Pocket Chart Poems

Poetry is a wonderful way to incorporate academic language, rhythm, and rhyming skills into your daily routine.

Introducing a new poem each week is an easy way to extend the learning of so many skills. In my classroom the poem of the week goes along with our theme. I use the sentence strips in a pocket chart to introduce the poem. 

The next day I will pull up the FULL size book on the interactive board and track the words with a soft pointer. The students use their own HALF page copy to follow along. The students highlight sight words that they know (or the ones we are working on), partner read and then color in the pictures so that it is ready to take home and read to the parents. 

The pocket chart and pictures can be used as a literacy center. The pocket chart is used to encourage students to use a pointer and track as they recite the poem each day. The printable pictures can be attached to tongue depressors then use in retelling the story.

This simple poem also has an added subtraction element to it.

Click here to view this new resource on TpT

Forest/Woodland Animal Mega Research Packet

This Woodland/Forest Animal Mega Research Packet is designed so students can research, learn and write about 35+ different woodland animals. Depending on your grade and student abilities, the research can be done in whole groups, small groups, or individual. Students can record what they learn on class charts, single pages and in their research journals! Use the fact-filled slide show. Vocabulary cards, and anchor chart headings to make learning fun and concrete. You can choose how few or many animals you want to research! 

This packet includes:

•35 colorful fact slides for forest/woodland animals and 7 habitat slides with facts about the woodlands

•Writing pages for 35 forest/woodland animals with fact prompts and pictures

•Writing pages for 35 forest/woodland animals with pictures only

•2 blank writing pages with and without fact prompts

•Seven colorful Landform slides to print and use in a variety of ways: sorting mats, playmats, vocabulary development

•35 label and color pages for the woodland animals

•Anchor chart labels for “Can, Have, and Are” as well as “Schema, Misconceptions, and New Learning”

•“I Have, Who Has” game, Write the Room, and Vocabulary Cards

So much is packed into this 200 page mega research packet! Just look at all you get for $8.00! Click on the link below to go to my TpT store.

Woodland/Forest Animal Mega Research Packet

TpT is having a Cyber Sale Starting Monday!

Bargains are everywhere and TpT is no different! This Monday and Tuesday you can save up to 28% in my store by using the code CYBER18. Now you just have to choose what the best deals are! Click on the captions below each resource to take you straight to my TpT Koala Kinders store.

The Colorful Sight Word Bundle would be my first choice! With over 570 pages of Sight Word activities this will be a steal at a 28% savings!

Colorful-Sight Words Activities-GROWING-Bundle

Winter is here in many places around the country and you may be planning some activities centered around the Winter season.  Here are four fun Emergent Readers for December to help plan your ELA time.

Emergent-Readers for December and Winter

If you are teaching about animals in Winter, then this 5 Senses in Winter writing resource is for you!  Writing about what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch can be so much fun especially after you read “Bear Snores On”.

Five Senses in the Winter Writing Activity

Here’s hoping you find lots of bargains and a fun-filled month in your classroom. Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog!

~Janet at Koala Kinders

Announcing "Colorful Sight Words GROWING Bundle"

Drum roll, please…..Announcing the release of “Colorful Sight Word Flash Cards, Word Wall Card and 10 FunActivities Lists A-C”  all wrapped up into one HUGE growing Bundle! There’s so much packed inside that I just had to try and describe it all in the title! 

Click Here to go to my store!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TC-Sight-Words-Word-Wall-Words-Activities-GROWING-Bundle-List-A-C-3939134

One of the bonuses is the Flash Cards, Word Wall Cards and Pocket Pals are completed with lists A-H and are ready to print and laminate!

I call this a growing bundle because all the activities are for Teachers who are currently using the Teachers College Sight Word Lists A – C. I have it currently listed for less than half price. That’s a steal!  As I add the activities for the lists D- H the price will increase accordingly until it reaches the set price. When you purchase this bundle at the discounted price you will automatically get all the updates! Be sure to follow my store so you learn about deals and freebies.

Click below to grab this Bundle for less than 1/2 price!!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TC-Sight-Words-Word-Wall-Words-Activities-GROWING-Bundle-List-A-C-3939134

This Bundle contains so many activities that I am just going to share the cover pages of each set so you can see for your self all of the great resources that are inside this growing bundle.

Sight Words – The Necessity of Flash Cards

We all know how important it is for students to learn sight words to become better readers and writers. One of the basic ways to do this is using flash cards. In my kindergarten class we had a saying that “Practice Makes Better” and once the kinders bought into that concept they were amazed at how quickly they learned specific skills. My district finally decided on a specific list of words and I immediately made flash cards for my class. I noticed a marked improvement in their ability to read and write within weeks of introducing the flashcards. We read through the words  every day during Calendar Time and another activity that also helped was showing a Power Point slideshow of the list we were working on. Some of the ways we used the slide show included: reading the words, finding the words on our sight word mat, and writing the words on individual dry erase boards. At the end of this post you’ll find a link to a FREEBIE! It’s the Teachers College Sight Word List A Slide Show and Printable Sight Word Mat.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Flashcards-for-Teachers-College-Sight-Words-Lists-A-H-3913387

 I just uploaded flash cards for the Teachers College Sight Words Lists A-H on TpT. Click on the link to grab a set for $1.00!  I am also super excited to be working on some fun activities to help students practice their sight words during centers. Some of the activities for each list include:  Write the Room, Spin, Read and Write, Mirror Writing, I Have-Who Has, and I Spy.  Check my TpT store in the new few weeks as I get these activities completed.

And now, here is your FREEBIE!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREEBIE-Teachers-College-Level-Slide-Show-and-Mat-3913732

MLK-His Hope for Peace

   Another important day in America has arrived - the celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! We are off school for this holiday but we talk about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. before and after the holiday.  We read several books about MLK and we also read "The Crayon Box That Talked". For our poem of the week we learn the "Color" poem. It is a wonderful opportunity to discuss diversity in kindergarten.

    This year I am adding an emergent reader to our study of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is called "MLK-His Hope For Peace". I think it will be a nice follow up to any biographies about MLK. 
   You can find this newly uploaded reader in my TpT store for just $1.00.

MLK Emergent Reader

MLK Emergent Reader

A Day of Honor

One of the most important days in America is almost here. Every year in our school we host a Veterans Day breakfast.  We invite the veterans who are family members of our students to join them for breakfast and a program of honor.  The kinders come in and begin the program with The Pledge of Allegiance. Then the rest of our student body provides cards of appreciation, songs and speeches. It is a morning to remember for all of those who served.
   I teach the kinders about Veterans Day and talk about the importance of showing our appreciation for their service. This year I am adding an emergent reader to our study of Veterans. It is called "You Are My Hero". I think it will be a nice follow up to the book: "Veterans, Heroes In Our Neighborhood" by Valerie Pfundstein. 
   You can find this newly uploaded reader in my TpT store for just $1.00.

"You Are My Hero"

While you are checking out the emergent reader in my teacherspayteachers shop be sure to grab the FREE Star Studded pokey pin activity. There are plenty of pages that will go along nicely for Veterans Day.

FREE Pokey Pin Activity

    Thank you for stopping by to see what's new at Koala Kinders. Be sure to thank a veteran for their service. They are the reason we can safely live in this great country!