Five For Friday- November 20th

 

 1) Blend Space for Research

 My colleague Gisell Barrett (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Maestra-Barrett)
is just finishing her Masters program and brought this great knowledge to our team.  It is a researching platform that the kids can navigate on a computer or iPad.  Each member of our first grade team made a platform in Blend Space for our life long ago unit (transportation, communication, daily life, jobs, school,  and games and fun). 

   

Then, we created QR codes so that the kids could research in their expert groups.  It was easy because you can upload videos from You Tube, Power Points, Articles, and even things that you create. 

 We are giving the kids research time each day.  They are having a great time with it, and so far it has been great. It has eliminated the challenge for younger students to navigate spelling in searches and also having 10 QR codes for different sources. 

They are taking notes and preparing to write an informative book on their expert topic, create a timeline, and make a group iMovie.  We first gave them all background information on all the topics, but each expert group will share out after their projects are done and give us more information so that we can learn from each other!
If you are interested in this unit I just added 100 pages to it.  Here is the link on TPT:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Long-Ago-Common-Core-Informational-Text-Unit-1531230

2)  Being Thankful!
 

 I love seeing the kids art and how different each one looks.  We made some simple turkeys and they were adorable.  Kid art is the best!

3)  We love field trips!

This is a cute picture of my firsties having some hands on fun with a telegraph.  We went on a Life Long Ago field trip to a local spot in our community that features a school house of the past, a working blacksmith, a telegraph, and much more.  It was fun!

 4)  Checking our Success Criteria in Math!
We made a great poster of all the things we need to include in order to be successful when solving a word problem.  I've been having the kids go to the poster to check as they finish their work and it has been working great!  It's teaching them to catch little things like missing labels or forgetting to write an equation or number bond!

 5)  Goodbye to a great leader.
Our fabulous principal Dr. Winters left this week to move on to a district directorship.  He is, without a doubt, a phenomenal leader who is humble, intelligent, kind, and a great person.  Our entire school sang to him in a farewell on his last day.  He opened our school and will forever be the heart of it. 

 

Five For Friday

 

Five For Friday 1)  Working Together! I love to see my little guys working together.  Here they are hunting for new vocabulary in our story and recording where they are finding it.  I love that they are beginning to train themselves to look for textual evidence in this fun activity (it can be found in my Johnny Appleseed Unit).

2)  In my opinion the best way to tell if a student really knows a strategy is to see if they can explain or teach it.  We've been focusing on using this as a learning strategy and using the scaffolds of a solved problem in front of them firsties can succeed.  I love the way this little guys explains the take from ten strategy perfectly.  I try to make math fun by making up little stories to go with each strategy and tool.  This one is in the math unit I'm currently working to get out on TPT.    

3)  Another fun way to incorporate discourse into our math is letting the kids decide who did the best job on the work.  I usually use fake character samples when I give them problems, but I put up things that the students commonly do like leaving off labels or forgetting to answer the actual question in a math statement. 

 4)  I have had so much fun watching my little cheerleader (flier on the right with hand in the air).  For her first year in high school she has had a blast cheering her team on.  Even though rushing out on Thursdays from school to catch the afternoon game was at times a little stressful, it was worth it every time.  I love seeing my baby girl have fun!

5)  Even though I'm usually trying to get a run in before the sun sets, it's these spectacular moments that I will always be grateful for. This is a snap from one of my runs this past week.  I am so thankful that my legs take me on these runs and that I am blessed to have such a great place to run.    

Five For Friday

  1) Creative Day!  We had a blast today.  Every so often we have an art day (not the whole day, but a chunk of it).  I set out a few projects and ideas, supplies, and then I let the kids create.  They have to have their work for the week done, but other than that they have free reign on what projects to do and how many.  I also let them create their own.  They can use the supplies to invent!  I love it, and it proves to be one of my best classroom management tools.  Why?  Because it gives me time to listen to their stories, help them, and give them attention.  It is during these free art sessions that I get ideas for what books they might like to read, what is going on in their little lives, and they get my full attention in a comfortable art setting...PRICELESS!

 

2)  I LOVE library time.  With so many schools pulled in so many directions I feel so blessed to have a little chunk of time each week for my firsties to pick books and read in a setting that is different and wonderful!  Without it I would never capture little gems like these two reading Pete the Cat!

3)   A white T-shirt and jeans has saved me so many mornings.   After making breakfasts and lunches for the fam, making sure cheer and basketball clothes are packed and ready for after school activities, making sure homework is packed, and trying to get out of the house by 7 a.m. the white t-shirt and jeans combo has saved me!  

4)  Movement Math!  Each day I try to plan some movement into my math program.  The kids absolutely love and need it.  Hard concepts require fresh oxygen to the brain.  I'm putting together my units now for TPT and the power points with all the goodies.  They will be out soon.  Below are some of my firsties moving around the room trying out the Take From 10 Strategy.

5)  From the Best School in the Universe, one of the best teams. I absolutely LOVE where I work.  All the teachers dress up together as a theme. This year our first grade team dressed as the Solar System since we just finished our NGSS Unit on Earth's Place in the Universe (I'm the earth).  We have a spirit of collegiality in the school and I feel so grateful to work with such talented people. GO ROBO.