Tortillas

Tortilla

• 1 T.  Butter
• 1 C.  Unbleached Flour
• 1/2  t.  Salt
• 1/2 t.  Baking Powder
• 1/3 c.  Water

• Mix with a fork and by hand just until it holds together.
• Use wax paper on a tortilla press and press a ball of dough with the tortilla press.
• Brown each side on a griddle or frying pan.
• Serve with butter!

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How to Use Music to Teach Anything!

How to Use Music to Teach Anything!

 Music is the best memory aid.  When we look back at the things we remember from our childhood, much of it is associated with music.  It is easy to add music to any subject.  Here are some suggestions:

•  Take a simple tune, beat or rap and add any items to be learned.  The simpler the better.  Keep the songs short and fun.  Funny and silly are especially successful. Children of any age will enjoy making up silly learning songs.
• Be brave.  You don’t need great music talent to use music.
• Find ready-made music.  Make sure the music is simple. It is good to hear the music before you buy it if possible.  Our phonics is taught with simple, short songs.  Contact us for Free music and books for teaching the phonetic sounds.     http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

Please share your success with using music to teach with us.  

Spaghetti- Ten Minute Meal

Spaghetti   (Tenth of 10 Ten Minute Meals)

Spaghetti Seasoning:  (This can be made ahead and kept in small bags or foil to make an even faster meal.)

•    2 tbsp. instant minced onion
•    2 tsp. salt
•    1/4 tsp. pepper
•    1 tsp. oregano
•    1 tsp. basil
•    1 tbsp. sugar or honey
•    1/8 tsp. cinnamon
•    ½  tsp. garlic powder
•    ½  tsp. thyme

Cook pasta.

While the pasta is cooking brown ½  lb. of ground meat.

Then add 1 small can of tomato paste, 1 small can of tomato sauce, 3 cans of water, a little lemon juice, and spaghetti seasoning.

Simmer about 8 min. Add 2-3 Tbs. grated parmesan.

Serve over pasta.

Weather Review

 

Objective:  To review weather.

Preparation:

• Find pictures or drawings of weather in books, magazines, internet, or old calendars.
• Have crayons, pencils or markers to finish the books.
• Print the template for the weather book.  Cut into 2 pages. Use half a sheet of construction paper for the cover.
•  weather book template page 1    weather book template page 2  
• Suggested Book: Weather by Gallimard Jeunesse

Lesson:

Read the book and discuss:

• Discuss any pictures of weather. 
• Discuss what weather the children have seen.
• Review ideas from other weather lessons. 

Activity:

Help the kids make their weather book by reading and discussing each page as they work. When finished, read the book together.

Suggested Discussion questions:

• What do you wear when it’s snowy; rainy; etc. ?
• What kinds of activities can you do when it’s snowy; rainy; etc.?

 

 

 

   

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Symbols of The USA–The Statue of Liberty

 

The Statue of Liberty

Objective: To introduce children to The Statue of Liberty as a symbol of USA promise of freedom. 

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of The Statue of Liberty from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Have green crayons, pencils or markers and paper for the children.  (Print,”The Statue of Liberty” on the paper.)
• Suggested book:   The Statue of Liberty by Lucille Recht Penner

Lesson:

• Read the book then discuss while showing pictures:
• The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable symbols of the United States in the world. For many visitors traveling by sea in days gone by, the statue located on Liberty Island, in New York harbor, was their first glimpse of America.
• The statue symbolizes liberty and democracy.
• The Statue of Liberty is a huge sculpture that is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This monument was a gift to the USA from the people of France.
• Liberty was designed by the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The hollow copper statue was built in France – it was finished in July, 1884.  It was brought to the USA in 350 pieces on a French ship.  The statue was reassembled in the USA and was completed on October 28, 1886.
• Liberty’s right hand holds a torch that is a symbol of liberty. There are 354 steps inside the statue and its pedestal. There are 25 viewing windows in the crown. The seven rays of Liberty’s crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents of the world. Liberty holds a tablet in her left hand that reads “July 4, 1776” (in Roman numerals).
• This is the poem that is mounted on the base of the statue.  Emma Lazarus wrote it.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
with conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Discussion questions:

• What is liberty?  — the power of choice.
• What is a symbol? —  something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible.
• What are some other symbols of our country? — The Flag, Eagle, etc.

Activities:

• Draw the statue. Give each child a paper and a green pencil or crayon. Help the children draw the statue one step at a time. Wait to start each step until all children have completed the previous step.
• Pictures of the kids: Take each child one at a time. Wrap a green sheet around the child and attach at shoulder. Have them wear a Statue of Liberty headband (you can get them from Liberty Tax or have them make one). Give them a flashlight to hold in their left hand. In their right hand give them a small poster board with “July 4th 1776” written on it. Have them pose like the Statue of Liberty and take a picture.

http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

Symbols of The USA–The Bald Eagle

Symbols of The USA-The Bald Eagle

Objective: Help children understand the Bald Eagle is one of the Symbols of the United States of America.

Preparation:       

Find drawings or pictures of bald eagles from books, magazines or old calendars.

Puppet Materials Needed:

• paper lunch bags,
• white paper cut to the size of the flap of the paper bag,
• some crayons,
• scissors,
• glue,
• construction paper brown, white and yellow

Suggested books:

• An Eagle Flies High by Alice Pernick
• Eagle by Lloyd G Douglas

Lesson:

Read a book.

Discuss the eagle as a symbol of our country, while showing pictures.

• The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail.
• The bald eagle was chosen because it has a long life, strength, beauty and freedom.
• This majestic bird can only be found in North America.
• The word “bald” white not having no feathers.  It comes from an old word which means “white.”
• Bald Eagles live near large bodies of open water such as lakes, marshes, seacoasts and rivers, where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for nesting and roosting.

Activity-Paper sack puppet:

• Cover the FLAP of the paper bag with white paper.
• Draw the eyes onto the HEAD. Demonstrate how to draw eyes step by step. (1. Draw 2 half circles.  2. Make a circle in each half circle. 3. Make a dot in each circle). If you like, you can use sticker eyes.
• On yellow paper help the children draw a beak. (Make an upside-down teardrop shape with little lines for nostrils)  Have the children cut them out.
• Using brown construction paper, help the children draw wings. (Make half circles that each cover half of the paper; draw in “U’s” along the bottom edges to look like feathers.)
• Using white construction paper, help the children draw tail feathers. (An upside-down heart with an extra bump.) (Can use scraps from the wings.) Have the children cut them out.
• Have the children color and embellish their drawings. Glue the beak under the eyes. It will hang down over the BODY.
• Make sure you only put glue on top of the beak (where it touches the HEAD) so you don’t end up gluing the mouth shut.
• Glue the wings into the FLAP.
• Glue the tail on the BACK.

http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

Birds

Birds

Objective: Children will learn the characteristics of birds and compare with other animals.
Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of birds and other types of animals from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Make word cards for the words, Birds, Animals, Yes, and No.
• Gather the following materials:

• Pine cone
• Paper plate
• Butter knife
• Smooth peanut butter
• Birdseed
• Ribbon or yarn
• Scissors

• Suggested books:
  • Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman.
  • The Hungry Hummingbird by April Pulley Sayre.
  • Birds by Carolyn MacLulich

Lesson:
Read a book then discuss the characteristics of birds while showing pictures.

Characteristics of birds:

• All birds are warm-blooded.
• Have feathers.  (Only birds have feathers.)
• Have wings.
• Lay eggs.
• Have 2 legs.
• Have a beak.
• Have no teeth.

Activities:

Play the Yes and No game with pictures of different animals.  “Is this a bird?” Then place the animal on the yes or no pile.  This gives an opportunity to discuss characteristics of different animals.

Make a bird feeder:

1. Cut a long length of yarn to hang the bird feeder.
2. Put a piece of tape on the yarn with the child’s name on it.
3. Tie the yarn in a knot around the pine cone near the top.
4. Tie a knot in the end of the yarn so it can be hung up outside.
5. Use the butter knife to get a large clump of peanut butter on the paper plate.
6. Use the knife to spread peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges.
7. Put birdseed on a plate.
8. Roll the pine cone in the birdseed that is on the plate.
9. Hang the bird feeder on a tree.

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Review Consonant Letter Sounds

       Review Letter Sounds

Objective:  Children will recognize the Consonant Capital and Lowercase (small) letters and their sounds.  (This lesson can be taught 4 times; once for each group of letter consonant sounds.   bhlft, prmnk, cdsgj, qvwyz)

Preparations:

• Have magnet letters or other letters for matching.  (Capital and Small Letters)
• Be prepared to listen to the Phonics By Spelling sounds to be reviewed. https://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/
• Be prepared to use the pictures for each sound and the Sound Cards for each sound.  https://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/
• Have cards or magnet letters with capital and small letters for matching.  (These can be made on the computer, printed on cardstock, then cut.)
• Copy worksheet for the letters to be reviewed. letter review lthbf    letter review prmnk    letter review cdsgj     letter review qvwyz

Lesson:

• Play the songs for each of the sounds to be reviewed.  
• Give each child one or more Sound Cards (spellings for each sound) including the sounds to be reviewed.  Say a sound then have the children give you the sound card that goes with each sound. 
• Use magnet letters or cards with capital and small letters to match the capitals with their small letter.  Talk about if they look more alike or if they look different.
• Make words by writing or using magnet letters.  You pick a vowel and a consonant to be reviewed.  Let children pick another consonant and see if you can make a word or just make some fun sounds.  Or you can have a child pick a vowel and another child pick a consonant then you pick another consonant that makes a word.   Sound out the words together.  

Activity:

• Show the children the worksheet.  Have them help decide which capital letters go with which small letters.
• Give a worksheet to each child.  Have them match the letters and write their name.
• Say what each picture is and ask what letter sound it starts with.  Review how to make the letter on your sample worksheet, and then have each child write the letter on their worksheet.   Continue until finished.
• All worksheets need to be done with a teacher and they need to be done right.  Never use a worksheet to test the children.  Use them as a learning experience.  They are a great hands-on continuation of the lesson.
• It is fun to have them write a simple word on the back and draw a picture, such as sad.

Reading activities to help children at any stage of reading development.

 Stages of Reading Development

These are some ideas for helping children read at the different stages of reading. 

Adults working with children need to know:

• Consonant sounds need to be learned crisply without adding an “uh” at the end.
• Schwa (or lazy or UH) sound is the most common sound in the English language and all vowels sometimes make that sound.

1. Children learning to hear sounds in words.

•    Music speeds up learning of the sounds.  We have fun music with our phonics. Contact us if you would like free music and books.  877-206-2214 
•    Picture cards representing the sound, instead of something that starts with the sounds, is easier for young children to understand.  Example is the picture above from our Phonics By Spelling books.  The short oo sound is the sound you make when you lift something heavy like big books. Some words with that sound are; look, book, hook.  
•    Rhyming games and activities.
•    Reading and predictable readers.
•    Show and Tell. Examples; Have children bring something that starts or ends with a sound or 2 items that rhyme. 
•    Pick out the sounds in the beginning/middle/end from pictures of objects.
•    Learn vowels and consonants.  Our Cinco game is fun for reviewing these letters and sounds. www.phonicsbyspelling.com

2. Children starting to blend sounds: 

•    Sounding out words aids in fluency and comprehension.  Don’t let children struggle by themselves to sound out for more than 1 or 2 seconds.  Help them sound out the words.
•    Simple phonetic readers.
•    Word families.   Make lists of words with the same spelling and sounds at the end like; dot, hot, pot, got, not, shot.
•    Sound out 3 letter words with or without pictures.
•    Have child unscramble simple words.  Find or print a picture of a simple word like “cat”.  Then print the letters for the word on card stock, then cut apart. Put the picture and letters together in an envelope.  
•    Do different vowels in the middle of consonants.
•    Do short vowel /long vowel chant with the silent e.  Make some cards with 2 words like; cap/cape, hop/hope.   Example of the chant:  cub & cube, cub & cube,  cub says ŭ, cube says ū.  
•    Teach sight words.  Most words have some phonetic base but here are some basic words that break the rules:  one, said, says, give, have, many, they, are, any. 
•    Teach high frequency words by their vowel sounds.  This is a list of about 200 of the most frequent words. High Frequency Word List

3. The Beginning Reader: 

•    Have child read simple sentences.
•    Have child unscramble simple sentences. Write simple sentences on the computer then print and cut apart. 
•    Review sounds and sight words in a simple book.  Then help the child read the book.
•    Help children sound out words.
•    Help child to break multi-syllable words into syllables then sound out.  Cover with your thumb all but one syllable then uncover each syllable while sounding out the word. 

 4. Fluent Reader:

•   They need to read out loud right into junior high.
•   Read things at different reading levels.  Too high creates frustration unless read with someone. Too low helps with fluency.  Just right builds vocabulary.
•   Read along with books with CDs.
•   Build comprehension by having children tell you what is happening in the story.
•   Use your finger to help break words into syllables to sound out words.
•   Pick some words to look up in the dictionary.

If you have questions or would like help teaching reading to those you love, please contact us.   www.phonicsbyspelling.com 877-206-2214 

Word Cards for Attention!

Word Cards

Using word cards to introduce every subject helps children know where the lesson is headed.  It helps them stay with you.  Even if the children you are teaching don’t read yet, a word card helps them learn to read plus it gets and keeps their attention.

It is often said that when teaching or giving a speech, tell them  what you’re going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you have told them.  This is especially true of young children.  Here are some tips for using word cards:

•  Use a word card to bring them back to the subject.   
• A word card can be used in fun, possibly silly, ways.
• Keeping the word cards down to 1 or 2 per lesson will help children stay focused.
• Vary how the word cards is used.
• Word cards can also help at home to keep children on task and focused.

Have fun using word cards to increase learning for the children in your life.  We would love feedback on how you have successfully used Word Cards.

For more educational products and information visit www.phonicsbyspelling.com