Free Weather Patterns Center for Kindergarten & 1st Grade

Are you looking for a fun, hands-on way to reinforce repeating patterns in math this Spring? This free Weather Patterns Center is perfect for kindergarten and 1st-grade students learning to create patterns like AB, ABB, ABC, ABBC, and ABCD using weather-themed picture cards.

What’s Included?

✅ 10 Hands-on Math Mats for building patterns

✅  Weather-themed pattern cards. Alternatively, you could use seasonal erasers, snape cubes or bear counters. 

✅ An optional recording sheet for student accountability. 

This math center for K-1 is great for:
🌟 Independent practice
🌟 Math rotations & small groups
🌟 Early finishers or morning tubs

Download this free math center today and help your students master repeating patterns in a fun and engaging way!

You may also like the coordinating Math, Literacy, Writing and Fine Motor Weather themed pack with over 120 pages of weather themed fun available in my TpT store: 

Arrgh Pirate Ordinal Number Bingo

I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but I'm sooo into pirates! I don't have a pirate theme in my class (in fact, I don't have a theme) but I'm starting to make lots of pirate themed games. 

Here is one I just finished for students to consoldiate understandings of ordinal numbers to tenth. 

 Arrgh Bingo

  

This game comes with 6 board games (for up to 6 players) so is perfect for math stations, centers or rotations while you meet with other groups.

How to Play: Students take turns turning over a card. Students read the instructions (e.g. Find the fourth letter in 'anchor' or Find the 10th letter in 'Shiver me timbers'). If the letter is on their gameboard, they cover it with a counter/unifix cube. Either first to spell a word on their board or first to cover the board (depends on how long you have) wins.

There are two types of calling cards - Set 1 with word ordinals (e.g. fourth) 

and number ordinals (e.g. 4th) to differentiate. 

The same instructions are on each set of cards - just the ordinal (word or number) is different.

You can grab it from TpT and Teachers Notebook. Remember, TpT is having a Back to School promo with 10% off everything starting August 1st. I'm joining in the fun and also offering 20% of my entire store for 4 days only starting 1st August. You need the special TpT code B1T1S to receive the 10% discount - added to my 20% sale you'll get 30% off! You could get this baby for just over $1! Check out my store here.  I'm also having a 20% sale over at Teachers Notebook over the same days. 

By request - Reading Focus Wall

I had a lovely comment the other day about my CAFE board signs and a request to make up similar signs for a reading focus wall.

Well, here they are! 8 focus wall signs to fit a pocket chart (3x6 inches or 7.6cm x 15.2). The signs read: 

• Spelling words
• Challenge words
• High frequency words
• Robust vocabulary
• Genre
• Comprehension
• Objectives
• Writing strategies
• Question of the Day

Download them here. 

It's Getting Dicey Linky Party - Dice and Counters

I use dice and counters everyday for games and activities so I've had to come up with some guidelines for their use. 

I don't know about you, but I was sick of students rolling their dice across the table or floor and throwing it up a little or even behind them! Arrghh it drove me mad! So, the number 1 rule I have for dice is that the dice must be in your hand OR in the bowl. It's not allowed anywhere else! I've just got home from school and unfortunately don't have any photos but I'll try to remember to take some tomorrow. I just use the black Lean Cuisine (frozen meal) bowls or noodle bowls. Students pick up the dice and roll it into the bowl. Simple and free! You could also simply use paper or plastic bowls.

 

My favourite dice - blank dice that I can write on and make them any dice I need! Today I used blank dice that I had written 'er', 'or', 'ir', 'ur' and 'ar' on for a game involving r-controlled vowels.

Other favourite dice? Place value dice

and 0-9 (10-sided) dice. I looove these dice for mental computation games.

Now, I also use counters... A LOT! Either as pawns to move around a board or for bingo games etc. I've literally got 1000s of them and I try to keep the right amount of counters included with the game so that students do not have to find the counters they need. This is easy with film canisters! I just add the numbers of counters needed for each game and/or each player to the film canister and add to the bag the game is in. I found clear film caniseters at the Science Bob Store.I write on the caniseter how many counters there should be and students are responsible for ensuring the right amount go back in!

What do you do with dice? How do you store your dice? What are your favorite games with dice? What creative ways do you use dice in your classroom? Head on over to Little Miss Kindergarten's It's Getting Dicey linky party to share your ideas

Daily 5 Work Board/Rotations Freebie

I have to say that I LOVE the Daily 5. However this term I have needed to modify it to the Daily 2 :( We have been given new guidelines for how we have to set up our English and literacy time (and show how we differentiate between the two) and what rotational type activities we HAVE to do. 

So.... I can do 2 rotations each day so I'm making up a board that will show what students will do for each rotation (rather than having them choose). I am sticking with the Daily 5 components as such (I've always done Write About Reading rather than Work on Writing and do a separate writing workshop) but I've also had to do Writing Skills as one of the rotations.

We've been told we have to do guided reading (check - Read with Teacher), independent reading (check - Read to Self) and a 4 Resource Model activity (check - Write About Reading) and we are allowed to do a Word Work (check) and Writing Skills rotation (check). I've included these so that there is some variation and not always independent reading and a reading response (how boring!). We also have to do three 31 minute (yes, 31 minute!) English lessons per week.

I haven't finalised how I'm going to do this yet, but I've made up some rotation board labels in case you are interested. I've included all the Daily 5 type ones even if I can't use them :(

There are 6 to a page. 

And my favourite because I have brown hair and wear glasses!

 

 

Place Value Dominoes Math Center

One of my favorite ways to teach place value to 1st and 2nd graders is with games! One easy to prep and play game we love in my class is playing Place Value Dominoes! 

I have two sets available with Under the Sea and Pirate themes focusing on the different representations of Tens and Ones and Hundreds, Tens and Ones respectively. Having the two sets (each with four variations) allows me to easily differentiate for the children in my class. 

We play dominoes individually (it's a great fast finisher!) as well as in pairs and small groups of 3 so they are perfect for math centers. 

Both packs cover standard form, word form, place value, expanded form and base-10 block representations and come with optional recording sheets. (Word form with both Aussie and U.S. conventions are included).

Not only are dominoes VERY easy to prep (simply print, laminate and cut out), what I love about them the most is that once you have taught your class how to play once, they will know how to play EVERY TIME without you having to waste precious instructional time going over new instructions every time. 

What is your favorite place value game to play? 

Beach/Ocean Theme CAFE headings

I had a comment under the Froggy CAFE headings asking whether I had found any with a beach/ocean theme.... well I hadn't, so I decided to quicky make some up! They are about the size of half a page landscape. I only did these quickly after I read the message so please be kind!

I've also attached the ones I use in my class this term. While on our Winter holidays, I rearranged things in my room and my old headers didn't fit - in fact I've only got a small CAFE board. So these ones are about half a page each, portrait orientation.

You can grab them from Google Docs by clicking on the pictures.

CAFE headers - froggy theme

I've been blog-hopping all over the place this morning, trying to catch up on the neverending list of unread posts in Google Reader! I happened to stumble across these very cute froggy CAFE/FACE posters. If you have a froggy theme you'll want to check them out. The teacher Jackie, from Here we go Loopty Loop, arranges them as FACE, but they can easily be put has as CAFE. 

You can check them out here on her blog.

Freebie - Money Board Game

Here is the notes and coin version of my money snakes and ladders game. You can grab it here for free from my TpT store. 

Once again, it uses Australian currency, but if you want to let me know where I can get yours, I can make up a copy for you. 

Remember to join my giveaway!

FREEBIE - Dollars and Cents Board Game

This is a snakes and ladders board game where kiddos collect money as they travel around the board. BEWARE: there are also pickpockets who will steal your hard-earned money or you might be generous and donate to charity! The player with the most money at the end of the game wins. Can be played by 2-4 players and is tabloid/A3 size (alternatively print as 2 letter/A4 sized sheets and stick to a file folder). You'll need play coins to play.

This board uses Australian currency, but if you know where I can get yours, please email me and I can make up a game for you. The coins come out darker and clearer than what can be seen here when printed.

Please consider leaving feedback if you download the game. Any feedback and suggestions are welcome. Grab it for free in my TpT store.

Notes and coins version coming soon.

FREEBIE - themed Ask 3 Before Me signs - Jungle, Pirate, Western

 I got a bit carried away with these and decided to do some theme ones up! Click on the picture to take you to my TpT store where you can download them for FREE!

Jungle/Monkey theme

Pirate theme

Western theme

If you have another theme, I am happy to make it up if I have the alphabet.

FREEBIE: Ask 3 Before Me

I don't know about you, but one of the things that really annoyed me when I came down to 2nd grade was how many questions the kids asked about simple things! 

What book do I need?  

What do I do now? 

What do I have to get out? 

Even though I use signs of a pencil, eraser etc and write the book (blue dot, red dot etc) on the board, these little kiddos would ask me rather than look on the board for themselves. It was worse during guided reading when they would come up and interrupt me instead of asking their group members these simple questions. So, I made up this sign and taught students to 'Ask 3 Before Me'. 

Things are going much better now! No more interruptions! You can download it for free from my TpT store here. Please consider leaving feedback!

My Favourite Books

I LOVE reading! It is one of those things that I have to find time to do everyday and when I get stuck into a good book, I just can't put it down. I'll be up all night reading just to try and finish it off! Even as a kid, I would spend my afternoons and weekends reading my favourite books. My mum would tell me to go outside and play - so I would take my books out on our big verandah and read there or under a big tree in our backyard. This love of reading only started in grade 4 though - when discovered the Baby-Sitters Club! Boy,did I love those books!

Childhood Favourites

The Baby-Sitters Club

Seven Little Australians (this book always makes me cry)

Charlotte's Web

The Chronicals of Narnia

Favourite Books for Teens

I LOVE reading books written for teens. They are nice, easy reads but some have great story lines that develop over a series. I can also discuss them with my nearly 12 y.o. son.

 Harry Potter (I am totally addicted!)

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Lord of the Rings

Inheritance Cycle 

Percy Jackson

Artemis Fowl

Class Favourites

We recently voted for our favourite books and authors, so I can confidently say that our favourite authors are: 

David Shannon

Stephen Michael King

Margaret Wild

Dr Seuss

Pamela Allen

H.I.Larry (Zac Power)   

(among others)

Professional Development

The Daily 

CAFE

No More I'm Done

Anything by

Debbie Diller

Patricia Cunningham

poetry books

I could keep going....Be sure to check out Runde's Room to add your favs!