Valentine's Day and President's Rolled Into One

This week we decided to join Valentine's Day festivities with President's Day. Because of the huge celebrations around the country for Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday and because we love him so much, we thought to combine the two holidays into one!! Our centers included making "Love Bugs," "Valentine Cards," "Decorating Cupcakes," "Picture Frames," "Penny Necklaces," and "Tri-color Bead Hearts." A "President" book center was awaiting students after the crafts were completed. In Math, we studied the penny -- including the words "In God We Trust" and "One Cent", where to find the date it was minted, and the Lincoln Memorial on the back. Did you know that you can see Lincoln on the back of a penny -- inside the Lincoln Memorial? Well, when you get a brand new penny, find your magnifying glass and look for him!! Each child was given a large chocolate penny to enjoy!! Then during the last part of the day, we sang "Happy Birthday" to President Lincoln and we all shared a piece of his glorious birthday cake!

Abraham Lincoln - 200th Birthday Cards

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We are participating in an Online Project to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Our birthday cards to Mr. Lincoln were mailed today to Springfield, Illinois together with other school's cards across the nation. We thought you would like to see the birthday greetings and celebrate with us.Creative Projects for the PreK-6 Elementary Classroom is hosted by Jennifer Wagner who is the organizer of this event. We enjoyed doing this so much, we can't wait to try more on line projects with her. Our pictures are also at http://www.jenuinetech.com/Projects/lincoln2009/activityone.html at the participant's section. Do you want to know more about the presidents? Then visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/change_has_come_to_whitehouse-gov/
On Friday, Feb. 13th, we will be celebrating two events: Valentine's Day and Lincoln's birthday. Wait until you see the cake!!

Abraham Lincoln - Happy 200th Birthday!

This year marks the 200th birthday of our 16th president - Abraham Lincoln. The children have been very interested in learning about him. We have been reading books about his youth (he had one year of schooling), he loved to read (he would read while plowing a field), and his hat had a purpose (he would keep his important papers in it.) All of these stories add to the children's new found interest in this great man. We have signed up for an online project, together with many other schools across our nation. Today, the children made birthday cards for Mr. Lincoln. The cards will be mailed to Springfield, Illinois on Friday, to be exhibited with other cards from students around the country. A slide show of the cards will soon be published. The book, "Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig" by Stephen Krensky is a true story about young Mr. Lincoln. He put on his first brand new suit and was on his way to give an important speech. Abe came across a pig stuck in the mud. He tried to keep walking but felt so bad for the pig, he turned back to help it. Of course, the pig didn't know he was trying to help and kicked up a fuss. Both the pig and Abe were covered in mud. He did save the pig and gave the speech. His words were so moving that the audience didn't notice the dirty suit...and the pig is said to have shown up too! These kinds of stories have endeared this man to our students and they are having a wonderful time learning about him. Tomorrow...who or what influenced Mr. Lincoln to grow a beard?

It's Sleepover Day -- Finally!!

On Friday, we celebrated the annual First Grade Sleepover. The excitement was almost too much to contain. Children were running around in their pajamas and carrying their homemade bears, flashlights, and in some cases, night shades. The day started with a parade around the inside of the school, with lights out and flashlights on. Everyone sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". Students from other grades lined the halls to watch this tradition. (Earlier in the week, a former student, Kayla, came to our classroom with her bear from a few years ago and told of the great time she had at her sleepover. She answered student's questions and told them of all the fun they were going to have.)
After the parade, we went to the cafeteria to have a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Mrs. Phillips kicked off the fun with the "Hokie Pokie" and "The Chicken Dance." The day was filled with activities directed by our resource team. The P.E. coaches had outside games planned, the music teacher taught square dancing, and the art teachers showed the students how to make book covers to contain the story they are going to write about this day. In the afternoon, Miss KK presented a shadow play of "Ira Sleeps Over" and it was dancing and popcorn after that! When the children finally arrived back in our classroom at the end of the day, a sleepover cake made by one of our parents was cut and distributed. It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful day!

Homemade Bears Are the Best!!

With a simple paper bear pattern that was sent home a few weeks ago, the children's homemade teddy bear creations were a sight to behold! We had blue bears and black bears, hippie bears and Yoda bears, Wookies and Gator bears. The children's (and parent's) creativity was amazing. Watching and participating in making these bears only added to the memories of our fantastic First Grade Sleepover of 2009!!

Sleepover - Family Night: Make and Take

It was a wonderful night of decorating pillowcases as a keepsake activity for the "First Grade Sleepover of 2009!" Children and parents enjoyed stamping and thinking up creative designs for their pillowcases. Later on in the week (after the paint was dry), students had the opportunity to sign the pillowcases of each classmate. The make and take was Tuesday, and throughout the week sleepover books were read and students wrote about their sleepover experiences in writer's workshop. Make and take night was a great precursor of the fun yet to come!

Sleepover Preparation - Don't Forget Your Bear!

On Friday, January 30th, First Grade students will be creating wonderful memories with our traditional "sleepover" unit. The sleepover is a daytime event in which first grade students get to wear their pajamas to school, eat breakfast with their friends, and enjoy many fun activities throughout the day. (More about that in future posts.) From now until January 29th, we will be reading many sleepover books including "Ira Sleeps Over," "Franklin Has a Sleepover," "Camping Out," and "Bearsie Bear and the Surprise Sleepover." In Reader's Workshop, we are using sleepover books in order to practice asking and answering comprehension questions such as, "What was the problem in this story?" or "What genre is this book?" Also, we are preparing a Reader's Theater play using the book Bearsie Bear. In Writer's Workshop, students are writing narratives of past sleepovers at friends and grandma's house. In addition, functional writing or "How To" pieces can be written on "How to get ready for a sleepover." In a few weeks, we will also have a family night at school, where students and their parents can come and decorate a keepsake pillowcase for this special occasion. For homework, a family project of making their own homemade bear was given. A sample bear pattern was sent home and students have the opportunity to make a bear, choosing their favorite theme and fabric. Some of the past year's creations are shown in the above picture. First grade students love this sleepover tradition and remember it for years to come. So, this is one sleepover where you don't need your toothbrush, but don't forget your bear!

Jeopardy Anyone?

Spicing up Skills Block is always a great way to get the children excited about learning new things. After the charts are chanted and the morning message is corrected, we like to kick up Skills Block with fun and interactive activities. Upon our return to school in January, we reviewed diagnostic data, and noticed that our students were confused with some vowel patterns. So an activity last week was a chart divided into three parts to list words that make the "long a" sound: ai, ay, a__e. Words were said and students stated in which column the word should go. Another exercise was a sorting activity with a three column sheet and the words were sorted into the corresponding columns. This week, we decided to introduce the children to "Long A Jeopardy" and see if this high energy, fast paced game would also enhance understanding of these spelling patterns. A student is invited to pick a category, for instance, "ay" for 100 points. A clue is given, "This is something you do at recess." All of the students will then write "play" on their white boards and receive the 100 points. These spelling patterns are not only being noticed during this exercise, but also in Reader's and Writer's Workshop, where we want this understanding to transfer. "I'll take a__e for 200!"

Test Taking Strategies ...beginning lessons

As students progress from Levels A through E (pre emergent to emergent reading), it is important to check for comprehension of the text. Asking questions before, during, and after reading is a great indicator for monitoring understanding of a story. In addition to verbally asking questions, we are teaching the students how to take a written comprehension test. For the next few months, we will be gradually teaching the children some beginning test taking strategies. Starting with simple lessons on how to find the best answer, how to bubble in an answer, and how to go back and highlight the answer are this month's goals. For example, questions such as "Where did this story take place?" or "What is the problem in the story" may be asked. We use mini stories (about a paragraph long) to start these exercises. We also use stories in our new reading series by Houghlin Mifflin to teach and expand these test taking skills. These stories are wonderful exercises in teaching the students how to read the story and then be able to go back in the text and prove their answers. Using a highlighter also helps in the excitement of locating the answer and then having the satisfaction of knowing that the answer is correct. By doing these exercises, students are learning basic test taking strategies that will help them in their school career and the bonus of having fun at the same time! No test taking anxiety around here!!

Morning Readers: A Great Way to Start the Day!

From 8:30 to 8:55 a.m. (before the official start of school), students sit in the hallway and help themselves to a variety of books provided for their morning reading.
However, every other Tuesday, we have had a community volunteer come in and read several books to the class during this time. Gayle is wonderful at discussing the book she will be reading, asking questions to check for comprehension while she reads, and adding her own special touch to each book. She scours the library to find just the right books to read -- something that she thinks would be interesting to the children. The students love a break in the morning routine by having books read to them at this time and the chance to get into the classroom earlier! It is a bonus for kids to hear different people's reading styles and questioning techniques. Parents, if you are interested in becoming a morning reader, please let us know via the folder. It is a great way to start off the day!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This slide show represents the past two weeks of activities going on in our classroom. We made a wreath and advent box for the holiday silent auction. The students participated in these projects - they helped paint the polka-dots on the wreath ornaments and we used their fingerprints to decorate the sides, top, and back of the lottery advent calendar (Santa and the reindeers and snowmen). (Our own Mrs, Shall was the lucky winner!) We had a Hanukah lesson demonstrated by a former student. Did you now that there are 17 different ways to spell "Hanukah"? She brought in a menorah, candles, and dreidel and taught the students about the "Festival of Lights." Afterwards, she taught the children how to play the dreidel game and also how to make one out of marshmallows, Hershey Kisses, and pretzel sticks. Also, during the week, pictures were taken of the children and they wrote a note inside the card that their holiday picture was going in.
Thursday was our holiday breakfast and craft day. Parents joined us for breakfast and crafts. In the afternoon, we were surprised by the horses on the playground (compliments of Mrs. Rossignol) so as we walked up, they invited us to pet them. What a wonderful topper to a great day!!

Cinnamon Ornaments With A Dash of "How To"

Some holiday crafts just need time to complete, especially drying time. The cinnamon ornament is one of them. On Wednesday, we decided to get a jump start on one of our favorite holiday crafts, the cinnamon ornament, and combine it with Writer's Workshop by revisiting "How to" writing. In making this ornament, students had the opportunity to experience, from ingredients to completed outcome...the step by step, day by day evolution of making this ornament. And what better way to evidence what the children have learned, via nonfiction writing, by having them write a "How To" (functional) writing piece?
As you can see from Chelsea's writing sample, we have a title, "How to make an Ornament." There are clear pictures that demonstrate the task. The pictures are labeled and there are captions under the pictures. Chelsea used transition words "first" and "then". Also, there is a "What you need" section under the writing. It is clear that the labels and captions are a direct link to the nonfiction elements learned from previous week's lessons.
On Friday, the children watched how the ornaments have to be flipped over so that they can dry on the other side. Their creations will soon be wrapped and sent home to be put on their tree.
This is a wonderful way to combine a holiday craft with a workshop lesson. In addition, we were amazed at the writing we received, as a whole. Sometimes you just get the right lesson at the right time for the perfect Writer's Workshop!

"Can It" Make a Difference?

As a community project for the holidays, we answered the call to collect as many cans of food as possible for our business partners BJs Wholesale Club. They were asking for 1000 cans from our school. To our delight, we collected approximately 250 cans of food from our class alone! In the beginning of the drive, we asked students to bring in food that they like, not what's in the back of the pantry. We told the students that we are very fortunate to have food and that many children go to bed hungry. To make the drive exciting, we allowed the students to ring the class bell for every can they brought in. Then in order to keep a running total, children used tally marks on the side of the box to log in how many cans we collected. Mrs. Shall told us that she hopes there's not going to be a hurricane because all of her canned food was vanishing! We are very proud of our parents and class -- we were the winners of the most cans brought in by a single classroom!!Can it make a difference? We think so!

The Plump and Perky Turkey - Shadow Puppet Play

"The Plump and Perky Turkey" by Teresa Bateman was our "Book of the Month" in November. Our principal, Susan Phillips, asked us to think of a clever way to respond to the book so that it could be put on her "Book of the Month" Wiki. We thought and thought and then remembered Miss KK's (our Media Specialist) shadow puppet idea that she puts on for our First Grade Sleepover in January. Using that as an inspiration, we developed our own, "Plump and Perky Turkey" shadow puppet play. It took a about a week of practice to get it to the point you see now. We hope you enjoy the video and be on the look out for our next shadow puppet play, "The Night Before Christmas."

Reading Strategies - Embedding the Code

Even though we teach the basic reading strategies in Kindergarten and First Grade, students need to be reminded to open this "tool box" of strategies when they get stuck on a word or phrase. So many times we say, "Use your strategies." We verbally remind them to, "Look at the picture," "Did you use both vowel sounds?", and/or "Does it make sense?" But what happens if a child forgets his/her strategies or maybe the ones he/she remembers aren’t working? This has been a question that we have been asking ourselves. Also, how do we keep the strategies reviewed so that the children can "embed this code" into their schema? The following is a "Reading Strategies" song that we developed and are using before students go to independent or partner reading every day. If this helps even a few struggling readers and/or higher level readers who occasionally get stuck on a word, it's worth singing everyday.

Thanksgiving Feast in Room 104

On Tuesday, our class celebrated a favorite holiday for many, Thanksgiving. For the past few weeks, we have been learning about the Pilgrims journey to the New World... how the Mayflower was the second ship (the Speedwell was the first, but it sprang a leak and it had to return to England.) The students learned how the Native Americans helped the settlers survive by teaching them how to grow crops and hunt in this new land. Also, students learned that the Pilgrim children were just like them - they loved to learn, play, and listen to stories. For our celebration day, we read a few books, namely,"The First Thanksgiving" and "The Plump and Perky Turkey." We decorated cookies to look like turkeys, pine cones that looked like turkeys, and crafted a "thankful turkey" with feathers that listed what we are thankful for. The best part of the whole day was our Thanksgiving Feast. Parents sent in food items and we supplied the "chicken nuggets" as our turkey representation. We had string beans, mac and cheese, corn, fruit, rolls, pumpkin pie, cookies, and brownies. We wanted it to be a feast that the kids would love and remember!

Learning About the Pilgrims and the Mayflower

As we were walking to lunch a few weeks ago, one of our students said, "We need to get our Pow Wow stuff out like the other classes." It's hard for the current First Graders to understand that we don't have the Pow Wow celebration in First Grade, just Kindergarten. But it is a time to reflect and talk about our tribe from last year and discuss what we remember about it. For the past few weeks, we have been learning about the Pilgrims, Mayflower, and how the Native Americans helped these early settlers through harsh winters. We have been reading a few chapters a day of the book, "...If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620." This book is written in a question and answer format which is very familiar to the students because we just finished a writing unit on nonfiction question and answer books. Questions such as "Who were the Pilgrims?", "What could the children take with them on the trip?", and "Did the children go to school?" are a few of the very interesting questions in this book. Students also learned that the Pilgrims had to stay in the same clothes for months and one of the first things they did when they came to shore was wash their clothes!
We are complimenting this text with a class book where students are drawing the Mayflower, Pilgrims, Native Americans, and of course turkeys. They are writing some fun facts that they have learned about the Pilgrims journey to the New World in their books. The students have learned that the Pilgrims were thankful to their Native American friends because without them they would have never survived. For the Pilgrims, it was a time to give thanks and we share that tradition with them on Thanksgiving Day!

A Look at Nonfiction Writing - Question/Answer Books

Our class has just finished a three week unit in Writer's Workshop on pattern books. A pattern book is a book that has a repeating line or phrase written in it. A familiar pattern book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "The House That Jack Built." We took pattern books a step further by diving into question/answer pattern books and then one step further into nonfiction question/answer books. These are books about a nonfiction topic (in this case Soccer). A repeating question is asked and an answer is given directly after the question. Carson added a few nonfiction conventions: a Table of Contents, captions and close-ups are added to the her nonfiction pattern book. This book has an extra added feature - look at the bottom of each page - it grows to incorporate a sketch of what the previous question was and the added element of the new answer. Read along and learn about soccer!

What is this thing? It is a soccer ball that kick with your feet and try to score a goal. And it is white and it is a sphere and the shapes are black.

What is this thing? It is the net that the soccer ball goes in when you score a goal. And it is made of medal and strings.
What is this thing? It is the team shirt that you wear on soccer games. Everybody wears this shirt on soccer games.

What is this thing? It is the coach that tells you where to stand. And he yells, "Stand there."

What is this thing? It is your team mates that help you score a goal and they say pass.


What is this thing? It is the other team that tries to steal the ball from you. And if he does they will score a goal.

I like soccer because it is fun and you get to meet people and I like to kick the ball from side to side.

Every Day Counts - Everyday and Everyway!

Every morning for about 10-15 minutes, we engage in math instruction that supplements our daily Math block. It is called Every Day Counts. The bulletin board is transformed into an interactive math roadway. Each month new activities are added to the board to provide a continuous learning experience for students. By building on concepts a little at a time, every day, children gain confidence in their mathematical thinking.
Students use the calendar to review the days of the week, analyze and predict patterns, match quantities with numbers, compare numbers, and develop number sense. A Number Builder is used for students to see number combinations, use the language of addition and subtraction, tell addition and subtraction stories, and record number sentences. Counting Tape and Ten Grids are used to compare and order quantities, group and count by tens, fives, and ones. The Clock helps students learn how many minutes in an hour, count by fives and ones, and read the minute hand. In October, a Picture Graph was added to collect, record, and interpret the data. Measurement provides the opportunity for students to estimate and compare lengths of objects in the classroom.
Each month, as new elements are added and taken away, students are learning from their discoveries. Their observations and thinking of Math are being developed every day with Every Day Counts!

Oh Canada!!

Welcome to our class Matt! Thanks for the great introduction. In our class, we have several girls and boys who play soccer and softball. They write about their experiences in Writer's Workshop. Shortly, we will have some sample writing pieces on the blog to share. We hope that our blog will help you with your education courses and your future as an educator. We love our neighbors to the north and look forward to hearing from you.
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

(Learned that from watching lots of Philadelphia Flyers hockey games!) (Sorry about the playoffs last year!)

Skills Block - Interactively Fun!

We have a jammed-packed Skills Block in the morning. This is where the students get to practice phonics, phonemic awareness, and word building. Each day we "work on" a morning message. This message is written on the board and contains about three to four sentences. It usually includes what the day is; what the resource for the day is; and a miscellaneous sentence. The sentences do not contain any punctuation. They may contain any of the following: contractions, misspellings, punctuation, capitalization and/or vocabulary words. Students take turns putting quotation marks, commas, circling vocabulary words, and correcting misspellings. After this exercise, (about ten minutes), we take five minute increments and teach a few antonyms, new contractions, new word families, or introduce another skill. For the last ten minutes of the Skills Block, students have the opportunity to practice a learned skill. In the picture, the children are playing "Concentration" with contractions. Partner groups are given cards with two words on it and asked to find its' contraction. For instance, "do not" would be on one card and the student would have to know the contraction is "don't". The cards are placed face down and students take turns flipping over two cards at a time and trying to find the match. Interactively practicing these skills are a favorite time of Skills Block for the children and it also allows us time to monitor their learning while everyone is having fun!

A Special Halloween Surprise

As a special Halloween treat, we had a big surprise for our students as they came in from recess. The table was set up for the world famous "Witchy Poo Brew" - (a Halloween Snack Mix). We mixed together "snake eyes" chocolate chip morsels, "butterfly wings" Fritos, blood drops "red hots", cat claws (sunflower seeds), worms (gummy worms), and the list went on and on. The students were "oooing" through the entire process. We dumped cupfuls of the ingredients into a large punch bowl and stirred as needed. When the children went to resource, we had the bowl "cooking". When they came back, they had a nice Halloween snack mix bagged up waiting for them at their desks.
However, the fun didn't stop there. We played our "Looking for Dracula" song one more time. This time, the kids were given their own set of "fangs" to use while singing the song. There were a lot of laughs this Halloween day...and hopeful one that the children will never forget!

Fire Safety Month - A Visit from Fireman Chris

Today we had a special visitor come to our class and talk about fire safety. His name is Fireman Chris. Chris entertained the children by promoting fire safety in a kid-friendly way. The students listened and watched a fascinating slide show then asked numerous questions about smoke, fire, and the causes of house fires. Pictures were shown of kitchens, houses, and forests on fire. Did you know that there is a special fire truck just for putting out woods on fire? It's called a Woods Firetruck.
Fireman Chris put on his gear piece by piece to show the children how the clothing is layered to protect him when he has to go into a burning building. He talked through the oxygen mask and wanted children to see that they shouldn't be afraid if they see a fireman dressed like this, especially in a fire. Chris did demo lesson of crawling on the floor and feeling the wall, teaching the children to stay low to the ground and touch the wall to find their way out. Afterwards, the students had the chance to feel the jacket and other firefighting gear and were amazed at the weight of it all. We want to thank Fireman Chris for taking time on his day off to spread the word about fire safety to our class.

Looking for Dracula - A Halloween Treat

Fall Festivities Abound!!

The news is in -- our pumpkins won Dr. Jones' pick. We were excited at the announcement on Thursday!! Our Literary Character Parade was a fantastic success. Afterwards the students had centers that included arts and crafts activities. Enjoy the pictures of the day!

Aussie Pumpkins Like You've Never Seen Before!

Fall is a wonderful time of year at our school. We have great traditions that make this time of year memorable for the children. There are three events that will take place this week that makes this season such a festive one. The Literary Pumpkin Contest, the Literary Character Parade, and the Fall Carnival.
The first event is the Literary Pumpkin Contest. Our entry this year is a representation of the book, "The ABCs of Australia." This is a favorite book of our class. Each child was assigned a letter of the Aussie alphabet. Students were assigned this as a "family project". All pumpkins were due this week and put on display in our school lobby. As you can see, they are great! We have the Aborigine, the Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef, kangaroos, cricket, a eucalyptus tree, and a yabby represented. I'll let you know if we win!!
The second event is the Literary Character Parade. Kindergarten and First Grade students are invited to come to school dressed as their favorite literary character. Children parade the halls of the school, proudly showing the book that their costume represents. Afterwards, we have fall center activities in the classroom.
The third event comes at night. The Fall Carnival starts with families trick-or-treating through the school with teachers handing out candy at their doors. The carnival is waiting for them afterwards. All kinds of activities await the visitors at the carnival: dunking booth, rock climbing, ball-toss, and other homemade games. This year our class is sponsoring "The Aussie Lollipop Tree." The plan is when children walk up to the "tree" they will be greeted with a replica of the Australian Zoo. (Pictures will follow) The excitement is growing...Thursday is the day!!

UNF Education Students Visit Weekly and More!

For the past few weeks, we have had two University of North Florida Education Majors observe in our classroom as a requirement for their college course. C. and K. come in for a few hours on Wednesday and have the opportunity to observe a morning in our first grade class. They assist with literacy centers, work with small groups on literacy related activities and assist with individual students. Last week, K.'s assignment was to do a read aloud with the class and lead a group discussion of the book. The book was "The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree" by Gail Gibbons and the children made text-to-self and text-to-text connections with the book. It was followed by a writing activity. After previewing the guided reading books last week, they followed up by leading their own respective guided reading groups this week.
The experience they are getting by being in a classroom environment and seeing first hand the workings of a class is so much more valuable than reading about it in a book. We are very happy that these future teachers will remain with us throughout this semester of their Junior year at UNF.
On a related note, we would like to welcome J.P. from Regina, Saskatchewan. She goes to the University of Regina and is also majoring in Elementary Education. J.P. will be reading about what our class is doing as part of her education course. She will visit our blog and comment her thoughts and ideas. We look forward to hearing from you J.P.!

Partner Reading With Fourth Grade

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Reader's Workshop has a brand new twist to it on Fridays. Students from Mrs. Constande's and Ms. Anderson's Fourth Grade class has been partnering up with our class for part of our Reader's Workshop. Last Friday, they were introduced to each other. Their class shared a poem and got familiar with their new reading partners. This week, First Grade students brought their book bins to the floor to share with their their new partner. The fourth graders brought a questionnaire to get to know their little friends better. So after a few books were read, the questions were asked of the first grader. The topic: "What would you change if your were in charge of the world?" Some of the answers were thoughtful: "I would get rid of allergies" and some answerer were comical, "I would have a nicer sister!" At closing, we shared a few of these papers with the whole and group and had a great time learning about each other. These meetings will benefit both grades. Our first grade students have the opportunity to read a book to a "big kid" and the fourth grade student will have the chance to help a younger student with reading strategies; thus, sharpen his/her own reading skills. When it was time to go, many hugs were given out as the older children left and as one student murmured, "I can't wait until next Friday -- I'm going to find a good book to read to her."

Guided Reading - An Intregral Piece of the Puzzle

Now that the diagnostic testing is completed, we have formed what is called, "Guided Reading" groups. Children are grouped according to their instructional reading level. This is one level higher than their independent reading level. We meet with a small group of students (2-5) a few times a week which allows us one on one time to see, hear, and watch individual students in the reading process. Before reading, a leveled book is introduced. There is a conversation about it to build interest, especially for A-D readers. The next step is hearing the students read softly while we listen. As students are reading, we decide on what the teaching point will be, according to where a difficulty was noticed. After reading, students are engaged in meaningful talk about the book, asked comprehension questions, and strategies are reviewed (or introduced, as needed). Guided Reading allows us the opportunity to observe individual students in the reading process. When writing anecdotal notes afterwards, we chart the strategies used and reference new ones to work on. Guided reading gives us time to celebrate all levels (emergent, transitional, and fluent) readers daily in our classroom!

Writing Rubric - An "Oh I Get It!" Guide to Good Wriing

We have just finished completing our Narrative Writing Rubric. It has taken a little over a week of mini lessons to get it together, but it was well worth the time. Each day, several examples in literature were used to explain certain aspects of their writing narrative. For instance, when teaching "great beginnings," several examples (Mem Fox)and non examples (Level A, B readers) were used to explain the meaning of a "great beginning." Actual student writing was also used to teach specific rubric elements. Students learned that a "great beginning" should have a time and place to help the reader with his/her mental image of the story. When this was understood, the process of getting the information on a chart was the next step. First students discussed what pictures should represent the writing at varying levels. They decided on the stages of a kangaroo. The approaching standard "great beginning" is represented by the kangaroo with a joey in the pouch #1; the standard writing is a picture of young kangaroo hopping out for the first time #2; and the above standard piece is a picture of a kangaroo off on his own #3. The beginning can range from a #1 - "I went"; #2 - "I went to a party"; or #3 - "It was a hot, sunny day and I was invited to a pool party."
After many examples, through numerous read alouds and writers sharing their writing, these concepts are finally understood. Like what happened one Writer's Workshop a few days ago, a student shouted out, "Oh, I get it...now I understand what the rubric does..." with a big smile on his face. (Then covered his mouth for calling out without raising his hand...but who could get upset at that!!)

Mem Fox: Author Celebration Day

Our Mem Fox Author Celebration Day was full of learning, fun and activities. Children listened to books about Australian animals, completed word searches, and had plenty of arts and crafts projects to make the day a success. Taste testing the lamington was a big hit (for all those who don't mind coconut). Students made didgeridoos, boomerang pins, Aussie hats, and platypus puppets. We also read books that our celebrated author wrote that we hadn't visited in our author study. Mem Fox will surely be remembered as a favorite author of our class and one of Australia's finest story tellers. We salute and thank you Mem for writing books that children all around the world enjoy and love!