Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun Blends & Digraphs

It's finished!! Yeah!!  Set #2 - Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun Blends and Digraphs.  My kiddos just love these because they are a fun little challenge.  Each puzzle has two versions:  with and without a word bank.   I love this activity because several kiddos may need the word bank, while others may be ready to try them without.  Teachers can use the version that is just right for each individual learner.  So....if your kiddos need a little extra fun, check them out.

Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun Short & Long Vowels - Set 1 

Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun Blends & Digraphs - Set 2

"They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share" 1 Timothy 6:18

Animated Actions for Reading Skills - Make it Fun!

So, sometimes getting students to connect with and remember various reading concepts can be difficult at times.  What are characters again?  What did she mean when she said setting?  Events???  Author?? Illustrator??  Really!!  These are new concepts for our little kiddos and they can be a lot to remember.  My kiddos are only 5!

It hit me 4 years ago when I was working with a new student.  She couldn't for the life of her remember who characters were, what events were, etc, but as soon as I did something funny with each one - WAM! - she got it.   It worked!!!  So, I made these "funnies" part of my every day lessons.  I made them real for her.

Title - "what the story is called"
Author - "writes the story"
Illustrator - "colors or paints the pictures"
Characters - "the people or animals we meet in the story"
Setting - "where they go"
Events - "things that happen in the story" (Yes, you have to shake it!)

Click on the picture below to our animated actions for these reading skills in motion.

Animated Story Gestures

Try it sometime - make it funny and real!!  I bet they remember.  :)

Crossword Puzzle Fun Freebie

We did it!!!! We learned all 44 sounds in the English language.  Now we are ready to begin our 5 week short vowel review and our 5 week long vowel review.   We will focus on 1 vowel sound a week in phonics and build words centered around that vowel.

My kids love it when I give them a challenge, so why not do it with something that "big" people do - Crossword Puzzles.  This fun set, Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun Set 1, includes words for all 5 short vowels and all 5 long vowels.  Some of my kiddos are ready to spell the words out all by themselves, but some still need a little help.  Each vowel sound has a crossword puzzle with 5 words and matching picture clues in two different versions: with and without a word bank.    

To find the entire Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun set, click on the pictures above.

I thought it would be fun to celebrate with a freebie.  To download the Short A and Long A FREEBIE pages, click on the link below!  

Crossword Puzzle Freebie - Short A and Long A

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31

It's a 2-Day Super Sale

Let's Cheer!!!

It's a 2-Day Super Sale

Don't forget to check out my new bundled set!

Click on the picture above or the link below to find my TpT store.

Faith Rucker - Teachers Pay Teachers

"Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for Gods' glory." 1Corinthians 10:31

Letters - Trace, Say, Glue and Write

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!!  I love having 5 days off!  We packed up and headed to my mom and dad's house.  It's always great to go home for a few days.  I love you mom and dad!!  :)

I am sooooo excited to show you the phonics pack I just finished - Trace, Say, Glue and Write!  My daughter is in kindergarten, and when I was making this she couldn't wait for me to finish the "Kk" page.  She told me she got an N on her progress report because she was having trouble printing the lowercase "k" correctly, and she needed the "Kk" page to practice.  Soooo, this pack was kid approved, even before it was finished!!! She sat down beside me working on the pages before I even had it finished. lol

I created a page for each letter in the alphabet and then several pages with multiple letters for review.  I wanted a little something extra for when I introduce the letters and sounds.  This is great for independent practice or center work.   Plus, my kiddos love using their highlighter, and I let them use it on the trace part.  Then they find and glue on the pictures that begin with the correct sound, find and glue on the matching letters (I used various fonts), and finally write the uppercase and lowercase letter 5 times each.  Here is an example of the "Bb" page.  Download the preview file to check it out.

A couple weeks ago, I finished Trace, Count, Glue and Write.  It is the same idea but includes numbers, counting, ten frames and number words.  I am working on Trace, Read, Glue and Write with CVC, CVCC, CCVC, and high frequency words.  It will be finished soon!! :)

Also, remember, the HUGE 2013 Cyber Monday sale is coming up!  All of my products will be 28% off.  Check it out for some super great savings.  Click on the picture below to find my TpT store.

"Enter the temple gates with Thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise." Psalm 100:4

Creative Writing - There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pumpkin

After reading the story There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves, I thought it would be fun to make our own story for Thanksgiving.   There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pumpkin!

With the help of a great teaching partner, we came up with several things for our old lady to swallow!  The kids had so much fun trying to figure out what she was going to make at the end.

Using the creative writing story page, I put one item at a time up on the front board and the kids wrote it down on their paper.  Then they cut out their own little part and fed it to their old lady.  EXCITING!!  They giggled every time.  Before I showed them what she was going to cough up, I let them guess.  Yep, they figured it out.  A pumpkin pie! 

We practiced retelling our new story with a partner, so we were ready to show our parents when we got home.  I think some of them did it several times!!! 

We also painted a paper plate pumpkin pie and put pumpkin pie spice on it for the finishing touch!! Yummy!  It smelled so good in my room.  

Click on the picture below to download the creative writing page freebie from this Old Lady pack.  (writing page only).

Click on the picture below to find this complete Old Lady Creative Writing and Story Telling resource at my TpT store (creative writing page and graphics).

I hope you are having a great year!

"Let us come before him with thanksgiving. Let us sing him song songs of praise. For the Lord is great God, the great King above all gods." Psalm 95: 2-3

We Are Learning Our Letters - Yeah

We have learned 10 letters so far, and the fun has just begun!!  On Friday we played a great little game, "Does My Letter Say....?"  I tell the kiddos, like every great teacher, that I have eyes in the back of my head!!! Heheheheh  I just smile sooooo big when they laugh and say, "No you don't!  You are just teasing."  Love it!!

Well, since we don't have eyes on the back of our heads we get to play a great little game.  I go over the rules and explain what we will be doing.  One of the most important rules to go over with the kiddos is what they can say.  For the game I tape a letter on each child's back and give them each a letter strip that has the possible letters on it.  They are to go around and ask their friends, "Does my letter make a ___ sound?"  I reinforce "sound."  I do not want them asking if they have an "M" on their back.  They must use the sound.  The helper can only say "Yes" or "No."  If the helper says "yes," then the child circles the letter they think they have and comes to me.  If the helper says "no," then the child crosses of the appropriate letter and finds another helper.

I remind them that I am the only one who can take the letters off, and I can't do it until they tell me the correct letter.

I use my Large Letter Flash Cards for this game.  You see the star version in the picture, but they come in two other versions; blank and with stick kids.  Click on the picture below to find them on TpT. This flash card set includes the following: A-Z uppercase; A-Z lowercase; th, wh, sh, ch, ar, ng, oo, ai, ay, ee, ea, igh, oa, ow, ou, ew, ue, ir, er, ur, or, oy, or, au, aw

They love it!!! They are up moving and learning at the same time, and I love that even more.  What could be better?? :)

"I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do." John 17:4

Teacher Appreciation Sale! Yeah!!!

I am sooooo looking forward to the TpT Teacher Appreciation Sale this week - May 7th & 8th!  My wish list is filling up!

Everything in my store will be 28% off.  Yeah!!! Come check it out!

Here are a few buyer favorites for spring.

"Be the Word" Large Letter Flashcards

High Frequency Word and Phrase Cards

Those Crazy b's & d's!

Lessons From a Lemonade Stand         Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun

Click on the picture above to find my store!

Burping in the Classroom & A Freebie!

Who doesn't love those There Was An Old Lady books!!  I know my kiddos sure do.  Last week we read There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell.  After sequencing the events, we had to compare and contrast the stories.  The kids blew me out of the water!! (lol)  They actually told me I didn't have enough lines in the circles for them.  "Don't worry Mrs. Rucker, we can just smoosh the words in there!"  So, just like any good teacher, we did it.  :o)

Now, I don't know if you can do this next part in your classroom (or would want to), but boy did we have fun with it.  Of course the boys were sooooo excited because in the shell story the old lady didn't die, she burped!!  Here it comes, yes, we had to burp!  We burped and built a sand castle.  Here are their adorable drawings.

I had them go to their tables and draw their sandcastle.  If you notice, some of them even included everything from the story.  Then yes, here it comes, we got back together and burped!!

If your kiddos love these stories too, click on the picture below to download this compare and contract freebie.  Caution, you might have to add more lines or "smoosh" in all of the things your class comes up with!

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2