Writing Small Moments: Personal Narratives in First Grade

Looping with a class has so many advantages. Having most of these children in Kindergarten, we already know what was taught, where we need to go, and how we plan to get there. Writing Small Moments (also known as Personal Narratives) is how we started Writer's Workshop this school year. Years ago, the prompt may have been to write "What I did on my summer vacation..."  Now we write about specifically what happened in the story you want to tell. It may be the super hot day at the beach when you got a sunburn or the day you caught a gecko in your house...not so much that you went to Disney World and had fun -- unless it was about a specific incident at Disney World. We teach the students to set the scene, let readers create pictures in their minds, have a great beginning and stay close to the moment when ending the story (not "I went home" or "I went to bed.")
The following story was written by Sofia. She couldn't wait to share this particular highlight of her summer with the class. This is a wonderful example of what we are looking for from our young writers.

 The time I RESCUED a Kitten

 

 One afternoon Andrew was playing video games and he looked out at the glass door and...he saw a KITTEN swimming in our grandparents pool! :(  So Andrew told me "Sofia there's a dog in the pool" so I told mom that there is a puppy in the pool and dad heard what I was saying and that made him come down stairs so we all went outside. That is not a puppy said dad It is...

 a KITTEN! Then dad said "Type up on the iPad emergency vet" and mom did. So then it said on the iPad rap it up in a washed cozy towel. Then we went to the VET. Then the Vet asked us questions.
so the Vet took the kitten and brought it in the room. So when we went back home and at night mom called the Vet and mom asked "Is the kitten alive?" and the vet said.....

 YES!!! Mom was excited. She told me the cat was alive and he was so CUTE!  THE END

Loved this story Sofia -- A Small Moment with such a happy ending!!

Reading Partners - Fifth Grade

Thursdays are a lot more fun for our first grade students. For about a half hour during Readers's Workshop, a class of fifth grade students come in our classroom to partner with our first graders. Our children use their book bin books to share their new friends. The older students are very kind and patient with our young readers. They make predictions, ask questions and reinforce reading strategies with our class. This is the second Thursday that we have partnered with fifth grade and both grade levels are learning so much!

Handwriting: Common Core Standard for 1st Grade

 One of the first Common Core Standards in Language for First Grade is for students to "demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking." This includes printing all upper and lowercase letters. In order to meet this standard, students have their handwriting booklets at their tables in the morning. Every day students learn to write two letters properly. We model the correct way the letters are formed and then give students time to practice. This ten minute exercise eases the children into their school day and reinforces the importance of legible penmanship.

You can visit the Common Core Standards at this blog. Do you see the tab on the right that says "Common Core"?  The standards are listed from K to 12th grade.  

Ice Cream Sundae with a Cherry on Top

Table points are always fun when you can earn a "Cherry on Top."  We have seven tables of students and it can get noisy and unfocused at times. But when you have the opportunity to earn a "Cherry on Top" things can not only get quieter but we find more students on task. When we see a table of children doing what they are supposed to be doing, whether it is reading, writing, or working on a project, they can earn "a cherry" on top of their ice cream sundae. The table with the most cherries at the end of the week will visit the treasure box. It is a great visual reminder and super way for team building in our class.

Class Promise

This week we worked on our class promise. After brainstorming ideas with the students on what they thought was important to help the class run smoothly, we came up a condensed version and charted the results. For example, if  a child said "It's not nice to hit someone" or "Don't talk mean to people", it was condensed to "I am responsible for my actions." The other promises are: "I do what is asked the first time.";  "I share with others."; and "I take care of school property."  The activity culminated with each child making a paper doll of themselves (with a chef's hat, of course) and we placed them around the promise. These few rules cover a lot of territory and are referred to throughout the day because we all want to be good school citizens.

Skills Block - Sight Word Games

As part of our Skills Block today, we reviewed about fifteen sight words (have, here, do, too). Then we had the children pair up and play a memory game sometimes called "Concentration". They shuffle the little cards with the sight words on them and then turn the cards over so no one can see the words. Then each player turns over two cards to try to find a match. If they find a match, the child says the word, puts the cards on the side and then it is the next person's turn. Reviewing words this way makes the learning fun...and that's exactly what we want.

Planting the Seeds for Success

Yesterday the children decorated their clay pots and today was the day to plant the basil seeds. From the time they came in this morning, the questions started: "Are we going to plant our seeds today?" "When are we planting our seeds?"  "I hope we get to plant today."  How could we not have time for such an important activity and one that so many of them were looking forward to?  So a bag of potting soil, clay pots, and basil seeds were all it took to put smiles on faces. We talked about how this herb is very good in spaghetti sauce and pizza. We also touched on the care of the plant --  watering and keeping the pot near a sunny window. We can't wait to hear about the progress of the seeds turning into plants.  It didn't take much to make their day today!!

Recipe for a Successful Day Two

Today all of us wore our new "Recipe for Success" t-shirts that the PTA gave each child as a "Welcome Back to School" gift. Students are invited to wear the shirts on Friday's and for field trips. Other happenings: Today we worked on our "Class Promise". This is basically a set of rules that the children came up with to help make the class run smoothly. Book bins were distributed and each child picked out ten books to place in their bin. The children also decorated clay pots and will be planting basil tomorrow. We did manage to go outside for ten minutes and then the rain came. Maybe we will have better luck tomorrow!

Did you eat a bug today?

It was a great first day of First Grade. The children were so happy to see each other after a few short months and the new students looked very comfortable in their new class. We kicked off the day with an assembly. The principal likes the first day of school to be a fun one that the children will remember. We had a very special visitor, the author David George Gordon, who wrote "Eat-a-bug  Cookbook: 33 ways to cook grasshoppers, ants, water bugs, spiders, centipedes, and their kin." They watched the chef cook up some spicy spiders and crunchy grasshoppers. There were lots of "ewwws" as he was sizzling up his treats. Afterwards, we read some books, went to lunch, and then had some team building exercises - one called "putting the tennis balls on chair legs." It was so much fun and we discovered a lot of problem-solvers with this exercise. Luckily the rain held off and the kids had some outside time. When they came back in, it was time for the first chapter of  "Junie B. Jones, First Grader at Last."  Next, they had their first cooking lesson and made "Dessert Pizza" -- a delicious sugar cookie decorated with icing, sprinkles and M&Ms. What a grand ending to a great day!!
Looking over the menu on PhotoPeach

The Diner is Open

Tomorrow is the first day of First Grade. We have been preparing The Mall-ard Diner for days to get ready for our previous Kindergarten students to come back to school. No doubt they will be excited with all the changes we have made to the class. The carpet is gone and we now have tile. The tables are all switched around and the decor looks great.  They will be very happy coming back to school and we can't wait to see everyone. We all know that "Nothing Can Be Finer Than To Be in Mall-ard's Diner."

Our "Welcome Back" bulletin board.

The start of our kitchen. We plan on having a lot more appliances for our Wednesday cooking classes.

Our New Theme for School Year 2012-2013

Every year Principal Phillips chooses a new school wide theme for all of us to rally around. Last year we were Superheros -- The Incredibles. This year the theme is the "Recipe for Success!" That is the reason for the new blog title "Mall-ard's Marvelous Menu". We will be busy getting the classroom ready in a few weeks for our First Graders to join in on the fun at the Mall-ard Diner. We plan on including lots for cooking and baking this year while integrating math, reading, and writing skills. Moreover, we all know how much the children love to get in the kitchen and help out. So, get ready to order the Blue Plate Special and see everyone in a few weeks.

Last Day of our INCREDIBLE Kindergarten 2011-2012

  It was the last day that we would all be together...well most of us. Some started vacation early with trips to Sea World and Disney but most of us were here. The classroom alphabet letters are gone and the word wall disappeared and soon so will the rug. Over the summer it will be replaced with tile. But, back to our picture...this was the last time we were all together as "The Incredibles". We have over six students leaving - moving to other states and counties so we wanted to have an official "last day picture."  We wish all of our former students the very best and hope that they keep in touch...Skype anyone? Also, to our returning students get ready for the new theme...Recipe for Success!!!  Get your chefs hat on...I wonder what our Incredible class will morph into...

Last day photo shoot...not an easy task..

Let the summer begin...

Year In Pictures 2011-2012

We are quickly coming to a close of Mall-ard's Incredible Kindergarten Year 2011-2012. When we think of how much the children have learned and how much they have grown it just makes us smile. In August, we hit the ground running with rituals and routines. These included how to line up, where we go during a fire drill, and lunch room expectations. In September, we were in full swing with Reader's and Writer's Workshops. Students started to retell their Star Books: Caps for Sale, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Where the Wild Things Are. All of these books laid the foundations in beginning reading skills. In October, students dressed up for our Literary Character Parade. November was the highlight of the Kindergarten year - the Pow Wow. In December, there was the Holiday Breakfast, Gingerbread Man,  the 100th day of school, Valentine's Day,  Leprechaun traps, Boosterthon, Egg Hunt, Eric Carle Author Study and our Mother's Day Celebration. Moreover, our children have grown from picture readers to word readers and writers. They have learned the preliminary steps in how to write "How To" papers, personal narratives, reports and response to literature genres. In Math, they are adding and subtracting and learning to think through problems. Basic Science started with the five senses and now we are checking on our beans that have been planted in the school garden.  Social Studies was enhanced by parents sharing the customs from their native countries of Cuba, Korea, and Turkey. We are so proud of our Kindergarten students - they are more than ready for the next big step...First Grade!!
 Year in Pictures Part 1 2011-2012 on PhotoPeach



 Year in Pictures - Part 2 on PhotoPeach

Mother's Day Celebration - Kindergarten 2012

Celebrating Mother's Day is a very big event in our class. We have been preparing for weeks for this special day. On Friday, mothers came in for our annual Mother's Day breakfast. The children sang several songs and prepared wonderful gifts such as bean hearts, place mats, and a silhouette. The morning was a great way to let each mother know how important they are and how much we all love them. Happy Mother's Day from The Mall-ard class.
Mother's Day Celebration -- Part 1 on PhotoPeach
And some more pictures ...
 Mother's Day Celebration - Part 2 on PhotoPeach

Turkish Culture, Customs, and Cuisine

Today we were visited by a "O"s mother who treated the class to a beautiful presentation about the country Turkey. Mrs. B. showed the children where Turkey is on the map, taught several greetings, and shared delicious food with the students. We learned about Nasreddin Hodja who is a charismatic personality from Turkish folklore dating from the 13th century. It is his wisdom that has endeared him to many throughout the centuries. Mrs. B. read a story in Turkish and then translated it for the children...

                                                                EAT  MY FUR COAT

The Hodja was invited out to dinner. He went in his old clothes and nobody was interested in him. When he found a few minutes to spare, he rushed home and collected his fur coat.
When he came back, he was treated with great respect. Everybody wanted to speak to him.
When they sat down for dinner he said: “Eat, fur coat, eat!”
And he explained to the curious people:
“If this regard is for my coat, it must eat also.”

The children learned a lot about Turkey and we appreciate all the time and effort put into teaching the children about this wonderful country and its traditions, culture and cuisine!!

Kinder-"gardeners" Green Thumb

Continuing with our Eric Carle Author Study, the book today was "The Tiny Seed." This is the story of a harrowing journey of a little seed that finally found a place to grow. This book was the springboard to the next activity which was visiting the Chets Creek Garden. This is a plot of land behind the school that was started with a few tomatoes and beans and grew to broccoli, spinach, kale, squash, herbs and other vegetables. First, Miss Brenda came to talk to the children about different seeds and plants. Then each child was given a few seeds to plant in the garden. They planted Chinese Pole Beans along the fence. Students marked their plant with a stick which had his/her name on it.  In this way, we can come back in a few weeks to see how their plants have grown. This was a wonderful "field trip" to our own backyard to see what an actual garden looks like and learn more about seeds and plants.

 This is the Chets Creek Garden.

 Students who were playing on the playground were helping the Kindergarten students find a good spot.

Ms. Brenda is the caretaker of the garden and explained how the plants grow.

Eric Carle Author Study

                                Celebration Day Cupcake Cake of  The Very Hungry Caterpillar
                                      
For the past several weeks, we have been enjoying many of the books by our favorite author, Eric Carle. Reader's and Writer's Workshops have been busy with reading, retelling and responding to his books. The class favorite has to be "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" followed by 'The Grouchy Ladybug" and "The Very Busy Spider." Each of his books includes wonderful lessons that the children understand in Eric Carle's special way of telling them. Last week we celebrated his books by having "Eric Carle Author Celebration Day" and there are still so many books that we still have to read. For homework, students were invited to make puppets of their favorite book and present their retelling to the class. Here are few pictures of the puppet retellings that have happened already and pictures from the past few weeks.
 Bits and Pieces of Our Eric Carle Author Study on PhotoPeach

Book Log - Quarterly Goals

At the end of each quarter, students are rewarded in some way for meeting the 25-book challenge. At the end of the first quarter, they played bingo with the principal. At the end of the second quarter, they taped the principal to the wall and now, they got to dress up and have their pictures taken in the photo booth. Each child has a wonderful keepsake (which will be given out at awards) to remember meeting this challenge. This was a hit with all of the children.

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?

Whenever the children have special relatives that come to visit from out of town, they love to have them come to see their school. Alexa's aunt came in from California to spend time with her. While visiting the classroom, she asked if she could read a book to the class. Well of course - we love guest readers and the book she read was "Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?" by Eric Carle. However, before she sat down to read it, there was a fire drill, Boosterthon visit, and intercom interruption. When she finally got to the book, it was a relief... thanks Wendy (see that's a show)!!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Retelling with Props

Our Eric Carle Author Study is in full swing with the addition of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Books we have read and discussed are "Do You Want to Be My Friend", "Have You Seen My Cat", and "From Head to Toe". Although the children have liked those books, their favorite by far is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Today students used props to retell the story. They had the opportunity to feed that hungry caterpillar by giving it lots of fruit and other tasty treats. After it ate and ate it built its house and then emerged as a beautiful butterfly. In Writer's Workshop, students have just started to write a "Response to Literature" about this story and we can't wait to show you the results...stay hungry for more!!

Boosterthon - Fundraising the Fun Way

For the past week our school has been on a Boosterthon EPIC Adventure. The students have been collecting pledges (per lap) from grandparents, relatives and friends for the school's first Boosterthon Fun Run. The Boosterthon was a very successful fundraiser for our school. It also brought us together as a community to not only help Chets Creek but also to help build playgrounds in other parts of the world. The word "EPIC" is an acronym with each letter representing an Adventure Action. Students learned four specific ways to be a great teammate:

E- Encourage – Team members build each other up with their words and never tear anyone down.

P- Play – It’s important for teams to exercise and play together outside, building friendships on the playground and in the neighborhood.

I- Invite –Sometimes people may be outsiders or feel excluded from the group. Great teams see others on the sidelines and invite them into the group.

C- Celebrate – Celebrating other’s victories is so important. Team members are not jealous of other’s successes; they celebrate with them and should applaud everyone’s accomplishments.

We are pleased to announce that our class came in second in pledges for the entire school...not bad for one kindergarten class! Thank you parents and friends for making this another memorable event for the children.

Egg Hunt & Activities

Egg Hunt and Crafts on PhotoPeach
We celebrated the season with our annual egg hunt. Each child brought in 12+ plastic eggs filled with a wrapped candy treat. Parents hid the eggs on the playground early this morning and the children had a great time finding the eggs. They averaged about 22 eggs each which made everyone happy. Afterward, the children created some Spring crafts. They made a bunny hat, weaved a colorful basket, and made a decorative bunny plate. We had wonderful parent and grandparent help -- another great kindergarten memory!

Report Writing in Kindergarten

We have just completed our "Report Writing" genre. Taught in tandem with Reader's Workshop (learning about the conventions of nonfiction - table of contents, close ups, captions, etc.), students were invited to write their own nonfiction books. Our young writers were encouraged to report on things that they are familiar. These included "All About Dogs", "All About School", "All About My Family", and "All About TV Shows" to name a few. The one featured below is an "All About Chores." Kallyn was very excited about this topic because she said she knows lots about chores and can teach people about them. We hope you learn lots about how to keep your house clean and tidy by reading and learning from Kallyn's report!

All About Chores


Table of Contents



Introduction Page


How to Set the Table


Favorite Chores


Different Kinds of Page
(Dish detergent, laundry detergent, sponge, hands)



Author's Note

Leprechaun Traps and Visit

Just before Spring Break started, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day by having the children create leprechaun traps for homework. On Friday morning, each student had the opportunity to explain his/her trap and just how it was going to work. While the children were at lunch, that tricky leprechaun entered our classroom and went crazy tipping over chairs, dumping crayons and leaving his footprints across tables and out the window (which was found open so we know how he escaped.) When the students came back from lunch, they were shocked at the condition of the classroom and wanted to get that leprechaun...it was a day they will remember for a long time!!
Leprechaun Traps (Part One) on PhotoPeach
More class pictures and some of the mischief that the leprechaun left...
Leprechaun Traps (Part Two) on PhotoPeach

"How To" Bulletin Board

This month's bulletin board features writing from our "How To" or functional genre. Students wrote about each incredible edible that was made during Writer's Workshop. This board is featured in Mrs. Timmon's blog so follow the link to see the work close up. We couldn't have said it any better:)

Celebrating Seuss

Friday was Theodor Seuss Geisel's birthday (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991), also know as Dr. Seuss. This is an author that we celebrate every day. Every child has a Dr. Seuss book in his/her book bin and gets to pick a new one every week. Some students came in dressed on Friday to celebrate their favorite author. Thank you to Dr. Seuss for teaching so many children to read by using rhyme, repetition and humor to tell a story.