Fire Safety Week Books

Fire Safety Week Books: This a collection of picture books that can be used to introduce fire safety to elementary students. 

   

Curious George and the firefighters    Flashing Fire Engines - Rhyming Book

   

Big Frank's Fire Truck                  A Day in the Life of a Firefighter

                  

                 Firefighters A-Z                Stop Drop and Roll - A Book About Fire Safety

   

          A Day at the Fire Station       No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids

Synonyms List

Synonyms List for kids: Forty pairs of synonyms with pictures for Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3. I made this printable download to be very kid-friendly with cute and clear fonts for each word to be colored by students. The word pairs in this list can be cut out to be used as a synonym matching activity or they can be placed on a ring for quick access to a synonym word bank. The 40 synonyms in this printable list are: slim/thin, small/little, loud/noisy, big/large, angry/mad, happy/glad, bad/naughty, pretty/beautiful, nice/kind, quiet/silent, sleepy/tired, sad/unhappy, stink/smelly, smart/intelligent, easy/simple, object/thing, observe/watch, assist/help, under/below, over/above, buy/purchase, close/shut, calm/peaceful, unusual/strange, garbage/trash, say/speak, clean/tidy, jump/leap, push/shove, difficult/hard, end/finish, enjoy/like, idea/thought, drop/fall, choose/select, bother/annoy, connect/join, raise/lift, rescue/save, and gift/present. The clip art used for the pictures show student diversity (in gender and ethnicity). It can also be used as a synonym answer key when using worksheets.

You can get it here from my TpT collection.

Election Printables

Election Printables: This is a growing collection of classroom printables for U.S.A. elections. I am really excited about these. These election printables are really for any election year and will be updated for each election season. Clicking on any of the pictures will take you to each printable listed at my teachers pay teachers collection. I hope to add more to this soon.

On the left picture below is an illustrated word wall of 36 U.S. election words and terms. Each word card has a matching picture to depict the word’s meaning.  The election terms in this set are: election, vote, president, vice president, Republican, Democrat, amendment, blue collar, white collar, ballot, absentee ballot, bill, constitution, candidate, caucus, bipartisan, campaign, primary, delegate, debate, democracy, front runner, incumbent, independent, majority, political party, politician, negative ads, poll, suffrage, media, term limits, town meeting, funding, swing voter, and fund raising. It can be used as headers for doing ‘word of the day’ focus walls or it can be used as a stand alone word wall.

   

On the right above is the 'I Have Who Has' Game for Election Terms. These are illustrated game cards for reviewing the meanings of the most common U.S. election words and terms. Students can play in groups of three or more. Each of the election term cards has a picture next to it for visual learners to connect the terms to real life and to make sense of new and unfamiliar words.

Finally, below are election glossary cards that I made. They are a set of flash cards which each feature an election word or term, its definition, and a matching picture. 

Types of Classroom Decor Themes

Classroom Decor Themes make any classroom look like a dream. My all time favorite pattern is polka dots but stripes are cute too. There are pattern themes and there are topic themes. There are also seasonal themes but the first two types can be used for the entire school year unlike the seasonal themes. The most popular pattern themes are chevron, polka dots, stripes, animal prints, glitter, patriotic, etc. The topic themes are really fun because you can use them to promote a certain culture or vision that the theme reflects. For example, my favorite topic theme is the bee theme because it promotes the traits of a bee which are being a team player, a hard worker, staying busy and focused, and having that co-operative spirit of helping others and working together. Every topic theme has its own 'mantra' and of course they are really cute!  Most preschool and elementary classrooms would typically have any one of the following: an ocean or under the sea theme, super hero theme, space theme, jungle theme, monster theme, Rock & Roll theme, Hollywood theme, beach theme, owl theme, farm theme, nautical theme, camping theme, etc.  I'll be adding more pictures and Amazon links to this post as I find more themes. I've been working on a few printable classroom decor themes myself, because it's always easier to have a version that is editable rather that a fixed store-bought template, see them below. 

   

This polka dot classroom decor set has a huge variety of labels in different shapes, sizes and polka dot colors (black and white too). The shapes are pennants, circular and rectangular labels. It also includes binder covers. These printable labels can be used to make name tags, filing tags, subject headers, wall/door posters, word walls, etc. You can type directly into each one. The text boxes are already inserted for you. These are 75 editable pages with vibrant colors to lighten up your polka dot classroom decor theme. It is available here at my TpT collection. There is also a glitter version.

What are your favorite themes? Feel free to add your favorite theme in the comments below.

Sequence Cards

Sequence Cards - 3 step sequencing: These are theme based sequence cards made for the sequencing of everyday events that are familiar to young children. I loaded it with 45 three-step picture sequences - a total of 135 pictures in this set! I wanted it to have the cutest graphics I could find so that my kids would immediately zone into the activity. It is designed to be used throughout the school year and is divided into 6 themes which are Fall / Halloween, Winter, Spring, Summer, Back to school and food. There are three types of frames that your students can use for grouping the cards. The first on page three is for beginners because it uses only numbers: step 1, step 2, and step 3 (suitable for 'How to' types of instruction sequences). Page five has first next and last (suitable for ordering life cycles or events). Page four has first, second, and third. You can print the sets out on a smaller scale for reference as an answer key because they are already presented in the correct order. This is available for purchase here at my TpT collection and if you head over there, you can check out the preview which shows you all off the cards in full scale. I hope you'll like it!

Did you know you can use these in your classroom?

As teachers, we tend to have an eye for seeing the potential of many objects for use in the classroom. From kitchen tools to outdoor fixtures, and of course, dollar store items are a huge favorite. This is my own little list of odds and ends that you may already have that you can use in your classroom.

This is actually a table stand for wedding parties but you can use it for organising your group tables, school library, presentation displays, etc. The also would make cute welcome signs for back to school. Liquid chalk markers work well on these.

   

You may already have these at home: clipping hangers! I use them to store my large posters and card stock sheets. I hate using rubber bands to roll them and folding them is out of the question. The hangers keep them straight and flat. Tension rods allow you to easily set up a hanger rack.

This is a digital kitchen timer but it can be used for timing your students at school from classroom work to gym and outdoor activities. This timer has a very loud alarm, a magnetic back and a hanging hook.

 

Over-the-door hangers are really great space savers. I use them over my class door as well as tall cupboard doors but in those cases I strap them onto the door. These are really for shoes but I love that they are transparent so it is easy to find what you're looking for. Each pocket can be for a different group of teaching supplies OR each pocket can be labeled with 

 

Use party decorations to fit your classroom theme. This one is a Hollywood movie theme set. And here's a picture next to it of what a teacher made with a similar set.

 

For easy storage of classroom supplies, a light but durable drawer system is best. This set is really designed for small hardware tools or craft supplies but Ms. Driscoll, a teacher, used it for her brag tags incentives for her students.

Feel free to share any other items that you love to use in your class in the comments below. I'd love to add more ideas to this list.