Drama Chronicles - Letter Sounds with Monsters!

Materials...

The Monster Book of ABC Sounds by Alan Snow    

Music -  Frankenstein by Edgar Winter

Mini clip of Frankenstein from the movie Young Frankenstein

Paper and Crayons

For movement show a clip from the movie Young Frankenstein.  The clip sets the mood for monsters.  Next, ask the students to pose their body as if they were Frankenstein.  Next play the music Frankenstein and ask them to move around the room as if they were Frankenstein. 

Side Coaching – Feel your heavy feet.  Would Frankenstein move fast or slow?  Are you limp of stiff?  How would Frankenstein hold his arms?

Read The Monster Book of ABC Sounds by Alan Snow.  Ask the children to make the sounds as you are reading the story.  Be sure to point out the letters of the alphabet that begin with each letter.

Move to the music again, this time calling out a letter of the alphabet.  As you call out a letter instruct the children to make a monster sound tat begins with that letter.

Brainstorm a list of monster sounds from the story.  Write the words on a chart.  Put a talking balloon around each one as you are writing them.  Each student will draw a monster of his/her choice.  Make a talking balloon coming out of the monster’s mouth and choose one of the sounds from the chart or any other sound they want their monster to make. 

Tips: Model a few monsters out of a variety of shapes so that the students don’t get hung up on not knowing how to make a monster.

This student loved the activity so much, that she made a monster mask at home
that evening and brought it school the next day and asked me to repeat it!
(Of course, I DID!!!)

A Special Visit From Smokey the Bear

During my Bears Thematic Literacy Unit we had a special visit from none other than Smokey the Bear!!  If you or your students love BEARS…you’ll love this unit!

It is filled with printable activities to help your students grow, grow, grow in their literacy skills and Incorporates Common Core Standards!  The unit has two weeks of literacy activities and a suggested book list for everyday of the unit.  I’ve included a CONTENTS page and all pages are numbered to help keep you organized.  

As a BONUS I have created a Bear Color Word Literacy Center!  Just print, cut, laminate, and they are ready to go!  There is even an instruction page and a Literacy Center Label to mount on the outside of a large envelope for your Literacy Center.

Activities include:

Bear Sentence Writing and Building Printables

Bear Opposites

The Rhyming Bear Activity

Color by Sight Word

Fill in the Proper Bear Punctuation with Periods or Question Marks

Brown Bear, Brown Bear Book Template

Beehive Word Families  

Bear Word Family Trash Cans

Attending to Correct Spelling that you just can’t BEAR!

Suggested Bear Fiction Book List to Compliment the Unit

Click to view Bears Thematic Literacy Unit

Famous Bear Portrait made with water colors and black marker outline.
This activity can be found in my Bears Thematic Literacy Unit

Bear Cave made by entire class.  Each student brought in something they might find in a bear cave.
This activity can also be found in my Bears Thematic Literacy Unit

If you would like to inquire about how Smokey the Bear can come to your classroom or would like Smokey the bear teaching resources click on Smokey below!

"Twas the Night Before Parent Conferences!

‘Twas the night before parent conferences and all through the house,

Not a teacher was sleeping, not even my spouse!

My grade cards were placed on my lesson plans with care,

In hope that *Mrs. Smith (*insert any parent name you wish!!) wouldn’t pull out my hair!

My students were nestled all snug in their wee little beds,

While visions of no homework danced in their wee little heads.

My husband in his earplugs and I in my “thinking cap”

Had just settled down for a well deserved nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flashcard,

I peered out and saw 10 parents standing in my yard!

The mini-van driver was loud and quite mad,

I knew right away that this would be bad.

More rapid than 5^th graders running down the hall,

They hollered and they shouted names that made my skin crawl.

You weasel, you creature, you bone-head, you worm,

You ameba, you phony, you pinhead, you germ!

To the top of their lungs, all the way to the mall.

Dash away, dash away dash away all.

I spoke not a word, ‘cause it was all a bad dream.

I went to the kitchen, ate a gallon of ice cream.

I went back to bed, knowing all would be swell.

Happy parent conferences to all, I hope they go well!

I created checklists that serve as an easy way to track the common core standards I am responsible for.  I love them because they help keep me focused on what I am teaching!!  They are also INVALUABLE to have handy during parent-teacher conferences for talking points and documentation of each student’s progress! Please click on the links below to check them out!!!