Educational XD XD

A few weeks ago we finished up our study of main idea, so I thought I'd share with you a few of our favorite activities and lessons that went on during our unit! To introduce main idea, my students became DETECTIVES. Let me just tell you how thrilled they were. We even pulled out the magnifying glasses. Were they necessary? No. Did it result in increased student engagement? Yes. To prep our very first lesson, I put picture clues into mystery envelopes. Each envelope contained four cards with a common theme (space, birthdays, fishing, etc). Students worked in small groups of 3-4, pulled out each clue card, and determined the "Main Idea" of each envelope. My kiddos loved figuring out the main idea of each envelope. I encouraged them to work very  quietly so that the other tables of detectives wouldn't hear them, too. They recorded their findings on a worksheet, where they wrote the four clues and what their group had decided was the main idea. After introducing main ide

I'm joining my wonderful blogger friends over at The Primary Pack for a fun November linky! We are celebrating Black Friday a little bit early! We are all sharing what's on our Black Friday wish list AND what's most-wishlisted in our stores! We're also hosting a HUGE Black Friday Giveaway! You don't want to miss out on all the fun! So here's what's on MY Black Friday Wishlist... 1. December Math Journal (1st Grade) - from Missing Tooth Grins: These journals are AMAZING. They are the perfect no-prep journals for my 1st graders! 2. Place Value Pals - Easy Teaching Tools: My next unit with my 2nd graders is place value, and the activities in this look perfect for my kiddos! 3. Close Reads: Dogs - Creativity toe the Core: I love, love, love her close reads & I know my kiddos will LOVE this one that is all about different dog breeds! 4. Penguins: An Integrated Unit - Primarily Speaking Aimee Salazar: I have used the Bats and Owls integrated units by Aimee