Snowmen Ideas

To get my students back in the groove of centers and school after our winter break, I am going to do several snowmen activities and homework assignments that first week. I know I could probably find LOTS of ideas, but I am only doing snowmen for 1 week. Then I move onto my Gingerbread Unit.

Here are a few items, ideas I have found or made.

Math
Snowmen number and pasta snowflakes
Snowmen tally marks (matching I made)
Snowmen ordinal numbers (matching I made)
Snowman ordinal numbers page  (found in a book)
Place Value Snowmen Spinner Game

Snowman Graph - the students use white circles (pre-cut or they cut themselves) and write each letter of their name on 1 circle. They then spell their name vertically. I have my students glue their snowman all on the same long strip. They then can draw their hat and arms and what not. You can use this graph for graphing questions and comparing names. I believe I saw this on pinterest.











Reading and Writing
Listening center (books about snowmen)
Snowman at Night Book: Write and draw what they would do if they were a snowman at night. Can be used on art of a snowman at night or used on pages to create a book.
Choose 2 snowmen books and read them to the class. Have the students write an opinion writing about which book they liked the most. I require my students to write two "I like..." sentences.
1. I like (title of the book).
2. I like (the reason or part).
My snowman has page. I really liked the idea from msmcbeeskinderbugs.blogspot.com, but needed different tracing letters being I don't teach my students writing with curves. My example shows the students that they can write how many circles are on the snowman or the color of his buttons.
Snowman Blends  This is a great game to play to practice blends!

Phonics
Snowmen Word Families - I have my kids play a word family game with snowmen found from HeidiSongs.


Art

Snowman Painting - First, the kids trace lids (overlapping) to form snowman. They paint their body. 2nd day: they paint the snowman's eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons. Last day, the kids use a black rectangle and square to form a hat. They also use thin strips of brown for arms, they draw the fingers on if they want.  The students also use little rectangles in red and green to form a scarf around the snowman's neck.  Next year I would like to use the elmer's glue idea for 3D appearance.  IDEA:  Mix in some epson salt really well and then the snowmen will sparkle!









Snowmen at Night: Students using little squares of white paper to form the face of the snowman on a black or dark blue construction piece.  If you want to connect this activity with Snowmen at Night book, then the students can draw snowflakes and a moon to show nighttime.  At the bottom they attach their sentence about what they would do if they were a snowman at night.  If found this cute idea here.

Marshmallow Snowman
Use marshmallows to paint and design your snowman!  Large marshmallows for the body and little ones for forming eyes, mouth, and buttons! I loved the idea she had of using salt in the paint on one of her snowmen... however, I think I'll do that with my elmer's glue snowman!

Gingerbread Man Unit

It is not yet January, yet I figured it would be easy to just type up my plans on here rather than all my index cards I collect my ideas on! Plus I can always go back and see what I have not done. Of course, I will add to and figure better ideas as the Gingerbread Man Unit actually proceeds. I was given several more ideas from a fellow teacher, but just didn't work for me. (I personally don't like to waste time on something I don't think will REALLY benefit my students or wastes paper- unless its just pure fun it is allowed.)

I have found two online reading of the story of the basic Gingerbread Man story. I have not decided which one I plan to use for the story just yet, but want to keep both options in my memory bank.

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/stories/gingerbread.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnAgA1aZGkY&feature=related

Reading Comprehension
We will be learning story elements. (Characters, setting, plot, ending)  I will ask the class questions to practice identifying each of these elements.  I also plan to do a beginning, middle, end story organizer for the stories.

I have found great chracter masks online for the original story that students can wear to act out the story as it is being read or as it is being retold. They could also be put at a center for dramatic play.

For the entire month of January, I plan to compare two different Gingerbread books. My class will make a Venn Diagram each week using paper plates. Being they are just Kindergartners, we will make a class Venn Diagram. 

Book reading Comprehension or Shared Reading
I have reading comprehension questions to go with the following books:
1. Gingerbread Friends  by Jan Brett
2. The Gingerbread Pirates by: Kristin Kladstrup
3. Gingerbread Baby





Writing
Gingerbread Friends
I give the students a blank house that has been printed on brown cardstock. Then give them optional candies (more candies and strip candies) printed on white paper. (Parent volunteers are great to cut apart candies for easy access.) Then have the students copy the words:    
Then the students get to write their own reasons why the Gingerbread baby should go to their house.

If I were a Gingerbread Boy/Girl Book
I print out a gingerbread outline for each student. The students fill in the blanks on the back and color the front.  Then I hole punch each gingerbread man on the head and ring them together. I have heard ideas where the kids can take turns taking class books home, I am still debating on this for our Gingerbread story.

We'll Stop the Gingerbread Man Book
Take a picture of each student posing in a STOP fashion. I show them a bunch of fun poses to tell someone to stop and let them then choose to show me their favorite/own STOP pose. I print those on pages with a repetitive line. My students love any books they can read that contains their pictures!

If I caught the Gingerbread Man writing page. (Student write what they would do.)

Kind of Gingerbread Man 
Print out several copies of Gingerbread People from Jan Brett's site and allow the students to pick what kind of Gingerbread Person they would be.  She has football player, soccer player, lollipop girl, boy with basket, hiker, boy eating, buckeroo, girl ice skater, and a dolphin trainer. They can then write what kind of Gingerbread Person they would be. You can have them write a sentence expressing why OR have them use that correct to write a story.

Gingerbread Story
Have the students write their own Gingerbread story. Fold 3 pieces of papers in half and cover them with a color cover and staple in the middle to make story books. (parent volunteers!) They can write their very own story. Encourage each page to have some writing from words to sentences (depending on their levels).

Math
We will vote and graph our favorite books each week.
Graphs for Gingerbread Glyph
Gingerbread Buttons Addition Mat - (large) students roll dice and write the 2 numbers down (or use square cards preprinted with numbers). They then put that many buttons on the gingerbread man. They add all the buttons up.
Gingerbread Measuring- students use gingerbread men to measure items around the room and then record their findings. If you wanted to do this activity twice, you could have them practice estimating and then measuring for accurate answer.
Play the Gingerbread Baby Game (practices counting skills)
Play Run, Gingerbread Man, Run Game (counting, data, tally marks, graphing, colors) - I REALLY LIKE THIS GAME with ALL the math practice
Gingerbread Men Pattern Book
Gingerbread number dot stamps
Gingerbread Teen Number Sequence Cards
Gingerbread Man Dot to Dot
Gingerbread Man Color by Number (I added a 1 in front of each number, so it was teen numbers rather than just single digits.
Gingerbread Houses with numbers (can't remember where I found.) The students can make candies with playdough to decorate. Or print and color candies. (These are suppose to be lollipops, but I like them for easy decorating.)
Gingerbread Stamp Numbers - Students could stamp the numbers with number stamps. They could color specific numbers that you instruct.
Gingerbread Man Fact Addition - This blog has a free one that is a good center if you have kids that can do this. I have only a handful of Kindergartners who would be able to do this by themselves.


Listening/Art Skills
We are going to do a Gingerbread Glyph to practice our listening and following directions abilities. I found this idea on www.kidzone.ws   On this same website, there are graphs you can use to show pink/blue buttons and nose amounts in the class. You can also do a blank one and have the students glue the shapes and decorations on the gingerbread man.

I do this one just for fun - Make a Gingerbread Man class chain at the beginning of the unit. Each student gets a Gingerbread man to decorate. Then we hang up our long chain to admire throughout the month! I do this as a center because even having 5 kids work on 1 chain can be challenging.


Social Studies - map skills
Find the 10 hidden Gingerbread Men. (whatever number you want)  Hide your gingerbread men around your room and give the students the mark off sheet. As they find that numbered gingerbread man, they write down where they found it in the correct spot.


Draw out a map of your classroom and have students search for gingerbread men and mark on their maps.  I make 1 gingerbread man and hide him every day and  the person who finds him marks the spot on our map every day. However, you could cut out gingerbread men with students' names on them and have each child search till they all find theirs.

Hide a gingerbread man around the school and have the students follow a map to find him.

Find the Gingerbread Man with clues. You give the class their clue, and they have to guess who has the Gingerbread Man. Then they have to map out how to get to that location. (Count their steps, draw arrows, and X marks the spot.)

If time (and with some help), you can have your students hide the gingerbread man and draw out directions for you the teacher to find the gingerbread man! 

Science
Science Experiment with Gingerbread Man getting wet. This blog has nice science papers already able to be used! My kids love science experiments!

Technology
Starfall has a very fun activity where the students design their gingerbread man. They choose the shapes and colors for his eyes, nose and buttons.

Still debating
I really like this fun idea I found where the students make a book where they are "eating" parts of the gingerbread man. I am just not sure if I want to take the time to have each student make their own book.



Additional Items
If you plan to read, Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, consider printing out the masks for this book as well so the students can act out and retell the story.

Weather Job

WEATHER MAN/WOMAN JOB
I have this post under management because this is a routine that helps my class run smoothly.
One of the jobs in class, is our weather man or women. During recess, they take our weather clipboard out. I help them fill in the date and the weather details on the weather report. The weather man/woman also fills in our weather graph. After recess, they stand in the front of the class and share their report (with my assistance right now).  They love this responsibility.

I lost a tooth!

I didn't realize what a big deal loosing a tooth was for kids being my 1 kid is not old enough to loose them yet. I have now discovered how excited Kindergartners get. My students tell me when they loose a tooth. They get to wear the "I lost a tooth" lanyard. They show their classmates where they lost their tooth. We all shout "(student name) lost a tooth! (student name) lost a tooth! (student name) lost a tooth!" They shout/yell this 3 times while doing the action that student chose. Whoever lost their tooth tells the class to clap, jump, dance, snap ect. while saying the line 3 times. The kids get super excited about everyone celebrating with them.

Reading Group Organization

READING COLOR GROUPS

Everyone organizers their reading groups in whatever way they like. I do colors because they are quick and easy. Plus it helps my Kindergartners learn and practice their colors.  With every part of my reading group organization, the colors are essential so that is why I stick with the color groups. 

I print the groups and staple them to my little color posters (half sheets). I can quickly tear them off and switch my students in the color groups as needed. Plus parent volunteers can look up at my posters and see which students should be at their center based on which group they have. 

My Guided Reading files are WONDERFUL. I bought a hanging wall filing system. Each group has a file folder in their color. 1 folder is where I put my mark off sheet of the items I have taught that group. It also has my reading strategy papers for quick reminders of what to go over. Plus whatever phonics concepts I am going over are kept in that folder. This way they are there and ready for me. The letters posters those students are practicing are in there along with any lesson plans I will be using. The students not on alphabet any more have digraph cards or whatever else I am teaching. Everything is ready for me. 

Another color folder is a manila folder laminated. I tape running record sheets in a waterfall form in this folder for quick access as well. 

My guided reading binder keeps my long term items in color coordinated tabs.

Classroom Organization

SUPPLY ORGANIZER
One of my most favorite tool is my supply organizer. I will say that I saw this idea years ago online, but could not tell you where. I have yet to find the website since then. I put the supplies I need readily available in my organizer for QUICK access.

For example: Right after I put this up in my classroom, I was observed for an evaluation. I felt very confident in the time of day and my preparation. However, something I failed to realize was that this great game I put together was missing a little brass fastener for the spinner to be usable. 3 girls came up and asked for a fastener. I was able to go straight to my organizer and hand them one within 10 seconds. No wasting time looking through my box of office supplies I used to have!  Let's just say I got a HUGE compliment on that idea and a pretty good observation.

STUDENT RETURN PAGES

I never have cared for cubbies. (personal feelings) I did use them 1 year in Kindergarten because I had an aid that could help me put papers in them. However, I prefer this method in both older grades and younger grades. In 5th grade, I had students file papers and in Kindergarten I have parent volunteers file them while they are waiting for centers to start.

I put all my student work that needs to be returned home behind their individual file folders . As parents help in class, they file while they wait to work with the kids. On Fridays, that parent pulls the papers and staples them together. She then calls the students to have them put them in their backpacks to be taken home.

PS - In 5th grade, I would highlight any paper that had a score of a C or lower. The students and parents both knew to look in the packet and they could correct any pages over the weekend and turn them back in for a better score. It was more work for me and my aid, but there was no excuse for a low grade in my classroom.

JOB CARDS
I like to switch my Kindergartners' jobs every day (with the help of their reminders that I forgot to switch them.) They get to do all the jobs several times throughout the year. Everyone has a job in class to do every day. I pull out their name cards and move them 1 place to the left. I organize them specifically too. In the first COLUMN -  I have all my "in front of the classroom" jobs. This way they don't have a full week in front of the class. They have 1 a week (about), so they don't have to wait so long to be a "teacher" as I call them. I also have my line positions (leader, door holders, caboose) in 1 column to give them a variety. I then put all my after recess jobs near each other so I can quickly look and do a reminder. I have become a big fan of how smooth this works. (In 5th grade, I did jobs as an application and half year job to go with our economy system. This will be a different post LATER!)

SIGHT WORD BOOKS in boxes

In my situation this year, I have a very small classroom that was not meant to be a Kindergarten classroom. That means I have VERY LITTLE room to organize or store. I was recommended to keep most everything in the other Kindergarten classrooms, HOWEVER, time is precious to any teacher. (Especially a part-time teacher trying to stay working only part time hours) I found that I did not have the time to go get books every other day and return them. Plus what if I forgot the day before to switch my books. UCK! So instead, 1 of my great co-Kinder teacher split up her books with me. I labeled the boxes for the sight words they focused on. Then when I need to practice that book in Guided Reading or for Take Home Books - I have quick grabs. I just love it. I do need MORE books in my boxes, but I love the system.

PS - You can tell I already sent some books home!

LIBRARY BOOK BUCKETS
My first year in Kindergarten, I discovered that I could never find the books I needed for lessons because I just had them in a bookshelf available for students to read. (look at for most Kindergartners) I knew this year, I needed a better system.  I like this system and am lucky to have 2 low and long bookshelves. I can fit 8 buckets in 1 bookshelf. I got my buckets from IKEA. I printed my Book Bucket Labels and taped them to the buckets. I then put star stickers on each bucket. Each bucket has a different color star. The books that go in that bucket have that same colored star. This way the students know where to put the books if they pull them from a bucket. Plus when I need a seasonal book or other book, I know where to go. I seriously love this system too!

 WORD WALL
I'm going to be honest here, in my 1st year of Kindergarten I did not use my word wall because it was located on the back wall and I had to print off the words as I wanted to post them.  This just didn't happen. (the teacher I shared the classroom didn't do it either) In my new classroom, I did not have a ton of wall space, but had 2 white boards. I made alphabet cards, placed magnets on them, and stuck them on the white board. I could spread them out a little more, but haven't needed to. I review the sight words we write up with them at least once a week. I remind my students to use the word wall in their journals. I have been a big fan of it this year. It is still a little bare currently, but I will start writing words besides just sight words. Plus I can quickly erase them as we don't need them.

MORNING STUDENT ATTENDANCE GRAPH
I just love this. I have done a morning graph both years in Kindergarten. It is something I would definitely consider doing in older grades too. We get graph reading practice any day I feel we have a few minutes of extra time. In the mornings, my students turn in their folders. They hang up their backpacks and jackets. Then they graph their name and picture. Lastly, the students head to the tables to do their morning assignment. 

I print out the student pictures and type their names under their pictures. Print and laminate. 1 year I put magnets on the backs of the pictures and I just drew up the graph on a little white board easel. 1 of the student jobs was to take down the pictures and put them neatly in a little box magnetized to the white board. The next morning, I would put the pictures up on my big white board and they would take them over to the white board easel. This year, I have my graph in the back of the class on some spare space. I used velcro this time instead. The student pictures are taken down and left on the ledge for quick access the next day. 

With this routine - my students are always going in a smooth flow from 1 thing to the next. This prevents the students from getting in each others way and distracted. Love this too because I can quickly look at my graph and see who is still on the ledge and mark them absent.

Halloween Centers and Activities

I do not have an extended list of ideas yet because I do not typically do holiday centers too much time before the actual Holiday. I am sure I will as I gather more ideas and create more lessons and activities. For now this is my list of activities I do or have done in the past.

Literacy Activities:
Halloween Alphabet Cards - match upper and lower case letters
Halloween Bingo - practicing beginning sounds with Halloween pictures (created by Kaelynn W.)
Costume Sentence - students copy my sentence "I am a ______ for Halloween!" They write it in a little lined pumpkin. The pumpkin gets cut out by a parent volunteer. Pictures are taken of each student in his/her costume. Then I put it all in a book so the kids can enjoy and read all year long!
Halloween Compound Words Game- I found this as a free download on TeachersPayTeachers - used for my higher reading Kindergartners as a fun introduction.
Pumpkin Life Cycle Cards - sequencing practice (found somewhere years ago)
Reading of Halloween Books

Math Activities:
Pumpkin Seed Counting - The student puts his/her right hand in a pumpkin and pulls out seeds. They count the seeds and right the number (with assistance) on the right hand on their paper. Then they repeat with their left hand and record number.
Pumpkin Measuring - I have 5 pumpkins labeled 1-5. The students put the pumpkins in order of the smallest to the fastest around. They then measure around the pumpkins with sewing tape measurers and record on the laminated pages. They put the pumpkins in the correct order if any are wrong. Erase and leave for someone else!

Other Fun Activities/Centers:
Witch Broom Limbo
Pumpkin Bowling (little pumpkin rolled to knock over bowling pins or empty 2 liter bottles)
Pin the Pumpkin Face On the Pumpkin - A large pumpkin with velcro is hung up. Students try to pin the face parts on while being blind folded.

That's the beginning list - to be added to!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear Idea

I start the year by reading the popular "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle. We use the book as a Shared Reading and to practice colors. The first week of school, I take pictures of students and place them in a class book called Kindergartner, Kindergartner, What Do You See? (This idea was shared with me by my mentor and friend Stephanie P.) I read the book to the class with the similiar repetitve phrase. The students get to stand up when their name is read. This helps them learn each other's names! Plus they love seeing their picture! (PS - my students read that book every chance they get!) 

As the students become familiar with the repetitive phrasing, I then give my students their very own book. The book is Kindergartner, Kindergartner, What Do You See? except that the book allows them the chance to trace the color word 3 times, plus color the picture on the page. Then they enjoy reading their books to each other and taking them home to share with parents.

I have made title pages for Pre-schooler, Kindergartners, 1st and 2nd graders. I have posted Kindergartner, Kindergartner, What Do You See? on TeachersPayTeachers available for purchase. Click here to access it. (It is under Like Brown Bear, Brown Bear) I will post the student book template on TeachersPay teachers soon.

Purpose of this blog

I will be creating this blog to preserve my ideas for classroom organization, routines, lessons, and activities. I have taught upper grades and now Kindergarten. I am in my 5th year of teaching. I love to teach and love my students. As I switch from grades, I don't want to forget my ideas I was so proud and happy with in the previous grade, so I decided to blog them to keep them.

This way other teachers may use my ideas and benefit the kids. We teach to help our students become better and to learn. Everything I share and make I hope will be used for the good of the students. I will have pictures with those posts I feel need them. I have and will post free items on my blog and TeachersPayTeachers. Any ideas or lesson plans I feel are my best, I will have available for purchase on TeachersPayTeachers under Jessica Sheffield.

I can't promise how long it'll take to get so many of my ideas up on my blog. I'm a dedicated teacher, a dance teacher in my home, a tutor, and most importantly I am a mother and wife. Please bare with me as I get this blog up and my ideas posted.

I love using others' ideas as well in my classroom. Please share with me your blog. Any idea I use from someone else, I will post to their blog or at least give credit to that person.