Learning About the Ocean, with Some Cross-Curricular Fun!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

It's time to hit the beach, or, as we say here in NJ, head down the shore! An ocean theme is a terrific way to end the school year. Here are some sites that will help you fill your theme with memorable activities.

National Geographic has six terrific lessons designed specifically for K-2.

My husband and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California last year - what a fantastic place!! I've used their resources with my class for so long that I felt kind of goofily star-struck there... classically teacher nerdy, I know. Their online resources - all aligned to the science standards - are extensive and thorough. Here's a link to a lesson for making a tide pool in a dishpan.

Monterey Bay's site also has cool printables like Sea Searchers.  Don't miss their webcam for some real action. You've got to see those dipping and diving penguins!


You'll find a printable Ocean Alphabet Book and ocean mini-books for emergent readers at Teacher Stuff A to Z.


Looking for read alouds? This Sweet Life has assembled a great list of fifty books for you to choose from! One of my favorites, Humphrey the Lost Whale by Wendy Tokuda, is on the list.

I'm a big fan of cross-curricular teaching, so here's my newest math resource, with an ocean theme! With this partner game, your students will solve and sort addition expressions to find the ones that are sums of ten.  You can find it here!

Here's a set of ocean riddles, a great way to integrate science teaching with reading comprehension skills like identifying key details,  making inferences, and drawing conclusions. These riddles are illustrated with photos - kids love them! Click here to see the details!

If you're looking for more cross-curricular resources about the ocean, I hope you'll take a look at my Oceans of Fun unit study, 25 math and literacy activities to support your science teaching about the ocean.

                                              Click here to see it at Teachers Pay Teachers.


Aaaaaand... just in case you want them all... you'll save a lot by buying them in this bundle. :)

Do you use beach or ocean activities in your class? Please share an idea!

Happy Teaching!

Resources for Graphing and Tallying

How do you teach your K-2 students data collection? Does your math curriculum lump all of the activities for graphing and tallying into one unit, or do you graph whenever you have the opportunity throughout the year?

When I was in the classroom, I loved to graph with my kids! We recorded data so often and in so many ways ... tally marks, horizontal and vertical bar graphs, pictographs, surveys, etc., about everything from this week's weather to favorite books we'd read.  When the actual graphing unit in our math series popped up, they were already experts!

Graphs are also a wonderful way to help your students get to know each other at the beginning of the school year, or throughout the year when new students enter your class. Here's a set that's a perfect fit to use that way. 23 different graphing and tallying activities!

                       

Click here to see these at my TpT store!

Are you looking for some graphs as we head into the last days of the school year? Maybe you'll be teaching summer school this year and you're looking for some fun math ideas. Well, here you go!

Summer data collection about everything from playgrounds to pools to popsicles! See it here!

Here's another data collection set that would be a good choice to use with a nutrition unit... or any time!

If you've already purchased this set, be sure to go back to download the update free.  In addition to six graphs and a cover to assemble them as a class book, this resource now also includes two "Would You Rather...?" survey pages for your students to use independently. Kids love to poll their classmates! These surveys would be a great math center choice - just put on a clipboard and go!

Here's a sample graph from the set. It's free when you download the preview - click here!

If you're looking for ways to mix more graphing and tallying into your science teaching, try this set! You'll find graphs, tallying,  AND writing experiences for eight of the most commonly taught science units in first and second grade. If you sometimes find yourself giving science less time than you'd like to simply because of the time demands of the rest of your curriculum, this resource is just what you're looking for.  It allows you to address multiple standards in science & math or science & literacy with one activity.

Here are a few examples from the animals section of this collection.

Many of these activities can be used on digital devices with your favorite apps and programs. Answer keys are included where appropriate. Click here to find out more!

Happy Teaching!

Updates: Giveaways and a Quick Little Summer Sale!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Thanks so much to all who entered my mini-giveaway for Summer Fun! I Have, Who Has. Congratulations to the five winners- your game is on the way! It was so nice to send out the prize both to some who are faithful readers and commenters and others who are new!

Here's a sample of the 35 cards in the set.

Silly stuff, but guaranteed to keep your kiddos listening and thinking right up to the end of the year!

Click here to see more of it at TPT.

A special thanks to those of you who entered the giveaway by registering to subscribe to the brand new Primary Inspiration Newsletter. You can subscribe (and receive a special freebie!) at the top of the right column on this page, or watch for the pop-up!


More getting-ready-for-summer fun and learning! Here's Summer Send-Off,  seven games for first grade standards. Each game is provided in color and also in grayscale. Help your kids fall in love with the games by playing them in school with classmates, and then send a grayscale copy home in their summer learning packets to help keep the summer slump at bay.

One page games like these are also perfect for distance learning! Just take a screenshot of a page and send it to your students to use on their devices with your favorite app or program.

 Have a great week! Happy Teaching!

Summer Fun Giveaway!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

I've been busy revising some of my resources and ran across one that I'd sort of forgotten about,
I Have, Who Has ... Summer Fun! 



Click here to see it at TN.    Click here to see it at TPT.

This game is filled with fun summer words like flipflops and marshmallows, with the skill being initial sound substitution. So a clue will be something like, "Who has a word that starts like six and rhymes with fun?"  But some words are next to impossible to rhyme. That leads to some silliness, like, "Who has a word that starts like bat and rhymes with carefoot?" - "I've got barefoot!"  Gear up for lots of giggling with this one!  

So, let's give away five of these sets! Here's the rafflecopter to make it easy for both of us. Closes at midnight on Sunday ... so check back here on Monday, because there's likely to be  there will definitely be a sale on this, too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Happy Teaching!

FREEBIE! Adding and Subtracting Multiples of Ten

Good Monday Morning, Teaching Friends!

Are you practicing adding and subtracting multiples of ten? Being able to do that quickly is a powerful tool for mental math, so here's a freebie for a bit more practice! 

Use as a follow-up to your lesson, for a fun homework assignment, a morning Do Now, or just pop it into a math center with a hundred chart for some bonus practice on this early place value skill!

Thank you to KPM Doodles for the sweet Zoofari animals.

Click here or on the picture to download your copy.

Happy Teaching!

Hey! What's That in Your Shopping Cart? Linky Time!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Are you a snoopy shopper? I sure am! I can't tell you how often I've come across something new and delicious after I spotted it in another shopper's cart at the grocery store. Sometimes a peek into somebody else's carriage reminds me of something on my list that I'd forgotten to pick up in an earlier aisle, or sends me back for a needed recipe ingredient that I'd forgotten to put on my list. And let's not even discuss what happens when I'm wandering the aisles in Kohl's or TJMaxx!

 

That's the idea behind this linky party. As a TPT shopper, you may not know that behind the scenes, teacher/authors can see how many people have wishlisted an item. Here's your chance to "peek into some shopping carts" to see some of the gems that TPT shoppers have discovered!

Each item listed below is the top wishlisted item in the teacher/author's store. The number in parentheses after it shows you how many people have already discovered each of these gems and put them on their wishlists.


I hope that this will be an easy way for you to find some new resources, and also browse through other items at these shops that may be new to you.  Remember, the REALLY BIG Teacher Appreciation Sale starts tomorrow and continues on Wednesday. TPT will offer 10% off {Remember to use the discount code TPTXO} , and most shops will be giving up to another 20%. At my shop, the 20% discount will continue through Thursday, because I'm kind of partial to procrastinators (I'll just let you guess why...).


Teacher/authors, here are the rules and requests: List only your top wishlisted item and include the number if you choose. One item per person, please. Sharing of this linky is kindly requested via blogs, Facebook, Pinterest, shouting from rooftops, etc.  Feel free to use the image above. :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Teaching!

TPT Followers' Newsletter & Freebie!

Hello, Teaching Friends!

And the beat goes on, with more opportunities to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. If you stopped by yesterday, you already know that the sale at Teachers Notebook continues through Monday. While you're there, remember to enter the sweepstakes to win gift certificates or even an Pad! Click on the logo in the column on the right to enter!


Now, this might look like the same Followers' Newsletter that was in my post yesterday - but don't be fooled, it's not!  In today's version, the links are to my Teachers Pay Teachers Store, where the sale will be on Tuesday and Wednesday. And on the full page of freebie links, you'll discover some that are different from the TN newsletter. It'll be worth the hunt to check it out! :) Just click on either of the pictures to see it at my TPT store! Don't forget to go all the way to the end to get your Follower Exclusive Freebie!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have an awesome Teacher Appreciation Week!!

Happy Teaching!