Gotta Keep Reading

Two years ago, I came across this video of a middle school that had changed the lyrics to the Black Eyed Pea's I've Got a Feeling to Gotta Keep Reading. After viewing the video, I shared this video with my 2nd grade students and they loved it! I haven't shared it with my 1st graders this year but it's on my list of things to do! It's one of those songs that can get stuck in your head and I really like the message it sends to students. It's just a fun, song to inspire the reader in all of us! Enjoy!

Spelling City

I recently came across this website via Pinterest. I am always trying to find fun ways for students to continue their learning home. Spelling City is one of those ways! It's a FREE resource that allows teachers to post their spelling words on their web page and then students can search for their teacher and play spelling games based on the homework spelling words. This has been a HUGE hit with my kids! I've noticed an improvement on their spelling tests and I've had notes from parents telling me that their children are going on the website to practice their spelling words without even having to ask them to! I encourage you to join this website and make this a part of your student's daily homework!

http://www.spellingcity.com/

Class Motto

This year I adopted a new motto for my classroom. No one is perfect that's why pencils have erasers. When I first read this quote last year I knew it was PERFECT for my classroom.  In first grade, my students are still very conscious of making a mistake. All year I try to tell them that it's okay to make mistakes because that's when the best learning happens! I love having my motto placed in my classroom where my students can see it.

Making Good Choices

Since I've started this blog in the middle of the school year, I thought I'd share an idea I used to help brainstorm classroom rules on the 1st day of school. I began by talking about an apple tree. I said sometimes there are apples that aren't ripe anymore and they fall of the tree because they are bad to eat..and only the "good" apples are left on the tree. I then said that we're going to talk about some choices that are made at school and you tell me if they should stay on the apple tree of if they should go on the ground.

This was a really fun activity for the student because some of the apples had really poor choices on them. After we had placed all the apples where they belong I then asked them to brainstorm some rules using the good apples that we could use in our classroom. The students did a great job of thinking up rules! I wish I had a special template I used, but I created this activity using butcher paper, di-cut apples and labels. Please email me if you want some ideas of the good/poor choices and I will find my apples and add it to the blog. I can't wait to use this idea next year with the kids!

100th Day of School!

One of the many ways 1st grade celebrates the 100th day of school is by making a bulletin board! The week before the 100th day of school, for homework students are asked to bring in 100 small items in a pre-labeled plastic bag. The students are asked to count their items by 2's, 5's and 10's before placing them in the bag. It is fun to see what the students choose to bring in (this year we had 1 student bring in 100 ml of water!). This is one of my favorite bulletin boards I put up all year!

Symmetry Mittens

In the winter months, my students begin studying Geometry. In one of their math center stations, students create mittens. Their mittens must be symmetrical. This project helps students better understand symmetry and is a fun and creative way for them to express themselves! These make a very cute bulletin board for the snowy winter season!

Neighborhoods and Communities

This year my school adopted the Story Path curriculum for social studies. It is a fun and interactive curriculum for students. We begin the year by studying Neighborhoods and Communities. The students are broken up into pairs and together they create their own home. Then the homes are put together in a neighborhood that they name. This year our neighborhood was named Celebration Town. The students name streets and create families that live in the houses they created. After they have created their "family" they discuss things that are important to their family (how many children, jobs of the family, values and favorites) and create a family crest (see below). Problems arise in the community and students must band together in a town hall meeting to solve the problem!

The Family Crests

My first try at this..

Hello! My name is Melissa, this is my 2nd year of teaching 1st grade and I'm loving it! I have been following a lot of other teacher blogs and I have loved all the ideas that I have found from them. I thought it was time that I contributed and added some of the idea's I've created or found. Please stay tuned as I build the blog. Enjoy!

100 Classroom Organizing Tips by Scholastic

I found this website on Pinterest and thought it offered some great ideas for ways to organize the classroom. Read through and enjoy! click here to view the article.

My Year in First Grade

At the end of every month, I have my students choose one thing they did during that month that they would like to write about. As a class we brainstorm some ideas and then for some students who may have taken vacations or had a birthday during that month, they are given the option to write about it. The students then line up and tell me what they are planning on writing about. I have the students start their writing by saying In September (or another month) I.. . Their writing is posted outside the classroom all year and every month I add their new piece of writing on top of their older pieces. This way, parents and students can look back at the older pieces and see their child's growth as the year progresses! At the end of the year, the writing is made into binded books which serve as a memory book for the students. I love this idea becuase it has the students writing and it is amazing to see the amount of growth that happens throughout the year!

Snowy Day Snowmen!

We finally had snow!! My school was one of the only schools that didn't close down when the snow arrived. I was planning on having a typical day of school....and then my kids started getting pulled out of school to go home early! Thus, I decided to forgo the plans I had for the afternoon and instead make snowmen by ripping construction paper. The kids had so much fun creating this project and we even used a little bit of glitter at the end (it's a little hard to see in the pictures). I haven't heard my kids so quiet duing an art project..ever. Huge success!