Only a teacher understands the slight euphoria that comes with putting up the May calendar. That's why you see forty bajillion pictures of May calendars all over Instagram on May first. And I love every one of them because it means we're that much closer to suuuuummmmerrrr!! I do NOT spend my life wishing the days away and counting down to summer when I'm in my room, but even the most dedicated, happy teacher starts to look forward to leisurely morning coffee, untimed trips to the bathroom, and not having to eat lunch at 11:07 exactly. Am I right?
But May is also a beast of a month. We have our end of the year standardized tests, our informal reading assessments, conferences, parent event, general packing and organizing for next year, and on top of that we have six family birthdays and Mother's Day all rolled into 4 short weeks! So, as always, there's a need for a little something-something to fill the gaps. It's just reality that when you are responsible for giving one-on-one tests to every kid while the rest of them are as silent as possible, you can't be up monitoring whiz-bang, hands-on, interactive learning experiences. Hopefully, I can help with some of my monthly resources.
First up, is my Mother's Day Craftivity Card. I made this with lots of different printing options, so you can just print one page per kid and have them color or you can print the different parts on colored paper for them. I like options. I'm kind of fickle. I have to say, I think it's pretty cute! And for $3 for your whole class to have a cute little gifty for their mom is budget friendly as well.
Next up, is the May edition of my Ready, Set, Print pack. I updated this one recently so be sure to grab the revised version from your purchases if you already have it. I added some pages in there to help my kids with bubbling in. I was surprised how hard it was for my kids to bubble in! I guess I shouldn't have been, they don't do it a whole lot. It's kind of sad that it's a skill they even have to learn, but that's a whole 'nother post. I've also gotcha covered for Cinco DeMayo, Memorial Day, and general springy stuff. Skills covered include apostrophes, commas, using much or many, phonics, differentiated addition and subtraction, proofreading, prefix and suffix identification, addressing an envelope, and even and little foldable Mother's Day card. And as always, CCSS for grades 1-3 are printed right on top of each page.
The May printable writing journal is ready! I have been using these in my room consistently since January, and the progress my kids have made is incredible! I don't print every single page. I actually select about 8 pages which gives me 16 journal topics and pages. I use most of them as a teaching opportunity. We read the topic, think about what we could possibly write about, share some ideas, and most of the time I model one example for them with their input. Then they get to tackle it on their own. On the first day of the month when they get the journal, we go through it together and put a star on each page that they can work on independently during work on writing time. I know I'm doing something right, because when I start handing out the new journals I'm met with excitement from my kids. They don't hate writing! And that's huge.
{Well, most of them. There's always an exception...}
And finally, if homework has got you down, I've got the fix for that too. I am not a big fan of homework, but it's a necessary evil. In these packs I really try to make it interesting. The kids learn about something relevant, historical, or just plain silly. They also practice phonics, grammar, critical thinking, math, sentence structure, and keep track of reading at home. I originally, named them Homework Helpers but I had lots of requests to take "homework" off the page because teachers were also using them for seat work and bell work the morning. So, your wish is my command!
And how sassy is that little flamingo up there with her zebra purse and dangly earrings?!
Love me some Melonheadz graphics!
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