12 Days of Prizes!

If you haven't yet heard, ESGI is all the rage and is saving teachers hours and hours of time by simplifying assessments for early learners. Check it out today by starting your 60 day free trial. Then, when you win one of the prizes below (wishing you luck), you can simply convert that free trial to the real deal! 

The holidays are a season of giving, right? In this spirit, ESGI is bringing you the biggest holiday contest we've ever hosted, and wow, do we have an A-list line up!  We've partnered with 12 of the "Best of the Best" early childhood bloggers/presenters/content developers for 12 Days of Giveaways! It doesn't matter if you've been naughty or nice, you can enter to win these amazing prizes.  Co-sponsoring this super holiday giveaway are... Heidi Butkus, Kim Jordano, Palma Lindsay, Jayne Gammons, Crystal Radke, Mary Amoson, KinderLit, Deanna Jump, Kathy Crane, Kim Adsit, Deedee Wills & Dr. Jean Feldman!

How to Enter

Sign-ups will open November 28th. Giveaways will begin December 1st and will end on December 12th.  Each day we will be awarding a $25 credit to the prize partner of the day's store and a FREE 1 year subscription of ESGI.  On the 12th and final day, you can win a sleigh full of ESGI subscriptions (up to 10) and some great products from Dr. Jean!

To enter, all you need to do is sign up to receive the ESGI e-newsletter.  For extra points to improve your chances, tweet #esgi12daysgiveaway once per day, follow ESGI on Pinterest, post one of the giveaway ads on Pinterest, and like us on Facebook.

Entering is really quite simple, and we cannot wait to get these great prizes into your hands!

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Christmas & Winter Thematic Activities on SALE!

Are you looking for some great Christmas and Winter Time Thematic Products that will not only fill December and January with great thematic fun, but will allow students practice in critical early learning skills in Language Arts and Math! All games are strategically linked to the Common Core Standards and right on-target for where typical kindergartners should be during these months.
And, for those students at differing levels, differentiation is included.

Although the rage is "No-prep" worksheets, I promise you that these quality learning games are not only more developmentally appropriate, after you make them once and file them, they really become "No-Prep!"  I just open my file cabinet and go!!You will love these games and so will your students!

Following are Sixteen December and January Cross-Curricular Thematic Suggestions!

These will all be on sale along with every product in our store this coming Cyber Monday & More Cyber Tuesday (Dec 1 and 2). (Remember to use the code at the bottom of this post to enjoy the full 28% off)!

  

        

  

          

  Each of our Thematic Units contain at least one guided-reader! To add to the teaching of reading in your classroom, you will also want to include these emergent readers!      

Fill your carts and enjoy the sale and remember to use the promo code at checkout!

Guided Reading: Building A Bridge to Independence

Guided reading is the bridge between shared reading and independent reading. It is an instructional strategy that helps students become better readers. It can be used in many different grades, but it is most common in kindergarten, first, and second.

Guided reading provides the opportunity to apply reading strategies in a supportive environment. With the teacher’s guidance, students can better use new skills such as: sight words, decode words, use context clues, look at word structure, and decide if a word or sentence makes sense. During these guided times of reading, the teacher is able to scaffold students to a higher level of performance in a risk free setting.

At this time of the year in kindergarten, I am very concerned that students learns to track print. It is my upmost objective during each lesson. I call this strategy: Point at the word your voice is saying. After reading the “real” books, I like to use “paper” books, to provide a take-home hands-on opportunity with text. This set of emergent books with a Christmas Theme, are great examples of paper books that awards opportunity to provide strategic practice with text.

--Portions of this blog post first appeared at Hameray's blog

Making Indian Beaded Necklaces

Here are a few of my favorite past kindergartners performing a traditional Indian dance! 

Do you want to bring the beauty of those Native American costumes into your classroom? 

Then, have your students make a beautiful Indian Beaded Necklace.

How To Make:

1. Place about 1 cup of salad macaroni in a baggie. (Or desired amount)
2. Add 2 Tbs. of vinegar. (Per 1 cup)
3. Drop desired amounts of food coloring.
4. Seal the bags and then shake vigorously.
5. Let sit for a few hours, shaking bags every once in a while.
6. Spread the pasta, in a single layer, on a paper towel covered baking sheet.
7. Let dry. (You may wish to rub the “beads” around occasionally to speed the drying process.
8. String the beads into necklaces using curling ribbon, yarn, thread, dental floss or other desired necklace making material.

This necklaces turn out beautiful, and will last forever! 

Twelve Steps to Parent Reporting

Are you looking for a time saving report card option?

Are you looking for a Common Core based report card?

Are you looking for a wide variety of already made, time-tested assessments?

Are you looking for a report card that reports EXACTLY what you want to report?

Then look no further! 

Christmas Around The World Thematic Units & Freebie

Click on the link above to sample our Jam-Packed, Christmas World Tour 4-Part Series. We are sure you will be anxious to share the 20 Countries and 4 Non-Christian Holidays with your students. Your students will love learning new traditions, customs, practicing important math and language arts skills, cooking, singing, crafting, and completing a World Tour Scrapbook!

Christmas Around The World: A World Tour Part One

Part One of the “Around-The-World Tour” is filled with time-tested, quality activities that are strategically linked to Common Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, social studies, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading.

Part One Features:

Germany

Australia

Russia

Denmark

Spain

England

France

Africa

Canada

Greece

The activities include:

Literacy Activities

Australia: Surfing Santa: Segmenting Words

Russia: Land of the Sweets: Comprehension 

France: Le Reveillon: Rhyming

Greece: St. Nicholas’ Boats: Naming Sounds

Italy: Befana’s Toys: Changing Initial Sounds to Make New Words

Math Activities

German Advent Calendar: Solving Problems Using Mental Math Strategies.

Denmark: Nisse The Elf: Subtraction

Africa: Candle, Candle: Decomposing Numbers

Canada: Tree Delivery: Making Combinations for 10

Spain: Spanish Shoes: Writing Numbers

England: Stocking Stuffing: Counting Objects For a Given Number

Songs and Fingerplays

Germany: O Tannenbaum

Australia: Six White Boomers

Denmark: Ten Little Gnomes

Spain: Navidad

Art Projects

Germany: Star Christmas Countdown

Russia: Nesting Dolls/Nutcracker

Denmark: Danish Christmas Heart

Spain: Balthazar & the Wise Men

Africa: Candle Art

Canada: Strip Christmas Tree

England: Christmas Cards

France: Christmas Santons 

Greece: Christmas Fishing Boat

Kitchen

Australia: Pavlova

Writing

Country Word Walls

Guided Reading

Christmas Friends: Sight Word Reader

Class-Made Book: Around the World

Christmas Around The World: A World Tour Part Two

Part Two of the “Around-The-World Tour” is filled with time-tested, quality activities that are strategically linked to Common Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, social studies, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading.

Part Two Features:

India

Sweden

United States of America

Bahamas

Peru

Israel

Mexico

China

Italy

Scotland

The activities include:

Literacy Activities

USA: Decorate Away: Blending Phonemes

Bahamas: Junkanoo: Using Common Nouns in Complete Sentences

Israel: Identifying Letters or Decoding Words

Italy: Befana’s Toys: Changing Initial Sounds to Make New Words

Mexico: Poinsettia Race: Naming Letters Quickly

China: Christmas Lanterns: Writing Alphabet Letters

Math Activities

India: Diwali Day: Identifying and Comparing Numbers

Sweden: St. Lucia Day Deliveries: Composing Teen Numbers.

Peru: Fiesta de Navidad: Classifying and Sorting Objects

Scotland: The Mischievous Elves: Identifying Numbers

Songs and Fingerplays

India: Little Clay Lamp

Sweden: Lucia Day

USA: Ring Your Bells

Peru: Fiestas de Navidad

Art Projects

India: Clay Lamp

Sweden: Star Hats, St. Lucia Wreaths

USA: A Gift for Mom & Dad

Bahamas: Starfish Santa

Israel: My Star

Italy: My Ceppo

Mexico: Poinsettia Construct

Scotland: Shape Elf

Kitchen

Australia: Pavlova

Peru: Panettone

Writing

Country Word Walls

Guided Reading

Around The World: Sight Word Reader

Class-Made Book: Around the World

Holidays Around The World: Non Christian Celebrations Part Three

Part Three of the “Around-The-World Tour” is filled with time-tested, quality activities that are strategically linked to Common Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, social studies, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading.

Part Three Features:

Eid

Kwanzaa

Hanukkah

Diwali

The activities include:

Literacy Lessons 

Eid: Reading Sight Words

Eid Variation:  Reading Alphabet letters

Happy Kwanzaa: Reading Nonsense Words

Spin the Dreidel: Naming Alphabet Letters

Spin the Dreidel Variation: Decoding CVC Words

Follow the Lamps: Blending and Segmenting Words

Art Projects

Eid: Crescent Moon

Kwanzaa: Kinara

Hanukkah: Star of David

Hanukkah: My Menorah

Diwali: Rangoli

Writing

Scrapbook Pages:

Eid

Kwanzaa

Hanukkah

Diwali

Songs/Fingerplays

Eid

Kwanzaa

The Dreidel Song

Diwali is Here

Allow students to keep the memories of their world tour by completing A Scrapbook or Passport Book, and then binding into an around the world memento. 

This product contains:

Two Scrapbook Cover Options: Color or Black and White

A Scrapbook Page for each of the 20 countries and 4 holidays Found in our Christmas World Tour Series. These pages are available at two levels.

A Culminating Scrapbook Activity to include in the scrapbook.

An original song adaptation of Let There Be Peace On Earth.

Part One Features:

Germany

Australia

Russia

Denmark

Spain

England

France

Africa

Canada

Greece

Part Two Features:

India

Sweden

United States of America

Bahamas

Peru

Israel

Mexico

China

Italy

Scotland

Part Three Features:

Eid

Kwanzaa

Hanukkah

Diwali