A collection of common core kindergarten and early first grade teaching strategies, themes, and activities that inspire students to succeed.
Help students to have concrete, cognitively appropriate learning activities. Learn how to incorporate singing, art and science into your curriculum.
Learn how to use technology to enhance learning such as Smart boards, large monitors, response systems, etc. to ensure all students have access to your curriculum.
My Kinders are currently learning different strategies they can use when they add or subtract. Here is a picture of some of the posters I have created for my students to use when given an addition or subtraction situation that they need to follow.
One of my student's favorite Math Game is The Haunted House Game.
Students play with a partner. They are given a plastic bag with 1-10 number cards and ten lima bean ghosts (with a pen draw a spooky face on a lima bean). The directions of how to play the game at home are glued to the back of the bag. First the start with the number 3. They lay the card in front of the standing haunted house and place 3 ghosts by the number card. One student closes their eyes white the other hides some or all of the ghosts in the haunted house bag. When the other child opens their eyes they must say the number of ghosts that are in the haunted house. This game supports all of the strategies learned in addition and subtractions. Once the number 3 becomes to easy, students lay the next number with the corresponding ghosts.
I love teaching this unit, since it incorporates lots of opportunities to meet Common Core Standards in fun and exciting ways. It also incorporates all types of modalities.
Students are given many opportunities to hear different versions of this Folk Tale. Students are asked to identify, compare and retell the adventures of this unique character. Here are a few of my favorite stories of the Gingerbread Man. Click on the pictures to get more information about each book.
and my new favorite:
My classroom consists of many EL students. I use a lot of Language Stems helping all children be able to participate in Literature discussions.
My students love to sing this Gingerbread Man Song
Gingerbreadmen stories invite wonderful art and writing experiences.
Students enjoy finger painting with brown paint. I always add a little starch to the brown poster paint. You need to demonstrate how to press down with their fingers to make the designs on the paper. Finger paint paper works best, but I also use the back side of slick book covers usually donated at the beginning of the year by companies or old posters.
After the painting has dried, cut out the man.
Let the students decorate with white rick rack. a fuzzy red pompom nose, buttons and craft eyes. With a black pen they can draw his mouth.
Students are then asked, "If you were the Gingerbread Man (Girl), what character would you would like to see? They write on the speech bubble, I see a (draw a picture in the box) and help me spell the word under the box. This is then displayed in the classroom for students to read and eventually will go into their Kindergarten memory book.
In First Grade, Students draw a map of their adventure of the Gingerbread man. They glue a real cookie onto their picture. If you have ants, I would recommend giving them a gingerbread man eraser.
One of my Literacy Centers is playing ABC Gingerbread Man Bingo
