Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Free French Letter Writing Unit

 Free French Letter Writing Unit

Want more French freebies? See my French resources page HERE.

Welcome to another great French freebie! This unit is a very simple one, but a very important one too - and I think your learners will love it! 

Inside the unit, you will find some simple letter writing (or e-mail writing) templates, prompts, and instructions that your kids can use to write friendly letters in French. They can use these to write to friends, and family or they can even write notes to each other to practice their French writing.

This is also an important progression to cover when learning French as a second language!

One of our favourite ways to practice letter writing is to make our own mailboxes out of shoe boxes we have on hand. We then write little notes to each other and stick them in when nobody is looking! My kids LOVE to do this and it is such a fun way to get some extra French writing in.

Another fun idea is to write a letter to a fictional character. Kids can choose a favourite from a book, movie, or video game and write away.

E-mails are so much fun to send using this unit as a template too. Just have your learners type the e-mail in the order the template goes and use the prompts if you'd like too!

I have included a bookmark-sized reminder for kids to refer to whenever they would like to write a letter in French, as well as extra pages of sentence prompts, extra writing pages, and even an envelope template.

I hope that you and your learners enjoy this unit and it makes your learning year a little easier and FUN!

You can download the free unit by clicking on the link under the image below. All I ask is that if you would like to share this unit, to please share the link to this blog, NOT the google drive link. Sharing the google link can slow down downloads for everyone. Thank you!





Free Animal Nutrition Science Unit Elementary Grades 1-2 (cycle 1)

 Free Animal Nutrition Science Unit for Grades 1-2

What do Animals Eat?

Looking for MORE free science units for all grades? Check my Free Science page often or subscribe to my newsletter to stay updated.

Animals are a subject that all kids love to learn about. Some of us have pets that we see every day, and some of us see animals crawling around our backyards or city streets. Some of you very lucky ones even have a small farm (I am SO jealous :))

Animals are something kids interact with almost every day, so they are a subject that most kids are curious about. In this unit, kids will look into the differences between the diets of wild and domestic animals. They will use their own observation skills to observe pets and local wildlife (whether it's deer, pigeons, or squirrels) to write about the differences they notice.

They will also get to learn about the differences in the diets of wild and domestic rabbits - a subject I thought most kids would love! If you do have a pet rabbit, or like us, a wild rabbit who visits your yard often, then even better! If not, you may want to watch some videos or look at some books about rabbits and turn it all into an entire unit study! Or you may choose to simply go through the journal and learn about what animals eat. 

Either way, you will be filling the progression of learning in the Quebec Education Program for the progression:

Living Things: Energy: 1 - Sources of energy for living things. 

Compares the nutrition of domestic animals with that of wild animals.

But even if you are not following the Quebec Education system, I do hope you and your kids or class enjoy this unit! I will be using it with my own kids in the new year and just know they'll love a unit about rabbits!

I also need to mention that this unit has a fun bonus project. Kids will get to choose whether their family would become a wild or domestic rabbit family for a year, and then give a reason why, and describe a favourite activity they would do together. It's a fun way to tie this unit in with some language arts!

I also included a rabbit life cycle poster for kids to colour, as well as cutouts they can use to make their own life cycle page. 

You can download this unit for free by clicking the link under the image below.

Enjoy! If you have any questions please leave me a comment or email debbiemcmullen@live.ca

**Please do NOT share the direct Google drive link - this causes too much traffic and slows downloads. Please share this blog post instead! Thank you!**

Download the Free Animal Nutrition Science Unit Here


Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Free French Writing Unit - A la Bibliotheque - At The Library

 Free French Writing Unit - A la bibliotheque

At the Library


Welcome to another great French freebie! Looking for more? Check out my French resource page HERE

Just like the park unit I released a few days ago, this French writing unit is all about getting kids to write in French using vocabulary, sentence stems, and words they may already know.

And it can be turned into a day out at the library too!


Included in this unit are two styles of writing pages for beginner or intermediate writers. On every page there are vocabulary words showing things usually found in a public library - books, shelves, etc. Two pages also contain a prompt. 

The idea is for kids to write about what they see at the library, about a day they went to the library, or about their favourite things at the library. I have included sentence stems and vocabulary for most of these things too.


There are plenty of ways to get your kids writing more in French. Every sentence prompt and stem has a translation to help you or your kids along too. We LOVE going to the library in our homeschool and always have at least 20 books out at any one time - so I know that this unit will be a hit with my own kids too!

I hope it is with yours as well!

You can download this unit by clicking the link under the image below. Just click the download or print icon in the corner of the page when the document pops up. If you have any trouble, please drop e a comment or send me an e-mail at debbiejeansblog@gmail.com

ENJOY!


DOWNLOAD THE FREE FRENCH LIBRARY WRITING UNIT HERE

Free Phonics Beginning Sound Practice Cards

 Free Phonics Beginning Sound Practice Cards


Free phonics cards to use with playdough, bingo daubers and other tools to teach beginning sounds
Click the link below the image to download
*phonics program in development. Please enjoy these free resources while it is being made*


Download the Phonics Cards Here

Monday, November 28, 2022

Free Phonics WarmUp Posters I Say You Say


 **Free phonics-based reading program in development. Check the phonics page for more free resources soon**

Click the link below the image to download the file. Please do not share the direct google file link, please share this page instead. Thank you!


Download the FREE Phonics Posters Here

Friday, November 25, 2022

Free French Writing Unit - At the Park - Au Parc

 Free French Writing Unit - At The Park - Au Parc

Welcome to another great FREE french writing freebie!

Want more? Check out my French resources page here

This unit is a fun one that can get really interactive!

  • Bring it along to the park and let your learners write about what they see there
  • After a visit to the playground, let kids write about what they did
  • Can't get outside? Take a virtual tour with google street view of a park and write about it!
  • Have kids use the sentence prompts to write about their favourite thing to do at the park
  • All in French!

I have provided pictures with vocabulary words as well as sentence prompts with translations - so even if you're not too familiar with French yourself you can still use this unit!

This Unit Includes
  1. Different types of writing pages for different levels - with or without prompts
  2. Sentence stems for kids to write a fuller paragraph - with translations included for teachers/parents!


I am hoping to release future units too - at the zoo, at the library, etc. If you have any ideas please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail with prompts you would like to use! debbiejeansblog@gmail.com

You can download this freebie below by clicking on the link below the image. All I ask is that when sharing this resource you share the link to THIS blog, not the google link. Thanks!


Thursday, November 24, 2022

Free French Community Writing Unit - Dans ma communauté

 Free French Writing Unit - My Community 

Dans ma communauté

Want MORE Free French resources? Check out my French freebie page here!

Speaking about places in our community in French with our kids is something that comes so easy when we live in a place that is bilingual or mainly French-speaking. Taking a walk, drive, or bus ride around the neighbourhood and pointing out all of the buildings can be a really FUN homeschool field trip idea too!

But when it comes to showing what your kids have learned and getting in some French writing, things can get a little tricky -and dare I say even boring for them! I think as teachers and/or homeschool parents we strive to make learning as engaging and FUN as possible for kids so that they WANT to keep on learning. I hope that this unit will help them have a little bit of fun writing about their communities and/or making maps of their neighbourhoods.

This unit comes with cutouts of community buildings and places (the bank, the park, the dentist, etc.) that kids can either make a full community map with or paste on a page to show what is in their community. It also included writing pages to go along with these, starting with the phrase

 Dans ma communauté, il y a.... (In my community there is/are)

This prompt will help them to write about the buildings and places they have put on their project pages.

There is also a page of useful phrases kids can use with a transition phrase, a way to write about downtown, and a phrase to write about their favourite place. These sentence prompts can help make their paragraph more than just a list of places! They are also a great way to practice writing some more words in French using simple, common words.

I also included a page of labels in case you'd like your kiddos to make their maps on a large piece of paper.

I hope this free printable helps you and your learners! You can download it below instantly - all I ask is that when sharing this resource you share the link to this blog, NOT the google link! Thank you!


Download the FREE French Community Writing Unit Here

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Free Addition from Within 5 to 1 Million Practice Book

 Free Addition Practice for All Elementary Levels

Addition Within 5 to Addition Within 1 Million

It's time for another wonderful math freebie! This one is for ALL elementary levels - a unit combined into 1! Want MORE math freebies? Check out my Math Page Here!

Whether you want some addition pages to show your child's learning in their portfolio, or you'd like to help them practice their addition skills, this unit will be perfect for any elementary-level math student.

Starting with addition within 5, this workbook includes simple pages and manipulative for children who are just beginning to add. (Feel like your kiddo isn't ready for addition yet? Start out with my FREE subitizing unit here!)

The workbook then progresses to addition within 10, then 20. It then begins with regrouping problems within 100, 1000, 10 000, 100 000, and 1 million! That covers basic addition standards for all levels in grades 1 through 6 (in the Quebec Education Program - see below)

  • In grades 1-2 (Addition within 1000)
  • In grades 3-4 (Addition within 100 000)
  • In grades 5-6 (Addition within 1 000 000)

I've also included some blank pages for kids to write their own equations, along with some spinners they can use to get numbers. Something my own kids love to do is use an online dice roller on my mobile phone - it brings a bit of digital fun to our math time!

You could also add dice, darts, or just let kids make up their own equations. Another fun idea is to let kids write the equations, then have you solve them, while they correct them.

You can download this freebie by clicking the link below.. All I ask is that when sharing this resource, you share the link to this blog, not the google drive. Thank you!

Download the Free Addition Unit Here


Need help teaching your kiddo how to regroup with addition? Check out my FREE regrouping workbook!



Friday, November 18, 2022

Free Addition Regrouping Unit for All Elementary Learners

 

Free Addition Regrouping Unit for All Elementary Learners

Want more free math resources? Check out my math resource page!

For some kids, math concepts come pretty easily. Most of us were taught to add numbers with regrouping using the standard algorithm - carry the tens (or hundreds or thousands) and add. For some people however, understanding this concept can be tricky. For MANY kids, understanding WHY we are carrying numbers over to other columns can seem downright confusing. This is where I found myself a few weeks ago with my youngest kiddo.

While she could certainly solve a problem using regrouping, she just wasn't understanding WHY we need to regroup when we add. In so many curriculums, especially homeschool curriculums it seems, the explanations just don't go far enough for some kids.

That where I hope this unit can help!


Obviously, we all want our kids and learners to be able to add using the standing algorithm ... eventually. So while I love the technique of showing kids how regrouping is done with place value blocks and other tools, there's a big bridge to gap between this and writing and solving an actual equation on paper.

While it definitely will benefit younger kids to spend more time with hands-on activities, I made this unit in hopes that it can be a middle ground between math concepts. It starts off very simple - by explaining what a digit is and how it is a single symbol.

Next, it goes into breaking numbers down into tens and ones. Examples are given with both equations, charts, and place value blocks. 

Finally, the unit dives into adding with regrouping by asking kids to think about what happens if we add 1 to 19 when adding vertically?


The unit then gives plenty of examples and "together work" (whole group) and some individual practice too. I have also included blank pages and manipulatives that can be used during the lessons.

The unit is 50 pages long and can be divided up into a few days or a few weeks of work, depending on where your kid(s) is in their learning journey. It is an open-and-go type unit in a workbook format that can be printed out and either spiraled together or put into a binder.

It even has a fun cover page that your kids can decorate!


If you'd like to take a look at the unit, be my guest - it is absolutely free! You can download it by clicking on the link under the image below. I do plan on creating a subtraction unit in the coming weeks too for when we (my kids and I) get to that! Hopefully before the new year.

Enjoy! And please remember that if you would like to share this resource, share the link to THIS BLOG OR POST, NOT THE GOOGLE DRIVE. You may print copies to share as well as long as my website name stays in there. Thank you!


Download the FREE regrouping Addition Unit Here

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Free Yoga Math Practice Cards - Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division


A surprise freebie to start your week?

I came up with these cards today while trying to think of some creative ways to get my very active 8-year-old to practice her basic math facts. She loves yoga and loves to move, so I figured why not combine the two!


These precious cards include 12 different yoga poses and all four operations - addition within 20, subtraction within 20, multiplication tables to 12 and division tables to division by 12.

The art is precious too (by an artist named Tanya Kart) and I've set them on a lovely watercolour background. 

The idea is to get your kiddos to say their facts while practicing a pose - a great mind-body-math connection exercise! It will help them focus and make your math memorization feel more like fun than work!

You can download these cards for free below - All I ask is that when sharing this resource you share the link to this blog, not the Google Drive link! Thank you! 





Saturday, November 12, 2022

Free Quebec History Mystery 4: Daily Life for the Iroquoians Around 1500

 Free Quebec History Mystery 4: Daily Life for the Iroquoians Around 1500


Want to see the other free History Mysteries? Keep THIS page bookmarked!

Are your learners ready for a new dive into history? In this unit, they will learn all about what an Iroquoian village looked like around 1500, what a longhouse was, and the different responsibilities men and women had.

If you have never used a history mystery before, you'll love how simple they are to implement, whether you are a homeschooler or in a co-op or classroom. All your learner(s) will need to do is scan the QR codes (or click on them) to read a few short paragraphs of information. They will then answer questions and earn a badge for solving the 'history mystery'.

It's just a fun way to keep them wanting to learn more - and collect all the badges as they go!


In this unit, I have also included a fun project idea that is entirely optional. Since kids will be learning what an Iroquoian village looked like, why not spend an afternoon making a diorama of one. It would make a great addition to a learning portfolio, and kids can use their favourite craft mediums or even use items they find outside in nature to build them. They could even build it outside at the park, take a photo, then leave it behind!


However you use this little history unit, I hope it helps you and your kids enjoy learning about the history of Quebec just a little bit more!

You can download it for FREE by clicking on the link under the image below. All I ask is that when sharing this resource, you share the link to this blog page and not the google link. Thank you!

And ENJOY!


DOWNLOAD THE FREE QUEBEC HISTORY UNIT HERE

Friday, November 4, 2022

Free Fictional Narrative Writing Unit for Grades 3-4 (Cycle 2 elementary)

Free Fictional Narrative Writing Unit for Grades 3 and 4 (Elementary Cycle 2) 


Have you ever sat down with your learner to write and felt like you had no idea where to begin? These writing units will help you guide your child through the writing process of writing a fictional narrative - a made-up story!

Kids LOVE to make up stories - whether they do it on paper or by playing with toys or with friends and siblings. They love to imagine different worlds, make up characters, and create in-depth story lines - sometimes it's just difficult for some to put that on paper.

That is where I hope these units will be helpful! 

If you are a homeschooler and your child has never written a story before that they have revised and edited, then this unit is perfect for you! Even if your kiddo has been through the writing process before, this unit makes it super easy to show your child's writing in a learning portfolio, or help prepare them for more formal writing later on.

The unit is made to be printed like a workbook, so it's best to have a copy for each kid. It also includes some writing paper at the back in case you need it. 

Starting Out

Kids will start by learning about what a fictional narrative is. I definitely recommend you go through this portion with your kiddo, unless they are a really advanced reader and you think they'll understand it. It would also be great, as I mention in the 'How to use this unit' page that you have a fictional book on hand that your child really enjoys. That way, you can point to examples in that book to show them as they revise their own writing.


Planning the Story
After learning what a fictional narrative is, kids will need to choose whether they want their story to be realistic or unrealistic. After that, they can either choose to use one of the writing prompts included in the unit, or they can make up their own.

Then comes the planning! Kids will map out their story (the beginning, middle, and end) and then create a setting and characters. 

Revising & Editing

After this, they'll be ready to write their first draft. Once they have their story down they will be encouraged to add a great beginning to their story (a lead) and then add in some dialogue. I recommend using these revising pages as they are easy to implement and won't take your child much time. Absolutely plan to use them on a different day than they write their story though - it's always best tp look at it with fresh eyes!

Finally, kids will edit and publish their story by retyping or writing it, then sharing it with you or a friend.


You can download this free unit by clicking the link below - all I ask is that when sharing it you share the link to THIS blog or page, NOT the google link. Thank you!

And enjoy learning!