Monday, January 28, 2013

There's a LOT Going On This Week

Hey all,

Well, grab yourself a latte because there is a lot going on this week.

First off, I posted a new product yesterday...


In this kit, students will understand the difference between natural resources and human made resources.  Check out some of the activities below...

Earth and its Grand Geography (Part 1) is full of fun activities for understanding the difference between physical characteristics {natural resources} and human characteristics {human resources} of our everyday lives.

This 77 page unit includes whole group and small group activities. It includes a mini project, a nature walk recording sheet, and grid mapping. See below for more...

Includes:
***3 pages of poster and vocabulary cards***

***Geography Walk recording pages (2)***

***Whole Group and Student Puppet activity***
34 teachers cards
student puppet page

***Small Group Sorting Cards Activities***
2 sorting mats (natural and Human made)
36 student cards to sort
Recording Sheet assessment

***Human/Natural Grid Maps***
3 different grid Maps
3 different recording sheets to go with each grid

***Trees and their many uses PROJECT***
Whole group poster
Recording Book

***Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran Activities***
Activity 1-Writing pages
Activity 2-Roxaboxen Box writing
direction card
prompt cards
writing pages

***Writing Pages***
11 pages of bubble maps, writing pages, and other recording pages






This is part 1 of the Earth and its Grand Geography resources.  Look for part 2 {landforms and water sources} and part 3 {Me on a Map} coming soon!

Next up, TPT is having a SUPER BOWL sale and I am joining in.  Everything in my store {including my new Earth Geography kit} will be 28% off for one day {February 3rd}.  Enter in code SUPER to get this *Super* deal.  Get your shop on while the guys watch the game.
  


Lastly, and maybe the most important to some of you, its Monday and you know what that means...It's Mystery Monday!  Today's book by Ron Roy is The Goose's Gold



Happy Shopping and Reading,
Coconut Cutie

Monday, January 21, 2013

Monday is Mystery Monday

I bet you thought I forgot about you.  BUT....I didn't!  Its true, it is getting late and it may be past midnight for some of you and not technically Monday, but alas, it is still Monday for me.  Anywho...let's move on...

I decided to do a different kind of mystery for today.  It is still a mystery by Ron Roy, but this one is from the Calendar Mystery series.  Have you heard of it?  

It is about the younger siblings of the A-Z Mystery kids and some of the main characters are FIRST GRADERS!!!  How fun for my little firsties!  

So...tonight's book  is January Joker by Ron Roy.  The reader's response is a bit different from the others I have been doing for the A-Z Mystery Series.  Rather than doing a spiral for the series, I am just going to make a mini reading response book for each month. Check it out below:





So...what do you think?  Do you like it?  Get your copy of the Reading Response Journal for January Joker here!

I'll be back next Monday for another A-Z Mystery {The Goose's Gold} and the next Calendar Mystery will be in February {February Friend}.

Happy Reading Sweet Friends,
Coconut Cutie


Sunday, January 20, 2013

Phonics Fun Spiral Digraphs A-5 week Unit



Do you love phonics as much as I do?  I {heart} teaching phonics. 

Sooo.... I have been creating Phonic Spiral Fun packets and I have *FINALLY* finished my Digraph Phonic Spiral Fun Kit.  It has taken me quite a long time for this one, but I do believe it is the BEST packet yet.  I think my students have liked this one the best as well.   Check it out here and I hope you have much fun with it as we did.










So many activities in this 167 page packet.  You know you have to have it.  You'll LOVE it too!

Happy Phonics Time,
Coconut Cutie

Saturday, January 19, 2013

A Little Reader's Response Fun...and a freebie


Do you use reader's response journals in your room?  I just love how wonderful these work in my room and the kids seem to LOVE THEM!  We use them at least once a day but usually more since they are using them during guided reading and centers.  Students also know that when they are completed with their work, they are to get out a book.  They are not required to do a reading response journal page at this time but they often CHOOSE to.  WOW!!!

The Journal


The first day:
Day one of using the journals is an exciting day for the kids.  The teacher will talk with the students about being in a book club, just like adults have BOOK CLUBS.  Explain to the students that for the whole year you will be having meetings to discuss their reading.  It is important for them to keep notes on their reading so they will be setting up a reading journal.  

The first day, the teacher and students will discuss and glue in 3 pages to get the journals set up for the year.  The first page, “Good Reader Rules”, sets purpose for the reading, meetings, and journals.  The second page, “Reading Strategies”, lets the  kiddos know how they will learn to read words that they come to {decode} that they don’t know.  The third page, “Word Bank” is full of key vocabulary words that you as book club members will be using as you discuss and review books together.



A Sample of  Reading Response Journal Pages



I always like to read through their responses and leave little mark so they know that I have read it.  Sometimes I leave questions for them to follow up on if I did not understand their response or they did not answer it correctly.  I love to leave little comments about their response to agree with them or praise them for a good response.  This is also a great way for me to check on their use of spelling and their "Writer's Eye" {capitalization, punctuation, spacing, handwriting, etc.}

Reading Response Journal Kit
For use during reading workshop, guided reading, literature circles, or any other smalls groups, including  reading {read to self} or listening {listen to reading} centers.

Includes:
· Directions on setting up the journals
· 4 pages of “Table of Contents and Directions for Each Page”
· 3 pages for the 1st meeting
-Reading Rules for Great Readers
-Reading Strategies
-Word Bank {Vocabulary words and definitions}
· Labels for front cover
· “Words to Know” page
· 3 types of book logs
· 20 different reading response pages for fiction, non-fiction, or both:
-Book Review
-Rate and Recommend It
-Question It
-Retell It {Beginning/Middle/End}
-Retell It {First/Next/Then/Last}
-Setting Analysis
-Character Analysis
-Predict It {prediction}
-Let’s Chart It
-Journal It
-Web It
-Visualize It {visualize}
-Solve It {problem/solution}
-Summarize It {summary}
-Support It {Main idea and supporting details}
-Decide It {Author’s purpose}
-Learn It
-Share It
-Write It to the Author
-Design It
-Infer It {inference}

All this + MORE WILL BE ADDED TO THIS KIT THIS MONTH!!!

Check it out here on TPT

And for a little freebie so you can try it out for your self-Click here for Summarize It


Do you use reading response journals in you room?  How do you use them?  Is there any other reading response pages you would like to see added to this kit?  I would be happy to add to it.   Let me know!

Happy Journaling,
Coconut Cutie



Monday, January 14, 2013

The Falcon's Feather A-Z Mystery

Good evening sweet bloggy friends,

I hope this blog post finds you doing well.  I am back for another A-A Mystery by Ron Roy. 


I hope you are enjoying them as much as I do.  This story, the Falcon's Feathers is my favorite A-Z Mystery book so far.  I hope you enjoy it as well.  Click here for your journal entries this week. 

Happy reading,

Coconut Cutie

Monday, January 7, 2013

Is it Monday Already?...

Did you start back to school today?  We did, but it was a work day for us teachers and kiddos come tomorrow.  :0)

I can not wait to see their smiling faces.  Here's what my friends are going to find waiting for them on their desk in the morning:

Its from my Happy New Year Kit that I blogged about last time and you can find it here at TPT.



And...I know you are all waiting and wondering if I was going to post today about Mystery Monday...Here it is...




Click the link for A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy The Empty Envelope.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Centers and a Surprise

Well, as promised, I am back for another blog post. 

Yesterday I uploaded a new center to go with my center managment kit. 

Center Management Kit
In my center management kit you will find 57 pages of everything you need to make your center time successful.  In this product you will get directions on how to set up your centers for the year {included is a 4 week lesson plan} center maps, things to help set up the center folders, center posters and I can statements {must do and can do ideas}, recording sheets and so much more. And for the best part...it is only $5.00



Click on this picture to get to this product



NEW CenterCreate-A-Book center kit

In the create-a-book center kit you will get a year long center and a place for kids to create books by gluing text in the correct order and then illustrating them. This create-a-book kit includes 34 WEEKS of books to create for their book box. That's right THE ENTIRE YEAR!!! Kids create a new book each week.
 
 
Click on this picture to get to this NEW product!

This 86 page kit includes 34 original poems put to fun songs or chants using themes and tons of vocabulary to guide them.

Table of Contents:
Teacher directions
Teacher and student tracers to model how to trace
5 color rule poster
Book box labels
Create-a-book center sign and I Can statement
Tracers and student cut out pages for 34 original songs/chants/poems {written by Coconut Cutie} titled:
*Back to School
*Johnny Appleseed
*All About Me
*My Family
*All About Science
*Pumpkins Grow
*I Am Thankful
*My Community
*Nutrition
*Inventor’s Help
*Who’s An Inventor?
*Weather
*How A Snowman Grows
*Rocks Can Be
*Mammals
*Thanks to the Earth
*Fairy Tale Recipe
*Fables
*Solid, Liquid, Gas
*Body Language {Human Body}
*Sensational Senses
*In Motion
*There to Help {Community Helpers}
*Animals Need
*All About Birdies
*Fun Fish
*Super Space

*Plant Parts
*I’m a Bug
*I’m So Proud
*Texas
*Name That President
*I Know that Animal {Amphibians}
*Reptile Rap

This kit is a ton of fun and my students get so excited about the new poem for the week. You will love it!

This is a companion to my center management kit so this product can be used in conjunction with those other products or on its own.
 
OTher Centers Currently Available on TPT {More to Come}:
 
*34 Weeks of Shared Reading Poems/Pocket Chart /Poetry Centers
*Word Hunt-Write the Room Center (All Year Long)
*Writing center-part 1
*Happy Handwriting Center kit
*Vocabulary Word Wall Center
 
READY FOR A SURPRISE???
If you missed my 20% off New Year sale, you are in luck...I am extending my New Year sale of 10% off until January 5th.  YAY!!!~Now go get your shop on.