A Peek At My Week

This week in writing my kids wrote about Johnny Appleseed and fall. They also are continuing to work on building their stamina in writing. Today they published their writing into books. I had a volunteer come in to help out and students who wanted to publish their writing got to write in books with assistance and illustrate their pictures. The books came out so cute and the students couldn't wait to share them with their families. One student wrote an adorable story about their dog and another wrote an informational story about dolphins. I can't believe I didn't get pictures but I was so busy in guided reading.

In guided reading this week I worked on short /i/ words with my students and worked on their goals (as you can see from our FACE board) most of their goals are accuracy and comprehension. I taught and reviewed strategies to help them achieve their goals. We also worked on evaluating stories when reading and focused on the story Pigs in Rig from Houghton Mifflin. 

My students are now reading for 20 minutes so I gave them a little treat of gummy bears. The sign on top of the bag says "You are a beary good reader!" My students loved getting these snacks while they read and were super proud of themselves for reading for so long.

We made these adorable apple poems that with apples. I just had to take pictures of these-I love how they came out. I let the students use watercolors and choose which color apple they wanted to paint. We will add these to our poetry journal. 

This is our cute behavior chart I've been wanting to share. Everyone starts off on green "Ready to Learn" and moves throughout the day depending on their behavior. It looks like "Above and Beyond is the top but I let them move to the top of the chart and then they get to pick a pencil or bookmark to take home. We had such a great day today everyone moved to "Above and Beyond!" I just love having great days where everything seems to go right! 

In science this week we explored and observed items to learn how to be a good scientist and use all five senses to take notes. They also worked on sink and float during science centers. 

Last but not least we had our first mystery reader today and it was a huge hit with the kids. Our clues were 1. I love to fish. 2. I am short. 3. I love our school. 4. I am on TV every morning. 5. I am a leader. My students guessed our principal and were correct but also guessed our librarian, an elf (because of the clue I'm short...lol) , our music teacher, and reading coach. Our principal read Clifford's First Autumn and complimented my class on being super smart. She also said it was the most fun she had all week! I'm so happy to have a principal that loves to connect with the students and have fun.

Hope you've enjoyed a peek at my week. Join up with Clutter-Free Classroom to see other bloggers week in review. 

Do you POP?

Brain Pop that is! Brain Pop Jr. is hands down my favorite website to use for science! If you don't know about Brain Pop it is a website that does require a membership (often bought by schools) but you can get some videos for free. You can try out the free trial and see if you think the membership is worth it too.

It includes super fun engaging videos that feature science in a kid friendly way. Moby and Annie the characters of the videos are great with vocabulary and explaining science! There are pauses where Annie asks questions like good scientist do and so you can explain further. There is also follow up activities at the end of the video such as games, word walls, and mini quizzes. I always do the mini quizzes online because it's a great way to assess whole group and  my students love to do them!

If you haven't been there try it out! Brain Pop Jr.  is for K-3 and Brain Pop is for 3-6!

Extra special thank you to Tara from at 4th Grade Frolics who awarded me with the I heart your blog award! I will post soon all the wonderful blogs I heart! I feel so honored to have received awards for my blog! Thank you Tara and all my followers!

Who likes to fish?

Mystery Readers: 

We have our first mystery reader this week. It is going to be our principal! I explained what a mystery reader was and gave out the first clue: "I love to fish!" My kids scrunched up their noses and weren't sure who it could be. 

Later on during our quiet lovely writing time where all my kids are writing, engaged, and focused a boy scout leader comes in to interrupt about a boy scout meeting going on tomorrow night at school. I mean jeez louise....it couldn't be my principal walking in when my kids were perfect could it? Noooo it has to be a boy scout guy who wants to get my boy's excited and worked up about boy scouts. Wonderful....so he does his whole speech "Who loves to camp? Who loves to make smores? Who loves to fish?" and my one sweet boy who always calls out in excitement yells out "HE'S OUR MYSTERY PERSON! I GOT HIM!" 

Oh my word...I had to laugh out loud I just couldn't hold it back. He looks up innocent as can be and goes "Well he said he liked to fish". He was correct but missed the point of our mystery reader. I re-explained what a mystery reader was and decided it was time to go to recess. I knew there wasn't going to be any writing after the boy scout leader excited them. Oh first grade! You make me smile, laugh, and have fun through the day! 

P.S. I know I'm not supposed to post twice in one day but I thought this was funny and didn't want to wait! 

Favorite Science Books

It's science week at TBA and today's topic is favorite science books to use.

Well I couldn't just pick one book so I picked a few from each of our units: 

Properties of Matter: This is great for young readers and has simple explanations for matter.

Motion of Objects: I love the Let's Read and Find Science series of books. Force makes sense when you are comparing it to the playground. 

Space: I love using this for writing. Steven Kellogg is a wonderful illustrated and this book is no exception.  The children fill in the prompt "If you decide to go to the moon..."

Life Cycles: I think these books best explain science concepts in language children understand but not dumbing it down for them. I also love the beautiful pictures in the books. 

Also for older readers this is the most humorous science book! This is truly a delightful read even for adults.


Check back this week for more science ideas! 

School Bag Linky Party

Yes, I know I'm a little tardy to the party. But can you forgive me? I mean with open house, progress reports, and a severe storm that kept me with my little ones for 40 extra minutes at the end of the day it can be hard to find the time!

So without further ado I introduce to you my lovely bags I take to work each day:

The yellow bag and the tan bag our my purses that I switch back and forth with depending on my outfit. I love the yellow purse because the strap makes the purse hands free. 

My lunch bag that I actually got from my sister in law for being in her wedding. It's not actually supposed to be a lunch bag but it has the wipeable inside/outside so that's what I use it for! 

My school bag! I love it because it was free from a Scholastic at a book fair in graduate school, it is large, and easy to fold up if I need to. It's not the prettiest bag but they usually aren't big enough for me. I got a super cute vineyard bag from my brother my first year of teaching but after I starting collecting more stuff (you know what I mean teacher...it piles up!) I decided I needed a bigger bag.

This is what is inside the bag...ughh kinda of a mess. 

I have folders, scissors, hot glue gun, heat and bond, id and keys for work, DVD from the end of last year, photos of my class, a crayon, a marker, a pen, and a candy cane. Some of the stuff is just random teaching items that happen to just stay in there.

A folder full of laminated items a I need to cute and make into games. I had high ambitions for tonight...don't think that's all happening until the weekend. More folder to make games out of, super cute paper that is pink with lime green polka dots on it, and laminating sheets (thanks to my wonderful parents this year!)One parent got me two laminating packets, color, and black ink it's nice to be in a giving school this year!

Well those our my school bags! Link up with Abby to see other teacher's school bags! 

Open House What I Loving Wednesday Edition

What I'm loving this Wednesday....

1. I had my Open House last night and I have to say I thought it was a success! I had 13 families out of 18 attend and it was pretty packed in my first grade room. I think the parents walked away with important information and more knowledgable on how they can help their kids at home.

I want to share with you some of the things I used to make my Open House run smooth and look nice. I'm a visual person so I took pictures. 

Apples for the parents.

This poem is from Erica Bohrer: It is (free) from her TpT page: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Erica-Bohrer

She got the poem from a teacher magazine years ago and typed it into a leaf shape.

I had three papers on their child's desk. One was an AR(Accelerated Reader) information sheet explaining what AR is and how their child participates in the reading program. The second sheet was to be a mystery reader in our class. I got my mystery reader packet from Clutter Free Classroom-check them out! I also had a print out on "what good readers do?" and "how to help my reader at home?" double sided. The parents really seemed to like the last print out because it had guiding questions for when their child is reading at home. I can't find that print out on my computer but I'll keep looking.

Cute backpacks we made from Abby's Fun with Firsties packet! The parents thought these were so cute! I like the little mini one...my little friend cute off some of her backpack but its unique!

For some reason my power point from Open House won't load so I can't share that with you. Sorry :(

2. My progress reports are DONE! :)

3. Some new areas in my room:

Writing wall inspired by Pinterest.

Vocabulary wall...I need to make some new reading ones! Once things slow down I'll make some really cute ones. (If things actually slow down....)

 My "FACE" of a reader board. We're learning new strategies everyday!

Our reader's choice board....one student is in the middle because she said "maybe" no definite yes or no. Girls can be so indecisive! (lol) 

Daily 5 (literacy centers) board complete with pictures!


Hope you enjoy and are loving your Wednesday!

Versatile Bloggers

First of all I'm so honored that a fellow blogger 4th Grade Frolics who I find inspiration from gave my blog The Versatile Award!

 

Please check out 4th Grade Frolics! I continue to find amazing resources on this site that I can adapt for my students.

After accepting this honor, there are some things that you are requested to do.

1.  Thank the person/people that nominated you and provide a link back to their blog.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3.  Pass this award along to 15 other blogs that you have discovered.

7 things about me:

1. I have a love affair with chocolate. Any kind I don't discriminate milk, dark, white....ice cream and peanut butter cups get the best of me.

2.  One day I want to be a reading coach and possibly a professor teaching undergraduate students in children's literature or intro to teaching courses. 

3. I love reading and now love reading on my Kindle. I'm currently reading The Mill River Recluse.

4. I could not live without my Iphone anymore! I love checking e-mails, facebook, Pinterest, playing Angry Birds, and being connected to the ones I love with my phone. It also is my alarm clock, timer, weather reporter, and flashlight.

5. I took piano lessons for 13 years and still play occasionally. I don't like to play for other people because I don't feel like I'm good enough anymore and I don't like making mistakes in front of other people. I do however love to play Christmas carols (they are pretty easy) to brighten up Christmas cheer. 

6. I have lived in four different states. I was born in Florida. My family moved to upstate New York for half a year where I first attending half day Kindergarten. We then moved back to Florida where I continue elementary school until 4th grade. Then we moved to Georgia and I lived there all the way through high school. After I graduated high school I moved to Florida for school and my parents moved to South Carolina. So I would visit/live with them every summer I wasn't in college. I now permanently live in Florida and have no intentions of leaving this  sunny state! 

7. One day I want to have a family of my own. If I could have it my way....which I know I can't....I would have 2 boys and 1 girl in that order. I think I would make a great mom seeing as I am a school mommy to lots of little ones already.

Now for those awesome blogs that deserve this award:

Can Do Kinders

Clutter-Free Classroom 

Frogs, Bees, & Under the Seas

Hello Literacy

Ladybug's Teacher Files 

Lesson Plans SOS

Made for 1st Grade 

One Extra Degree

Primary Perspective 

Teaching in High Heels 

The Inspired Apple 

The Teacher Wife 

What the Teacher Wants! 

A Teeny Tiny Teacher

Pencils, Glue, and Tying Shoes

You all are amazing teachers and an inspiration to me! Thanks for all that you do!