SPIDERS!!!

Teaching is amazing when you can incorporate several subjects into one unit!! This week, I  was able to teach science, reading, and writing in one awesome unit! To start the week, I added webbing, paper spiders and spider facts to our classroom. As soon as the kiddos walked in on Monday, they were hooked!

All day long they were asking "When are we going to do science"?? When the time came, they were all ears! We started the unit discussing what we "think" we already know about spiders. Since we are starting informational texts, this was a great time to explore facts. I have a great group of kiddos this year that already have great background knowlege, so getting a list of things they think they already knew helped me guide my lessons!

Each day, we looked at a new passage, book, or Internet piece of information to learn even more about spiders. We touched on verbs and adjectives that relate to spiders.

Throughout the week, we collected facts about spiders that we thought were really cool and wrote them in our "Facts About Spiders" book. Since we are learning about informational writing, this was a great time to incorporate this. Even though the facts were very basic, they did a great job!

I could have stretched this unit out more than one week, but with all the neat things that I want to teach my kiddos in November, I kept the instruction to one week. Since we were ending the unit and Halloween is tomorrow, I wanted to incorporate fun activities to the end of the unit.

Our school is promoting "healthy snacks/foods, so I wanted to make sure I was adding that into my curriculum anytime I can! Once again, I wanted to fit in as much teaching as I can along with fun learning, so my kiddos got to choose a snack they wanted to make!

 

Our healthy snack choices were a witch's hand, a monster mouth, or a spider web! Each kiddo had to choose which snack they wanted to make. They followed the picture steps and made their snack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once their snack was made, I gave them a "How To Make" book. They had to write the steps they took to make their snack. I was sooo thrilled to see how easy it was for them to do!

 

 

As a concluding activity, those with great behavior all week wrapped me up like a mummy! YES, they used toilet paper! It was a blast!!!

 

 

 

Learning Projects!

Sadly, our plant unit came to an end. The class did an excellent job creating learning projects to show their creativity and new information they learned. In my class, I like for my students to present their learning to others as a final step. If they can turn around and teach others something they have learned, I feel they truly have a firm grasp on their learning! One of my favorite learning projects this unit was a "learning vest". This can be used with any topic! On the vest, the kiddos show what they have learned. In the picture below, one of my students chose to show everything he knew about roots. He labeled a plant to show where the roots are, and he searched on the Internet to find really cool root pictures. He had a volunteer wear his vest as he explained to a group of others. It was REALLY NEAT to watch!

I also had 3 of my students create a commercial for their "plant store". They had to survey their classmates and find out the type of plants they would like to buy at the store. They then created a store name and practiced making a commercial to invite others to come to their store and buy plants. This was neat to listen to but if they saw me watching them, they would giggle so much that they couldn't finish the commercial, so I pretended I didn't know what they were doing!!

 

 

Next,  our classroom is going to turn a "little spooky" just in time for Halloween! Check back later this week to see what we learned!!

 

Eating a whole plant

 We have learned all the plant parts and their function, so it was a prefect time to show the class the different plant parts we eat. First, each child was given their placemat. Then we talked about each type of food that was handed out. Once the food was discussed, the students had to sort the food into the correct square. As we reviewed the foods, the kiddos ate each piece.

The discussion that took place as the children were tasting the foods was very funny. Not a lot of broccoli or cauliflower was eaten, but at least they tried a very small piece. I even had one little girl take a piece of lettuce and crumbled tiny pieces of all the foods onto the lettuce and told me she made a salad!

Next, we are moving onto photosynthesis and project time!

Making Learning FUN!

Recently, we started a unit on plants. To start the unit, the class was introduced to learning contracts. Learning contracts in my room are a way to show evidence of their learning. All types of learning styles are accommodated. We talk a little about each choice, but I do not go into great detail. I want to see how they interpret the idea on their own.

 

 

After several days of learning new information, we have project time where they get to work on their projects and apply the new information in a way that makes most sense to them.

Today, we learned about pollination. First, we watched a couple videos on You Tube that showed great examples of pollination happening in nature. The kiddos were amazed how humming birds, bees, butterflies, and even bats help pollinate flowers. After we watched the videos, we did a SUPER FUN activity where they were the different types of insects or animals and pollinated flowers. First, we colored only the petals of a flower on white paper. Then we took a smaller white flower with a mini cupcake holder in the middle that was filled with cheese puffs and Doritos. The kiddos touched the cheese puffs and Doritos which acted like pollen. They then walked around to other desks and sprinkled the "pollen" onto the flowers that were colored. This was SOOO fun to watch. At first, they couldn't see the "pollen", but as more and more kiddos added to the flowers, it was very noticeable. The class was excited to see the finished product. To set the "pollen", I sprayed the flower paper gently with hairspray to hold everything in place! The amount of learning that took place in 40 minutes was amazing! There are 2 products that I use for my plant unit. I have provided links below if you are interested!

 

 

 



 

 

Fluency...it's never too soon to start working on it!

I really like to have fun helping students build their reading fluency. There are so many fun, engaging activities out there that keep the students wanting to learn. One way I start with fluency is making sure my kiddos have automaticity with basic sight words. I use my "Racing to Build Sight Word Fluency" that helps students learn the 100 most used words in reading and writing. The words are split into lists of 10 words. As the lists are learned with automaticity, the students chart their growth on a progress chart grid. Once they have 50 words learned, I like to start them on reading sentence with those words. For that, I use my "Racing to Build Sentence Fluency" pack. These are pages that have 10 sentences on each page. For most of the kids, this is a great next step. For others, I have found that it is too big of a step. I needed to use something a little easier. I started to use "Sentence Pryamids". This is one sentence per half sheet that naturally helps students build phrasing with each line. We practice using different types of voices each time we read them. FUN STUFF!! Below, I have placed links to my TpT store if you would like to check them out!

 

 

Click Here

 

 

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How do you help your kiddos buuild fluency?

 

Mid-Summer Thought!

It has been awhile since I posted anything, I have been a little busy...I recently finished 15 semester hours since March! What was I thinking...right?

Just recently, I was deep in thought about how I wanted to get my room in order and it became overwhelming. A list started to form and it became very clear to me that if I was feeling a little overwhelmed after 17 years of teaching, how are new teachers feeling? How are teachers to a new grade level feeling? I created a "Back to School Teacher's Tool Kit" to help out. In this pack, I included a checklist of things I like to have ready before school starts. Included in this pack are many pages that I like to use and are there for you to copy, personalize and use yourself.

Hopefully you find it useful! Just click and it will take you to my TpT store. Thanks!!!
 

Click Here

 

RTI (Response to Intervention)

Response to Intervention...what does that look like in your district? The district I work in has a plan...but I was never really trained or taught what it is. Thankfully, I read this book and WOW!!! Why haven't I been doing this before???

 

In my last post, I talked about differentiated instruction and how my students LOVED learning! After reading RTI Success, I have learned that differentiated instruction and the RTI process are 2 peas in a pod and should not be separated!

 

I never completely understood RTI and I originally thought that it was a special education process that needed to be completed before a child could be referred for testing. Boy, was I WRONG!!! Response to Intervention starts in the general education classroom and it needs to be used for ALL students!

 

I knew mid year that several of my students were not making the progress that I thought they were capable of, so I asked one of the intervention teachers I work with if she had 30 minutes in her day to spare to help me in my room. Thankfully (with shifting her schedule) she did and together we made a huge difference.

 

Every couple weeks, I would have my students read a book to me as a "cold read" to find their current reading level using a running record. After completing them, I would look at the notes and group my students based on need. No matter what reading level they were working at, I still grouped them based on their needs. "Miss Amy" "pushed-in" and helped work with this group for 2-3 weeks at a time, only addressing the specific skill they needed extra practice in. After the 2-3 weeks, assessments were given to see if progress was attained. If so, new groups were formed, if not, she would continue to work with that group of students.

 

She SUPPORTED what I was doing in the classroom, which is a HUGE component to RTI success.

Thank you "Miss Amy" for helping me to "carry out" what RTI is supposed to "look like" in the general education classroom.

 

I highly recommend this book as another summer read!

 

Differentiation...

I recently read two great books that I highly recommend for a summer read! I'm always looking for a new strategy or idea that will spark creativity in my teaching. Even though I provide my students with different ways of learning and thinking, these 2 books reminded me and showed me how even though common core has dictated the classroom, learning and teaching can still be an enjoyable experience.
 

 

These books showed me how the power of choice can bring learning to a new dimension! I recently started a unit on weather. After a couple days, I introduced them to learning contracts. This is a new concept to me and I absolutely LOVE them! I created projects for my students to choose from to show me what they have learned over the course of our weather unit. It was SO neat to see what they each chose, it complimented their personality and learning style!

 

The energy level and excitement that explodes when I tell them it is time for our weather unit is mind blowing! They love to work in groups and the conversations they are having makes any teacher's heart smile. My kiddos have taken the ownership of learning to a level that amazes me. So...if you are ready to expand your comfort level, this is a great place to start!

The Best Part of Me!

We finished up our opinion writing last week. I was very impressed with my kids' reasoning skills to support their opinions. Our final project was called "The Best Part of Me". Each student had to decide their best asset and write their opinion and tell us why. At first they were very literal with their reasons, but with a little discussion among others, they got the hang of it!

 

To start the activity, I took pictures of their favorite part. Then, they met with a partner and practiced by verbally stating their favorite part, give at least one reason why, and then have some sort of closure. The students loved working in groups!

 

Once they were ready, we took a couple days to neatly write out the opinions. I chose to create a "flap page" so the picture was a mystery until they turned the page. This was definitely a hit!

 

Collections...and opinion writing

For the past several weeks, we have been working on opinion writing. The class has done a great job stating their opinion and giving reasons to support their opinion. This past week, each student brought in a small collection of items. We took turns learning about each collection. Then each child had to rate their best piece in their collection. They gave it a blue ribbon. It was neat to see what their collection consisted of, but it was also neat to listen to their reasons. At times, they were very convincing and wanted others to like their piece too!

 

 

Pocket Charts

One of the things I love most about teaching first grade is letting students explore, learn, and practice through centers or stations. Having enough space is always an issue to overcome. I LOVE pocket charts! They can be used so many ways. I have mine throughout my classroom, tucked away until I need them. This makes them VERY handy! I also like them because I can see how a student is completing the activity from anywhere in my room, especially during guided reading time. I don't have to stop my group to see how a child is doing. If I see a child is struggling or completed something incorrectly, I jot a note and touch base with the child later and help them.

 

When station time is over for the day, we roll them back up and tuck them away until we need them the next day! Very convenient!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Building Fluency...with a tablet

 

A couple weeks ago, I added a new station that my kiddos are still VERY eager to use daily! Thanks to a donation, we have a new tablet to help with our fluency. After students have practiced a poem, a set of sentences, a word list, or even a book several times, they can record themselves reading. Once they are finished, they get to listen to themselves. It is pretty powerful!! Sometimes they are a little hard on themselves, but for others it is an eye opener. They think they are reading smoothly with expression until they hear it for themselves!

 

We also have a book app downloaded, so students can listen to stories. It's sad, but some students are not read to at home and this is a way they can hear what fluent reading sounds like!

 

Having this station in my room, has helped several of my students in a way I didn't think was possible...they ask if they can take extra things home to practice reading so they can record themselves! WOW!!!

 

We have been working with identifying coins and a few of my kiddos are confusing the nickel and dime and their values. I made some flashcards and have added them to my TpT store as a freebie! Click the picture below to link to my store and download them!!  ENJOY =)

 

 

"Toe the Line"!

This week we started a new writing unit, opinion writing! I found a great unit on TpT created by Samantha Kelly. She did a great job creating activities that are fun and engaging. Yesterday we played one of her games "toe the line". As I read a statement, if they agreed, they put their foot on the line. Those that put their foot on the line had to give us a reason why they agreed with the statement. Today we played several rounds of "would you rather". Another great way for students to practice their opinions verbally. This unit has three weeks of lesson plans included. To check out this great unit, click on the picture below!

At the beginning of the year open house, I explained to all the parents I would be giving their child the challenge to read 1000 words to me before the end of the year. As with many things in my room, each student tracks their own progress in their "progress chart" file folder. The neat thing about this activity is that each child gets to move at their own pace. They are motivated by each other and congratulate each other when they get to put stickers on their chart! Once they read 1000 words they receive their "star trophy". FUN STUFF!

 

 

 

As I introduce a new phonics rule, word or letter pattern, I provide my students with lists of words that they can read to practice their new learning. The more words they read, the more stickers they get to put on their charts! If you are interested in the word lists I use, click the picture below and it will take you to my TpT store!