Back to school time is hectic, and there’s a lot to think about. However, these 5 first grade resources for back to school make those first few weeks of school so much easier. Here are my top 5 favorite back to school resources and how I use them in my classroom.
1. Letter Sound, Name, and Formation Review and Student Create Alphabet
In my first grade classroom, I take a few weeks to review letter sounds, names, and formation at the beginning of the year. My students also create our classroom alphabet at the same time. Both of these resources are must haves for the beginning of the year. I have whole post here explaining how I use these resources. You can find the alphabet template free in my free resource library. The letter booklet can be found here in my TpT shop and includes two different versions.
2. Decodable Partner Plays
My decodable partner plays (find them on TpT here) are one of my favorite resources for the whole year, and I like to get them ready right from the beginning. These easy to use and perfect for practicing fluency and decoding in a fun way. I’ve created 60 original plays for 43 different phonics spelling patterns. Perfect for the beginning, middle, and end of the year!
If you’re following a structured literary approach and need more decodable texts, these decodable partner plays are exactly what you need! I’ve been using these for years as I worked on creating more and more, and I’ve never had a student who didn’t love them. If you want to read more about these, I have a blog post here.
These partner plays are:
- designed with students and teachers in mind
- feature controlled text for each play
- cover 43 spelling partners within 60 original plays
- easy to prep (print and go)
- include optional headband templates
- are fun and funny
- are the perfect addition to your small group table, early finisher options, or center rotation
3. Kindergarten and First Grade Intervention Activities
My K and 1 Intervention resources are perfect for a whole lot more than just struggling students. This set of 12 reusable activities is perfect for the small group table at the beginning of the year while you’re reviewing and reinforcing those important, foundational phonics skills. You guessed it. I have a whole blog post here if you want to see exactly what’s included.
4. At Home Support Guides
Let’s not forget the grown ups in our student’s lives! These free at home support guides for reading, phonics, writing, math, and science are one of the things I always send home in those first few days. You can find them in my resource library for email subscribers here.
5. Decodable Short Vowel Reading Passages
These decodable short vowel passages are my favorite go to tool for things my students can begin to read independently at the beginning of the year. I love that they are easy to prep (no prep required, the best kind!) And they love the short, fun stories that allow them to feel successful. I like to slide these in a page protector and use them over and over during reading centers and small group.
