Leaves

I am estatic today! It's only lunch time, (yes, we go to lunch at 10:55) but I am so happy already! My kids are working so hard and quiet today! I couldn't be more happy!!

We started the day practicing for our first spelling test on Friday. Let's just say I hope the real test on Friday goes better than the practice one today! ;)

After recess, we came back and did poetry, finished up our bee project-based learning unit, and then went into the bulk of this post!

I read Leaves by David Ezra Stein. LOVE the illustrations in this book.

We talked about how author's don't need to use a ton of words to get their story out there. And then we reviewed the CAFE strategy "Retell the Story" by writing about the beginning, middle, and end in their cute little reading journals. I sent my little buzzers back to their desks and this is just a sampling of their reading journals:

 

 

When they were all settled and working, I started pulling some little ones to work with at the table. Then, all of a sudden I hear one of my little darlings say, "Hey, I just forgot the periods!". My class is terrible at remembering punctuation, but I keep telling myself, "It's only the first quarter of first grade!" Even though it was a disruption to my high attention kiddos, it was adorable. When they say cute things that relate to what I have been hounding, I make a BIIIIG deal of it. That student gets to draw their school picture, just like they did here, expect on LARGE paper and then we write in a speech balloon what they said. We hang it up so all can see and remember for next time. They LOVE this. All of them. It really gets each child to strive to get their picture up with something brilliant they said. Here's his:

GREAT day here so far! I hope you are having an AWESOME day, too!!!

Marcy

I'm back!!

Hello! Did ya miss me?
Wow, it has been a long time since I posted. I've had some issues with posting from home on a wonderful iPad! We also spent a long weekend in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota for our first anniversary!

Here's my handsome hubby and I at Mt. Rushmore!

 And here we are four-wheeling through the Black Hills near Deadwood!

And, here we are after I finished my first ever half marathon through GORGEOUS Spearfish Canyon! 

Anyway, I'm back at school. Lucky enough to have my computer up and running, so here I am! I have been workin' hard in this classroom of mine!

I have spent so much time setting up our classroom library. I went through each book and labeled them according to theme and put them in a corresponding basket. Hopefully the little buzzers will have no problem figuring out which basket their tub goes in, riiiight??? Here's what it looks like so far: 

And then, after looking at that cozy rocking chair with the bears on it, I thought it needed something more. Last year, my speech kids had a hard time saying rockING and just called it the rockin' chair. So this summer I came up with this: 

I am planning on doing read alouds and reading lessons at this chair, since it's in our classroom library. So, whatdya think?

Thank you for reading and I will post more about this year's classroom another time! Happy day to you...it's a whoppin' 95 degrees in South Dakota today!

Marcy