Finally Finished! Houghton Mifflin Supplementals & a Freebie!

This is for all of my very patient second grade Houghton Mifflin friends!  Six new HM packets!  All 6 themes for Word Work and Vocabulary Reader Activities are finished and posted to my TpT and TN stores. Woo-Hoo!!  I started both sets while teaching with theme 4 and added 5 and 6 as I got to them. I had so many requests and emails asking if I would be making themes 1-3. Thank you so much for your patience and the answer is yes! 
Don't your kids just love these? Mine do!

Word Work Activities

These activities make a great addition to your learning centers,

work stations, or small group instruction.   Included for each story

is a syllabication, word sort, and alphabetizing activity.  Each

activity is leveled and contains 2 sets of tiered word cards,

a sort and glue work mat page, and 2 tiered alphabetizing pages.   

Tier 1 cards are one and two-syllable words, while tier 2 cards

are two, three, and four syllable words.  Students identify the

target phonics pattern by highlighting the pattern in the

words (what child doesn't LOVE a highlighter!), use a pencil

to divide the words into syllables, then cut, sort and glue the

words to their corresponding sorting mat.   Students then

alphabetize their words on a separate recording sheet.  I copy the

alphabetizing sheet and the sorting mat 2-sided on the same

page to save paper. Directions, extension activities, and answer

keys are included.

What to do with all of those little word cards if students aren't
finished when it's time to clean up? Here's a fun little procedure
my kiddos came up with:  We call it "borrow-a-bag"!  I keep a
little basket from Dollar Tree filled with snack-sized
zip lock bags on a shelf  next to our center folders.  I thought
I had a little picture of it but I think the heat is getting to my
brain and I can't remember where I saved it!
Students "borrow a bag" to store their word cards
in and place it in their folder until the next day.  Once they
complete their work they return the bag to the basket for
someone else to use. My kiddos actually came up with that
on their own! I swear, when it comes to my kids and procedures...

If you name it they will use it!  And like it!

(At the end of this post is a little *freebie* to label your own
"Borrow-A-Bag" basket!)

Click on the pictures below to find each theme:

Vocabulary Reader Activities

I use these activities with the Houghton Mifflin vocabulary readers as an important piece of my vocabulary instruction. We know that students need to be exposed to new vocabulary multiple times in a variety of ways before they retain it and that students are more likely to retain words taught in context than in isolation. I first introduce the new vocabulary whole group using a powerpoint as a visual and Anita Archer's active engagement strategies (See my original post on her vocabulary instruction techniques....Love her!)  During literacy center time, students use the vocabulary readers to read to self or to their partner and complete the corresponding activity pages.  In combination with the readers, these activities givemy kiddos an additional opportunity to use the new vocabulary and apply it in writing by matching, describing, comparing, giving their opinion, finding details, or classifying.

Click on the pictures to find each theme: 

Whew! You made it through this long post! 
As promised here's a little freebie!
Click the picture for your own  "Borrow-A-Bag" basket label!

To save a document from Google Docs simply click "file"

(under the document's name then "download". You'll then

be able to save it.

As always, thanks so much for following along!