Creative Learning Ideas

This is the perfect Holiday Author Study. Included in this unit is a reproducible booklet for students to use as you read through the different picture books: An Orange for Frankie, Uncle Vova's Tree, Welcome Comfort, Christmas Tapestry, and the Trees of the Dancing Goats. Reading strategies and writing prompts are built into the booklet, as well as real-world connections and background knowledge for her stories. After finishing the books, use the extension activities for hands-on connections t

"Can You Read it Like This?" is a great way to have students practice using expression while they read. This game incorporates high frequency phrases to build fluency in developing or struggling readers. Because students have to write a sentence incorporating the phrases, the game is different each time you play. Students draw a card and then have to read it in the voice directed by the game space they are currently on. This game would be perfect in the classroom or to send home as a resource fo

This set includes all the red words (sight words) from Layer Two of the Phonics First program--an Orton-Gillingham certified product. These words are in order and ready to be printed and used either in a center, review, pocket chart, or word wall. The words are typed in red and in a font that mimics Handwriting without Tears.

Do you have students who are ready for Literature Study groups but still need some scaffolded support? Then this is just the pack for you! Included are guided activities (vocabulary words and text based questions) to be used in one week of class in guided groups for the first half of the book. Students then use the Book Mark to complete the book independently applying the skills from the previous week. Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is on a reading level of 4.5.

This set includes all the red words (sight words) from Layer One of the Phonics First program. These words are in order and ready to be printed and used either in a center, review, pocket chart, or word wall. The words are typed in red and in a font that mimics Handwriting without Tears.

This set includes all the red words (sight words) from Layer Three of the Phonics First program--an Orton-Gillingham certified product. These words are in order and ready to be printed and used either in a center, review, pocket chart, or word wall. The words are typed in red and in a font that mimics Handwriting without Tears.

Need a fun, hands-on activity to introduce the Scientific Method? This activity is just what you need. Kids will love learning what happens to different types of gummy candy that are left in water over 24 hours! Use this experiment to meaningfully go through the steps of the scientific method. This pack includes step by step instructions for the experiment, recording pages for students, pre/post test, extension activity ideas, and word wall cards. Great way to integrate science and math as stude

This packet includes activities and templates to teach students about the classification of vertebrates. Activities include anchor chart ideas, word walls, link to downloadable song, charade/pictionary cards, vertebrate matrix to classify animals into mammals, reptiles, amphibians, bird, and fish, short quiz, research templates for learning about unusual animals, suggested animal topics, template for students to create their own animal, plus planning pages and model writing samples, and a templa

These cards can be used as a daily Calendar Math pattern or as fraction practice cards. They fit the traditional calendar pocket charts or can be laminated and used with velcro or magnets. The concepts covered in this set include identifying fractions of a shaded region, benchmark fractions, equivalent fractions. Created by Jaclyn Seiders.

Puzzled Penguin is a cute, little penguin who needs student's help in figuring out whether he has the right or wrong answer. Students respond to P. Penguin in a speech bubble and use words and numbers to justify their response back to him. Students must use critical thinking skills in order to support their reasoning. This pack includes: comparing numbers, writing numbers, subtracting and adding numbers, multiplying, dividing, comparing fractions, unit fractions, mixed numbers, decimals, and ela

This pack includes resources to compare and contrast the themes among three different folktales: "Martina the Beautiful Cockroach" (Cuban Folktale), "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" (African Folktale), and "The Rough-Face Girl" (Native American Folktale.) Handouts to use while reading each book as well as a quiz are included. After reading the three tales, students write their own folktale following the same format of a character looking for someone to marry or befriend. Plan pages, checklists,

Tired of looking all over the internet for riddles to stimulate your kids' creative thinking? This packet includes 31 riddles to challenge students to think outside the box. Spread out over the year and not using them on "short weeks" you will have enough brain teasers for each week! Reward students for problem solving or just have fun giving them these challenges! Pictures by © Laura Strickland/MyCuteGraphics.com, Riddles compiled by Jaclyn Seiders.

This pack has everything you need to introduce the major concepts of Economy. Included are class notes and quiz. Extension activities for learning about where products are made, vocabulary words for key concepts, and most importantly, all you need to host your own Trade Fair. Instructions and explanation for hosting a Trade Fair, notes to send home, sample Timeline, Helpful Hints, and photos of sample ideas are all included. Our annual Trade Fair is a highlight of our Fourth Grade class! Find

Use these short notes to teach students major landforms such as mountains, rivers, canyons, peninsulas, and valleys. Then have students use their map skills to complete the map key and locate important landform features on the map of the United States. Maps are designed for students to actually color and add the landforms to the map. Also includes a map of North America so students can label the countries that share a border with the United States. A quiz for an easy assessment is included at th

This Guided Reading pack is designed to be used to get students excited and into the book by using Guided Reading strategies for the first half of the book and then releasing responsibility to the students to finish the book on their own. The Guided Reading pages include vocabulary words for each of the first 8 chapters, inferencing questions, purposes/tasks for each day, and a spot for students to record their responses. After the first week, students complete the book by responding on the prov

This set includes all the red words (sight words) from Layer Four of the Phonics First program--an Orton-Gillingham certified product. These words are in order and ready to be printed and used either in a center, review, pocket chart, or word wall. The words are typed in red and in a font that mimics Handwriting without Tears.

Use these book response forms and templates as fun ways to assess students' comprehension and interpretation of the story after completing a book. Forms include: Book Recommendation, Book Talk, Book Jacket, Summary Soup, Character & Setting Sketch, Graphic Novel, story elements response, and Self-Evaluation Forms. Also included a notice to parents and a monitoring sheet to be used by the teacher in the classroom. Graphics provided by © Laura Strickland/MyCuteGraphics.com, activities created by

This pack includes what you need to practice and reinforce perimeter and area skills. Included are cards to be used in math centers for students to practice solving various problems, Hands-on activities for constructing shapes, Geoboard questions and record sheets, Problem solving pages, word problems for discovery math/CGI, and a quiz for an assessment of student's understanding. Created by Jaclyn Seiders, NBCT

These cards can be used as a daily Calendar Math pattern or as line recognition practice cards. They fit the traditional calendar pocket charts or can be laminated and used with velcro or magnets. The concepts covered in this set include perpendicular lines, rays, line segments, parallel lines, and lines. Created by Jaclyn Seiders.

These cards can be used as a daily Calendar Math pattern or as shape practice cards. They fit the traditional calendar pocket charts or can be laminated and used with velcro or magnets. The shapes included in this pattern are circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. The pattern also used the primary colors. Created by Jaclyn Seiders.