Handprint Art: Learn and Practice your LETTERS!

Check out this easy to use printable for learning the alphabet! A great alphabet craft for home school, kindergarten, UPK, and preschool! Handprint crafts are a memorable keepsake! Have each child make their own handprint letter book as they learn their letters, or make a class book.

How to Use:

Simply use ink pads or paint to add handprints to the templates provided. There are directions and examples of each letter. Some letters have multiple pictures to choose from.

I did this with my 1-year old and my 4-year old. THAT's how easy it is! Definitely most appropriate for Preschool/UPK through 2nd, but it can work for any age group! My two cuties were obsessed with it, and it was a few days of crafty activities that were planned out/ready to go!

Click here to check out the printables!

Have you tried Versatiles in your classroom?

I know - an oldie, but a goodie!

I first used Versatiles probably 12 years ago in my first fourth grade classroom. (You heard that right, my first fourth grade classroom. I have had 3 fourth grade classrooms over the years and literally moved my classroom more times than I can count.)

Versatiles are numbered plastic tiles that fit into plastic cases that lock. They come with workbooks or question cards. In the photo below, my daughter is using them for beginning reader practice. She places the plastic case on top of the questions (top of the page) and answers (bottom of the page). We line up the tiles in number order on the carpet (Also good practice for 1:1 correspondence, counting, and identifying numbers, for our littlest ones). As she answers each question and finds the correct answer, she puts the corresponding tile on the correct answer. When she finishes the page, she locks the plastic case, flips it over, and checks the answer key on the bottom of the page. If she's right, there is a pretty design on the reverse side. If she's wrong, she will notice that he picture does not match the answer key and need to fix something.

I love that Versatiles are self-checking, easy to use, and easy to implement at any age. In my third and fourth grade classrooms, I had a station with Versatiles and question cards relating to whatever we were currently working on. Nowadays, living the instructional coach life, I am using them with my two-year old and loving it. :)

How do kids become better readers?

How do kids become better readers?

They read.

How do kids develop a love of literacy?

They read.

How do kids develop their vocabulary?

They read.

How do kids develop their imagination?

They read.

How do kids learn to value books and stories?

They read.

How do kids develop their focus and concentration?

They read. (Anything! Picture books, baby books, chapter books, etc.)

How do kids learn the difference between real and make believe?

They read.

How do kids further their language development?

They read.

Read to your kids every day. (We read 5 books minimum after each meal, and 5 books minimum before nap or bed. That's just read alouds.) Let them explore books. You might have to get comfortable with some books getting ripped or "loved" beyond repair. Sometimes that happens. Encourage them to read to each other, even if it is reading the pictures or retelling the story if they are not yet ready to read the words. Read every day, as much as you can. That's my Ted Talk. :)

Making Inferences

We did one of my favorite inference lessons recently! I bring in my new neighbor's garbage. Of course I play it up, explaining how mysterious they are and how I haven't seen them since they moved in a few weeks ago. Then, I tell my sweet little third graders that I took some of their garbage to try to get to know them better. The kids always come up with the best inferences as I show them the garbage. I usually have a lot of food wrappers, receipts, toiletries, etc. The receipt from grocery shopping at Wal-Mart was highly analyzed this year! It was really great that the kids were so focused and excited. After this, we relate our inferences with the garbage to actual trade books!

Book Raffles

Have you tried using book raffles to motivate your kiddos to branch out and read different genres? I tried this recently and it was GREAT! I ordered 10 brand new books from Scholastic. Normally, I introduce the books and just hand them out, but this week I introduced them and then laid them out for the kids to check out throughout the week. I also printed special book raffle tickets to hand out to the kiddos throughout the week. I gave the book raffle tickets out for ANY positive behaviors related to reading or writing. By Friday they had accumulated quite the haul of tickets! They were given time during Daily Five to read the book summaries and check out the books to be raffled and then were allowed to put their tickets in any bins they would like. Some dumped them all in one cup while others spread the wealth. Amazingly, no one student's name was pulled more than once! It was a great success and they kids who won promised they would pass the books along as soon as they were done!

Student Writers As Mentor Texts

BRILLIANT IDEA:

I had a kind of awkward bulletin board in my classroom behind my library area. I wasn't sure what to do with it for a while. I recently decided to use it as mentor wall for writing. I took excerpts from the writing journals of my students and hung them on the bulletin board for other students to look to as mentor writing pieces. It makes those kids feel GREAT that they are being celebrated, and the other students have tangible examples of the kind of writing I want from their peers.