I have been on a serious hiatus from blogging lately, and I've been struggling with getting back into it. My wedding has consumed so much of my time and energy (and money!) lately that my time I would typically spend blogging has now been spent on Pinterest or out doing all things wedding. I am, however, going to start trying to do better, and what better way than with a giveaway of my new Valentine's Day Literacy and Math Pack?!
Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and although Valentine's Day is a stressful day in the classroom with five and six year olds bringing in handfuls of cards to pass out with names they may or may not be able to read, and the gobs and gobs of sweets, it is a lot of fun for the kiddos. So, I created a literacy and math center pack to accompany the chaos in my classroom. Let me tell you a little bit about it by starting with the literacy pack.
My literacy center time is one of my favorite times of the day. I enjoy this forty minutes of literacy time because I know that each of my students are getting the time to work on the things that each of them specifically need either extra practice in or some reinforcement in. It is also my time to work with students needing extra support in various literacy areas. I typically try to keep the same sets of centers each week, and just slightly alter the answers so that students are constantly getting practice on important skills that I know will show up on standardized tests. It also helps that I don't have to take the time each week to teach a completely new center to all of my students. For the most part I can say, for example, Group 1 you are at Syllable Sort today, and they go and are able to do it with ease. Different pictures, same essential skill being practiced.
Okay, so now that I have explained my way of doing literacy centers, here is what I included in my literacy pack for students to work on.
Students will pick an adorable Valentine kid and write down the ten sight words that are hidden in the picture.
Students will walk around the room and write down the first sound for each picture.
(**This activity comes with a paper saving option.)
Students will put the Valentine's Day related cards in alphabetical order and then record it on their recording sheet.
(**This activity comes with a paper saving option.)
Students will sort the CVC or simple blend cards into a real or nonsense category and then record three real words and three nonsense words on their recording sheet.
Students will sort the Valentine's Day related cards by how many syllables are in the word and then complete their recording sheet.
Students will sort the digraph picture cards with their correct digraph, and then complete the cut and paste recording sheet. (Can be used for whole group instruction.)
2 Activities, Same Skill
Choice 1: Students will use their pencil and a paperclip to spin on the CVC picture spinner. Students will say the picture name and color the cupcake with the vowel letter that is in the middle of the word. (Example: jet; students would color one E cupcake.)
Choice 2: Students will use their pencil and a paperclip to spin on the vowel spinner. Students will then color one of the CVC pictures that has that vowel in the middle of the word. (Example: U; students would color the sun.)
Three different Valentine's Day kids labeling sheets with cut and paste labels options.
Now onto the math pack...
I will be completely honest. Last year, my first year of teaching, my math centers were not pretty. I never could quite get the centers going the way they should in order to be beneficial until the end of the school year. Then, it was a little too late. This year, I started early with my math centers and it runs so much more smoothly, and my kiddos love it! I have the same type of mentality with my math centers as a I do with my literacy centers when it comes to the types of skills that are being covered each week. The centers progressively get more difficult as we dive deeper into math concepts throughout the year.
Here is what I have included in my math pack.
With the help of the hundreds chart, students will determine what number is missing on each card and record it on the recording sheet.
Students will put numbers in order by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Students will then record the numbers in order on one of the three differentiated recording sheets.
Students will walk around the room and count the number of flowers on each card. Students will then record the number on their recording sheet. (Cards with counting up to ten and up to twenty included.)
Students will decide which number is bigger on each card and write the bigger number on the recording sheet.
Students will look at the numbers on each card and put the numbers in order from least to greatest on their recording sheet.
Students will use their pencil and paperclip to spin the spinner. Students will then add or subtract the given number of counters in each tens frame and write the number of counters they end up with.
Students will use the non-standard heart rulers to measure the height of each Valentine's Day related picture. Students will then record their answers and decide which picture was the tallest and shortest on the recording sheet.
Students will count the number of Valentine's Day kids on each card and record the number on the recording sheet.
Each of these centers, literacy and math, are sold separately in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, and they can be purchased together at a discounted price; however, you have a chance to win my Valentine's Day Literacy and Math Pack right now!
From now until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 8th, you can enter my giveaway to win this loaded pack. Your students are sure to get in the loving spirit with these literacy and math centers!
Happy Raffling! :)
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