Plants, Plants, Plants!

We just starting our plant unit! I have been loving it because I found TONS of fabulous free resources to use! Read on to see what we've been doing and where you can grab these freebies.

Parts of a Plant

On day 1, we focused on the parts of a plant. I found this super cute anchor chart idea on pinterest. (Not sure where it is originally from, if you know... help a girl out!)

We read a Parts of a Plant reader that I got for FREE from Greg over at Smedley's Smorgasboard.

We also sang a Plant Parts song by Dr. Gene!

Once we learned ALL about the parts of a plant, we added our new learning to our Plants anchor chart. We will continue to fill out this anchor chart and then use it to publish writing at the end of the week.

Then we made this cute little craft that shows the parts of a plant.

(I got this FREEbie from Kimberly Cavett.)

Plant Needs

On Day 2, we focused on the needs of a plant. 

We sang this Needs of a Plant song to help us remember everything that a plant needs.

We added the needs of our plant to our craft.

Then we filled in the "need" portion of our anchor chart.

Click here to grab this free graphic organizer and a writing page.

We will be finishing the graphic organizer and then doing some writing all about plants. Next week, we will start on the plant life cycle.

Here are some books that we have been using to lead our discussions. Click them to see on Amazon.

           

Follow me on Pinterest to see more great ideas I've found.

Earth Day (Five for Friday)

Happy Friday! We celebrated Earth Day all week! It was a short week for us due to Easter Break (private school perks). Short week = good week. I also finished my Vandy classes this week and I am officially ELL endorsed! So happy to have that completed.

Do you every have those days at school when you think "Is this really my life??". Well that was today for me. This is not Earth Day related, but I had to share...

In case you do not speak fluent kindergarten: "I pooped on the floor today and I will not do it again today. Never not Sunday and Monday."

Insert... is this my life...thoughts.

This freebie came from Miss Kindergarten.

We read this little reader all week. I am so proud of how far my kiddos have come in their reading. It really starts to click around this time of year and it is so rewarding!

Last but not least, it is time to announce my giveaway winner!

Congrats to... Lori!! You will love your ESGI subscription!

If you haven't checked out ESGI yet... you need to. Like NOW. Read about it here.

Thanks to all who entered and commented on that post! I will be sending ALL of you an item of your choice from my store. =)

Earth Day FLASH FREEBIE

Hi friends!

Today is my Friday this week--woopwoop! We started our Earth Day celebration early and I have a FLASH FREEBIE to share with my amazing followers!

It is an Earth Day reader that would be great for "Read to Self" time or guided reading. It will be free just until I get home for dinner tonight--so grab it while you can by clicking on the picture! (Feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.)

Here is a forever FREEBIE I made last year for Earth Day.

I am trying to finish my Earth Day No-Prep pack... and will hopefully have it done before Earth Day actually arrives. Key word = hopefully.

In the meantime, check out this Earth Day post from last year.

Also, today is the last day to enter my ESGI Giveaway! Don't miss it!

Five for Friday--All About Seasons

It's that time again...

This week we have been studying seasons.

First and most importantly... make sure you enter my giveaway! It ends on Wednesday.

We had a field trip this week. We went to go see the Kid Power Program. It was pretty high for my kinders, but they had a great time. (That's what matters, right?)

For the past two weeks, we have been studying seasons. Here is an anchor chart I made for reference. We also made an anchor chart with key words for each season.

We read sentences and illustrated them. Students that were able to added more to their sentence.

As an assessment, I used this fab freebie from Britney Bennet.

Need more ideas for seasons? Click here!

Have a great weekend!

Double Late Linky

I am linking up with DoodleBugs and Farley late for Five for Friday AND Currently! Don't judge me for being a slacker. Posting a double linky makes up for it... right?!

This was my first week back from Spring Break aaand I guess my brain is still on break because I took zero pictures this week. Here is some randomness that I have to share.

Have you entered my (double) giveaway yet? Click the picture to find out how!

Here is the bag I ordered. I couldn't resist. They are having a sale this weekend AND I went through Ebates to make sure I got my cash back! (If you haven't signed up for Ebates you MUST! It. is. awesome.)

 I found this teacher toolbox on pinterest... and I am thinking I NEED one for next year. This one has free labels too--so cute!!

This is a liiiiiittle late, but for Read Across America Week each class chose a book and made a banner and craft to go with it. Then, we paraded around the school. The "big kids" were not so thrilled but my kinders LOVED it!! I wish I could show you their cute little faces, but here is our banner and craft.

EASIEST Assessment Around--You Could Win It!

So... I have to let y'all know about this amazing assessment tool I've been introduced to this year. It is called ESGI (Educational Software for Guiding Instruction), and let me just tell you what a HUGE time-saver it has been for me this year! YOU could win a free one year membership (a $199 value)! You are definitely going to want to sign up for a FREE 60 day trial by the end of this post. I also have a special discount to share with you--so go ahead and read on!!

What is ESGI Software?

Basically, ESGI is an online program that helps teachers assess their students quickly and easily. The program was created by a kindergarten teacher. (Of course we all know teacher's make the best teacher resources!) It has tons of assessments already loaded and available for you to use.

How does ESGI Work?

This video says it better than I can. Click here to watch it. This program takes the annoying writing, counting, tallying, and calculating out of assessing.

What Do I Like Most About ESGI?

• It makes assessments FAST. I can assess my whole class about 3x faster than if I used pencil and paper. All you do is click yes if a student answers correctly, and no if they don't. It does everything else for you.

• You can easily print reports to send home and keep parents informed.

• You can easily track student and class progress.

• There are lots of Common Core aligned, pre-made tests. You can also make your own tests if you need to.

WIN a Year Subscription!

How to enter:

All you have to do to enter is sign up for a FREE trial (no credit card needed) between now and April 16th! Make sure you use the Promo Code B2552 or you will not be considered for the giveaway. The great people at ESGI will randomly choose a winner after April 16th. Good luck!!

Even if you do not win the giveaway, you can get $40 off your first year of ESGI with the Promo Code B2552.

Leave a comment that you entered and I will also choose a random comment to win an item of their choice from my TpT store!