Today was a good day!
In skills everyone is working hard to increasing their reading fluency. For some groups, that means extra reading that's outside the curriculum (extra practice always helps!), and for others it means reading and rereading stories to work on pacing and phrasing. In addition, the groups all continue to work on learning new sounds and mastering old ones.
The Screaming Mustaches have now covered spellings for long a (ai, ay, a, a_e), long o (o, oa, ow, oe, o_e), long i (i, ie, y), and today they started long u (ue as in cue, u as in unit, and u_e as in mule).
The Zesty Wombats are working on spellings for long a (ai, ay, a, a_e).
The Organic Squirrels continue to work on digraphs (th, ch, sh, ck, qu).
The Ice Dragons have finished The Mouse and the Motorcycle and are doing some artwork to go along with what they've read and learned.
In writing, the kids worked on their farm journals. They wrote about learning all about compost, from its origins (rotting vegetables, leaves, and paper products) to its completion (rich dark soil with lots of worms), and how to sift it to ensure that only good quality, completely decomposed compost is used. They also wrote about raking leaves to put into compost, and using the compost to add to garden beds that they cleared. They drew beautiful pictures to go along with their sentences.
In social skills we brainstormed more ideas about what makes a good and bad friend. Then the kids drew pictures and wrote about what makes them a good friend. This will be a mini-unit in social skills about friendship, making friends, and maintaining friendships.
Today was a day where the kids worked hard all day. They were focused and quiet and made a lot of progress on completing their work!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Social Behavior Mapping
Aaand we're back!
With all the parent meetings that have been going on, it's been hard to stay on top of the blog, too. My apologies.
With all the parent meetings that have been going on, it's been hard to stay on top of the blog, too. My apologies.
We've been doing some social behavior mapping. Social behavior mapping is going through a behavior and breaking down how it affects others and oneself. We go through the behavior (whether expected or unexpected) and talk about what that behavior looks like. Then we talk about how others feel when those behaviors are done. Next we talk about consequences from how others feel. If others are proud and happy and someone's doing the right thing, the consequences are positive. Last we talk about how they feel about those consequences. When the consequences are good, so are the feelings.
Conversely, we also talk about unexpected behaviors, and go through the same discussion:
This is helpful for the kids because it helps relate their behavior to their feelings and to their peers' feelings. All of the kids want to be liked, and want to feel good about themselves. They're starting to understand that when they make expected choices, they have more positive interactions with the people around them and they feel better about themselves. It's a win-win!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
How Busy for a half day!!
Today was very productive!
The morning was full of earthquake stories!
Amy was out today and our wonderful sub. Kristen filled in!
Everyone worked hard in skills.
Then, in centers, the kids worked on reading fluency, iPads and went to the library.
Math seemed to fly by and before we knew it our busy day came to an end.
In first grade skills the kids are continuing to read Snap Shots. They are working on double letters in words remembering that they only make one sound (Ss, ff, ll, zz etc.) . They have been working very hard answering comprehension sentences in complete sentences. We have also been working on story elements and sequencing stories. The list of tricky words continues to grow and all students should be practicing as part of their nightly homework.
Hope everyone was able to enjoy early dismissal and take advantage of the beautiful weather.
The morning was full of earthquake stories!
Amy was out today and our wonderful sub. Kristen filled in!
Everyone worked hard in skills.
Then, in centers, the kids worked on reading fluency, iPads and went to the library.
Math seemed to fly by and before we knew it our busy day came to an end.
In first grade skills the kids are continuing to read Snap Shots. They are working on double letters in words remembering that they only make one sound (Ss, ff, ll, zz etc.) . They have been working very hard answering comprehension sentences in complete sentences. We have also been working on story elements and sequencing stories. The list of tricky words continues to grow and all students should be practicing as part of their nightly homework.
Hope everyone was able to enjoy early dismissal and take advantage of the beautiful weather.
Monday, October 15, 2012
October 15, 2012
Today was a FANTASTIC day!
In Skills
The Organic Squirrels reviewed the different spellings for the /k/ sound (c as in cake, k as in kid, and ck as in back). They read Which is the Best and worked more on turning the question around to answer in a complete sentence.
The Zesty Wombats reviewed bossy r and read the story The Pancake Part I, which is a lot like the gingerbread man.
The Screaming Mustaches continued learning about long o. They reviewed the old spellings and learned two more. Now they know o_e, oa, oe, o, and ow. They read The Swimming Sisters, which is about two sisters who excel at swimming.
The Ice Dragons read more in The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
In Centers
One group heard a story and worked to sequence it. The first graders had to cut out sentences about the story and put them in order. The second graders had to come up with their own sentences to summarize.
The other group started to learn about SuperFlex and The Unthinkables. SuperFlex is a superhero that lives inside everyone and works hard to defeat The Unthinkables, who are "evil villains" who try to make us act in unexpected or inappropriate or rigid ways.
Michelle started by introducing them to what it means to have a "flexible brain."
Last, she started reading a story about SuperFlex, which introduces The Unthinkables. We only got about halfway through the story, but the idea was to expose the kids to the language and let them see where we're going with our social curriculum.
In Writing
I gave the kids some characters (a man with a mustache, a detective, and a fancy lady), a setting (a boat), and a problem (the jewelry is missing!), and asked the kids to come up with a beginning, middle, and end to a story. It was just a pre-writing activity that goes along with all the sequencing/summarizing that we've been working on. The kids did a good job with it! They got really creative, introducing other characters and showing intrigue, love, and a little bit of taking-care-of-business. We're going to turn these beginning-middle-end outlines into stories!
In all
The kids had a great day. They were well-behaved, kind, and helpful. There were no instances where anyone ended up on yellow. They worked hard, and worked together. It was so wonderful!
Have a great night!
In Skills
The Organic Squirrels reviewed the different spellings for the /k/ sound (c as in cake, k as in kid, and ck as in back). They read Which is the Best and worked more on turning the question around to answer in a complete sentence.
The Zesty Wombats reviewed bossy r and read the story The Pancake Part I, which is a lot like the gingerbread man.
The Screaming Mustaches continued learning about long o. They reviewed the old spellings and learned two more. Now they know o_e, oa, oe, o, and ow. They read The Swimming Sisters, which is about two sisters who excel at swimming.
The Ice Dragons read more in The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
In Centers
One group heard a story and worked to sequence it. The first graders had to cut out sentences about the story and put them in order. The second graders had to come up with their own sentences to summarize.
The other group started to learn about SuperFlex and The Unthinkables. SuperFlex is a superhero that lives inside everyone and works hard to defeat The Unthinkables, who are "evil villains" who try to make us act in unexpected or inappropriate or rigid ways.
Michelle started by introducing them to what it means to have a "flexible brain."
She likened a flexible brain to putty, and an inflexible brain to a rock.
Next, she explained how we use our flexible-thinking brains to be social detectives, figuring out what's expected and what's unexpected by using clues from the people around us.
In Writing
I gave the kids some characters (a man with a mustache, a detective, and a fancy lady), a setting (a boat), and a problem (the jewelry is missing!), and asked the kids to come up with a beginning, middle, and end to a story. It was just a pre-writing activity that goes along with all the sequencing/summarizing that we've been working on. The kids did a good job with it! They got really creative, introducing other characters and showing intrigue, love, and a little bit of taking-care-of-business. We're going to turn these beginning-middle-end outlines into stories!
In all
The kids had a great day. They were well-behaved, kind, and helpful. There were no instances where anyone ended up on yellow. They worked hard, and worked together. It was so wonderful!
Have a great night!
Friday, October 12, 2012
October 12, 2012
Happy Friday!
Today was a mixed-up day. We had the all-school picture outside, and it happened right in the middle of our usual skills time, so we moved things around. We started the day with a read aloud, and then went out for the picture. When we came back in, it was time for snack, then we proceeded with skills.
In Skills:
The Organic Squirrels did some dictation of the sounds they've learned recently. They read The Flag Shop and reviewed the story elements.
The Zesty Wombats reviewed bossy r. They learned that bossy r makes short e say /er/ (herd), short a say /ar/ like a pirate (card), and short o say /or/ (corn). We had a lot of fun making up pirate jokes!
The Screaming Mustaches looked more closely at the oe and oa spellings for long o. They read The Tortilla which is a story about how words have different origins, and that affects their spellings.
The Ice Dragons didn't have real skills today because of the picture, but read independently a book of their choice.
Our class was the beneficiary of a program called DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose is a website where teachers can put up things on their wishlist to make their classroom or school a better place, and people from all over can donate money towards their item. Over the summer I decided to try to get our school a greenhouse, and many people donated money towards it, so we were able to get it!
This afternoon we worked with Jeff's high school project to start putting it together.
Today was a mixed-up day. We had the all-school picture outside, and it happened right in the middle of our usual skills time, so we moved things around. We started the day with a read aloud, and then went out for the picture. When we came back in, it was time for snack, then we proceeded with skills.
In Skills:
The Organic Squirrels did some dictation of the sounds they've learned recently. They read The Flag Shop and reviewed the story elements.
The Zesty Wombats reviewed bossy r. They learned that bossy r makes short e say /er/ (herd), short a say /ar/ like a pirate (card), and short o say /or/ (corn). We had a lot of fun making up pirate jokes!
The Screaming Mustaches looked more closely at the oe and oa spellings for long o. They read The Tortilla which is a story about how words have different origins, and that affects their spellings.
The Ice Dragons didn't have real skills today because of the picture, but read independently a book of their choice.
Our class was the beneficiary of a program called DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose is a website where teachers can put up things on their wishlist to make their classroom or school a better place, and people from all over can donate money towards their item. Over the summer I decided to try to get our school a greenhouse, and many people donated money towards it, so we were able to get it!
This afternoon we worked with Jeff's high school project to start putting it together.
It's not completely finished being installed - we need to get a few more stakes to be sure it stays well in the ground. We're going to be doing a lot of work with the high school project to make sure that the gardens are well-used and well-maintained, and to be sure we know and understand all about what we plant, where we plant, and when we plant. They're going to be a big help to us!
At All Pod:
This morning, Velma asked me if anyone would want to share their journal entries from project at all pod today. Much to my surprise, almost every child in the class wanted to share!
I was so proud of everyone who shared! It's hard to get up in front of all of level I and read a journal entry without warning or practice! They all did an amazing job!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
October 11, 2012
What a gorgeous fall day it turned out to be! The kids so needed a nice day outside, and I'm glad one finally showed up!
In skills:
The Organic Squirrels continue to review old sounds and worked on the ck spelling for the /k/ sound. They read the story The Fish about Nat, who bought fish, and the cat who watched the fish.
The Zesty Wombats read the second part of the trickster tale How the Hedgehog Tricked the Hare. They began to work on bossy r with the /er/ sound, but didn't get very far today.
The Screaming Mustaches began to work on spellings for long o. They discovered 5 spellings: o_e (bone), o (no), oe (toe), ow (snow), and oa (goat). They also read the story Miss Baker which was about a teacher that helped a girl learn to be a better speller.
The Ice Dragons read yet another chapter in The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
In writing:
The kids worked on their project journals. They wrote about what they did yesterday in project and how they felt about project. It was fun to see that only about half the kids liked the sweet potatoes, but that almost everyone tried it. I liked reading their reactions.
In social skills:
The kids are having a difficult time building community with each other. Very often, the first graders stick with the first graders and the second graders stick with the second graders. They don't really feel like a cohesive group of kids and I'd really like to see them working together and enjoying each others' company more. Today the kids were split into groups with people they don't usually play with. They had to work together to put puzzles together.
In skills:
The Organic Squirrels continue to review old sounds and worked on the ck spelling for the /k/ sound. They read the story The Fish about Nat, who bought fish, and the cat who watched the fish.
The Zesty Wombats read the second part of the trickster tale How the Hedgehog Tricked the Hare. They began to work on bossy r with the /er/ sound, but didn't get very far today.
The Screaming Mustaches began to work on spellings for long o. They discovered 5 spellings: o_e (bone), o (no), oe (toe), ow (snow), and oa (goat). They also read the story Miss Baker which was about a teacher that helped a girl learn to be a better speller.
The Ice Dragons read yet another chapter in The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
In writing:
The kids worked on their project journals. They wrote about what they did yesterday in project and how they felt about project. It was fun to see that only about half the kids liked the sweet potatoes, but that almost everyone tried it. I liked reading their reactions.
In social skills:
The kids are having a difficult time building community with each other. Very often, the first graders stick with the first graders and the second graders stick with the second graders. They don't really feel like a cohesive group of kids and I'd really like to see them working together and enjoying each others' company more. Today the kids were split into groups with people they don't usually play with. They had to work together to put puzzles together.
They generally enjoyed the activity. I know they would have liked it more if they got to choose their own groups, but they also did get a chance to see each other in a new light. They saw some strengths from kids who sometimes struggle, and they saw some personality from kids who are sometimes more introverted. I loved watching them work together and accomplish something!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
October 10, 2012
It was another wet Wednesday!
Today in skills:
Organic Squirrels worked more on sequencing stories. They're working hard, but it's still something that's kind of challenging to them. When you read with your child, asking them to summarize what they heard or read to you will help them with sequencing stories. It helps them to get a clearer picture of what they read, and to keep their thoughts organized.
Zesty Wombats reviewed old sounds /ou/, /oo/, and /oo/, and then worked on a new sound, /oi/. They learned that /oi/ is spelled oy when it's at the end of words (toy) and oi when it's at the beginning or middle (coil, oink). They read the first part of the story The Hare and the Hedgehog. It's a trickster tale.
Screaming Mustaches finished up different spellings for long a. They finished their long a tree and really solidified their knowledge.
Ice Dragons are nearly finished with The Mouse and the Motorcycle. In the story, Ralph just lost the motorcycle and had to tell Keith. This was especially hard for Ralph because Keith just made him a crash helmet to wear when he rode the motorcycle. They're excited to find out what happens with the lost motorcycle next.
Today in centers:
The kids worked on the iPads. They're still practicing sight words and constantly reviewing the sounds they've learned in skills.
The kids also went to the library. Many checked out new books, while others just spent some time looking around and enjoying being there.
While this was happening, Amy and Michelle pulled individual students to do some progress monitoring on oral reading fluency, both in context and out of context. Amy has only done a few students twice (it takes 2 weeks to go through everyone), but those who she has worked with twice have made significant improvement!
Today in project:
It was sweet potato day!
Two groups worked to make sweet potato pie filling. They had to scoop the potato out of the skin and mix together many ingredients.
A third group worked to make mashed sweet potatoes. They had to peel and chop the potatoes, then mash them after they were cooked.
Before they could eat, some dishes had to be cleaned.
The kids got to taste the mashed sweet potatoes. We ate them with marshmallows (a tradition of mine). Although everyone didn't like them, most tried the potatoes. Some came back for seconds!
Tomorrow the kids will eat the sweet potato pie. I have to cook things at home - there's no stove at school - so anything we make that requires cooking takes two days.
We've been describing days in terms of a roller coaster. Today was a roller coaster that went up and stayed steadily up all day. That's the kind of day I hope for every day!
Today in skills:
Organic Squirrels worked more on sequencing stories. They're working hard, but it's still something that's kind of challenging to them. When you read with your child, asking them to summarize what they heard or read to you will help them with sequencing stories. It helps them to get a clearer picture of what they read, and to keep their thoughts organized.
Zesty Wombats reviewed old sounds /ou/, /oo/, and /oo/, and then worked on a new sound, /oi/. They learned that /oi/ is spelled oy when it's at the end of words (toy) and oi when it's at the beginning or middle (coil, oink). They read the first part of the story The Hare and the Hedgehog. It's a trickster tale.
Screaming Mustaches finished up different spellings for long a. They finished their long a tree and really solidified their knowledge.
Ice Dragons are nearly finished with The Mouse and the Motorcycle. In the story, Ralph just lost the motorcycle and had to tell Keith. This was especially hard for Ralph because Keith just made him a crash helmet to wear when he rode the motorcycle. They're excited to find out what happens with the lost motorcycle next.
Today in centers:
The kids worked on the iPads. They're still practicing sight words and constantly reviewing the sounds they've learned in skills.
The kids also went to the library. Many checked out new books, while others just spent some time looking around and enjoying being there.
While this was happening, Amy and Michelle pulled individual students to do some progress monitoring on oral reading fluency, both in context and out of context. Amy has only done a few students twice (it takes 2 weeks to go through everyone), but those who she has worked with twice have made significant improvement!
Today in project:
It was sweet potato day!
Two groups worked to make sweet potato pie filling. They had to scoop the potato out of the skin and mix together many ingredients.
A third group worked to make mashed sweet potatoes. They had to peel and chop the potatoes, then mash them after they were cooked.
Before they could eat, some dishes had to be cleaned.
The kids got to taste the mashed sweet potatoes. We ate them with marshmallows (a tradition of mine). Although everyone didn't like them, most tried the potatoes. Some came back for seconds!
Tomorrow the kids will eat the sweet potato pie. I have to cook things at home - there's no stove at school - so anything we make that requires cooking takes two days.
We've been describing days in terms of a roller coaster. Today was a roller coaster that went up and stayed steadily up all day. That's the kind of day I hope for every day!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
October 4, 2012
Happy Thursday-that's-like-Friday!
Today was an okay day. It seemed like a lot of engines were high and a lot of kids were easily put into "moods." I'm sure the weather plays into this some - it's been gray for so long!
The biggest thing I wanted to share with you was a discussion/activity that we had at the end of the day today.
The kids came back from art class and I asked them to sit on the carpet. Very few children followed directions. I was talking with another adult about some incidents that happened at art, and some kids interrupted, were milling about the room, and were jumping and shouting.
When I walked over to the carpet, I brought my brain bubble with me.
Have a wonderful long weekend, everyone!
Today was an okay day. It seemed like a lot of engines were high and a lot of kids were easily put into "moods." I'm sure the weather plays into this some - it's been gray for so long!
The biggest thing I wanted to share with you was a discussion/activity that we had at the end of the day today.
The kids came back from art class and I asked them to sit on the carpet. Very few children followed directions. I was talking with another adult about some incidents that happened at art, and some kids interrupted, were milling about the room, and were jumping and shouting.
When I walked over to the carpet, I brought my brain bubble with me.
On it I wrote my thoughts about how I was disappointed and frustrated. The kids realized that I was disappointed and frustrated because they hadn't followed directions. Throughout the beginning of this discussion, some children were still interrupting, not listening, or not participating. So I continued with my brain bubble, explaining through pictures and words how they were making me feel.
I showed them that when they interrupt or don't pay attention on the carpet, I feel sad, and when they continue to interrupt or not pay attention, it makes me feel like they don't care about my feelings. They expressed that they DO care about my feelings, so I asked them why, if they care, they don't change their behavior.
This turned into a deeper discussion about brain bubbles and how, no matter how a person acts, everyone around them has brain bubbles. Sometimes the brain bubbles are good. I put one up about a student who was participating and showing empathy that said "She cares. :)" They understood that when they act in expected ways, people have positive thought bubbles about them. I also made sad faces when students interrupted or started walking away from the carpet. They understood that unexpected behavior makes people have negative thought bubbles about them.
We discussed how everyone is allowed to have their feelings. It's okay for kids to be sad or mad or happy or nervous. It's what they do with their feelings that affect others' brain bubbles. We did some examples and I told a story about a mad behavior that only hurt me but didn't change anything else about the situation.
At the end of the conversation everyone seemed aware that their behavior influences other people's feelings and thoughts. Everyone expressed that they want their friends and classmates to think good thoughts about them.
I'm going to start using the brain bubble more often. I want the kids to know that their behavior affects the people around them. I want them to start to think about their friends and act in ways that urge positive thoughts and interactions.
Although this came from a negative situation, I feel that it has very positive implications. I'm glad to have ended the week on what feels to me to be a step in the right direction.
Have a wonderful long weekend, everyone!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
October 3, 2012
Happy Wet Wednesday!
Today was a good, busy day.
In skills, the Organic Squirrels read another story and worked on answering questions in a complete sentence. They're still working on short vowels and recongizing them with greater fluency as well as sight words.
The Zesty Wombats are reading Bedtime Tales. Today they read the second half of a story about a sneaky man named Pete, a braggart named Big Jim, and a frog race. They worked on the oo spelling and both sounds that go with it (cool and look).
The Screaming Mustaches are reading Kids Excel. Today they found out what happened during a spelling bee. They're learning multiple spellings for long a - ai (rain), ay (day), a_e (cake), and a (paper).
The Ice Dragons are still working away at The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
In Centers the kids went to the library and worked on the iPads. They played some sight word bingo and also played an app called Phonics Genius which focuses on specific sounds and their spellings. I read individually with some students - I'm working to track their progress with fluency as the year progresses.
Unfortunately I didn't get to take any pictures at the farm today. With Jonny, the farm teacher, the kids transplanted garlic chives from smaller containers to larger ones. They also watered them. With Amy, the kids harvested potatoes, broccoli, and green onions and planted cilantro. It was a little misty, but they worked hard and didn't complain!
Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit drier! Have a great night!
Today was a good, busy day.
In skills, the Organic Squirrels read another story and worked on answering questions in a complete sentence. They're still working on short vowels and recongizing them with greater fluency as well as sight words.
The Zesty Wombats are reading Bedtime Tales. Today they read the second half of a story about a sneaky man named Pete, a braggart named Big Jim, and a frog race. They worked on the oo spelling and both sounds that go with it (cool and look).
The Screaming Mustaches are reading Kids Excel. Today they found out what happened during a spelling bee. They're learning multiple spellings for long a - ai (rain), ay (day), a_e (cake), and a (paper).
The Ice Dragons are still working away at The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
In Centers the kids went to the library and worked on the iPads. They played some sight word bingo and also played an app called Phonics Genius which focuses on specific sounds and their spellings. I read individually with some students - I'm working to track their progress with fluency as the year progresses.
Unfortunately I didn't get to take any pictures at the farm today. With Jonny, the farm teacher, the kids transplanted garlic chives from smaller containers to larger ones. They also watered them. With Amy, the kids harvested potatoes, broccoli, and green onions and planted cilantro. It was a little misty, but they worked hard and didn't complain!
Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit drier! Have a great night!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Snap Shots and First Grade Skills
This week the first graders are off to a busy start in skills! They are continuing to read Snap Shots - a story about a girl named Beth who travels to the U.K. With her mom to visit friends. Along with reading these stories we have begun introducing new concepts - strategies for good reading, story elements (character, setting, plot and solution) and learning to answer questions in complete sentences. You may hear them say "TTQA" - which stands for "turn the question around." They seem to be picking up in this strategy quickly! We continue to add to our sight word list. Data will be kept consistently to make sure they are learning these words and developing fluency with them. It is so important to review these words nightly with your child. We learned the new sounds of /ng/ and /qu/. We ready the story of how Q&U got married! Adorable! I am so proud of how hard the kids are working! They are learning so much!
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