Science Experiment Day

It is kind of funny to teach science in first grade. Parents and even students don't really understand that learning about things like plants, animal habitats, and weather, is actually our science. They seem to think of science as more hands-on experiments. I guess in a lot of ways, so do I, or at least that is the kind of science I enjoy. I like the investigative type of science. The kind that allows for predictions (a hypothesis) and then the testing of those predictions.

I think that this kind of investigative learning and thinking is important and fun. One way I get more of this in our classroom is through a Science Experiment Day. It is a day full of hands-on investigations, thinking, discussion and recording. Students truly feel like scientist. I just wish I had the lab coats to go with it. Ok, now I've got to go get lab coats. Anyways, I love it.

I have this Science Experiment Day product available at my TpT Store if you are 

interested in checking it out. 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Science-Experiment-Day-1245181

Character Trait Posters

I've put together some posters to help my students understand character traits. It is pretty tricky to get first graders to think of a character as more than "good" or "nice." I use some other resources that are helpful, but I needed a way to focus on each different character trait more specifically, so I created my Character Trait Posters. The set of posters doesn't cover all character traits, but it has 20 that I think help students begin to understand what character traits are and then leads to discussion of more traits.

After putting together this poster set, I printed the out the posters and laminated them. My students like to play teacher with them. While I love having the posters, I also wanted a different way to introduce them to my class. I did this by including an audio and posting it to YouTube. I've included the link to both the posters and to YouTube.

Feel free to check out the Character Trait Poster video at this YouTube link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfEtPHTWEKA&list=UUY5DiWYDOU7armTlBtAHX7g

or the Character Trait Posters at my TpT Store

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Character-Trait-Posters-1448780

Mini Word Wall and Practice Activities

I created a new classroom Superhero Word Wall this year to go with our school theme. I think word walls are so important to support beginning writers. I know that  a lot of teachers put a few words up at a time, but I like for students to have the full benefit of this resource right from the beginning. I'm not saying that either way is right or wrong, it is just my personal preference.

One problem that I found with my word wall and everyone else's too, is that it is sometimes hard for students to really see. This limits the use of this great resource. This year I decided to create a Mini Word Wall that goes with my classroom word wall. Initially, I thought that with students having these on their desk we could just review the words, which would allow students to use the classroom word wall more effectively. After the first days of school, and as we began our writing, I was amazed. My students immediately started using these Mini Word Walls. They were questioning where to find a word and definitely felt more confident about their writing.  Once I gave them the idea of highlighting the words that they wanted to remember, that opened up a whole new world. Students began communicating with others as to the word they highlighted or how someone could find a word that they needed.

Shortly after finding how effective these Mini Word Walls were I decided that I needed some practice activities to help students become more familiar with all of the words that are listed, rather than just the word they happen to need at that moment. I created this set. It has four different practice activities. I like putting them in sheet protectors and allowing students to reuse the sheets over and over again using whiteboard markers.

I still  have a classroom word wall, I'm not giving that up, but it is fun to see how students are using this Mini Word Wall resource. I actually think that because of the Mini Word Walls students are using the classroom word wall more effectively as well.

I do have the Mini Word Wall and Practice Activities available at my teacher's store if you want to check it out. I also have the classroom word wall that goes with it.

Mini Word Wall and Practice Activities

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mini-Word-Wall-Practice-Activities-1447751

Superhero Theme Word Wall

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Superhero-Theme-Word-Wall-1275089

Starfall Classroom Resources

If you are looking for good classroom resources, these Starfall books are great. I began using these resources shortly after I began teaching 14 years ago. At the time I was teaching kindergarten. These journals are perfect for this grade level. The books have larger lines and a place for a picture. I teach first grade now and have continued to use these journals. They are still great for the beginning of the year and for quick writes. One of my teacher friends, who is retired now, used to use these journals as a memory book. She would take a picture of a special activity and then have students write about it.

There are two different levels of the Reading and Writing journal. The first level is really more of a phonics workbook. I love using these book for independent seat work. I especially love this first one. Students who have a pretty good beginning  foundation of phonics can use this without much support, or a lot of times can get support from another student. Most of my students don't get to the level II book, not because it is too hard, but more because of time. Those students who get to the second book are those students who are truly ready for it, which is perfect. It isn't necessarily harder, but it does focus more on writing to a prompt, and it is just better for students to be ready for it.

When I first began using these resources I think they were free or practically free. They are still fairly inexpensive considering their value. The current price for the journal varies depending on how many you buy, but it is 1-19 for $1.00 each and 20+ for $0.79 each. The workbooks are 1-19 $1.95 each and 20+ for $1.00 each. One thing to be careful of is to make sure you order the correct font. There are a couple to choose from.

The Starfall website is always changing and has lots of resources, so even if you don't like the books you still might want to check it out. Here is the link to the order form http://order.starfall.org/k/shop2/index.html .This is the link to the Starfall download center where you could actually download or view pages that are from the book http://www.starfall.com/n/N-info/download.htm . Here is the link to the actual Starfall website http://www.starfall.com/ . I hope that you enjoy these resources as much as I do!

If you are interested in viewing other teacher resources, I'd love to have you visit my teacher's store http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Anna-Navarre .

Back to School I Go

Well, with about a week left before I return to the classroom, it is time for me to start getting ready. It is really funny how it actually takes not just getting things ready for the classroom, but it takes mentally getting myself ready. I'm sure everyone does this in their own way, but for me I take the time to reflect on why I got into teaching in the first place and really connect with what it means to be a teacher. Teaching is a hard job and there are often frustrations, but the most incredible part about this job is that we get to touch the lives of these young children. We get to help guide them and teach them not only about academics, but also about character traits that hopefully help to influence who they are as people. In essence, we get to make a difference in the lives of each child in our classrooms. That might sound a little bold to a non-teacher, which is maybe why it is hard for them to truly understand how difficult this job can be, but it is a reality.

It is incredible to think of the endless hours that I spend, not just getting things ready for the next day, but looking for the best learning strategies; looking for ways to help my students enjoy learning; looking for ways to help them understand how to be good citizens; worrying about how I'm going to best meet each and every child's needs; and trying to find a way to be the best me for them. I know that I do this though, because every child matters, which is one of the things that makes this job the most difficult. Every child matters, which is why I keep doing this! This is my heart, EVERY child matters!!!

 Ok, I'm ready, back to school I go!

Here is are a couple of Back to School resources if you are interested. 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Welcome-Back-to-School-Bookmarkers-and-Cards-1323246

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Its-Nice-to-Be-Back-at-School-Rule-Book-and-Posters-741926

Partnering up for Collaboration in the Classroom

One of the big ideas in Common Core is having students spend much of their learning time collaborating with others. I love this idea on so many levels. Students get to learn how to interact with others. They get support with their learning. They also have the chance to learn more as they teach others what they know. I mean it seems like such a win-win situation. While classrooms and the curriculum may not yet be completely ready for this idea, there is a place for it right now in which we can definitely take advantage of.

There are many opportunities throughout the day in which collaboration/partnering students up can be implemented. I have my students partner up, pretty much anytime we are doing a whole group activity. If we are reading, then I might have them partner up to discuss the elements of a story. If we are doing a nonfiction comprehension sheet, then I might have student partner up to discuss what they have learned after each paragraph of the story. If we are writing, then I have students partner up for different stages, for example prewriting, rereading/proofing, editing and publishing/sharing. I also have students partner up to work on science and social studies facts/research together. While I don't have students partner up as much during my whole group math instruction, my students are always in small group or with a partner during math activities.

I guess I have really always had my students partnering up in one way or another. At first it was the simple turn to the person next to you. Then I tried having preassigned partners on a matching hand board. These ideas worked, but turning to a partner meant students were always working with the same person and the matching hands meant I had to keep remembering to change them. A couple of years ago I went through a training and got some other ideas for having students partner up. I still like and use these ideas. One idea I like is "Moving to the Music" in which students stop when the music stops and talk to the person next to them. The kids love this one too. I also like parallel lines in which the class forms two lines and the students from one line keep moving to the next person after each rotation. Okay, I probably didn't explain that very well, but I hope you get the picture.

I don't just use one way to have students partner up, but one quick and easy thing I do use are Partner up Cards. These cards can be passed out, placed on students desks, kept in a table group tub, or whatever other way you want. Students basically receive a card, stand up, and once everyone has a card they find their partners. It just adds some novelty to the idea of finding a partner and it also provides students with a bit of a Brain Break, which I also love.

Since my classroom is already set up in table groups, having students collaborating within a group is pretty easy. I occasionally switch students around to mix things up, but since these projects might go on for a couple of days or a week, I have to kind of keep these groups together for my own sanity.

However you have your students getting together to collaborate with one another isn't really the important issue. It is more about providing students with the opportunity to do this.

I have Partner up Cards available at my TpT Store if you are interested in checking them out. 

Animal Habitat Partner up Cards

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Animal-Habitat-Partner-Up-Cards-1368889

Superhero Partner up Cards

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Superhero-Partner-Up-Cards-1368902

Outer Space Partner up Cards

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Outer-Space-Partner-Up-Cards-1368925

Sandpaper Tactile Writing

If you are looking for a multi-sensory way to have students practice letters, words, or even numbers, then sandpaper tactile writing is for you. I love providing students with a hands-on approach to learning. I usually use games and other activities, but these small pieces of sandpaper with words or whatever written on them are inexpensive and serve as a great way for providing practice time as well as a multi-sensory experience. 

I purchased these small sheets of sandpaper, already cut, for $1.00. They came in a bag of 24. I used crayons to write sight words on the sandpaper and then used them as a center activity. I have students trace the words with their fingers, spelling and reading the words as they go. Another way to use them is to have students make the letters with pipe cleaners and have them lay over the sandpaper letters to make the word. You could also use beans, macaroni, cereal or some other small item to have students write the words. 

Please feel free to visit Anna Navarre's TpT Store for K-2 teaching resources.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Anna-Navarre

Facebook

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