Calendar Math

One of the ways I like to start our day is by doing Calendar Math.  It is a great way to incorporate so so many different things: spelling, counting coins, days of the week, proper nouns, etc.

I make each student a Calendar Math Booklet that we fill out every day.  They get a new one every month.  We all bring it up to the carpet and fill it out together on the Smart board.  Before you know it they can fill it out without help; little Smarties :-)

By the middle of the year I switch to the harder version and I allow them to fill it out independently before we come to the carpet.  Then we go through it quickly as a class.

Here is a link to download it for free.  I hope you can use it with your class.  

Fraction Pizzas!

Last week we finished our unit on fractions.  We made these cute little fraction pizza posters to hang up.  In first grade we really just touch on the basics of fractions but this activity was fun because it lets me differentiate a little.

Then as a final activity we actually made real fraction pizzas.  We used English muffins, sauce, cheese and pepperonis.  The kids were so excited to make their own mini pizzas.  

They REALLY enjoyed their creations!

Here's the note I send home for parents who have volunteered to send in something for our pizzas. 

Guided Reading

During guided reading I like to follow up each book with a writing response of some kind.  I used to write out comprehension questions in each each student's reading notebook.  That took a loooooong time to do and it didn't give me the freedom of working on reading strategies-it only focused on answering specific comprehension questions.  

Thus the need for some graphic organizers that helped my students respond to their book and practice a reading strategy.  

The easiest solution for me is to have a bunch of copies on hand so that I can pull out a sheet that matches with our discussion.  

My students do a great job with these and there are enough of them that we don't do the same one over and over.  At the beginning of the year we do a lot the sheets together and then as the year goes on they do more and more of it at home as part of their reading homework.  I'm amazed at how independent they are by the end of the year!!

This is a freebie page from my Reading Response Sheet packet.

Here is a preview of what some more of the pages look like.  You can click on any of the pictures and it will take you to my TPT store!

Field Trip Fun!

This week we went to LaFleur's Gymnastics for our gym field trip - we had a blast!  They had the kids do some pretty difficult moves but they stepped up to the challenge.  

 The trapeze/ball pit is a favorite every time!!  

I was also super impressed by their beam balancing.

 Jumping somersaults and bridges.  They are so flexible!  

Perfect push-ups and a swing on the zip line!

Needless to say, they were exhausted when we got back to school!

Had to insert one last picture with my bus partner :-)

Classroom Visitors!

This week was full of visitors to our classroom!  

On Wednesday my MIL brought little Madden to visit the classroom.  It was really fun because my class had not met him yet and neither had most of the staff.  He got to stay for lunch and was a happy and talkative little man!

Friday was Brewer's Day at school.  The kids wore their Brewer's gear and a few of the sausage mascots (aka. Ms. Wick and Mr. Neils) came to visit our classroom!  What a fun surprise!!

Back to School!

I am so excited to be back at school after spending 3 months at home with my little man, Madden.  Maternity leave was great and now I am adjusting to a new schedule with going to work and getting up with a little one :-)  It is hard to leave him but I have a great class and they keep my mind off of being gone!

It was so fun to walk into my room and see this...

Here are some fun pictures of my little guy:

I'm looking forward to my last 8 weeks of school and then some more quality time with baby!

Groundhog Day!

I know it's a little early but I can't wait to use these in my class coming up on Groundhog Day.  With the winter weather setting in I was looking ahead for new ideas to do with my kiddos.
Groundhog Day is a fun one to talk about but in the past I have never really had much to do except predict if he sees his shadow or not.  Now we have a whole day of activities to do and it's going to be really cute hanging up in the halls.  

Here is a fantastic little lesson for your SmartBoard (not created by me, it's way too good).  It has a ton of information, facts, and games to learn all about Groundhog Day. Click on the picture to take you there!

Hope you enjoy!