Let's Learn about Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo is a special holiday celebrated in Mexico and the United States on May 5th every year. It commemorates the Mexican army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Here's a resource for primary grades that can make learning about this holiday fun and engaging for young students.

You can start with this short 8-minute video explaining Cinco de Mayo.

Then you can use the activities in this downloadable activity pack that includes a variety of fun and educational resources to help children understand the history and cultural significance of Cinco de Mayo. The pack includes a stack and staple informational text with embedded text-dependent questions that students can read and answer to learn about the holiday.

One of the activities in the pack is a compare and contrast page that compares the Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the US and Mexico. This activity can help students understand thecultural differences and similarities between the two countries. The pack also includes a mapping activity that teaches children about the geography of Mexico.

Another exciting activity included in the pack is a Cinco de Mayo sombrero crown that students can color and wear. This craft activity is an excellent way to engage students and get them excited about learning.

The pack also includes a Cinco de Mayo fiesta acrostic poem craftivity that allows students to write their own poems using the letters in the word "fiesta." This activity is a fun and creative way to teach language arts skills while also learning about the holiday.

Finally, the pack includes a color-by-Spanish-color-word activity that teaches children Spanish color words. The activity also comes with a reference chart for color words to help students learn and review.

These activities mentioned above are excellent tools for teaching young students about Cinco de Mayo. They are are engaging, informative, and culturally relevant. With this resource, students can have fun while learning about the history and significance of Cinco de Mayo.

Learning about Homes through The Three Little Pigs

Hey,everyone!  I hope your summer is off to a great start, or if you're not on break yet, hang in there!  I'm back today with a post explaining how I use one of my resources in my own classroom.  

Today, I'm going to highlight my Homes featuring The Three Little Pigs Resource.

  It is resource that incorporates using both fiction and nonfiction stories to learn about different types of homes.

I start with the story of The Three Little Pigs.  After reading the story, we take time to practice summarizing the story using the S/W/B/W model, somebody/wanted/but/so.  Using that framework, I will provide an example summarizing of the story, then let the children have a chance to summarize the story, using the S/W/B/S stepping stones. 

Next, we will  focus on comparing the three types of houses that the pigs built and brainstorm the pros and cons of each kind of house writing our ideas on a chart that is included in the pack.  Finally, I will ask the children to write about which type of house they would like to live in and why.  

In the next lesson, I introduce the nonfiction book I have about different kinds of houses. First, we discuss the different parts of a nonfiction book, looking for examples of those features in our book.  After reading the story, we look at 8 different types of houses from around the world.  I have included a map of the world, and children will cut and paste the pictures of the houses to the map.

They use Venn diagrams to compare two or three different types of houses.  Finally, they work collaboratively to complete a class book entitled, Where Would You Like to Live?  

In the format of the story, they are asked to think about where they would like to live, tell something that would be fun about living there, and then think of something that might be a problem with living there.  I encourage my children to really think out of the box on this one!

So that's how I use that!  

As part of Two for Tuesday, this resource is on sale for 50% off today.  In addition, in keeping with the fairy tale theme, my newly revamped Retelling and Sequencing with Goldilocks and the Three Bear is also on sale for 50% off today.  I've included a tabbed booklet to retell the story by telling what happens at the beginning, middle, and the end, and a fun game of opposites!

Click on the pictures of the covers of the resources to see the resources in my TpT store.

Be sure to check out the InLinkz for other great 2 for Tuesday deals!

An InLinkz Link-up

How Do You Use That and Two for Tuesday Linky

Updated to add if you would like to "Try before you buy" Grammar Goofs and Spelling Spoofs, March is completely and forever free!!

Click the picture to try before you buy March Grammar Goofs and Spelling Spoofs.


I'm linking up once again for Two for Tuesday with the Teaching Tribune.

Today, I'm going to highlight my Homes featuring The Three Little Pigs Resource.

 I just created it this summer, so I haven't had a chance to use it with my kiddos yet, but I'm very excited to use it.  It is resource that incorporates using both fiction and nonfiction stories to learn about different types of homes.

I start with the story of The Three Little Pigs.  After reading the story, we will take time to practice summarizing the story using the S/W/B/W model, somebody/wanted/but/so.  Using that framework, I will provide an example summarizing of the story, then let the children have a chance to summarize the story, using the S/W/B/S stepping stones. 

Next, we will  focus on comparing the three types of houses that the pigs built and brainstorm the pros and cons of each kind of house writing our ideas on a chart that is included in the pack.  Finally, I will ask the children to write about which type of house they would like to live in and why.  

In the next lesson, I will introduce the nonfiction book I have about different kinds of houses. First, we will discuss the different parts of a nonfiction book, looking for examples of those features in our book.  After reading the story, we will look at 8 different types of houses from around the world.  I have included a map of the world, and children will cut and paste the pictures of the houses to the map.

They will use Venn diagrams to compare two or three different types of houses.  Finally, they will work collaboratively to complete a class book entitled, Where Would You Like to Live?  

In the format of the story, they are asked to think about where they would like to live, tell something that would be fun about living there, and then think of something that might be a problem with living there.  I intend to ask my children to really think out of the box on this one!

So that's how I use that!  This resource is on sale for 50% off today.  In addition, in keeping with the fairy tale theme, my newly revamped Retelling and Sequencing with Goldilocks and the Three Bear is also on sale for 50% off today.  I've included a tabbed booklet to retell the story by telling what happens at the beginning, middle, and the end, and a fun game of opposites!

Click on the pictures of the covers of the resources to see the resources in my TpT store.

Be sure to visit the Teaching Tribune by clicking the button above and see what other great resources other sellers are offering at 50% today!

Homes Featuring the Three Little Pigs

Whoop, whoop!  My newest blog post is up on Hameray blog.  Head on over to see how I use fiction and nonfiction texts to learn about  homes.

Using paired texts to Teach Personal Safety

In case you didn't see it, here is my latest post on the Hameray blog!

Click the picture above to visit Hameray blog and get a free copy of the activites I used.

I am having a 1-day $1 sale in my store of my 16 top wishlisted items.  

Click the pictures above to visit my $1 sale page.

Have a great day, everyone!  I will be enjoying the day by the pool, relaxing and recharging for my next to last week of school.  Are you done yet?

Pennsylvania Fun Facts for Kids

I'm very excited about my new unit, Pennsylvania Fun Facts for Kids, because it's the first time I've really ventured beyond my comfort zone of first grade products.

This eSource covers a range of grade levels, from 1st through 4th.  Some of the simpler concepts, such as states that border PA can be completed by first graders with the aid of a map, up to 4th graders as a quick quiz.  It also delves into the five regions of PA and the basic landform and traits that define each region.  It includes mapping activities and some fun language arts word building integration

The booklet, which my first graders illustrated as part of our Gingerbread exchange project, gives information about state symbols and background about the why Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State, and briefly discusses the typical weather in Pennsylvania.

Here's the fun part for you!  As a thank-you for following my blog, I'm putting the border states page for you free on my blog.  You can get it by clicking on the picture below.

Have a great Monday!

Music Activites for Multiple Intelligences - Teaching Dolch Wordsthrough Song

Browsing through TPT this morning, I came across this free item

The product is  3rd Grade Dolch Sight Words Songs.  It's a cute little song that just goes through the Dolch sight words as it projects them on the screen.

Now, I don't know about you, but I have a few - 2 - kiddos who are struggling in first grade with remembering the sight words.  I think through song is probably the only way I haven't tried to teach them these sight words.  I'm really hoping he puts out a K, 1, 2 version.

I like that this addresses one of the multiple intelligences that I do not hit quite as strongly as others.  I'm more of a visual person myself, so I tend to teach that way, which is why I'm always on the lookout for resources that do hit those other intelligences.  Which of the intelligences do you feel you are strongest or weakest in when you teach?

If you're interested in checking it out, just click on the picture above to visit the seller's store.

I'm lucky enough to have MLK Day off, but if you're still looking for a resource for MLK, check out my product, "Let's Learn about Martin Luther King, Jr."  It includes social studies, language arts, and math resources, as well as a peace craft.

And one last freebie-for-a-day for you.  Cyndie at First Grade Teacher is venturing into creating complete bulletin board sets!  How great is that?  She has her first one on a one-day flash freebie for SATURDAY only.  After that, it's still a great deal at $3.00!  It's a darling spring bulletin board called "We're All A Twitter."  Click on the little picture to check it out full size and  and grab it today!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Preparing for January

I hope of you have had a peaceful and restful winter break so far.  We had an excellent Christmas and are now enjoying the lull between Christmas and New Year's with lots of sleeping in, visiting family, and of course, shopping!  Those gift cards don't spend themselves,  you know? 

In between all the fun, I've been thinking about teaching in January.  I've developed 4 new eSources (my newly coined name for my digital resources; how do you like it?)  Funny story about eSources -- it started out as a typo when I left the "r" off  "resource."  I looked at it and thought, esource, huh.  Let's spell it eSource and it makes sense.

Anyways, back to my eSources.  Two are winter math games including adding, subtracting, and place value, January Roll and Cover with Mike the Moose

and Penguin Push

I also added a long and short O sorting activity to complement my other long and short vowel sorting packets, Short I and Short E.  The remaining vowels will be added -- someday.

And finally, I added a Martin Luther King integrated Esource packet.

Feel free to click on any picture above to visit my TPT store and explore these products further.

Finally, I have a quick and easy MLK freebie for you.  It's a dove of peace made out of paper plates.  I've been doing this activity along with MLK for years in my classroom.  It makes a nice wall dsiplay when I pair it with the children's writings on what they think would make the world a better place today.

If you click on the picture, it will take you to a page with the PDF on it.  Open the PDF for directions and a step-by-step pictorial tutorial for you.

Enjoy and have a very Happy New Year!

A Huge Giveaway!

Just a quick post today between another busy Saturday full of activities to let you know about another giveaway I'm taking part in.

My TeachersPayTeachers colleague, Wendy, is have a 200 follower giveaway!  Congratulations to Wendy on reaching that milestone!  You can go to her blog, Teacher's Toolkit, to enter. Just click on the button below to enter the one, two, three, four, or five of five giveaways she has organized.

Election Day in USA is quickly approaching.  If you're still lookig for a way to teach your children about the process, consider my election unit at TeacherpayTeachers.   You can see the resource here.

Have a great Saturday, everyone.  We will be trick-or-Treating tonight since Sandy blew into town and postponed our Halloween.  Today I'm thankful that we are able to trick-or-treat today.  I imagine there are many children in New York and New Jersey who will not get to trick-or-treat this year.

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

Just a quick post today, between majorette practice, cleaning the house, covering the pool (finally!), and buying my rapidly growing daughter new clothes(always a chore because she's soooooo picky), to share some great teaching links with you.  First, if you're looking for a really cute one or two day election unit that covers language arts, math, writing, social studies, and includes a craft, I've got the perfect unit for you!  "It's Election Day" is now available.  I plan on using this unit on the Monday before and the Tuesday of Election Day.  It's going to be so much fun!  And to make it even better, the election unit, as well as all my products, are on sale for 10% off until Tuesday.

As always, I like to include a freebie for my blog followers, so here it is, the "If I were President" craft, good for Election Day or President's Day.  Since parent conferences are right after Election Day at our school, I plan on making these during my election unit and hanging them in the hall for conference time. I hope you find it useful.

Next, be sure to visit "An Educator's Life" blog to get some fab-u-lous FREEBIES.  There are 45 freebies posted!

And still more freebies, this one from Teaching and Developing Online.  Click here for some great freebies.

Enjoy your Saturday, Everyone!