Monday, May 29, 2017

Should I use a or an?

Knowing when to use articles a or an.  A is used when it is followed by a word that begins with a  consonant sound.   An is used when it is followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound.  Since articles depend on the beginning sound of the following word, we began with the article - an and brainstormed words that begin with vowels: a, e, i, o and u.  We wrote the article (an), drew an illustration representing each noun and the word.   Next, we brainstormed nouns that begin with consonants:cat, tree, puppy, clock, rose and whale to use with the article a.  For the project we used  12 by 9 white pieces of construction paper.
                            Inside - articles and nouns                               Front with definitions      

Making a big book to demonstrate when to use these articles is an effective way to teach children how to apply the rules.
 Children determine where to place the pictures. In this activity the a or the an is placed before a picture (noun).
In the activity below, children had to decide if a or an came before the adjectives: full, happy, light, right, sour, sweet, awesome, enormous, empty, outside, open or ugly. The same rules apply as with the nouns.
Some confusion occurs when a word starts with a vowel but begins with a consonant sound: one. Other examples include a word that starts with a consonant but begins with a vowel sound: hour.  Also, a is used when it is followed by a word that begins with y acting as a consonant.
Practice Paper to Demonstrate Learning
Page with answers
Practice Page with Adjectives
Answers
Below are the templates that were used to make the book.  Front Cover
Inside Page
Inside Page
Back Page
Back Page
Back Page
Some Confusion Occurs When:
Watch the Video




Saturday, May 27, 2017

Effective - Educational Time Fillers - We have all had an extra 5-10 minutes

We have all had an extra 5-10 minutes - Take advantage and reinforce reading/language skills!
Before having children find the long e sounds/e/,/ea/ and /ee/, write the following sentences on the white board.  Remind children that different letter spellings can make the long e sound.  Have children place a specific colored magnetic marker (red, green or blue)  under each type of spelling as shown above.
Same activity, different vowel:  Find the spellings that make the long i vowel sound -
I, y, i consonant e,
This activity is open ended and can be adapted focusing on skills taught K-5. Below is an example that will be used for several activities: nouns, verbs and pronouns.
Identify all nouns by placing a round red magnetic circle under each noun.

Identify all pronouns by placing a round red magnetic circles under each pronoun.
Identify all verbs by placing a round magnetic circle under each of them.
Magnetic Markers (created with magnetic tape), Decorative Tape, White Board and Expo Pen -Create! Create! Create!
Jeopardy Phonics Game

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Balance the scales - Exploration Learning

Learn through Exploration using a full water bottle, ruler and items from around the room!
Demonstrate understanding of weight and equivalency
Remember the weight of the colored bags: 5 pounds, 2 pounds and 1 pound.  How many ways can you balance the bags?
Have fun create scales!


Saturday, May 20, 2017

Making Inferences Teaching Posters and Examples

Making Inferences Teaching Posters and  Examples

 Second Example
First Teaching Poster
Second Teaching Poster
Practice Paper Used with Students in the Above Examples
A Template to Fill In and Use
Additional Poster
Modeled Lessons

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Vowels are Tricky- Vowel Friend Sound Spelling Cards

Vowel Friends: Amy, Ethan, Irene, Odus and Unus introduce the long vowel sounds

We didn't forget Odus and Unus!
Next, our Vowel Friends: Abby, Eddie, Izzy, Oliver and Udele are here to introduce the short vowel sounds.
Let's give a special hello to Oliver who loves olives and Udele who loves to bring her umbrella



Sunday, May 14, 2017

Commonly misspelled nouns, verbs and adjectives

Free visuals to support children with correctly spelling commonly misspelled words.
Commonly misspelled verbs
Commonly misspelled adjectives

Practice worksheet

Answers

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

STEM Object Toss- A Game of Chance or Strategy?

Challenge: Make a Toss Game - Materials provided: two round plastic plates, several plastic and paper cups of different sizes, stickers, ping pong balls, Styrofoam balls, puff balls, and plastic chips.  Glue, poster board, and markers were also provided.
Questions to Consider When Creating the Toss Structure and When Tossing the Object

Points were determined according to level of difficulty (possibility of making toss).  Five = easiest and 20 = most difficult
When playing the toss game reflect on the following questions to make the best strategic toss
How strategic will you be?