American Government and Civics Tests

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Shelley

Our oldest two children just completed Sonlight’s 18-week American Government and Civics (Level 420). This course is designed for your high school students to read the texts and respond to daily questions, but there is no assessment of mastery included in the course work. So, I added one :). You can get it here.

There are four tests (with answers) in the download. You will administer the tests after your students have completed the assignments for Weeks 4, 8, 13 and 18.

All of the questions included were taken from the information discussed in your student’s reading response questions. They include a mixture of fill-in-the-blank, order the events, mapping, and short-answer questions. Each test has approximately 20 questions.

As a Final Exam, we used the Arizona Department of Education’s Civics Test. It is a 100 question test based on the US Immigraton and Naturalization test. You will need to modify the final questions to reflect the state in which you live (if it is not Arizona). Your students should score well above their required 60 of 100 correct answers.

This set of tests will be half-off until Saturday!

Totally Techie Trigraphs (SCR, SHR, THR)

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Shelley

A little digital something for your Second graders–TOTALLY TECHIE TRIGRAPHS! These are perfect for your Google Classroom, or homeschool. The files in this set will run on any computer that has access to Google Slides or PowerPoint.

Three activities are included in this set:

In this first activity your students will sort SCR- and SHR-; SHR- and THR-; SCR- and THR- words. The words are included on the picture sorting cards. Simply click on the word card; drag and drop it next to its beginning blend.

Your students will drag and drop the right beginning trigraph for each picture. Not all beginning blends will be used.

A printable word list included for this activity. Your students will type the word in the blank to complete each sentence. Then they will drag n’drop the picture that matches the sentence.

The text boxes in this activity are designed to use the KG What the Teacher Wants font. Click on the link to download your free copy. You will need to install it on your classroom’s shared drive, or on the computer that will run these files.

Every file in this set has movable pieces (only the pieces that need to move actually can be moved), so once a student has completed an activity and you have checked their work, close the file by clicking “DO NOT SAVE.” That way the pieces they moved will go back to their starting positions and the program will be ready for your next student.

TOTALLY TECHIE TRIGRAPHS will be half-off this weekend!

RUDOLPH and FRIENDS–9 DIGITAL MATH CENTERS

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Shelley

Digital centers are so easy to use, and a fun change for your students. You are going to love trying out this set of 9 math centers!

Yep, it is FREE today–so hop on over to my store and download your copy.

Here’s a peek at the nine different activities:Skills includes: counting, number order, correct number formation

Counting tallies & marking the number they represent

Counting & deciphering the amount left to make 10

Translating a ten-frame numeral to its number and counting back (0-15).

Counting and ten-frame formation

Counting, grouping, graphing (1-10)

Counting what they see, numbering writing and counting on (0-12)

Counting by 10s; number writing and comparing to 100 (10-100)

Writing addition equations to 10; left and right

12 DIGITAL Days of CVC Christmas Centers

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Shelley

Whether you have a single computer in your classroom, or iPads for each student, you are going to LOVE these 1 2 DIGITAL DAYS of CVC CHRISTMAS CENTERS!The best thing about these centers is that there is ZERO-prep for you! They are perfect for your busy little classroom!

Simply upload the .ppsx files to Google Slides, or open them on a computer that has PowerPoint installed. Print the response sheets. Click the file you want to open and your students are ready to learn! They can advance the slides on their iPad with a swipe of their finger, or using the arrow keys on a standard computer.

To help your students work independently, a “self-check” answer key is included at the end of each activity. Directions for each of the 12 activities are included on the first slide as well as on the recording sheets.

Would you like to try the FIRST DAY of our DIGITAL CVC CHRISTMAS? You are going to LOVE how easy it is to use and how much FUN your students have learning with it.

https://www.preparillipress.com/…/Day1PreparilliPressFree.zip

The entire set will be half-off during TPTs CYBER SALE. Save even more on this set with the promo code: CYBER17

NO-PREP Syllable Worksheets

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Shelley

I’ve bundled all of the NO-PREP worksheets from our growing syllable instruction packs for you!

Syllabication rules covered in this set include:

1. OPEN and CLOSED simple syllables (3 activities)
2. VCCV with Double Consonants (4 activities)
3. VCCV with Mixed Consonants (4 activities)
4. V/CV (6 activities)
5. VC/V (6 activities)
6. Magnetic Y (V/CY) (5 activities)
7. C+LE (5 activities)
8. VOWEL TEAMS (4 activities)

PLUS, built-in REVIEWS/ASSESSMENTS are included! After a new rule is added, all previous syllable identification rules are reviewed.

This set will be half-off through Saturday!

Open and Closed Simple Syllables

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Shelley

Open and closed syllables are the first two syllable types your students should learn. Hundreds of common words can be spelled using these simple syllables, so teach them early and well!

Here is a great place to start:

You’ll start with these fun teaching tools–the open road and OPEN SYLLABLES:The LONG measuring tape remind us that these vowels are LONG. But, as we “go” along the road, we might run into a barrier–a CONSONANT barrel:

The road is CLOSED and our vowel is now closed in by a consonant. The short measuring tape reminds us that the vowel’s sound is now SHORT.

After this demonstration with real and nonsense words, your students are ready to change their open-syllable cars to closed syllables with various consonant barriers. There is a recording sheet included for this activity.

Your students will also sort open and closed syllables with this activity:

A separate Open or Closed worksheet will help you asses your students’ ability to identify these syllable types.

Did you notice that all of your students’ syllable manipulatives, sorting mats and instruction cards fit neatly in an IRIS container? I love ’em, too!

Grab this helpful simple syllables pack today and tomorrow for HALF OFF! More syllable sets are in the works, so check back with me soon! Have a great weekend!

Starting Sight Words in Kindergarten

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Shelley

Although Sonlight doesn’t include sight word work in its kindergarten curriculum, kindergarten is a GREAT time for your kids to start learning sight words.

Our sight word series is FUN! We have a craft, or other hands-on work for each word we cover. We also use a “cumulative” approach–your kids will not struggle reading the words associated with each sight word. We use simple words that they can sound out; and teach high frequency nouns that they will learn simply from “seeing” the word with a picture.

Are you ready to dive in?! Your students will be so proud of all they will be able to read! You can begin here:

Or, if you just want the Context and Crafts:

Both resources are on sale Friday and Saturday!!

Back to School FLASH FREEBIE!

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Shelley

We are kicking off our school year today with a FLASH FREEBIE for you! If you are teaching Pre-Schoolers or Kindergarteners, you are going to LOVE these fun, self-exploration crafts.

We will be using the “This is Me” and “My Name Begins With” on the first two pages of our Kindergarten LA notebooks. Our Kindergarten Math notebook will begin with “My Birthday is On”, “My Hand” and “Is My Foot a Foot.”

If you want to use the pages in your Interactive Notebooks, like we are doing, just scale them to 85% , trim the excess white space and glue ’em in :).

It will be free for the next 6 hours and then half-off the rest of the day!

Have a great first day back!

MY FIRST A to Z INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK {The GROWING Bundle}

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Shelley

The growing bundle is here! It includes all of the letters completed (A to X) and an editable cover page for your interactive notebooks. Letters Y and Z will be added in September.

If you haven’t downloaded your free sample {Letter M}, you can get it here. There is also a tutorial that will help you put it all together.

You are going to love the strong phonics foundation that MY FIRST A to Z INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK helps you provide your students. Your students will not only enjoy building each page and making it “theirs” by adding color and their creativity, but they will also love going back and reviewing their completed pages and therefore reinforcing what they have learned.

Interactive notebooks help you cut the clutter in your classroom. When your students practice and reflect on phonics and the alphabet in one location, it allows them to be organized. You won’t lose or misplace their work, and they will benefit from the chance to reflect (and interact with) all they learn.

This bundle will be listed at half-off through Wednesday!

My First A to Z Interactive Notebook {TUTORIAL}

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Shelley

Last year, we published our First Math Interactive Notebook. It is a great introduction to numbers, counting and basic operations. I love that it is filled with hands-on seat-work that my preschooler (now K-4) can accomplish with minimal direction from me! As I mentioned back in October, we are using an interactive notebook for phonics, too.

Actually, we ended up with 3 notebooks filled with A to Z work! They are going to be such a GREAT starting point for kindergarten. I know you will love using them with your students!

For each letter your students will practice:

Correct letter formation (uppercase and lowercase writing)
Letter recognition
Sorting lowercase and uppercase
Beginning sounds (including long and short sounds for each vowel as well as hard and soft sounds for C and G).
Using high frequency vocabulary that begins with the target letter
ABC order up to the target letter
Word building with lowercase and uppercase letter matching
Order and sequence
Visual discrimination (identifying items that begin with the correct sound; are found in a particular place; are a particular size or shape; or simply do not belong).
Using stickers to accomplish simple beginning target letter sound tasks

Here is how we put our notebook together. We’ll use the printables for Letter M (download a free copy of these printables here).

Every pack is formatted similarly to Letter M. Certain pages work best on plain paper, and others on colored. I have noted our preferences on each sheet, but you are welcome to use colored paper, or not.

CAPITAL M: After printing this section, pages 2-3, 5-8 (including the Letter M Headers and TOC) cut out each part:

SHEET 1: If you plan on using only the Letter M pack, the capital letter Alphabet Poster will be the first page in your notebook. Trim the edges to fit, and glue the outside edge of this sheet to your notebook.

If you plan on completing all 26 weeks, glue both blank Alphabet Posters (from the Letter A pack) inside the back cover of the first notebook and refer back to it each week you add a new letter.

SHEET 2: (pages 6-7 in the pack)To introduce Letter M we will use a Correct Letter Formation flap and a Letter Recognition frame. Here it is ready to use:

SHEETS 3 and 4: (pages 7-8 in the pack) There are two options for this sheet. We like to practice building the letter, with colored shapes similar to the Handwriting Without Tears wood pieces. Then practice finding the capital again, before we work on correctly writing it. So, our pages look like this:

This set-up includes the Letter M sheet from Step by Step Correct Letter Formation and letter building tiles and the “I can build it” frame (soon to be published). You can also set SHEET 3 up without the extras like this:

The combined set-up above, for students who do not need the extra practice of correctly forming the letter, includes pieces from our SHEET 5:

The Capital M section is complete. Lowercase M is a mirror of this section. We’ll use the figure from the TOC and pages 4, 5, and 8-10:

SHEETS 6-10: Here is the notebook ready to use (with the letter building activities included):

The alternative SHEET 8, using only the components from My First Interactive Notebook-Letter M looks like this:

Now for some FUN! On the next sheet your students will compare the capital and lowercase letters by sorting and spinning/stamping them.

SHEET 11: Follow the directions on page 12 to cut out the letter sorting pieces. The Letter Sorting page will be different for each letter (to reinforce the beginning sound each letter makes–for M we chose “mail” and “mailbox”). But, you will always glue the pieces to make a sorting pocket. For this sheet, be sure to cut the top of the mailboxes on the line indicated and glue the top, around the sides, the kidlette, and bottom of the mailbox to your notebook. Do not glue the middle of the mailbox–this is your sorting pocket.

You will also need the “I can” statements for this sheet (page 11) and the spinner (page 13) and stamp frame (page 14). [These are located on different pages so you can alternate colors throughout the your notebook without double-printing individual pages.]

Here is SHEET 11 ready to use:

SHEET 12: Now we’ll work on the SOUND of M. Cut the petal book and header from page 13 and the remaining pieces from page 14 (plus the I CAN statements associated with these tasks from page 11). Your students should color the beginning sound pictures before cutting and pasting them. The petal book is easy to assemble. Simply fold inward along the dotted lines, until it looks like a square (or square-ish :). Glue the back of the petal book into your notebook.

Your page will look like this:

SHEET 13: (see above) This is our ABC Order sheet (pages 15-17, plus the I CAN statement from page 11 and the letter houses from page 8). Use color, or white paper, for the ABC Orders–I like to vary it from letter to letter.

Just like the Letter Sorting, the ABC Order will be specific to the letter you are working on. For Letter M we chose “map.” Additionally, the ABC Order will only include letters that precede the target letter–so this week we are reviewing A-M. Your students will only need to put the last 3 letters in order each week. If you’d like these sheets with all the letters A-M for your students to sort, you can find them here (coming soon!).

SHEETS 14-23: (pages 18-27) This section requires very little prep on your part. Most sheets will require you to simply trim the excess white space around the activity frame. The Find and Build sheet (page 19) and Order/Sequence sheet (page 20) are the only ones that will require you to cut out other pieces. It is also up to you what order you have your students complete this section. Here is how we set ours up: