This post contains affiliate links. The Activities: Print a copy of this free Halloween book (focusing on double consonant words) for your classroom library or Halloween center! Then, have your students write about what their teacher should wear for a costume! Getting Ready: To print the free book (and have the pages in the…
Yesterday was the first full day of fall and it was lovely where I live! Even though the school year seems to be taking a while to get off the ground and for routines to actually be routine, I’m definitely ready to start doing some fun fall activities with apples and pumpkins! I love…
This post contains affiliate links. Back to school season is upon us! If you teach littles like I do, you know how crazy end-of-the-day transportation can be those first couple of days! To make things just a little easier, I always work in an activity on the first day to go over (AGAIN) how everyone…
This post contains affiliate links. Spring is in the air (at least hopefully soon!!!) and if you are teaching money, this is the perfect freebie for you! Directions: This low-prep activity is super simple to get ready! Simply print off the free download (linked on the blue button below). Then, laminate the pages in Scotch…
This post contains affiliate links. I have so many routines and procedures in my first grade classroom, so when fun holidays like Valentine’s Day roll around I love to break out of our normal routine and mix in some fun and cute work stations! I knew this FREE Penguin Number Bond Activity would be engaging…
This post contains affiliate links. Routines and procedures are GOLD in my classroom. My kids know what to expect, I know how to plan, and things just run smoother in general! For the most part, my math block looks like this each day: Student-Led Math Calendar on the SMART board (5 min.) Teacher-Led Math Warm-Up…
This post contains affiliate links. Contractions can be pretty tricky for first graders to nail down! To make it fun and give my students a bit of scaffolding, I created this free Contraction Conversation Hearts literacy center. Since the “matching” hearts are the same color, the focus is less on students knowing the matches, but…
This post contains affiliate links. Almost every day, my first grade students have a writing “job”. We might be starting a week-long writing project, responding to prompts, adding a new entry into our independent journals, or we could be doing some sort of writing craft! I like to mix it up, but regardless, my students…
This post contains affiliate links. When I teach my first graders in guided reading groups, we almost always start out word work with magnetic letters. I have my metal stove burner covers prepped ahead of time with magnetic letters so all my students have to do is “pull down” the letters needed to make a…
This post contains affiliate links. One math skill I always seem to forget about teaching my first graders is adding three numbers together. In my state, students are expected to be able to add three numbers together within 20, but I usually just start within 10. To teach this concept to my class, I simply…
This post contains affiliate links. The 100th Day of School (or 101st) can be a bit overwhelming if your school is like mine and does things BIG! Whether you’re a teacher who wants a unique activity, or a homeschooling parent who wants to mix it up this year, this freebie has got you covered! Prep…
This post contains affiliate links. My first graders are OBSESSED with our mini erasers from Target… maybe even more than me! Is that even possible??? But really, during indoor recess, they just want to sort them, stack them, and put them in piles! To harness all this eraser love, I created this Editable Unicorn Spin…
This post contains affiliate links. Every day my students have plenty of writing opportunities! After putting their things away first thing in the morning, they know their job is to write in their “Morning Journal”. Each day of the week has a guideline: Monday — Weekend update. Tuesday — True story Tuesday. Wednesday —…
This post contains affiliate links. Each day, my first graders complete a few hands-on literacy activities during our reading rotations. Students get to choose what they work on, and I even have some kiddos who take centers home a few nights a week to do for fun with their families– it melts my teacher heart!…
This post contains affiliate links. Although I currently teach first grade, I do occasionally have students move-in from other areas in need of some kindergarten skills. To help these kiddos out, I like to have literacy and math centers on hand that they can do independently and feel successful with! These adorable zoo-themed matching puzzles…
This post contains affiliate links. This past week, my first grade class learned about fractions! I started out with 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 using the language “one OUT OF two pieces,” and so on. This seemed to work best for introducing the concept, but as the week progressed I wanted my students to also use…
This post contains affiliate links. My first graders are really starting to take flight with their reading and writing, but I’ve noticed lately that some of my kiddos still haven’t quite made it over that tricky B/D and P/Q “hump”. Because I’m somewhat obsessed with centers, I whipped up this quick and easy letter identification…
This post contains affiliate links. When my $60 electric pencil sharpener began to wear down, I did what any teacher would– I started browsing the internet for pencil sharpeners to replace it. Although my electric sharpener did a good job for a solid two years, I still wanted to find something less expensive that would…
This post contains affiliate links. As a first grade teacher, it’s my job to help my students gain an understanding of mathematical procedures– not just show them how to do something and drill it. Even understanding that the number 26 is made up of 2 bundles of 10 and 6 individual “ones” is a tricky…
This post contains affiliate links. I’m not huge on giving my first graders food treats, or anything treasure-box related, but I’m a big fan of positive praise and good old fashioned love and attention! I give my students certificates when they show exceptional leadership, I draw big stars on their papers when I think it…
This post contains affiliate links. Even though my first graders have come such a long way since the beginning of the year, there is still so much room for them to grow their little literacy brains! I wanted to help my kiddos practice their reading and also take notice of the features of print– AKA…
This post contains affiliate links. The other day I had a substitute and needed something fun for my kids to do during writing! Since our theme was “Pumpkins,” I whipped up this free writing paper! When I returned from my all-day meeting, I was pleasantly surprised by the creative, great work I saw! I considered…
This post contains affiliate links. Children’s books are one of my favorite things to add to my first grade classroom! I try to create an atmosphere where I’m always excited about the new books being added to our class library– I use bonus points to buy books from Scholastic each month, and I am always…
This post contains affiliate links. Halloween is right around the corner, and I’m probably more excited about it than my first graders! Anyways, we are working on true or false equations in math and I wanted something simple enough for my kiddos and a little spooky too, so I whipped up these two practice sheets….