Are YOU Teaching TK This Year?

It's NOT Just "Kindergarten Light!" Right?

This was our class mascot, Boomer!

Find Boomer's Take-home books here:  CLICK HERE

Transitional Kindergarten is so much more than just a modified version of kindergarten. Student in TK should be primarily developing social/emotional skills, exposed to great literature, and developing oral language, large muscle & small muscle skills. 

Working together & learning how to collaborate. 

Developing social skills in a playful atmosphere. 

Secondary to that are the academic skills of letter and sound recognition and number sense, exposure to science concepts, social studies, and the arts. 

Science & Lit: Jack & the Beanstalk

CLICK HERE for the Bean in the Bag Flowerpot set. 

Learning about weather with pictures helps develop oral language. 

A healthy snack can be a learning experience:1 grape, 2 pretzels, 3 slices of banana.

What happened to our frozen igloo?And what happened to it by the next day?

Check out this interview where I talk about the difference between TK and K, explain a typical half-day and full-day schedule, and recall the playful centers and activities I fostered in my TK/K combo class.  

Click the image to hear the interview. 

Here is the link to the interview:  CLICK HERE.
And find more ideas to use in your TK or K classroom here:  CLICK HERE. 

What In The World Is T.K. ?

What In The World Is T.K. ?

Just to keep this blog post from getting too boring, I have placed a few photos of my classroom here and there.  They have nothing to do with the blog post.  Just thought you would like them.  After all, what is a post without pix?  :oD

Here is your 1st picture:  Slappin' Sight Words!

What is T.K.?

Here in California, we are easing into a new age requirement for starting kindergarten.  Like 48 of the other 50 states, children will have to be 5 years old by Sept. 2 to begin kindergarten.  In the past, students could begin kindergarten at 4 years old if they turned 5 by Dec. 1.

Here is a photo of our home center; just to add a little color to this post.

So...  students who would have started kindergarten under the old regulations may attend Transitional Kindergarten and that is what I'm teaching this year :)

So, What's The Problem?

So, here is the problem...  one you are probably having if you taught kindergarten last year and are teaching transitional kindergarten this year:  EVERYTHING has to be DIFFERENT!!!

Class books.  Each child contributes one page.  
I numbereach page with their student number and 
add a class list inside the front cover as a Table of Contents.  

What's the Solution?

So, I have been busy searching TPT for new and different activities and projects to teach letter names and sounds, number recognition, etc.  And, I have been busy making some new things that can work in pre-K, TK, or K!

Here are two of my newest creations:

Color Books

Our "Color Books" pack includes 11 class books to make with your entire class; each child creating one page for each class book.  It also includes an individual book for each child to make that is completely different from the other books and provides lots of opportunities to practice name writing.

You can find my Color Books by clicking here or on the image.  

Once you get to my TPT store, download the "preview" so you can really see the pages. 

The individual book is based on the story Mary Wore Her Red Dress and I adapted it to work for either gender.  (I took out the dress and made a few other changes.)  It covers all of the colors: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, brown, white, gray, black, and pink and describes clothing of each color, except for pink.  On that page, the text reads, "_________ drank pink lemonade all day long.  :)

Click the image.

I think you'll like this pack of Color Books. 

My next new product is "I'm Ready For TK" and it is loosely based on Mrs. Bindergarten...

In the directions, you will find an activity to complete on each page.

For example, on the page that says, "I'm ready to cut with scissors" students cut strips of colored construction paper and glue them to the frame on this page.  There are 7 pages to go with 7 activities. 

Click the image.

I like to have my students complete 1 or 2 pages each day.  Then, I place the completed books into their cubbies for Back-To-School-Night for their parents to take home.

I'll be making more products for TK, but if you don't have a TK at your school, most of the products can be used in pre-school or a regular kindergarten classroom, especially with your remedial students.

My TK Classroom, well half of it.  :)

And...  EVERYTHING in my TPT store is on sale for 20% off, plus use code BTS14 to receive and additional 10% off bringing your savings to 28% off.  The sale runs through Tuesday, Aug. 5.

So... let me know if you are teaching T.K. this year.

Have FUN shopping and keeping the FUN in the FUNdamentals!  :)

Check out my:

FaCeBoOk:  Click Here to see my Facebook. (Tons of FREE ideas.)

PiNtErEsT:  Click Here to see my Pinterest Boards.  (Oh, the ideas on these boards!)

TeAcHeRs PaY tEaChErS:  Click Here to see my TPT Store (Did you say, "15 freebies?!")

See you all tomorrow!

Palma :)

Where Else Can You Learn About Science While Wearing A Tiara?

Right Here In T.K.:

Transitional Kindergarten is alive and well in California.  It is such a joy to provide students with developmentally appropriate activities and projects that prepare them for kindergarten and the CCSS they will need to master next year.  

Where else can you study science in a tiara?    :o)

Learning to work together.

Learning to get along.

Preparing For Kindergarten:

Have you noticed that there aren't ANY CCSS for T.K.?  I'm not a big advocate of over-testing, but I do like to know which skills my students have mastered and which ones I need to focus on more.  And it amazes me that, even though I think I really know my students, once I test them I am usually surprised by some of the results. 

What to do???

My district created standards for our T.K. based on the pre-school foundational standards and the kindergarten CCSS.  After teaching T.K. this year, I re-visited our T.K. standards and re-vamped them.  Then, I decided which assessments were the most valuable to me an I made easy-breezy FUN assessments to track my students' progress and I have to tell you that my kids LOVE them!  Yes, you heard right, they LOVE the assessments!  "Why?" you ask?  Well, read on because you can try the special tests that I made for FREE.  

There are 2 ways:  If you are already a member of ESGI, you can get access to my assessments for no additional charge.  That's FREE.  :o)  If you aren't a member, you can register for a FREE 60 day trial and try out my assessments for yourself.  AND if you sign up for a one-year membership you can save $40 by using my discount code B2174 during check out.  

Most kids naturally LOVE electronic devices.  

They can't wait for their turn.

Students getting the iPad ready for testing.
The teacher clicks on or touches "yes" or "no"
to record the students' responses.

Why My Students BEG To Be Tested:

I wrote my T.K. assessments using ESGI, which stands for Educational Software for Guiding Instruction.  And it does just that!  It is an amazing online testing system that is easy to use, FUN for your students, and provides the teacher with tons of information about each student to help guide instruction.

My students LOVE answering questions on an iPad or computer and they cherish the one-on-one time they get with me as I use my ESGI assessments to gain valuable data about what each child has learned.  By using ESGI, I can assess all of the important skills in half the time of the old paper & pencil tests.  By spending just a few minutes with each child I can get a profile on my entire class.  And the data does't lie, so I get a quick and accurate picture of the skills my students have and don't have.    That's why they say, "Click, click, done!"

You can use a desk top, laptop, iPad, or even and iPhone!
Here you can see 2 desk tops, 1 iPad and an iPad mini.
I use all of these to test students.

Why Teachers Love To Use ESGI:

You can use an iPad, laptop, or desktop to assess students and you will find your class eager to participate and your students will actually BEG TO BE TESTED.

But the best part is the data and resources ESGI provides.  After testing, you can print out flashcards and even a parent letter (in English or Spanish) for each individual students.  These make the best resources for R.T.I. or for parents to use at home with their child.  Each flashcard has the child's name and the skill such as "letter name" or "letter sound" written on it.  Imagine the time you will save having all of these resources at your fingertips.  And you can try it for a FREE for 60 days. 

You can also use iPods if you have
 an Internet connection.

How Can You Find My Tests:

All of my T.K. assessments were carefully written to assess progress in your T.K. program.  The title of each of my assessments begins with T-KFUN.  The rest of the title is the kindergarten Common Core standard that it relates to.  Once you have registered for the 60 day trial, you can click on any or all of my T-KFUN assessments and drag them into your own testing dock.  You might want only a few of the basic tests (letter names, sounds, shapes, comparing sets, & number recognition) or you might like all of my TK assessments.  Don't worry, this is super easy to do and ESGI provides all kinds of support to help you if needed.  You can even email me.  :)

Click HERE to see the quick introduction video.

Here Are A Few Of The Tests I Use:

Students' names are listed at on the left side (I smudged them out)
so you can click on an child's name to see their scores,
 print their flashcards, print their parent letter, or test them.

Once you have assessed your students, just click on the bar graphs to see who has mastered certain skills and who hasn't.

Bar graph for sight words.
Click on the gray & it reveals the names of the students who did not pass.
Click on the green and it reveals the names of the students who did pass.

It will actually list the students who need more practice so yo can create a little re-teaching group.  

You can print out their flashcards and store them in little Zip-lock bags labeled with their names and you can hand those bags to instructional assistants, parent volunteers, cross-age student tutors, or use them yourself to target the specific skills each child needs to learn.  

Flash cards show the student's name, date tested, and the specific skill.

It is also a great idea to send home an updated set of flashcards at each conference and again for each vacation break, especially summer break.

Parent letters can be customized to show more or less of the assessments.
The letters can be printed in English or Spanish.

Parent letters give a quick visual resource so parents can quickly see
which skills their child needs to practice and which ones have been mastered.

So, How Do You Get These FUN Assessments?

Hop on over to:

You can register for the 60 day FREE trial which will give you a chance to try it out with this year's students.

Or you can register and take advantage of my discount code.  

Just use the code   B2174 when prompted 

as you register and you will receive a $40 discount.
That's $40 off of the regular $199, so you get an entire year for $159.

Then, look for my tests in the Test Explorer tab.
All of my KFUNdamental TK assessments begin with "T-KFUN" in the title
and they all have "Palma Lindsay" as the author.

Here is an example of the titles of just a few of my TK assessments:

Reading Foundational Skills:

T-KFUN.RF.1a-b: (Print Concepts)

T-KFUN.RF.3a-b: (Letter Sounds)

I know that these assessments will give you the information to track your students' progress in a FUN and relaxed way.  I have used ESGI for years along with many teachers at my school and in my school district.  I have saved sooooooo much time and have gotten so much valuable information too.   I'm so happy to be able to use ESGI and my new tests with my T.K. students.  I know you'll be happy too.  

See you all tomorrow!

Palma :)