The activity packets are filled with fun and engaging activities students love! Use these activities for centers, homework, fast finisher tasks, filler activities, or indoor recess activities. Learn more about what’s included and why teachers love these activity packets below!

What are the Seasonal Activity Packets?

The seasonal activity packets are a collection of printable worksheets. Each set is based on a specific topic. For example, one of the topics is apples. All of the activities within the apple packet are related to apples (e.g. apple vocabulary). The activity packets shown below are currently available.

September Activity Packets

October Activity Packets

November Activity Packets

December Activity Packets

January Activity Packets

What is Included in the Activity Packets?

The activity packets include the activities listed below.

ABC Order

In this activity, students sort the list of ten given words in alphabetical order next to the numbers in the box. Then, they’ll write a sentence using as many of the words as they can on the lines at the bottom of the page.

Scrambled Words

Oh no! The 10 words on the page are all mixed up. Students need to unscramble the letters and then write each word correctly. Then, they write a sentence that includes at least 2 of the words.

Making Words

Students use the letters at the bottom of the page to create words. Then, they write the words on the lines.

Doodle Story

Students turn the “doodle” in the box into a detailed drawing. Then, they write a paragraph about what is happening in the picture.

Word Search

The grid has hidden words in it. Students circle or highlight the words as they find them.

Secret Codes

In this activity, students use an alphabet code chart to help figure out the secret message.

Word Sort

Students copy each word into the correct box to show if it is a noun, a verb, or an adjective. Next, they write each word in the correct column at the bottom to show the number of syllables. Finally, they brainstorm more words based on the theme and sort and write those words in the correct spaces too.

Directed Drawing

Students follow the steps to draw a character in the box and then add a detailed background scene.

Writing Stationery

Students can put together a writing piece based on the topic using this paper, which looks great when displayed on a bulletin board.

Can Have Are Chart

Students fill out a can, have, are chart based on what they know or learn about.

Crossword Puzzle

In this activity, students complete the crossword puzzle by writing the missing word from each sentence in the correct boxes.

Why Teachers Love These Activity Packets

Some of the reasons teachers love the activities include:

• The activities require no prep – just print and go!
• Students love these types of activities and will be highly engaged when working on them.
• They are great filler and fast finisher activities, so you’ll be covered in a pinch.
• They complement a larger unit nicely.
• Many of the activities are open-ended so they can be used across grade levels, which means you can continue to use them even if you switch grade levels in the future.

How to Implement the Activity Packets in Your Classroom

Consider printing the packet in its entirety and copy and staple a class set of booklets. By giving the students an entire booklet, they can work at their own pace and learn independence right from day one. Alternatively, you could print select pages and use them individually. Decide what works best for you and your students!

In closing, we hope you find these printable activity packets helpful! If so, you may also be interested in these posts:

• Sub Plan Activities that Don’t Require Photocopies or Technology
• 5 Ways Teachers Can Use Timers in the Classroom
• 10 Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement

The post Seasonal Activity Packets for Elementary Teachers in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

What are these Printable Spelling Activities?

These printable spelling activities for any word list are a collection of 18 activities and direction cards. I designed these no prep spelling printables to save teachers time while providing students with differentiated tasks. Use them as a center, morning work, homework, and as activities for fast finishers. These are also perfect for leaving for a substitute teacher!

What is Included in this Spelling Resource?

This 100+ page printable spelling activities packet includes the following resources:

Hands-on Practice Ideas

This resource includes 10 hands-on spelling practice ideas. One example from the list is to have students make words in pudding. This sensory activity is the same as doing it in shaving cream, but much yummier!

Direction Cards

This spelling resource also comes with direction cards for each of the 18 printable spelling activities included in the packet. These directions cards are great for literacy center directions.

Printable Spelling Activities

This resource includes 18 printable spelling activities for any word list. They each come in several differentiated versions. This allows you to pick and choose which work best for you and your students and differentiate as needed. In addition, you can continue to use them if you switch grade levels next year.

The spelling activities in this resource include:

• Silly Sentences
• Pyramid Words
• Alphabetical Order
• Spelling Story
• Squiggly Words
• Colorful Vowels
• Bubble Letters
• Acrostic Poems
• Spelling Addition
• Spelling Shapes
• Rhymes With
• Spelling Code
• Ups and Downs
• Colorful Words
• Fancy Words
• Syllable Sort
• Money Spelling
• Top Secret Word Search

Editable Versions

There is also an editable file included in this resource. This makes it so you can add your own word lists and tweak directions as needed. This customization capability allows you to tailor the resource to fit your needs.

Why Teachers Love these Printable Spelling Activities

Teachers love this printable spelling activities resource because of the following reasons:

• Each page can be used over and over throughout the school year. Students become used to the format, which make it an independent activity.
• The editable pages allow you to add your own spelling lists and write your own directions. You can easily modify each page to fit your needs.
• Each page can be used with any word list. This enables you to differentiate and meet students’ needs while having them all work on the same activity.

How to Implement the Activities in Your Classroom

Below are the steps to take to implement these printable spelling activities for any word list in your classroom.

1. Download the Resource

Head on over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store to download this Spelling Activities for Any Word List resource.

2. Determine How You Will Implement It In Your Classroom

These activities can be used in many different ways. Some examples are literacy center station work, morning work, bell ringers, homework, or fast finisher tasks. You can choose which works for you!

3. Select Which Printables You Would Like to Use

This printable spelling activities resource includes tons of differentiated options. Choose which ones work best for you and your students.

4. Customize if Needed

This spelling resource includes an editable file. This makes it so you can add your own word lists and tweak directions as needed. This customization capability allows you to tailor the resource to fit your needs.

5. Print and Prep the Materials

Print and make copies of the printables so you have what you need. Only print just the directions page if you need to save paper or are limited on copies. Students can record their work in notebooks or on whiteboards.

6. Introduce them to Your Students

I highly recommend introducing one activity at a time. When you do, model how to complete it, go over expectations, and give students the opportunity to practice it over the course of a week before introducing the next one.

In closing, we hope this information about our printable spelling activities for any word list was helpful! If you enjoyed this post, then you may also enjoy these other posts:

• Tips for Implementing Classroom Book Clubs and Reading Partners
• 20 Back to School Read Alouds for Elementary Teachers
• How to Use Thinking Stem Bookmarks to Improve Reading Skills

The post Printable Spelling Activities for Any Word List: A Must Have for Elementary Teachers in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

In all my years of teaching, I have never seen joyous excitement like that when I teach grammar. I mean, it’s grammar. How much fun can it be? And not for nothing, but I know my colleagues down there in grades K-2 have told them about nouns and verbs and adjectives before and yet my 3rd graders always insist it is the first time they have heard of such a thing.

So this year, let’s set out on a mission to make grammar more memorable and engaging. I am a realist and I understand that they will probably never hoot and holler for adverbs the way they will for magnets and electricity, but I’m pretty darn excited about what I’ve been coming up with. Read below to get some quick tips for how to teach nouns in fun and engaging ways in your classroom.

1. Incorporate Hands On Activities, Crafts and Games

As teachers, we know students learn best through hands on learning experiences. Check out the activity ideas below for how to teach nouns!

Noun Scavenger Hunt

Create a simple graphic organizer with three columns. Label the columns “people”, “places”, and “things”. Have students record nouns they find around the classroom in their independent reading book, or in the book you read aloud to the class.

Noun Flip Books

Construct a flip book by placing a piece of construction paper on top of another the the sides aligned, but with with a 2 inch difference in the bottom. Then, fold them to create the equally spaced layers. On the inside of each flap, the students can put pictures and words to fit each category: people, places, and things. To make it to a higher-level activity, have your students sort them into common, proper, singular, and plural. You could have them use magazines, clipart, drawings, or words to find things and words to sort.

Nouns Flap Books

Another fun activity idea for how to teach nouns is using a flap book. Create a simple flap book where students record information about each type of noun or to record samples of each type of noun using words or pictures. See the example above for inspiration.

Nouns Mad Lib

Ahead of time, create a story with missing nouns. Specify which type is needed for the spot (e.g. singular common noun, plural common noun (things), and proper noun (person)). Print and make a copy for each student. In order to implement it in your classroom, work as a whole group to brainstorm a list for each of the different types of nouns. Have students pick from the list to fill in the missing words. After they fill in the words, invite them to partner up and read their story to each other. Pick a few to share with the whole class. You are sure to get some giggles!

2. Use Anchor Charts

Anchor charts are a very powerful instructional tool. You can create many different anchor charts to teach nouns. An example is to create an anchor chart to record common and proper nouns onto.

3. Display a Noun Gallery on a Classroom Bulletin Board

Having students illustrate a noun is a great starter activity to introduce person, place, or thing. Consider having each student make an illustration and then hang them all on a bulletin board.

We hope you found these tips for how to teach nouns helpful. If you did, then you may also be interested in my Clutter-Free Classroom teacher store, as well as these posts:

• Printable Spelling Activities for Elementary Students
• How to Use Picture Books to Teach Social Emotional Learning Skills
• Anchor Chart Ideas for Elementary Teachers

The post 3 Tips for How to Teach Nouns in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

I discovered today that they really enjoy my vocabulary routine. They think it is fun and like a game and they were sad at the thought of missing it. Who knew? Anyhow, since it appears to be such a crowd pleaser I wanted to share it with you so your children can also experience the joy of learning new words.

6 Steps for How to Introduce New Vocabulary

Below are 6 steps for introducing new vocabulary words.

1. Provide Context Clues

I start by showing and reading a sentence that provides context clues to the word, but say “blank” in place of the word.

Today’s first sentence was, “She grew up in a ____ by the school.”

Then I take 5 “guesses” at what the word could be. I love this part because it really reinforces both the importance of context clues in reading and models how to write sentences that include context clues. I also use this opportunity to talk about aspects of grammar that play a role in what the word could be.

Sometimes one of the 5 words is the correct word, but I always take 5 guesses so that we can practice the above skills. 

2. Offer Hints

If the word was not identified, I then write the first letter and they try to figure it out.

Next, I draw in lines to represent the other letters. We talk about the length of the word. If it’s a longer word we talk about how it most likely has more than one syllable which means it has more than one vowel.

Then I start adding in one letter at a time until it is either figured out or spelled out for them.

3. Discuss the Features of the Word

At that point, I point out features. In the example in the photo, I talked about how the “long a” was actually spelled “eigh.” 

4. Define the Word

I read the definition from the curriculum program book. You could also read the definition from a dictionary or online dictionary.

5. Help Students Make a Personal Connection to the Word

Then I ask a question that helps them connect to the word and make sense of it. In this case the question was “What are some special places in your neighborhood?”

Rather than just ask one student to respond, I have them all answer each question with a talking partner. Sometimes I then ask one or two friends to share, but not always.

And that’s that.

6. Include the Words in Your Word Study Center

After the words are introduced, I plug them into my word study center rotations. Sometimes I have them use an activity from my printable spelling activities and other times I have them write sentences that use context clues that tell the meaning of the word.

I hope you found this post about how to introduce new vocabulary helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:

• 3 Word Study Ideas for Elementary Teachers
• 18 Printable Spelling Activities that Can be Used with Any Word List
• 10 Tips for Managing Student Books Clubs in Your Elementary Classroom

The post How to Introduce New Vocabulary to 3rd Grade Students in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

3 Word Study Ideas for Elementary Teachers

Below are 3 word study ideas for elementary teachers.

1. Use Anchor Charts

The first word study idea on the list is to use anchor charts. Anchor charts are a great tool for teaching word study. They are creating for modeling and serving as a reference tool as students work independently or with partners. Let me share an example of how I use them in my classroom!

Below you can see an anchor chart I used to model how to play the game scattergories.

This activity was perfect when we were also studying data and graphing in math. Ultimately, my students will need to sort data into categories, pose a question, and create a visual to represent their findings. It’s a lot for their little 8-year-old brains to grasp. I always find the “forming categories” to be the most challenging part. We had a breakthrough moment today when I related the concept to sections of the grocery store (produce, canned goods, meats, freezer). Wish I thought of that one sooner!

Anyway, we played Scattergories as a fun word study activity. It was so much fun! The goal was to include words that nobody else had listed. After the time period ended, I manned the chart paper and began taking words from volunteers. A child would say a word. I would write it on the chart and ask, “Does anyone else have that word on their list?”.

If other students had also written the word down on the chart paper, they would give the silent “me too” signal in response. This is a great classroom management strategy!

If the word is on more than one student’s paper, then they would draw a line through it. If a child was the only one to think of the word he would circle it and I added a star on the chart next to the word.

I was so impressed with the words they came up with and we had a great time building our lists!

I recommend you try this word study idea in your classroom!

2. Incorporate Fun Hands On Learning and Games

The second word study idea on the list is to incorporate fun hands on learning experiences.

As elementary teachers, we know how important it is to incorporate hands on learning opportunities and fun games in our classroom. It engages students in their learning and results in better learning outcomes. Of course we should incorporate it into our word study instruction as well.

I’m really focusing on word study as opposed to just “spelling” this year and have been designing some games and activities to go with it. I wanted to come up with some materials that could be used week after week by simply changing out the word patterns. My hope was that they would become familiar with the directions which would make the activities more efficient and beneficial to them.

A word study center that is open-ended, highly engaging, student-driven, reusable, and easily prepped… Does this exist and where can I find it?! Good news: it does! You can find it right here. It is an interactive word study display called BOGGLE. It’s one of my favorite word study games!

This word study activity invites students to explore letters to create words. It is based on the game BOGGLE, which you may have played when you were younger. It serves as a great whole group game, small group activity, and reusable center.

Are you looking for a word study center that is engaging, reusable, and open-ended for differentiation purposes? This BOGGLE center is exactly what you need! Learn all about my Boggle Word Study Game resource! It’s one of my favorite word study ideas for elementary teachers.

Scoop up this Boggle Word Study Game Board!

3. Offer Daily Practice

This word study idea may seem obvious, but it’s important to note. Students need to be working on word study skills regularly. One way to offer daily practice is by incorporating a word study center in your literacy centers.

We have a list of spelling words that accompany our reading curriculum (Treasures). I use that as a guide, but differentiate my lists to meet the needs of my learners. This meant I needed to create activities that were open-ended in the sense that the students could be doing the same activity, but with their own personal word lists.

I use these printable spelling activities with spelling lists, word study lists, vocabulary, and content area words. I also use them as homework pages. They are also great to leave when you have a sub. Oh, and if you are a Daily 5er, then these rock for Word Work.

Download these printable spelling activities now!

In closing, I hope you found these word study ideas for elementary teachers helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts and resources:

• The Best Back to School Read Alouds for Elementary Teachers
• How to Read a Picture Book Every Day to Your 1st-3rd Grade Students
• Must-Have First Day of School Picture Books for Elementary Teachers
• How to Use Spelling Activities in Your Elementary Classroom
• How to Use Printable Boggle Board for Elementary Teachers

The post Word Study Ideas for Elementary Teachers (1st-5th Grade) in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

What is Classroom BOGGLE?

Classroom BOGGLE is a word study activity that invites students to explore letters to create words. It is based on the game BOGGLE, which you may have played when you were younger.  It serves as a great whole group game, small group activity, and reusable center.

My BOGGLE packet includes the following resources:

• background frames (wavy and rounded square versions)
• coordinated letter cards (two versions)
• playing/recording sheets (two versions)
• photo tutorial of how I created my board in my classroom

Why Teachers Love BOGGLE

Some of the reasons elementary teachers love the game BOGGLE are listed below!

• All students are able to find words at their level, so they will feel successful and build confidence.
• Students practice important literacy skills like letter sounds, spelling, and vocabulary without even realizing it.
• It deepens student understanding that letters make words and all words need a vowel.
• Students learn from each other.
• Students become more independent learners.
• You can easily differentiate this product by opting to make a 3×3, 4×4 or 5×5 array.
• Students are highly engaged in this word study activity.
• It is easy to switch out letters, so you can use it over and over again and build a strong classroom routine.
• Students can work on it independently without teacher assistance.
• This word study activity can be used in grades 1-5, so you are covered if you switch grades.
• It is very easy to make at the beginning of the year.

How to Play Classroom BOGGLE

Learn how to play classroom BOGGLE by watching the video below!

How to Create a Classroom BOGGLE Display

Below are simple directions for how to create a BOGGLE display for your classroom.

1. Download the Printable BOGGLE Packet

I’ve created a printable BOGGLE packet that includes all of the necessary printables to create and use this in your own classroom. Download it from my Clutter-Free Classroom Teachers Pay Teachers store!

2. Select a Spot in Your Classroom for the Display

You may opt to dedicate a wall in your classroom for this display. Other options are an anchor chart or stand-up presentation board.

3. Print the Classroom BOGGLE Packet and Customize It

Print this resource. Layer it on colored card stock or scrapbook paper to add your own personality to it. It looks AMAZING against brightly colored backgrounds!

4. Glue the Pieces Together

Adhere the different pieces of the board together to create a classroom display that will be used throughout the school year.

5. Post it for Student Use

As part of the second step, you chose which wall in your classroom you wanted to dedicate to this word study center display. You are going to stick it on that designated spot as part of this step. Post the BOGGLE board on a wall, anchor chart, or stand-up presentation board in your classroom so students can access it with ease.

In closing, we hope you found this classroom BOGGLE display and center interesting! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:

• Word Study Ideas for Elementary Teachers
• Back to School Read Alouds for 1st-5th Grade Teachers
• Fast Finisher Activities and Ideas for Elementary Teachers

The post Classroom BOGGLE Display Activities for Early Finishers in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.