Get Into Your Groove!

It's Laura, from Differentiation Station Creations! This is one of the most exciting and stressful times of the school year. Kids, teachers, and parents are all navigating the new world of school.

Whether you are a classroom teacher, specialist, homeschooling parent, or tutor, you are starting to discover the joys and challenges of this new year. My favorite part of every new school year is that adults and children are all beginning something new. The slate is wiped clean and we all get to begin from a brand new place.

 

This new beginning is also one of the most stressful parts of a new school year. There is a period of adjustment for everyone. I've always loved starting the new school year with a bunch of games & songs in my bag of tricks. I wanted to share a few ideas that you might be able to add into your own classroom.

 

I love using the tune of a familiar song and adding my own words to it. Kids seem to learn these songs very quickly, because knowing the tune makes the song seem familiar. I'm sharing a song that I wrote to introduce and identify the names of kids in your class.

 

"Here At My School" is sung to the tune of "Down By the Bay". I hope this freebie can help you settle into your own groove! You can use this song in a number of ways: on a pocket chart, paste it in a journal, and/or have the kids create their own books to take home.

I wanted to share the song, picture cards, and booklets with you! Get your free color version here.  Head over to my blog to get the free B/W version. You can also get the template to create photo cards for the kids in your class.

I like using the same songs & poems in multiple formats. It allows kids to work with the content in a variety of ways, while giving them repetition with the same content. You can put the song up on the pocket chart for a large group activity.

Leave it up and kids can interact with the text in a center. They can match the picture cards with words to the matching words on the pocket chart.

They can practice writing the names of friends in their classroom, both on the pocket chart and in the little books.

I have a variety of word and letter hunt packs that I love using ALL year long. They are great to introduce to kids at the beginning of the year. Then, you can have them use them in a variety of ways the rest of the year. Kids love them, because they are interactive and get them moving.

The recording sheets are interactive and differentiated. The "Letter Hunts" have two types of differentiated recording sheets.

The Dolch Pre-Primer and Primer Word Hunts have three types of differentiated recording sheets.

We used these "Letter & Word Hunts" with the free song. The kids found letters and sight words on the pocket chart,

 in the journal,

and with the little books.

Here are a few more fun back-to-school songs that you can use with your kids!

 

I hope that you found some ideas and fun songs to use in your first month of school. Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to hop over to my blog to get the free B/W version and template!