Helping FIRSTIES become Better Writers

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Can First Graders become BETTER WRITERS?

Hello everyone!

My name is Wendy McCarty.

I am the creator behind…

1stgradefireworks

I create classroom and homeschool materials

that engage young minds and help the teacher to support instruction.

You can see my products in my TPT Store:

1stgradefireworks

Today’s Topic…

Writing in First Grade

Now… I wish I was PERFECT.

I wish my kiddos were PERFECT.

There are NO Perfect PEOPLE!

NO Perfect KIDDOS.

No Perfect.

Now that we have gone there…how do we get close?

We get BETTER!

Better Readers.

Better Speakers.

Better Writers.

Better..Better…Better

( My Mantra )

HOW?

We write EVERY DAY.

Usually..more than once.

We write about our day in school

…things we like

…stories we have read

…new words we have learned

…new thoughts we have had

etc.etc.etc.

I try to do a mini-lesson on a strategy.

I add new vocabulary. In CONTEXT.

We make connections.

We expand our thinking.

We TALK!

And it can be noisy.

It’s OK.

Sometimes LEARNING is messy.

And loud. And busy.

It’s OK!

We do writer’s workshop.

My kids write.

AND they LOVE IT!

HOW?

Give them paper, pencils, markers, colored pencils, etc…

Give them…TIME!

And … LET THEM TALK!

My classroom is NEVER quiet!

Talking

about writing,

during writing,

and after writing.

TALK, Write, Create!

Are they perfect?

NO.

Is that OK?

YES!

*(Update)

I have added new

VOCABULARY BANNERS

to my

Writing Center.

Fall Vocabulary Banners for WRITING

The banners

help my

beginning writers

( HOW DO YOU SPELL…..??? )

and my

EL students

(LOTS of VISUALS )

See how I use the

VOCABULARY BANNERS

Here.

For WRITER’S WORKSHOP

If you need a starting point...

Monthly Writing Pages

WITH

VOCABULARY Helpers

at the

bottom of EVERY PAGE!

I LOVE TEACHING!

I am currently headed into my 27th year teaching…ALL of them in first grade!

My kiddos ask me “WHY don’t YOU ever GRADUATE to Second Grade?”

I tell them

“First Grade is IN my HEART!”

You can follow me at:

https://1stgradefireworks.net

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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/1stgradefireworks

https://www.Instagram.com/1stgradefireworks

https://www.pinterest.com/1stgradefirewor

Follow me: TPT FB IG Pinterest

1stgradefireworks

Are your students ready for CENTERS?

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How to add games for independent centers!

We have been in school for 4 weeks. I know…we began JULY 31! I spend 3-4 weeks working on whole class routines & schedules. Then we spend a week or two working on centers ( without me actually taking reading groups) so I can monitor HOW they are doing during independent centers. AND THEN????

We begin INDEPENDENT CENTERS without the teacher!!! WHAT??? Yes!!

Release the KRACKEN!

Release the Kracken

And yes..we begin small group reading.

I used to call it GUIDED READING.

But I have added Guided Reading Skills & Strategies.

Sometimes, we work on words. Sometimes we work on skills.

Sometimes we read. Sometimes we write.

I use my assessments to guide my instruction.

I know WHO needs WHAT.

So what are the other kids doing?

MUST DO’s & May Do’s.

And this week..enter their FAVORITE CENTER SO FAR!

( Yes…in their WHOLE LIFE…as they say!)

Here is the FUN game for centers!

And they are LEARNING! WIN! WIN!

Short vowel dominoes

SHORT VOWEL DOMINOES

294 CARDS! WOWZA!

294 domino cards for short vowel practice. Domino games can be differentiated by vowel sounds, picture cards, or word cards. Fun activities for student learning. Games help students stay engaged while practicing short vowel CVC word families.

They LOVE THIS! They beg for more time! Get your WORK done so you can PLAY!

YES! I love it when a plan works!

And so here we go!

Small groups for me..independent centers for them.

WIN! WIN! All around. Check out the video!

When is it “officially” FALL?

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It’s 100 degrees in NorCAL!

My A/C has been on for WEEKS!

I don’t like to sweat.

My calendar says Fall ‘officially” begins on Monday, September 23?

WHAT? Why so far away?

I think FALL should begin TODAY!

WHEN is it “officially” FALL?

I am ready for… FALL!

When is it “Officially” FALL?

I have been looking for FALL-themed resources

to help get my first-graders into the

FALL MODE!

I hope these help YOU too!

(Thank You PINTEREST!)

The Best of Fall Read Alouds

Fall themes? YES! Many to choose from!

What do YOU teach in the FALL?

PUMPKIN EVERYTHING?

When is it “officially” FALL?

Need MORE Fall inspiration?

🙂

Bring on FALL! We are READY!

How Do You Know When It’s Fall?

Fall, Apples, & Johnny Appleseed

And so my friends…as YOU can SEE…FALL is ALMOST here!

Enjoy the changing season! Have fun with your students, hug your family!

Now…where did I put thise leather boots?

Hmmm…I may have to clean out a

closet or two!

pumpkin spiced latte

Pumpkin Spice LATTE is almost HERE! WAHOO!!

HAPPY Fall. ‘yall from NORCAL!

1stgradefireworks

Getting Ready to READ in SMALL Groups

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AKA… After I assess them, NOW what?

SMALL GROUPS!

small group table for reading

We are back in school. I spent the first few days going over schedules, routines, set up, clean up, etc. As the week went on, we got better.

Now, it’s time to introduce content. I need them to start working so I can ASSESS.
ASSESS for WHAT?

Assess for READING!

First grade is ALL ABOUT READING!

Small groups are leveled so I can reach each student at their level and help them become

BETTER, INDEPENDENT READERS!

HOW? How do I know?

ASSESSMENTS!

Assessments drive your instruction.

DATA. What DO they know? What DON’T they know?

All of this data becomes the source of my instruction.

If I have a concept that a LOT of them don’t know…. whole class lesson!
RETEACH THE WHOLE CLASS!

BUT, if only a FEW are missing a skill or strategy…SMALL GROUPS!
Reteach it during small groups.

OK. HOW?

How to Group students for SMALL GROUP reading. 1stgradefireworks

Assessments drive your instruction for small groups!

I use MULTIPLE ASSESSMENTS.
Curriculum, DRA, Running Records, BPST, Letter sounds/names, blending, segmenting, sight words, etc.

PLEASE…. DO NOT sit a child down and assess for more than 15 minutes!

Better to assess over DAYS than HOURS!

You want to know what they truely know.

I put ALL of my data on a spreadsheet,

I like to see ALL of it together.

THEN WHAT?

Look for patterns.

Do they know letter names & sounds?

6 kids are “inconsistent”? GROUP THEM FOR practice! Small intervention group with letters, white boards, & pictures,

Your first small group is ready to go!

Missing sight words?
BAM! Small group for sight word practice, reading with the teacher, writing sight words in sentences, and more sight word practice.

Fluency? Do they “robot read”?
Another strategy small group! Fluency practice. I read. You read. We read. I read. YOU read. WE read.
They need to hear YOU for fluency & intonnation practice.

Here are some “helpers” for small groups that I found on PINTEREST!

Effective Grouping for Small Group Instruction – Learning with Mrs. Langley

How to Use Small Group WarmUPs with MissDeCarbo.com

What is a BALANCED LITERACY CLASSROOM? 1stgradefireworks

Check out BALANCED LITERACY HERE!

So.

Assessments
Decipher your data. (Look for patterns).
Make your small groups.
RETEACH
Practice
Reassess
Regroup students ( keep groups fluid).
Again. And again, And again!
Watch them GROW!
SMILE. You are great! 🙂

If you need more help…

check out these posts for MORE information:

Balanced Literacy

Book Clubs- Reading

Writing

The Day the Boys found…DICE for games!

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My boys have found…DICE for games!

Math games need dice!

Bring it ON!

My boys found the DICE today! Let the games BEGIN!

The kids found the dice for math games! Game ON!

The dice were rolling! Let the games BEGIN!

The learning, discussions, & giggles were contagious! YES!

I must THANK the Dollar Store & Target $1 Spot

for making their “dreams come true!”

I Love to have games in my classroom!

We PLAY LOTS of GAMES!

I once had a parent ask me if ALL we did was play games….

each day her daughter would go home & MOM would ask..

” What did you do at school today?”

Daughter….”Oh, we just played games...”

YES! BUT…

We play MY games…

educational games….

games that reinforce concepts I am teaching!

GOOD GAMES! 🙂

So, today,

MY BOYS FOUND….DICE!

Their world has changed FOREVER!

I have small dice, large dice, EXTRA LARGE FOAM DICE! LOTS!

We are working on beginning addition…

( YOU know where I am going with this!)

Roll…..ADD….Color!

We got out the dice games & had a ball!

Here is my FALL DICE GAMES...

7 games in one packet!

Learning is FUN!

But to share…A FREEBIE!

Let them Play! Dice games are so FUN!

So CHEERS to games that make learning FUN!

LEAVE me a COMMENT…

What games do YOU play in your classroom??? 🙂

You never know..I may choose someone to GIVE a GAME to!

WINK ,WINK! Leave a comment to ENTER! 🙂

Wendy 1stgradefireworks

I was taught “Hard Work” by the BEST!

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I am such a SLACKER! I think I am a hard worker!

I think I have it all together..

I DO NOT!

My Grandmother & MY MOM

raised a family, worked at home & outside the home,

and we always had stuff when we wanted it.

THEY were hard workers!

AND I NEVER ASKED HOW?

Gma & Gpa taught me to work hard!

This is my GMA & GPA…

I miss them both.

They lived on a dairy.

My GPA taught me about cows, HARD work, & what “silage” tasted like! ICK!

My Gma always wore a dress & heels. She was a petite little thing.

She wore toilet paper around her hair at night, so she would look “good” in the morning.

My Gpa didn’t give us candy.

When we left his house, he would give us a teaspoonful of brown sugar

, from the jar in Gma’s kitchen.

Nothing fancy..but it meant EVERYTHING to us!

They owned a peach orchard.

40 acres of peaches.

I never really thought about it when I was little.

It was just a “lot of trees”.

My Mom & Dad who taught me about Hard Work.

This is my MOM & Dad ( I just found this engagement pic.) HAHA

My happy parents who both work hard!

They are hard workers.

My dad went to work every day.

Dressed in his suit & white shirt

( that my mom ironed..I know ..with an iron & ironing board! )

And my mom worked a self-owned business,

was ALWAYS there when we got home form school,

and helped us with EVERYTHING we ever did ( sports, clubs, school, etc).

And I never asked HOW?

How do you do it ALL?

And now this….

Both my GMA & My MOM canned fruits, made pickles, and baked goodies!

Now I don’t bake ( leave that gene to my sister, Susie).

I have NEVER made pickles..& probably won’t..BUT

I CAN FRUIT!

I CAN FRUIT, A LOT!

I remember walking into GMA’s garage & seeing shelves FULL of canned goods.

I grabbed bottles of canned fuits from my mom’s shelves in our garage.

Peaches, pears, cherries, etc, etc, etc,, whenever we wanted!

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

It didn’t matter…it was always there.

HOW???? Hard Work!

I never asked.

So now..I apologize to GMA & MOM.

I should have asked to help you peel, or slice, or wash, or……..or….or……to do the hard work!

But, I cannot take it back.

SO?

I will follow in your steps.

I will teach MY DAUGHTER to can!

And my granddaughters!

I will continue the family tradition. Work Hard!

Only…we will use the recipe on my laptop.

( I know GMA & MOM didn’t do that!)

So here was my day TODAY ( from start to finish ).

Canning fruits & vegetables is Hard Work!

Work Smarter not Harder!

Wash the jars ( hot water & heated dry) in dishwasher.

Pick the fruit from the trees, Hard Work!

Wash them for safety. Hard Work.

Blanch them to peel them easily. Hard Work.

Wash..rinse…BLANCH ( Boil whole peaches, then put in pan of ICE WATER!)

Their peels just slide right off!

Slice, Slice, slice!

Work Smarter not Harder!

Too hot to cook inside!

Set up our campstove OUTSIDE!

Pan on the left is a sugar/water mixture.

Cook the peaches in for a short time, then pour into jars!

Hubby is sooooo good at this!

Hard Work.

Harder Work.

Hubby does the hard work.

Then…

Boil in a water bath ( 25 minutes ) to seal.

Hard work pays off.

and…

VOILA!

Canning is hard work, but so worth it!

Hard work pays off for MONTHS to come!

There we go!

11 quarts of fresh canned peaches!

They will be sooo good this winter!

(Daddy gave us more peaches

…so I am thinking peach cobbler for dinner!)

or maybe…..

I SHOULD MAKE JAM!

Gma made jam……so did MOM….WOW…Hard Work!

I should THANK them. 🙂

Making A LIST and Checking it TWICE!

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IS SANTA ON HIS WAY?

Is SANTA on his way? In JULY?

NO! I am checking MY list.

My Back to School LIST!

And that list get LONGER, every DAY!

My Back to School is next week.

In my district ( a modified traditional calendar) we start at the end of JULY!

No tears for me…we are off the first two weeks of OCTOBER! I LOVE FALL BREAK!

And so first, I make a list – A LONG LIST!

Thank You @createteachshare

Teacher To Do list@createteachshare

Here is how my list begins…

Clean teacher desk
Clean students desks
Number each workbook ( I put numbers on EVERYTHING!)
Get student materials ( books, pencil holders -FILLED, & other things that stay IN THEIR DESKS) on their desks. We will go over them the first day.
Number homework folders, Read at Home folders & books
Tear out & runn of homework for the first two weeks.
Clean out & check literacy & math centers.
Purge ANYTHING I have not used in two years! YES!!!!
Find my teacher tools.
Check technology… after updates…check technology. After call to district office…check technology AGAIN! Finally works! UGH! I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with technology!
Schedule teacher PD meetings. ( 5 days before kids come..starting tomorrow!)
Write Lesson plans for the FIRST WEEK! ( don’t go further…things WILL change.)
Update list.
Unpack the 10 boxes of NEW Science Curriculum. Inventory. Find missing pieces. Inventory again. Store? Stack in a corner.
Add to my list: Unpack science curriculum & go through it. Plan?
Make sure resources on the WALLS are for Back to School ( Not END of School). Update.
Are class lists ready? I need to ADD names to numbers!
Make a LIST ( alphbetically, of course) of students by first names. (WOW! I have an “extra” student on my list…boy will that mess up my alphabtical list. TEACHERS: YOU GET THIS!)
Don’t care that my alphabetical student names will be OUT OF ORDER! 🙂 Breather!
Cross things OFF list. ( After you have added MORE) I know. It’s LONGER than when I started. It’s OK. Ths kids won’t know!
GO HOME EARLY! Relax. Take a walk. Pour some wine. Hug your family. It’s a job. The kids will be there ready or not. THEY won’t care if I didn’t finish ALL of the ANCHOR CHARTS I want to make. ADD that to my LIST!