Tag Archives: fall

Fall Dilemma

My OCTOBER classroom DILEMMA!

 

So my October dilemma.

We have a two-week FALL vacation.

 

(NO COMPLAINING HERE!)

Celebrate!

WAHOO!!!

BUT…

We return on Oct. 18.

 MONDAY

21 days (exactly ) until…

YOU  KNOW  IT

Sunday, October 31, 2021.

Thank You HALLOWEEN for being on a weekend! 

Says EVERY teacher, EVERYWHERE!

Trick or Treat Kids

Happy Halloween!

HALLOWEEN!

Parties,

CANDY,

Kids who can’t wait to get home ( highly DISTRACTABLE!)

(some schools…not mine….)

COSTUMES!

So … My October dilemma.

When we go back,

Do I put out HALLOWEEN themed centers?

Do I keep it OCTOBERish with Columbus, Halloween, Fall, Pumpkins, etc?

Do I just “touch” on the “HOLIDAY” stuff…and Promote the FALL  stuff?

Do I  add  THANKSGIVING?

Should I keep it ALL going until THANKSGIVING?

What to do?  What to do?????

Fall Leaves

FAll Leaves

BTW…   I  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE   FALL!

I love October!

My favorite season.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins

Starbuck's Pumpkins Spiced Latte

Starbuck’s Pumpkins Spiced Latte

YUMMY!

But…

CONTENT is EVERYTHING!

My students MUST take a BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT in December.

I want them to do well.

( I don’t think there will be a

HALLOWEEN question on it.)

Unless it’s about 

HOW MANY CANDIES DID YOU EAT ALL TOGETHER?

So ..what to do?   What to do?

October INTEGRATE!

I must teach SCIENCE and SOCIAL STUDIES!

( Living things…life cycle…Plants/animals…Lifestyles Long Ago..)

So here is MY October plan:

Reading:

  • Nonfiction about pumpkins, apples, plants
  • Biographies about Christopher Columbus, Squanto
  • Fiction about Fall, Halloween, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving

I am checking my district curriculum

( yes, we have one )

for REQUIRED (Tested )  Skills & Strategies for this quarter.

As we delve into our reading…I make SURE to incorporate TESTED strategies.

 

Questioning? Sequencing? Retelling? Etc..etc…

Vocabulary?   Again…check NECESSARY vocabulary for success!

 

I spend A LOT of time on the necessary vocabulary. I have 10-12  English Language Learners.

 

They need visuals, modeling, & practice before they can “TAKE ON” the new information

.

Phonics?   Spelling?   Grammar? 

 Required phonics skills for this quarter.

 

What to use for  Spelling? 

BOTH!

 

  Required spelling skills AND  thematic vocabulary words. 

WHAT?      WHY?

Because…I want them to have some  INTRINSIC vocabulary to use easily in their…

 

WRITING!

 

Bear wrapped as mummy

Bear wrapped as MUMMY

I want MY Mummy!  🙂

Sorry…. couldn’t resist.

October Writing:

  • “How To”..grow..carve…etc… about pumpkins, apples, plants
  • “Informative”  about Christopher Columbus,   Squanto, Pilgrims
  • “Narrative”  about Fall, Halloween, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving
  • Thank You cards, Invitations, Lists, Etc.

Again…I am checking my district curriculum 

for REQUIRED (Tested )  Skills & Strategies for this quarter.

Whatever our REQUIRED writing prompt will be

( I already know mine  is INFORMATIVE)

We will practice, practice, practice!

 

I won’t skip the other genres.

 

Just FOCUS on the INFORMATIVE!

BUT wait!

 

I want crafts! I want CUTSIE! I want products! 

I Love October BOOKS!

And so…we will make CUTSIE lapbooks, paintings, charts, stories & crafts

 about???

, plants, Christopher Columbus, 

Squanto, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving

DON’T tell our FIRE MARSHALL.

I might HANG THINGS UP!

Definitely!

I won’t tell if YOU won’t tell.

MATH:

  • addition / subtraction
  • missing addends
  • place value
  • graphing
  • story problems

And October MATH??

Lots of Graphs, addition & subtractionproblem-solving, story problems

 

ALL ABOUT THEMES!

(Math Journals are GREAT for this!)

and, yes..

I will need to keep it going until Thanksgiving.

 

And I will need to use EVERY MINUTE of EVERY DAY!

 

And yes… it will take planning, and prepping…

Bat craft

Bat craftivity

BATS! 

Black Cat watercolor

Black Cat Watercolor

Black  Cats

Pumpkin plants in garden

Pumpkin plant in the garden

Growing  Pumpkins

Crock Pot applesauce

Crock pot applesauce

Making APPLESAUCE!

Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed!

And YES

I WILL LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

You see…

FALL IS MY FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR!

Don’t you just LOVE OCTOBER?

To those of you who hung in there to the bottom of this LONG POST…

A FREEBIE FOR YOU!

Happy FALL!

BOO BANG!

Boo Bang

Boo Bang FREEBIE!

Bring on FAll

Bring on FALL! We are READY!

Have I mentioned…

I  LOVE  FALL!

OK…Many times.

I live in NORCAL.

We don’t have the  TRADITIONAL

4 seasons.

DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE  4   ????

In NORCAL…

we have

Summer ( 90-100 degrees )

Fall   (  80-90 degrees)

Winter   (  foggy…  60-70 degrees…sometimes cooler )

Spring  ( 70-90 degrees )

It’s OK…I LOVE my HOMETOWN.

Sometimes.

OH…well…  🙂

And so on.

SO now that it’s 80 degrees & FALL..

What’s UP in ROOM 3??

Fall Brings…

BRAG  TAGS!

We use Brag Tags on rings during the month.

They earn BRAG TAGS

for

 following classroom / school rules

AND

Lifeskills

At the end of each month…

They transfer their earned BRAG TAGS  from RINGS…

To string necklaces.

They get to wear their necklaces ALL DAY AT SCHOOL

and then

HOME!

( Parents are told at BTS night to

 REWARD their kids for necklaces

 at the end of the month!)  🙂

Fall Brings…

English   Language   Arts

Word Work

Word  Sorts…NO GLUE!

Pick 3 crayons.

Color the words according to the KEY!

Write!

Back from 2 week vacation.

TEACHER…..CLEAN   YOUR   TABLE!

 I don’t have a teacher desk.           #bestdecisionever

Reading  ROCKERS!    #alternativeseating

Birthday  Books.

On each student’s birthday  ( or close  to ),

We make a class BIRTHDAY  BOOK!

We do these during  MUST DO TIME!

Independent work.

We have a “FRAME” style we use.

Everyone makes a page.

We STAPLE together and VOILA!

CLASS   BIRTHDAY  PRESENT!

We sing and dance as we PRESENT ( haha )  it to the birthday  student!

LAST..( whew..what a  week !)

Fall Brings…

GUIDED MATH

My  newest  &  favorite time of the day!

 We are doing

MATH  MUST  DO’s  &  MAY  Do’s

( Same format as ELA centers in the AM )

KEEP  YOUR  ROUTINES  THE  SAME!

We go the the MATH  Calendar  (  next to ELA  Calendar  )

after  lunch.

Math  Calendar

After  we go through the “math board”…

We NOW ( Quarter 2)  do MATH MUST DO’S.

(  Approx.  45   minutes  )

Must DO’s

#1    MATH    JOURNAL

Story  Problem  with  illustrations &  number  sentence.

#2    Math  Paper

A  Workbook Page FROM  YESTERDAY ( review )

#3    MATH   TUB  (center)  with a PARTNER

I do the whole class MATH lesson  BEFORE  centers.

SOMETIMES we do the workbook page together…sometimes they do.

Depends on the Lesson.  We  have a district curriculum to follow.

( Approx.  time    45  minutes  )

What  am I doing?

GUIDED   MATH   GROUPS!

I meet with 2-3  kids at a time.

We work on a STRATEGY.

NO  worksheets!

They need  to have independent  strategies to do ON THEIR OWN!

I  can’t  take the assessments  FOR THEM!

So…

Here is what’s UP  in room 3 in the FALL?

Need  supplements for ELA  or MATH?

Brag Tags

Balanced Literacy

Check out my store for GOODIES!

1stgradefireworks

When is it “officially” FALL?

 

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?

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

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?

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 spiced latte

Pumpkin Spice LATTE is almost HERE!  WAHOO!!

HAPPY  Fall. ‘yall from NORCAL! 
1stgradefireworks

1stgradefireworks

 

 

Don't Blink. Thank You Kenny Chesney.

NOVEMBER already? Don’t BLINK!

I just LOVE

Kenny Chesney…

Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney

I think he is speaking to ME!

As I  am singing…no…  BELTING OUT.. his song

( in my car of course…windows up..no one wants to hear this voice) 🙂

“DON’T BLINK”

Don’t blink!

Just like that, you’re six years old and you take a nap and you

Wake up and you’re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife

Don’t blink

You just might miss your babies growing like mine did

Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your better half

Of fifty years is there in bed

And you’re praying God takes you instead

Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think

So don’t blink

I can TOTALLY RELATE!

I swear..I just looked at the calendar & it was OCTOBER!

Early OCTOBER!

THEN…WHAM!

Halloween is here..NO..GONE!

and now it is NOVEMBER! 

WHERE DID OCTOBER GO??

As I turn the calendar, I realize 

I need to slow down

and appreciate ALL that I have in the HERE & NOW!

So, my friends..

BEFORE the Holidays come…55 days to be exact!

Christmas Carols EVERYWHERE!

and then BAM! Christmas Carols EVERYWHERE!

Take a few moments to 

STOP! Look around! Remember this MOMENT!

It will be gone in a BLINK!

Enjoy the..

LULL

( Before the RUSH!)

Take a minute, relish in the moment, and ENJOY!

BECAUSE…tomorrow will be here soon enough..

I wonder where I can get a 2019 CALENDAR?

(I better hurry…it will be here SOON!)

HAHAHA

Here are a few 

“helpers” to get you through the

 Nov./Dec.  rush!

DON’T  BLINK!

Let's Talk TURKEY ( TpT 1stgradefireworks)

Let’s Talk TURKEY ( TpT 1stgradefireworks)

Let’s Talk Turkey

November Fact Family Booklets from TpT 1stgradefireworks

November Fact Family Booklets from TpT 1stgradefireworks

Fact  Family

November Adding 3 numbers MATH Booklets from TpT 1stgradefireworks

November Adding 3 numbers MATH Booklets from TpT 1stgradefireworks

Adding 3 numbers

November Vocabulary BANNERS from TpT 1stgradefireworks

November Vocabulary BANNERS from TpT 1stgradefireworks

November Vocabulary Banners

The Elves are Working OVERTIME from TpT 1stgradefireworks

The Elves are Working OVERTIME from TpT 1stgradefireworks

The Elves are Working OVERTIME!

WINTER Vocabulary BANNERS from TpT 1stgradefireworks

WINTER Vocabulary BANNERS from TpT 1stgradefireworks

Winter Vocabulary Banners

So remember:

1. Don’t BLINK!

2. Enjoy each and every moment

3. Tell those you care about, what they mean to YOU!         Kind WORDS COUNT!

4. Take care of yourself. 

5. Live, Laugh, Love!

Primary Teachers are Quirky!

Close Reading

How important is READING?

Enjoy!

How Do You Know When It’s Fall?

How do you know when it is FALL??

When STARBUCK’S brings out…

Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte

It’s FALL! Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte is BACK!

It’s HERE!

FALL!

My school district is on a “modified” traditional calendar.

What that really means is…our FALL starts EARLY!

We start school in JULY…go for 9 weeks…

& get a two-week VACATION IN OCTOBER!!!!

YIPPEE! Fall Break!

Fall Trees

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In approximately 22 days ( and 24 parent conferences)…

I will be on Fall vacation for 2 weeks! YIPPEE!!!

I only have a few things to do…

ELA Benchmark tests to be administered, corrected, & data inputted…

Math benchmark tests to be administered, corrected, & inputted…

report cards to be inputted ( no comments needed…)

&  24  Parent Conferences…

  And keep teaching to keep up with the 

district pacing guide!

OH, Yeah! Teach FALL theme also!

AND…It’s Johnny Appleseed’s birthday!

WE MUST MAKE APPLESAUCE!

(And after all of that…PLAN FOR the 2 weeks of OCTOBER after we get back!)

So, to help with the October stuff..

A NEW Fall PACKET!

Click HERE

Trick or Treat October Centers from 1stgradefireworks

Trick or Treat October Centers from 1stgradefireworks

 

How Many Syllables

How Many Syllables from Trick or Treat October Centers

Syllable Task Cards from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Syllable Task Cards from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Noun or Verb Cards from Trick or Treat October Centers

Noun or Verb Cards from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Noun or Verb Cards

Noun or Verb Task Cards from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Let's Write

Let’s Write from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Story Sentences Pages

Story Sentences Pages from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Fall comprehension stories from Trick or Treat October Centers

Fall comprehension stories from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Math Centers

Math Centers from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Math Mountains from Trick or Treat October Centers

Math Mountains from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Number Bonds from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Number Bonds Math Centers from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Missing Addends

Missing Addends from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Candy Corn Fact Families from Trick or Treat October Centers

Candy Corn Fact Families from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Candy Corn Fact Families B/W

Candy Corn Fact Families B/W from Trick or Treat October Centers 1stgradefireworks

Here are a few more packets to help with …FALL!!! 

CLICK   HERE

Sight Words for Fall

Sight Words for FALL

FALL Thematic Unit

Fall Thematic Unit 1stgradefireworks

Greater Than, Less Than, Equal to Math

Greater Than, Less Than, Equal to Math center

 Halloween Fact families Booklets

BEST SELLER! Halloween Fact families Halloween Booklets

And a FREEBIE for YOU!

Happy FALL!!

Candy Corn Fact Families FREEBIE

CAndy Corn Fact Families FREEBIE

If you are looking for MORE  classroom resources: