Tag Archives: teacher resource

Happy Thanksgiving

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lucky star

Thank-You Lucky Star

I thank my lucky star

For the light that guides my way.

For the beauty that surrounds me

New beginnings every day.

 

I thank my lucky star

For the ocean’s calming lull.

For the stars that shine above me

The gentle sparrows call.

 

But most of all I’m thankful

For my family, near and far.

For their love surrounds me daily

Thank-you lucky star.

                                       – Lora Rozler

Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!  

To download a copy of the poem for your personal use in the classroom, click on the star image below (follow-up writing templates also included).

star_blinking

Lora
Creative Commons License
Thank-You Lucky Star by Lora Rozler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Father’s Day

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GravatarHappy Saturday everyone.

The third Sunday of every June marks a very special day in Canada and the United States – Father’s Day. It is a day for people to show their appreciation for fathers and/or other father figures in their life.  For most teachers, this means we will be busy thinking of a special craft to make with our students.

I would like to share a poeCoverm I wrote, along with a craft I created and will be using with my Kindergarten students this
week – My Hero (poem-in-shirt). You will notice that the word Father was omitted from the poem.  This is to allow students a chance to personally address the craft to someone in their life, who may or may not, be their father.  I think it’s important to note that we need to be extra sensitive when talking about families around this event, as not all children may have a father present in their life.  In my class, I emphasize that Father’s Day is not just about celebrating dads, but also about recognizing father-figures in their life.  Sometimes this can mean a brother, an uncle, grandfather, stepfather, etc.  I also make sure to include literature in my classroom that reflects that diversity.

This package includes: the poem My Hero, IMG_20140607_102741a dress-shirt template, 3 tie templates (one with stripes that students can colour in a pattern, one with polka dots, and another for students to draw their own design). The shirt template is best photocopied on light construction paper, and the tie on white paper. Once the tie is cut out, have students glue the top of the tie onto the neckline of the shirt.  When the tie is lifted, it will reveal the poem, My Hero, beneath.

The top of the dress-shirt should be cut off IMG_20140607_103008(to create shoulders), and the rest of the shirt can be decorated in any way the students choose (polka-dots, stripes, finger-paint splotches, etc.).

Happy crafting!

Lora

Click Here to download the Father’s Day craft package.

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Creative Commons License My Hero by Lora Rozler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

When I Get Older …

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GravatarHappy Monday everyone.  Last week my wonderful OISE student, Ms. P., began a unit in my Kindergarten class about Community Helpers.  I was inspired by all the books and dialogue so I wrote a poem about it – When I Get Older.  This week students will have a chance to reflect on the various roles and write about what they’d like to do when they are older.  Feel free to download a copy of the poem (link or image below). The follow-up writing piece is included. Have a wonderful week.

~ Lora

When I get older
When I Get Older

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Creative Commons License
When I Get Older by Lora Rozler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sight Words BINGO!

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Bingo GameSight Words Bingo

Sight word acquisition is an important building block in the construction of a child’s ability to read. Once she is able to read these words, she has access to up to 75% of what is printed in almost any piece of children’s literature. How exactly do teachers and parents help children develop their stores of sight words? There are several proven techniques that any adult can use to teach sight words.

Children do not learn new words by being exposed to them only once. Repetition is key to sight word acquisition. Young readers should be given opportunities to read and write a new sight word multiple times. Repetitive reading of texts featuring certain sight words is one strategy for helping children commit these words to memory.

Once children have had the opportunity to study new sight words, games are a fun, hands on way to help strengthen their retention. These games are easy to create at home or at school and can be modified based on the particular sight words a child is learning at the time. We designed a game based on an all-time favourite, BINGO. The incentive to find a word coupled with the urge to complete a card, creates an active environment for memorizing these essential words.

The download includes 48 Sun-Moon-Star-Earth bingo cards as well as a set of 40 sight words to call out. All you need is lots of bingo chips and eager players, and you are ready to go.

Just click here to download the package.

Enjoy!

Learning with Caps – Recycled Play

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f4939b9d9b4f5f90c8240245691056faLearning with Caps – Recycled Play

As a teacher, I find many uses for random household items that most people throw away. Bottle caps, for example, are never disposed of in my home.  Just this morning, my children and I played our own version of scrabble using yogurt caps I wrote letters on. They are a great way to engage children in learning (but I don’t dare tell them that). Sometimes I throw in different size and colour lids, just to see how the kids will fit them into the game.

They love coming up with their own rules (problem-solving, cooperation, creative thinking at its best):

“I know – how about the black ones be free letters?” says A.

“Yeah, we can use them when we get stuck, “ adds B.

I can’t help throwing in my own two cents. “They can be vowels.”

And off we go, making up words vertically, diagonally, horizontally, changing rules, adding rules, anything they want, so long as they are engaged.

scrabble scrabble2
What household items have you saved from the recycling bin? Please share to feature your idea on our blog.

 

The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein

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978-0-06-025671-5The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein

Published by HarperCollins

The poor little circle is missing a piece. What is to be done? Off on a journey the circle goes, in search of the piece it’s missing. With many mishaps along the way, pieces are found that don’t quite fit – but come close! – and plenty of special consideration is given to what it means to be missing a piece, the story of this circle will touch everyone who reads the tale. Similar to many famous fables, the story deals with the nature of a quest, the fulfillment of the quest, and the unexpected lessons that are learned along the way.