Why Goodnight School Is the Perfect Back-to-School Read

Goodnight School, written by Catherine Bailey and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld, is a new 2024 picture book that is perfect for Back-to-School season. ⁣

Goodnight School is a cute, "quieter" rhyming picture book that turns the end of the school day- for the school-into a whimsical adventure. As the school winds down it's day, the Night Guard does her rounds to make sure everything is okay. But of course, she hears noises, see crumbs, and a recently used computer. Who could it be?

From the moment you open the cover, the end papers (I love me some great end pages!) show a class pet Turtle escaping its home. Doerfeld's illustrations are brimming with cozy, inviting details that make every page a visual treat and turn this book into a must-purchase for me. What do you notice in each picture?

If you said that there is a FACE in each picture, Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!  They are on every single page!  This playful, CLEVER artwork makes me laugh so can you imagine what my First Graders will do when they notice all the faces? Giggles galore! Being able to spot the turtle on every page just adds an extra layer of engagement and fun to the reading experience.

 My Quick Initial Thoughts On First Read

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📚Reminded me of Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann⁣
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📚While a sweet, rhyming story, the illustrations make this a must-share book. ⁣
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📚 Every student is going to beg to cozy up to the book to get a closer look at all those “faces” during Stamina and free reading times.⁣
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📚 Will be fun to have kids make their own classroom faces to share. ⁣

📚 I want to look up the illustrator and check out more of her books. Are all of her books this witty?

My Final Verdict

I think my kids will like it a lot and it will be reread over and over again. Kids always wonder what happens when they leave and this gives them a glimpse into the mystery. Again, illustrations are PERFECT. I think this will be a must purchase for school libraries and I'd add it to my list but probably wait until it comes out in paperback from Scholastic. I really limit my hardcover purchases these days. Looking forward to sharing with my class next week.  

Draw Your Way to Success: 10 Benefits of Directed Drawings

Hello, fabulous educators! I'm still home on summer break but time is ticking away...hoping you are still soaking in the sun and fun!  I'm using some of my summer to make some activities for my classroom and I'm beyond excited to be adding this new product line to my store: DIRECTED DRAWINGS!

I LOVE Directed Drawings and wanted to pair them up with a book that gets nonstop giggles for my little ones: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems.  

My sister turned me on to Directed Drawings about 20 years ago. She shared a Dr. Seuss one with me that I did with the whole class. The kids would listen carefully to my directions and we'd draw the Cat in the Hat together. This one is from about 10 years ago and is still a staple in my classroom each year.

One of the best things about Directed Drawings is their flexibility. You can tailor them to fit any theme or subject matter. Whether it’s a drawing of a space alien for a science unit or a festive pumpkin for Halloween, you can easily support your curriculum. 

I like sharing a lot of Mo's books in September so I thought I'd focus on the Pigeon for the first one.

I'm keeping this product on sale for just TWO DOLLARS through August! Regular price is just $3. 

I don't view Directed Drawings as just a fun activity. Nope! They offer several benefits making them a valuable activity for all types of learners. Here are some key advantages:

1. Enhances Fine Motor Skills: As children follow step-by-step instructions to create their drawings, they practice and improve their fine motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination and control over pencil movements.

2. Boosts Listening and Following Directions: Directed drawings require children to listen carefully if doing as a whole class and follow sequential steps. This helps them develop their ability to follow verbal instructions and improves their listening skills.

3. Fosters Creativity and Imagination: While directed drawings provide a structured framework, they also allow for personal creativity. Children can add their own touches, colors, and details, which encourages imaginative thinking and self-expression. Can you guess which book will inspire my next Directed Drawing book?  A favorite in my class. If we make Jasper, certainly we can learn to draw him!

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And......drumroll please! (5 days later!)  I just finished it and came back to show it off! I'm keeping it on sale through August. Just $2 for SIX directed drawings!





5. Supports Visual and Spatial Awareness: By drawing and manipulating specific shapes, children improve their understanding of spatial relationships and visual organization.

6. Encourages Patience and Focus: Completing a directed drawing requires attention to detail and patience, helping children practice perseverance and concentration.  This is so hard for some of the kiddos! 

7. Provides a Sense of Accomplishment: Successfully following the steps to create a drawing gives children a tangible sense of achievement and boosts their confidence. And that confidence soars when they remember how to draw a particular picture and add it to their writing workshop illustrations when appropriate.  

8. Strengthens Understanding of Sequential Thinking: Directed drawings help children grasp the concept of sequence and order, which is an important cognitive skill for problem-solving and logical thinking.

9. Promotes Language Development: As children describe their drawings or the steps they took, they practice using descriptive language and expand their vocabulary.

10. Cross-Disciplinary Learning: "Art Smart" approaches often encourage students to make connections between art and other subjects. For example, creating a project related to a historical event or illustrating a story can deepen understanding and retention. By including 6 drawings, my students can retell the story by drawing and then using the pics to prompt/support their retellings.

So, there you have it—Directed Drawings can be your new best friend in the classroom. They’re fun, educational, and a surefire way to bring out the artist in every student. Grab your markers, gather your paper, and get ready to watch your classroom transform into a gallery of giggles.

Happy Drawing!

Little Voters in Training: Exciting 2024 Election Printables for Kids!

I'm excited about a product that I finished tonight and since it's on sale for $2.40 at the moment, I wanted to highlight it here. I think I'm extra excited because I'm usually making things like this last minute.

Here's everything that's included...

I love asking my kids to interpret data collected and I often do it by asking them to include one true and one false statement about the data like I did on the Tally/Graph page. Often this is tough for some of them at first but through modeling for them and for each other, they become quite adept at doing it.

I have the short reading passage above, So You Want to be President, (that I'll be reading to my students) and then doing the second version of the sheet here: Chit Chat with a Chum.  Yep.  The answers are verbal only.  Of course if you have independent readers, your students can complete the one with written responses.

Who doesn't love wearing a crown?  I've included a girl and bot version here AND colored as well as black and white options. To be clear, I have my students color their in. I include color for myself OR if I feel like giving one to a colleague so they ca join in the fun, I'll print the colored copy our for them.

If you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of open-ended questions such as Which One Doesn't Belong?  I made this one up for Election Day and I've included 10 possible responses to get you thinking. I'm always surprised at what the kids think up! 

The Lift the Flap says True and False Election Statements.  I promise you there is no Fake News here! Pretty basic questions such as, "If you are 16, you can vote in the election."  Kids sort the 8 statements and glue under the correct flap.

I love the sense of community that a class book offers. Each student contributes a page to the book and then we put it in our class library.  This is from my November Class Book packet. We do so many class books that each child gets to bring 2 home in June.  The above can be differentiated by the paper picked.  For the last page, I often add a photo of my class.  While I include a colored cover ready to be printed, I usually ask a student to complete the cover. I like to give options, though!

The poem VOTE TODAY is from my November poetry packet.  I love using poems to support the curriculum.  My entire September Poetry Packet is free and you can see all 22 of them in an earlier Blog Post as well as grab some other free poems. The Pick-a-Prompt can actually be used up to 3 times if you ask kids to pick a new one each time.  Always prove to be very insightful.  You can see my September Pick-a-Prompts here if interested.

I like my "crafts" to be quick and meaningful. This fits the bill! It makes a nice display and won't take your little ones all day to complete. 

If you want to grab my September/October Make a Word Packet for FREE, please do!  So helpful when you want to reinforce our Fundations lessons!

I just realized that I forgot to add the Word Search!  Eek.  I'll add it tomorrow when I have the time. I always like to make two options of the word search: with and without diagonals so you can differentiate for your class.

So all of this for a just $2.40 during the TPT sale...Yea!  I'd vote for it!

Have a great day!

Rhyme Time: Engaging Young Minds with Poetry in the Classroom

I love using poetry in the classroom. In my First Grade world, poetry is 95% rhyming. When I put the poetry slides up on the board, I'm always met with cheers. The kids LOVE our poems! We have a poetry binder that helps keep our poems organized. We use our binders for Buddy Reading as well as for independent reading time. But when I see kids grab their binders and pair up during their free choice time, I know I have a true winner! All poems featured below are FREE! Click to grab.

 If you aren't yet using poetry in your primary classroom but are thinking about it, read about the some of the benefits. 

1. Language Development: Poetry often uses rich and descriptive language that can enhance vocabulary and language skills. For young children, this exposure helps them grasp new words and understand their meanings in context.  They are perfect for reinforcing sight words, too. I introduce new poems after our Fundations lessons and the kids love seeing the letter/sound combinations they've learned through Fundations and can now apply independently. 

2. Creativity and Imagination: Poetry encourages creativity and imagination. Poems often have playful rhythms and vivid imagery, which can spark a child's imagination and inspire them to think creatively about language and storytelling. 

3. Emotional Expression: Poetry allows children to express their emotions in a safe and structured way. They can explore feelings like joy, sadness, excitement, and curiosity through poems, which helps them develop emotional intelligence.

4. Rhythm and Phonological Awareness: The rhythmic patterns in poetry help children develop phonological awareness—the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in words. This is crucial for early literacy development.

   
   
   

5. Memorization and Recitation: Learning poems by heart and reciting them can improve memory skills and boost confidence in public speaking. It also fosters a sense of accomplishment when children can recite a poem independently. Note: While I NEVER make kids memorize any poem, it often happens due to repeated rereadings and boosts the confidence of my struggling readers. 

   
   
   

6. Cultural and Historical Understanding: Many poems are steeped in culture and history. Introducing children to different types of poems from various cultures expands their worldview and fosters appreciation for diversity.  

   

7. Fun and Enjoyment: Most importantly, poetry can be fun! Whether it's silly rhymes, adventurous tales, or heartwarming verses, exposing first graders to poetry can instill a lifelong love for reading and writing.

   

   

All of the above are free!  Be sure to grab them. My monthly packets like the first four slides above come in PDF and Google Slides so you can project on board.  If a student wants to read one of the poems or if my class is doing an awesome, expressive choral reading, I'll often record it and send it to parents via Seesaw. Fun! 

Take a sneak peek at my October poems! 

The Sweetest, Easiest Craft / Gift You'll Ever Make

I've been meaning to share this adorable craft I had my students make for Mother's Day. I think it's going to be my Holiday Gift to parents moving forward AND I'll have my students make a few whole class ones to give to staff members throughout the year for celebrations like School Nurse Day.

This Dandelion Fingerprint "I Couldn't Have Wished for a Better..." craft project is perfect for any occasion. This sweet and simple craft makes a powerful statement and a beautiful keepsake especially if you pop it into a frame!  This project can be customized for any holiday or special occasion.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• Ink Pad or Paint: Choose a color that you love or that matches the occasion.
• Paper Plate: To put the paint (which I use) on. Just a dab will do ya!
• Cardstock: For a more substantial piece but copier paper is fine, too.
• Writing Paper: For kids to add a sweet message.
• Construction Paper: For mounting
• Wipes: Optional but I have them for a quick cleanup of fingers.

Steps to Create Your Fingerprint Dandelion Wishes:

1. Print out Dandelion: You have a choice of either the white or black background Dandelion.

2. Prepare Your Workspace: I have students come to my back table (3 at a time) to make these. Remember, just a small amount of paint is needed. Make sure all surfaces are paint-free before calling up the next group of students. 

3. Create Your Fingerprint: I model for the students first because you really want a THIN layer of paint. No globs! Gently press your finger onto the ink pad or paint and then dab most of it off on a paper towel before you place it on one of the stems. NOTE: I personally think the Dandelion looks best if kids keep finger vertical for each print. 

4. Put aside to let them dry. Make sure everything is completely dry before mounting or framing.

5. Write a Message: Glue on the back.

6. Optional: Mount them on construction paper or pop into a frame. 

Perfect Occasions for Your Fingerprint Dandelions

This craft is versatile and can be tailored for any holiday or special moment. Here are a few ideas:

Remember, it's editible so you can be creative with your gift giving!  I may make one for each of my students for the first week of school.  Still deciding! 

It's on sale for the next week (Half price!) in my store if interested! 

I'm still five weeks out from the first day of school but I feel it creeping up!  How about you?