Response to Literature - Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Kevin Henkes has been our author study for the past few weeks. We have been reading, comparing, discussing, and retelling such works as "Chrysanthemum", "Julius, Baby of the World", and "Shiela Rae the Brave". However, there is one book that stands above the rest in our class, and that is "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse." In Writer's Workshop, students have been discovering great beginnings, retelling the main parts of the story, and finishing with an ending which may include a connection or comment on why they liked the book. This is PM's writing and retelling of Lilly...enjoy!

Vocabulary -- Use it or Lose it - BINGO

Another way that we keep the vocabulary words students learn through our Text Talk series fresh, useful, and exciting is by playing "Vocabulary Bingo." Usually saved for Friday review, and especially if a resource is canceled, it is a wonderful way for children to hear, see, and use the words they have learned over the past few months. The words in this series of cards are from the first half of the year. Through a free "make your own bingo cards" site on line, we added vocabulary words previously studied and made up the cards. The teacher will read the definition and/or use it in a sentence. A student will raise his/her hand with the answer and then the word will be shown on the Elmo (overhead). In this way, first grade students (no matter what reading level) will be able to see the word and mark it with a cube on his/her bingo card. Students love to play bingo, and using vocabulary words keeps the review and the learning ongoing...BINGO anyone?

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse Mystery Reader

To our future mystery readers, it will be hard to top this one. This is a sample of the read aloud done by Mrs.R. (our first mystery reader.) The students thoroughly enjoyed hearing this story done is such a creative way. It was wonderful!

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse - Mystery Reader

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We have been enjoying our second author study of this year -- the works of Kevin Henkes. One of our favorites books thus far is the story of Lilly and her purple, plastic purse. Today, we were visited by our very own Mrs. R. who not only teaches at our school, but her child is in our class. She came in with her "Lilly" cart full of ties (because Mr. Slinger always wore the neatest ties), movie star glasses, purses, and of course "cheesy snacks". Mrs. R. treated the children to a wonderful reading of this classroom favorite. This is the story of Lilly the mouse. She idolizes her teacher Mr. Slinger, but when she comes to school flaunting three jingly quarters, movie-star glasses and a purple plastic purse "that played a jaunty tune when it was opened," she interrupts Mr. Slinger's lessons. After one too many disruptions, he confiscates the purse until the day's end. I think your child could tell you the rest of the story.
We so enjoyed Mrs. R.'s storytelling and props today...oh, did we forget to mention the live mouse...?

Spicing Up Skills Block with R-Controlled Words

After brainstorming r-controlled words today in Skills Block, students were invited to play a game using the these types of words. A wooden block was used as a die. On the "die" was written "ar", "er", "ir", "or", and "ur". A sheet was given to each pair of students with various "r-controlled" words. After a child rolled the die, he/she had to find a word with those two letters, say the word, then cross it out on the sheet. When they had a straight line crossed out (just like Bingo), the game was over and they could play again. This proved to be a wonderful way to review r-controlled words and have great fun at the same time.

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.