Who doesn't like to write on a giant white board sticker with "teacher" markers?  Students love to work in small group with phonetic word families or any other skill that I ask as long as learning is engaging.   These Dry Erase spots from Bed, Bath, and Beyond are wonderful for differentiated instruction.  I can target specific skills without a dry and boring worksheet.   Just another win in my Daily 5 rotations!



I wrote and received a grant for about $800 from the Simi Ed. Foundation.   We are so blessed to receive class sets of awesome STEM activities.   These Create-a-Chain Reaction are amazing.   I found them from Lakeshore.   They come with 10 leveled cards.   So far most groups are on level 3.   4 students work together.  I was able to get 6 kits.   Once we will go through the cards (foundation), then we will move on to free exploration.   I did require that each member of the group get a chance to run the chain reaction for themselves.   This has led to a more cohesive collaboration.   Loving it!   I was also able to purchase other STEM materials that tie in with Fairy Tales.   I am saving those for springtime, where I will create a Fairy Tale unit of study for language arts and other curricular areas.  My wheels are spinning!