Mrs. Navarre’s Teaching Blog: My First Blog Post

Hello! Thank you for visiting my blog. This is my first post, but I know that I will enjoy learning to become a blogger. Please be patient with me, because I'm definitely a beginner.

My hope for this blog is to be able to share classroom ideas with you. Most will be specific to first grade, since that is what I teach, but like most ideas that I get I'm sure you can find a way to modify them if you want to.

Okay, so I feel that I should post an inspiring idea, since this is my first blog and want to start off on the right foot. Well, coming off of Thanksgiving break I must say that it is a bit difficult. Black Friday shopping and wrapping presents are more on my mind then going back to work tomorrow or being inspiring. Maybe this isn't a good time to try to start this. I guess I could share my plan for what I want to focus on when I go back to work tomorrow. I think for the first week back I will mainly be focused on getting students back into our normal routine and having them really focus on their sight words. We have our classroom recognition on the 14th and I would really like for everyone to be recognized for the 200/400 Word Club. In December I'll begin focusing on Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. I was inspired over the break to create a Kwanzaa game to help students learn more about the Kwanzaa symbols. I like to teach students about the different holidays. I think that it is a good way to teach diversity. Helping students to understand that people are different and that it is ok to be different is an important lesson that needs to be taught. Our first grade team does something called "Around the World." Students go to 6 different classrooms to learn about other countries. It is a lot of fun, students love it, and it gives them a chance to compare the similarities and differences between themselves and people in other countries. This again supports a lesson in diversity.

Thanks for joining me for my first blog. Hopefully, it will not be my last. If you are interested in the Kwanzaa Symbol game it can be downloaded from my TPT Store for free.