Simply For Teachers

Our First Grade holds Thanksgiving Centers every year (I think since before I was born).  Since I moved into the grade level four years ago, we've updated almost each center.  There are seven centers in all: 1. Thanksgiving Read Aloud 2. Placemats 3. Necklaces & Headbands 4. Color a Smile (Coloring page for people in the hospital) 5. Turkey Stick Puppet & Poem 6. Cornucopia Snack Mix & 6th Grade Buddy Snack 7. Roll, Add & Color We still don't have the centers exactly how we want them, but the kiddos LOVE this day.  We hold our centers the day before Thanksgiving break.  Nothing says a break like an early dismissal and holiday centers.  This year we tweaked our Cornucopia Snack Mix to add a gift element for our 6th Grade Buddies.  We scooped the extra snack from our mixing bowl into baggies and placed cards on the front that read "I am thankful you are my buddy!".  It was a huge hit and the firsties loved delivering their...

Sorry it's been so long! I'm going to make my blogging time more of a priority and set aside time each week to make posts happen! With that said................LET'S TALK TURKEY! Thanksgiving is such a great time of the year to reflect on why we are thankful.  And let's face it, turkeys make great projects in school.  I've been doing a word family turkey project for years and finally got it into my TPT store last year.  It makes an adorable bulletin board that can stay up all November (and for that first week of December if you need too).  You can find it for FREE in my TPT store!  I hope your kiddos enjoy making them. The bulletin board title says "We are thankful for families" as a play on words.

Nothing says fall fun like apples (and pumpkins of course)!  I love this time of year and like most of us, I enjoy incorporating seasonal elements into our day to day work.   Here I created a Dolch High Frequency Word read/write the room activity.  You can see it at my store HERE .   Enjoy the pictures below of my students rocking the activity! ENJOY!!

Check out the FREE table numbers I've posted on my TPT store  (<click there)! I hope you enjoy them. I love how mine look on paper daisies.  Thanks!

I LOVE having tables in First Grade! A couple of years ago there was extra money in our school's budget (I know, crazy right) and the administration encouraged staff to make proposals on how to spend that money.  My partner and I quickly responded with our desire to have tables in our classrooms.  We provided research and a great pitch!  The benefits have been huge and we love them.   I created some cute numbers a couple of years ago using paper daisies.  This year I adjusted the actual numbers and they turned out really cute (I think).   Stop back and I'll have them for FREE at my TPT store !!!! Thanks for stopping by,

I'm not sure that the picture does the event justice (it didn't look that fuzzy on my phone), but here are those cute bins at work.  The best part is….it worked!! Totally eliminated the traffic around the room and the kiddos took to them like fish to water.  Why didn't I do this sooner? I hope you enjoy the labels and the peek at the bins at work. Thanks!

This is an idea I can not take any credit for! My rockin grade level partner found this idea on Pinterest and we all know how that goes…..we have to share. The idea is a small/medium container that sits in the middle of your table groups during a craftivity.  Each table collects their scraps in the "Tidy Bin" during the activity and one person is responsible for dumping the scraps in the recycling once the table is finished.  This is a very simple concept and one I've seen around, but this year it just seemed to make sense to give it a try.  I believe it will really eliminate the traffic to and from the recycling and the "pit stops" some of my friends like to make on their way back to their own seat (you know what I mean).   The buckets I purchased are from the Dollar Tree and have the cute little holes all around them.  So I decided to place a plain label behind the one on the front of the bucket to keep it from peeling off or scraps getting stuck to the ba...

We have our "teacher days" this Wednesday & Thursday.  The kiddos land in my classroom next Tuesday!  I feel like I already know them, simply because I've put their names on maybe 20 different items and locations.  All of you primary teachers out there know what I'm talking about! Over the years I've developed some simple shortcuts to make my life a little easier.  Once I have my list of firsties, I print out an entire sheet of address labels for each one.  Even if I have too many I can use them throughout the year.  Then I go to town sticking them on EVERYTHING under the sun.  I make a list of all of the places I need to remember in hopes that I'll get it all done before they arrive.   I do like having their names ready because it shows the children that this is THEIR room too.  They are not guests they are residents.  I like making  them feel welcome right from the start! Just in case you like a good list (all teachers d...

One last sale before SCHOOL..... Visit my store for 20% off all of my products!!!! Click HERE Thanks,

As we continue to get ready for Kindergarten I've created a little ABC's Practice Book for my daughter.  You can find it in my Super ABC Practice Pack, here .  I used the workbook printables and bound them  to make it look official.  I printed the cover in a bright color and viola! My daughter was so excited to use her "workbook".  It is structured with a letter for each page.  What I really like about the pages are that the directions repeat so that after a couple of pages the child is more confident in completing the work independently.  Kids love to have some autonomy and predictable directions create a sense of security. A little about the letter X............ .Just FYI, the page for the letter x does change the last part of directions from identifying the first letter of the word to the last letter of the word.  Using the ending sound for the letter x makes a lot more sense.   The letter x makes the "cks" sound.  Words li...

In first grade I love using "Hunts" in independent, partner, small and large group settings.  You can taylor the activity to focus on a desired skill or use it as a review.  When it comes to getting ready for Kindergarten why not hunt letters!! A little on environmental print...... It is important for students to recognize the letters of the alphabet in all settings, this is called "environmental print".  Basically the words that are all over our environment e.g.: signs, billboards, wall decor, posters, etc.  We are always amazed when our child can "read" McDonald's or CVS.  It's because these are a frequented places that children know and they begin to recognize the signs.  The colors, font, placement and location give it away. Back to a letter hunt.....children need to be able to recognize their letters in a variety of settings and fonts.  (I will address handwriting later, this is strictly about recognition not formation) A fun way to practi...

It's so hard to teach our own children and especially during these summer months when they don't want anything to do with school work.  Let's take out the work!  Today we played a VERY simple game of letter recognition that my daughter LOVED! Soooooooo Simple!!!! What do I need? 1. an alphabet reference sheet or poster (I have one in my Super Alphabet Practice Pack, here ) 2. a marker (penny, counter, pretty stone, etc.) What do I do? 1. tell your child "we are going to play a game called Name the Letter" 2. take turns tossing (gently) the marker onto the alphabet sheet 3. the other person has to name the letter on which the marker lands 4. keep taking turns until the fidgets set in and then stop (go out on a high note, not with pleading and a fight) Why this game? Practicing the alphabet in order doesn't really help children recognize the letters completely.  They need the opportunity to see the letters out of order so that they can real...

My daughter starts Kindergarten in the fall...... She is my youngest and for all you mommies out there you know how I'm feeling.  But, the teacher in me needs to make sure my baby is ready!  We're starting with a basic alphabet review.  I gave her an alphabet reference page to color as a warm-up.  The idea of sitting still and working at a task continually will take stamina building.  Remember getting ready for Kindergarten is more than just knowing your ABC's!  As a previous K teacher I can tell you half the battle is building stamina and getting kiddos excited about practice.   Something as simple as new crayons or a special place to sit can make the difference.  Use what is motivating for your child.  My little Pre-K cutie loves to color, but sometimes you have to get creative. I decided to start with a basic reference page from my newest TPT pack... Super ABC Practice Pack .  You can view it here . Here are t...

Hello and Welcome to my new blog..... Simply Primary!  I can't wait to start sharing my experiences in teaching with you.  I hope you will find this blog informative and fun!  Please stop back soon for some great ideas on how to keep kids practicing over the summer.  Specifically, getting kiddos ready for KINDERGARTEN!!