Digging Deeper to Make Ten

   I don't know about you, but I am so READY for summer. We are getting ready for D-track to go on break next week which means I am so much closer to my summer break.

   Prepping for my kinder intervention kiddos the next two weeks I'm needing some activities to keep the munchkins engaged as well as allowing them to dig deeper into their number sense skills which are lacking. With my last group of kinder kiddos we worked on composing and decomposing numbers up to 10. We used gummy worms and plastic worms in pails with shovels to add some excitement. Oh, boy! Everything just seems to click when you add some props and food of course. My assistant principal was actually in our room for an observation during our Squirmy Wormy number bond activity and she was amazed how engaged the kiddos were from start to finish. 

   I finally put all of the materials together in a pack to create four activities to help your kiddos practice their number sense skills up to 10. They can be used in small groups, in centers, or as RTI intervention. Each contains a teacher direction page, student "I Can" visual posters, recording sheets, and game pieces. Games include...

*Wormy Sorts: Making two groups of objects to equal a number. Play three ways with number tiles (included), a dice, or dry erase marker.
*Slimy Number Bonds: Use enclosed number bond mats and manipulative to make number bonds, Four types of recording sheets are also included for extra practice, homework, or assessment.
*Making Ten Frames: Use picture cards as a Memory game. Two recording sheets are provided.
*Draw it, Build it, Solve it: Kiddos can make number books that allow for three activities per page. They count pictures of worms to see how many more are needed to make ten, color in a ten frame, and complete an equation.

Here is a peek at my kinder kiddos at work with the sorting mats and number bonds. 

   Using gummy worms as manipulative are always a fun way to keep kiddos motivated to show what they know. Plus, we get to eat our math tools at the end!!! Signage is provided in the pack to label cups, buckets, pails, or whatever you have laying around the classroom to hold your manipulative. 

 Recording our findings on one of the four number bonds recording sheets provided in the pack. 

Use the sorting mats with or without the recording sheets.

Click on the image below to grab this Squirmy Wormy pack for your kiddos. 

Animal Mania! Nonfiction Close Reads

  After many requests I have bundled just my nonfiction animal close read texts and activities together from my Warming Up to Winter! unit. I don't know about you, but my kiddos LOVE close reading nonfiction stories. My intervention kiddos already struggle with vocabulary, background knowledge, and comprehension before they come into our off-track session. Close reads allow my kiddos to focus on one short text  and "dig dipper" into it.

   Included in Animal Mania! {14 Close Reading Texts & Activities} are articles about moles, hedgehogs, rabbits, owls, badgers, fox, bear, mouse, pig, horse, hen, geese, cats, and dogs. Each article contains simple text with content specific vocabulary and vibrant photographs. Activities for each nonfiction article also includes vocabulary cards with the word, meaning, and visual representation, note taking recording sheet, comprehension text evidence response sheet, and true/false sort. Here is a peek at the close reading activities.

Nonfiction text with real photographs and fact boxes. 

Large vocabulary cards: Laminate and cut the vocabulary word, picture, and meaning apart. Place in pocket chart for reference or as a sorting game in a center. 

After reading the text kiddos can record their new knowledge on the animal note taking recording sheets. 

Kiddos will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the text by referring back to the article to find the evidence to support their answer. 

Use these true/false sorts as an assessment or as a center to demonstrate if students really understood what they read. Differentiate by place with the animal article for kiddos who may need more support or alone without the article for your high flyers. 

   You can grab Animal Mania! {14 Nonfiction Close Reads & Activities} by clicking on the image below. Happy reading!