Spelling on the Go! Fun printables for any spelling list!

Setting up Word Work and Spelling centers has been the bane of my teaching career.  I always wait until the last minute to do them, and when I first started teaching I had to create them all from scratch!  My students one year struggled so much with spelling that I knew I had to buckle down and make it one of my top priorities to help them figure it out!

First I needed to make sure my kiddos who were struggling with letter formation could practice that skill, so I made two different word list forms.  Alternatively, you can have a printed list of words.

 

Now the fun part, all the activities we can do with our words!

Writing in scribbles is an all-time favorite. Students simply write their word as many times as they can inside a scribble.  Repeat for the rest of the spelling list.

 I included several premade scribbles, some for 10 word lists and some for 15 word lists.  If your lists are shorter, you can double up on some of the words or you can have your students color in the scribbles they don't use.

Letter steps is another fun way to practice spelling words.  You start spelling the whole word and slowly remove letters as you keep writing it.  I have also included the other version of the steps: You start with one letter and add a letter each time your write the word. 

Hidden words is a very interactive way to learn your spelling words as well.  You write your word using a white crayon.  Then you can use a marker or paint and color over to reveal the word!

 

Some of my spellers didn't need as much help so I set to challenge them by asking them how many syllables were in each word.  They loved using a dobber to dob their answer!

There's so many more fun and engaging activities in my Spelling on the GO! No Prep Pack.  You can see every activity included in the full length preview.  Hope you enjoy!

Five (Okay, four) for Friday

Happy Friday everyone!   I'm linking up with Doodle bugs for this Five for Friday!

 My new blog design is up and running!  I am so excited.I love the bright colors and the stars popping out of the header - need I say more?  Thank you to Design Infusions for the AWESOME job!!

My husband and I are also coming up on our 8th wedding anniversary!  The theme for that year is linen so I got this lovely piece of linen --

A little backstory - I've owned this exact purse for over 4 years (and faithfully carried it every single day!).  The stitching on the right side was actually starting to unravel which meant I was going to have to retire it.  Ebay to the rescue!  20.00 later and I have almost a brand new version of my fave!  Or maybe.  My daughter might be taking it as her own.......

It was fruit and vegetable week for my preschooler!  How adorable is this for some fine motor skill work?

 Apple picking field trip was on Thursday as well!  She was sooo stinking hot, but she loved the adventure!

Product Overhaul

I am in the process of revamping some of my older TPT product, and my oh my, do they need it!

Here's a couple before and after shots!

 Old one here.

New and improved version of the same sheet here!

Old one here:

 

New and improved here!

A sale AND a freebie? It must be back to school time!

I am still in awe that the summer is nearly gone!  But with that comes the awesomeness that is the TPT back to school sale!  You can catch my store (everything!) for 28% off if you use the code "BTS14" when you check out!

On top of that, who doesn't love a freebie?  I am collaborating once again with my friend Crystal White to bring you some fantastic animal print frames!  There are five frames total, with a white or transparent fill each!

You can use these for your classroom library, TPT products, you name it!  The sky is definitely the limit.

Grab those frames and more from my TPT Store!

8/3/14 Free Stuff Sunday!

This week I am featuring Christine from Christine Maxwell.  She has a number of amazing number sense and early learner products! 

Back to School time Already!? Let's share our Ideas!

It's that time of year again!  Time to open that fresh box of crayons, sharpen those pencils, and get down to business with a new school year!

One of my favorite first day activities involves...  Play Doh.  What!?
 


Yes.  You can purchase the small individual sized containers and place them out for each student when they come into class.  Encourage each student to play for the first ten minutes or so, while you get ALL that paperwork in order.  It's a great stress reliever and helps break the ice in a fun and inquisitive manner!

What tips do you have for the first day of school?  Let's link up!  Simply add your post link below to share in the back to school fun!

An InLinkz Link-up

7/27/14 Free Stuff Sunday!

This week I am featuring Melissa from More Time 2 Teach!  She says, "My name is Melissa and I've been teaching for 15 years now. I joined TPT about a year ago just to try it out... and I am now hooked! Not only am I a seller, but an avid buyer as well. I absolutely LOVE designing activities that engage students,aka FUN, that are creative, and that help make lives easier for teachers."

Back to School Glyph!

Glyphs are so much fun to make, especially in the early primary grades.  It's a great way to encourage active listening skills with your students!  Plus, who doesn't love an easy open house bulletin board?!


The materials!

Ready made printables with the whole group or individual in mind!

 Step by Step Teacher directions!

 Color and cut!

 Math Activities to tie it all together!

Free Stuff Sunday! 7/20/14

This week I am featuring Nicole and Eliceo!  They say, "I (Nicole) have over 10 years experience teaching K-2 English as a Second Language (ESL). My husband (Eliceo) and I team to provide quality bilingual products. I am from Minnesota and my husband is from Puebla, Mexico, but we currently live in the Yucatan with our 2 kids. Most of our products come in both English and Spanish at no extra charge for the 2 languages. "

New TpT Tutorial! Text Effects!!

I am so excited to show off my newest TpT tutorial!  It's all about adding text effects to your product covers!

Let me give you an example..

When I first started my TpT journey I was absolutely in the dark about how to create those fancy cover pages that so many others were using.  I made do with what I had but I have learned so much since then!

For example --

This is my original "Sound Out" cover page.  It gets the message across just fine, but it doesn't have that "WOW" factor. 

Add a few more pops of color and VOILA!  A brand new cover page with fancy text effects!

 In my tutorial I will show you how to:

• Fill your text with color
• Give your text an outline
• Add a Glow effect
• Add a Shadow effect
• Add a Reflection
• Add Transformations

You can find the tutorial embedded below or you can head straight to YouTube for it!

Free Stuff Sunday! 7/13/14

This week I am featuring PrepToon!  They say, "We are a husband-wife team passionate about making math more fun and engaging by showing math concepts in short animations. Our TpT store has all the 6th grade math content and we are building all the content for grades k-8!! And yes, WE LOVE TpT!"

Free Stuff Sunday! 7/6/2014

This week I am featuring Christina from Christina L!  She says, "I am a certified Spanish and ESOL K-12 educator with two Masters in Foreign Languages and Multicultural/Multilingual Education. I have taught elementary, high school and Adult Education. Currently I am home with a newborn baby!"

Free Stuff Sunday! 6/29/14

This week I am featuring Brittany from Brittany Washburn!  She says, "I am an elementary technology teacher and digital resource creator on TpT. I say I have 2 full time jobs because I am still building my TpT store and it has a long way to go! I created this freebie sampler to expose teachers to the idea of putting I Can Statements for the technology standards in their classrooms. With common core being so tech-heavy I think it helps when the students are exposed to the technology vocabulary on a daily basis."

Free Stuff Sunday! -- 6/22/14

This week I am featuring Janet!  This wonderful craftivity has so many possibilities!  Janet explains a bit about herself --- "I have been teaching 3rd grade for more than 25 years in the same elementary school I attended as a child. I currently teach a 3rd/4th grade combo class. I teach with my sister-in-law (3rd grade) and my sister (4th grade). I am on my school's leadership team and serve as the Arts Advantage Coordinator for my school site. I am GATE certified. All three of my children attended the school at which I teach.I have been a teacher/author on TPT for a little more than a year."