S Clusters/S Blends

Our spelling principle this past week was learning about S clusters (or blends).  This was a little bit more challenging for some of my students.  I made some fun literacy center activities to go along with the spelling words this week.  Their mouths watered as the sorts the Smores onto the correct mats.

You can find them here:   S Cluster activities

Abe Lincoln's Hats

Whew...this month has been crazy already.  With I Love to Read Month, Valentine's Day, President's Day, the 100th day of School, Groundhog's Day and dental health (speaker), my head is spinning thinking of how I am going to get it all in.  It always seems that all of these days follow on the same day or within days of each other.  I am trying to tie them all into my lessons so that I can get them all covered.

One of the fun things I like to do is make Abe Lincoln's Hats for our Valentine's containers.  Abe Lincoln always kept his important notes in his hat where he wouldn't lose them.  I always read the story, Abe Lincoln's Hat to my kiddos.


You can get it here....
http://www.amazon.com/Abe-Lincolns-Step-into-Reading/dp/0679849777  or at Walmart or other book stores.

We then talk about how Valentine's Day is coming up and how we will be bringing special cards in to give each other.  We talk about how we want to put them into a special place...so we make our own "Abe Lincoln's Hat".  Listed below you will find directions on how we make them.

1.  Lay a big black piece of paper in front of you the hot dog way.

2.  Tell the kids to put their pointer finger on the edge of the paper (to their first knuckle).  Have them draw a line above that finger. 

3.  Fold the paper on the line....where their finger landed. (If you want to skip these steps, you can fold the paper yourselves...but the kids do pretty well at this).

4.  Lay the paper down and put two fingers to the edge of the paper.  Make a line.  Keep doing this with your fingers....making lines all the way to the end of the paper.

5.  Cut slits on the lines.  Make sure you stop at the fold.  

6.  Lay the paper on the table with the fold tucked in.   Put a line of glue on the edge of the paper.  Roll up and glue like you are making a cyclinder.

7.  Write name with a white crayon on a square piece of black paper. 

8.  Cut out some hearts. (Or use heart stickers).  Glue these onto the hat (rolled cyclinder).  Make sure to get glue all the way to the edge of the heart and count to 20 when putting on hat.

9.  Put rolled paper on table so slits are on top.

10.  Put glue on each of the slits.  Make sure to get the edges.

11.  Put glued slits onto the middle of the square paper.  Hold down and press on slits...counting to 20.

12.  Put hat on table...

13.  Have kids put Valentines into each others Abe Lincoln's Hats.