Easter Products on SALE!!! 15 % off!

Hello All,

Even though there are only 2 of them right now I decided to have an Easter Sale!

Click the picture to go to my TPT Store!

Featured Easter Products on sale are pictured below!

These are both great products you'll be able to use over and over!

I hope to actually get another Easter Product or two created before the sale is over. I'll try to make it more Springy and usable after next Friday as well.  We'll see how the week goes but nonetheless these 2 products will be on sale Monday - Thursday!!

Have a great week! Hope you check out the store!

Thanks,

Ms. Francisco

Character Traits is New in the Store by itself and then bundled with Understanding Characters so you save $1 to buy both!

Hello All,

I finished a second part to my unit on Characters.  First we started with Understanding Characters. A lesson plan and activities that can be used with any story. This lesson focuses on understanding characters based on what they say, do, and feel in a story.

Click to go to store this is sellss for $2.

Now, I have added Character Traits. In this part of the lesson we explore inside characteristics and outside characteristics and providing evidence from the story to support both claims.  It includes an anchor chart, graphic organizers and writing activities.  Students start by describing the character they know best, themselves.  Then they can take this knowledge and apply it to understanding the traits of any character.  What will be next? Possibly a Character Comparison??? HMMM Follow my TPT Store for updates so you can make sure not to miss that new product or any product.

Click the image to go to my store.  This sellss for $3.

Just to make sure you get the most bang for your buck I have bundled these two products together and you save a whole $1 when you buy both!  That's right both of these activities together are only $4.

Click the link to go to the store.  This bundle sells for $4.  You save $1 by buying both together.

So, what are you waiting for....click those previews and go get these must have units on Characters! 

Thanks for reading my blog. I would love for you to leave me some love in the comments and follow me on google + so you don't miss out on anything!

Have a great week. Is it a 4 day week for you? It is for me and I am so glad!

Take care,

Ms. Francisco

Easter is Coming! You'll want this Compound Word Matching Activity!

Hello All,

Are you having as crazy weather as we are in the Mid-South? We had almost 80 degrees one day this week and then it was snowing today! WT??? I think we have more than 4 seasons now! :)

Well, just to make life a little easier you have this print, laminate and go compound word matching activity. It's complete with My Compound Word Activity Booklet. Students will write sentences to show they understand the word by writing it in the context of a sentence.  Blank page is provided so students can continue to add to the booklet when they learn more compound words.

Go check this out. You won't regret it!  and Happy Easter!!!

Have a great week!

Thanks,

Ms. Francisco

Hello All,

We met our 50 Likes milestone on Facebook and there is a freebie for you!  So, click this to go to my Facebook page to see about the freebie.  If you haven't liked my page, like it while you're there. We are now working toward 100 LIKES on Facebook for another FREEBIE!!!

So, what are you waiting for CLICK the picture to go to the Facebook page to find the FREEBIE!

Like my FB page and Follow my TPT store so you don't miss out on all these goodies!

Have a great week!

Thanks,

Ms. Francisco

Shades of Meaning Vocabulary activities and 3 more likes to a freebie!!

Hello All,

I just finished a huge vocabulary activity set for Shades of Meaning. It's Easter Themed so it's just in

time for you to add some Holiday cheer to your student's activities. It's full of bright, cheerful and springy colors thanks to the great clipart.

It's got 2 sets of matching cards one with just words and the other with sentences. It comes with an anchor chart and a graphic organizer.  There are 3 different writing activities to go with this set of activities. You can get a lot of use out of this set.  One activity is for them to create their own using the graphic organizer.  It is already differentiated for you. Students will be challenged and find this engaging as they reach for mastery on this important vocabulary and writing skill.

Just click one of the images above to go to my store and check this and my other products out!

Some other exciting news is I am only 3 away from getting 50 likes on my Facebook page.  So, if you haven't liked it  yet get over there and do it.  When I reach 50 likes you'll get a freebie.  I think it's going to be the other Easter activity I've been working on the last 2 days!

You'll find out when I get 50 likes! So, like it....share it.....get me 50 likes! :)

Have a great day!

Thanks,

Ms. Francisco

Strategies for teaching Firsties about Money

Hello All,

Since I am going to be teaching money soon I thought I would do some research on strategies and concepts they need to learn. I taught 2nd grade Math and Science last year and they struggled with money, even the advanced class.  So, I know that these Firsties need a good foundation.  Again, this is not in our curriculum but we feel it is important so we are working it into our schedule.

One great site for some activities is MathWire.  I am going to talk about a couple of the concepts here but just so you know they are not my original thought these are from Mathwire.

First, they talk about adding antennas to the coins. Basically for multiples of 5 the students drawn a tally mark stemming from the coin. It's the same concept as touch math basically. A nickel gets one antenna, a dime 2 and a quarter 5.  Then they skip count by 5 to get the value and to add on to the value of another coin. I think I will try this with my struggling learners after I introduce money.

Another idea they had which I never really thought of for money was using a hundreds chart.  Students need to be adept at using the hundreds chart and understand the patterns of it to use it.  First, they suggest using it to count coins.  For example, give a student 3 dimes and 1 nickel. The students would place the dimes on 10, 20, 30 and the nickel on 35. The last coin tells students how much money they have altogether.   This method is effective for having students figure out which coins to use to pay for an item.   If you teach 2nd grade check out the link for how to use it for making change. I don't think we'll be doing that very much in first grade but I have the link if we do need to go there!

What's great about this site is on the link I provided they give you a literacy connection and also some games. There is a free I have who has game.  There are several other activities as well. It's well worth your while to check it out.  MathWire

Money is soooooo important because it is not just about academic skills that you don't know how you'll use but because it's a life skill that is extremely important.  If you can't count money you can get cheated at the basic level buying a treat at the store.  You have to be able to count money.  Many start at jobs like McDonald's etc., even if it tells you what change to give it doesn't tell you what coins make up that 83 cents. It's an important skill. It needs to be taught at every level.


I found this link off of Heidi's Swamp Frogs blog that has games and activities for each CCSS.  Mony is one here so search for it and you'll find some great activities.

 http://www.allentownsd.org/Page/3359

I hope this is helpful to you. I wanted to post some information that is not just product related. When I return to school after Spring Break then I will be doing these activities with my kids. I will know how to add to them if needed and I plan to take pictures of them using them. I'll get feedback for sure about what they like and don't like!

Happy Teaching and Learning,

Ms. Francisco

Is Money in your Curriculum for First Graders?

Hello All,

Money is not on our curriculum map but we are teaching it because it's on the SAT 10 test that students will be taking in a few weeks. I can't believe how close it is getting.

I am preparing some products about money for my class and I will be posting them in my store soon. When we did time I got a game Clocks in a row by Jennifer Elliott. It's actually a freebie in her store and my kids just loved it.  Here's the link to her store.  So, I made a money game like this.  There is a game board with money amounts and then there are cards with the coins on them. The kids will draw a card and tell the amount on it.  If they get it right they cover the square with their color of chip.  I have included an answer sheet by Card number so the other partner can check and see if they are right. This should help them practice authentically and not practice wrong amounts.

So, keep an eye out for this game in my store!

It's not there yet I have a few more touches to it!  I also am working on a matching card set and some worksheets with some matching and also some word problems..  I will probably put them in separate and then bundle them so you can get them at a discount.

Click the preview above to go to my TPT store.

What do you do with your students to help them learn the coin amounts and how to count the coins?  I would love to hear what you do in your classroom.

Thanks,

Ms. Francisco