CH-CH-CH-CHANGES!! (and some FREEBIES!!)

Hello to all my faithful followers!!  I must apologize for not posting in FOREVER, but there have been lots of changes going on that I have been trying to handle.  Moved houses (but now have internet access!!!!) and learned that our school will be getting lots more teachers and students next year, and have been trying to get my kiddos going with the Daily 5 for reading and the Daily 3 for math!  I am setting goals for the summer, and one of them is to post AT LEAST every other day, with a main goal to post every day once school starts up again.  I have to thank all of you awesome readers out there who have stuck with me these past few weeks, and what better way to thank you than giving you some freebies!!!

The first freebie I have for you is one centered around ocean animals.  During the fourth quarter in my district, kindergarten focuses on the animals of the world and their habitats.  We spend about a week on each habitat, except for the ocean habitat.  That one gets two weeks, for two reasons.  1) There are TONS of animals that can be found in the ocean, and 2) Our most favorite field trip of the year is to a local aquarium, and the littles become OBSESSED with all things ocean!  This is a quick assessment I used to determine if my littles understand which animals live in the ocean habitat, and if they can make a connection between the ocean animals and their habitat.  I want them to be able to tell me that ocean animals are best suited for their habitat because they have certain physical features, like fins or gills, that allow them to flourish here as opposed to the forest or desert.  I have used this as a quick reading, science, and writing grade!

My next freebie for you is one that I use during math groups to help determine if my kinders understand the Common Core Standard K.OA.3; 'Decompose numbers that are less than or equal to ten in more than one way'.  It is a quick assessment that can be used in a small or whole group setting, where students must draw a given number of marbles in a jar and then color some of them one color and the rest a different color.  They then record the numbers of each color, and I have them verbally tell me the number sentence (e.g. - if they drew 4 blue and 2 green, they would tell me that 4 + 2=6, and some of them would then give me the 'turn-around fact').

I hope you are able to use these freebies in your classroom, and I hope that you continue to check back with me for new products and ideas!  Tell your friends and colleagues to come on over and follow my blog!!