A Rainbow of Friends: First Grade

First Grade read A Rainbow of Friends by P.K. Hallinan as a connection to creating our class Social Contract and as an introduction to the color wheel, primary colors, and secondary colors. Each student used various shaped foam stamps to paint shapes in color wheel order. The next week, once the paint was dry, they used multicultural markers to add heads, arms, and legs to the shapes. They then added basic facial features, hair, and shoes to match the shapes.

Mouse Paint: Kindergarten

Kindergarten read Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh to learn about primary colors and the secondary colors created by mixing those colors. After reading the book, the students used mouse shaped tracers to draw six mice in a circular shape. They then traced the mice in black markers. They then added eyes and tails with spiral lines. Next the students painted in each mouse in color wheel order with liquid water colors.

The Line: Third Grade

Third Grade read The Line by Paula Bossio to discuss how various lines form various pictures. We talked about the importance of being able to draw various lines well. The students practiced drawing various lines by creating an eight part foldable. In each section of the foldable, they drew one type of line and repeated it for a total of three lines per section. They then water colored each section. We talked about spacing out the colors to create visual interest. Once the students were finished, they commented that their work kind of looked like quilts.

Lines That Wiggle: First and Second Grade Lines

First and Second Grade read Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman to learn about various types of lines. They then drew various lines with black markers and water colored over them. Firs Grade could choose whatever colors they wanted as long as they used a variety of four different colors. Second Grade had a limited selection of primary colors.

Little Green: Kinder Lines

Kindergarten read the book Little Green by Keith Baker to learn about different types of lines. Little Green is about a child who watches a bird fly and paints a picture about the various ways the bird flies. The students drew various lines with crayons and colored in the spaces that were created by those lines.

A Story Before Bed

A while back I stumbled across a site called A Story Before Bed. The site is intended for parents and grandparents to be able to record picture books using their webcams to share with their children and grandchildren who are far away. I used it to record books for my class to use in Daily 5's Listen to Reading. I also used it for a couple of lessons where I knew students would be in and out of the class for various reasons (research, testing, etc.). I was able to play the stories for the students in small groups while I worked with other small groups. I could then go back and work on comprehension skills with them based on the book they hear read aloud. This site can also be easily used for flipped lessons. Students can access a read aloud at home and then do a follow up comprehension lesson in class. In addition to the website, they have an iPad app.

Online Read Alouds

Below are some sites that offer free read aloud stories. Read alouds are a great way for children to hear fluent reading. If you have the books that go along with the stories, they can also practice reading along.

Just Books Read Aloud
Online Storytime by Barnes and Noble
PBS Kids
Read to Me Las Vegas
Reading is Fundamental
Speakaboos
Storyline Online
Storynory
Storytime for Me

Parent Guest Reader

We had a parent volunteer from PTA, who happens to have three students (yes, triplets) in our class, visit recently to read to the students. They enjoyed hearing a parent read them several stories. Thank you for supporting our class and school!