Horton the Tortoise

So this week our reading series is covering the /or/ r-controlled vowel pattern.  After the AR pirate kids, I really wanted to teach this skill with a story/mascot also - it really seemed to help them master the pattern last time.  So, today I introduced them to Horton the Tortoise!

First, we read a little story about Horton and his Boring Morning!  He had to all sorts of chores that were a complete snore :)  The kids loved chiming in to the story with nice loud "BORRRINGGGGG" cheers.   During our literacy centers today they explored the pattern further with several different activities.  The one below is a "spin a sound" pocket chart game they played in pairs.

The writing center today was a cute little craftivity asking them to write about a "boring morning" (or day) they have had ... one little boy wrote about our math lesson yesterday (ouch!)  I comforted myself with that fact he is a child genius and probably was bored by regrouping ... "*sigh*

If you would like a copy of the Horton writing template click here! Enjoy!

One of the best parts of the whole day was bringing in Horton, Beanie Baby style!  I chose students who were doing a great job following directions and let them have turns keeping Horton at their desk!  Loved it!

If you would like to check out the Horton story and the accompanying activities, be sure to take a look over at my TpT store!

-Amanda