Bits and Bobs

So... my classroom is buzzing along into the holiday craze. We survived Halloween (awwww yeah!) and we are steaming toward Thanksgiving. Amid the sugar highs, school-wide assemblies, and buzz that is first grade...real work and progress is actually starting to emerge.

Exhibit A:

We used Interactive Writing to compose an invitation to read with our 3rd grade buddies. Interactive Writing and Shared Writing are often confused. Interactive means that you and the students share the pen. While one student fills in one word, the rest of the class can use their "magic pen" (finger) and sky write, write on the carpet, write on their arm, etc. You can see this letter is a mix of my writing, and several different student writing.

 Exhibit B:

The first grade teachers are also using the chart for several of our topics this year. We brainstorm what we think we know about a topic. As we learn about the topic, we move our ideas to the confirmed side or the back (the misconceptions). There is also a large area for new information we may have learned. The students refer back to this chart ALL. OF. THE. TIME. They love to see their ideas move around the page or to put up their new learning. New learning- gets them super excited!

First grade should be fun...and as teachers we need to fit in A LOT of learning into each and every day. Hey, if they get a kick out of saying "ding" each time we confirm an idea...I say go for it. For some reason, this interactive chart does it. They can just move the ideas around themselves. We have done one for Spiders, Pumpkins, and we are currently working on our Native American one.

Exhibit C:

Setting- classroom halloween party
Student: "Mom, what do I have to do here?"
Mom: "You have to write a few words to describe your pumpkin."
Student: "Hmmm...I think I will go with extraordinary."
Mom: "Are you serious?"
(Mom promptly calls me over to show me what her son has chosen to write about his pumpkin.)

LOL
No joke.
We read The Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni and Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson. Both very strong interactive read alouds. I totally didn't plan the extraordinary part- but as all observant first graders do, they noticed the same word in both titles. We had discussed their newly found vocabulary word in detail...and I guess it paid off. They are using it appropriately in their writing and in their describing as well. Take a peek at these books and keep your eye out at the used book sales at your local library. I have seen these for as little as $1. That's when you buy a few copies so that you have a back-up when they read these to pieces.

                  

Happy Teaching!