Leveled Reading Comprehension Passages

A couple months ago I was on the look out for some comprehension passages for my kiddos.  For one of our second and third 9 week assessments our kiddos had to be able to read first grade passages and answer questions citing text evidence.  

This is hard to practice when you don't have printable passages that they can highlight and write on!!  

So my search began....

Then I found Anne at Common Core Connection and I was so excited!

She has created leveled comprehension packs for reading levels C through J and they are wonderful!  Most packs have fiction and nonfiction stories and they all have 4 multiple choice questions with each passage.  

To help with text evidence, I have my kiddos underline or highlight their answers in the story to prove their thinking to me.  I have also added some written response questions to the back of their question page.  Due to lack of time I just quickly write a few questions and draw lines for answers.  These don't come with the stories, it's just something I added for my own kiddos!  ;)

This practice has helped my kiddos so much.  I have used these stories for morning work, in guided reading groups, and during Daily Five.  They would be great for homework too!  I have seen a lot of growth from all of my students and it's fabulous that each kiddo is reading stories on their own level.  I differentiate the questions with each story and it's great practice!  

As you can tell I highly recommend these reading passages!  

I have bought all of them.  Here is what her Level I and J pack looks like:

Click on the picture to go purchase this pack! 

This pack has a lot of nonfiction stories.  My kiddos love reading these stories and then sharing with me what they learned...win-win!  :)

Here is what it looks like after my kiddos are done:  

I just noticed on that third question he should have started his answer with 'My favorite fact is'....oops!

  

My kiddos have to underline their answers.  This story was done independently.  I have asked several written response questions on the back to help with writing answers in complete sentences.  We call it restating the question.  We do it in reading and math (story problems) to help us know how to find the correct answer.  

To keep track of which stories I have used I have printed them all and put them in a binder.  I have them categorized by levels and I keep a small post-it on the next story so I always know where I have left off.  It's not a fancy system, but it's easy and it works for me!  

I also created a cute cover for this binder and I am sharing it with you.  Whether you have purchased these packs or have others, you can always use a cute cover!  I included 2 different covers that have one with first grade and one without since you can use these stories with several grade levels depending on your students' needs. 

Click on the picture to download for free!  

If you purchase these passages I hope you like them as much as I do!  They have been such a huge help with my kiddos!  :)

The weather is finally nice and my hubby is on his way home so I'm going to go enjoy my Friday evening.  Have a great weekend!  

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Last Sunday was Dr. Seuss' birthday so we had quite a celebration last week!  

If you had been on Pinterest in the last few weeks then you knew last week was his birthday.  There are some REALLY creative people out there...and I'm so glad they shared their ideas with me!  :)

Most of our activities came from Pinterest.  You can find the links to some Dr. Seuss activities and pictures on my Spring Board *here*.  

I want to share a couple of our pics with you from this week:

We made yummy Cat in the Hat treats and read about Dr. Seuss' life! 

We also read The Lorax, a Dr. Seuss poem, and drew our own Dr. Seuss characters.  

These are the truffala trees we made!  I was hoping to do more with this activity, but it took wayyyyyyy longer than I expected so we wrapped it up as an art project!   :)

I used the *FREE* Photo Grid app to make my first couple of pictures.  I've had the app for awhile, but haven't spent much time with it.  The last couple of weeks I have had lots of fun manipulating my pictures.  It is soooo easy to do and you can add all kinds of features.  

We wrapped up our Dr. Seuss week with some red fish and more Dr. Seuss stories.  One funny little story is that my student teacher was reading Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and one of my kiddos told her to wait because she wasn't reading all of the animal sounds!  He was teaching her how to do a read aloud and it was so funny!  :)

I hope you had fun celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday!  If you have any other fun Dr. Seuss ideas, I would love to hear about them!  :)
  

March Currently, Pics, and a Freebie

It's finally March!  Woohoo!  

We are in for another major snowstorm this weekend, but I am definitely happy it's March so hopefully this snow won't last long.  I am SOOOOO tired of snow days.  

My hubby told me last night I'm going to have a "Spring Day" instead of a "Spring Break" this year and that just makes me sad...especially if the weather is nice that week.  

To celebrate March, I am joining Farley's March Currently party!  

I have the tv on, but I'm not paying much attention.  I'm more focused on going back and forth between blogging and Pinteresting!  

I love that it's March, but not looking forward to the snow this weekend as I mentioned above.  

I need to get ready for my observation in a couple weeks.  I have a student teacher right now, so I'm not completely sure how this will all work.  But I want to be prepared and ready to go early!

I sooo want a vacation.  I'm going out of town for the weekend in a couple weeks and I'm looking forward to that, but I want a real vacation.  That may have to wait till summer though...

I wear out my shoes so fast at school.  I'm on my feet all day so I feel like I am always in need of a good pair of shoes.  Good thing I'm going shopping this afternoon!  :)

Can you guess my question????  The answer is organize, clean out my closet, and laminate!  

Make sure you grab my *FREE* Night Before Saint Patrick's Day Pack for this month!  

I want to share a couple more pictures with you from our science fun this week!  We ended our learning about the states of matter yesterday and my kiddos had so much fun with it!  

These experiments are found in this wonderful States of Matter Pack.  Just click the picture to go purchase it on TpT!  

This is our liquid rainbow.  We only had 3 colors instead of 4, but my kiddos loved it!  They were so impressed that I could mix up the jar and the colors would still separate.  First graders are so easy to impress!!  :)

Yesterday we made purple fizzy cows which my kids were thrilled about.  They contained all 3 states of matter: ice cream as a solid, grape pop as a liquid, and bubbles as a gas.  Great way to end states of matter!  

Well, I am off of here!  I need to go shopping and get out of the house before another big snow storm comes through and pummels us with snow again!  

Have a great weekend!  

States of Matter and TpT Sale!

We had such a great day today! We celebrated a birthday and my birthday kiddo brought ice cream!  Yum!  Then we also did a science experiment and ate popsicles.  Yum! Yum! 

We have been learning about the States of Matter in Science over the last couple of weeks.  Today we made popsicles and discussed solids versus liquids.  

I bought this great States of Matter pack awhile ago on TpT and was so happy to finally use it!

Click *here* or the picture to go purchase it!

This morning I poured some punch in the cups and my kiddos put a popsicle stick in each cup.  Then I carried the cups to the freezer in our lunch room.  This afternoon I went to get them and carried them back in a box.  My kiddos were so excited to see if the liquid froze!  

Here are some pictures of our popsicles:

Here are the frozen popsicles in the box. 

They were so excited when they realized they could pull the frozen popsicle out of the cup!  

This kiddo was a little surprised that it worked and came out in one piece!  

We made a hypothesis of what would happen, but my kiddos are pretty smart and figured it out!  :)

There is an experiment form to fill out with all the experiments in this pack.  My kiddos recorded what materials we used, the process of our experiment, their hypothesis, and their conclusion.  Tomorrow we're making a liquid rainbow...just in time before Saint Patrick's Day!  

Before I go, I want to remind you that tomorrow and Friday Teachers Pay Teachers is having a HUGE sale.  You can get 28% off for 2 days so stock up for the end of the year!  

You can click *here* or the picture below to head to my store!  

Enjoy the sale!  I will be doing a lot of shopping!  :)

Currently and Updated Math Story Problem Pack

I am linking up with Farley for her February Currently.  I've missed the last couple of months so it's good to be back !  

Listening: My mama had back surgery this past week and can't get around very well so she's making good use of Netflix!  I'm hanging out with her today to help out!

Loving: My mama's surgery is over and she is home!  Woohoo! 

Thinking: I got my first student teacher a couple weeks ago and she is doing great!  We've had 4 snow days since she's been here so she actually hasn't been in my room long, but it's going very well!  

Wanting: I have a 'little sister' in the Big Brother, Big Sister program and I have promised her we would go see Frozen.  I've heard it's really good so I'm looking forward to it!  

Needing: I need something yummy to eat...I am so hungry!  

2 Truths and a Fib:

1. Truth: I ran a marathon a few years ago.  It was on my bucket list and I'm so happy I have marked it off!  

2. Fib: I only have a brother.  I don't have any sisters unless you count my 'Little Sister' from the Big Brother, Big Sister program!  

3. Truth: I have been to all 48 continental US States!  I only have Hawaii and Alaska left and I will definitely get there someday!  

I also want to share my updated Math Story Problem Pack with you!  It has gone from 20 pages to 53 pages with lots more story problems, anchor charts, and even an ice cream cone activity to help your kiddos remember addition and subtraction key words!  

I have 2 types of anchor charts in this pack.  Each anchor chart has a copy you can just print and use and one your kiddos can make.   Below is a picture of my addition and subtraction sign charts that your kiddos can make!  

We use blue for addition and red for subtraction.  I wrote the key words on each sign first and then colored it to make it a great visual for my struggling kiddos.  

I also included ice cream cones with the update!  The subtraction and addition terms from the anchor charts are on 12 scoops.  There is also a blank copy so you can add your own terms.  Your kiddos can color the addition terms blue and subtraction terms red and then make 2 ice cream cones.  Aren't they cute?!  What kiddo doesn't want to make an ice cream cone!  ;) 

I now have 3 sections of story problems.  I added 10 addition problems which cover single digits, double digits, and adding 3 numbers.  There are also 10 subtraction problems which cover single and double digits.  And the last section is a mixture of both.  There are 20 pages of story problems with 2 on a page for a total of 40 mixed problems. 

The next picture shows how we solve the story problems.  We read the problem and decide if we need to add or subtract to solve it.  We color the addition sign blue or subtraction sign red.  Those are the colors we decided on.  You can choose whatever colors you want!  :)

Then we circle the numbers, underline the label, and highlight the key words that helped us.  I make my kiddos write a math sentence every time so I can see how they solve them.  Then they write their answer and label on the line.  

These pages have helped make story problems a little more exciting in our classroom!  I hope your kiddos enjoy them too!   

You can print these off and staple them into a packet, do one page at a time, or cut them in half and glue them into your math journals!  Use them however they work for you!  

My Math Story Problem Pack is currently on sale at its' original price until Monday.  Then it will go up to $5.00 so for today and tomorrow it's a fabulous deal!!  Over 50 pages for only $2.40! 

If you download the preview you will find a *freebie* to try with your kiddos!  

Don't forget my entire TpT shop is 20% off through tomorrow too!  

Enjoy the Super Bowl and have fun shopping today!  

Penguin Experiment and Super Bowl SALE!

Thursday was our first day back after an unplanned week long winter break....also known as snow/calamity/too cold days!  

I had to wrap up our penguin unit this week so I had to eliminate a couple activities since we only had 2 days this week instead of 5.  However, there was no way I could cancel our blubber experiment!  I told my kiddos they were going to see what it felt like to be a penguin and they were sooooo excited!  

It's so easy and provides such a clear understanding for your kiddos how blubber keeps penguins warm and able to live in such a cold, harsh environment.  

You just need Crisco, baggies, water, and 2 bowls.  I accidentally forgot the bowls so we used a couple tubs I had at school. 

I asked every kiddo which hand was warmer and if they could even feel the cold water through the 'blubber'.  None of them could and they were shocked!  It really showed them how penguins are able to survive!  

I missed our 100th Day of School yesterday because my mama had surgery on Tuesday and I was able to take her home from the hospital yesterday!  She was soooo ready to go home!  My student teacher did our 100th Day activities and said my kiddos loved them, but since I wasn't there I don't have any pictures this year!  

I wanted to let you know that I am having a Teachers Pay Teachers Sale this weekend to celebrate the Super Bowl!  While my hubby watches the game, I will be shopping!  :)

Click on the picture to go to my Teacher's Pay Teacher's Store!  Everything is 20% off and I just updated my Math Story Problems Pack so it's now more than double the size it was (20 pages to 50 pages) and the price is still the same until Monday!  

Have a great weekend watching football, funny commercials, and shopping!  I will be blogging tomorrow about all that I added to my story problem pack!  It's a steal right now if you ask me!  :)

100th Day of School Fun

Can you believe we've been in school for 100 days already?!?!  

Well, as of Friday we will have!  I wanted to share my Night Before 100th Day of School Pack with you!

You can have your kiddos bring in 100 things and have lots of fun sorting and counting them.  There is also a class book to make about the items your kiddos brought in or would bring in if they could.  

I always begin our fun by reading Natasha Wing's story The Night Before the 100th Day of School.  You can click the picture below to go purchase it.  My kiddos LOVE her books!  

Here is my Night Before 100th Day of School Pack!  We used it last year and will be using it again on Friday, although since we've had so many snow/cold days lately we won't be doing as much as I had originally planned.  That's how life goes!  

We will be counting 100 Fruit Loops and making necklaces too!  

What will you be doing for the 100th day of school?  Share some ideas and I'll choose 2 people to send my pack to for *free*!  :)