I have survived my first week in pre-k after teaching first grade for ten years!  Let's just say Monday was exhausting but the growth in just a week was amazing!  Establishing classroom routines was on the top of the agenda E.V.E.R.Y day!

 

We counted with bears, snapping cubes, themed erasers, beads, actual children and anything else we could think of! Children love the novelty of a variety of manipulatives!
 

This week we were working on letter recognition in our names!  Most of my students do not recognize ANY letters so we backed it up to the first letter of their names.  We learned how to glue collage squares onto the letters, we practiced writing the letters on dry erase boards and we practiced letter formation in salt trays. 
 

 

Fine motor is the developmental skill that is weaved into so many hands on activities in pre-k.  My pre-k kids worked on stringing beads, rolling play dough,  gluing paper squares, squeezing tweezers and even correct pencil grasp! 

 

 

 

I have teamed up with my sweet friend, Tamara Russell from Mrs. Russell's Room with The Ultimate Wonders Giveaway.  It will include everything you need to supplement your Wonders instruction in Unit 1 for first grade. I will be back tomorrow with all the details so be sure to check in!

As I am preparing my classroom for back to school, I have scoured TpT for the perfect alphabet for my new pre-k class.  I have seen so many amazing alphabets, but none were exactly what I was looking for.  I really want my students to interact with the letters, pictures and words. Hence, the birth of interactive anchor charts!


As I formally introduce each letter and sound, I will model how to match the beginning picture sound to the letter.  The alphabet anchor chart activity will then be available for my pre-k friends to manipulate during centers.  The alphabet anchor charts will be backed with magnets and find a home on my metal cabinet for students to use for review. You could easily use Velcro or sticky-tack to make your interactive alphabet anchor charts too or leave it all off and just use it as a table top center.


I love the storing this activity in the plastic pockets that I ordered from Amazon.  You can find them HERE.  I  store the alphabet letters in the large pocket and the picture cards in the smaller one.  I am planning on ordering more as I want store all my pre-k centers in these.  Did I mention that the slide at the top of the folders are different colors for even more organization!


All of the letter and picture combinations are also available in a pocket chart size for whole group lessons and additional review!  These are great for sorting activities during centers and small group instruction as well.  You can view the pocket chart cards in the product preview HERE on TpT.

Both the interactive alphabet anchor charts and the pocket chart cards are available in Interactive Alphabet Activities.   This unit was also featured in the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School E-Book.

This resource is full of fabulous back to school tips, freebies  and product resources to get your year started on the right foot! Just click on the picture above for the pre-k & kindergarten edition.  Other grade level links can be found there as well.

I hope this helps out as you head back to school in the coming weeks!

Glad that you were able to join us for the third annual Orange Ya' Glad it's a Blog Hop!

If you have hopped with us in the past, some things will be familiar, and some things will be new  This year, all of our bloggers are focusing on FREE tips or ideas that they can share with you to get your school year off to a great start.  Some ideas will have a freebie, others might just be a stand alone concept.  

 

Let's get started!  This year, I am moving from First Grade to Pre-K so I have come up with this idea that works in the primary grades.

The Orange Ya' Glad Its a Blog Hop girls will be having an Instagram giveaway again!  You have the opportunity to win $10.00 in product from each store!