13 Different Types of Addition and Subtraction Problems?!

I teach at a school with an accelerated curriculum.  This provides me with the challenge to cover kindergarten and first grade math standards in kindergarten.  Wowza!  It is tough to squeeze in so much math in one short year; every minute matters during the math block.

As I was looking through the first grade math standards, I noticed the math program we use (Saxon Math) does not quite cover all of the different types of word problems the kids must learn in kinder and first grade math.  So, I have been beating my head against the wall trying to finish an activity where my students could work through all thirteen different types of problems, while ensuring the learning would be meaningful and worthwhile. 

Now, I am VERY lucky in the fact that my students LOVE to participate in class this year.  When I ask a question in class, most of the time about half the class has a hand in the air.  They are willing to take chances, and aren't discouraged when they don't have the correct answer.  Like I said, I am lucky.  Even though I have an amazing class, I wanted them to be able to write down their thinking, and I wanted to show parents the amazing skills they were learning in math (because I didn't learn this stuff in kindergarten).

I formatted the file so the kids would have a journal sheet to show their work and their thinking.  I also made the file so the pages could be printed two to a page in order to save paper.  That way, if you wanted to complete one problem per day, you could make one copy per week (Monday through Thursday... because, let's face it, we don't always get to everything we plan for each day).

There is a page to post on your calendar wall (if you choose to work on it that way).

The same problem is on the journal page.  Note the same border for a particular type of word problem.  So, since there are 13 different types of word problems, there are 13 different borders.  That way, you can see what type of word problem it is just by looking at the border.

If you are interested in taking a look, check it out in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

DIBELS on the Brain

When the Middle of the Year DIBELS benchmarks roll along, I will have been the DIBELS coordinator for my school for two years.  My word, have I learned a lot about these tests!

I always have known the skills tested were important for kids to be great readers, but I didn't really know more than that.  DIBELS tests are meant to look at the "Big Ideas In Early Literacy" (indicated by the National Reading Panel's report), which are phonological awareness, the alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with text, vocabulary, and comprehension.  I always send this link to my parents so they can understand first of all, what is DIBELS, and second of all, why the skills the  DIBELS tests assess are important.  That was a tongue twister!
Since I started teaching, I have always had my students complete bellwork.  They have been trained from day one to follow the morning procedure, and then get started on their bellwork.  During this time, I take attendance, hear random stories from my students, and pull students for RTI.  Before I begin a new type of bellwork, I always walk them through the process so they can feel comfortable doing the work independently.
I start my kindergartners with first sound bellwork, because I want to give them practice hearing the first sounds in words and they also get some extra phonics practice because they have to write the letter as well.

The kids cut and glue (which is an important skill on its own) the picture in the correct column.  Before they get started, I go over all of the pictures at the bottom.  I ask if there are any questions.  After the questions have been answered, if a student needs to know what a picture is, they have to ask their neighbor.


The back side was formatted so the paper could be double sided.  There is a space at the bottom because the kids cut it off on the other side.  I'm weird about saving paper.  Again, before I get started, I explain all of the pictures, and if the kids have any questions after my explanation, they need to ask a neighbor.
We then transition into the vowel challenge bellwork.  We use this bellwork through the rest of first quarter and the first few weeks of second quarter.

 It steps it up a bit, because it moves from just writing the first sound to writing the vowel sound to full phonemic segmentation.

The front side of the paper looks exactly the same as the first set, so the kids already feel very comfortable with the format.

I also have them sort by short and long vowel sounds, which is a common core standard.

The move from writing the medial sound...

to full phonemic segmentation.  Again, the pages are formatted so they can be copied double sided.
 It has the kids use their letter sound knowledge and the spelling rules we have studied.  We start with simple CVC words, and then move into CVCE words and then even tougher words.  We always check our work before we start our day, and I love how I can see the light bulb illuminate, and then hear, "Mrs. McCleary, I see a phonogram!"  If I had a quarter for every time I heard that, I wouldn't need to work; however, it is SO incredibly rewarding when the kids make those connections.
When we begin entering words into our spelling notebook (which will happen in two weeks), I change the bellwork again.  We start working on DIBELS skills for the middle of the year tests (nonsense words, letter naming, phonemic segmentation, first sound fluency).  In my opinion, the kids need to understand that nonsense words won't make sense when they sound them.  This is kind of an odd thought when we always ask them, "Does that sound right?"  So, I want them to understand the words don't make sense.  I have seen my scores increase and my students' reading skills improve since I've started using them.
So, I combined DIBELS skill practice with the kids practicing their spelling words.  I teach at a Spalding school, so the lists are aligned with the kindergarten spelling lists.  Even if you don't teach at a Spalding school, the words come from the Ayres list of high frequency words, and the extra practice will be beneficial for your students.


This is the front side of the page.  The format does not change through the end of the year.  The sentence at the bottom of the page becomes more difficult as the year progresses.

This page format is used on days one through three.  The kids "rainbow write" their spelling words twice.  They add the missing letter, and they copy the sentence.  For the higher kids, I am going to have them write their own sentence using the words at the top of the page.  As the year progresses (the third set of bellwork), all kids have to write their own sentence.

Day four is a word scramble.  I let them work with a neighbor to unscramble the words.  The kids have a blast and really learn to work together well.

Day five is a word search.  I was hesitant to use it at first; however, once I teach the kids how to complete a word search, they really do a great job.  I let them work with a friend on this as well.  They love it, and they LOVE to find hidden words that are not on the list.

Start with this set.

This is really the second set (now).  I went back and created the file with lists 1-5.


This is really part three now.
My students grow so much throughout the year because of this extra practice.  Their spelling improves.  Their writing improves.  I am so thankful for this (and the few extra minutes it gives me in the morning to get my clerical duties done).
Thanks for stopping by! 

Ways to Help Young Writers Feel Successful

For whatever reason, writing always seems to be one of the most daunting concepts to tackle in the mind of a student. I don't think I have heard the phrase, "I don't know how" or, "I can't" more than when a student is tasked with a writing activity. This is especially true with our little learners who are just starting out with the most basic writing concepts. I've put together just a few simple strategies you can use to help your early writers feel successful and make huge growth in their writing.

The key to student writing success is to start with the basics. For me, this is introducing sentence writing using predictable charts. Predictable charts are a great way to introduce writing concepts such as capital letters, spaces between words, and punctuation at the end. It's also a great way to practice sight words and sentence fluency -- bonus!

The first thing you do to set up a predictable chart is come up with a sentence stem that uses familiar words or phrases. The three I usually like to choose from begin with "I like...", "I see...", or "I can...". Then students will create their own sentence using the stem and complete it with the word of their choosing and then I'll put their name in parenthesis at the end so we know they wrote it.

The thing I love about this part of the predictable chart is the students feel proud of the sentence they created - it's something they did, with their name on it. It may seem like a simple thing, but this really does help them become excited about writing!

You can also have pre-made sentence stems on a big chart paper for the students to actually write a sight word themselves. I used this predictable chart during our apple week last year and they filled in a sentence stem using the word "see" and a number - again, combining multiple concepts in one easy strategy!

After your predictable chart is completed, you can turn it into an independent writing activity for your students to accomplish. First, I'll type up the students' sentences and give it to them in a strip.

Next, they'll cut out each word and glue it to a piece of writing paper, being sure to put the words in order, use spaces between the words, and have the word with the period at the end of their sentence.

After that, they will draw a picture to match the sentence and practice writing the actual sentence themselves.

Having their sentence as a visual model helps with handwriting, sentence structure, and even confidence!

Another way to help young writers feel successful is to have pictures and labels for more difficult words. One activity I love using with my students is pocket chart sight word sentence builders. In this picture, students are building predictable sentences similar to the ones they created with me during shared writing. Only, instead of having the actual word at the end, there is a picture representation.

Then, based on my students' levels of writing, I have differentiated writing recording sheets for them to complete and show their work. Differentiating work this way allows every student to feel successful because they will have completed the activity that best fits the writing level they are at. Some are only ready to trace the words; others are ready to write all of the words on their own.

Another way to help young writers feel successful is to break down reading/writing sentences into separate tasks. I love using my Read It! Write It! Build It! Draw It! printables from my monthly sight word sentence builder packs. They provide students the opportunity to read a sentence before they write it; thus providing a model for them to reference as they are writing their sentences with the proper structure. I noticed a huge improvement in my students' ability to remember to include spaces and capital letters in their sentences. They loved being able to illustrate - another HUGE part of early writing - the sentences they built. This helped them work on adding details to their pictures as well.

This activity can be found in Spooky Sentence Building!

This activity can be found in Snow Many Sentences!

All of these pocket chart activities and printables can be found in my Sight Word Sentence Builders for the Year {The Bundle}. You can get there by clicking the picture below! There are also links to each individual monthly pack so your students can practice these in the pocket chart or writing center all year long! 

Library Book Bins

The books that were so well loved in my classroom needed to find a home in my new library.  I didn't want the books to get lost on the shelves, and I didn't have money for a book browser.  As my husband and I were talking about building a book browser that fit on the library shelf, I made the decision to bring my classroom book organization into the library.

Two years ago, I bought ice bins from Wal-Mart so I could store my books in my classroom.  I didn't have $4 per bin to spend, so the allure of the under $2 price point was overwhelming.  I seriously drove to three local stores in order to outfit my classroom.  The cashiers would look at me like I was crazy when I walked up with ten ice bins in my arms.

I decided to label the bins and the books in order to keep it organized.  I labeled the fiction bins by the first letter in the author's last name, and the non-fiction bins to the 100 in the Dewey Decimal System.

I then put a label on the front of the book so the students could put the book back in the correct bin.

We went over procedures on how to go "book shopping", and they were ready to go.  While the section was meant for kindergartners, I see all of the kids "shopping" in the bins.  They are easy to look through and the books catch your eye.  Those white ice bins were the best purchase I ever made to organize the classroom.  Four years later, and they are still holding strong.

Happy back to school season!

Kicking off a New School Year With Kindergarten Read Alouds

We all know the beginning of the school year is full of excitement, adjustment, and exhaustion. Our classes and days can be unpredictable and it takes some time to get students acclimated to classroom routines and procedures. Even if you have a basal curriculum, chances are you don't start teaching from it right away as there are pre-assessments, community building activities, and teaching routines to attend to. If you want to kick off the school year in a fun, meaningful way; and aren't sure where to start; one of the best and easiest resources to use at the beginning of the year are themed read alouds! I've got some great book recommendations for Kindergarten that can help get your students excited and feel more at ease for the upcoming year!

Utilizing picture books in the classroom is such a vital resource for your students. Reading stories aloud creates student interest in reading, introduces important story elements, and increases reading comprehension. For your early kindergarten learners, it also teaches skills such as sitting and listening appropriately to a story.

Here are some suggestions for great read alouds for the beginning of kindergarten:

Book Titles & Authors from top left to bottom right: Clifford's First School Day by Norman Bridwell, Miss Kindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff, The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing, Kindergarten ROCKS! by Katie Davis, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, Kindergarten, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg and Mark Chambers, Countdown to Kindergarten by Allison McGhee and Harry Bliss, and David Goes to School by David Shannon

I've used every single one of the books pictured above and my students absolutely loved them! They were so excited when they found something in the book that "was the same as our class". The thing I love about these themed books is that you can literally create any activity you want to to go along with the story. Here are some examples of things I've done in my classroom:

The Kissing Hand

The Kissing Hand is a great book to help ease your kindergarteners' fears about starting school. On the first day, read the story aloud and then have your students create this poem craftivity. Students will trace their hand, cut it out, and draw a heart in the middle. You could also use heart stickers for a simple decoration. Then, glue the hand and poem onto a piece of construction paper and you've got an adorable keepsake from the first day of school. Click on the picture below to download the poem for free!

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

This book tells the story of how a teacher gets ready for kindergarten. After reading the story, I have my students complete this activity sheet for students to draw a picture of how they got ready to come to kindergarten. When I model my version to the class, I make a point to talk about how many colors and details I am adding to my picture. It also provides a line for name writing practice, an essential kindergarten skill.

Clifford's First School Day

This is a simple story response sheet you can use with your students. By completing this activity, kindergarteners will have a chance to practice skills such as: name writing, letter tracing, drawing pictures to match labeling words, learning the name of their school, and story retelling by illustrating.

One thing I've learned from teaching kindergarten for 6 years is that they need LOTS of space to write and draw. Sometimes, when I create an activity, an 8 1/2x11 piece of paper just doesn't cut it. I use a ton of legal size and 11x17 paper, especially during the first half of the year. Thankfully, our school copier is set up to be able to print and copy this size - it's an easy fix to make one of the trays use different sizes of paper in the settings! Try it out! You'll thank yourself for it later when your little kinder babies are writing gigantic letters that just don't fit on a skinny little line. 

With that being said, I created the Clifford's First School Day response sheet on 11x17 paper. However, since it is saved as a PDF, you can print it on 8 1/2x11 paper - that is actually the default setting. If you'd like to print it out on 11x17 (which I highly recommend), here are the steps you follow:

1. Click "File" --> "Print"

2. Click "Page Setup" (usually at the bottom of the dialog box)

3. Click "Paper Size" and change it to Tabloid or 11x17 (may be different depending on if you are using a Mac or a PC)

4. Click "OK"

5. Click "Print"

And voila! You have a big workspace for your little learners.

But don't worry, you don't HAVE to print it on 11x17... it's just an option!

Click on the picture below to download the story response sheet for free!

What are some of your favorite read alouds for the beginning of the year? Share in the comments below, regardless of grade level!