2010 Literary Character Parade and Literary Pumpkins

A busy day celebrating favorite literary characters...

Spelling High-Frequency Words

We have been practicing reading in a 'snap' our high-frequency words (sight words - words recognized immediately by sight). Today, we again practiced spelling our high-frequency words with a practice quiz.

Math - Exploring Geometry

Drawing My Class Map

Mem Fox Celebration Day

We finished our author study of Mem Fox with a fun-filled day of activities. We interviewed a teacher in Australia via Skype and learned more about an authentic Aboriginal didgeridoo. In the classroom we did some arts & crafts, learned more about the boomerang, and read other stories by Mem Fox.

A 'Booming' Mem Fox Day

Learning about boomerangs during our Mem Fox Celebration Day.

How Many On My Plate?

Working on our combinations of 9 with peas and carrots.

Storyteller: Jim Weiss

Have you heard a good story today? We did. Yee Haw! We were elated to have a guest speaker down on the farm today. Mr. Weiss is a highly sought after storyteller and award-winning recording artist. This morning, we had the pleasure to listen to characters come to life as he retold classic stories such as The Lion and the Mouse.

Being a Good Copy Cat

Was your child a good 'Copy Cat' today? I hope so. ??? Seriously. It's a good thing.

Part of our morning ritual and routine is to copy the day's riddle. This allows your child to practice penmenship and think critically. Here's today's copy cat. Can you figure it out?

Wow! Our first graders are seeing interesting words and language in today's riddle: stagecoach, "...it takes a blacksmith to put shoes on me"? Maybe you need some clues. Here is the clue given to the students for a stagecoach:

Some started to think they figured out the answer. Then students were also reminded that a blacksmith makes these kind shoes:

So, now do you know? Your child does. Please tell me: What am I?

Reading in the Morning

I love to watch my first graders read. The first opportunity to read at school in the morning is in the hallway. Patrols help monitor STudents Are Reading Silently (STARS).

Today, during the mini-lesson, we explored "What Good Readers Do To Figure Out New Words." The students then helped me list some strategies:

• s-t-r-e-t-c-h the word
• look at the picture for clues
• skip it and come back
• re-read
• ask "Does it make sense?"
• think about the story
• ask a friend or an adult - we agreed this should not be our first option

Then, I re-read aloud the story Possum Magic, by Mem Fox. We discussed interesting language in the story such the use of the word bush. The term bush as we know it (hedges, small leafy tree) didn’t seem to match the picture. As we continued to read, we noticed the term bush was used again but this time there were more animals on the page.

Then, John raised his hand and shared that he thought it might be a tree that has many animals. What a great example of a child truly thinking about the story and being actively involved in the group discussion. A bush is a place where animals live in the wilderness of Australia. We finished the story discussing along the way vocabulary words and new words that seem to refer to some Australian cuisine.

During the work period, students were asked to monitor themselves during their independent reading time and see what strategies they used when they came across a word they needed to figure out. They went straight to it. Check them out:

For our closing, students were invited to bring to the circle on the floor with one book in which they had a word they needed to figure out. Matthew said he had to stretch the word to know that it said perch but he still wasn't sure what it meant. So he re-read the sentence, "When I talk to my bird on his perch, I say peep, peep to him." He said he still wasn't sure if he knew exactly what the word meant. So he then looked at the picture. He saw a boy and a bird standing on something. "I wondered what that was. I think that's his perch because it says the bird was sitting on his perch and when I looked at the picture, I see a bird sitting on that thing. So, that must be his perch." Yee Haw! Matthew was truly thinking about the text he was reading.

What do you do to figure out a new word?

My New Approach to Class Blog

A class blog is a gizmo intended to be used as a communication and resource tool for parents and students. Pictures, games, videos, comments and other documents can be made available online through class blogs.

As I mentioned during Open House, I was contemplating to accept a challenge to post at least once week onto our class blog. This was easier said than done. The schedule of a teacher and mother of three very active children pose some challenges. All I needed was more hours in a day. I'd even settle for a clone or two. Neither option is currently obtainable.

After watching days go by on the calendar and still no time found to post, I consulted our Instructional Technology Coach for possible solutions. After all, she posted the challenge; so I was hoping that she would have some answers or at least point me in the right direction. She suggested snapping a picture daily and posting about that small moment in our day. How simple is that? A picture from Readers or Writers Workshop or from the hallway or Math Workshop and then write a caption about the picture...

Strategies for solving story problems: Students helped teacher (1) write an equation; (2) solve problem using pictures and numbers; (3) then explained in words the steps used to solve the story problem.

Brilliant! I walked out of her office excited and promised her to post daily. It was difficult to contain my excitement. I could give my parents a snippet of a small moment in class. Parents and family members can be a fly on the wall during their child’s day. I don’t know about y’all, but I think that’s farmtastic! Since that conversation, I’ve kept my word and have posted two new posts in two days. Yee Haw! As a result, please check our class blog frequently for a bird’s eye view of our day.

Also, remember that I will continue posting intermittently new games and other resources available online as a review or extra practice for your child.

I hope you will enjoy this new approach to blogging as much as I am enjoying posting about a small moment. Please remember to leave a comment. I look forward to reading them.

Yummy, Yummy! For My Tummy!

A snapshot of a few farmers enjoying a tasty sweet treat on a gorgeous Friday afternoon.

Group Work on Attribute Chart

Snapshot of fantastic first grade farmers working in groups on assigned attribute for class chart during author study of Mem Fox: characters, interesting language/new words, theme, connections, and wonderings.