Gingerbread Christmas Stories

Christmas is and always has been my favorite holiday to celebrate. In the classroom I used to LOVE doing a Gingerbread unit. It was so much fun comparing the stories. My favorite GB stories? The Musubi Man, The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Cowboy, and The Gingerbread Pirates. 

Below are links to purchase these books for your classroom! They are must have Gingerbread books! 

MUMMIES

Although I love all things fall, I usually skip the fall decorations at home and go right to Halloween decorations at home. I LOVE all things Halloween. Black, lime green, orange, purple, and black glitter give me all the feels. In school, its one of my favorite holidays to do fun projects and as a coach, I always offer up time to get into the rooms to do an art project with each class. I usually try to include some type of writing and always a story to go with it. Here are the mummies we did in our first grade room this past week.

You can get the writing template free by clicking HERE and you can see the art project directions on Instagram @cassieriewer or by clicking HERE.

Concepts About Print Recording Form

CAP recording form for Reading Recovery teachers.

I know there are a lot of different recording forms out there but this worked best for me when doing CAP. 

Click HERE for the free form. 

Leaf Man Writing

I LOVE teaching writing. I LOVE art. Put the two together and my teacher 💓 explodes. One of my favorite writing projects each year was our Leaf Man projects. It really allows you to see each students creative side.  Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert is the perfect fall book with beautiful imagery and descriptive words making it a wonderful mentor text.

 

My mom and Isaac would always help collect leaves and I think deep down this was a big reason I loved this project. Both familiar with the book, we couldn't help but find "leaf men" as we gathered. It always amazed me how creative a 3/4 year old could be with leaves. Each year we made our own leaf men as an example to show the class. Here are a few Isaac made. 

Depending on where you live, if you gather leaves right when they start to fall and place them under something heavy, they will keep their color and lay flat making them easy to manipulate. I used contact paper (two sides) to keep them together after they built them. When they finish creating their leaf man, they write about the journey their leaf man went on. This is one of my favorite pieces a student created.  (This was done by a student who did "not like to write". 😉 💕) 

 You can get the book above in the link and the FREE writing template here in my store.

Narrative Writing

"I don't know what to write" - six words that are inevitable each year as you manage Writer's Workshop. There is always that one student who sits and looks at you or spends the entire time drawing and doodling. The reasoning?  "I don't know what to write!" 

As I was cleaning out the files on my desktop, I ran across a resource I had created while still teaching to help students generate new ideas. I believe in the use of mentor texts to generate unique ideas and introduce students to new structures. This resource includes the mentor texts I typically used along with anchors to brainstorm writing ideas. 

Here's how I used this in the classroom:

While launching Writer's Workshop I would post a new anchor (posted below) and ask the class the question posted. (Example: Can you think of a time you had a visitor?)

After a short turn and talk session I would read the mentor text I chose to go with this topic. In this example:

When we finished reading the story, sometimes not the same day, we would turn and talk and share about a personal experience. I would then call for volunteers to share what their partner said and we would add ideas to the anchor. Together we would hang the chart up in the classroom so they had it for future ideas. 

* I always left 1-2 spots for later on in the year. It's a great way to keep these interactive all year. 

 You can purchase that resource here. 

Memory Books

Memory Books

When I taught in the classroom, I always created end of the year memory books that held some of my favorite writing pieces, art projects, photos, and awards. They weren't anything fancy, usually a binder decorated by the students. Each year, I looked forward to the day our families came into the classroom and they were presented their child's memory book. The smiles, giggles, and tears while students shared their favorite memories made them worth the time. Students and parents were SO proud. 

When my own child started Kindergarten, I started collecting his work in a tote and hid it under the bed. By spring, the tote was overflowing with art projects, writing pieces, and awards. Keeping all of the projects was not an option, but neither was throwing them away. Every art project, writing sample, picture, award, was a proud moment of his Kindergarten year. I took my memory book too a new level utilizing Shutterfly and I highly recommend doing so! They turn out great and get easier every year! 

(Since starting these, I now add family photos/vacations/events to each book as well.) 

Tips for Memory Books

* Start right away! You are able to save your book as a draft and add to it at anytime.

* Scan all paper/writing pieces. (I bring the boys' to Office Max. Their scanner is better than mine.)

* Take photos of your child's art projects the day they bring them home! 

* Use the same background when taking pictures of art projects.

Ask Me! 

I have had many reach out and ask if I could make their books. The answer is YES! Please email me and we can discuss this option.  I charge per hour and if you are not local, you need to pay shipping and will then purchase your book at your convenience. Depending on the size of the book, it can take me up to 3 weeks to complete.

 

Click Below to View Books

 * Isaac Kindergarten

* Isaac First Grade

* Sam Kindergarten

 

LOOK - Letter and Word Recognition Game

My kids and I have always enjoyed playing the game Spot It. The game is fast and can be played in a variety of ways. I have always thought it would be great if the games included high frequency words and wondered if I could somehow add them to the cards. Anything is possible.  After a little thinking, I was able to create the cards exactly how I wanted. The words I used were from Jan Richardson’s Sight Word Chart for Monitoring Progress. There is a different game for each level of words. Below is a link to my Teacher Store and photos of how I organize my games. Check back soon as I will update the themes and get them on my Teacher store soon! Please note, the game I created is not associated with Spot It or its manufacturers. 

I printed my cards on cardstock, added labels to the back of them, and laminated them. The reason for the labels: We all know cards get lost and as teachers we tend to create more than one set. Each set is numbered so if a card is left out, you know where its home is. Labels are included in the downloadable document.  

The cute little storage cases I store the cards in, are the containers from electrical tape. My aunt and uncle, who is an electrician, saved them for me when I was in the classroom! I use them for everything!  See photo. I did a little searching though and found these on Oriental Trading’s website. They are inexpensive and would work the same way. You can get them HERE.

This game is great for indoor recess, centers, and could be a great make and take class for parents and students to bring home. As a reading teacher, I create the game, laminate it, and send it home for my students. Use how you wish!  Enjoy

                              Purchase HERE by visiting my TPT Store.