Wednesday (9/22)

What a wonderfully productive half day we had today. All the students had a lot of fun measuring how 'fat' their apple was by wrapping a piece of yarn around the largest part. After we cut the yarn to the correct size, they laid 1" tiles next to their yarn to see how many tiles it took to make them equal. They then recorded the number in their apple books and traced the tiles to show how many.
Students also practiced the letter Hh and the number 13. When they were finished with all of their work, they made a Johnny Appleseed stand-up. :)

Tuesday (9/21)

We had such an awesome day today, I don't even know if I will be able to remember what great things we did. First off, this morning we had 3 jobs to do and ALL of the students did a great job of managing their time to get all of their work done. While everyone worked at their own pace and all of the tables were working on something different, everyone did their very best work and got the job(s) done!
This afternoon, we had a listening activity where the students needed to listen to the two different sounds the letter G can make. It can make a hard G sound like in the words "girl, gate, and goat" or it can make a softer G sound (which sounds more like J) in words like "gingerbread, general, and giant." Everyone did listened very well, got their work done, and we were able to do it in a timely manner.
After we had finished all of the 'work' for the afternoon, we had some more fun exploring further into the world of apples! Today we weighed our apples on a balancing scale and compared them to small wooden blocks. The students then wrote this information in their Apple Books and drew a picture of the scale. I can't wait until tomorrow when they have to measure how fat their apple is; it should be interesting.
For snack, I brought in some apple cider for the students to try. They were very excited, but also curious to see what apple cider was and why it was so cloudy. I explained that apple cider is a kind of apple juice that is usually severed hot. It is cloudy or "murky" because of the cinnamon they put in it to add more flavor.

Monday (9/20)

We had such an awesome day today! We started learning to write the letter Gg and understand the concept of numbers 11 and 12; these numbers being representative of 1 ten and 1 or 2 "extra" ones.
Also, Emilie's mom came to help in the afternoon when we started working on APPLES!! All of the students seem really excited to discover all that lies ahead with apple fun and I can't wait to see what their excitement brings to their learning. :)

Week of Sept. 13th-17th

Oh my! What a crazy week we had! I feel terrible that I was unable to update all week, but here is a look back on what we did.
This week was a review week. We recapped letters Aa-Ff, numbers 0-10, and the sight words we have been working on in the past weeks. Our theme for this week was 'zoo animals' and the students really enjoyed learning the difference between animals that are mammals, reptiles, or birds. In order to make sure this information sank in, they completed assorted papers that tested their knowledge of mammals, birds, or reptiles, which many were able to complete without help. Also, since we have 26 students in our class, and there are 26 letters in the alphabet, each student was given an animal letter page to color and we will be making our very first class book.
We worked with mini white boards this week where the students practiced writing their sight words. I informed them that they were going to have a test on Friday and that they needed to study for and practice.
Congratulations to Abel, Emma, Ezekiel, and Maiya! They passed their test on Friday and received an extra popcorn treat from me for their great success!

Next week we are moving on to a theme of 'apples' in honor of John Chapman's (a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed's) birthday on the 26th. I can't wait to get started on all the fun projects I have planned and I know the students are going to have a memorable week with lots to come home and talk about.

Monday (9/13)

The theme for this week is zoo animals and we will be reading about different animals all week. I encourage you to take your child to the library and check-out animal books. Read them with your child at home and add them to your September Reading Log.

Today we started reviewing the things we have learned in the previous week for me to find out how much the students were able to retain. In their working folders they have a page to practice their name (first and last), sight words, letters Aa-Ff and numbers 6-10. The number 9 is being taught this week as we review the rest of the numbers; we are doing it this way so that next week we can move on to number 11-15.

The students will have a test on Friday on the sight words we have learned during the previous weeks (a, at, I, be, it, in, is). We practiced this test today using white boards. I asked the students to write each word on their board and turn it over when they were finished. When everyone was done, I showed them the correct answer and they checked their work. Many were able to do this, but some needed help. Please study these words with your child at home. Also, a few students were writing the correct letter but writing them backwards (i.e. "si" for "is" or "ti" for "it"). This is something that will only come with practice.

Granparent's Day

Here are some pictures from the special event!

Friday (9/10)

WOW! We had such a crazy, busy, chaotic, exciting Friday that I wasn't even able to post this until the day after. However, I still want to tell you all about the wonderful day we had. To make things easier on my brain, I'm going to write this post as if it were still Friday. :)

Today was Nevie's 6th birthday!! Happy Birthday Nevie! Her mom and grandma brought us some yummy cupcakes for us to snack on also.

Today was also Grandparent's Day and we had a great time visiting with them. We all went to the auditorium where Ms. Mays read us a great story. Then we came back to class to color a teddy bear coloring sheet. The coloring sheets will be kept and entered into a contest to win a teddy bear. On Monday, one of the pictures will be chosen at random and that student will win! I will make an extra post of pictures from the event.

Before calendar, we had Lorena, who was Star of the Week, tell us about her poster and then we took turns asking her questions. Here is a picture of Lorena with her poster!

After learning about letters Ee and Ff all week, I quizzed the students on their ability to hear the E or F sound in words. Students were given a paper that asked them to write the letter E or F if the picture name started with an E or F sound. This activity was done as a class and I verbally explained each step. I also said the name for each picture so that the students would be able to hear it. Some students did not want to follow along with the whole class and this cause some disturbances, but the majority followed along well and showed good listening skills.

Thursday (9/9)

Don't forget:

• Scholastic book orders are due tomorrow,
• Highlights flyers are due tomorrow,
• Tomorrow is Dollars for Duds,
• Tomorrow is Grandparent's Day,
• and tomorrow evening is Hero's Night!

Today's work consisted of practicing letters Ee and Ff in our working folders, further work with sight words "it/in/is", and learning to write the numeral 8. Students are really enjoying working with their 'working folders' as it gives them the freedom to practice the things they want. We talked more about the dangers of strangers and other safety tips we have read about this week.

Letters Coloring Pages - Print Letters Pictures to Color at AllKidsNetwork.com

Letters Coloring Pages - Print Letters Pictures to Color at AllKidsNetwork.com

Wednesday (9/8)

Today we celebrated Alexander's 5th birthday!! Happy Birthday Alexander!
For the morning, we did more practice on the letters E and F as well as the number 7 in our working folders. Names (both first and last) and the week's sight words are also included as practice in working folders.
The afternoon portion of the day, we had Art as our special where Mrs. Williams let us finger-paint a flag for Hero's Night! Afternoon work consisted of counting paw prints and writing the appropriate number and coloring the correct amount. Ms. Sands in the health office pulled students periodically for hearing testing as well.
We continued talking about safety (in its many forms); today we focused on safety around strangers. I read a few books to the students and we discussed different ideas in class. Talk to your child tonight about what they learned.

FRIDAY IS GRANDPARENTS DAY!!

Tuesday (9/7)

First I'd like to start by saying that I hope everyone had a safe and happy Labor Day. :)

Today's calendar time was a little hard because we are not used to the first day of school for the week being on a Tuesday, but we made it through. Students were given new folders today for working in so please do not expect to be seeing a lot of papers come home anymore. This is my little effort to reduce making copies and save some paper as well as supply the students with as much practice as they need.
Working folders are a simple portfolio folder with 3 clear, plastic page protectors in them. Each student has their own folder to work in that is filled with practice they need individually. Each folder comes with a mini sock and a dry erase marker. This allows the students to complete the work and wipe it clean for extra practice.

FRIDAY IS HERO'S NIGHT!!! Come out to show support for your troops Friday evening @ 6pm.

Friday (9/3)

We had a GREAT Friday today!! We finished up learning about letters Cc and Dd and did a little more work on the number 6. Everyone did great work and I was really proud of how much they were learning.
Today was Beckham's last day to be Star of the Week so his mom, little sister Scarlet, and little brother Everette brought us Popsicles to eat for afternoon snack. Also, since every one did such a great job using their manners this week, Mrs. Stilwell's class and our class got a special treat. We combined for the last hour of school and watched a Berenstain Bear's manners movie. All the students really enjoyed it.
We were not able to get all of our numbers accomplished this week so numbers 7 and 8 will be rolling over to next week. I usually try to work on one number for two days, so with us having a short week we will only be able to do two numbers.

Please remember that Monday is a holiday and so we will not be in school. Have a safe and happy 3-day weekend and we will see you on Tuesday, September 6th. :)

Here is a picture of Beckham and his sister Scarlet wth his Star of the Week poster!

Thursday (9/2)

Today was LAYEL'S 5th BIRTHDAY!!
Her mom came in to help us celebrate with an extra special snack! :)

This morning we had an unplanned fire drill. As it turned out, a student on this campus was playing with one of the fire alarms and it unexpectedly went off. Luckily, we had practiced this a couple time before in our classroom and all of the students handled it very well. Not to brag, but I think we might have had the best class on campus!
When we came back in to our classroom, I thanked all the students for behaving so well and remaining composed during the drill. We also talked about the reason for the drill and the importance of NEVER playing with a fire alarm.

The random drill, for some reason, seemed to occupy a lot of our day so we were not able to accomplish all of the worked I had planned for today. However, we made it work and we did the best with what we could. We worked on a Cc and Dd packet that involved identifying the letters and working with the phonics sounds.
The work that we didn't get done will roll over to tomorrow.

Since we have been working so nicely on using our manners, I have a surprise planned for the students tomorrow where we will be watching a Berenstien Bears movie about manners. This will be the last thing we do tomorrow right before we pack up to go home. :)

Wednesday (9/1)

Today was an irregular day at calendar since we had to talk about the start of a new month. We learned a new song about the month of September and we will be singing it every day this month. We also talked about the difference between a month and year.
Before lunch we worked on tracing and writing our numbers 1-5, but we traced in a different way than usual. Papers were put into a clear, plastic page protector and students were given a thin dry erase marker. This helped to save the paper, because it can now be used again, but it also allowed students to easily wipe away any mistakes and try again. I HIGHLY recommend this for a fun, learning activity at home. It's a cheap way to avoid printing a lot of practice pages.
Today's special was Art where we were able to practice tracing in a different way that we do in class. Students were given assorted art tracing papers with which they traced a pumpkin, a mouth of their choice.
After art we worked on the letter Dd and moved on the writing the number 6.

Tuesday (8/31)

Today's work consisted of more work with the letter Cc and the number 5 in handwriting. This afternoon, we colored a caterpillar and identified pictures that started with 'c'. The pictures of items that started with 'c' were then cut out and glued on to the caterpillar. We really enjoyed being able to do a multi-step activity!
Usually, when students are quick workers and get their work done fast, I ask them to go get a book and read. Today, however, we practiced tying our shoes.
Students were given a pretend shoe (a paper plate with a shoe drawn on it and laces) and asked to practice tying. I first demonstrated the steps and then set them on their own for practice. Many students found it to be very hard, but I told them that it can be hard at first, but if they work at it they will get it. Please encourage your child to practice and work with them at home. Those that already knew how to tie their shoes enjoyed that practice and some were asked to help teach their friends. :)
**Also, please be advised that I instruct my students to tie their shoes in a manner that may be different from the way you tie yours. I have found this method to be easier for their fine motor skills. After the first basic step, students make 2 "bunny ears" and cross them just like in the first step and proceed the same way.**
I made a trip to my town library last night in search for books on manners. Luckily, I was able to find many fine children's books that address manners, but there was one I was unable to find. If you own The Berenstein Bears Forget Their Manners please send it in with your child and I will be extremely grateful.

Monday (8/30)

Today we learned how to wirte the letter Cc and worked on the number 5. Students were given papers to complete for both of these 'jobs' and most of them finished. Those that did not finish their work had it set home for extra practice.
Last week we learned to write letters Aa and Bb as well as numerals 1-4. Today we were 'tested' to see how much of that knowledge was retained and practiced at home. I also asked the students to tell me how to spell the word "a" and "at".