Thursday, March 24, 2022

Using Sight Words to Strengthen Sentence Writing



Teaching Early Learners to Write

Teaching early learners to write is one of the most challenging tasks a teacher has. When you consider what these kids will have learned to do by the end of the school year, you know that the teacher has done an amazing job! 

We also need to teach them sight words as well. What? Sight words?? They are just now learning to sound out three-letter words. DO NOT LET THIS STOP YOU FROM TEACHING THEM! As you begin to teach them, give them time to practice, encourage them, and they will begin to master these skills. It takes time and patience but it will happen.

Sight Word Sentence Writing

I have created a teaching resource where I have combined both skills, Sight Word Sentence Writing. This activity gives your students the opportunity to practice writing while using the sight words you are teaching them every week.

 Amped Up Learning

Teachers Pay Teachers

I have taken Fry’s First 100 words and broken them into 4 sets with 25 words on each set. Set 1 has Fry's First 100 words 1-25.



There are 4 parts to each practice sheet.

  • Ø In each practice sheet, students will have a color by sight word. Here they will isolate each sight word by coloring the entire word in one color. There should be no mistaking which sight word they would be working with for that day.

  • Ø On each page, students will have a model sight word sentence to trace. This will provide them an example of what their sentence could look like. They will trace this model sentence because we know that the young learners are still needing to work on their letter formation.
My friend, Christy with Happy Hive Homeschool has created a very useful teaching resource, National Scribble Day Activities. She has the kids scribble, then they begin to control their scribbles to create a monster critter. To read more about this resource click on this link, Scribbles. What a clever approach to help kids improve their attempt at letter formation!


  • Ø Then they get to have some challenging fun by unscrambling a set of words and correctly forming a sight word sentence.


  • Ø Finally, they will write their own sight word sentence using the word on that sheet.

With this resource, students are seeing and ‘doing’ sentence writing in a variety of ways. 

Still Not Writing

    If students are not yet ready to independently write a complete sentence, I would still encourage them to write what they can. Even if they write a string of random letters, let them do this. As they attempt to do this, you will see how they progress. Soon you will see their string of letters looking like sets of letters that look like possible words, you will see them attempt to write the correct initial sounds. If you do not give them this opportunity on a regular basis, this process will take them longer to accomplish.

Sometimes it seems that it is impossible to teach these skills to our PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st-grade students. As teachers, we continue to find different ways to teach this to our students. This resource can be one of those approaches. It provides a regular chance to practice writing sentences and using sight words.

Set 2 Fry 26-50



Amped Up Learning

Amped Up Learning
If you want to get some information on the bundle, go to Combining Sight Words and Sentence Writing.

Teacher friends, it's my goal to provide useful resources to help you be the best you can be for our young learners!

#frysightwords #sightwordsentences #terrificteachingresources #colorbycodesightwords @froggyaboutteaching

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Using Daily Writing Journals to Strengthen Sentence Writing

 

Let's give our young writers a way to work daily on their writing.


Learning to Write is Hard Work

Kindergarten and 1st-grade students need to learn to write. They have a difficult time learning to write a sentence. So as teachers, we figure out how to entice them to do this. There is so much they are learning. They are having to take the letter sounds they have learned and figure out how to write a word. On top of this, they are putting their concept of words together to form a sentence. The poster that is on the board says, “Hard Work Beats Talent”, and that’s exactly what the kids are doing. They don’t have the talent yet, but it is going to take hard work on both the part of the student as well as the teacher. 

Most of these young learners come to Kindergarten not even being able to form a letter, much less will they be able to write a complete sentence. Then when they start 1st grade, they seem to have forgotten what they learned that prior school year. But do not let this be a reason to avoid teaching writing to your students.

Benefits of Using Daily Writing Journals

So we say to ourselves, "They can barely write a sentence, much less can I ask them to attempt to do this every day." But writing daily is the way we give them the opportunity to conquer this difficulty! Sure, at first it won't be beautiful or perfect, nor readable. But, given the time and the practice, they will get better.

Using daily writing prompts allows the students
  • to tackle a skill that initially scares them
  • it allows them to develop their writing skills at their pace
  • that initial fear turns into growth in writing
  • they see their own progress 
  • you see their progress
  • their sentence writing strengthens

on Amped Up Learning



On Teachers Pay Teachers

Daily Writing Journal with a Teeth Care Theme

I have created a writing resource to hopefully make this work a little bit easier for the teacher and student. This teaching resource is based on the topic-teeth care. It’s intended to be used daily. There are writing prompts to guide students with the writing response. It incorporates the things you are teaching your students such as sight words, nouns, verbs, and describing words. These can be found in the word bank.


The alphabet is at the top of the sheet to help your students as they are attempting to sound out the words. The vowels and consonants have been separated.




Standards-Based

This is based on the Common Core Standards. It should also meet your state standard, which is usually based on the Common Core Standards.

CC Standard W.K.2 Using a combination of drawing, dictation, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts where they are writing about and supply information about the topic.

With this activity, students will be labeling the topic picture. So, they are taking and using the words they are learning and applying them.




Writing Prompts

There are two writing prompts on each page to direct their responses. A sentence starter is provided for the students needing help to get a sentence started. The second prompt gives them the opportunity to form their sentence on their own. If students are needing extra help, I would have the students do the sentence starter but encourage them to do the second sentence on their own.

Make-a-Sentence

This packet also includes a section that differentiates for your students who cannot write a sentence on their own yet. In this section, there is a Sentence Model that the teacher can use to demonstrate how to take the words and form a sentence.



Teacher Sentence Model

  • Cut apart the words.
  • Mix them up.
  • Point to each word and read it aloud, and have students repeat the word.
  • Place the word ‘the’ above the words and let them know this sentence begins with the sight word the.
  • Ask the students what word should go next. If the wrong word is chosen, let them know which word should come next.
  • Keep asking them what word comes next until it is completely done.
  • Read the sentence.
  • Have the students read the sentence with you as you point to each word.

I would demonstrate this in front of all my students regardless of their ability to write.

Then students can take their Make-a-Sentence sheet, cut the words apart, then they can place them in order, then glue them in place. The first set of lines is so that students can copy the sentence they have just glued together. The second set of lines is to encourage them to write a sentence about the topic on their own.

Make-a-Sentence cut and paste



Fear of Writing

Some students will be afraid to write on their own. But I would tell them they must attempt to write a sentence; it takes hard work. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I would also give them some credit for what they do; if they tried sounding out the word, the number of words they wrote, even for the partial words. All hard work counts. Using these daily writing prompts is one way to encourage them to begin writing.

Flora Maria Shop

If you want to incorporate these writing activities with some teeth care activities that would be fun to do, read Teaching Dental Health in the Classroom
Thank you for continuing this journey with me as I reach out to educators by providing support with teaching resources and blog articles with helpful teaching tips!

I also want to thank Flora Maria Shop for sharing with me a set of posters with meaningful phrases. They are available on Amazon.

Debbie – Froggy About Teaching on Amped Up Learning

               Froggy About Teaching on Teachers Pay Teachers

#kindergartenwriting  #kindergartenpictureprompts #teethcare #dentalcare #kindergartenwritingresource  #topicwriting @Floramariashop
















Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Teaching Dental Health in the Classroom

 


Dental Health Activities-February

It is so important to teach dental health to our students at any age. Learning about this at school only emphasizes the importance of taking care of our teeth.

I have two easy activity ideas you can do in your classroom related to dental health.

Brush Your Teeth Activity

 

Steps for making a brushed tooth.

Materials: white paper, pencils, toothbrush for each student, toothpaste

  1. Pass out white paper. On the paper, have the students draw a heart that is not connected at the bottom.
  2. Draw a line from the left to the right side of the heart towards the bottom of the heart.
  3. Draw a cone shape on either side of the heart at the line to make the roots.
  4. Erase the inside lines.
  5. Give each student a toothbrush and a large dab of toothpaste. Students can practice brushing their paper tooth.


Make a Mouth

The first set of steps for making a mouth;


Materials: pink and red construction paper, 14 mini marshmallows in a baggie for each student, pencils, glue.

  1. 1.    Fold the pink construction paper in half.
  2. 2.   Draw an unfinished oval from the inside half of each side of the paper.
  3. 3.   Draw two molars on either side of the mouth along the fold.
  4. 4.   Then draw the ten teeth along the sides towards the middle at the bottom of the mouth.
  5. 5.   Give each student 14 mini marshmallows.
  6. 6.   Glue each marshmallow on the molars and teeth.
The second set of steps for completing the mouth.


  1. 7.   Pass out ¼ sheet of red construction paper.
  2. 8.   Draw an unfinished oval starting at one edge of the paper to make the tongue.
  3. 9.   Fold along the side of the open end of the oval, place glue on the fold, glue to the inside of the mouth.

Then display them on your bulletin board!

It's amazing how many students do not know how to brush their teeth or how often it should be done. The Chicago Dental Society has some great resources you could use in your classroom. They have a variety of discussion guides on Oral Health that are based on different grade levels. They also have activities and coloring pages to reinforce this concept.

One of my future projects will be to create some teaching resources around the theme of Dental Health. Keep your eyes open for when I post about it.

But if you don't want to wait take a look at Beth Hammett's Dental Health Month. It has fun activities around dental health!



If you want to teach about the tooth fairy, Christy Serra-Gandara has a resource teaching about the different traditions, Tooth Fairy Activity Pack.



Thank you for being a part of this journey. I will continue to work on creating teaching resources and writing blogs that can help you with your students.

Debbie – Froggy About Teaching on Amped Up Learning

                 Froggy About Teaching on Teachers Pay Teachers

#dentalhealth #dentalkidactivities #toothfairylegends #dentalhealthmonth

Sunday, December 5, 2021

Writing Santa a Letter

 


WRITE SANTA A LETTER

Do your students know how to write a letter? Maybe they don’t know what a letter is? It would be great if K-1 students learned how to write a letter to Santa.

Santa Letter Activities

I created a teaching resource that takes your student step-by-step leading up to writing Santa a letter. Teachers, this packet has lots of choices that will allow you to differentiate and have your students write the letter and put it into a Christmas envelope.

I have made this resource available on Amped Up Learning and Teachers Pay Teachers.

 

Standards-Based

This is a standards-based resource that is divided into 6 sections. Teachers, you will have lots of choices of what activities to assign to your students. Your students will be writing a list, writing sequence, tracing, drawing, and labeling. Lesson instructions have been included. 

CC-W.K.1-3, CC-W.1.2-3

 

Letter Materials

In the Letter-Writing Materials Section Students will learn what materials are needed to create a letter. Students can begin by tracing a list of letter supplies or can write a list of letter supplies. The next step could be drawing and labeling the letter materials or writing what materials are needed to write Santa a Letter. Students could end this section by telling the sequence steps for writing Santa a letter.



It includes a Santa Vocabulary list that students can trace and color.


Make a Toy Wish List

I call the next section Toy Choices. These activities will prepare them to make a toy wish list. You will have the choices to assign the trace and color or the write and color a set of toys. You know your students and what they need. Then they can get the graphic organizer and draw and label their toy choices. To end this section, students will draw-label-write about their toy choices and create the Toy Wish List.


Santa Face Activities 

The fourth section is the Santa Face Activities. They will get to trace and color or label and color Santa’s face. At the end of this section, students can either make a list of Santa’s Face Features or write about them.


All About Santa

The next part is the All About Santa where they will fill an info chart, Santa Buzz, telling what Santa is like. Then they get to make a Mini Santa Book (print front and back on the short edge) telling the sequence of Santa coming to visit.


Santa Letter

The final section is writing the actual letter. A model letter is provided that you can review with your students. Then they can either trace and fill a sentence frame or write their own letter. Then they can color a Santa topper and add it to their letter (great for decorating a bulletin board). Or they can color and fold the Christmas Envelope and place their letter in the envelope. Teachers, I would have the students do both Santa letters and one can go into the envelope and you can use the other to decorate your bulletin board.



This resource was made with love and care for beginning writers.

Froggy About Teaching

My friend Christy with Happy Hive Homeschooling tells about her December Holiday-themed teaching resources. She makes first-rate teaching resources! Go take a look at Holidays for December to check them out!

Take a look at the wonderful December-Winter Themed Resources that have been created by Teacher Contributors on Amped Up Learning, Winter Holiday Themed Resources.

#kindergarten #1stgrade #writingresources #writesantaletter #christmasactivities #christmasresource 

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Thanksgiving Activities In Your Classroom

 
The Spirit of Thanksgiving in the Classroom

Ways to Include Thanksgiving Into Your Classroom

Thanksgiving is coming and here are some of the fun and thoughtful ways to bring in holidays into your classroom that your students will enjoy.

One of the most engaging ways to learn at school, for both teachers and students, is celebrating holidays in the classroom. The month of November is short due to the holidays coming up, which also creates a busy time at school and home. Yet you want to make this time fun and academic for your students.

This is a great time to teach gratitude, kindness, friendship, and community. I have attached an activity you can do with your students. Click on this link if you are wanting Thanksgiving Classroom Activities.


Do this side whole group. Have students discuss in groups what each of these words means. Then discuss ways they can and do show each of these qualities. Write some of these on the board. Then give them time to fill out the graphic organizer.








You can print the pages front to back or on separate pages. You have 2 choices for printing on the backside. Your students can draw and label or draw and write. Allow them time to do this.

If you are wanting to study some of the histories behind Thanksgiving you can do a webquest. Scholastic has several good activities to choose from. Click on the link.

Host a canned/boxed food drive and donate the food items to the neighborhood Food Bank.

Do an acrostic poem using the letters in the word Turkey.

Brainstorm words that begin with the sound of each letter in Thanksgiving.

Have some Kindergarten Math fun with this packet!


What about FAll themed Picture Prompts for those 1st and 2nd graders??


There is so much more you can do with your students. Thank you for following me and reading my newsletters.

May you have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!

Froggy About Teaching




Saturday, October 2, 2021

October Seasonal Products and Sale

 


I just love the Fall season, the changes in nature, and the holidays it brings with it! This is also a time I like bringing into the classroom the same love and appreciation for this season. 

I want to share with you the seasonal products that I have in my Amped Up Learning store because we will be having a Halloween Sale, October 4-6. Everything will be 20% percent off, and you can take an additional 5% off by using the code: Spooky when you check out.

Click on the pictures to check them out!


















If you are needing anything, everything in my store is on sale at a 20% discount. You can get an extra 5% off simply by using the code: Spooky. October 4-6. 
Happy Shopping
Froggy About Teaching

#Halloweenresources #Halloweenactivities #Halloweenfun #Halloweensale #AmpedUpLearningHalloween