New Year, New Look

...at least for some of my products. 

Truth be told, I'd quit making New Year's resolutions because 

I NEVER STICK TO THEM!

On average, my resolutions (in the past) have latest all of about 3-5 days before I quit whatever it was that I had resolved to do. I think the reason I've failed so much in the past is because my goals were never really that realistic. 

Not this year! I've made a pact with myself to follow through with a 

VERY MANAGEABLE resolution - 

giving my current TPT products the upgrades they so desperately need. 

When I began this TPT journey a couple years back, I didn't really know what I was doing. I wasn't wise to the ways of amazing clipart, copyright laws, and stretching my creative limits. As I've journeyed with other ah-inspiring teacher-bloggers, I've learned so much and knew that I needed to go back to the beginning and breath new life into some of my first attempts at being a teacher-author. 

In 2014, I gave this little number a facelift by adding B/W versions 

of the original practice pages.

This year, it's undergone a COMPLETE OVERHAUL . 

(Click on image or here to purchase)

I kept the original game (Let's Get Speedy) but revamped it by changing the name (See-Read-Repeat) and dressing up the flashcards with color and clipart. The effective method is still the same (don't worry), but the colorfulness adds an attention-grabbing element.

To beef up the variety of the cards, I added corresponding picture cards to create a fun game called Pick(ture) the Sound. This listening game can be played in pairs or in whole group, with or without the blend/digraph/trigraph cards, as a literacy center or a time-filler/exit slip...the possibilities are endless. 

My sweet boy and his buddies LOVE the guessing game 

HedBandz by SpinMaster.

Sound Crowns is a play on that great game!

Students slip on easy-to-assemble crowns and insert 

BDT (Blend/Digraph/Trigraph) Art Cards.

In small groups or whole groups, students ask describing questions about the image on their crown before guessing what picture they may be wearing.

 Additional paper strips are provided to insure crowns fit students' heads. 

However, I love this idea of attaching (2-3 staples) elastic headbands so crowns can be fitted to several students without readjusting. 

OR you could use extra large rubber bands. 

This same crown fit perfectly on several heads in my house and never ripped.

In the classroom, I'd definitely laminate the crown first before stapling the elastic headbands/rubber bands . 

To wrap up the renovation, I reworked the practice pages (Write & Highlight) to include simple borders, better spacing, and cleaner fonts. Additionally, I added 2 extra pages (This or That? and Creative with Consonant Combos) to extend the versatility of the practice pages.

For Write & Highlight, students fill in the missing blend/digraph/trigaph to complete the word associated with each picture. I have students use their highlighters to identify each consonant cluster.

This or That? is a great way for students to demonstrate understanding of the difference between blends and digraphs/trigraphs. There is some confusion as to which consonant pairs are which so this helps my friends clarify what constitutes a blend and what the letters need to do in order to be a digraph/trigraph.

And to appease my authors and illustrators, I enjoy including an activity (Creative with Consonant Combos) where their creative minds can come to life on paper. 

 Upgrading the first of many products in my TPT store was so gratifying and I'm feeling accomplished! I think I'll stick with this year's resolution...

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