Sizzling with Free Summer Reading Resources and Activities

Here in Tallahassee school ends on May 31st. I've put together some great ideas and free resources to help stop the "Summer Slide" for your kids and their parents. We all know how important it is to keep our kids reading and writing all summer long so I have put together a few for you to check out.

At the local level parents should check out their library for their summer reading programs for elementary students. I know I always signed my kids up each summer. Usually there is a theme and books related to the theme as well as fun activities each week.

Scholastic has a wonderful  on line reading program with printables that you can check out and register for by clicking on the picture below.

You might also want to check out Reading Rockets which has a wonderful list of activities and websites with free reading and writing activities as well as great tips and ideas for parents about other summer activities to do with your kids. You can check it out by clicking on the picture below.

I found several Free Summer Reading Programs listed that you can access for different reading levels which you can check out by clicking on the image below.

 Education.com has a 10 week fun program to help kids beat the summer slide. There are lots of fun literacy activities for each of the 10 weeks and all you have to do is register. It's free. To find out more you can click on the picture below.

I just revised my Hooray for Summer Literacy Activities for Grade 1-2 that you may want to check out.

There are 8 different literacy activities to include a Summer Word Sort, Summer Noun Sort, Summer Word Syllable Sort, Summer Compound Word Match and Writing Activity, Making and Writing Sentences about Summer and a few more fun activities. When you download the Preview you will get this free activity.

I have lots of educational Pinterest boards for you to check out by clicking HERE. Hope you will follow me on Pinterest. 

Here is my most popular one you might want to follow.

You may also want to check out some of my other blog posts about summer for some great free activities and resources. Just click HERE.

Thanks for making a difference for all the students in your classroom this last year. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing summer vacation and take some time for yourself.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Mother's Day: Free Poems, Craft Ideas, and more for Pre-K through 1st Grade

Can't believe that it's time to be thinking about Mother's Day already! For the Pre-School and K-1 classrooms making crafts and having a Mother's Day luncheon or tea are always popular activities. 

I found some great craft ideas and poems that would be wonderful for those who teach Pre-K and K-1 that I'd like to share with you, too. I got lots of comments about the Tulip Craft that I though I would share again. All the instructions and free tulip templates are included. Just click on the picture below to find out how to make it.

I also found some great earth friendly recycled  Mother's Day crafts which you also might be interested it. Just click on the picture below to check these out.

How about a cute foldable card for your students to make? This one I found at DLTK. Just click below for directions. You can also link to lots of other free activities for Mother's Day.

If you are looking for free poems I have found some at Apples4theTeacher- there are quite a few to choose from.

If you are looking for a Shared Reading Book, Guided Reading Books, and Writing Activities for K-1, you might want to check-out my "Mom's Are Special People" Packet. You can click on the picture below to download the Preview file to see the new revised Preview file and get 2 free activities.

Last but not least is a special free Mother's Day poem that I wrote. If you are planning a Mother's Day Luncheon or Special Class Celebration, this would be a great poem for your students to learn and present during your special celebration. You can also include it in a Mother's Day card.  Just click on the poem below to get your free copy.

If you are looking for some wonderful free resources and activities for Grades 2-3 please click HERE.

It has been fun bringing you all these great free resources and hope that you have found some great activities to use in your classrooms. I hope you will check-out all my all my Pinterest Boards by clicking HERE and follow me.

Thanks for all you do to make a difference for your students.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

 What kinds of Mother's Day Celebrations do you have in your classroom?

Leaping with Frog and Toad ELA Free Activities

A few years ago my granddaughter and I found a frog in my back yard. She really wanted to catch it and she finally did. She was so excited and looked so intently at it as you can see in the picture below. Of course we let it go, but she always asks if we can look for more frogs when spring rolls around. Children are fascinated with them.

I wrote an "Ode to a Frog" a few years ago and have revised it. Most of you who read my blog know that I love writing poetry and I love making freebies for my followers and viewers. If you would like to download this free poem and writing activity just click on the image below.

 If you are looking for more Spring Poetry Activities you can check-out my Spring Poetry Packet by clicking on the image below.

When I worked with my ESL and Struggling Readers I also started my units with a Shared Reading. Many times I would read a Non-fiction Book and a Fiction book and then have them compare and contrast the 2 books. Most classrooms have the Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad books like the one below. Although they are fictional characters, there are some things about each that can be true. So why not read a Non-Fiction book like "Frog and Toad" by Melissa Stewart and have your students compare and contrast fictional frogs and toads with real frogs and toads. You can find each book by clicking on the images below.

You may also like my "Frogs and Toads" Packet which you can check-out by clicking on the image below. Just download the Preview file to see sample pages of all the reading, writing, and other activities in this unit.

I would love to have you follow me on Pinterest. You can check out all my educational boards by clicking HERE. 

Thanks for all you do to make a difference for your students.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Buzzing with Bees! Free Resources and Activities

Now that it's spring it won't be long for those busy bees to be buzzing around. Without honeybees we wouldn't be able to enjoy many of the wonderful fruits we love to eat. Did you know that the wax that bees make is used to make lipsticks, candles, and even medicine? I have put together some great resources about honeybees for you to check out starting with some great Read Aloud books about bees. You can check them out by clicking on the picture below.

Your students may want to read more about Honeybees at National Geographic for Kids. Just click on the picture below to learn interesting facts and photos about Honeybees.

Here is a great website called "Everything about" where you can access lots of information about Honeybees. Just click on the picture below.

Here is another great website where you can find lots of interesting facts and links to several websites. You can check it out by clicking on the picture below.

Last year I uploaded my unit called "Busy Bees" and have finally revised and updated it to include lots more reading and writing activities. Students will not only learn about honeybees and the jobs they do but also about Beekeepers, read fact cards, sort the different jobs that the Queen, drones, and worker bees do and write an insect report. You can check it out by clicking on the picture below and read the complete description and see sample pages of all the materials and activities by downloading the Preview file. 

Hope you will check out my Pinterest Boards and follow. Just click HERE. If you home school your children I have added this one below. I also have one just for Spring.

Hope spring is around the corner and watch out for those Busy Bees! Thanks for all you do to make a difference for your students.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hopping with Free Easter Resources and Activities

Easter time is upon us and those cute little bunnies will be hopping all over the place. In case you are looking for some fun activities, crafts, books, and free activities then this is the post for you!

I found so many wonderful books, free games, puzzles, poems and songs, and crafts at Apples for Teachers. How about these cute clothespin book marks!  Just click on the picture to check out all the free activities to do with your students.

How about a fun Anagram. I found this and tons of great stuff at DLTK. You can download your free copy by clicking on the picture below. If you go back to the home page you will find lots of other free activities, so hop on over!

I  also found online games, and printables at the Kids Page which you can check out by clicking on the picture below.

Are you looking for some fun Easter party ideas? You can find ideas for pre-school - elementary school ideas by clicking on the image below.

A few years ago I created an Easter Packet called "Easter is a Time for......" for Grades 1-2 which includes a Shared Reading Book, 3 Guided Reading Books at 1st and 2nd grade reading levels, 2 fun Poems and a fun mini book called: "Easter Egg, Easter Egg, What do you see? Students will get to design their own egg and write about it as well as 2 opinion pieces with the help of graphic organizers. There are 2 Literacy Centers: Picture/Word Match and Writing and Roll the Die and Read. You can check it out by clicking on the picture below. If you download the preview file you will get a free poem: "Bunny Hop Chant"

Don't forget to check out all my Pinterest Boards by Clicking HERE.  I just added one for Homeschooling that some of you might be interested in as well as my most popular one.

 Have a Hopping Good Easter time with your students! Thanks for all you do to make a difference for your students.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Spring Reading Resources and Free Emergent Reader

I just got back from a wonderful spring vacation with my family and can't believe how green everything is. Some of you who have had a very long, cold, and snowy winter are ready for spring! Time to start getting out spring books for read alouds and reading activities. Think of all the things that happen in spring: baby animals are born, birds building nests, grass turns green, buds on the trees, farmers getting ready to plant, baseball season starts, and so much more.

Here is a great list of Spring books and summaries you may want to check out by clicking on the image below.

You can also find this Eric Carle book and lots of other spring books at Amazon by clicking on the image below.

For the Pre-K and K teachers you can get lots of free printable spring books and activities by clicking on the image below. You can't beat that!

Since April is National Poetry month it's a great time to read spring poems with your students. There are so many different literacy activities you can do with poetry. Look at the spring poem below.

There are so many ways to use this for teaching the 5 components of a balance literacy program. When students read aloud they develop expression, phrasing, and most of all fluency. Have you ever tried Echo reading? This a great way to get all your students to participate. First you read a line or stanza and then they read it. You can start by having students echo a line and then a stanza. Repeated reading helps develop fluency. Next you can talk about the meaning of the poem and unfamiliar words. Many of the unfamiliar words can be acted out such as blooming and waddling. The poem is all about the signs of spring and a great way to integrate science. Take each stanza and compare and contrast each with what happens in winter to what is happening in the poem. There are compound words to find, adjectives, long and short vowel sounds, ou and ow sounds, and so much more. You can find this poem and many more poems and literacy activities by clicking on the image below.

If you are looking for a Spring Reading and Writing Unit for K-2 you may want to check out my packet by clicking on the image below. There is a Shared Reading book and 3 differentiated guiding reading books, comprehension activities, and lots of other literacy and writing activities. You can see sample pages of all the differentiated reading activities, writing, and literacy activities when you download the Preview file.

Hope you find some great spring reading resources to use with your students.

Don't forget to check out all my Pinterest Boards by clicking HERE. Hope you will follow.

Thanks for all you do to make a difference for your students.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin