Best Vocab-Building Book: Fancy Nancy

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Squarehead Teachers

I’m obsessed with kids books… especially picture books. I have heard about Fancy Nancy (by Jane O’Connor) for a few years now, but I recently “tested them out” and read through a few of them.

OH. MY. WORD.

They’re awesome! Not only are the illustrations adorable, but the voice in them is full of fun personality, AAAAAND she uses awesome vocabulary! So, now my toddler has been going around calling purple “fuchsia” and cupcakes “delectable”. (Yeah, what kid under 3 has THAT kind of vocabulary?! Thank you, Fancy Nancy!) Here’s an example:

Most of the beginning reader books have a page of “fancy words” in them. My toddler insists on reading this page too (because it has a cute illustration?) so we get a vocab review at the end of the story and I don’t even have to ask for it! WIN WIN!

Click here to grab a copy for your classroom (and get started expanding your students’ vocabulary without even trying!):

(This is the one I took pictures of above!)

(This is the original Fancy Nancy book.)

Math Vocabulary Sort

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Do you speak math? Use this free printable from my post over at We Are Teachers to help you and your students keep all those math vocabulary words straight! Click here to see the printable.

$I Speak Math preview$

Write On Plastic Pocket Charts

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

Check out this cool idea a reader submitted. It’s simple, but genius!

If you use a pocket chart to hold vocabulary words, you can diagram them right on the pocket! Use an overhead marker or a whiteboard marker to diagram words onto the clear front pocket of the chart! This way, you can leave it up for the week while you’re focusing on a specific principle, and you don’t have to write on the word strip.

Have any other great ideas? Send them to me (squareheadteachers at gmail dot com) and I’ll post them on this blog! Thanks!

The Courage of Sarah Noble Workbook

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

A good friend of mine recently shared this with me. She made this workbook to use with the book, The Courage of Sarah Noble.

Wikipedia summarized the book this way: “The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh is the story of a young girl who travels with her father into Connecticut during the early 18th century, and her experiences with the native Schaghticoke.”

The workbook includes vocabulary and comprehension questions for each chapter. Click here for the free printable workbook: The Courage of Sarah Noble workbook