Attitude Adjusted... I Think

I'm sorry for the negative tone of my last post.  My intent of this blog is not to complain about my job.  I actually love my job-- and this year I have a great group of kids.  My gripe isn't with Skpye at all.  I just get bogged down with always being asked to do more.  It seems there are always new standards, new assessments, new philosophies, new technology, new paperwork, new procedures that all get in the way of the job I love (all of that with no pay raise-- actually a pay cut if you teach in Alabama).  That's what frustrates me the most.

Thanks to all of you who commented about your Skype experiences.  I truly appreciate your ideas and your willingness to communicate with my class.  I'm planning to get in touch with you and set up something.  There was even a sweet teacher from Egypt that wants to Skype- how cool is that? 

I am in agreement that my firsties will love it-- let's be honest though, what do they not love?  They were also "in love" with the Fruit Loops and marshmallows I gave them to practice place value, the Band-Aids, surgical masks and gloves we used to do contraction surgery (some even took the masks and gloves to daycare to play doctor kitties!), and they still beg me to go back to the field and run laps around the track (which they obviously didn't see as punishment during recess one day last month). 

{There's that little bit of bad attitude creeping back in.}

So, I'll end with this. 

I thought about it all week.  Of course I immediately came to Philippians 2:14 that says"Do all things without complaining."  Even my principal's quote of the week was about having joy and a good attitude (hope she didn't think of that one after reading my last post!).  I'm a rule follower and will do whatever my job requires of me.  I'm trying harder to do it without complaining.  Of course my kids will love it, and it will be a great experience for them (and me).

I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

If you made it to the bottom of this post, you deserve a little freebie.  This week my kiddos are learning about long e, spelled -ee and -ea.  Here's a little word work to practice long e.  Those that finish early always enjoy creating their own puzzles on the back.  Click {here} to download a copy.

Skype in First Grade

Have any of you ever used Skype in your classroom?  Our school has asked that we give it a try during the next month.  I'll be honest-- I have a bad attitude about it.  I love technology, and I feel like I do a good job of using it.  But, with so many other important things going on in my classroom---like LEARING TO READ-- I don't really want to put the time or energy into Skyping (is that a word?)

I'm sure it will be great, and hey- I might even like it after I do it- but right now I just don't want to.  Maybe after I complete 100 report card assessments and finish 18 time-consuming report cards I'll have more energy :)

So, I guess I need an attitude adjustment.  I'd love to know if any of you have used Skype in your classroom.  What did you do?  How did you and the kiddos like it?  Did you ever do it again?  I just need to find a little motivation.  I'm the kind of person that will put 150% into any project I find worthwhile.  I'm hoping you give me some great reasons to find this valuable.

If you've never used Skype at school, what do you think?  Is my bad attitude justified, or should I look at this as the perfect opportunity to try something new?

Maybe, just maybe, if I beg ask really nice one of you lovely teachers would be willing to Skype with my class??!  I'm sure you're just dying to, right?

Scrambled Sentences in Reverse

I love finding a new spin on an old activity.  For months now, my kids have been unscrambling sentences during reading tubs.  The sentences started off super easy and short, then became longer, then capitalization and punctuation were left out...  Now this activity is getting too easy (which is a good thing, right?)

So, it's time for a twist on the ol' scrambled sentence.  After reading Julie Lee's post about mirrored words I had an idea.  The kids will use mirrors to read each reversed word; then they can unscramble the sentence.  I'm hoping this will add a little pizzaz to this activity.

I decided to go with a spring theme as wishful thinking that spring will be here soon.   Plus it makes it a little more versatile to use anytime between now and May.  Click {here} to download a free copy.  Please let me know how it goes if you try it with your kids.

Friend Venns

After reading Abby's post about her Venn Diagrams I thought I'd share how my kiddos make their Friend Venns. 
First, each pair of children start out with a rough draft sheet.  They sit together and brainstorm ideas.  This usually takes a little while-- especially depending on the pairing.  Sometimes when children are too similiar it's hard for them to complete this part.  As they are working, I walk around the room and take a picture of each pair and write their names at the top of their Venn (just to make them a little cuter).  After a little teacher proof reading, they are allowed to start on the body.

I've done the Venns two different ways.  For several years I used a round head shape (made from tracing a large plastic plate).  I  like these, and they always turn out pretty cute. 

A friend on my team came up with the idea for a diamond shaped Venn.  I think they are super cute and allow for a little more personalizing.  They are a little more work to prepare, but so worth it-- especially for Open House later in February.

The children write their information on the Venn first.  Then, they start adding details.  I give them strips for the arms and legs.  They are allowed to add hair, shoes, bows, etc (one year I had children adding things like tennis rackets and baseballs in their hands).  Whatever floats their little boats!  These are so cute displayed on a bulletin board alongside the picture of each pair.  I wish I had more examples but we aren't doing this project until Friday- the picture above is from last year. 

I did the best I could to share a pattern with you.  It is too big to get the whole thing on a piece of paper. You should be able to print both pages and then tape them together to create a pattern.  Click {here} to get the pattern.  The shape really doesn't take too long to cut out.  I like to trace the writing lines in pencil for my kids, just to keep their work a little neater.  Best part is you'll only need one page per two children.

A Peek at My Week(s) and Two Freebies

Wow!  The past two weeks have been so busy!  And it doesn't look like February is going to be any slower.  I have so many ideas to share.  I guess this post will be a little random, but that's how it goes.  So, in no particular order...

We celebrated the 100th Day ... two weeks ago...    This year I wanted to simplify the day, while making sure I still included some new Pinterest finds.  We started off the morning by making gumball machines.  I was inspired with Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten gumball machine.  I wanted each of my kids to make their own gumball machines-- with, you guessed it, 100 painted gumballs!  I wasn't quite sure if this would be the biggest disaster of the year or a really fun idea (but I talked the other 8 first grade teachers into giving it a try with me!).  So, with VERY explicit instructions we got to work.  The kids assembled their machines first.  Then I carefully showed them how to dip the Q-tip into the paint and dot, then dip and dot, dip and dot--- until they had 10 dots of one color.  I set up two colors of paint at five set of desks.  After they finished one color they were free to do the second color.  When everyone was finished we rotated to the next table.  I was in shock!  My very chatty class was SILENT!  It was first grade teacher gold!!  They were so busy dipping, dotting, and counting that they didn't make a peep!  They were very proud of themselves when they had 100 pieces of gum.  And no one screwed theirs up-- they all turned out just as neat as the one in the picture!  Click {here} to get a copy of the poem at the bottom.

We also completed a 100th Day Mystery Picture.  I gave my kids a sheet with two hundreds charts on it.  Click {here} to get your own copy.  Then I called out one number at a time and told them what color to use.  With each square they were guessing what the picture would be.  Easy, fun, and a great way to assess number sense.

This past week we wrapped up our study of winter/snow/arctic animals.  We were inference investigators thanks to Abby's super cute Snow Day Case Files.  They LOVED it, and learned a thing or two about making inferences.  Although, I was a little surprised at some of the inferences they made-- guess my schema and their schema are way different :)  I can't wait to follow up with Cara's "No David" lesson tomorrow.

We also read "The Mitten" and did a little activity.  Each child chose an animal then wrote 3 clues using the sentence frame "Who _______?"  At the bottom of the mitten they wrote the answer.  (Example: Who is white?  Who is small?  Who can hop?  A rabbit, that's who!).  I actually typed their clues as they finished writing them.  It tied in perfect with our phonics study of wh/qu and questioning.  We discussed using good descriptive words so that we could easily guess the animal.  Click {here} for a copy of the mitten page I found on Jan Brett's website.

This is my sample, and yes-- I used clipart for the picture!  An artist I am not!

And, now for a few freebies.   The first one is for math.  The kids will use the monster cards and practice adding 1 and 2 and subtracting 1 and 2.  This is another great assessment of number sense to 100.  Click {here} for a copy.

 

The second one is for reading.  It seems that I might be a tad behind some of you-- we are still stuck on short vowels in StoryTown.  Hopefully soon we'll be moving to long vowels.  Until then, here's a little more short vowel practice.  The kids will use a vowel die to create words, then sort the words as real or nonsense.  My kids have actually already completed this same activity created by Made for 1st Grade, but it had a winter theme.  As I was listening to my kids complete the tub, I kept hearing them say things like "If I roll a "e" then I'll be able to make the word "red."  I loved the activity so much that I created a new one for February.  I hope that's not against copyright rules.  Click {here} for a copy.

 

Chinese New Year

For the past several years, I have celebrated Chinese New Year in my classroom.  My school has a decent number of Chinese children, and I always have a couple in my class.  Their faces light up when they find out we are spending the day learning about their culture.
There are LOTS of good Chinese-themed books to read.  We start out with the one below.  It's great for explaining many different concepts in a simple way.

This book discusses the animal zodiac and tries to explain some of the different animals.  Ahead of time, I check to see which year each child was born (you think they would know, but many don't!).  I tell them which animal they are and we discuss some of the characteristics.  They always get a kick out of this part-- and they want to know which animal their brother, sister, mama, and daddy are....

 Here's a little sheet I typed up with all of the animals on it.  I give it to them to take home.  I also let them color a picture of their own animal. 

Next, I use a very simple flipchart I made

We find China on the map, then watch a very good movie on Safari Montage

We complete the Venn Digram together

We look at how to write "Happy New Year" in Chinese



After looking at the real characters, I let the kids try writing it themselves.  I do it like a directed drawing.  First, I give them half of a piece of construction paper (hotdog style).  They fold it to make four boxes.  This helps to keep their symbols a little neater.  On the document camera, I draw one line at a time (trying my best to explain it as I go).  They always impress me with how theirs turn out.



 This is kid work, not mine-- they all turned out similiar to hers (this wasn't just the best one!)

I like to read Grandfather Tang's Story to them and then have the kids make their own tangram animals.  If you haven't read this book before, it's great, and the kids love it.

It's always interesting to watch the kids do their own tangram animals.  It seems so easy for some, and so difficult for others.  Some of the kids that are really good at reading or math struggle, while some of the strugglers finish quickly.  It's a great assessment of spatial skills.  I give the kids a little sheet with several animals to choose from, then let them get to work.  They have to cut out the tangram pieces, arrange them on their paper, let me check it, then glue the pieces down.

The cat was very easy for one little girl to do, and it turned out perfect.  The bunny...well... let's just say I don't think it will be hopping away anytime soon!

Throughout the day I read several other books-- two of my favorites are Ruby's Wish and The Seven Chinese Brothers.

 

Next week, as one of their reading tubs, my kids will be listening to Sam and the Lucky Money (from BookFlix) and completing a reading response sheet.

How do you celebrate Chinese New Year in your classroom?





National Geographic Kids

While we were studying about polar bears last week, I came across a resource I didn't know existed.  I thought I would share (in hopes I'm not the only one who didn't already know about it).

 I have used the National Geographic Kids website for several years now.  I have always used the search feature to find info on the animals we are studying.  Last week, I noticed they have a page for all animals (in one little spot all together).  You can get there by clicking on "Animals and Pets-- ALL"

It's even organized where the kids can easily find the animal they are looking for (either by type of animal or by habitat).  How great is that?!!

Each animal has a little info, some pictures, a video clip, a map to show where they live, and some have a sound bite. 

We studied the polar bear together, and then I let my kids look up an animal of their choice in the computer lab.  They were way into it!  It's definitely a place I'll send them when we research animal habitats.

A little funny story...  We were looking at the map (pictured above), when a child asks, "Mrs. Morse is that cross where Heaven is?"  What a sweetie pie!