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!

Reader's Theater Presents: "Hattie and the Fox"

In Reader's Workshop today, students practiced a retelling of "Hattie and the Fox" by Mem Fox. The children put on a Reader's Theater play in which they had the opportunity to play a part in the story. This is a rhythmic book which is bouncy and repetitive. It is based on the traditional hen-and-fox tale. The animals on the farm do not heed Hattie's warning of seeing a strange creature in the bushes. When warned the animals chant: "Good grief," said the goose; "Well, well," said the pig; "Who cares," said the sheep; "So what," said the horse; "What next?" said the cow. This refrain is repeated several times during the story until the animals scramble when Hattie screams, "It's a fox...it's a fox!!" This was a wonderful book to read during this last week of our author study because it was so different from the other stories we have read by her. Tomorrow will be our Author Celebration Day! We are planning lots of fun activities to compliment our new favorite author, Mem Fox!

Math Investigations - It's My Choice

After several math lessons, students have the opportunity to revisit what was learned through practice in what is called "Math Choice Time." Today was a "Choice Day." Students were invited to choose an activity that has been taught in the past week and work with a partner on this math activity. These Math "games" included: Counters in a Cup, Combinations of 10, Off/On, and Double Compare. All of these "games" are used to teach while having some fun with a partner. Students have the opportunity to play the game, discuss their strategies, and share their findings with the class.
In the game "Counters in a Cup" partners are given ten chips, a plastic cup and a sheet to log information. One student hides some of the 10 chips under a cup. The other student counts the chips that he/she sees and the figures out how many are under the cup. The data is entered on the sheet. In Combinations of Ten, students had the opportunity to make up their own word problems and figure out the answer. For instance, Carson's problem read, "I have 10 suns and moons. How many of each could I have?" In this way, many of the combinations of ten are discovered. The game On/Off is similar to Counters in a Cup. Ten chips are given to each partner group. They take turns tossing some counters on the paper and some fall off the paper. They add the number that is on and off the paper and log it on the sheet. Finally, the game of "Double Compare." Each partner group is given a about 20 number cards, they flip two over at the same time. The person who has more (or less depending on the game) says, "Me".
Math Choice Centers are a way that students have the opportunity to choose an activity, get lots of hands on practice, and have fun with a friend. A whole new world of numbers is being explored.

Venn Diagrams Help Organize Our Thinking

Do you remember using Venn diagrams in school? It is a great graphic organizer and one that students of all ages like to use. After using them in Kindergarten, via Reader's Workshop by comparing Eric Carle books, Venn diagrams were utilized again, using two Mem Fox books. The students compared the books "Possum Magic" and "Koala Lou." They were asked to work in table groups. Each was given a drawn Venn Diagram and invited to write the titles of the books on each circle. Then reminded to write what is different about each book under the titles and in the middle, what the two books shared. Post it notes and copies of each book were supplied to each table so that each child could write their thoughts and place it in the corresponding circle. To hear and see the conversations about each book, the accountable talk, and the ability to work as a small group was amazing. What helped this activity run so smoothly was the student's familiarity and understanding of each book. They have heard them read several times either by us or online. They have written responses to these books and have acted them out. In all of these ways, students have internalized the stories and when it came time to list similarities and differences between them, it came very naturally. Afterwards, each group was called to the front and they eagerly shared their diagram with the class.

Writer's Workshop: Planning Details

Today during Writer's Workshop, student's were busy finishing up their pieces from this week. As some students were finishing, others were ready to start a new piece of writing. One child (video) asked if I would listen to his "planning of the story" that he is going to write. The lesson on "Planning Details" was a mini lesson about a week ago and how happy we are that it is now internalized. This student is looking at blank pages and telling what he is going to write on each page. This lesson was meant to encourage children to plan detailed stories before writing them. We have found that when students learn how to plan their writing, step by step and page by page, it helps them focus on the act of writing. As evidenced in the video, A. is busy planning the details that he is excited to write about. Planning - the key to a great Writer's Workshop. (FYI - the video will buffer the first time.)