Thinking Maps for Kinders

I wanted my little students to become familiar with the Thinking Maps we use in the classroom, so I made these mini-posters to help them. The purpose is to help them (eventually) choose which Thinking Map they should use and know how it helps them organize their thinking and writing. Note: There are 7 total I made. The circle map doesn't contain a 'Frame of Reference' since I found that the 'Frame of reference is always the same - family, teacher, school, etc. I also chose to use the word Venn Diagram in lieu of Double Bubble - personal pet peeve of mine when (might as well teach them correctly the first time, so they don't move on to middle school still calling it a Double Bubble).  Click on the picture above to download. The font wasn't coming out correctly on scrib, so if you want the pdf file directly, just send me an email/comment. Happy Thinking!

Space Girl/Boy for Writing

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I noticed that my Kinders were having a difficult time tracking words (they are expert memorizers and would simply point at anything on a page and say the sentence) and they also had a hard time putting spaces between words. Here comes Space Boy/Girl! I found a bag of 30 clothespins from the dollar store (unbelievable deal - if you bought them it would cost $12 bucks). The Kinders decorated their spacer and loved it..plus it works. They like owning  their own tools for learning. I'm going to have them decorate another spacer to keep at home.

What's in a Name?

Originally, I was simply happy with my students knowing the letters to their names and how to write it (albeit with all capitals or backwards letters). Now, it's time to write it, right, so I made this trace, stamp, and write it worksheet. I will write their names using a highlighter (a KinderTeachers's favorite marker!), they trace it, stamp it, and write it on their own. Crossing my fingers and testing it out tomorrow at the centers. If you would like a copy, let me know and I'll upload it.