SCHOLASTIC BOOKS

If you would like to order online and use a credit or debit card here is the link!  If you do it this way you will get a free book and scholastic will give our class a 3.00 coupon for books! YES!
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Day 5 and...

I think we can officially say we are FIRST GRADERS! Wow...what a great week! 

And that's pretty much all I've got for today!

Well...

I'm sure the pups are faring much better than this old dog...WOW! It's been such a WONDERFULLY  EXHAUSTING week! BUT am I glad there is no school on Monday. I've got this great idea to lay in the pool Saturday and Sunday...and just make Monday my work day! (Let's see if that plan pans out!)
So...YEP you got it...a lot of the same procedure stuff going on in first grade.  Today we broke out the color chart...we had a few close calls but ALL is GREEN in 313!

So...we did do writer's workshop again today but BLAH BLAH BLAH you know same ole, same ole...But you just wait til tomorrow...You are going to be amazed by our little writers!
Reader's workshop was GREATNESS!  We practiced using our clips to show what books we were reading...

LOOK AT THIS...I've got some NON fiction readers in here! WOO HOO ! It looks as though the pups enjoyed their quiet reading spots!

Look and listen to this... again UHmazing!

Good times at recess and we started a read aloud at lunch!  And can I just tell you all...313 was DEFINITELY the quietest cleaner uppers in the Cafe! 

After lunch we used our name cards to practice recognizing which person goes with which name!  Most of us know all of our friends!  I am seeing some nice friendships beginning to grow!

Calendar time is so much fun!  We are practicing past, present and future!  And I've got some great little helpers in here!  

Mayson was our historian today...

and Isabella our Fortune Teller!  

Math stations...We learned a couple new "games"!  

Mayson is measuring the table! I think I remember him telling me it was 41 long!

Cameron and Kaleb got to play our new game YOU go I go!  

I have ___. I need ____ to get to 20!
Claire and Isabella  were subiting and figuring out how many more!

I love my JOB... See you all tomorrow!

SUCCESS

Three days down...I'm not counting though! I think we are all becoming much more comfortable in our classroom! Tomorrow we are BREAKIN' out the color chart! (not that we have needed it...but a couple of reminders that its there might not hurt!)
Sunshine folders...got those down! Come in, unpack, blue folders in mailboxes, sunshine folders open get started.
TODAY...during writer's workshop we talked about adding details (even though we thought we were done with a piece.) I used my Bacon story from yesterday..." Oh my! Bacon is a MESS!  He digs holes in my front yard.  I love that dog."  After I had finished that "excellent piece of writing...my readers STILL had questions! Can you believe it?  Someone asked if Bacon was a bulldog (guessing from my drawing) and another friend wanted to know if he had lots of hair.  GREAT QUESTIONS...I modeled not getting upset about having to ADD to my writing. Good writers always go back to pieces and make them better. So we answered those question..."Oh my! Bacon, my French Bulldog is a MESS!  He digs holes in my front yard. He has to stay outside because he sheds.  I love that dog." NOW look at that...SO MUCH BETTER! I was so impressed that some of my puppy writers actually wanted to go back to a previous paper and give adding details a try! Can you say UHmazing! (the pups sure can)
Then...well...yep...you got it...back to the cafeteria! (and unfortunately, Ms. Boor told us today we have to go practice AGAIN tomorrow!)
When we got back we got to use our clips to "check out" classroom books and find our QUIET reader's workshop spot! Oh what fun...we can even lay down during reader's workshop! That sure was a HIT!
David Goes to School was read and enjoyed by all! I love when the pups feel comfortable enough to join in! After reading we made a Do/Do NOT chart whole group and then made individual ones.  I am so happy to see that the pups are using our charts to enhance their learning! Some chose to cut and glue...some chose to write...Differentiation all the way!

 LUNCH/RECESS TIME (yep you guessed it...everyone's favorite time of the day) Look at this line and those bubbles! I do have to remind some of them to remember to BREATHE even with their bubbles in! 

Having FUN on the playground!

Lunch time...sitting with new and old friends.  

My lunchroom helpers today were AWESOME! Thanks Isabella and Jack!

SUBITIZING...

Be sure to ask your little pup what that means! (but in case they forgot..."instantly knowing how many")! We used dot cards (in different formations), hands and numerals.  The pups used the cards to play memory and as flash cards.  Jack said we should play go fish with them! And I think that is and an EXCELLENT idea! Tomorrow GO FISH it is! :)

Science time...Let's get that journal set up and get it going already! Today we turned ourselves into scientist!  LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

• Tomorrow is P.E.  remember to dress appropriately! 
• Homework is DUE
• Join PTA (I've heard from 7 of our families and of COURSE 1 teacher...only 13 more...L-E-T-S-GO LET'S GO LET'S GO) PTA allows you to have a say in how the PTA can help our classroom and Robertson Elementary!

August 28th, 2012

ONE T-I-R-E-D First Grade Teacher...has learned her lesson.  Last night after school I ran over to Providence to hear all about my nephew's first day of school! Well...got home about 7:00 made my phone calls...BUT didn't get to bed until after 10:00! That 4:30 alarm came TOO fast this morning! 
I was so happy to be here with this bunch of pups none the less! The second day is a bit "harder" for everyone I've found. We had a lot of "When is lunch, when do we go homes"!  
However, we had another great day! We are settling into a routine and once we do not have to go over lunchroom procedures our day is going to run smoooothhhhlllyyy!
Today we all unpacked and came into the room just like we practiced yesterday and blue folders were stashed away in mailboxes! I was so happy to see that everyone brought them back today!  
 We worked on completing and editing sentences in our "sunshine" folder! 

And then a quick writing mini lesson! What do we need to include in our writing?? WOW...there was some great Kindergarten teaching going on last year! First thing mentioned...EVENTS, then SETTING and the hardest one for us to remember was CHARACTERS...but we pulled it out!  I heard a few "I don't know what to write abouts" BUT when I told them they were experts on themselves they were all able to get started!  Here we are getting our "thoughts" on paper both in text and illustrations! I am so excited to watch these little pups grow!  

After writers workshop we hustled down to the cafeteria for some procedure practice!  A few reminders to all! 

• Lunch begins at 10:50 
• Visitors sit at the row of tables closest to the cafeteria lines
• Only your child may sit with you when you come to eat
• Guy's class sits in the row closest to the stage
• Quiet time starts at "about" 11:10 (at this time students are not allowed to get drinks or go to the bathroom

Back to the classroom for Reader's Workshop and a bit of Social Studies (combined into one)!

We talked about checking out library books both at school, the public library and in our classroom library! I love it...one pup said, "you pick and book and then you have to PAY for it!" 

I showed them our classroom (clothes pin) system and chose...

What a way into some school rules and our social studies unit! We read David Goes to School by David Shannon...there were some discussions about what David was doing and what he SHOULD be doing!!! Then onto the fun stuff...everyone made their own David!

As we finished our Davids up...Guess What...it was recess and lunch time.  

After our read aloud and bathroom break it was time to finish up our rules discussion.  We made a circle map to brainstorm all sorts of rules that David should have been following.  And then it was time for the pups to put their rule down on paper! Everyone was given a speech bubble to complete the following "I will..."

Some finished products! I ADORE them!!!

 We started a power point...Our Science Journals...I took some scientist pictures while we continued our math tub exploration...and we are READY FOR SOME SCIENCE!  Got packed up...went to P.E. Me, "did you have fun!" Pup, "UUHMMM we sat and listened to rules and procedures BUT we learned how to stay safe! Yes! it was FUN!" Oh to be a first grader again! 

Another successful day in 313! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...(after a good nights sleep of course!)