Week 4 in November Lesson Ideas
Happy last week in November! Does anyone else feel like this week after Thanksgiving, but before December is just a calm before the storm?
And by storm, I mean the hurricane that is December as a teacher and a mom?!
I absolutely love this “hurricane” of December… we have so much fun learning about Christmas in other cultures, writing letters to Santa and using so many fun themes to learn the kindergarten standards. But oh my, between school and home, December is exhausting for me.
If you’re new here, welcome! I share my lesson plans for free HERE
I really do love teaching in November. If you missed my previous weekly blog posts, hop on over to Week 2 HERE and Week 3 HERE
The week we have so much fun exploring fall with our five senses, reading the adorable Bear Says Thanks and graphing all things fall!
We are also still segmenting and blending CVC words (we are almost done with our final sounds unit), and we are writing sentences! This week we finish up our geometry unit.
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Let’s get started!
If you like to plan in advance, I get a lot of questions about Christmas gifts for students.
I really don’t like to spend a lot of money on student gifts, but I do like to do something personal for my sweet kiddos.
Seriously… how cute are these?!
You can write each child’s name on the insert and personalize it with the year and from your name too.
The best part is these only cost about $1 each to make!
You can do the color version, or there is also a black and white version kids can color themselves. CLICK HERE to visit the blog post to learn more.
I didn’t realize how many teachers had to turn in lesson plans not one week in advance, but one month in advance. I was shocked! If you’re already planning for December, you can visit my December homepage HERE
Back to November….
If you already using my morning work, then you know that students can mostly be independent with these worksheets.
So even though I am currently teaching last sounds in CVC words, these worksheets have students write the missing first sounds because this reinforces and helps them practice what I have already been taught.
This week we are working on correct directionality tracing letters Pp-Tt, filling in the missing numbers, writing the missing first sound in a CVC word, hopping up on a number line, sight words and counting.
These target the exact skills my students are learning, but can also be independent with. There is never new material on the morning work.
Try it yourself and print a FREE WEEK from every month HERE
Each month also now is compatible with Google Slides if you’re teaching virtually! This comes in each pack as a free upgrade (if you already own the morning work, just go to your purchases on TPT and download the upgrade.)
PHONICS - FINAL SOUNDS IN CVC WORDS
Last week, I shared how Elkonin Boxes are so helpful when segmenting and isolating the three sounds in CVC words.
Hop on over to last week’s blog post if you want to see the video and the “why” behind elkonin boxes.
If your kids need help with first sounds still, read my weekly blog posts HERE to see videos and ideas that will help.
Here are the last sounds we have been working on this month: b, d, g, m, n, p, r, t, x
This week, we are focusing on last sounds x,p,r.
Words include fox, box, six, mix, fix, car, jar, dip, mop, lip, map and zip.
I always warm up with phonemic awareness activities before we do the worksheet activities.
I model with the Elkonin Boxes, touching each box as I say a sound.
We absolutely love our phonics quilts! I have created these cut and paste “quilts” for practicing first, middle, last sounds and complete CVC words.
I love that their quilts can end up differently as there is more than one way to arrange the pictures.
They are given the last sound, and they fill in the missing first and middle sounds.
Then they glue the picture to match the word.
We do worksheets and tons of hands-on centers to practicing segmenting sounds.
Direct instruction idea:
Practice focusing on those last sounds by watching this video. I have kids say the last sounds with me when they turn red.
Afterwards, we play the last sound matching game with the picture cards included in the unit.
For example, I will show them these three pictures:
I say each word, we segment all three and then I point to the last elkonin box and say, “Which two have the same last sound?”
Answer: six and fox
Since this is a phonemic awareness activity, you don’t even have to talk about letters or write letters. We are practicing segmenting and blending orally and are focusing on just the sounds.
If you are not familiar with Elkonin Boxes, here is a video to help you get started.
There are many ways to use Elkonin Boxes. May people push little counters up into the boxes. I prefer to just use the colored squares and students touch the squares.
Below is a video of me using the Elkonin Boxes to segment CVC words (this video was from when we were working on first sounds.)
Now that we are studying last sounds, I just focus on the last square.
I like them to be three different colors so they can visually see three different sounds.
After our phonemic awareness activities (this is building their foundation), we incorporate letters using the worksheets and activities.
To then focus on phonics, or incorporating letters, these are the activities we use this week:
We focus on the last sounds p, x, and r this week.
For more information on how I teach phonics, please visit my phonics homepage HERE
MATH THIS WEEK - GEOMETRY
We started geometry at the beginning of November.
It is easy to spend the least amount of time on this math unit, but research suggests that these skills of understanding symmetry, perspective, mental rotation, use of scale, and basic navigation skills are incredibly important for a strong foundation in math and problem solving skills.
Teaching geometry is so much more than having children memorize the name of shapes. It is really about spatial reasoning, problem solving and recognizing patterns.
Since we are getting ready to finish up our geometry unit this week, here are cute review videos to play for your kids.
This video reviews the 3D shapes.
Here are some of the activities we are doing this week:
I want children to be able to recognize and name the basic shapes, as well as being to recognize them in the world around us.
There are so many fun geometry games to play! We do write the room with both 2D and 3D shapes.
We are having so much fun with this geometry unit!
I love the critical thinking activities where they have to problem solve.
The geometry journals are really neat to work through.
I mix it up between hands-on manipulatives, activities and worksheets.
CLICK HERE
These activities can be used in small groups, whole group and rotating centers. What I love about them is we play them many times throughout the unit.
Geometry is more important than you may think for teaching schildren important math skills. Read November week 2 blog post about geometry and I explain more.
Read my full blog post about geometry HERE
READING
You can use my reading program in small groups, whole groups or centers. I would say the most important activity to do in small groups would be the comprehension activity page. The mini book and sentence builder can eventually be moved to centers if you prefer.
I would teach in small groups all day if I could. It is so easy to keep them engaged and make connections with each child.
The theme stays the same for the entire week to build fluency and confidence.
I outline my guided reading routine HERE on our rock star reader homepage.
Getting started each day with reading instruction:
We warm up by reviewing sight word flash cards and then read two sight word fluency pages that we are working on.
If you have five kids in each small group, just make five fluency passage folders. I just slip each passage into a page protector and this makes it so quick and easy to read each day.
I use these three pronged folders and page protectors.
You can do the same thing with your guided reading fluency passages as well.
Then I get started with our weekly themed reading unit.
Mondays and Tuesdays we do the reading fluency/comprehension page, Wednesdays we work on writing with the build a sentence activity and Thursday and Friday we use our mini reader.
We follow the same routine each week with guided reading using the same three materials: fluency and comprehension passage, mini reader and sentence builder.
The theme changes each week and the difficulty increases each week, but the routine stays the same. I love that my kids are in a routine and it saves me so much energy not having to explain what to do. All of our instructional time is spent on learning.
I love thematic teaching, and this is the last week of all about fall.
We have learned so much already with this unit, but I am prepping for next week when we dive into Christmas Around the World.
But before we do that, we finish up our fall unit this week with some really fun, hands-on activities.
Do your students absolutely love the Bear Series?
Oh my.. we sure do! And this one is so cute. All of Bear’s friends stop by and bring goodies over, and bear says, “Thanks!”
Bear begins to feel worried he has nothing to offer since his cupboards are bare. His friends remind him he has stories and friendship to share.
The kids are always so excited to chime in and help me read, “…. Bear says, ‘Thanks!’”
We talk about what Bear and his friends bring to their Thanksgiving feast, and how it is a little different than what people like to eat.
I use our “Fall Tastes Like” cards and we share what we like to eat for Thanksgiving.
This sentence builder is perfect for this week! We cut out, match and paste the words.
Then some students are able to write it on their own.
(Tip: for your struggling writers, write the sentence in highlighter for them to trace.)
This is a fun writing prompt to do this week with your students that coordinates perfectly with the book.
It always makes me laugh to see what students write… “_____ gave me ______ and I said, ‘Thanks!’”
Do you teach your students how to graph? This is a super easy and fun way to start!
This wraps up our all about fall unit.
Next week, our Christmas Around the World enrichment unit starts. We have so much fun learning about Christmas in Mexico and Las Posadas, we go to Germany to learn about Saint Nicholas and then to Italy to learn about their traditions including La Befana.
NO PREP ACTIVITIES
I use these activities as my “centers” in the classroom. This year I am using them just as supplemental activities here and there with my daughter for homeschooling.
You can use these activities in any order you wish and they are all standards based. They are so versatile! These are the ones I plan on using this week (shown above.)
I ditched all the cute centers that took a ton of ink and lamination, and instead I just “print and teach” with these activities. The kids recognize the format of many of these now and they require very little direction.
They are perfect for “sub tubs” or for fast finishers too.
WRITING
We have been working on writing a complete sentence and adding details to create a personal narrative. This week looks a little different, because we take a break from our usual writing instruction and we work on poetry.
I display our monthly poem by the calendar time area, and we practice it daily. By the last week in the month, my kiddos have it memorized. Week four of each month, we then complete the poetry writing activities. This is so fun!
I make poetry folders for each child, so at the end of the year, you can see how far they have come.
At the beginning of November, I started our narrative writing unit.
I started the school year teaching that words have meaning, and we put letters in a specific order to create words. I do this with my labeling unit.
After that, we move on to grouping words together that make sense by creating lists - grocery lists, school supply lists, seasonal lists, etc in my making lists unit.
Now we are learning how to write a complete sentence and even adding additional details to create a personal narrative in primary writing unit 3.
We started with our mini book and sentence starters a couple weeks ago.
I want my students to feel confident - so I meet students where they are at. Sometimes that means writing their thoughts for them in highlighter, and they trace it.
I use a ton of scaffolding including picture word banks and sentence starters.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. Doing the same activity, in the same format over and over again this will build their confidence.
When they are ready, move on to writing three sentences (with picture word banks and a graphic organizer with sentence starters.)
HERE ARE SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE BEEN USING THE PAST FEW WEEKS:
These are so fun to complete with students and provide the exact support they need to begin writing a narrative piece.
The different combinations and possibilities students can write about are endless. They simply choose one box from each poster and then complete the coordinating recording sheet.
Students get to choose:
Where did you go?
What did you do?
What was it like?
This is the perfect way to scaffold students and provide the support they need to complete their first narrative writing pieces.
I do these activities using direct instruction in small groups first. We walk through the expectations and then I show them how I would complete the activity. Then we do a narrative piece together, and finally they complete one writing piece with me observing.
I use narrative writing Boom Cards to help students practice writing a sentence, put events in order and add details.
There is an option to purchase the unit with Boom Cards or without.
I created this program last spring when schools went remote for virtual learning. It makes it so easy for parents to see what students need to work on each day.
It brings consistent, standards-based activities that students feel confident completing each day.
In the classroom, these make perfect daily warm ups for language arts and math time. They also can be used for a daily end of the day review.
I use them at home with my daughter each day - I just copy the math and language arts page back to back each day for her. I love how she can be almost totally independent with them!
NOVEMBER BOOM CARDS
Perfect for whole group instruction, small groups, intervention, independent centers, homeschooling virtual learning and more!
Your kids will love using these decks to practice the exact skills we are working on right now.
I love that they get instant feedback since they are self correcting. You can try the first five cards in each deck for free!
See you next week!
All my best,
Michala
