Five for Friday and FREEBIES!

Linking up with Kacey for Five for Friday has been on my list for weeks.  My weekends have been so busy, I just haven't had a chance.  Needless to say I'm feeling pretty accomplished right now.

My class is entering the GoNoodle kid-led brain break contest.  Aren't they just so stinkin' cute?  Wish us luck!


#GoZumba from Lydia Schaeffer on Vimeo.

We've been doing all things apple for the past few weeks.  My favorite activity was making Johnny Appleseed inspired self-portraits.  I snagged the idea from Mrs. Maya's Kindergarten.  

You're probably asking yourself, "Why does this kid have whiskers?"  Your guess is as good as mine.  I thought it was pretty hilarious. 

It worked out perfectly because our sight words this week are I and am.

This week we (finally!) started our normal Daily 5 routine.  My kids have worked hard the past few weeks practicing each component of the Daily 5.  They can now Read to Self, Work on Writing, Listen to Reading, and Read to Someone for twelve minutes.  (I will not introduce Word Work for a few more weeks.)  The progress they've made in just the past couple of weeks is tremendous.  They've all learned to tell stories based on pictures, and several kiddos have started reading the words.  I'm one proud teacher!

I love their smiles!

The kids earned "super special star glasses" when we reached 6 minutes of reading stamina.  They love them!

  Daily 5 is my absolute favorite part of the day.  I love looking out and seeing my kiddos immersed in reading and writing.  

 

We use Reading Street curriculum to guide our Language Arts curriculum.  Honestly I think it's a bit all over the place, but I'm making it work!  We played quite a few partner games this week to help solidify some of the skills.  

The kids practiced rhyming by matching images of rhyming words.  This was also a great opportunity for some of my ELL kids to learn new vocabulary words.  (Snail for example.)

We also played a syllable game.  One student flips over a card and counts the number of syllables in the image shown.  They then move that number of spaces.  Easy peasey lemon squeezey.  

See the counting happening?

Games make everyone happening!

We also had fun with some fall-themed math stations.  I was so busy working with small groups that I didn't have a chance to take pictures, but check them out on TPT.  Two are FREEBIES!  I promise they're lots of fun!

FREEBIE

FREEBIE

Falling into September

It's my favorite linky party of all... Currently with Mrs. Farley!

Listening:  I suppose I brought this upon my myself.  I surprised my boyfriend with an Xbox One as a housewarming gift when we moved in June.  Luckily, he later  invested in some excellent headphones, so I only have to listen to things being blown up some of the time :)

Loving:  My new class is awesome!  They are full of energy and enthusiasm.  And they get along with each other so, so well!  (I hope I didn't just jinx it!)

Thinking:  I absolutely, positively love my job , but it's still nice to have fun things to look forward to on the weekends.

Wanting:  I need time to blog, workout, relax, read, etc.  How am I supposed to fit it all in?

Needing:  So my Target sandals have finally bit the dust. It's too late in the season to buy another pair of sandals, so I need a pair of shoes that will transition nicely into cooler weather.

I ordered these Toms yesterday, but I'm not completely sold. Any other suggestions?

3 Trips:  If you haven't picked up on this yet, trips are my thing!  I'm all about trips!  In Morocco I want to ride a camel through the desert, in Turkey I want to visit the Grand Bazaar, and in Kenya I want to take an African Safari!

Have a wonderful September!

Book Talk Tuesday: First Day Jitters

With the start of a new school year comes several "must read" books.  One of these is First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg.  

The book begins on the morning of the first day of school. Mr. Hartwell argues with Sarah about getting out of bed.  Sarah complains that she is scared to start a new school and wants to stay in bed all day.

 Sarah hides under the covers, claiming a stomachache, and refuses to come downstairs for breakfast.  Mr. Hartwell doesn't know what to do. 

 Eventually he coaxes Sarah downstairs and into the car.  Sarah continues to worry as they approach the school.  The principal meets Sarah at the door and shows her to her new classroom.  Upon arriving she finds a big group of students waiting for her. 

And here comes the big surprise... Sarah is the teacher!

My kiddos always get a big kick out of the surprise ending.  One of my sweet boys said, "What?!  Teachers don't get scared!"  He just couldn't believe it.

After reading the book we do several fun activities from Babbling Abby's Crazy for Kinders pack. 

Of course we drink Jitter Juice!  I simplify the original recipe and just use two ingredients: Sprite and sprinkles.  I put a Jitter Juice label on a bottle of Sprite and pour it into the students' cups.  I tell them that the magic ingredient is sprinkles.  I walk around and add sprinkles to every cup.  They love watching as the sprinkles dissolve and the Sprite turns a multitude of colors.  It really does seem like magic!

I also have the students decorate a poem about Jitter Juice.  The take the poem home and share it with their parents.  

If you want to add a math component, some teachers have their students create a graph showing how many students liked Jitter Juice and how many didn't.  

This is a great book for discussing those first day jitters!

If you don't have a copy of the book, you can find it for free on Youtube!

What books do you like to share during the first weeks of school?

I'd love for you to leave a comment and follow me through Google or Bloglovin'!

Teacher Week: What

You've learned about me, my classroom, and my schedule.  Now I have the chance to tell you about what I love to teach.

Last year I incorporated Daily 5 into my ELA curriculum and now I can't imagine my classroom without it.  It's seriously one of the greatest things I've ever done.  I love how the Daily 5 encourages independence in my students and puts them in charge of their own learning.

I use all five Daily 5 components in my classroom: 

Read to Self 

Read to Someone 

Listening

Work on Writing

and Word Work.

 However, I don't give my students as much choice as recommended.  Instead, I assign the kids two components each day.  This ensures that everyone is doing a little bit of everything.

The Daily 5 is definitely my favorite part of the day (once all the routines are learned) and it quickly becomes the kids' favorite part of the day too.  Last year when field trips or early dismissals kept us from the Daily 5, the students clearly expressed their disappointment.  I thought it was pretty funny when one of my girls said, "Can we skip the zoo and do the Daily 5 instead?"  Now that's engagement!

What do you love to teach?

Teacher Week: When

How do we fit it all in?  I grapple with this question each week as I plan my lessons.  Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to squeeze in all the things we're supposed to cover!

I loved the visual schedule that Rachel shared on the original Blog Hoppin' post, so I decided to create my own.  A big shout out to Cara Carroll from the First Grade Parade for creating such awesome Schedule Cards.   You can download your own set for FREE!

Here's  a rough idea of what our day looks like. 

Morning Work

When the students arrive in the morning they hang up the backpack, turn in the communication folder, make their lunch choice, grab their Morning Work binder, and get to work.  

This morning work, created by A Teeny Tiny Teacher, is great because it allows the students to work independently.  The directions are very similar each day, so they know exactly what to do.

Calendar  

Once the bell rings at 8:05 we move into calendar time.  While I complete the calendar pages on the Smart Board, the students complete the same work simultaneously in their Morning Work binders.  Calendar time allows us to review Common Core skills on a daily basis.

Math

Our school uses the Envisions curriculum.  We're required to follow it REALLY closely, so I don't have much wiggle room for creativity.  When we have a chance, I like to throw in math-related songs like Dr. Jean's Macarena Count to 100.

Recess

One thing I really, really like about our schedule is that our kids have two 15 minute recesses a day.  This gives my squirmy kiddos ample time to run and play.

Big Book

We use Reading Street for our ELA curriculum.  Part of the program includes a weekly big book.   These books gives us an opportunity to discuss comprehension topics such as character, plot, setting, main idea, etc. While we're reading, the kids also get to enjoy a snack.  

Math Stations

My math station time is roughly based on Debbie Diller's ideas.  The students work with a partner to practice math concepts covered during whole group time.  We play a lot of games!  

Daily 5

We complete two rounds of twelve minutes each.  This gives me an opportunity to work with two small groups.

Phonics

The other two teachers in my cohort and I split our kids based on needs and abilities.  This allows us to differentiate and meet the needs of all of our students.

Recess

A second chance to get our wiggles out!

Lunch

Specials

Music, art, PE, library, computers, or counseling.

Science and Social Studies

Last year science and social studies wasn't included in the schedule, so it's pretty exciting that it's back!

Writer's Workshop 

We will begin using the Write Steps curriculum in October.  Until then we'll be practicing writing our names and sight words.  We'll also be talking quite a bit about writing during Daily 5. 

Rest Time

This time gives me an opportunity to assess students.  In December we'll gradually move from resting to a third and fourth round of Daily 5.

Pack Up and Dismissal

It takes a long time at the beginning of the year to get all the kiddos where they need to be at the end of the day!