Pop! In to Win a Game and a Book!

Posting two days in a row???  See, I told you I was going to make up for missing an entire week of blogging! :)

The doorbell rang at 8:30 last night and I thought, "Who could that be at this hour?"  Normally, it is a kid trying to sell something....yes, even at that hour!  I reluctantly went to answer the door sent my husband to answer the door and was surprised to find that it was UPS!!

Don't you just LOVE that BIG BROWN TRUCK?  It was a delivery of some books I had just ordered.  Christmas for a teacher!

Before I share the new books, let me take a moment to share a new game that I just added to our games/centers.

I'm always super surprised to discover that my second-graders don't really know rhyming words.  This was apparent again this year when I used my Second-Quarter Morning Work PowerPoints.  One section on it gave students a word and they were to think of as many rhyming words as possible.  For example, if it gave them "hand" I had some students say "ham" or "hang" or "fans" - they were using words that had the same beginning sounds or vowel sounds instead of the same ending sounds.

By reviewing this skill daily for 9-weeks, they finally seemed to REALLY grasp it!  But, I knew that I wanted to give them more practice with rhyming words and word families, in general before starting our Poetry Unit later this spring.

So, I pulled out this game from Learning Resources.
It has been great ongoing practice and students can't get enough of it. Here's a little bit about why I love this game.
Everything fits into this nice, sturdy, compact container.  The directions are printed on the back, which means they'll never be LOST!
The playing pieces are extremely sturdy and thick so they could never be torn or damaged.  And, there are a TON of playing pieces, so students could play this game over and over again and never repeat the same ones.  I also love that, since there are so many pieces, there is a WIDE variety of word families included - not just your basic word families, so it's perfect for 2nd graders!
Any number of students can play the game...it's not just for 2-4 players - very flexible!  Here's how to play - A student draws a popcorn piece from the container.  Then, he/she spins the spinner.  If he/she lands on a "2" then he/she has to name TWO words that would be in that word family.  If the student completes the task correctly, he/she gets to keep the popcorn piece.  If not, it goes back into the container.

But, the REALLY fun part that keeps students on the edge of their seats is that there are pieces that say "POP" in the container.  If a "POP" is drawn, the student must return ALL of the pieces he/she has already won back to the container.

We play a game similar to this in my classroom called ZAP! for various skills, and let me tell you, they eat it up!
It's a new favorite of my students and I'm confident that they'll be able to brainstorm lots of rhyming words and word family words during our upcoming Poetry Unit!

Keep on reading, if you'd like this game for your classroom!

Now, back to those books....I LOVE finding new books to use during my units.  Here's a little peek at my new additions.
I specifically set out to order this little gem for our "How-To" writing unit.  I'm always on the lookout for new books for this unit, as they seem harder to find that I would think, and this one will be PERFECT!  It would also be great for a little "Grandparent's Day" writing gift. :)

But, while I was there, I also picked up these books for our Fairytale Unit later in the year.  Fairytales are so easy to find and I LOVE all of the different versions and tales from others' perspectives.
And, I was also suckered into these...I think I could incorporate them into my Memoir Writing Unit.
Those Shoes will also be PERFECT for teaching Needs/Wants...I love when a book has a dual purpose! 

Would you like any of these additions for your classroom?  You can enter below to win the "POP for Word Families Game" from Learning Resources and also a $10 Barnes & Noble Giftcard to pick up one of these books (or a book of your choice!)

Good luck!  The winner will be announced on Wednesday!



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11 comments

  1. Great books! I have the Cinderella one and am looking forward to using it!
    What i have learned

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  2. I am going to get your books! Love these, for my 2nd graders, too! Getting a shipment of new books is like opening a Christmas gift! I always open the shipment box from Scholastic right in front of my kids, on the carpet! I want them to get excited for new books, too!

    Amy Howbert
    Little Miss Organized
    amyhowbert1@gmail.com

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  3. I love, love, love "Those Shoes" - one of my all time favorites - we refer back to it throughout the year! I bought those fairy tale books last year for teaching point of view. Have to check out the "Every Friday" book, thanks for the suggestions.

    Looking From Third to Fourth

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  4. Hi!! I just want to tell you I LOVE your morning work layout. You posted about it a while ago and I liked it so much that I redid my self starters. I teach 6th grade ELA at a middle school and ever since I followed your lead I have been loving my self starters! So I just wanted to say thanks :)

    Tina
    Crofts' Classroom

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  5. I definitely agree - new books are like Christmas, no matter the month!
    Sounds like you got quite a good load :)
    I am planning a big mixed-up fairy tales unit in a couple of weeks and will definitely check out those books you mentioned :)

    ~Jessica
    Joy in the Journey

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  6. Oh my goodness! I LOVE books and cannot wait to check these out. Thanks so much for sharing, Amanda. :)

    Catherine
    The Brown-Bag Teacher

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  7. I think it's funny that you're kiddos are better at assonance than rhyme. My eighth graders were struggling so much this week to add assonance to their poetry in place of rhyme to show they've mastered the skill! haha

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  8. I LOVE Those Shoes. My kids always get so into that book and really relate. I'm definitely going to check out the How To Babysit a Grandpa! Looks super cute!

    Danielle
    Carolina Teacher

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  9. I love the different versions of the fairytales! I teach 1st and I always have some kids who struggle with rhyming words. Some of them don't enuciate their words. they leave the last sound off, so to them hand and fan do rhyme.
    Kelly
    I'm Not Your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher

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  10. Love all of the books! My fourthies absolutely LOVE twisted fairy tales so I'm going to have to pick some of these up:) The POP game looks great, too! Thanks for sharing!

    Amelia
    wherethewildthingslearn

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  11. Fun giveaway! You will love the Fairy Tale books! They are awesome for teaching point of view! I sent you an email about something you might be interested in! :) I have the Pop Sight Words and would LOVE the word family too! The kiddos love it!
    :)Kim

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