Consonant Blends Game

I love Chevron and I have been wanting to work it into one of my games for awhile now. This weekend I finally perfected my pattern and used it in my Consonant Blends Game!

Over the years I have had many students struggle with identifying (and pronouncing) the consonant blend sounds.  This game includes a wide variety of words to help reinforce this skill.

This game has 22 Beginning blend families and 12 Ending blend families.  Each blend family has eight cards - for example: /tr/: try, tree, trio, trot... Altogether there is a total of 176 Beginning blends cards and 96 Ending blend cards.

The Beginning blends have a green, red and purple Chevron pattern on the backside.


The Ending blends have a red, blue and purple Chevron pattern on the backside.


These cards can be used for two different games; Go Fish and Memory.

To play Go Fish players choose a few blends to start with. Each player gets five cards. In order to find a match they must ask another player for that pattern. For example: "Do you have a word that starts with the blend /st/?" If the other players are unsure they can also use their word in the sentence.  "Do you have a word that starts with /st/ like stay?" This allows the students to isolate the blends individual sounds while recognizing them in a variety of words.

Memory can be played by first choosing a few blends to begin with. The cards are laid out Chevron side up. A student chooses two cards and reads both words aloud. If they match, they must also say the blend sound that they share when claiming their match. If not they must return the cards to their original spot on the table.

The winner for both these games is the player who collects the most blends. An Answer Key with all the blend families is included to help the students self-check their answers when they playing in small groups. 
It also includes the Rules of Play for both Go Fish and Memory.
This game is available in my TpT shop!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week! :)

Synonym & Antonym Matching Games

The Synonym Matching Game consists of 50 pairs of synonym cards, a total of 100 cards. Students can use these cards for Concentration, Matching or Go Fish. These cards help with building synonym vocabulary or reviewing the concept. This set also includes an Answer Key allowing students to play this game in small groups and correct their own work. They have two different colored designs on the back of the cards - a purple and black striped and a white and black striped. This allows you to divide the set in half for differentiating or for students who are just beginning to increase their synonym knowledge. The Synonym Matching Game is available at my Tpt shop!

The Antonym Matching Game also consists of 50 pairs of antonym cards, a total of 100 cards. They can also be used for Concentration, Matching or Go Fish. The Answer Key is included, allowing students to play this game in small groups while correcting their own work. They have two different colored designs on the back of the each card - blue plaid and teal plaid. These cards are a great way to introduce more antonyms in your students vocabulary, or to practice and review the concept. The Antonym Matching Game is available at my Tpt shop!

Thanks for stopping by!

September's Inspired by Pinterest and Blogs...

I adore these rings! I spent one morning making oodles of them last week. I was inspired by this blog - she has really amazing ideas and her picture tutorials are excellent! After I made the heart ring I wanted to try the bow one that I have seen around on Pinterest a lot, so I searched and found tons of ideas for various designs! I think I may recreate these with some thicker wire eventually. The double heart and bow ring have a tendency to bend easily when they snag things - but I am definitely happy with them for now! The heart ring is definitely the easiest one to start with and then from there I just kind of went wild with them!
My next craft of the week was inspired by this blog. I have seen these painted bobby pins kicking around on Pinterest for awhile as well and I have been dying to make a few! They were incredibly easy to make which is the best part! Putting a bit of wax paper underneath the cardboard when you paint helps to keep them from sticking to the paper (a mistake I made the first time...at least the paper can be picked off!) I think the hardest part was choosing my colors! I may have a bit of a nail polish problem....and a bit of trouble with painting neatly. If my bobby pins look this bad imagine how my hands look after I am done painting my nails!!
On a side note: I recently read (on Pinterest) that the correct way to wear bobby pins is wavy side down...which means I have been doing it incorrectly my entire life!! And yet if you buy decorated pins the fancy part is on the wavy side which is just confusing. They do seem to stay in better that way though!

So which way do you ladies put your bobby pins in?  Let me know in the comments!

Happy Sunday!

Using UpWords in the Classroom

UpWords is one of my classroom necessities! Actually I will be honest, I really have two sets of this game because I use it so much! The above version is a much adored childhood toy (which is now well loved by my students!)  I bought a newer version with red tiles which are a bit smaller. And while I am being honest I will confess, my tiles did not look like that when I first set out to take the picture, they were wicked messy! So I may have done this:
 just so I could get a better picture! ;)

I use these a lot with early decoders. I like how they stack up so they can see the letters and words changing each time. The tiles are so easily adaptable which is the best part!
Well for me it is - but my students prefer watching the towers grow! It really holds their attention when they wait for their turn.

I love how easy it is to differentiate for each student in my group when I use these. I keep them alphabetized in a bead box so they are ready to go! I can just grab the letters from our lesson that day, or whatever they need a bit more practice with. They can be used for simple cvc words, vowel teams, blends...basically anything - they just rock!

I mostly use these at the end of reading groups and Intervention when I have just a few more minutes. It saves me having to cut out those paper letters many of the reading programs call for - I hate the paper waste that comes with those too! That is why having two sets come in handy, I can leave them wherever I need them!

I have Scrabble tiles that I have used in the past but I like how these pieces lock into each other. If I go just one day without using these my students are begging to use them again!

Do any of you use Scrabble tiles or UpWords tiles with your students? Or do you have something you like better? If so, leave me note in the comments!

Have a great weekend!

Addition Math Pack

I love this math pack because it is easy to have ready at a moments notice when my students need review on these skills. I wanted to keep these games simple - once the students learn the rules with me, they will be able to play alone in small groups. This set includes four different games and all of theses can either be student or teacher run - they have all the Score Sheets and Answer Keys students need to run the game themselves.
                
The first game is Factor Bingo. It contains 6 boards with addition facts 0-10 written on them. The host of this game will read the answers (0-20) one at a time and the players must cover one square with an equation that matches that answer.  I like to let my students use whiteboards or manipulatives when we play.
The second game is the reverse of the first game,  the players have boards with the answers to facts 0-10 and the host asks the equations. I only let them cover each square once even though some numbers are repeated. This helps the game to last longer and allows the students to get a bit more practice.
The last two games involve flaschards. I included all the flashcards for addition facts 0-10. 

The third game is Memory or Concentration. The players lay out one factor family and the answer cards striped sides up. (Blue stripes for addition facts and purple for answers.) They turn over one blue and one purple card, if the equation and answer match they can keep them - if not they return them to their original spot. The winner is the player who gets the most matches!
The fourth game is Flashcard Practice. One player shows the flashcards and one solves the equations on their Score Sheet. After they have completed one set of factors they switch jobs. When they have finished the game they will tally their scores using the answer key. (I have my students record their answers on the Score Sheet in pen so they cannot change them when correcting.) The winner is the player who gets the most facts right!

This game is available in my TpT shop!

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy & Cute Custom Notepads


I love the simplicity of these notepads.  I have made them for coworkers and students in the past. (The pink one is mine, it has been used quite a bit as you can see!) The best part about these is how few steps it takes to create them! I made a quick photo tutorial to show how simple it is! I read about these on Chica and Jo years ago, I love their ideas!

First your materials: paper, PVA book binding/paper glue and 1-1/4 inch binder clips.

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Step 1: Gather your paper: I have used cardstock, patterned scrapbook paper and pre-cut scraps for these, basically any paper will do. Arrange the paper into a pattern and then straighten up the pile. I never worry about the uneven edges - I like the handmade look.

Step 2. Place your big binder clips on each side, I leave the tabs open, it comes in handy when you prop it up for drying later.


Step 3. Apply your glue (you may want to shake well first, mine was a bit watery from the summer heat!)
Step 4. Smooth with finger.  If it drips down the front, just wipe it gently, it dries clear which I adore!
  Step 5. Let dry overnight!  It turns clear after about an hour, but you really want to let it set well.
 And that is all there is too it!
This year I am thinking of making some bookmark notepads. I use excess patterned scrapbook paper for my students bookmarks - they look cute but tend to disappear quick!! I want to have a few notepads on hand for when they need a new bookmark!

Think this would work in your classroom or for a gift? Let me know how in the comments!