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Introducing Build it! Read it! Write it! Sentence Builder Activities

What are Build it! Read it! Write it! Sentence Builder Activities?

Build it! Read it! Write it! Sentence Builder Activities are simple, hands-on tasks to focus on beginning reading and writing skills, by having students to do three simple things: Build a Sentence, Read a Sentence, and Write a Sentence.

Sample Sentence Builder Activities

In this activity, students combine the beginning of the sentence with a picture card to form a complete sentence.

Students pair sentence beginnings with a picture card to complete a sentence.

Students create five unique sentences in this activity by pairing the sentence beginnings with the picture cards or sentence endings.

Students create sentences of their choosing. They may be silly!

Sentences in these activities focus on high frequency words (sentence beginnings) and themed vocabulary (sentence endings) and reinforce the concept of basic sentence structure. After the student builds the sentences, he or she reads the sentences out loud and writes the sentences on the student recording sheet.

Completed Sentence Builder Activity With Recording Sheet

Some other examples of Build it! Read it! Write it! Sentence Builder Activities include:

The Frog Life Cycle Sentence Builder Activity

And

The Weather Themed Sentence Builder Activity

Each Build it! Read it! Write it! Sentence Builder Activity includes both the sentence building strips and the student recording sheet.

Completed Sentence Building Strips and Student Recording Sheet

To see our growing collection of Build it! Read it! Write it! Sentence Builder Activities, and to try one for free, click HERE.

Introducing Word Ladder Activities

What are Word Ladder Activities?

Word ladder activities are hands-on tasks that focus on word families and simple spelling patterns. These activities help build beginning reading, writing and spelling skills.

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Word Ladder Activities

What do they include?

Each Word Ladder Activity includes both a word ladder task and a student recording sheet.

Complete Word Ladder Activity

How do Word Ladders work?

Students build a complete word ladder by matching words to pictures.  Each word ladder focuses a single word family. For example this word ladder focuses on the “AM” Family and incorporates the words, “ram, jam, ham, yam and clam.”

Students Match Word Family Words to Pictures

Once the student completes the Word Ladder, the student reads the words out loud to reinforce reading skills.

Student reads, "Ram, jam, ham, yam, clam."

Finally the student records his/her word ladder on her “Word Ladder Recording Sheet,” to reinforce spelling and writing skills.

Student writes, "Ram, jam, ham, yam and clam."

Word Ladder Activities can be used in student work stations and classroom literacy centers.  They can be assembled as is, as a file folder game or as a cookie sheet activity.

Word Ladder Assembled As Is.

To see our newest Word Ladder Activities and download one to try in your classroom, click HERE.

Rain Forest Adapted Book Unit

The “Who Lives in the Rain Forest Adapted Book Unit” is finally complete.

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Complete "Who Lives in the Rain Forest" Adapted Book Unit

This habitats unit focuses on Rain Forest Animals and includes two adapted books:

Teacher (Color) Copy and Student (Black and White) Copy

Students match a vocabulary word and picture as the teacher reads.

"Who Lives in the Rain Forest?"

This Adapted Books Unit also includes:

Rain Forest Vocabulary Match, Rain Forest Plant Patterns and Counting the Rain Forest File Folder Games

Two Related Cookie Sheet Activities:

"What Lives in the Rain Forest Cookie Sheet Activity"

"What Starts the Same as These Rain Forest Animals Cookie Sheet Activity"

One clothespin task:

Rain Forest or Cold Climate Animals Clothespin Task

And one set of writing sheets:

Rain Forest Vocabulary Writing Sheets

For more information about this unit or to see our complete and growing collection of “New Adapted Books Units,”  click HERE.

Introducing Sight Word Adapted Books

What are Sight Word Adapted Books?

Sight Word Adapted Books are simple, easy to read books that teach a single sight word and offer students hands-on interaction to increase student engagement.


Sight Word Adapted Books

Each Sight Word Adapted Book includes the color (teacher) copy, black and white (student) copy, and corresponding handwriting/spelling practice sheet.

The "This" Sight Word Adapted Book

How do they work?

Students read very simple text and match the corresponding sight word as they read.

Students match the sight word as they read.


Student reads, "This is a pig," and matches the word "This," to to the page.

Student reads, "This is a horse," and matches the word, "This," to the page.

At the end of the book, the student practices spelling the sight word by arranging the letters in the correct order.

Students spell the sight word three times.

How does the black and white student copy work?

Students can assemble their own version of the book by, coloring the pictures and  cutting and gluing the words or letters to each page. Another option is to allow students to practice writing the word in the box on each page instead of gluing the word to the page.

Students can glue the sight word to each page or write the sight word.

Each Sight Word Adapted Book also includes a student handwriting/spelling practice sheet to give students writing practice and reinforce learning.

Student Sight Word Handwriting/Spelling Sheet

To download a free Sight Word Adapted Book and to view our growing collection, click HERE.

Plant Life Cycle Adapted Unit

The much requested “Plant Life Cycle Adapted Unit” is finally complete.

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Complete Plant Life Cycle Adapted Book Unit

This unit includes two adapted books, both the color (teacher) and black and white (student) copies.

Plant Life Cycle Adapted Books

Students follow along as the teacher reads, matching a word or picture to each page, depending on their skill level.

Adapted Book With Vocabulary Words

This complete unit includes:  Three file folder games

Life Cycle File Folder Games

Two cookie sheet activities:

What Makes a Flower Grow Cookie Sheet Activity

The Plant Life Cycle Cookie Sheet Activity

One Clothespin Task:

Counting Sprouts Clothespin Task

And Plant Life Cycle Vocabulary Handwriting Sheets:

Plant Life Cycle Vocabulary Handwriting Sheets

To learn more about this unit, or to view our complete collection of “New Adapted Book Units,” click HERE.

Introducing Flip Strips

What are Flip Strips?

Flip Strips

Flip Strips are printable hands-on activities that build and reinforce beginning reading skills.

"Weather is...." Flip Strips

Students read a phrase, fill in the blank with a picture/word card and complete the sentence. Once they complete the sentence, they read the strip out loud, “flip” to the next strip and repeat.

Repetition Builds Fluency

Students should practice reading the strips multiple times to achieve fluency.  ”Flip Strips,” are also easy activities to send home with beginning readers for extra practice.

Some examples of Flip Strips Include:

"Plants Have, Plants Need, Plants Grow" Flip Strips

Students fill in the blanks with the things that “Plants have, need and grow.”

"Plants Have Leaves. Plants Need Sun. Plants Grow Vegetables."

“We Recycle” Earth Day Themed Flip Strips

Students Complete Each Sentence With Things We Recycle

We Recycle Flip Strips

Although we only have a few Flip Strips created at this current time, we plan on adding to this collection throughout the coming months.  To download a free sample and see our growing collection of Flip Strips click, HERE.

Backyard Critters Adapted Book Unit

Spring is the perfect season to take a closer look at Backyard Critters and this NEW Adapted Book unit does just that.

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Backyard Critter Adapted Books Unit

This unit includes two adapted books; the teacher version (color) and the student version (black and white) that can also be used as a student workbook.

Backyard Critters Adapted Books

Teachers read the book to students, as students interact with the text by matching a word or picture to each page. This helps increase student engagement and reinforces the vocabulary word on each page.

"Way out back, 'neath a tall, tall tree.."

"A wiggly little inchworm was as wiggly as can be..."

Also included in this unit are:  Two Cookie Sheet Activities

Lady Bug Colors Sort Cookie Sheet Activity

Backyard Critters Sequencing Activity

Three File Folder Games:

File Folder Games for Backyard Critters Unit

One Clothespin Task:

Counting Backyard Critters Clothespin Task

And one set of Vocabulary Writing Sheets:

Backyard Critters Vocabulary Writing Sheets

To find the Backyard Critters Adapted Book Unit at File Folder Heaven, or the view the complete collection of NEW Adapted Books Units, click HERE.

Frog Life Cycle Adapted Book Unit

Our NEW Frog Life Cycle Adapted Book Unit is now complete.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

New Frog Life Cycle Adapted Book Unit

This complete unit includes two adapted books: the teacher (color) copy, and student (black and white/workbook) copy.

Frog Life Cycle Adapted Books

This adapted book leads students through the Frog Life Cycle, while introducing and reinforcing frog life cycle vocabulary words.  Each page includes a word and picture matching piece.

Adapted Book With Matching Pieces

To increase student engagement, teachers read the book with students as students match the corresponding picture or word piece to  each page.

Students Match a Word or Picture to Each Page

Other activities included with this unit are:

Three File Folder Games: Frogs and Lilly Pads Patterns, Frog Life Cycle Vocabulary Match-Up, and Animals That Hop/Don’t Hop Sort

Frog Life Cycle File Folder Games

Two Cookie Sheet Activities: Frog Life Cycle Cookie Sheet Activity

Students Sequence the Events of the Frog Life Cycle

And the What Does a Frog Eat Cookie Sheet Activity

Students Sort the Animals that Frogs Eat/Do Not Eat

One Clothespin Task: Frog Subtraction

Students Solve Simple Subtraction Problems

And one set of Frog Life Cycle Writing Sheets:

Students Trace and Write Frog Life Cycle Vocabulary Words

To find more information on this unit, and to see a complete list of our newest Adapted Books units, click HERE.

Butterfly Life Cycle Adapted Book Unit

While in the process of creating the “New Adapted Books Collection” at File Folder Heaven, I have had many requests for books that focus on science topics.  It is is my goal to add many of these sets over the coming months. This month I have added a set that focuses on the Butterfly Life Cycle.

New Butterfly Life Cycle Adapted Book Unit

This complete set includes both the color (teacher) and black and white (student) copy that can be used as a workbook.

The Butterfly Life Cycle Adapted Books Set

This adapted book leads students through the complete Butterfly Life Cycle, while introducing vocabulary words that relate to that topic.  To increase student engagement and reinforce concepts, students are asked to match a picture or word to each page, depending on their level.

Lower students may match a picture.

Higher students may match a word.

This Butterfly Life Cycle Unit also includes three related file folder games:

Butterfly Life Cycle File Folder Games

Two related cookie sheet activities:

Butterfly Number Sequence Cookie Sheet Activity

Butterfly Life Cycle Cookie Sheet Activity

One related clothespin task:

Butterfly Addition Clothespin Task

And one set of Butterfly Life Cycle Vocabulary Writing Sheets:

Butterfly Life Cycle Vocabulary Writing Sheets

To find this new adapted book set or to view all of the latest additions to this growing collection, click HERE.

Easter and April Goodies

Easter is almost here, so here are a few goodies to kick of the season.  I have added several new Easter activities this week and plan to add more this weekend and early next week.  Here is a sneak peek of a few activities, just added.

New Easter Activities at File Folder Heaven

Several new file folder games have been added including these:

Easter "positional" concepts games, and simple matching

Here is a sample of new Easter and phonics-themed cookie sheet activities:

Little "Peepers" Color Sorting Cookie Sheet Activity

Easter Egg Letter Sort (b's, d's, p's q's and g's)

Beginning Sounds Sort Cookie Sheet Activity

L Blends Sort Cookie Sheet Activity

Here’s are a couple of Easter-themed Clothespin Tasks.

Easter Egg Colors Clothespin Task

Easter Egg Letters Clothespin Task

And “Easter-themed” handwriting practice sheets:

Easter Handwriting Practice Sheets

And many more activities are on the way!  Stay tuned…..