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. 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. 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. 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…