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Category: freebies

You can use these comprehension questions to guide your discussion when reading The Littlest Valentine by Brandi Dougherty.

The Littlest Valentine Activities

The Littlest Valentine by Brandi Dougherty is a sweet little story about a girl named Emma Valentine. Her family owns a gift shop and Emma finally gets to help with the family business. As she helps with different jobs, she is told over and over again that she is too little to help. In the end, Emma discovers that she isn't too little to share the love! Here are a few activities you can use with The Littlest Valentine in your classroom.
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Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

Teaching Kindness with Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

February is a great month for spreading kindness in the classroom. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, written by Eileen Spinelli, is an amazing book for demonstrating the impact a little bit of kindness can have on others. Today I want to share some of the ways I use this book in the classroom.
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Writing Ideas for January

January is just around the corner. It's always the start of a new year, but it's also a time when students fall into a slump during writing time. Here are some ideas to add a little spark to your writing.
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How Santa Got His Job (Anchor Chart Freebie)

Do you know how Santa got his job? Stephen Krensky does and he shares the details in his story, How Santa Got His Job. After reading the story, I talk to my students about the qualities that make Santa the right person for the job. Now you can do the same and create an anchor chart to use with your students.
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Creepy Carrots Craft

Creepy Carrots Retelling Activity

Looking for a fun and engaging way to practice summarizing? Check out this Creepy Carrots summarizing craft using the popular SWBST strategy (Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then)! Perfect for teachers and parents, this interactive activity helps students practice telling the key parts of the story.
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The Little Linebacker by Stephen Tulloch and Maria Dismondy tells the story of a young boy named Stephen who is determined to play football. Along the way Stephen faces challenges, but receives great advice to push through to reach his goal. This is a great book to read with your students when teaching about the importance of a growth mindset.

The Little Linebacker (with a FREEBIE)

The Little Linebacker by Stephen Tulloch and Maria Dismondy tells the story of a young boy named Stephen who is determined to play football. Along the way Stephen faces challenges, but receives great advice to push through to reach his goal. Here are several activities you can pair with this book.
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The Jelly Donut Difference (FREEBIE)

I was recently introduced to the story The Jelly Donut Difference by Maria Dismondy, and it has quickly become one of my favorite character education books. The Jelly Donut Difference focuses on Leah and Dexter, a brother and sister who don’t always get along, but eventually learn about kindness and generosity.
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Spring Writing Ideas (with Freebies)

March is a great month for writing because students get to celebrate Read Across America, St. Patrick’s Day, and the first day of spring! Today I want to share some of my favorite writing ideas for spring.
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Valentine’s Day – Free Bubble Gift Tags

Valentine's Day in the classroom can be a great time for friends to show appreciation for one another. My daughter loves candy, but this year she wanted to give bubbles to her classmates. So we worked together to come up with these valentines for her classmates. I'm sharing a free valentine bubble gift tag you can use, too.
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Snowman Supplies (a Free Station for Addition with 4 Addends)

A few years ago I was bored to tears trying to find engaging ways to practice addition in my classroom, particularly when needing to add up to four 2-digit numbers. I decided to bring a little real-world math into the classroom and let my students go shopping. Today I want to let your students go shopping with this little addition practice with 4 addends freebie:
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Are your students working on finding the sum of 3-addends this month? Here’s a great way to get your students up and moving during math time!

Turkey Trios (Freebie for 3-Addends)

 Are your students working on finding the sum of 3-addends this month? Here's a great way to get your students up and moving during math time!
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The Littlest Pilgrim (Book Companion Freebie)

The Littlest Pilgrim by Brandi Dougherty is a sweet little story about friendship that I love to read before Thanksgiving. Here are some resources you can use in your classroom, too!
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Number Names (Different Ways to Represent Numbers)

Years ago our school was using Everyday Math. One of our routines was Name Collection Boxes. If you aren't familiar, this is an opportunity for students to represent and read numbers in different ways. I had a group of second graders who struggled with number sense, so I used this number names game to help during our intervention block.
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Classroom Rewards That Won’t Break the Bank

I think most teachers would prefer a world where all students were intrinsically motivated, but it just isn’t an every day reality. Many of us dig deep into our pockets and find extrinsic rewards to help change certain student behaviors. Once I started adding up those little rewards, I knew there had to be a better way. I started brainstorming ways to reward my students without the need to dig deep into my pockets!
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Scholastic Book Order Activities

Stop! Don’t toss those Scholastic Book Orders into the recycling bin just yet! Here are several Scholastic book order activities that will keep your students engaged in learning at the same time!
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