Category Archives: Classroom Organization

Classroom Organization. Everything from Teacher Organization, Classroom Design, labels, flexible seating, and organizing student materials. Here is where we find help in the “daily” activities of the classroom. Tips and Tricks help the classroom run efficiently and effectively.

Is reading MORE..really ENOUGH??

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Consider this my DISCLAIMER…

I read. I read a LOT!

I am NOT A College Professor.

I do NOT have a MASTERS ( or above )

in ANYTHING!

Just a READING CERTIFICATE!

I teach reading!

I am just a teacher.

A first-grade teacher.

A Veteran (27yrs ), first-grade teacher, in a TITLE 1 SCHOOL!

I read!They read!

I have seen a LOT!

Done a LOT!

Hear me ROAR!!!!!

Ok. So again.

I am a teacher.

(Aren’t they cute????)

I have been through:

Whole Language

Environmental Print

Interactive Writing

Phonemic Awareness

Leveled Readers ( DRA, GSP, AR, Lexile)

Phonics

Words Their Way

HFW

Sight Words

High-Interest Reading Books

SIPPS

Read Naturally

Daily 5

And

A MULTITUDE OF PUBLISHER’S CURRICULUM!

New sets every 7 years!

Having said this…1 thing most curriculum’s have in common :

READ!

READ A LOT!

And then…READ SOME MORE!

So …

My little sisters…

YES…both of my LITTLE SISTER’S are

PRIMARY TEACHERS!

We were discussing school.

( I know..we are NOT supposed to discuss SCHOOL during SUMMER VACATION!)

But…um…we were discussing school…

and we are trying to WRAP our minds around the

“READ..READ..READ more”

and they will

“GET IT!”

(way of thinking.)

Well, maybe…

I LOVE reading with kiddos!

See my post here about the GUIDED READING TABLE!

My concern is…

When I “release” them to read,

When I want them to become INDEPENDENT readers,

Where do they “learn” the skills to use when they “get stuck”?

Will they use strategies, when they don’t know what’s happening?

When a story isn’t making sense…do they keep reading?

If they keep reading…

Will it ALL come TOGETHER?

At a recent PD, my little sis said she understood the

READ, READ, READ philosophy.

Integrate science, social studies, math, technology

INTO READING!

YES!

Writing and Reading COMPLIMENT and Coexist WITH each other!

You can’t have one without the other!

THEY NEED EACH OTHER!

BUT…

-Me SPEAKING-

There needs to be a BALANCE of:

Skills & Strategies

in conjunction with independent reading & writing!

THERE!

I said IT!

Reading & Writing SKILLS:

Letter Sounds

Blends

Vowels

Word Families

Chunks

Grammar

Punctuation

High-Frequency Words

Capitalization

Handwriting

and MORE!

Comprehension

Questioning

Summarizing

etc, etc, etc…

(I sound like my Education College Professors!)

I was listening!

ALL of these “lessons” MUST be taught

IN CONJUNCTION with

Reading & Writing!

Yes…To be a better reader…

YOU MUST READ!

BUT…to be a better reader who UNDERSTANDS…

You must have skills and strategies

to use

WHEN

you read and write!

NOW…CAUTION!!!

Unless you are teaching ADULTS in a COLLEGE CLASS…

A 40-minute LECTURE on diagramming sentences

IS NOT…I REPEAT..

NOT

the way to do it!

If you WANT to spend 40 minutes discussing grammar…

CHUNK IT!

Do 2-3 MINILESSONS over a few days…

Let it SINK IN!

Show kiddos:

What it looks like.

Where to find it.

How to use it.

Why we use it.

When to ask for help.

Kinder-Grade 1-Grade 2 teachers…

UNITE!

Mini-Lessons with a WORKSHOP!

Use SMALL Groups for STRATEGY & Skill Groups!

Let kiddos have a chance to PRACTICE what YOU have taught them!

Let it SINK IN!

And Then..

LET THEM READ!

and

READ!

and

READ!

and then

WRITE…and write some more!

Skills, Strategies, Reading, Writing

They will become “BETTER”

and isn’t that what we ALL want to be?

BETTER!

Need some HELP?

Here are some “HELPERS” for YOU!

Check out ALL my reading & writing products!

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

How Calendar Time Starts MY Day!

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My favorite CALENDAR,,,Krista @ Creative Clips Paper

Calendar Time. I’m NOT sure WHO needs it more..

ME? or my students?

Coffee?

Restroom Time?

RECESS????

NO!

CALENDAR TIME!

I Love Calendar Time.

I Love reading through the MONTH.

What’s happening THIS week

Next Week.

All month!

It keeps my “getting older” brain…

FOCUSED!

It helps my kiddos stay on top of events for this week and this month.

This week we are discussing:

CALENDAR TIME

and

MORNING MEETINGS!

My calendar is next to my focus board.

This is where we begin our morning meeting.

After vocabulary discussions, calendar,

days of the week ,months of the year, HFW cards..

I get to do a READ ALOUD!

Working on reading strategies!

All of this in about 15-20 minutes!

Whew!

My calendar is in PLACE VALUE numbers!

I got it HERE.

I also have MELONHEADZ Holiday cards.

LOVE THEM TOO!

I try to “release” the CALENDAR instruction to my students as the year progresses.

By the end of the yer, THEY lead the calendar time.

But , I still get to do the READ ALOUD!

I LOVE IT!

Just a quick shout out to

Krista@Creative Clips Papers Collection

This is MY Calendar!

I use it every DAY!

My Preps, meetings, Notes, appointments, etc.

AND I GET TO USE MY FLAIR PENS! 🙂

One PAD lasts 2 years!

I LOVE MINE!

I do MATH Calendar after lunch.

Math wall, focus wall, math calendar wall

We go back to number of days in school, place value, etc.

This begins my REVIEW of math concepts BEFORE we begin anything new!

We count to 120 by 5’s & 10’s ..2’s to 50 at the end of the year.

This is my FAVORITE!

It ALL begins with Calendar TIME.

Check it out on PINTEREST and TPT!

Flexible Seating: Stools, rockers, rugs, and seats…For READING??

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Why flexible seating?
When I was in elementary school

( Way back in the DINOSAUR days )

1970’s

We sat in rows.

Many rows.

All of us looking straight ahead.

At the teacher, at all times!
No flexible seating, here.

We kept our hands & feet to ourselves.

We kept our books in our desks.

And we read QUIETLY to ourselves.

Shhh…whisper!

We read.

Some people enjoyed it.

Some people just pretended.

Most did what we were told.

We didn’t ask…WHY?

Is there ANOTHER WAY?

How to bring flexible seating options into my classroom?

Because at home…

I would lay on my bed and read for HOURS!

(picture by Dreamstime.com)

And that is how I LOVE TO READ!

I want my students to LOVE to read!

So I have “changed it up!”

I have added flexible seating options in my classroom for kids to

read in a comfortable, relaxed, enjoyable experience.

Every day after lunch my first graders do

READ TO SELF.

If you have not read the book

DAILY 5

from “The 2 SISTERS” YOU NEED TO!

My first graders read to themselves.

Not to me,

Not to a partner,

JUST TO THEMSELVES!

Therefore…READ TO SELF!

I set the BIG TIMER!

I use THIS one.

We start the year at 6 minutes. Read.

We work on increasing our reading STAMINA.

Read longer.

Today, we are at 18 minutes!

18 minutes of uninterrupted reading

of books THEY choose!

BUT there is MORE!

They don’t sit in rows.

They don’t sit at their desk.

We have flexible seating choices for reading.

READING ROCKERS

TALL STOOLS

SHORT STOOLS

SHORT STOOLS at SHORT TABLES

CHAIRS by themselves

READING RUGS

CORNER NOOKS

FLAT OUT ON THE FLOOR

And when we are done?

Stools under the tables.

Rockers stacked in baskets.

Rugs in the tub.

And chairs stacked.

They MOAN when the timer goes off.

They ask during other times of the day

to Read in the Rockers.

THEY WANT TO READ!

I have taught them to LOVE to READ..

ANY HOW…ANY WHERE!

Flexible seating choices have made a HUGE difference

in the reading choices my students make.

They want harder books.

They want to read MORE!

It’s hard to walk into a first grade classroom

and hear…SILENCE.

But the “whispers” of reading are heard, daily!

UPDATE

More flexible seating CHOICES!

I won ..yes…won these

4 AMAZING Stools at our recent

NorCAL Teachers Meet UP

in Pleasanton,CA!

Check out the fun at:

Instagram

#teacherstakepleasanton

I was the BIG..WINNER WINNER! 🙂

Yes…I won ALL 4

WHOOP! WHOOP!

And these Bad boys…

They are wooden rocking chairs,, and they SQUEAK!

I love to hear the squeak, squeak as they rock & READ!

Thank You Donor’s Choose!

My “flexible seating” is complete!

Now to “arrange” it into

WORKSTATIONS!

I absolutely LOVE IT!

( SO DO THE KIDDOS!)

Some of my “bloggy friends”

have also posted about

their experiences

with flexible seating.

Check them out.

How to fund and implement flexible seating

Teach2Love

10 things to know about flexible seating

Two Sharp Pencils

SassySavvySimpleteaching

If you want to learn MORE about reading

check out these blog posts:

Balanced Literacy

Read At Home

Guided Reading in 20 Minutes

How to Prepare for a Successful Reading Workshop in First Grade

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Reading Workshop

“Creating a Community of Readers”

via…LUCY CAULKINS!

This is my newest FAVORITE thing!

I LOVE Lucy Caulkin’s

READING, WRITING,

COMPREHENSION LESSONS

If you get a chance to hear her, see her, and/or youtube her…

DO IT!

When I teach reading, I don’t want my students to stop and ask for help.

I want them to have skills to be independent readers.

I want them to be problem-solvers.

So, I am…

How to create a community of readers

How?

What do you do BEFORE reading?

Frontload any vocabulary that may change thinking, distort comprehension, or unfamiliar to them.

Take a picture walk. Cover the words.

Make them use the visual cues in the story.

Have them make predictions PRIOR to reading.

After reading, check their predictions.

When you finish reading, do something!

I LOVE this!

After reading..then what? DO SOMETHING!

Reread it for NEW information. Retell it to yourself or a friend. We use our 3 fingers retell. I love this part…DIGEST IT! Just as a good meal…when you are finished, appreciate it. Think about it.

ENJOY IT!

You are NEVER done!

When you finish…read more! My kiddos love to stack ALL of their books on the left..as

they finish reading a book…place it in a pile on their right. Keep reading! Their goal is to

read more every day! STAMINA! Reading MATS are used to make goals.

Our goals are to read MORE!

Read with your eyes. No need for fingers.

Use your eyes to read…not your fingers.

We want kids to quit using their fingers to read.

Good readers use their EYES!

“SCOOP” up words (phrases) with your eyes. When reading, put 3-4 words together

and read the phrases! GREAT time to teach prepositions & prepositional phrases!

When reading, always reread the text for comprehension.

Always reread text

Always, always…reread!

You will see more, read more, and understand more when you reread a story. Read it to a partner, a

parent, a friend. The same book can sound new when you are reading it the second or third time!

Lucy Caulkins Thank You

A HUGE THANK YOU to Lucy Caulkins!

So there you are…

GET READING!

Remember…

When in doubt…

ALWAYS make it

BALANCED LITERACY

For more early literacy reading and writing resources

Check out

1stgradefireworks

Spring gardening 101 and a FREE CHICKEN DANCE!

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I love SPRING!

DID I MENTION…

I LOVE SPRING!

This Spring I taught my students how to recycle water bottles into seed germinators!

I Love Spring!

I am an AVID Gardener!

LOVE to get my fingers in the dirt.

We call my hubby “FARMER WITHOUT A FARM!”

We are “suburbanites” with a backyard farm. Chickens included!

Black Chicken

Sunshine – white chicken

Check out my Sunflower Seeds Plant Unit. AWESOME!

Grow vegetables that you eat. I wanted to show the kids

ROOTS, STEMS, LEAVES, FLOWERS, etc.

Choose plants that will help with that!

We also made individual planters for the kids to take home.

As we had been studying EARTH DAY…

We RECYCLED

water bottles as seed planters!

Recycled Water bottles for planting.

Start with water bottles.

Cut them in half.

Poke a hole in the lid.

Tie a knot in string & thread through the hole.

When lid is ON…string hangs DOWN.

Flip the TOP of bottle..into the bottom.

The bottom will hold the water.

Cut bottles in half. Add soil.

Add soil.

And seeds to top.

Fill the bottom with water.

The string acts like a wick…to water itself!

Recycled water bottles with seeds.

We have sprouts!

Soon… sprouts!

We took them HOME at OPEN HOUSE!

The kids were SO excited to show off their garden.

Maybe THEY will become MASTER GARDENERS some day!

Happy Dance!

In honor of my

CHICKENS…

Chicken Dance is FREE!

Chicken Dance Word Game from 1stgradefireworks

Happy Spring to all!

Classroom Management..from Harry Wong to Brag Tags!

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Classroom Management.

I know. I said it.

WAIT! DON’T LEAVE!

Classroom Management isn’t a BAD thing!

It’s how to create a CALM…so you can teach!

And isn’t THAT our GOAL?

There are a GAZILLION places to learn how to do

classroom management.

When I was beginning my career,

HARRY WONG

was the JEDI of Classroom Management!

It’s a good read for ALL of us!

After a trillion different management attempts,

retries,

changes,

changes again..

I think I have found classroom management

that works

FOR ME!

And it HAS to WORK ..

FOR YOU!

What the teacher next door is using

maybe the best thing,

“since sliced bread”.

BUT

If it doesn’t work FOR YOU,

it’s USELESS!

So WHAT do I use?

Three step program.

(NO… not a 12 step program…ONLY 3)

As every primary teacher knows,

Consistency is the key to success.

Young kids like to know what is coming next.

They like to know ” IF THIS…THEN THAT!”

And they keep ME on my toes!

And pulling my hair out!

I start my school year with group points.

It lasts about a month.

After they figure out which “friend” is going to be a problem in THIER group…

points don’t count.

I used to use “CLIP CHARTS”.

Great kids move up.

Those who need more “attention” moved down.

I had a great visual

of the “cans” and the “cannots”.

Not for me.

And so began ..

MY 3 STEPS to MY SANITY!

1. CLASS DOJO

2. GOLDEN TICKETS

3. BRAG TAGS

These 3 management strategies work for me.

If they help YOU…JUMP ON IN!

CLASS DOJO!

* I am NOT receiving ANYTHING from DOJO…

I JUST LOVE IT!

Class DOJO has allowed me

to connect with

students

and PARENTS

quickly and effectively!

Isn’t that the point of classroom management?

To effectively

“manage” a situation

and correct it,

or support it,

immediately?

YES!

Dojo is an online program where each student has an avatar. They gain or lose points as they follow the positive or negative

attributes that YOU set up.

I had a BIG problem with tardies.

8-10 kids tardy…daily.

One of my positive attributes is

ATTENDANCE ON TIME.

Every student gets a point for being in their seat,

ready to work when the bell rings!

I am down to 2 tardies..average..daily.

FOR me? Success!!!

Dojo also sends an automatic email to parents on FRIDAY, detailing their child’s points for the week!

INSTANT PARENT NOTIFICATIONS

..and I didn’t have to do ANYTHING! 🙂

AND…

After parents have signed up for texts

THAT IS THE HARD PART…GETTING THEM TO SIGN UP

(I AM RELENTLESS…I BUG THEM OVER & OVER)

I can text them at a moments notice.

AND I DO!

I also do class messages and send pictures.

I am just learning DOJO, too.

#lifelessons #newtechtolearn

#2 Golden Tickets

THIS IS MY “GO TO” PROGRAM!

IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM!

Simple.

Run a copy of Tickets on YELLOW OR GOLD PAPER.

CUT UP into tickets.

Keep in a box.

Kids earn them for ANY positive interaction, action, or reaction.

Help a friend? TICKET!

Pick up the floor? Ticket!

Say kind words? Ticket!

A friend helped YOU? Give them a TICKET!

And so MY STUDENTS start looking

and listening

for ways to give positive feedback

tickets,

to each other.

They have to tell their classmate what

they SAW or HEARD

that earned their ticket!

SO engaging!

After they get their ticket,

they write their name on the back.

No…sticky fingers.

Twice a week we COUNT tickets.

If they have 10

they can choose

their reward!

I am NOT spending ANY $$$$$$

on rewards!

NO need to!

Here are there rewards…

Reward CHOICES:

Tech Time …15 minutes on the ipads!

They can choose whatever app they want!

Friendly Lunch..ALL TIME FAVORITE:

I purchased 8 plastic placemats – 4 sets of 2

They choose 1 friend to give a placemat to, and they sit next to each other at lunch in the cafeteria, and eat lunch with their placemat and their friend. AFTER lunch, they sanitize the placemat, and put it in the office so I can pick them up after lunch.

ROYALTY for A DAY..

Students can choose to WEAR A CROWN, and be KING____ or QUEEN _____ for a day. The crowns? BULLETIN BOARD borders I have

used, scrounged, saved, begged for from others,

on hand. Measure, staple, VOILA..instant CROWN!

Wear it, take it home. I DO staple a golden ticket to the front. EVERYONE will ask WHY DID YOU GET THE CROWN?

They can explain about GOLDEN TICKETS.

Teacher chair:

They get one of my BIG SQUISHY chairs at their desk for a day. They will spin, moved, be tall, and LOVE their BIG chair.

SWIP SWAP:

Change desks with a partner FOR A DAY!

Use their books & stuff and THEY use YOURS!

Must clean each others desk

( put things back better than they were

when YOU got there..)

at the end of the day.

FREE Homework PASS!

NO homework for 1 night!

I write a note and put it in the HW folder so parent’s know.

FLUFFY FRIEND:

They can bring a stuffed animal to school for 1 day.

Sits on their desk, works in teh classroom, cannot go outside.

If kids don’t have one..they can choose 1 of mine.

LINE Jumper:

First graders LOVE to “cut in line”. The LINE JUMPER can cut in line ANYWHERE they want, for 1day. They MUST tell the person behind them…”Excuse me, I am a LINE JUMPER!”

(You can NEVER step in front of someone

without using the words EXCUSE ME

..and tell them WHY!)

#manners

Here we are in action.

LONG POST… sorry

BRAG  TAGS!

We LOVE BRAG TAGS!

Many THANKS to

Angie Olson @ Lucky Little Learners

We started using the LINK necklaces for Brag tags.

TOO HARD to OPEN for our little fingers.

#toomanyforteacher

BRAG TAG storage 🙂

Now we use RINGS instead of link chains.

At the end of the MONTH,

we take ALL of our Brag TAGS and BEADS

OFF of our RINGS

and string them on a STRING.

Make a BRAG TAG necklace to WEAR HOME!

Most kids say they save them

at home for the whole year!

Great HOME connection!

WHEW! Long post…SORRY.

I just want to give you all of the details so

YOU can choose

what works for YOU!

Here are some other posts I have on

classroom management:

BRAG TAGS

What’s Up in Room 3?

Get YOUR Golden Tickets HERE:

Brag Tags and Golden Tickets

For your time…

Here is a FREEBIE

from ME..to YOU!

So let me know…

What do YOU use for YOUR classroom MANAGEMENT?

Share your story in the comments.

I will choose 1 person this week

for a FREEBIE.

I will choose from my comments!

Leave me your email! 🙂

ENJOY!

How to get your Kindergartner Ready for First Grade

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I hear it a lot.

How do I know if my child is ready for FIRST GRADE?

He /she will be six.

Is he/she ready?

Well..as a “veteran”

FIRST GRADE teacher,

there are a few

lessons EVERY Kindergartner should know

BEFORE starting FIRST GRADE.

What should kinder students know before entering first grade?

5 Lessons to get ready for First Grade

Here are the

5 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS

you can teach your

kindergartner

BEFORE

they enter FIRST GRADE.

How to be ready for first grade.

Number One

First and foremost…

they need to be able to

TIE THEIR OWN SHOES!

And KEEP THEM TIED!

Learn to tie your shoes

There is NOTHING worse than kids running on the playground

tripping on

THEIR OWN SHOELACES!

I cannot teach 25 students to tie their shoes.

Parents…please…teach your kids to tie their shoes!

How to be ready for first grade.

Number Two

a loose tooth hanging in a child's mouth

Your child WILL lose a tooth!

In first grade…they will might..maybe will,

LOSE A TOOTH!

They will might have a “wiggle” tooth.

I WILL NOT PULL IT OUT!

“I promise not to put MY hands in YOUR mouth,

AND you will NOT put YOUR hands in MINE!”

Please..discuss this AT HOME!

How to be ready for first grade.

Number Three

If your pants are too BIG…

get a BELT!

Not a belt with multiple straps, or a buckle that requires PLIERS!

PLEASE..a belt that can be put on

and TAKEN OFF…QUICKLY!

Odds are..if the belt needs to come off…it needs to come off FAST!

Parents, please…teach your kids how to use it!

A child’s belt

How to be ready for first grade.

Number four

Pencils are for writing with..

NOT CHEWING ON!

They are NOT TEETHING RINGS!

Please keep them (and most other first grade tools)

OUT OF THEIR MOUTH!

Pencils chewed up

How to be ready for first grade.

and last…

and MOST IMPORTANT…

I am your TEACHER.

I am YOUR Teacher

You may call me Mrs.

You may call me MOM.

I answer to GRANDMA.

I may, probably will answer to GRANDPA.

How to be ready for first grade.

Number Five

Treat me kindly.

Say nice things.

Be Polite.

Follow our rules.

Smile.

Give me a hug.

And we will have a wonderful year in

FIRST GRADE!

OK..kindergarten parents…

GET THEM READY FOR FIRST GRADE! 🙂

Classroom HELPERS…How do YOU choose them? Do you WANT to??

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I want my kiddos to

HELP!

I am NOT your MAMA.

I am NOT your Grandma,

AND

I AM NOT YOUR MAID!

🙂

We ALL work & play in our classroom.

If you work here,,,you are a part of our TEAM.

AND ALL Team members HELP!

So HOW to

“Share the JOBS?”

Make it a

CHOICE!

I don’t

CHOOSE

daily helpers.

I let them choose what they would like to do each day.

Here are my helpers:

I write their names on

a cardstock strip.

I use a 12″ X 36″ pocket chart.

I have

2 Clean-Up Crew members,

2 Ball Handlers ( for recesses ),

and

2 Tech Teachers ( pass out / collect ipads )

1 line leader,

1 door holder,

and 1 messenger.

9 helpers each day.

My NUMBER 1 RULE!

If you are NOT quiet and in your seat when the

BELL RINGS…..

YOU CANNOT BE A HELPER

THAT DAY!

( Don’t be Tardy…or NOISY!)

My kiddos LOVE it!

(I’m HERE & I’m QUIET!)

Hahahaha

and then…

I ask the next person on the card…

“_(susie)___ “, would you like to be _( ball handler)_ or __(tech teacher)_”

( Go straight down the pocket chart…)

Until ALL the jobs are filled for the day!

They like having a CHOICE in their day!

and then…

I don’t have to do the JOBS!

And…I LOVE THAT!

Leave me a comment.

How do YOU choose helpers?

Wendy

625 Valentine Cards??? Where do we Put them ALL?

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VALENTINE CARDS

It’s that time of year when we share Valentine cards!

Kindness cards, Friendship Celebrations, Valentine Parties

Whatever YOUR site chooses to call it.

IT’S HERE! Let the Valentine Card sharing begin!

The time of year when we color,cut & glue

to show our FRIENDS that WE LOVE THEM!

Pinterest has LOTS ( I mean LOTS )

of Valentine IDEAS!

These are a few from one of my collaborative Pinterest boards

Valentine STEM Activity fro The Trendy Science Teacher

Check out this fun Valentine Post about

Valentine Resources

You need NOW!

CLICK HERE FOR FREEBIE

WE LOVE VALENTINE’S DAY!

But WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE VALENTINE CARDS???

How to MANAGE them ALL?

2 days before our “Friendship Celebration”..

*We are NOT allowed to call it a VALENTINE celebration

(separation of CHURCH/STATE thing..)

we make our BAGS!

Now I have done LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of different types of cardholders…

(Again…THANK YOU PINTEREST!)

But I think the MOST important thing to remember is…

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THEM?

If you have 25 students…these take up a LOT of space!

So the choice is yours!

Just remember…

ALWAYS…ALWAYS…make 1 extra!

(That student who was absent on CRAFTY day…will want a bag on PARTY day!)

ALSO….

Have your kiddos write THEIR NAME ONLY on the cards.

One in each bag…PLOP..PLOP…PLOP!

NO need to MATCH their friend’s name to the bag.

One for EVERYONE!

When we open our bags…we say THANK YOU to each person who gave us a card!

MANNERS COUNT!

So good luck.

Check your CRAFTING SUPPLIES.

Find our where you want them be..they will be there for two whole days.

AND enjoy!

Don’t forget to make one for yourself!

I am sure your kiddos will have “TREATS” for you too!

Do you NEED a few more Centers for Valentine’s Day?

Can You Make 10? Valentine Math Canter

Missing Addends Math Center for Valentine’s Day

109 pages of Math Task Cards for Valentine's Math Center

Happy Friendship Day!

Wendy

1stgradefireworks

It’s National PUZZLE Day! Do YOU play GAMES??

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GAMES!

Today is NATIONAL PUZZLE DAY!

Wahoo!

Fun times with friends.

Do YOU play games in YOUR classroom?

I HOPE SO!

What a better way to practice academic skills & strategies.

The BEST way to learn social skills of sharing, taking turns, winning and losing.

AND..most importantly….

IT BUILDS YOUR CLASSROOM COMMUNITY!

Checkers

Boars Games for kids

Chutes & Ladders Board Game

Candy Land Board Game

I also have the children make their OWN games..

We play the “matching” game..A LOT!

Use spelling words, vocabulary words, math facts…whatever!

I give 1/2 the class 1 sheet of colored paper.

I give the other half

1 sheet of colored paper, too

BUT a different color!

We fold it into 8 rectangles.

EVERYONE writes the same words on their paper.

THEN…cut the cards apart!

When we are ready…find a partner

WITH DIFFERENT COLORED PAPER!

Turn over all of the cards.

Pick one of YOURS,

then choose one of your partners!

With different colored papers

…no mistaking whose is whose.

When game “time” ( set a timer ) is done

..pick up YOUR cards!

No mixing them up!

Take the cards HOME & PRACTICE!

Here WE ARE at WORK:

Kids in classroom playing learning games

Partner students in classroom playing learning games

Kids in classroom playing learning games

I hope you play games!

Have FUN!

Here are some MORE blog posts about

CLASSROOM GAMES!

PLAY ON

The Day the Boys Found Dice

I Spy With Word Walls

GOTCHA!

Games for ASSESSMENTS?

What TIME is it?

Here are some games

for YOUR classroom:

CVC Scoot Game

CVC SCOOT

Who Am I Flapbook Game

Who AM I? Flapbook GAME!

What’s a SMORT? A SMART Sort!

SMORTS…What’s A SMORT?

A SMART SORT!

Shelves of Board Games

Check out my

GAMES for GIGGLES

Pinterest board

for MORE fun GAMES!

Here is a FREE game..to ENJOY!

FREE Game CHICKEN DANCE from 1stgradefireworks

CHICKEN DANCE

Consider this my DISCLAIMER…

READ!

READ A LOT!

And then…READ SOME MORE!

Skills & Strategies

in conjunction with independent reading & writing!

ALL of these “lessons” MUST be taught

IN CONJUNCTION with

Reading & Writing!

YOU MUST READ!

If you WANT to spend 40 minutes discussing grammar…

CHUNK IT!

Use SMALL Groups for STRATEGY & Skill Groups!

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Calendar Time. I’m NOT sure WHO needs it more..

CALENDAR TIME!

This is where we begin our morning meeting.

This is MY Calendar!

I do MATH Calendar after lunch.

It ALL begins with Calendar TIME.

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Reading Workshop

Frontload any vocabulary that may change thinking, distort comprehension, or unfamiliar to them.

Take a picture walk. Cover the words.

Make them use the visual cues in the story.

Have them make predictions PRIOR to reading.

After reading, check their predictions.

I LOVE this!

After reading..then what? DO SOMETHING!

You are NEVER done!

Good readers use their EYES!

Always, always…reread!

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I love SPRING! DID I MENTION… I LOVE SPRING!

This Spring I taught my students how to recycle water bottles into seed germinators!

Check out my Sunflower Seeds Plant Unit. AWESOME!

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Classroom Management isn’t a BAD thing!

I think I have found classroom management

that works

FOR ME!

I start my school year with group points.

I used to use “CLIP CHARTS”.

MY 3 STEPS to MY SANITY!

CLASS DOJO!

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How do I know if my child is ready for FIRST GRADE?

BEFORE starting FIRST GRADE.

How to be ready for first grade.

GET THEM READY FOR FIRST GRADE! 🙂

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“Share the JOBS?”

I let them choose what they would like to do each day.

9 helpers each day.

They like having a CHOICE in their day!

How do YOU choose helpers?

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VALENTINE CARDS

The time of year when we color,cut & glue

to show our FRIENDS that WE LOVE THEM!

Check out this fun Valentine Post about

Valentine Resources

But WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE VALENTINE CARDS???

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THEM?

ALWAYS…ALWAYS…make 1 extra!

Do you NEED a few more Centers for Valentine’s Day?

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I love SPRING!

DID I MENTION…

I LOVE SPRING!