Back to School Freebie and NEW Letter-Sound Mats!

I've got a little back to school freebie that I like to use in the first few weeks of school.  It's a back to school poem and cloze activity.  I put the poem under the document camera and we read it every day for a week. We discuss the poem - do a little "close reading", talk about why it says "goodbye old pool", find rhyming words, etc...

{click to download}

 For one of their literacy/word work centers that week I put out copies of the cloze activity that goes with the poem.  These are printed two-to-a page, so I make copies and cut them in half.  I also have sentence strips with the each line of the poem written on a strip and they put the poem together in a pocket chart.

{click to download}

Once students complete the cloze activity, they glue it in their poetry notebook (which is a composition book - this is why they are two-to-a page, to fit in the notebook).  After completing the cloze and gluing the poem in their poetry notebook, they draw a picture to go with the poem.  Here is my example (Don't laugh - I am a terrible artist):

I just finished a new kit for Teachers Pay Teachers!  I will blog more about it later, but here is a little info now:

  This is a 40 page kit with TWO different activities included!

Here are a few sneak peaks from the activities:

and

Best of all, it's only $3.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click on any of the photos to see this at Teachers Pay Teachers.

And another one...

Part two....I've just uploaded another Writing Center to Teachers Pay Teachers!  Very similar to the Chalkboard Writing Center (the Chalkboard Style has a few more printables), but with a different look.  This is a rainbow chevron style:

Click on the photos below or click HERE to go to Teachers Pay Teachers to see the free preview of this new 35 page kit!

Here's more info on what is included in this kit:

Tips, ideas, and photos for setting up your board are included in the download. The following items are also included:

1. Six title styles to choose from (three in colored lettering, three in black lettering)
2. Two sizes of headings. Headings included are: Letter, Story, List, Card, Postcard, Poem, Recipe. (Colored Chalk and White Chalk styles included)
3. “What Can I Write About?” Story Prompts
4. "Super Synonyms" Printable
5. “What Good Writers Do” Printable
6. Alphabet/Number Chart
7. Bonus Writing Checklists - Cut and handout to students during the editing process
8. *Two Card Samples
9. *Two Letter Samples
10. *Two List Samples
11. *Story Sample
12. *Two Postcard Samples
13. *Two Poem Samples
14. *Recipe Sample
15. Postcard Template (two per page)
16. Card Template (two per page)
17. List Template (three per page)
18. Two Story Templates
19. Two Letter Templates

I also have a great new kit, Interactive Word Wall Books, that coordinate with this Writing Center:

A Poem In My Pocket Freebie

Here's a quick - last minute - printable for Poem In Your Pocket Day, which is tomorrow!  To print on blue construction paper, cut the construction paper down to 8.5 x 11.  You can put the construction paper in your printer or copier, but it works better to feed the paper one sheet at a time through the bypass (where you would put labels or cardstock).

Instruct your students to cut along the OUTER edge (but NOT in the middle of the pockets!).  Fold in half and glue along the open side and bottom (not the top).

Write your favorite poem on a half sheet of paper, fold it up and keep it in your pocket!

Click HERE to download the printable (or click on the picture below):