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Showing posts from September, 2019
   

New! Handmotion Posters to Supplement the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program!

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Today I am happy to announce that I have FINALLY finished up a complete collection of ALL of the hand motion posters to supplement the Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program ! If you have been trying to implement this wonderful phonemic awareness program, but are having trouble interpreting and remembering the motions that are described within the book, then this is great news! Naturally, these movements could be used with ANY phonemic awareness program, because when the body moves, the brain remembers. Right? Our set of Handmotion Posters to Supplement the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program includes posters for nine different skills: Rhyming Identifying beginning sounds  Identifying ending sounds Identifying middle sounds Adding phonemes (or syllables, words, etc.) Deleting phonemes (or syllables, words, etc.) Substituting phonemes (or syllables, words, etc.) Blending phonemes  Segmenting words Posters are included in both color and b
   

Marble Painting Fall Leaves- Freebie!

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Here is a classic activity for fall that I have been doing for many years with my kindergartners, and they love it every time!  It's marble painting fall leaves, and I have a free download of some different types of leaves for you to try with your kiddos!  If you haven't tried marble painting before, you are in for a treat, because this technique can be applied to almost any project at any time of year.  And if you have already done it, then here is a refresher for you, with some management techniques as well! Since I am teaching Transitional Kindergarten (TK) this year, I am constantly reminded of the differences in their scissor skills!  Many of my kindergartners used to be able to cut out sycamore leaves by the middle of October, but I don't think I have ANY TKs that can do it this year- and I didn't have any last year, either!  So we have been just sticking with the simple, basic leaf shape.  It works, anyway! Preparation: 1.  Duplicate the leaf ma
   

HeidiSongs Streaming Video Collections for 99¢/month! Start Your 30-Day Free Trial Today!

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Are you tired of juggling DVDs to play the songs that you want? Or has your school upgraded technology, leaving you without a DVD player? Maybe you just want to put HeidiSongs Sight Word videos in the order that you teach?  I understand, I really do! Well, today, I am beyond THRILLED to present our newest option in internet video: USCREEN!!!  I have been testing Uscreen in my class since last spring, and I can tell you this: once I tried it, my DVDs started collecting dust, and I never looked back . It's THAT AWESOME!  It's all I use in my classroom now and it's so easy to move from my Letter, Number or Shape of the Week to Sight Words and Phonics, that I never lose the kids' attention in transition.  It's just that quick! Previously, we were only using Vimeo for internet video. And then my tirelessly working, incredibly AMAZING HUSBAND discovered Uscreen  and it's just what we have been looking for! Uscreen allows us to upload each and every indiv
   

The Focus Wall: Questions and Answers

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Today I would like to take some time to answer a few questions that have come up about my Focus Wall that I have used in Kindergarten, first grade, and TK (Transitional Kindergarten, which is a lot like Pre-K!) I hope this helps give you a little more information on how I use my focus wall, and why I would never consider teaching without one. Focus Wall Questions and Answers Question:   What exactly is a Focus Wall?  Define Focus Wall. Answer:   A Focus Wall is a bulletin board in your room that you change weekly to display everything you are working on (or focusing on) that week.  It helps the teacher remember to focus on those items each day, and it serves as a visual reminder for the students of the Letter of the Week, Number of the Week, Shape of the Week, new sight words that are presented, etc. This is an example of my free Kindergarten Pacing Guide.  There is also an editable one. Question: How do you know what to put on it? Answer: I follow my weekly