I'm linking up with TeachingMy3.com
Here is my most recent fall fun activity!
Apples!
The apple shaped book comes from Kathryn Robinson--Just Write all year Long, First Grade. The apple writing sheet, I found on www.jmeacham.com fro free!
After a lot of cutting, students designed their cover and wrote a sentence.
We used this blank page, to create a circle map and brainstorm adjectives using our senses.
Another cover example
Of course, you can't write about apples unless you eat them. We tried Royal Gala and Granny Smith.
YUMMY! Next Week I will be starting my Fall into Writing unit. I can't wait to get started!
Apples, apples, apples. We are officially having our apple taste test--or Apple Day on Friday. However, our fridge at school was on the fritz, so I decided to have our basic Apple taste Test on Monday, before the apples went bad. I used the Apple shape book from Kathryn Robinson's Just Write all year Long for first grade. She has great science/writing integration ideas! We used our new method of writing and planning--Circle Map, Tree Map, Sentences. They are really getting good at using multiple adjectives and connecting words. We read several books about apples this week, so we can emerge ourselves in apple words and vocabulary. Can't wait for Apple Pie on Friday! yummm :) Here are 2 of my two new Monster Problems fro 1st and 2nd grade--Trying to increase the Rigor in my Room. Check it out!
My New Teachers Notebook ShopMy Teachers Pay Teachers Store Or Click the links to my store on the right hand side of the page. Now that my work for today is done it's time to go have some fun. Today is the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur. We have a day off, so I am spending the day with my kids. First a quick trip to the Dr. for my daughter, then off to the Children's Museum, to play in a life size Pirate Ship!!! Can't wait. Have a great day everyone,
I'm having a 15% off Sale at my TpT store. The sale will go until Tuesday, so check it out. There are some great new items for fall! Click the image to go to
Fall into Writing and my TpT Store.
I just posted a Super new Freebie!
Super Hero 'e'--He's fast, he's strong and he's silent!
I finally kind of figured out how to make a collage for a preview--I was up 'til after mid-night! It takes forever...
School this week has actually flown by super fast... I guess that's what happens when you are having fun.
Today, one of my fabulous colleagues gave me her class set of Hand lenses (otherwise known as, magnifying glass).
Thanks Jean!!
I have been trying to integrate my science in with writing, to give us more time to cover both subjects. The kids wrote in their journals: I used my hand lens to see...
After I explained what we were going to do, one of my boys says
"It's like when people go on safari, and keep a journal of what they see"
How awesome is that connection?! They then got to explore the room and draw and write captions and labels for what they saw.
My class was so engagedand excited. Next we went outside to a grassy area with trees and bushes in between buildings. I gave them 3 things to look at and draw: 1.grass 2. leaves 3. a flower
Everything else was bonus. They found ants, love bugs and even a cocoon.
We finally ended up on the playground. They examined the ground, which is made of recycled rubber, the fence and the material the slides are made of.
We had so much fun! Here are a few snapshots of their journals.
Last, but certainly no least is my new anchor chart:
-Flip the Sound-
I use flip the sound when talking about Accuracy in Reading on my CAFE board. When reading, if the word doesn't sound right, try to "Flip the Sound" (change from the short to long or vice versa). In the CAFE book, the two sisters use a hand gesture to help teach this. take your hand and lay it out flat. When you say "Flip the Sound" turn your hand over. Easy.
I'm Linking up with Teaching Maddeness for Friday Flashback Linky party.
One of my Favorite Transitions is Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle. 15 years ago I went to a Conference at Hofstra University in New York. One of the break out sessions was on the brain. I learned this little poem, and have used it as a way to transition from 1 subject to the next ever since. The cross-lateral motion is supposed to help the brain get ready for a new topic. It also helps the kids to stretch and is fun at the same time.
You start by putting your thumbs inside your fist and hold your hands out to the side. One hand is Mr. Wiggle, the other Mr. Waggle.
Here is what you say and do:
Say "Mr. Wiggle opened the door POP!" (open up four fingers on your right hand)
"Came out of his house POP!" (stick your thumb Up)
" and shut the door POP!" (close your fingers back to a fist so your thumb is pointing up)
"Mr. Wiggle wanted to go see Mr. Waggle, so he went down the hill and up the hill, and down the hill and up the hill, and down the hill and up the hill (move your hand up and down across your body to the opposite hand)
"He knocked on the door POP, POP, POP--No answer" (Knock on opposite hand)
"He knocked again POP, POP, POP--still no answer" (repeat knocking gesture)
"So he went back home, and he went, down the hill and up the hill, and down the hill and up the hill and down the hill and up the hill" (up and down motion across your body, back to original side)
" He opened his door POP" (open fingers up) "Went in his house POP" (tuck your thumb back in) "and shut the door POP" (close your fingers)
Repeat all of the above with your left hand, but replace Mr. Wiggle with Mr. Waggle. Sometimes I like to say Mr. Wiggle is going to school and Mr. Waggle slept late. When Mr. Waggle finally wakes up he has missed school.
(Then take both arms over your head and down across and in front of your body and say)
"The sun went down"
(Take both arms from the bottom and cross them in front of you and up)
"and the sun came up"
"and Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle both woke up really early for school and they.....
Opened their doors POP, (repeat above hand motions)
Came out of their house POP,
and shut the door POP!
and they both went down the hill and up the hill and down the hill and up the hill and down the hill and up the hill."
(Have Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle pretend to have a little conversation about school in the middle)
"Then it was time to go home so the both went, down the hill and up the hill and down the hill and up the hill and down the hill and up the hill.
They opened their doors POP!
Went in their house POP!
and Shut the door POP!"
Now your kids are ready to go! Here are two videos I found of it. This is not exactly how I do it, but it's pretty close.
I mentioned in a previous post that we finally finished up our School Leader and Workers books. My son did it in his first grade class as well. He did such a great job, I am so proud of his writing. Here is how we did it.
We use circle maps to brainstorm before writing.
I broke the circle into 3 parts, to go with our verbs for sentence writing. The Principal is.... The Principal has... The Principal can.....
One of my girls said you should put Teacher's rock in the middle!! Teachers are.... Teachers have......Teachers can....
Circle map, tree map, sentences.
close up
We wrote about School Leaders, The Principal, Teachers, The Custodian and The Nurse. Additional pages for The Dean, The Guidance Counselor and Blanks are also available.
We also have been using our Mystery Words and Word of the day bracelets, behavior clip chart and adding to our Word wall! The Mystery word is a big hit! Today I put it out for morning work, and they were getting so excited to try and guess what it is.You can Check it all out here.
I hope you all had a great week and an even better weekend!
