Handy Turkey

Handy Turkey

This isn’t just a turkey,
As anyone can see.
I made it with my hand,
Which is a part of me.
It’s made with lots of love
Especially to say,
Hope you have a very
Happy Thanksgiving Day!

 

 

Thanksgiving Feast

Thank you to all of the parents who donated goodies for the students' Thanksgiving Feast. The students dressed in either brown or black to represent the clothing worn by Native Americans and Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving Feast. They wore hats that they made to go along with their clothes: headbands, hats, or bonnets. They then munched on modern day treats related  to the first feast such as turkey sandwiches, grapes, and popcorn.

Cornucopia Placemats

For our class Thanksgiving Feast, the students created cornucopia placemats. After coloring their cornucopia, they told me at least six people, places, or things they were thankful for which I typed. They then added those words to their placemats.

If I Were President...

During Social Studies we have been learning about authority figures. In light of the recent election and to help the students make a connection to the importance of authority figures, they wrote what they would do if they were President.

Additive Pattern Headbands

Since we are learning more about additive patterns and Thanksgiving, we made additive pattern headbands. We discussed the type of clothes that Native Americans wore and the intricate designs that they added to some of their clothing. The students then used fall colors on sentence strips to follow and recreate multi-step additive patterns. They then added a feather to their headbands.

First Grade Thanksgiving Lessons

Here are a few of my favorite lessons for Thanksgiving. Several of the ideas come from other blogs so be sure to follow the links to their sites as well.

1. Thanksgiving Alliterations
2. Thanksgiving Feast
3. Handy Turkey
4. Thanksgiving Venn Diagram
5. Cornucopia Placemats
6. Number Pattern Turkeys
7. Turkey Descriptive Writing
8. Pattern Block Turkeys

Red Ribbon Week: Drugs Won't Drive Us Batty

Below is our class poster for Red Ribbon Week. The bat with their names was created using Tagxedo and our poster maker. Using our Promethean Board, I taught the students how to draw a bat one step at a time. The students added their bats to the poster. As they worked on their bats we talked about the word "batty" and how it can mean "crazy." We discussed, in basic first grade terms, that it is important to stay away from drugs because they can drive you "batty."

Classroom Maps

In Social Studies we have been learning about positional and cardinal directions. They played "Simon Says" using cardinal directions. They went on a hunt for hidden objects using positional words. They also took a "birds-eye" view of the school by looking at a blueprint of the school. They worked in groups to explain the position of various places in the school in relation to the library and using directional words. They also drew a map of our classrom noting where objects were located according to their position on the north, south, east, or west wall.

Johnny Appleseed

In Social Studies we have been studying about various American legends, including Johnny Appleseed. After watching a quick video about him on Discovery Streaming and reading several trade books, we created a Circle Map together on the Promethean Board. After discussing his various contributions, the students created their own apple trees out of construction paper as a graphic organizer. Each student added five apples to the tree and wrote "Did you know?" facts on the apples.

Career Day

A few weeks ago we had several professional visit the school to explain their career to the students. We had a Dallas police officer, the Grand Prairie Fire Department, and a care flight paramedic speak to the students.

Inventor Research Papers

Using PebbleGo, the students researched an inventor of their choice. They recorded information they found on a Circle Map and then used those Circle Maps to help them write a research paper. After editing their papers in writing workshop with me, the students typed their research papers in Microsoft Word. They printed their paper and glued to to construction paper along with a picture of their inventor, which they found in PebbleGo.

My Robot

In Social Studies we spent several weeks studying various inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison, and Garrett Morgan. At the conclusion of our inventor unit, the students had the opportunity to become inventors themselves. With just two boxes covered in foil, a hot glue gun (used by the teacher, of course), and a bunch of junk, the students created their own robots. They turned out really great. The students created a plan, implemented that plan, and then wrote about what their robots could do.

Inventors: Garrett Morgan

In Social Studies, we have been researching various inventors. One of the inventors that we studied was Garrett Morgan. Garrett Morgan invented the traffic light. We began our study by reading about him on Reading A-Z. We then discussed why he invented the traffic light which led into a discussion about how inventors first identify a problem, then find brainstorm a solution, and finally create a plan to put that solution into action. We then created a class Circle Map to record facts learned about Garrett Morgan. The students then created a traffic light out of construction paper to write "Did you know?" facts about Garrett Morgan on each "light."