The Way I Teach

I Went Walking Sequencing and color words

Click on the picture or HERE to get your free copy. Yes - FREE. It will take you to Google Docs. Keep on reading for more FREE activities!

11/7/21 UPDATE:

If you found this post, I made it the first year of this blog - year 2013/2014. I recently started receiving a lot of emails to share the FREE "I Went Walking" document. The one above is still FREE. Google updated security settings which blocked it. I have fixed the sharing settings so it should work properly now. If you would like to be added to my email list and get updates on other FREE resources like this along with other preschool and kinder activities, you can subscribe by clicking on the button below.

I wanted to bring it to your attention that since 2014 I have an updated, "I Went Walking" resource with lesson plans and more activities. Below are pictures of what is included in that resource. You can click HERE or on the picture to purchase the updated resource below.

CONTINUATION of ORIGINAL POST (2014):

I am starting to get into the groove of things in my new grade in my new school in my new home in my new city. It has been a lot of adjusting and and I am still trying to get the hang of how the grade level does things and what is mandated and what is not so I am trying to keep a balance with what I make, what I have, what makes sense, my time with my family and my copy count!

Ya - My COPY COUNT!

Actually it has been a good thing. When you are limited you definitely pay attention to what is necessary and what is not and improvise from there on out. I will be back with pictures of my copyless apple activities that I had to modify to limit my copies. It has been an eye opener to my own creativity and student creativity. It's amazing what they will produce when everything is not given to them. Anyhow, I was needing a sequencing, characters and setting, and color word activity to go with the story, Ï Went Walking," but couldn't quite find what I was looking for. I hope you can use these and I will post pictures after next week. I will be having the children draw or cut the barn out of construction paper to get practice with cutting or seeing shapes in real objects.

UPDATE: I made 6 sets of the animal color word cards, divided children in groups of 4, they worked together to sequence the characters in the order they were introduced in the story (after several readings). I don't have a magnetic board so I put removable hooks on my board and attach twine to create a rope. I taped the same pictures to plain paper folded like a tent then the children took turns sequencing the animals in the story on the rope. Then we checked using the story. I repeat this pattern often with sentences and then they write the sentence in their journals. Sorry, I didn't get pictures. I haven't learned to manage picture taking and teaching in Kinder yet.

If you are working on color words you can visit this post on COLOR words and grab a few more FREE activities!

I am excited to show you these "I Spy" bags but I worn you they can be addicting. The I spy bags I made for literacy centers so it puts a spin on your typical worksheet and turns it into an interactive recording sheet. When I went to make these It started with inspiration from my kiddos from last year. They had this obsession with the I Spy books in the class. At the end of the year they were supposed to be reading to someone while I finished assessing and I would look up and there would be the same 4 students (each and every day) with the I Spy Books hunting for pictures and they were LOUD! So I would get up an go look at what they were doing because they were just having sooooo much fun when they were supposed to be reading to someone not playing in a group! I would get up and go look being very annoyed but when I would return I would be so happy because they were reading the words and hunting for the pictures and they were having so much fun reading! Did I mention 1 of the students was the lowest in my class and the other was a very disengaged student? So this made me so happy. They would be very happy with these activities. I will be adding a Free I Spy class book activity to this blog soon but I have to get packing my house and class! I am moving soon and have NOT packed a thing!

*** Tutorial is further down and links to a free I Spy student reader is there too!***

I got picture happy because they were so fun!

I went on a mission to Hobby Lobby for Duct Tape and seriously that store can cause issues because they had so many cute duct tape rolls I had to stop myself (do not use anything but duct tape on these. Scotch tape will come off)! I was supposed to get in and get out with 3 items and $42.00 later - I left. Whatever. I am sure I will find good use for all the things I absolutely did not probably need.

You can click on the pictures below or the link HERE for the printable instructions for the I Spy Bags. I also have a Free I Spy book HERE if you want it.

thewayiteach.blogspot.com

thewayiteach.blogspot.com

So some are wanting to know where are the activities to go with the I Spy bags. If you want to know go HERE.
Download the Preview to see all the components. Its a back to school review unit that helps with integrating review activities so you can teach routine and procedures too. A "Back to School Guide" for the unit is included in the preview too.

I haven't made this yet but I am going to put it out there for next week and see if I can hold myself to it. I have 4 vintage/antique iron parlor chairs in need of redoing and they have been outside for about 3 years now. I also have an antique trunk that I have toted around for about 10 years and I shove it in the closet. I need to redo them before we move or I may just very well have to give them away because I don't think my spouse will agree with moving those things just to shove them in a closet and stick 4 ugly chairs outside so stay tuned . . . Next Monday. Cross my fingers!

Click on the Button at the top to go to more inspirational finds at 4th Grade Frolics.

I really wish I had more to share but I thought I would give you good laugh anyways. I am linking up again with 4th grade frolics for Monday Made it. Head over there to find more ideas that inspire and get you motivated.
Okay, for those of you who don't know, I use to make primitive very folk-arty patterns of dolls and sell them nationally in magazines. Well, every once in a while it just happens to come out. This time it just came out at the wrong time. I drew up these cute little shape characters and they are rather cute I tell you in pencil until I tried let me reiterate that . . . I T-R-I-E-D to color it which I have no experience of doing on the computer and probably have no business doing. Go ahead, you can laugh but I have a feeling the kids would be crying and running! Needless to say I put them aside for now.

These guys above is exactly why I signed up for Melonheadz session at the TPT conference. She is a very neat person and was AMAZING! but I still don't think I will be doing clip art anytime soon - I just like to doodle - A LOT. She did give these out at her session which was awfully sweet.

I made business cards to take to the TpT Conference in Vegas. I did it at the last minute because I wasn't sure if I was going to go. Here is a picture of the front and the back the gray is not on it I just added it here to give a border. I pretty much just took things off my blog because I was out of time and it was 1 in the morning. Here is the problem with doing important things in the middle of the night:

1) You might forget to add your name (duh)

2) You might forget to add your email addrees (duh #2)

but I got the fancy QR codes ??????

Being that I still haven't packed up my classroom for the BIG move, I decided to organize all of my stuff I haven't put back for the past 8 years. I have a really bad habit of laying things down and making piles (LARGE piles) and then making double copies and in my case I found 5 copies of the same book - I KNOW. So I made and am still making more covers for my binders as I organize. Here is the start of them. I am doing the LA in one color, the math in another, and so on.

I am off to go catch up on the inspiration at 4th grade Frolics - I read something about books and bracelets and figure I must have missed something great! I looooove bracelets!

I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for a Monday Made It and I am sad that I have only made it to 1 out of 5 Monday Made It's. Does that mean I am not being productive? Oh boy. For me it has been a little difficult to start planning because I have been in limbo with jobs and not knowing what grade I will have plus we are moving sometime soon. If you like coffee here is my Monday

I made a cold coffee drink I actually like and it tastes oh-so-good! I have been on the hunt for a cold coffee drink and every drink I have tried has just been - okay. I do think the drink tastes much better without the protein scoop but hey, I am trying to lose a few pounds so I am using it as a meal supplement and because I do like coffee - I don't feel like I am dieting at all. I would definitely try it without the protein first to see if you like the texture and taste before you go investing in protein.

1) I made the smallest cup of coffee that my Keurig would allow to make sure it was really concentrated (I used Starbucks coffee)

2) Here is my weakness, I used um, well, about 1/3 of creamer in the drink and I don't like the sugar free (tomorrow I will be trying artificial sweetener instead of creamer).

3) So layered like this: creamer, 1 scoop protein drink, a handful and 1/2 of ice cubes, coffee.

4) Blend on Smoothie - it does make a difference. It ends up being frothie which I like.

Note: That is chocolate flavored protein which I probably would do vanilla instead but that's what I had on hand. Overall it is pretty good and I stay full for about 4-5 hours.

I really wanted to show other things and ideas I had for my upcoming students/class but since I didn't really know what grade or school I would be at I haven't been able to plan or prep so I have been revamping and adding to a few teaching units that I already have. I recall Erica's post over at Erica's Ed-Ventures saying at some point (not in her own words I am translating here) you will look at some of your first products and think, "did I really put that out there?" I thought, "No, I won't think that." Well, hey, I opened up one of my units and I was

E-M-B-A-R-A-S-S-E-D

so I redid. I added 6 sheets of color word freebies in the preview too if you download that. I feel so much better and the unit has doubled in size. So forgive me for it not being a DIY project but there is a good freebie for you.

Storytown high frequency words 1st grade

Story Town High Frequency Words 1st Grade Resource

Oh yea, I have been playing with this blog too. I remade the header, button, and side-bars but they are a work in progress and I am learning as I go. I love making them! It's relaxing to me.

I know this isn't a tangible made it but I drove 2 1/2 hours away to an interview and I was offered a Kinder position. I made it! I made it! Okay, but now I am scared to death because I have taught 1st grade for 8 years and 2nd for 2. I can't get into the room until August 1st, haven't seen the classroom, and have a zillion questions. I will definitely be doing some KINDER BLOG STALKING. I now have a direction - sort of (I don't know what the classroom looks like, resources, or furniture that I will have and won't until August 1st). Talk about an emotional roller coaster.

Head over to 4th Grade Frolics for more inspirational and DIY ideas!

Happy Monday!

First, let me say my 1st year of teaching I refer to as boot camp for teachers and I sure wish I knew what I know now!

I feel a lot of behavior systems don't address student behaviors but mask it. I am constantly,
every year,
every year,
every year,
given the students who have issues, autistic, mainstreamed, need nurtured, because from what I understand . . . I am patient. Patience alone is not a CURE ALL that's for sure.

I tried the other clip chart, reward coupons, turn a card, prize drawer, group points and they all have their pro's and con's in my eyes. So here is what I came up with and why. At the bottom of this post I have included a free download with instructions and the hanging clip chart. If you click on the picture below it will take you to whole unit.

Classroom Management First Week of School

Behavior Management first week of school

thewayiteach.blogspot.com

Reflection, reflection, reflection,

I only started thinking differently after completing 2

years of research in my master's program.

Here it is in a "NUTSHELL." Plus, if you ever need to do a 504 plan for behavior - BOOYA! DOCUMENTATION and INFORMED parents is what this system helps with.

· RESEARCH: In my master's program I spent 2 years researching self-regulating students. The research made me think and reflect on student behaviors. I actually was not going to do a system at all last year but the parents are trained on these charts and rely on them for communication about their child. There were 2 reasons I was not going to use a system:

1) I read a quote from a leader in education (can’t recall where but I believe it was from Finland). I just remember it stated, “when you add accountability, you take responsibility out.” That statement resonated with me. What I took from that statement was students need taught responsibility if they aren't doing it on their own. Flipping a card and moving a clip doesn't teach responsibility nor does it teach being respectful or safe.

2) Having students move a clip or card during instruction, carpet time, etc. was more of a disruption as all the students looked at them and the student left more instruction to go move their card or clip so I came up with a nameplate with individual clips. If you used the other clip chart, you could always add mini self-stick gems to the clips if they get on outstanding.

Behavior is one of the domains in self-regulating students. If a child does not learn or is never taught how to be successful it is very unlikely they will self-regulate. Worse – it follows them their whole life!
Like I said, it is only one aspect of self-regulating behaviors. Nevertheless, I created this chart that is more specific to help students see and recognize the behavior that keeps causing them issues. I created the tracker so I could see the pattern. It is more work but then if the behavior isn’t remedied it allows me to see more clearly what behavior modifications are needed or a plan can be made with the student to help them be more successful. I also feel that the younger the child the better the chance a teacher has at helping them be successful with the behavior they are having issues with.

If you are still with me after all that here is the download for the
hanging clip chart and instructions for how this system works.