Memory Matching Game

  

Do you remember this game?  I used to play it ALL the time when I was a child.  Hours were spent making matches, mixing them up and starting all over again.  I LOVED this game! 

So, of course, when I became a teacher I found a way to use this game idea in my classroom.

Years ago, I made set of these matching memory games using those calendar cutout that used to be All. The. Rage.  Yes, I am that old.....

I made all kinds of sets: antonyms, synonyms, contractions, homophones, prefixes, suffixes, and compound words.  I even made Math-based sets: place value, money, time, 2- and 3-dimensional shapes.  Really, any topic can be used.  

These games are great for whole-class, small-group, or independent practice.  

So the other day, I discovered Krista Wallden's Food Pair Buds over at her TpT store, and decided it was time to give my Matching Memory cards a little......

GLOW UP!

Now I just need to find a better (aka cuter) way to store my new cards.  😏To the Dollar Tree!

If you would like your own set of these Oh, So Adorable Synonym Matching Memory cards, head on over to my TpT store and pick them up.  Also be sure to keep checking back as I work on updating my other memory sets and get them posted.

~Stacy

Is It August (Almost September) Already?!?!?!

I am a terrible blogger.  I have completely neglected my blog ALL summer.  It was a busy one, though.  And it went by way too fast! 

 

Well, to get back into the swing of things, I figured I should share my new classroom color scheme and table arrangements.  Last year I wrote a post about my messy and non-color-coordinated classroom. You can see the plans and before pics here.

And BEHOLD, the after! 

 New tables (-ish, these were found lurking in an unused classroom), decor, even new curtains! 

 

I have a TINY class this year (only 13 students!!  I know, right?) so changing over to tables will probably be an easier adjustment.  I hope.  I have four tables and each table holds up to 7 students but I pray I will never have a class of 28!  Right now I have two groups of 4 and one group of 5.  But I can tell you, after less than 2 weeks in session and that table of 5 is becoming a chatter box!

 

 

Here is a close-up of the book shelf I have set at each table.  It is the perfect size to hold all of their supplies but not so much in the perfect color.  I am regretting ordering the white.  It is already showing an incredible amout of dirt and grime.  I hope to keep it at bay with Clorox wipes and diligent handwashing.  We'll see.  I'll probably just end up painting them black for next year.  Each shelf has several bins to keep all of their smaller supplies.  I either got the boxes from Dollar Tree or from walmart.com.

 

 

I even gave each table their very own pencil sharpener.  This has completely changed our pencil-sharpening routine.  Even though my class is small, the line for the sharpener is NON-EXISTENT!  But the kids always have a sharpened pencil, ready to go.  It takes no time at all to get this little chore done each morning.  Of course, the sharpeners came from Classroom Friendly Supplies.  I even got my principal to order the 36 pack for our WHOLE school.  Everyone loves these. 

 

I also built (well, actually, my father and husband did) this really cool sofa table to hold all of my "stuff" up by my desk.  I got the plans here.

 

It's virtually empty now, but I sure I find something to fill it up with!

 

Here are a few of my new bulletin boards, too.  I plan to keep the black paper and crumple border all year but change out the sayings at least once a quarter. 

 

This board shows the writing we did on the first day of school.  I gave each student a small can of playdough and told them to sculpt something from their summer.  It could have been a trip they took, a ride they went on at the fair, something they saw, etc.  After they finished their sculpture, they wrote about it.  Most of the class was able to fill the entire sheet of paper!  That's pretty impressive for the first day!

 

This board is another steal from pinterest.  To engage those Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), students are given an answer and they need to think of a question that would result in that answer.  For the most part, the class stuck with addition and subtraction sentences, but I tried to get them thinking about other subjects: "How many planets are there?" or "How many boys are in our class?"

I plan to change the answer each week and give the class time to come up with their own questions.

 

And finally, here are some anchor charts the class and I made the first few days of school to remind them about what each of us needs to do to have a good year and what reading LOOKS like.  Of course, I totally stole these ideas from pinterest.

 

 

So that's all for now!  Hopefully, I can get back into a posting routine!

 

~Stacy

 

 

A (late) Tried-It-Tuesday {FREEBIE} and Classroom Quick Tip Linky Combo!

Today I am doing a double-linky.  First, I am linking up with Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper for her weekly "Tried-It-Tuesday".  With the school days winding down, I am always on the lookout for quick but engaging activities.  I found this great FREEBIE by RaRaDT on nouns, verbs and adjectives. 

 

This quickie, but goodie has the kids making a flip book and thinking of their own nouns, verbs, and adjectives.  I extended the activity by having the kids write short stories about the different locations, making sure to use the words they came up with in the story they write.

 

 

Here are a few shots of how the different students sorted their words for the flipbook.

 

 

 

Now for the second link-up today.  I am linking up with Jean over at Diving Into 2nd Grade for her new Quick Tips Linky.  This is just a great idea.  Obviously, we bloggers are happy to share the great activities we create in our rooms.  But these simple tips and tricks are what really make a classroom tick.

 

This is my "I'm Busy . . ." light. 

 I got this push light from Dollar Tree {a teacher's BEST friend} and then wrote on the face with a Sharpie.  

Tell me if this sounds familiar:  You are helping a student with a question at your desk.  Other students begin to wander up and get in line to ask their own question.  Pretty soon, half the class is at your desk getting chatty and disruptive, not getting ANY work done. 

Oh, yeah.  I think we've ALL been there.

 

So begins the reign of my "I'm Busy . . ." light.

I keep this light at my desk.  Whenever a student comes to ask me a question and it seems the answer may take longer than just a few seconds, I push this baby on.  My other students know that when this light is on, they may not come up to my desk at the moment.  Whatever question they have can wait, and they are to contiue working on the rest of the page.  When the light goes off, they can come up for their turn.

 

It has made a big difference in the disruptions in the room during work time and I've noticed I have more patience for the next student because I didn't spend my time shushing the other kids in line. 

 

~Stacy 

 

 

Dollar Tree Finds and a Giveaway!

So a few weeks ago, Krista Walden over at the Creative Chalkboard wrote a post about a great find at her local Dollar Tree.

These are some adorable tagboard coasters that look like sandwich ingredients!  As soon as I saw these, I just HAD to have my own.  So this past weekend, I ventured (childless, it was wonderful) to my own local DT and lo, and behold . . . I found them and nearly cleaned the store completely out!  I still haven't decided how I'm going to use the 10 (yes, ten, I'm a bit of an "over-doer") sets I picked up but Krista came up with some great ways to use these in the classroom.  I'll give that list a great picking over and get it rolled out.

 

While there, I found these perfect sandwich containers that will not only serve as storage but can also be used in a cute part of whatever game I come up with!

 

I also found these uber-cute silicone coin purses that I knew would have a useful purpose in my classroom but I still haven't nailed down what.  Of course, money games came immediately came to mind.  But, I thought that my wonderful blogging community would have some other great ideas on how to utilize these!

 

Here comes the GIVEAWAY part:  Share your idea in the comments section and I'll draw three names for a Winner's Choice of one of my popular "Cootie Catchers" at my TpT store.  Your choice may be for items priced $1.75-$5.00.

Drawing will be on Friday, April 19.

 

Be sure to leave a comment to share your ideas for your chance at some free stuff!

 

~Stacy