Freebie Friday: Persuading Santa - a Creative Writing Activity

Welcome to another Freebie Friday. I'll keep it short and sharp today - here is your freebie!

Get yours here. Enjoy!

Freebie Friday: Flash Freebie!

Hi all, welcome to another Friday! Today's freebie comes in the form of a flash freebie. That's right, this is a limited time freebie that will be available for today only, then will be returning to its usual price. Up for grabs is one of my favourite resources in the Little Green store: Creative Writing Dice.

Yes, I know I've harped on about this resource over the last week or so, but I just love it! Included in your download are three dice templates. One for characters...

...one for settings...

...and one for actions.

Students roll each of the dice to determine the three non-negotiable parts of the story that they will then write. Trust me. It is ace.

So, for ONE DAY ONLY, you will be able to download this resource FOR FREE! I would love if you could rate this resource and provide a short feedback comment while you are there, particularly as this resource is yet to be rated. It only takes a moment, but it really makes my day! Get your freebie here, but be quick!

Enjoy your weekend!

Flash Sale!

Surprise! I'm having a flash sale in my TPT store today and tomorrow only!

The Little Green 20% off sale coincides with a flash TPT sale to celebrate reaching 100 000 Facebook followers, so if you use the code 'FB100K' at the checkout, you'll get a further 10% off! Be sure to 'like' Teachers Pay Teachers on Facebook if you haven't already done so!

The biggest bargain of them all is my 'Creative Writing Dice' - it was already reduced down to $2, and the 20% off is coming off that already reduced price! I posted about this resource here. Click here to see it in the Little Green store.

Drop by today or tomorrow and pick up a bargain. Now's the time to get all those Little Green resources that are on your wishlist! 

New in the Little Green Store: Creative Writing Dice

I don't usually post on a Wednesday, but I am just too excited about my new resource to keep quiet! I present to you: Creative Writing Dice!

Here's how the 'game' (read this as 'work masquerading as fun'!) works: students roll each of the three dice to reveal a character...

...a setting...

...and an action.

Students then use their character, setting and action as a starting point for a piece of creative writing. I'm hoping these little babies are going to lead to some creative ideas and great writing from the students who use them. I'm so pleased with how the dice turned out and I'm sure kids will love them.

So, how do you get your paws on your very own set of dice? Pop over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking here or on any of the pictures, and for the tiny sum of $4, you will have yourself an inspiring resource (if I do say so myself!) to use with your students tomorrow. Too easy!

Pins of the Week: area game, animal movement, 50 things I love, story songs and ninjas!

Another Monday, another round-up of Pinterest inspiration from Little Green HQ!

Area Game

A great idea from Marcia Miller on her blog.

This pin takes you to an idea-filled post about Cuisenaire Rods by Marcia Miller. Although this game could use Cuisenaire Rods, it doesn't need to. All you need is a set of two dice, 1cm grid paper and textas (markers) or coloured pencils. Have students roll their die, then make a square or rectangle using the numbers they rolled as their dimensions. For example, if your student rolls a 2 and a 3, they would make a 2x3 rectangle. You could have them fill a defined space on their own or turn it into a multi-player game where they are racing to fill their page. Definitely one to try!

Animal Movement Dice

A fun freebie from Wildlife Fun 4 Kids.

Penny at Wildlife Fun 4 Kids has created a terrific movement game based around this great little die, which she offers as a freebie on the blog. The extra bonus is that they are all Australian animals! Penny explains in the post the different sounds and movements the animals make, so if you are unfamiliar with the animals, you can still play along! Did I mention the die template is free? 

50 Things I Love Worksheet

A great freebie worksheet from Nicholas Reitz.

How great is this worksheet by Nicholas Reitz?! I love the layout of the different frames and the concept behind them too. The idea is that students fill in every space on this page with things they love. They can then use this sheet as a prompt any time they get stuck for something to write. Such a great idea... and free!

Story Songs

I was drawn in by the cute cardboard tower, and, I'll admit it, was a little disappointed that this didn't link to a tutorial on how to make the tower. I'll also admit that I actually wanted to make the tower to play in myself. But my disappointment soon turned to joy - I used to love the princess song when I was little and had forgotten all about it! The folks at QC Music have put together a great post including the lyrics and a video so you can listen to the tune. If ever I'm back on Kindy or Year 1, I'll be rocking this one out for sure!

Factor Ninjas

The Wild Rumpus's freebie poster.

Is it weird to love ninjas? They are, after all, highly skilled killers. Even so, I love them, and this little poster by The Wild Rumpus, which also happens to be free, ticks all my boxes. My boxes are: ninjas, educational, free. In that order. More importantly, kids love them, and this poster will help to remind your students that factors are the 'chopped up' remains of the whole number (or product). Definitely a winner!

Well, that's a wrap from me. Enjoy your week!

Pins of the Week: small space display, keys writing prompt, my favourite no, physical activity cube and fun bookmarks!

Ready for some inspiration? Excellent! Here we go!

Small Space Display

Click here for the source.

What a great way to display in a small space! This idea could be used for displaying information or student work. Love it!

Keys Writing Prompt

Click here for the source.

This is such a terrific writing prompt - write key-related story prompts (such as, "There was a 50/50 chance that this was the right key. I put it in the lock and hoped I'd picked the right one.") on tags; attach each one to a different key; place all keys into a large jar; have students pick a key and write a story to go with the prompt. The link takes you to a description of the activity and a long list of prompts you could use. The use of a physical key adds a tangible element to the task that would help students engage with the task.

My Favourite No!

Click here for the source.

This high school Mathematics teacher has come up with a great way to quickly assess where her students are at, give students opportunities to look for great mathematical work as well as find mistakes, and work through common issues - all in one task! The link will take you to a blog post at Math Coach's Corner that contains a video of this teacher in action. This technique could be used in other subject areas and with younger students as well, not just for high school Mathematics.

Physical Activity Cube

Click here for the source.

This fantastic idea comes from the Little Family Fun blog - make a cube with physical activities on each side. The cube can then be used to get kids moving, either in a PE lesson or in between activities. Kids will love the game aspect as well as the activities you choose to include, so it is a win-win situation!

Fun DIY Bookmarks

Click here for the source.

What a fun idea! Get your kids to pose for a photo as though they are hanging from a rope, then use the photo to make a bookmark! The link takes you to the Creative Family Moments blog, where you will find step by step instructions for how to make these bookmarks.

That's it for this week's pins. Please comment if you plan to use any of these ideas in your classroom and let me know how it goes!

Pins of the Week - formative assessment, real life literacy, writing prompts, tabletop twitter and introverts!

An interesting beginning of the week here at Little Green HQ: an abscess gone horribly wrong, pain (so much pain), a trip to the doctor's, antibiotics and a few days on the couch prescribed for me. So, not much time to collate today's pins, but I am a trooper (a whiny trooper, but a trooper just the same), and I have pressed on to find some excellent pins to share with you today! Here we go!

Formative Assessment

http://goo.gl/4Ga0Fa

What a great idea for conducting a formative assessment of your students' grasp of your current topic! This links to a blog post from The Elementary Math Maniac, that gives several great ideas for formative assessment in Mathematics. Of course, the ideas can be used in a number of subject areas too, so a win for everyone!

Real Life Literacy

http://goo.gl/1MStRM

Don't you just love all those spelling and grammar mistake posts you see on Pinterest and Facebook? Don't they make you feel so smug about your own grasp of the English language? Have you ever thought about how you could use them as a lesson on proof-reading for your students? Laura Randazzo did, so she created a resource for us all to use, and it is available for download at Teachers Pay Teachers for a mere $3! Well worth the investment.

Writing Prompts

http://goo.gl/TJpyvQ

I do love a good writing prompt, and this one is sure to have your students inspired. Have them tell this story and watch them exercise their creativity.

Tabletop Twitter

http://goo.gl/scTMfP

Ok, so it isn't exactly Twitter, but it is a fantastic idea from Lori at Conversations in Literacy. Print out an excerpt from your current text of study that is sure to get students talking, glue it to a large sheet of paper, then have students silently write their thoughts and respond to the thoughts of others. Did I mention the word 'silently'? Sounds like a winner to me!

Introverts in the Classroom



My final pin of the day is an excellent video from TED by Susan Cain. As an introvert myself, I can attest to the validity of what she says in her talk, and her ideas for helping ALL students, not just the introverts, think more deeply and creatively are absolutely inspiring. Are you failing your introverts? Please, please, please watch this video to find out! You can find the video on the TED website here.

All these pins and more can be found on my Pinterest boards.

Well, I'm off to try to recover. Have a great week!