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19 results for "classroom decor themes"
Creating Our Classroom Community
3rd Grade - 5th Grade
Objectives Understanding and appreciating the definitions of respect, peace and community, and giving examples of each concept in the classroom environment Creating classroom rules that emphasize respect for all classmates Working together in small groups to demonstrate and reinforce classroom rules Describing people, places, things and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly Materials Needed Chart paper Marker Slips of paper Introduction Point to the chart paper and ask students to explain each definition in their own words. Then invite other students to share examples of each word in action (e.g., someone showing respect for someone else, peace between different kinds of people, a sense of community in their neighborhood).
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Classroom Hello Book
Pre-K
Objective
- Children will explore cultural diversity displayed in language.
Beginning Sounds Mitten Match
Kindergarten
Objective CCSS Reading: Foundational Skills RF.K.3a: Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant. Materials Needed Beginning Sounds Mittens Mitten Match reproducible Clothesline and clothespins Fiskars classroom scissors Preparation: Print out the Beginning Sounds Mittens. Then cut out the mittens. (You may want to laminate them so you can use them again.) Hide the letter mittens in easy-to-find places around the classroom. Set aside the picture mittens for use during the lesson.
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Beginning Sounds Hunt
Pre-K - Kindergarten
Objectives Students will recognize beginning sounds and identify the letters that represent the sounds. Students will write letters that represent beginning sounds. Materials Needed Items you might take to the beach (such as a hat, a towel, sunglasses and a beach ball) Beginning Sounds Picture Cards Beginning Sounds Letter Cards Pocket chart (or clear tape and a chalkboard or whiteboard) Cardstock or posterboard Scissors “Beginning Sounds” reproducible Preparation: Print the Beginning Sounds Picture Cards on heavy cardstock and cut the cards apart. (Or cut out the cards and glue them onto posterboard.) Then print and cut out two sets of the Beginning Sounds Letter Cards. Choose the letter sounds you wish to work on and display one set of those letter cards in a pocket chart and hide the second set of those letters around the classroom. Set the picture cards near the pocket chart so they are ready to display during the lesson. (If you do not have a pocket chart, simply tape the letter cards to a chalkboard or whiteboard. Place a loop of tape on the back of each picture card so they are ready to display during the lesson.) Introduction Display a few items you might bring to the beach, such as a hat, a towel, sunglasses and a beach ball. Take the hat and hold it up for students to see. Say the word “hat,” emphasizing the beginning sound. Ask a volunteer to name the letter that makes the beginning sound in “hat.” Repeat this exercise for the rest of the items. Make sure students understand that the first letter of each word represents its beginning sound.
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First Day Friendship Building
1st Grade
Objectives Introducing themselves to classmates Sharing something unique about themselves and learning something special about their classmates Understanding that they will work together as a community throughout the school year Describing people, places, things and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly Materials Needed First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg Ball of yarn Puzzle piece template Construction paper (white) Scissors Crayons or markers Stickers (optional) Introduction Read aloud First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg to your students. After reading, ask students to raise their hands if the book’s ending surprised them. (The main character in the story was the teacher, not a student!) Invite them to share why they, their classmates, or their teacher may feel nervous about the first day in a new classroom. Encourage them to share ideas of ways to overcome this feeling.
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Beginning Sound Presents
Pre-K - Kindergarten
Objectives Students will identify letters A to Z. Students will identify beginning sounds and match them to the corresponding letters. Materials Needed 26 small boxes and holiday wrapping paper (or holiday gift bags)* Beginning Sounds Letter Cards Beginning Sounds Picture Cards Tape Scissors *Try to include wrapping paper or bags that represent Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Preparation. Have parent volunteers wrap the lid and base of each box separately. (For younger students, you may choose to focus on 3 or 4 letters instead of the whole alphabet. Simply have volunteers prepare the number of boxes that you need.) Download, print, and cut apart the Beginning Sounds Letter Cards and Beginning Sounds Picture Cards. Tape each letter card to the outside of a different box. In several of the boxes, place a small classroom object that starts with that letter. For example, place scissors in the “S” box, a pencil or bottle of paint in the “P” box, and a small book in the “B” box.
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Long Vowel Combinations
1st Grade - 2nd Grade
Objectives CCSS Reading: Foundational Skills RF.1.3b: Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words. RF.1.3c: Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds. RF.2.3b: Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams. Materials Needed Chart paper, overhead projector or interactive whiteboard Long Vowel Words building board Long vowel picture cards and letter tiles Word Ladder activity pages Three-In-A-Row game components (game board, spinner and word list) Small scraps of paper or game markers (e.g., coins, chips, etc.) Classroom Pencils Paper clips Introduction Write the following words on chart paper: tap hop fin Ask a volunteer to read each word aloud. Point out that the vowel sound in each word is a short vowel (as in “apple,” “object” and “igloo”). Next, write an “e” at the end of each word to form the words “tape,” “hope” and “fine.” Tell students that this final -e (sometimes called a “magic e”) changes the vowel sound from short to long.
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Parts of a Whole
2nd Grade
Objectives Students will understand that fractions are equal parts of a whole. Students will identify the numerator and denominator of a fraction. Students will match fractions to shaded parts of a circle. Materials Needed Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta Apple Knife Fraction match-up puzzles Fiskars Classroom Scissors Introduction Read aloud Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta to introduce fractions as parts of a whole.
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Counting Clovers: Number Matching
Pre-K
Objectives Students will use one-to-one correspondence to count objects. Students will match numerals to the correct number of objects. Materials Needed The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever by Teddy Slater, That’s What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting, or another storybook about leprechauns Leprechaun cards reproducible Number cards reproducible Clover cards reproducible Scissors Crayons or markers (optional) Before You Begin Print the leprechaun cards reproducible and cut out the cards. (If desired, color the leprechauns and laminate the cards so you can use them again in the future.) Before class, photocopy 12 leprechaun cards and hide them around your classroom so they are relatively easy for your students to find. Print the number cards reproducible and clover cards reproducible. You will need one copy of each reproducible for each pair of students in your class. Print an additional copy of the number cards for your lesson. Cut out the cards in advance, or ask a parent volunteer to cut them out. Introduction Read aloud a storybook about leprechauns as an introduction to leprechauns and Saint Patrick’s Day!
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Character Study and Story Elements Comparison
3rd Grade - 4th Grade
Objectives CCSS Reading/Literature & Writing RL.3.9: Compare and contrast the themes, settings and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series). W.3.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details and clear event sequences. Materials Needed Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes Lilly’s Big Day by Kevin Henkes Character Analysis chart Story Elements chart Paper and pencils Introduction Read aloud Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and Lilly’s Big Day by Kevin Henkes. Encourage students to discuss Lilly’s character traits in both stories, and have them help you fill in the Character Analysis chart.
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Teddy Bear Parade
Pre-K
Objectives Students will listen to a story and make connections to their own experiences. Students will orally express an idea to the class. Students will write their names and dictate sentences. Materials Needed Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber Parent letter Name Badge template Yarn or string Lakeshore Crayon Packs Hole punch Preparation: A week prior to the activity, send home the parent letter, which explains the activity and encourages students to participate by bringing a special stuffed animal. Introduction Have students sit in a circle on the floor. Invite them to bring their stuffed animals with them. Read aloud Ira Sleeps Over. After you have read the story, ask students, “Why do you think Ira decides to return to his house to get his teddy bear?” (His teddy bear helps him feel safe and secure. When he sees that his friend sleeps with a teddy bear, he is not embarrassed to have his own.) Explain that when we are in a new place (like a new classroom) or have a new experience (like attending the first week of the new school year), it helps to have a friend with us. A special teddy bear or other stuffed animal can help us to feel less nervous and less alone.
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Waste or Save? Water Lesson
Kindergarten
Objectives Students will identify ways that water is wasted and conserved. Students will sort pictures and classify them into two categories. Materials Needed Water by Frank Asch Waste or Save? sorting game cards Waste or Save? sorting mats Scissors Best-Buy Crayons or Best-Buy Markers Best-Buy School Glue Water Song reproducible Before You Begin Copy a set of eight Waste or Save? sorting game cards and a set of two sorting mats for each pair of students in your classroom. Cut apart the sorting game cards and mats. Introduction Read aloud Water by Frank Asch. Help students understand that water is a precious resource that needs to be protected and conserved.
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Gumdrop Geometry
4th Grade
Objectives Students will identify geometry terms and correctly match them to corresponding figures. Students will build and identify angles, 2-D shapes and 3-D shapes. Materials Needed Geometry Match-Up Cards Geometric Figure Building Cards Recording sheet reproducible and answer key Toothpicks Gumdrops Paper plates Scissors Tape Pencils Preparation: Print and cut apart the Geometry Match-Up Cards. Put a loop of tape on the back of each card. Display the cards on the classroom board (or use a document camera), grouping the word cards on one side and the picture cards on the other side. Print a copy of the recording sheet reproducible for each student.
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Writing a Persuasive Brochure
3rd Grade - 5th Grade
Objectives Using reference materials to research for their writing Introducing the topic or text they are writing about, stating an opinion and creating an organizational structure that lists reasons Providing reasons that support the opinion Reporting on a topic or text, telling a story, or recounting an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speaking clearly at an understandable pace Materials Needed Sample tourist pamphlets for exotic vacation destinations (available from local travel agents or hotels) Reference materials Travel Brochure reproducible Crayons or markers Glue (optional) Scissors (optional) Introduction Ask students, “If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? What would you do there?” Invite students to share their responses. Encourage them to talk about places they have never been but would like to see. Prompt students to point out their destinations on a map.
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Getting to Know Each Other
Pre-K - Kindergarten
Objectives Students will listen to a story about a raccoon that is anxious about the first day of school. Students will identify matching objects. Students will introduce themselves and answer a question about themselves. Students will recall another child’s name and state one fact about this child to the class. Materials Needed The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn Picture cards Plain white envelopes (one per student) Best-Buy Crayons My New Friend reproducible Scissors Before You Begin Download and print out two copies of each picture card for pairs of students in your class. Cut out the pictures so each has a match. (For classrooms with an odd number of students, make two additional copies of one picture to make a group of three identical picture pairs.) Introduction Read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. Reassure children that it is okay to miss home or feel a little nervous about starting school with a new teacher and some unfamiliar faces. Remind students that they will soon make new friends and learn what to expect in the classroom, telling them that you will have a great year together!
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Counting Hearts
Pre-K - Kindergarten
Objective CCSS Math/Counting and Cardinality (K.CC.5) Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1 - 20, count out that many objects. Materials Needed One Heart: A Valentine Counting Book by Maryann Cocca-Leffler Conversation candy hearts or paper hearts page Chart paper, whiteboard or document camera Conversation heart mat Number cards Zip-close plastic bags Candy jar mats and candy pieces Best-Buy Crayons Counting Hearts reproducible Fiskars Classroom Scissors Introduction Read aloud One Heart: A Valentine Counting Book by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. As you read, pause and ask students to help you count the hearts on each page.
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Comparing Objects
Kindergarten
Objective CCSS Math: Counting & Cardinality K.CC.C.6: Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies. Materials Needed Document Camera Penguin counters reproducible Colorful winter scarves Paper Classroom Pencils Polar Bear Compare reproducible
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Alphabet Mitten Match
Pre-K - Kindergarten
Objectives Students will identify upper - and lowercase letters. Students will match uppercase letters to the corresponding lowercase letters. Materials Needed The Mitten by Jan Brett Alphabet Mittens template Mitten Match reproducible Clothesline and clothespins Preparation. Print out the Alphabet Mittens template. Then color and cut out the mittens. (You may want to laminate the mittens so you can use them over and over.) Hide the lowercase mittens in easy–to–find places around the classroom. Set aside the uppercase mittens for use during the lesson.
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Reading Reflections
5th Grade
Objectives CCSS Reading/Literature: RL.4.2, RL.5.2, RL.5.6 Determine a theme of a story, drama or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. Determine a theme of a story, drama or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described. Materials Needed Document camera or whiteboard “Arithmetic” by Carl Sandburg Read and Respond record Introduction Explain to students that, just as an author expresses ideas in the form of a story, a poet expresses thoughts and ideas in the form of a poem. Point out that, while a poem does not always have to rhyme, it consistently expresses a poet’s ideas or thoughts about a topic—often using very little space. Challenge students to listen carefully as you read aloud a poem by Carl Sandburg called “Arithmetic.” Remind students that “arithmetic” is another word for “math.” Ask students to think about what the poet is trying to say and what theme, or “big idea,” he is trying to share about arithmetic/math.
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