idea is pretty basic.

Students sort “logs” onto Lincoln’s “cabins”. Once they fill a cabin up with logs, they’ve built it! (And, wowie-wow-wow are Firsties proud of themselves after they’ve “built” a cabin!! Ha!)

Pre-Sorting



Post Sorting

Here are some example sorts.

 

Compound Words V. Non-Compound Words



Long E Words and Short E Words

What I love about this center is the variety of sorts you can make to differentiate for different kiddos. I stuck to sound sorts when I made my cabins, but you can also make syllable sorts, type of speech sorts, computation sorts, even and odd number sorts, and all other kinds of sorts with this pattern.

Want to make your own? Here’s how.

First, print this pattern (click the pic to download). It is UGLY.  But, I promise it will turn out okay.... Just trust me on this one :)  

  I know it is ugly!!!!! See explanation below.  

 (I was totally afraid to cutesy this pattern up in case I lost the sizing of the craft sticks. They were a TOTAL nightmare to trace! Hence the lack of loveliness...)

To improve your cabins, I suggest adding some Cabin Bling. I just added a door and a window to mine because I am an underachiever, but that shouldn’t prevent you from going wild!!! You may also want to laminate your houses for durability.

After you’ve made your houses, program craft sticks for whatever skill you want your kiddos to practice.  Math, reading, whatever.  You also want to create labels for the houses (e.g. “Long E Words”, “Short E Words”).

To store this center, I put all of the sticks for each sort into a different labeled baggie. Then, I pull specific sorts for different kiddos who need work on different things. Or, when I’m feeling crazy, I just put out all of the baggies and the kids can sort whatever two groups they feel like. Before sorting the kids like to "shuffle" the sticks- translation: dump all of the sticks on the floor and swirl them around like there's no tomorrow. Then they get down to sorting business and once they’re done, the sorting sticks and labels go right back into the baggies. EASY!

Storage

                          

President Mobile

So I totally wish that I could take credit for this super cute idea, but I can’t. It was entirely the mind-child of my brilliant and adorable colleague, Mrs. Shackelford. 

My class hasn’t actually done this activity yet, but here’s how I plan on doing it. First, the kiddos are going to make their mobiles (glue a presidential silhouette to each side of a heart- EASY!!!!).

Then, the kiddos will sort statements about each president onto to either side of their mobile, gluing them to the mobile tail. Simple and cute. And who can’t use a little simplicity in their life?! Here's what it looks like when it's done (one pic of each side).

Any big plans for the Presidential Weekend?  I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but I plan on catching some zzz’s. (Can you tell my mind is already on the weekend!?!?!?!)

Have a FABULOUS Wednesday!

Mrs. Thiessen