Welcome Aboard!

WELCOME ABOARD
I'm delighted that you have taken the time to drop anchor here at my little teaching blog: Sailing Though 1st Grade! Oh, the places we will go! Enjoy the voyage.

Jun 26, 2013

SRA Imagine It! Spelling and Challenge Lists

If  you are a first grade teacher using SRA's Imagine It, and intend to begin spelling activities and weekly tests in UNIT 1, instead of waiting until UNIT 7,  then you might want to grab a copy of my newly compiled "Words to Know" and "Challenge Lists" for the entire year.
This year I will be including these pages in the 3- pronged reference materials section of  our "Ship to Shore Folders" that travel between home and school each day. That way, I do not have to run the spelling lists each week - just think of all the time and paper I will be saving - and my students and parents will know what is coming in the weeks and months ahead, and won't lose those loose pages. It's a win-win. 




Jun 20, 2013

Getting Organized

Thank you to those of you who stopped by my little blog and left me your ideas for organizing my "word work" materials. I took many of your suggestions and here is a picture of what I came up with.
2 packets down about 40 more to go! Yikes!
I decided to use:
  • 3 prong folders to enclose page protected master copies of worksheets (They are not as bulky or as expensive as binders and should work well).
  • zip lock baggies to enclose game pieces and cards. I am placing them in the back pocket and securing with small binder clips.
  • front cover labeling  that includes a picture of the enclosed word work packet and a round label that lists the skill (long u) and our language arts unit number where this skill is taught/reinforced
I plan to store these in my filing cabinet or in crates/boxes labeled by month (Then I store until it is needed and it can remain out for a few weeks until the next packs come out) 

I am crossing my fingers that this works! I'll let you know!

Jun 19, 2013

Organizing Word Work Activities and a Long U Freebie

My goal this summer is to ORGANIZE all my Word Work activities and to make sure that I have a pack that reinforces the sound spellings covered each week in our SRA Open Court Imagine It program.

I created a number of packs the last half of the school year and recently completed two more. Now the task is to determine what I have, what I need, and to organize and store each one in a way that will allow me to access them easily when I need them.

The "what I have" and "what I need" can easily be solved with a  spreadsheet and completing an inventory... but how to organize the games boards, laminated card sets, worksheets - That is the big question!  I'd love to hear what you do to keep all these goodies "at hand" when you need them.

Any ideas for organizing ALL these items would be greatly appreciated. AND...of course there is a FREEBIE for just stopping by.

The Freebie is just one of the activities in my latest  Long U pack. If you have a fabulous idea for storing and organizing these pack and are willing to leave a comment below and clue me in... I will email you the entire pack for FREE. Hopefully one or more of you will be able to help me out!
Click HERE to get the FREEBIE activity from my Long U with Slue-Foot Sue and Friends pack.