Monday, July 16, 2012

Monday Made It #5


Holy cow!  Have I really posted five of these Monday Made Its?  Thanks to Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for inspiring me to flex my creative muscles with these Monday Made Its!

I need to confess:  I'm really a tech geek that is always looking for great ways to use technology with my students.  However...whenever drill and skill (or drill and kill, whichever you prefer) is called for, I like activities to be "hands on" and manipulative.  I've noticed that my students are also drawn to these types of activities.  No worksheets for this girl and her crew...just paper to record on...YOU BETCHA!

I'm a huge fan of Working With Words, Word Work and Making Big Words...but I find that my students get a little bored with the paper and pencil stuff.  During Morning Meeting, I'll often put a word, letter by letter, on  index cards and have the group try to figure out what the "big word" is.  The kids like this a lot...and they love collaborating.  For kiddos with limited vocabulary, Making Big Words can be a little daunting. They are terrific at finding the "little words" and can be successful there while kiddos with more of a "big word picture" will enjoy being challenged to find the big word. Having classmates collaborate to find words inside of words as well as the big words tends to be more exciting, and in the end, more productive.


So...this past spring, I ran across these carrots and I had a really tough time passing these little cuties up.  I found them at the Dollar Tree before Easter, so they aren't out anymore.  However, you could probably find something similar and equally as clear, glossy and fun at other places.  You might even have a few of these in your own kid's Easter stash.  The SKU on these little honeys is:  3927768617.  I also got some of these at Michael's.  They come in packs of three and are so stinkin' cute, you'll probably want to pick a dozen or so!



I put together this activity:  Digging Up Words.  Click on the link to get a copy of the recording sheet, if you'd like.

Each sweet little carrot holds cut up index cards with single letters on each card.  The letters are then placed in the carrot and can be taken out and manipulated by the group.  The group  is challenged to look for the small words inside the big word.  In the end, you want them to find the BIG WORD that is made up of all the letters in the carrot.  Each carrot has a different word, so if your group finishes early, they can just grab a new carrot and dig up some more words.  I placed these in plastic flower pots with 12 carrots to each pot.  I also made a little "garden sign" with the title and instructions written on the back of the sign.  Pretty easy...and fun!  (Note that for "confusing letters" like d, p, q, b, I always put a dot in the bottom right hand corner to let the students know what the letter is.)



See if you can tell what the big word is...bragging rights go to the winner!

Have fun with this and remember...sharing is caring!  Make another pot for a colleague like "The Wonderful Linda!"

In the spirit of sharing, I'm also linking up with Classroom Freebies.  It's a first for me!


9 comments:

  1. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing. I'm a new follower. Glad I found you!

    Megan
    I Teach. What's Your Super Power?
    Stop by and enter my 150 Follower Giveaway

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    1. Hi Megan! Weird...I was just looking at your blog and lovin' it! I just jumped into the mix at your place! Love your ideas!

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    2. I love it! I've had the same experience with making words, this is a great way to change things up! Thanks!

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  2. What a fun activity, the kids would love this! I am glad you shared it on Manic Monday, I am now your 54th follower and I LOVE hamburgers!
    Shawna
    The Picture Book Teacher's Edition

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    1. Bragging rights go to Shawna! I am a huge fan of HAMBURGER too! Love the cute avatar! I'm off to check out your blog! Thanks for the great response...the extra effort...and of course, jumping on board with me!

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  3. Cute idea! I love to do making words with my class so any new fun ideas are great for changing things up a bit. Thanks for sharing! I'm your newest follower too!
    Diane
    schoolhousetreasures

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  4. I love, love, love those little carrots, what a fun game you have created. Thanks for sharing.

    Jill
    Bubbalulu.blogspot.com

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  5. Great idea! You could make this center "fresh" at Easter by using those bigger eggs and putting them in a basket. Call the center "Hunting for Words". (Got my wheels spinning cause I don't have any carrots, but I DO have the big eggs!) Glad I found you!
    mollynowak.blogspot.com

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  6. What a cute center idea:) Those little carrots are adorable:) Love how we teachers are always thinking as we are shopping:)) Thanks for linking up and sharing:)

    4th Grade Frolics

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