Yummy Snack

Today in vocabulary we discussed the word "dip" as a noun and a verb, then shared our favorite foods to dip. Mine got quite a lot of a attention and students requested that I put it on the blog so they could try it... So here it is!

When I was a little one, I enjoyed my green grapes dipped in powdered jello. It may sound crazy, but the sour/sweet was awesome and I would have taken it over candy any day! I assured students that they didn't need a recipe for such a simple concoction, but they asked for one "just in case" so here are the details.

-Slice your grapes in half.
-Pour any flavor of powdered jello into a bowl (berry blue was always my fave).
-Dip the flat side of your grape in the powdered jello, watch the color show up on the grape, then eat it up!

And there you have it... my favorite thing to dip and a little happy-long-weekend "recipe" that I hope you get a chance to try. Enjoy the holiday with your family and I'll be seeing your sweet little ones back on Tuesday!

Read to a Friend

We've been practicing a new part of our reading workshops over the past week or so called "Read to a Friend" and it's been a huge hit! Here is how it works...

First, students choose their partner (we spent a whole day just talking about how to choose a partner wisely)! Next, they choose a place to read sitting elbow to elbow, knee to knee, book in the middle. After that, they agree on a book to read. Whoever's book is being read is the person who reads one page aloud first. The second partner then reads the same page aloud. Before moving to the next page, partners take turns asking "What just happened on this page?". I've been so impressed with how smoothly these steps have gone. Many students may be tempted to waste time trying to make decisions and agree, but these students have been so diligent about getting started right away and using their time wisely - something I emphasize every day before reading workshop.

Here are some of the reasons 1st graders shared that they love Read to a Friend (in their own words):

- "If I get stuck on a word my friend can help me."

- "I can choose who I read with."

- "I get to talk about the funny parts of the story if I'm reading with someone."

- "I like listening to someone read to me so I can think about what's happening."

And here are some of the reasons that I love read to a friend:

-Students get to choose their own partners which means that they are often on very different reading levels. This means that one student gets to act as the "coach" which reinforces the reading strategies they already know, while the other student gets to hear fluent reading and gets reading advice from a friend (which many students are far more likely to take to heart when it is coming from a friend).

-Reading the same page twice is great for enhancing fluency as well as comprehension and helps students focus on what is happening in the story rather than rushing to get to the end.

-Even my most reluctant readers get motivated for Read to a Friend... having that extra support from a friend seems to give reluctant readers extra confidence.

-It helps students read with expression! Sometimes the desire to entertain a friend who is listening gives students that extra push to read clearly and use inflection and different voices to make the story more interesting (while making the student a better reader!).

Ask your first grader what they think about read to a friend and I'm sure they'll be happy to share their opinion!

Number Party

In case you missed the blue letter I sent home in purple folders yesterday, here are the details:

To participate in our number party THIS FRIDAY (the 25th) please send your child to school dressed as their favorite number between 1 and 10. 

For example, your child could decorate a t-shirt and pants with their favorite number all over, or wear a decorated cardboard cut-out of their favorite number. You could even take a more mysterious approach and (if “3” was your number of choice) wear 3 hats , 3 shirts, 3 shoes, etc. Be creative and I look forward to seeing lots of good-looking numbers on Friday!!! 

Becoming Authors

Today was such a special day because we launched writing workshop! To introduce the students to writing, we talked about what it means to be an author and illustrator. I explained to students how this year, we will all become authors and illustrators. In fact, for many writers it was around this first-grade-age that they discovered their love for books, writing, and story-telling.

Because I am a very "learn-by-doing" kind of learner (and I think most little ones are as well) I believe in giving students many many opportunities to go through the creative process of constructing their very own stories in books - from beginning to end. I explained to students how every author is still learning and growing and one person who helps them to do that is their editor. We decided that as long as they are in first grade, I am happy to be each student's personal book "editor." To make this happen I structure our writing time into the following:
- A mini-lesson (to get students motivated and point out a particular strength/skill of great authors)
- A time for authors to work on their books while I hold "meetings" with students one-on-one to make notes about their progress and for us to edit their book together before publishing (more on that later).

To launch our very first writing workshop, I could think of no better way than to introduce my class to one of the most beloved authors of all time - a man behind some of the most recognizable books in our classroom library: Eric Carl. Here is a peak into his story... the children enjoyed it so much and I hope you do too. =)

First Days in First Grade

It's been such a joy getting to know this group of first graders and their families! 

I'm always amazed by how quickly these young minds work and how well they remember. In just two days we've learned over a dozen procedures (and had a bit of fun too). This first photo is from yesterday when we were learning our bathroom procedures. We learned that germs spread easily and it takes more that just water to get them off!

To demonstrate this, I sprinkled a little glitter and olive oil into one student's hand and had him shake hands with a friend. Then that friend shook hands with another friend... before you knew it we were all COVERED in "glitter germs." Students then went into the restroom and did their own experimenting with hand washing to see what it took to get their hands clean again. We learned that only hot water and soap could get it all off!

. . . . . 

Today we began learning our procedures for reading workshop. More and more research has emerged about reading and literacy and all of it says that there is a direct correlation between the time a child spends engaged in reading each day and their proficiency in the subject. Because of this, my class uses very few work pages. Instead, our entire reading time is structured into the following:

FIRST: I teach students a concrete reading strategy (or tool) they can use to help them become a better reader

NEXT: the whole class spends time reading and practicing their new strategy while I conference with students individually.

We will go through this process several times in a day so students will be learning lots of new reading strategies and will spend a lot of time actually reading as well as lots of one-on-one time with me! Here we are practicing what we call "read to self" - when students choose a spot around the room and read silently. 

Can't wait to share more... We launch math stations tomorrow!! =)