Love my class!

This is the kind of class you have once in a blue moon.  The kids I have this year are just about the sweetest bunch I've seen.  The way they watch out for one another, celebrate one another, and show caring is the reason I love teaching.  Not only are they sweet, they are fired up for learning and each and every one of them are my reasons for creating.  Just yesterday, in the midst of a discussion on comparing/contrasting two stories (CCSS1.9) one of my little guys waved his hand feverishly (literally almost breaking a sweat) and shouted,  "I need to add to her thinking!!!!"  Whatever you feel about common core it's here, and I'm glad.  Creativity is back.  Little minds are exploding with the power to learn.  Sometimes it's a bumpy unpaved road, and my tire blows, but sometimes, more often than not, I'm driving on a newly paved road with beautiful scenery all around!

Daily Common Core Language -Gradual Release

This is one way that I address CCSS Language standards in my room.  What makes this different is that it is based on the Gradual Release Model of Instruction.  Each lesson has an I do (teacher), a We do (shared/together as a class), a You do together (partners), and a You do (independent) activity for each standard.  Also, included are progress monitoring assessments for each week.  These are great if you need to write goals of improvement across a standard or they are also helpful with report cards.  Any questions... comment and I can try to explain:)


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Common-Core-Daily-Language-Standard-Practice-March-1128360

Partner Reading- Narrative Text

 Here is a video of two students reading through a narrative text.  First they do a picture walk where they discuss predictions, what they see in the pictures, and also any general/background knowledge they may have to add.   This is also a chance for students to learn active listening.  Each person gets to be an active speaker and then an active listener.  The active listener needs to revoice what the speaker just said.  They may also agree or disagree.   Then the students read the text and further discuss to see if the text matches what they had thought in the picture walk.  Students discuss characters, setting, problem, solution, text type, and central message at this point.  I develop the mini lessons using the common core standards for reading literature and speaking and listening.  The mini lesson on this day was to practice being an active listener.  I trained the kids with accountable talk frames available at my TPT store:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Accountable-Talk-Language-Frames-Student-Cards-1104438.  Both of these students are English language learners.

Partner Reading-Informative text

Partner reading is one of the favorite points in our first grade day!  It gives the students a chance to utilize academic vocabulary in the context of comprehension.  Each day I start with a mini-lesson and then the students try to practice it with the text that they are using.  I use both narrative and informative texts, and I group students strategically.  Here is a video of two students reading through an informative text.  First they do a picture walk where they comment about the text.  This is also a chance for students to learn active listening.  Each person gets to be an active speaker and then an active listener.  The active listener needs to revoice what the speaker just said.  They may also agree or disagree.   Then the students read the text and further discuss to see if the text matches what they had thought in the picture walk.  In this example, the first student discusses the pattern they see in the text and infers that the author will give information about the next animal on the page.  I develop the mini lessons using the common core standards for reading literature and speaking and listening.  I do the mini lesson in a fishbowl setting with another student modeling along with me.  This lets all the kids see what I expect out of the partner reading/talk time.  I also walk around during the time so that I can video tape partners that are using great language or that are being great models.  When we debrief we quickly watch these superstars.  The mini lesson on this day was to practice being an active listener.  I trained the kids with accountable talk frames available at my TPT store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Accountable-Talk-Language-Frames-Student-Cards-1104438  I first had the kids hold the cards, but now they just refer to them if they need to on a poster that is located in our room.  I have a lot of English language learners in my class so providing the frames initially helped them gain confidence and experience in academic conversations.  I love the way in this video the little guy makes sure that the active listener gets it right.  These kids are AWESOME!

Freebie!

Here is a freebie I have for CCSS W7 and CCSS W8! Check it out!

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Valerie-Miller-4527

CCSS Informational Text Wall

These are photos of work done in my CCSS Informational Text Unit on Pigs.  I work through the unit with the students and we use the informational text to write across the CCSS Writing Standards.  The article also serves as great informational text fluency and comprehension.  See the unit at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pigs-An-informational-text-common-core-unit-1098891

Writing Reflection and Peer Editing

This cute writing reflection made me smile!  Check out the lowercase i!  This is an example of writing reflection/peer editing that we do called TAG.  I got his acronym from an idea of Pinterest which I thought was cute and simple.  T stands for Tell the writer something about the writing.  A stands for Ask a question about the writing.  G stands for a Give a suggestion to help with writing.  There are all sorts of cute forms you can use, but we just use a simple sheet of paper.  We looked at this student's writing on the document camera and each student filled out a TAG form for her.  While they did that she reflected on her own writing after it was presented.  I have also made copies of student writing and passed that out to each "editor".  I started teaching this in small groups and then moved to big groups so I could really go over how to give effective feedback.  We do this whole class, but students also do this in small groups while waiting for writing conferences if they have finished a piece.  It is simple, clear, and fun for the first graders to do.  I let them sometimes use special "teacher" pens to write with, and that motivates them even more!

Common Core Reading Literature Units

I use these units to teach my reading literature block for first grade.  They are organized and built around Common Core Reading Literature, Writing, and Language standards.  We read the text daily using a variety of strategies:  choral, partner, small group, and individual.  I do a mini-lesson that corresponds to a page in the unit, and then, based on ability, students work in pairs, groups, or with me to do the independent/collaborative portions of the unit. While students work I pull groups to work on target skills, writing conferences, fluency practices, and assessment.   I have used these units for two years and have had great success.  I'm constantly updating and have added a rubric for student feedback in this one.  In addition, I teach an informational text block that ties into the narrative unit.  That half hour is dedicated to a companion unit that connects with the literature unit.  For this one, I wrote an informative unit on pigs.  The kids love it!
Visit my TPT store to see this unit
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/If-You-Give-A-Pig-A-Pancake-Common-Core-Unit-1117165  or others like it.

First Grade Phonics

This is my phonics or CCSS Reading foundational skills wall.  This wall displayed when we studied ways to spell long vowel i.  Along with this work the kids work on differentiated sorts in word work and for homework available at my TPT store.  There is a 60 page set that goes through all long vowels for only $5.  Each vowel has 10 sorts!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Long-Vowels-Super-Sort-Pack-1111233

Place Value-Expanded Notation

Here are two posters that I'm using to help teach number decomposition in first grade.  The first one is a good reference for first graders after they have been working with place value with numbers up to 20.

CCSS Reading Literature Wall

A wall in my classroom that displays The Sleeping Pig Unit.  The wall to the right of it has the corresponding informational text on pigs that I teach simultaneously (at different times of the day).  This way I can teach both narrative and informational text at the same time.

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Sleeping-Pig-Common-Core-Unit-1055770

Accountable Talk

These cards help my student revoice and restate what their partner said.  They are great to use whole class, in partners, or in small groups.  I use them as a scaffold until the frames become automatic.  They are super for English language learners.  Since we've been using the frames in our partner reading I've seen the kids transfer a lot of the language into their writing.  I have a huge set at my TPT store.

Measurement -First Grade

#measurementfirstgrade, #length, #referencechart,#commoncore, #CCSSMD.1, #nonstandardmeasurement

Here's a chart my students and I made to work on nonstandard units.  If you look closely you can see that I taped paperclips under the marker to show how many paperclips long it is.

Visit my Pinterest!

http://www.pinterest.com/valerienlm/first-grade-common-core-and-more-valerie-miller/

CCSS Reading Informational Text- Text Features

#textfeatures,#informationaltextfirstgrade
This is a wall that helps identify the text features of informational text.  I teach both informational text and narrative text at the same time, just at different points in the day.  This wall serves as a reference for my students and it changes each time we switch out informational texts.  I usually write my own informational text to go along with the literature that we are studying so that there is a connection and so that I can differentiate text levels.  I'm in the process of putting all my informational text units on TPT so check it out or comment if you are interested and I'll keep you updated.  This wall was about coyotes which I teamed with an HM story entitled Mr. C's Dinner.  The narrative companion unit Mr. C's Dinner is on TPT now.

#accountabletalkfirstgrade, #partnerreading
This is a poster that we use to do our daily partner reading/accountable talk.  It features active speaking and listening!  I train the students to follow this procedure when partner reading.  I do a mini-lesson in a fish bowl setting first and then the students partner read.

Check out my TPT store!

Daily Common Core

Welcome to Common Core Collaboration!  This blog is a blog to help us all navigate the ins and outs of the new shift we are seeing in the classroom.  By NO means is this an answer to everything but just a place to share what has worked (and maybe not worked as well!).  I'm a first grade teacher and have been one for 17 years.  I'm blessed with one of the best classes that I've ever had so I'm getting to try a lot of things out!  Hopefully some of this proves helpful to someone!  It takes a village right ;)!
#commoncorefirstgradewriting