Teacher’s Brain

Tag: worksheets

Sight Word Center Ideas That Students Will Actually Love

kindergarten survival, Reading, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

All teachers of early elementary students can tell you that sight words are a huge part of their reading curriculum. What exactly are they? Sight words are words that children should be able to recognize instantly without sounding them out. They are common words found in many texts, and students become very familiar with them. However, they can often be tricky to read and spell since many do not follow common patterns.

Sights words are essential for learning to read with fluency and confidence. Flashcards are a common way to practice sight words, but fortunately, there are other (more fun!) ways as well. 

Centers are a perfect way for students to practice skills in the elementary classroom. Children benefit from working in small groups, as they learn how to collaborate and solve problems as a team. Teachers also benefit from the opportunity to work with small groups or individual students while the rest of the class is engaged in centers. Younger students can move between different activities during centers, keeping them engaged as they learn. Sight words centers are an ideal tool to increase your student’s knowledge of sight words!

There are hundreds of centers you can create to practice sight words, and many are very simple. For example, rainbow words are a fun way to practice writing their words. You can use many different mediums, such as watercolors, markers, or colored pencils. Students write each of the words in different colors. For the youngest students, they can use different colors to trace the words.

 Another option for a center is using magnets to build sight words. A simple cookie sheet provides a tray for students to work on, and they can manipulate the letters to make their words. For a little more sensory play, you can have students create their words with play-doh, then read them to each other. This activity also builds finger strength, which is great for handwriting skills. 

Looking for some no-prep sight word center activities to add to your rotation? I’ve got you! 

These Sight Word Worksheets are perfect for kindergarten students to complete independently during sight word centers.

sight word center

The bundle includes 40 pages of sight word practice that can be used in clear pouches for dry-erase activities, or printed for pencil and paperwork. 

sight word center

Another sight word center option is the Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions resource.

sight word center

This digital learning bundle includes over 90 pages of sight word practice as students find the words, answer questions, and more. The activities are completed in Google Drive, making it a perfect fit for a computer center or as a distance learning activity.

sight word center

 

Love these center ideas? Check out these math center ideas! 

I hope your students love these center ideas! What is your favorite way to work on sight words? Let me know in the comments!

 

Kindergarten Morning Work Ideas

kindergarten survival, Teacher's Pay Teachers

Morning work is a necessary part of most classrooms, especially in the early grades. As students enter the room, teachers often need to deal with lunch choices, parent notes, stuck zippers, and plenty of other things that require their attention. Morning work is the perfect way to get kids learning independently as soon as they arrive! 

Kindergarten students who have morning work daily learn how to follow a routine.

This is an invaluable skill to help the classroom run smoothly and effectively. Once the routine is introduced and practiced, your students can jump right in each morning without any help! 

Not only can this improve your mornings as a teacher, but in the event of having a substitute teacher the students will know what to do as soon as they arrive. Those first few minutes of time to review lesson plans and acclimate to the class will be so appreciated by any substitute. 

Morning work is also the perfect opportunity for kindergarten students to practice foundational skills daily.

They can practice letter formation, finger spacing, colors, reading, and math skills each and every day. Teachers can provide direct instruction at the beginning of the year on how to complete the tasks, and soon students will be able to work on their own.

 Worksheets that are predictable in its presentation helps students know what to do, and they can immediately start practicing when they sit down. As they use these skills daily, they will become more confident and comfortable. They will also feel independent as they walk in and successfully begin their own work like bigger kids! 

I know it can sometimes seem overwhelming to have a fresh morning work assignment for each and every day. So I created my no- prep Kindergarten Morning Work Packets to give you one less thing on your to-do list.

kindergarten morning work

 These packets have been carefully created for the kindergarten classroom as an easy, organized, YEAR-LONG resource. Simply print the packets for each day, week, or month, and you are ready to welcome your students! 

Students will get practice with: 

  •  Handwriting Uppercase and Lowercase Letters
  • Sight Word Practice 
  • Beginning Letter Sounds
  • Months of the Year
  • Days of the Week
  • Handwriting Sentences
  • Word Families
  • Silent /e/
  • Digraphs
  • Number Sense
  • Ten Frames
  • Counting
  • Number Lines 
  • Writing Numbers 
  • Counting On
  • Shapes
  • More and Less Than
  • 3D Shapes
  • Graphs
  • Place Value

In addition, each page has an extension activity that early finishers can complete on the back!

Compiling morning work is also a great way to see your students’ growth in their skills as the year progresses. 

Here’s what teachers are saying about these Kindergarten Morning Work Packets:

“I love this!!! My kids did the sampler and they really enjoyed it! I love that it has literacy and math skills together. Thanks!” 
Was looking for something for my students to have has practice work for all their skills. This looks fabulous covers all areas and is something they might be able to do independently. Can’t wait to use it!”
“The best morning work! Perfect for so many levels!”

Here’s to scramble-free mornings for the entire school year!

For more kindergarten tips, check out my post here!

 

5 Creative Ways To Make Worksheets More Fun

Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Worksheets are an essential part of the classroom. There are so many activities and crafts we can do with our students but sometimes there is just no way to get around good old fashioned worksheets. They are the best way for students to get practice and build fluency in whatever you are working on in the classroom. Worksheets are also just the best way to assess where your students stand in with the skills you are working on aside from taking a test.

Unfortunately, they aren’t always the most fun or engaging for the students. Despite any cute or fun designs they might have, they are still a sheet full of work for the student to complete, and that just isn’t the most thrilling thing to do. 

I am all about keeping my students engaged in the classroom, and the best way to do that is to make learning fun. Sometimes shaking things up a little can make a big impact on the kids’ willingness to really dive into what we are working on. 

make worksheets more fun

 

With worksheets, it can be beneficial for your students if you think outside the box. Believe it or not, there are ways to get creative with worksheets so that your students actually enjoy it, I promise! 

Here are some ways to make worksheets more fun

  1. Have students complete half. Let your students pick what half of the worksheet they want to complete. Letting them make the decision to do only the half that they want to do can take the pressure off to do the whole thing and shake things up just enough to take away the monotony of another worksheet. 
  2. Use rainbow writing. Get out fun colored pencils or colorful markers and have them use different colors to complete the work. This will create a fun rainbow effect on the worksheet. It’s like educational artwork! 
  3. Make them dry erase. Laminate the worksheets and get out some dry erase markers for the students to use while they complete it. There is just something about using a dry erase marker for kids. They love the feel of markers and their ability to easily erase and start over if they mess up. They will legitimately enjoy the activity, trust me. 
  4. Work with partners. Everything’s better when you’re working with a classmate. You can also pair the students up and let them play against each other in a game of “Beat My Partner”. They can race to see who can complete the work first with a little friendly competition. 
  5. Have a snowball fight! Have your students complete their work as fast as they can. Once they are done, check their work (to make sure they did their best), and then have some fun. Have everyone ball their paper up and have a “snowball” fight with them. This is guaranteed to be a hit! 

 

make worksheets more fun

Shaking things up in the classroom not only helps the students, it helps you keep things fun and exciting for yourself! Not to mention it will make you one of the most memorable teachers your students will have! 

For more ways to make learning fun, check out my tips for using games in the classroom here! 

For more learning resources, check out my shop here.

Do you have any ways you like to shake things up in the classroom to have more fun? Let me know in the comments!

make worksheets more fun

 

Teaching Forms of Energy

Science, STEM

Energy is the ability to do work. We know this, and we appreciate the ways we use energy in our everyday lives. For our students however, this is not necessarily something they would think much about. Our kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade students may not even know a lot about the energy they use every day like sunlight, food, and electricity. They also may not think of light, sound, and heat as types of energy. This is a very important topic for students to understand. 

Something that is important is to know your students’ misconceptions. Most likely, they don’t know what energy looks like. They may think that light can’t move through objects. They may have never thought about vibration creating sound. Teaching these concepts can be really fun with a little prep work!  

Here are some tips for teaching energy forms to your students. 

  • Take it slow. It can be a challenging concept for younger students to grasp at first. You don’t want to overwhelm them right from the start. Plan it out ahead of time and take it one step at a time. 
  • Explain what energy is first, and then start offering examples of energy (sound, heat, and light). Breaking it down will make a difference in student comprehension. 
  • Try reading some books about energy forms. Usually, books are a great way to learn more about subjects from a different source, which can be a great thing for the trickier topics. 
  • Do a variety of activities to get lots of practice. You can do fun science experiments if you want, or you can keep it simple and straightforward. Tell your students that they are the scientists and their job is to understand forms of energy. 

This Forms of Energy Activities resource for kindergarten and first grade would be a great addition to your forms of energy lesson plans. It covers sound, heat, and light with a 3 week plan including 3 inquiry lessons, data notebook, rubric, home project, and more. forms of energy

Here’s some more information on what is included in this Forms of Energy resource:

Lesson Plan (What is a Scientist?) WEEK 1

Lesson Plan (Science Tools) WEEK 2

Lesson Plan (Scientific Method) WEEK 3

Act It Out (Teacher calls out the energy word, students act it out)

Draw or List forms of energy

Forms of Energy Writing and Drawing Printable

Forms of Energy – Heat, Light, Sound Interactive Notebook Page

Energy Mini-Book

Venn Diagram – compare fire and the sun

Ask a Friend – Practice collecting data, predicting and collecting evidence

I SPY Sound Items

Draw what you think sound looks like

Interactive Notebook pages for making a pocket full of things that make sound

Sound Energy Mini-Book

Venn Diagram compare the soft sound of the beach to the loud sound of the music room at school

Writing Page about Sound Energy

Draw 3 forms of energy in the circle.

Inquiry Lesson Light Experiment with various Items to see if light passes through

Inquiry Student Page to collect

Hear and See Sound Experiment

Hear and See Sound by showing vibration

Melting Ice Teacher Instructions for Inquiry Lesson

Student page to collect data on melting ice experiment

Fun Science Hat/Headband 

What is energy? Poster

Vocabulary Posters (sound, soft, vibrate, loud, heat, light)

Energy Notebook Journal with Rubric

Forms of Energy

 

What activities do you like to do to help your students understand forms of energy? Let me know in the comments below!

forms of energy
For more science activities and lessons, check out my post here!