David

This Shell Design activity is a fun way to encourage expository writing. This activity also helps prepare 1st graders for expository writing tests. After reading the story Moving Day (in the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series), I have my class describe the different kinds of shells the hermit crab finds. I write out (with the help of my class) a description of the last shell the hermit crab finds. The following day I have the students take out their Houghton Mifflin books and look at the shells and

This art activity is a great way to reinforce adjectives taught in Theme 10 of the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading the story Fireflies for Nathan, I discuss adjectives with my classroom and have them come up with some adjectives of their own. The following day I have the students come up with adjectives that describe fireflies and I list them on the whiteboard. I show them an example of a completed jar with fireflies in it (all with adjectives beside them). I tell them they will d

This Braille activity accompanies the read-aloud story The Secret Code in the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading The Secret Code, I teach my students about Braille using the 1st SMARTBOARD page I designed. I ask my students if they have seen Braille anywhere. I ask them why they think Braille isn't written like the alphabet letters they are learning. I ask them why they think Braille is important. I then move on to SMARTBOARD page 2. I explain that they are going to make and read a c

This Family Tree activity is a great way to reinforce the family relations and vocabulary in Theme 4 of the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading the story Who is in a Family?, I discuss the vocabulary associated with family. I ask my students if they can name all the people in their family. We discuss how people in a family are related. The following day I revisit family relations. I ask them to name some family vocabulary. I then show them a display of the finished Family Tree Activit

This Family Tree activity is a great way to reinforce the family relations and vocabulary in Theme 4 of the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading the story Who is in a Family, I discuss the vocabulary associated with family. I ask my students if they can name all the people in their family. We discuss how people in a family are related. The following day I revisit family relations. I ask them to name some family vocabulary. I then show them a display of the finished Family Tree Activity

This Braille activity accompanies the read-aloud story The Secret Code in the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading The Secret Code, I ask my students if they have seen Braille anywhere. I ask them why they think Braille isn't written like the alphabet letters they are learning. I ask them why they think Braille is important. I explain that they are going to make and read a couple of words in Braille by using split peas. I show them how split peas are shaped like the Braille bumps. I th

This Shell Design activity is a fun way to encourage expository writing. This activity also helps prepare 1st graders for expository writing tests. After reading the story Moving Day (in the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series), I have my class describe the different kinds of shells the hermit crab finds. I write out (with the help of my class) a description of the last shell the hermit crab finds on the SMARTBOARD. The following day I have the students take out their Houghton Mifflin books and look

This art activity is a great way to reinforce the short o vowel sound taught in Theme 2 of the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading the story Hot Fox Soup, I discuss the short o sound and have my students find the words that contain the short o vowel sound. Then I see if my students can name words with the short o sound. The following day I show them a display of the finished Fox's Vat Activity on the SMARTBOARD. I have the students take out their books and list the characters in the s

This art activity is a great way to reinforce adjectives taught in Theme 10 of the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading the story Fireflies for Nathan, I discuss adjectives with my classroom and have them come up with some adjectives of their own. The following day I show them a display of the finished Adjective Art Activity on the SMARTBOARD. I have the students come up with adjectives that describe fireflies and I list them on the SMARTBOARD. I tell them they will describe their fire

This art activity is a great way to reinforce the short o vowel sound taught in Theme 2 of the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. After reading the story Hot Fox Soup, I discuss the short o sound and have my students find the words that contain the short o vowel sound. Then I see if my students can name words with the short o sound. The following day I show them an example of the finished Fox's Vat Activity on construction paper. I have the students take out their books and list the characters in