We continue to learn about the features of nonfiction text. Last week we added bold and italic print to our list of features we can identify: Luckily, students had some idea of what these features were all about. They wanted to quickly point out that these features can be found in fictional text, too. So we have also been working on how to read words in fictional text that use bold or italic print. You should hear the exaggerated voices they use to try to mimic my examples. For some students it has also become a competition to see who ... read more
Diving Into Nonfiction Text Features
We dove into our study of nonfiction text features over the last two weeks. We started with a sorting activity for fiction and nonfiction text features. The students had a few misconceptions, but we were able to clear those up. Next up was our first target: explaining the differences between photographs and illustrations. After showing various pictures from text, students were able to narrow down the difference. On the chart below you can see two pictures off to the side: orange - a photograph of a frog, green - illustration of a ... read more
Meet Brownie & Rocks, Our Class Pets
Have you ever had the best intentions of seeing a project all the way through only to give up too early? Well, that's what happened to me last year with our class pets. Last summer I wrote a post about my intentions. My kiddos started writing letters, but really struggled. So, I let the idea slip away.This year's class requires me to be on my toes all day long. I'm constantly looking for something new to motivate their little minds. They have really caught onto letter writing and are enjoying the ... read more
Laminator Love
I went back to school shopping. No, it wasn't for new clothes. I bought a new laminator and I am giddy with excitement. Please tell me I'm not alone in getting excited about things like this (please). My Laminator Here is my new little toy - a Scotch Thermal Laminator. So, what does a teacher who just received a present in the mail do? She acts like it's Christmas morning, opens the gift, and immediately puts it to work. Have you seen this pin? Source: First Grade Fresh Well, I tracked it down and bought it last spring. ... read more
Horrible Harry
Harry has been the other man in my life this summer. I have been busy with my nose in a Horrible Harry book off and on for a few weeks now. Don't get me wrong, I am also reading for professional development (Building Mathematical Comprehension) and pleasure (just finished Gone Girl - outstanding read, by the way).Some days after reading I feel like singing a little Taylor Swift: "We are never, ever, ever, ever, getting back together.....like ever!" However, even if I do break up with Harry, we will get back together...at ... read more
World’s Greatest Dads
In my district, school doesn't let out until mid-June. This leaves us in a predicament each year - to celebrate Father's Day or not. This year we get out the Friday before Father's Day. I contemplated not doing something, but decided I could tie it in with our writing pretty easily and get them sent home well before the holiday. This would leave me the last week of school to focus on tying up loose ends and not trying to worry about who didn't finish their project.We have been diving into opinion writing this ... read more
Sunset Silhouettes
Looking for a new art project to try with your students? These sunset silhouettes are not only eye-catching, but are pretty easy to do. SUNSET SILHOUETTE ART PROJECT A few years ago I was in a bookstore when a book cover caught my eye: The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann I should mention that it caught my eye for the illustrations, not the content. In fact, I don't think I have ever read the book aloud to my class. Instead, I use the book to show examples of how effective a black silhouette can be on a watercolor ... read more
Writing Report Cards
Our school is on a trimester system, so I write report cards three times a year. When I first started teaching I wrote them all by hand. I had to painstakingly plan out what I would write first so I wouldn't have to second guess and use gobs of white out. I am thankful for the computerized version, even when I have to edit and revise to make sure I don't exceed the character limit. One of the first things I was ever told was to start and end with a positive. For some students this is a piece of cake. For others this can provide ... read more
Roll & Cover Gameboards
One of the word work games my kids enjoy playing is roll and cover. It is a lot like Bingo. I teach my students three ways to play: 1-player, 2-player, and small group. In the game, a student rolls a die. There is a chart at the top of the page that tells the student what each number means. The student must look for, correctly read, and cover the word that follows the rule. If there aren't any words available, the student loses that turn. Play continues until a student has covered four in a row.I have ... read more
Geometry & VersaTiles
We are just wrapping up our unit on Geometry. Our learning targets were directly related to 2D and 3D shapes as well as a few other skills (i.e. parallel line segments, polygons, etc.) My students needed a lot of hands-on practice with counting the faces, edges, and vertices. I am fortunate to have access to a set of Giant Geosolids in my classroom to help with identifying the 3-D shapes. Here's a picture of the tools we work with: With these shapes, we used this interactive anchor chart:The blue cards are ... read more
