Sunday, November 26, 2017

Elf Week in First Grade!

It's Time for Elf Week!

Thanksgiving is said and done, and my husband and I had a wonderful time celebrating our first big holiday as a married couple in our new house. Pheasant pot pie and homemade blackberry pie were on the menu... I've been living off of leftovers for the past two days! 

Now that December is soon upon us and it's socially acceptable to begin winter celebrations, I've been gearing up for Elf Week in my first grade classroom. I'm taking our Classroom Elf festivities to a new level this year! This cutie was a steal on Amazon. He'll make his debut on Monday to kick off our week!

Our Classroom Elf

Elf Week Overview

Day 1

Our classroom elf with appear with an original poem to get students excited about choosing his name. We'll make our selection with this fun graphing activity!

Name That Elf Graphing Activity

Name That Elf Graphing Activity

Students will get to describe our classroom elf with this graphic organizer:

Our Classroom Elf Describing Graphic Organizer

And we'll start a lapbook activity. We'll add a little to the lapbook each day until it's all finished on Friday! I'm going to let students get creative with this. I figure that at least a few students will be bummed that their names weren't picked for our elf, so I'm going to have them create their own elves for this activity!

My Elf Lapbook

My Elf Lapbook


Day 2

On Tuesday, the elf fun continues. We'll start the day by reading "How to Catch an Elf" and completing a response page.

How to Catch an Elf Response Sheet

We'll also start writing letters to our elf by working on this graphic organizer.

First of the Month Freebie for December 2017!

We'll add "All About My Elf" to our lapbooks:

My Elf Lapbook


During math, I'll introduce the game "Cookies from the North Pole." It's a hands-on activity that helps students practice ways to make 10! It will become part of our center rotation throughout the rest of December.

Cookies From the North Pole

Cookies From the North Pole- Making 10 Math Center

Day 3

On Wednesday, we'll start the day by reading Memoirs of an Elf and making Elfie Selfies. I think I'm most excited for this story :) (Tip: I ordered it from the Scholastic Book Club!). 

Memoirs of an Elf Response Sheet

We'll continue to work on letters to our elf. I'll model using the graphic organizer to write a letter, and students will complete a rough draft.

Elf Letter Activity- First of the Month Freebie for December 2017!


For the lapbook, students will add pictures and questions for their elves.

My Elf Lapbook

My Elf Lapbook


In math, students will practice ways to make 10 again with another "Cookies from the North Pole" activity. This activity has students use 10 frames to find the ways to make 10.

Cookies From the North Pole: Making 10 Activity


Day 4

On Thursday, we'll read Pig the Elf and complete a story map.

Pig the Elf Response Sheet

Students will complete the letters to their elves and if we have time, they'll share them in Author's Chair.

They'll add their elves' "favorite foods" to their lapbooks.

My Elf Lapbook


During math, I'll introduce "The Hungry Elf" subtraction game. This game will also become part of our center rotation throughout the rest of December.


The Hungry Elf Subtraction Game


Day 5

Friday- our last day of Elf Week! We'll read The Littlest Elf in the morning and complete a sequencing activity. 

The Littlest Elf Response Sheet

Anyone who didn't finish their letters yesterday will finish today, and the class will learn how to address envelopes. They're going to "mail" their letters in our elf's special mailbox, and throughout the rest of the month I will our elf will return their letters :) 

It's time to finish the lapbooks! They will write about their elves' favorite movies, sports, and animals.

My Elf Lapbook

My Elf Lapbook


During math, I'll introduce "Ernie's Cookies," another subtraction activity. This game will also become part of our center rotation next week.

Ernie's Cookies- an Elf-Themed Subtraction Game

Ernie's Cookies- an Elf- Themed Subtraction Game


That's a wrap! I can't wait to see my students' faces when they meet our elf on Monday!

All of these activities can be purchased as a bundle in Elf Week: A Bundle of Elf-Themed Activities.

Elf Week: A Bundle of Elf-Themed Activities


You can also find some of these activities separately here:

Bundle: Elf- Themed Math Activities

The Hungry Elf

Cookies From the North Pole: Ways to Make 10 (Elf-Themed Math Center)

Cookies From the North Pole: Counting to 10 (Elf-Themed Math Center for Kindergarten)

Ernie's Cookies: An Elf-Themed Subtraction Activity

Name That Elf Original Poem and Graphing Activity


Elf- Themed Printables

Elf Letter Freebie. Little Owl's First of the Month Freebie for December 2017!

My Elf Lapbook














Friday, November 24, 2017

$100 TPT Thanksgiving Giveaway!

*** THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY ***


As we are SO thankful to you, myself and a team of amazing teachers have grouped together to gift an awesome teacher with a TPT gift card to show them how appreciative we are!

PRIZES INCLUDE 
1 x $100 TPT Giftcard

#1 TAG your teacher friends by adding their names in the comment section
#2 SHARE THIS POST
#3 ENTER HERE: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b4951b8526/?

REMEMBER: each entry counts as ONE entry, the more links you complete, the higher your chances of winning!!

Raffle CLOSES: Friday 1st December 2017 12am

GOOD LUCK!!!

Friday, November 10, 2017

Christmas Center Activity: Santa Face

Alright teacher friends. I know we're not even halfway through November, but I've already got one eye on the winter holiday season. I'm looking forward to trying this Santa Face activity from Education.com! I'm planning to incorporate it into my winter holiday centers the day before Christmas break. I'll have parent volunteers helping out that day, so this is a perfect activity to kick off our break!

Christmas Center Activity: 
Santa Face
First Grade Math Activities: Santa Face
Easy Santa Circle Craft
This unique Santa is made only from circles. It's true! Your little ones will have a fantastic time puzzling together Santa's face. The challenging part will be that they can only use one shape, the circle! 

What You Need:

  • White, pink, and red construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Small, medium and large circular objects to trace
  • Glue stick

What You Do:

  1. Have children trace a large bowl onto a sheet of pink and a sheet of red construction paper. Cut both circles out.
  2. Encourage them to fold the red circle in half. Then, unfold it and cut it in half.
  3. Lay the red circle on top of the pink circle so it overlaps about halfway and glue it in place.
  4. Ask them to fold two sheets of white paper stacked on top of one another 3 times. Trace a medium-sized circle on the top of the paper and cut out all of the circles at the same time.
  5. Have them arrange them into the shape of Santa's beard. Glue them in place.
  6. Finally, have them trace and cut out two small circles to create Santa's eyes.
  7. Ask: How many circles did it take to create Santa's face?

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Giveaways, First of the Month Freebie, and 10% Off Sale!



Click here to enter between November 1st- November 8th 2017!


Two Giveaway Opportunities!



Big news, everyone! In addition to my First of the Month Freebies, Little Owl will host a Rafflecopter giveaway starting on the first of every month! You can enter to win any of my products from my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Little Owl's Teacher Treats. Simply follow the link, fill out the form, and you're entered to win! The raffle will be open for a week, and I'll select a winner on November 9th.

I'm also excited to be part of this $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway organized by Kelly Maloy (An Apple for the Teacher) and co-hosted by: An Apple for the Teacher, Mrs Hansens Helpfuls, Teacher Gameroom, It's Kinder Time, Little Owl's Teacher Treats, and Samson's Shoppe.


Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 11/6/2017 and is open worldwide.


First of the Month Freebie from Little Owl


This month's freebie is a math game from my Go Math! series. This zoo- themed math center reinforces subtraction concepts in a hands-on, engaging way.


Zoo Break: Taking Apart with Pictures








In addition to Zoo Break, here's what Little Owl has been up to for the past month!

Go Math Chapter 1 Games and Bundle

I'm so excited to share that I'm DONE with my Go Math! Chapter 1: Addition Concepts centers for first gradeThe centers cover early addition concepts. Although these activities were specifically designed to support the Go Math! curriculum, they can be a useful addition to any math program! My first graders particularly love matching "switcharoo" facts with Find My Twin :)


Go Math! Chapter 1: Addition Concepts Bundle


Concepts include...


1) FREEBIE- Adding zero with Good Clues, Bad Clues:




2) Using pictures to add with Puzzling Pieces:


3) Adding in any order with Find My Twin:


4) Solving for missing addends and sums with The Case of the Missing Number:


5) Making 6, 7, 8, and 9 with Evidence Files:



Record sheets are also included for every activity!


________________

Winter is Around the Corner!

It may be November, but it's never too early to start thinking about winter holidays, amiright? I'm mildly obsessed with Helen Lester's Tacky the Penguin series, and I can't WAIT to try out my new Tacky the Penguin Reader's Theater Script this year!

Tacky the Penguin Reader's Theater Script


Tacky the Penguin Bundle

Between Tacky the Penguin, Mooseltoe, Holidays Around the World, and my love of all things elf... 

My Elf Lapbook Activity

Bundle: Elf-Themed Math Activities

Cookies from the North Pole: Making 10 Activities

Cookies from the North Pole: Making 10 Activities

Cookies from the North Pole: Making 10 Activities

Ernie's Cookies: Subtraction Activity

The Hungry Elf: Subtraction Activity


Looking to boost family involvement at your school? Want to take the stress out of planning a family night before the holidays? Consider hosting a Pajama Reading Night! Read all about it here, and check out my Host a Pajama Reading Night packet on TPT!


...I'll have my hands full this December and January... but that's just the way I like it! What are your plans for this holiday season? Let me know in the comments!

Happy teaching :)





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