Thanksgiving Teaching Freebies!

Thanksgiving is fast approaching.  If you are still unsure what things to do with your kiddos, you might want to try one of these freebies:

 

You can help your students to brush up on their ELA skills with these Point of View and Editing Skills Center Activities from Fifth in the Middle.

It’s a Feast of Facts with this funfive-in-a-row freebie from Primarily Speaking by Aimee Salazar 

 

This free download is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving festivities (especially during that short week that leads up to Turkey Day). The words are all Thanksgiving related. The best part is, your students will create their own Bingo boards!
  

I know my students will LOVE making these pop-up books  from Teaching Ideas for Those Who Love Teaching as we learn about The First Thanksgiving!

 

Your students will love this FREE Thanksgiving Challenge from Rachel Lynette. They will be practicing several different skill areas - math, research, grammar, and more to complete it. Do in class or send home for the long weekend.

My We Are Thankful Craftivity is a  fun way to get kids to write about all of the things they are thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

Includes:

Graphic Organizers for all parts of the writing process including:
-Brainstorming
- Topic Sentences
- Drafting
- Final Copy

Craft template to make pilgrim's hat.

Looking for a quick and easy way to review factors? These adorable factor turkeys are a festive way to help your students practice finding the factors of a number.


After you grab your freebies don't forget to enter my contest to win a  Base Ten Place Value Frame.

BaseTen Place Value Frame Giveaway and a Freebie!

I have a student in my class who had a goal of adding two digit numbers without regrouping.  He has mastered that goal (YEAH!) and I felt he was ready to move onto regrouping. But, when we tried, he had a lot of difficulty understanding the concept, even when I pulled out the base ten blocks.  I was talking to one of the push-in teachers about  possibly using a place value chart with him, but she didn't understand what I was talking about.  Well, low and behold, I got an email from Didax that afternoon advertising this:

 

Exactly what I was looking for!  I ordered two of them, and I could not have been happier when they arrived!

It does not come with the base ten blocks, but I already had a ton of them on hand.  It did however, come with this handy instructional booklet filled with place value lessons that are all aligned to the common core!

With this particular student, I began at the beginning, making sure that his place value foundation was strong.

I asked him how it would change if we switched the digits around. He quickly changed the place value blocks to show me.

 

He is ready for regrouping the next time I work with him!

After checking out the ideas for teaching addition with regrouping using the frame, I pulled a small group of students over to work with them. They loved the hands on aspect, and I loved how they talked about their task without any prompts from me!

I love this new tool so much, that I decided to give one away to one of my readers!  Enter to win using the Rafflecoptor below: a Rafflecopter giveaway


Here are a few more place value resources:

  Place Value Task Cards

4th Grade Numbers and Operations in Base Ten Assessments & Data Tracking Sheets

  Base Ten Collaboration Cards


And... a place value FREEBIE:

  Poppin' Place Value I Have... Who Has..

8 Veterans Day Activities for the Classroom

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th each year.  It honors those who have served our country.

Here are some facts about this Day

On November 11th, 1918, World War I ended with an armistice signed at Compiègne, France. In 1954, Congress passed legislation designating November 11 as "Armistice Day." That same year, President Eisenhower proclaimed November 11 as "Veterans Day" to honor veterans of all wars.

If you are looking for some ways to help your students to learn about and honor Veterans Day, here are some Veterans Day activities, teaching resources, and even some free printables!

I ran across a blog post from Laura at Luv My Kinders this weekend and fell in love with several of the activities she had used.  Even though she teaches kindergarten, I knew I could easily adapt some of the activities for my third graders.

After seeing her post, I immediately ordered this Veterans Day Flip Book & More set from Lattes and Lunchrooms.  

We started the day with students completing the poll that was included which asked, "Do you know a Veteran?"

They used the adorable heart shaped flags that were included to answer the question.  Each student colored in their square, wrote their name on the line, and posted it to the appropriate column.

 

The packet comes with some questions to ask your students about the data that would be perfect for kinders or first graders.  I will be spicing it up a bit to challenge my third graders throughout the week.  We will be making graphs using the info and answering questions such as:

* What fraction of our class knows a veteran?

* How many more students know veterans than don't?

* Based on our data, would it be more likely to find a person who knows a veteran or not?

Later that morning we had a veteran visit our classroom.

 He told us about his time in the service (navy) on an aircraft carrier.  He told us that he was a combat veteran having served during times of combat.  He also told us the most important thing that we could say to a veteran was "Thank you!"  The students had a lot of questions for him!

In the afternoon we watched a video that Laura had shared on her blog.  She said it was for older students and fit the bill perfectly for my third graders.

When we finished watching the movie we talked about what character traits Veterans had.  We have been working on character traits during reading, so it was a perfect tie in.  The package came with a heading that said, "Characteristics of a Veteran" that I changed to match our learning objectives.

We ended our Veterans Day learning by making the flip books that came in the set.

 

As we were putting them together, one of my students asked, "Can we read them?"  

"Of course!"  (Don't you love when they beg to do school work like reading?)

 The text was perfect for them to read independently.  You might need to help younger students.

You could also give these out at the beginning of the day so your early finishers can work on them throughout the day.  I just know with my kiddos that once the opportunity to color comes up, they won't work until their coloring is done.  That is why I gave them out at the end of the day!

Speaking of coloring, I also have these Veteran's Day Color by Number pages for students to practice their math facts!

I currently have  addition and multiplication math facts versions of these items and a number recognition or subitizing version.  If you have a request for additional skills, leave a comment below!

Each set comes with (8) Veterans Day themed color by number pages and answer keys.

I hope you have fun learning about and celebrating Veterans Day with your students!

Are there any other activities you do with your students?  Leave them in the comments below!

Pioneer Teacher's $20,000 Milestone Giveaway!

One of my Teachers Pay Teachers friends, The Pioneer Teacher, is celebrating a big milestone!  She has reached $20,000 in sales and is celebrating with a big blowout of giveaways!  I have donated a winner's choice item, along with donations from over 50 other sellers.  There is something for everyone, so enter to win below!  Don't forget to head over to her brand new blog to congratulate her on her achievement!

K-1 Prize Pack
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grade 2-3 Prize Pack 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Grade 4-5 Prize Pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swap

 

I swapped items with Beth Ann from Taming My Flock of Firsties.

I was able to choose any item I wanted from her fabulous TpT store.

I chose her Criss Cross Applesauce Short Vowel Sounds Sorting Game.

Although I teach third grade, my class has never been filled with kiddos who are all working at grade level.  I always have a handful that are ahead, a handful that are behind, and the rest close to or at grade level.  This year I have a few who are working at a first grade level, so I knew this would be perfect for them.

This product contains 31 pages of vowel sorting goodies with adorable visually appealing clip art. The basic concept of the sort is to sort the different pictures under their appropriate vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).  I used the product this way, but I also tried a few variations that I am going to share as well. I love when you can find multiple uses for a product, and especially when you can differentiate for different student levels.

I chose to use just two vowels (a and e) for this particular student.

Once he sorted the words, he used the recording sheet for each vowel that is provided to write his answers.  This is great for student accountability if you choose to use it as a center activity.

 

I also loved that she included an extension of this  recording sheet that can be used during students' independent reading as they encounter words with short vowel sounds.

Variations You Could Try

I covered up the vowel letters for some of my students who needed a bit more of a challenge. I just used a small post-it note and cut it down to size. 

I printed an extra set of cards, and then cut the words off of the bottom as another way to challenge students.

I also used this second set for word/picture matching.

I even used just the words for the students to practice reading.

This product would be perfect for any of you first grade teachers, or even older grades (like me) who need to differentiate for your struggling learners.

Would you like a chance to win this product? Simply use the Rafflecoptor below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Beth Ann also got to choose one of my items from my store, and she chose my Kicking It Math Addition Facts Fluency Packet.

 

Just head over to her blog to see this product in action and enter to win your own copy.  I also have this product on sale in my store for the next three days.

Please visit Jungle Learners to check out the other swaps and giveaways!


And don't forget to enter my monthly giveaway for a $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card!