What Happens in 1st Grade - Stays in 1st Grade

Today is Monday.  Most Monday’s are quite busy in my first grade classroom.  However, today was a bit busier than usual.  

Why you ask?  

It may have had something to do with any or all of the following:  We are celebrating “March is Reading Month” with various activities, including visits from mystery readers like, The Cat in the Hat.  We are reading and voting on our favorite books like Amazing Grace and Chester.  We are also rehearsing Michael’s Cat, our readers’ theater play, so we can read it with our first grade friends in Iowa during a Google Hangout (which is similar to Skype) later in the week.  During our busy day we solved lots of problems and one mystery.

These are snippets of our busy day:

 First Graders: 

“When is the Cat in the Hat Coming?”

“What time is the Cat in the Hat Coming?”

“Why isn’t the Cat in the Hat Coming today?”

“It said on the calendar that the Cat in the Hat is coming today!”

Teacher: 

“The Cat in the Hat is coming on Wednesday.” 

“He’s going to some classrooms today and he’s coming to our room on Wednesday.” 

“He couldn’t go to all the classrooms today so some classes have to wait until Wednesday.”

First Graders:

“I can’t see myself on the Smart Board.”

“Where am I?  I can’t see myself!”

Teacher:

“It’s not important for you to see yourself, it’s important for the other class to see you.” 

“Make sure you are facing the camera.”

First Graders:

“Amazing Grace only got 4 votes and Chester got 16 votes.”

Teacher:

“It’s o.k. If one book got 16 votes and the other book only got 4 votes.” 

“Other classes will be reading and voting on the same books and we’ll add our votes to theirs.”

First Graders:

“I can’t find the cap to my marker.”

“Where is my eraser?”

Teacher:

“Check under you foot, I see a cap over there.”

“Look behind you, I bet that’s your eraser.”

First Grader:

“I put my backpack on the floor in the meeting area and now it’s gone.” 

“I think someone took it!”

Teacher:

“Did you look everywhere?”

“Let’s take another look.”

“Is that it, over there, by the trash can?”

MYSTERY SOLVED…

I wonder what mysteries we'll solve tomorrow?  Stay tuned!

It Starts With Relationships

Sometimes, I have to remind myself to slow down, and enjoy the moment.  This statement can be applied to so many areas and events in our lives.  This mantra seems to have attached itself to my thoughts these days.  If I embrace it, it will certainly impact my teaching and the relationships I'm building with my students in positive ways.  When I think about it, this is the reasons why I became a teacher in the first place...because I wanted to make a difference.  

It starts with relationships.  Maybe you've heard this before, but it's true.  If you want to reach a child, build a relationship with him first and the rest will follow.  It's easy to get caught up in the day to days of teaching.  The mental checklists, the lesson plans, and the curriculum are all constant staples in our world.   However, these will not be the things that our students will remember.

Last week, one of my first graders asked me if she could share something during our morning meeting.  If you know anything about first graders, you know they enjoy telling REALLY long stories.  While I enjoy their stories, we don't have enough hours in the day to entertain them all.  So, I reluctantly agreed to let this eager first grade share her story.  We were in the middle of our meeting and Karina asked if she could get the note she wanted to share.  I said yes, and she returned with a piece of notebook paper.  The title at the top was, "10 Things I Like About My Teacher".  Here is her list:

1.  She is nice.
2.  She loves us.
3.  She believes us.
4.  When we can't do something she helps us.
5.  She lets us have free choice.
6.  She is wonderful.
7.  She is funny.
8.  She laughs at what we say that is funny.
9.  She is serious.
10. We love her.

As she was reading this list, I had to smile.  I had no idea that I was the subject for her list.  It was so sweet and so sincere.  I can't tell you how glad I was to have taken the time to let her share this note.  I especially like number nine but I'm not so sure how to take it.  It does confirm a few things.  Karina knows that we do "serious" work in our classroom, but we also take the time to know each other, love each other, and... laugh.

By the way, Karina said that it was o.k. for me to share her note.

THE HOT CHOCOLATE FIASCO

It was the morning of our Polar Express Party.  My first graders were expected to arrive at any moment.  Everything was set up and ready to go.  One of the parents had already agreed to bring in the milk that morning for the hot chocolate.  As I plugged in my Crock Pot and turned it on, I was praying that the milk would arrive soon so that the hot chocolate would be ready in time for the party. 

As the morning bell chimed, I could hear excited, little voices in the hallway.  My students started entering the classroom with big smiles and even bigger bundles of blankets and stuffed animals.  The milk arrived sooner than I expected.  I thanked the parent and immediately began to pour the cold milk into the HOT Crock Pot…crackle, CRACKLE, CRACKLE.  WHOOOOOOOSH!  “OMG, OMG, OMG” was all I could say as the milk went everywhere.   I stood there with my mouth agape and holding each half of the Crock Pot in my hands.  I watched in amazement as the milk poured down the counter and onto the floor.  The milk was on my jeans and shoes, but I stood there motionless and in disbelief.

Weeks later I would use this story during writing workshop.  We were adding ideas to our Tiny Topic notebooks.  “Do you guys remember our Polar Express Party?” I asked.  “I’m going to add that story idea to my Tiny Topic notebook and I’m calling it, The Hot Chocolate Fiasco.” I told them.  “What’s a fiasco?” several kids inquired.  “It’s when something turns out to be a disaster,” I admitted.  They all laughed and immediately started sharing ideas for what they would call this story.  The most popular idea was, The Hot Chocolate Explosion.  I love when my stories inspire them to write similar stories.  Now we have a shared experience that could be used in our writing.  It’s really important to show them how we can use our daily experiences for great writing ideas.

Last week I was looking over some of the pieces in our writing folders.  I came across this story by Spencer.  It’s called, Exploding Hot Chocolate.  Take a look at the title page and the dedication page below.  By the way, the circled “c” stands for copyright.

I absolutely love working with early writers.  They are so brave and often very willing to try something new.

IT'S A LOVE THING

It’s hard to believe that it’s already February.  February happens to be one of my favorite months of the year.  It could be because it’s my birth month, or because it’s the shortest month of the year.  It could be because of Valentine's Day.  Maybe it’s a combination of the three.  When I think of February, I think of love. 

What does love mean to you?  The first thing that comes to mind is a scripture from the bible; ‘For God loved the world so much that he sent us his only son…’ I’m paraphrasing just a bit, but I think you get the meaning.  Some of you even know this scripture or have at least heard it before.  To think of sending away your only child for the sake of others, now that’s what I call love.  I have an only child.  Only, she’s not a child anymore.  She’s 20 years old.  However, with the exception of my husband, I can’t think of a single person I love more.  I used to tell her when she was just a little girl that I loved her so much that I would give my life for hers, if it were ever necessary.  She would always look deep into my eyes when I would tell her that. Then a little smile would appear on her face.  She knew that I meant those words and I knew she took comfort in them.

It’s so important to show and tell the people we care about, how much we love them.  I don’t think anyone gets tired of hearing another person utter the words, “I love you”.  However, saying, “I love you,” doesn’t come easy for everyone.  Sometimes people show love in the things that they do.  As a child, I don’t recall hearing those words spoken by my parents very often.  I think they grew up not hearing those words uttered to them and, in turn, it was that much more difficult to utter them to their children.  However, I’ve always been of the opinion that just because that’s where you come from, it doesn’t mean that’s where you have to stay.  So, I made a conscious decision that when I had children I would not only show them, I would tell them and tell them often.  Don’t misunderstand, I knew my parents loved me because of all the things that they did for my siblings and I.  They showed us love through their work ethic and by providing us with a better life than the one they had.  They showed their love by always giving us their time and attention.  I always felt their love as a child, even though it wasn’t expressed verbally.  Those various “acts” of love also count.  This leads me to my question.  How do YOU express love to the people around you?  How do YOU show love to the people you see each day?  I'm referring to family members, children, friends, colleagues, neighbors and others.  Do you show love in your deeds and actions?  Perhaps we need to expand our circles of love and extend them to encompass more people.  I’m going to expand my love circle to my colleagues this week.  Perhaps they will notice, perhaps not.  It really doesn’t matter because my gift will be the love that comes back to me.  You get what you give, right?

Thanks for stopping by.  Don’t forget to show or tell someone that you love them today or during the week.  Prepare for the love that’s coming back your way and look for it to come in different ways.

Is Every Group of Kids Really That Different? Yes!

It always amazes me how every group of first graders I teach is different.  Yes, there are some things that are the same about all first graders.  They are still very little, they are excited about learning new things, there is a huge range with regard to first grade reading abilities, they still cry in first grade, and they love when their teacher acts silly.  All of those things tend to hold true with each first grade class I teach.  However, there are so many other things that make each group of first graders uniquely different from the previous groups.  My class this year is no exception.  There are so many things that amaze me about my current group of first graders.  I know what you're thinking.  Of course they are different from your last group because each child is different.  When you have a different group of kids you have a completely different classroom.  Yes, I can't argue with that.  However, it's more than that.  This group of kids...this group of personalities that has been put together to make up my wonderful classroom, has a very different vibe.

One of the things that I love about young learners is their excitement.  My current group of first graders gets excited about everything, even little things.  Little things, like Cougar Paw stickers, pleases them.  They beam with pride when they are recognized for working hard or helping a friend.  Just the simple gesture of sticking a tiny Cougar Paw on a hand is enough.  This class also loves, loves, loves to dance and sing.  During morning meeting they happily sing songs/poems for our fluency practice.  They enjoy creating hand movements to go along with the songs.  They even sing songs that they remember from previous weeks.  When we add new poems/songs each Friday to our Poetry Notebooks you find many flipping back through the pages to read or sing their favorite poems and songs.

One of the best things I noticed about this group is how much they love to work on their blogs.  They love connecting with other first grades in our classroom and from around the world.  They also enjoy creating new blog posts and they come of with some very creative topics.  Topics like, My First Grade Chores, Walking in the Hallway, The Best Halloween, and My Favorite Story to name a few.  This weekend I found myself approving 69 comments.  That's a huge increase compared to last year's class.  Whenever we have a short week due to a holiday break or other school closing the first thing my students want me to do is to establish a time when they can reschedule their blog day.  I also have more parents and relatives commenting on their child's blog this year.  Many of my first graders are even using their blogs after school and on weekend.  I don't think I've ever had as much excitement about blogging as I have this year.

I have a very thoughtful group of first graders this year.  I continue to get tons of "love notes" and drawings that are created especially for me.  I get tons of hugs as they enter the classroom or leave for recess or at dismissal.  I have kids who enjoy helping their peers with drawing bat wings because they are "bat experts" or putting away supplies for a friend who forgot to clean up after an activity, or volunteering to switch a Daily 5 choice so that a classmate would have a partner for buddy reading.  I could go on and on and on.  The thing is, this group of kids has a special place in my heart.  It's not possible for me to have a "bad day" because every day that I have the pleasure of teaching this group of kids makes for a "very, very good day". 

What's different about your group of students this year?  Please leave a comment.  I would love to know.

Blogging in the Primary Classroom

For the last 5 years I have introduced my first graders to blogging in the classroom.  Most people are surprised to hear that first graders actually have blogs and use them.  It's true!  My first grade students actually have their own individual student blogs via Kidblog.  The website is www.kidblog.org and teachers can create free accounts for their classrooms.

Blogging gives my students the opportunity to connect with other students in authentic ways.  This year we are, once again, participating in a Primary Blogging Community with a group of teachers that I met on Twitter.  Our blogging community includes four classrooms from different parts of the country and around the world.  Two of the classrooms are in Canada.  The third classroom is in Seattle and my classroom is the Michigan connection.  During the first week of the event we visit the classroom blogs of our Primary Blogging Community friends.  This gives teachers the chance to model how to navigate a blog and how to leave comments.  During the next four weeks we focus on our students' blogs by visiting a different hosting classroom each week.

My classroom was the "focus classroom" for the first week of the event.  We received over 100 comments from the other classrooms.  It was quite exciting and very motivating for my students.  You can probably imagine some of the comments... "Look everyone, Libby has 20 comments on her blog!"

Last week, we started leaving comments on the students' blogs in the other classrooms.  This was easily accomplished by signing up for a few extra days in our school's computer lab.  I add the classroom(s) that we want to visit to the Blogroll on the home page of our Kidblog site.  It makes it much easier for my students to navigate.   If it sounds like a daunting task…don't panic.  It's not.  My first graders always amaze me at what they can do, when given the opportunity.  The are fearless!  They are willing to take risks in order to learn new things and that, in itself, fills my heart with joy.

One of the things that I always suggest to my students is that they include a question with each comment they make.  This sparks the conversation between students and classrooms.  Whenever,  I see comments on their posts I tease them a bit by saying, "It looks like you have a bit of homework."  This is the kind of homework your students will love.

Tips for Blogging with Students:

• Use the computers in your classroom by creating a blogging schedule.
• Allow students to blog during Daily 5 or other centers.
• Start by creating simple posts like this, "Things I Like…"
• Create easy passwords they can spell and remember.
• Teach about blogging safety and digital citizenship.
• Create a blogging community at your school or grade level.
• If you have access to iPads, Kidblog also has an app.  I use it on my personal iPad which makes monitoring the site quick and easy to do.

I'm going to use my own advice.  So here's my question for you.  What tips do you have for blogging with students?  Please share them by leaving a comment below.

August 10 for 10 Picture Book Event

 

This is only my second time participating in the August 10 for 10 Picture Book Event.  Thanks Cathy and Mandy for hosting this wonderful event! 

The 10 books that I chose represent books that have the potential to elevate the conversation.  I teach first grade and, yes, my first grade students share their thinking about the books we share.  Since these books are read aloud, my students are able to focus more deeply on characters, themes, and big ideas.  My goal is to promote deeper conversations about the texts.

Here are 10 of my favorite picture books for deepening the conversation.  These books have the potential of teaching us a lot about ourselves and others as we share our thoughts and individual perspectives.

 Wind Flyers by Angela Johnson and illustrated by Loren Long

A young boy is told the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, an all-black squadron of pilots who served during WWII, through the eyes of his uncle.  This book will help readers understand the part these brave souls played in the history of America.

 

 Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier

I love the last line of this book, “The integrity, the dignity, the quiet strength of Rosa Parks turned her no into a YES for change.”  This is a powerful story that will undoubtedly have your students discussing the different themes that are living within its pages.

 

Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Floyd Cooper

A young boy sitting in the back of the bus, shares his experience of the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the same bus.

 

 

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford

This is the story of the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school.  My first graders were enraged by this story and amazed by Ruby’s courage.

A Nation’s Hope:  The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt DeLaPena and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

This is the story of African American boxer Joe Louis and his bout with German boxer Max Schmeling for the world heavyweight title.  Here is my favorite line from the last page of the book, “The streets of Harlem once again dancing for their hero--But all of America dancing this time.”

 

 

 

 

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole

This wordless picture book about the Underground Railroad will certainly have students inferring, wondering, and discussing the themes and messages in this book.  This book shares the courage of everyday people.

 

 

Henry’s Freedom Box:  A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Students will be fascinated by the story of Henry “Box” Brown who was one of the most famous runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad and how he mailed himself to freedom.

 

 

 

Freedom School, Yes! by Amy Littlesugar and illustrated by Floyd Cooper

This is a story based on the 1964 Mississippi Freedom School Project.  It’s the story of a young girl and a community who bravely risk everything for a chance to learn. 

 

 

 

Moses:  When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

This is a beautifully illustrated story about Harriet Tubman, a former slave, who was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, a network of helpers and hideaways.  She escaped north into freedom and returned to the south many times to help other slaves escape.

 



Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis

This story is about a new girl who arrives at school and is judged and constantly excluded by the other kids because of how shabbily she is dressed.  After the new girl moves, another student realizes that she has missed an opportunity to show some kindness.

 

I'm always looking for new titles...books that will elevate the conversation.  I do have several others that I didn't include above.  Do you have any suggestions that I should add to the list?  I would love to hear from year.  Please share them in the comments below.