The Stockings Were Hung By the Chimney...

Last week the students had a fun homework assignment - decorate a holiday stocking. They could decorate the stockings however they wanted to with whatever they wanted to. Once returned to school, the students wrote about their stockings using our writing program, Write From the Beginning. The students wrote what the stocking looks like, what it has, and what it can do. We then attached their writing to their artwork and hung them outside on our fireplace. Our amazing Assistant Principal painted the fireplace for me a few years ago.

Merry Christmas, Strega Nona

On Wednesday and Thursday we read Merry Christmas, Strega Nona. As we read, the students identified and discussed how the various characters were feeling and how those feelings changed over time. They also discussed with their knee-neighbors about the characters, setting, problem, and solution in the story. After discussing, we created a class Story Map. The students then created their own Story Maps to identify the story elements.

Toy Shop and Prize Shop

This week we have been learning about the various coins, their identifying features, their values, and their equavalencies. To assess their ability to identify the coins and their values, the students created their own "toy shops." The students were given various coins and toy pictures which they had to sort on a toy shelf they made out of brown construction paper. Each toy had a price written on it. For example, they had to match a nickel to the toy that was labeled "5 cents." Fellow teachers, I forgot to take a picture today and have already sent them home but you can see an example from last year's class here. The students were also given a coin which they could use at our "prize store." I put out five prices on the table with various items on it from our class prize box. The students could come to the table in small groups to identify which coin they had, its value, and what items they could purchase. This was a low-stress way to assess the students - they didn't even know they were being assessed. They were very excited that they got to keep the prizes - you've got to love kids who get so excited over pencils, erasers, and bookmarks!

Too Many Tamales

On Tuesday we read Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto to discuss character traits and to identify the elements of a story. First we watched the video on Discovery Education and then we read the book. After reading, we discussed the different emotions that the main character had throughout the story. We then created a class Story Map to identify the characters, the setting, the problem, and the solution. The students then created their own Story Maps. Parents, as you are reading with your children, ask them questions such as these:

• Who are the characters in the story? (use specific names)
• What is the setting of the story? (use specific places and times)
• Is there a problem in the story? What is it?
• How do you think the problem will be solved?
• How was the problem solved in the story?
• How did the characters feel in this story?
• Why do the characters feel that way?
• What made the character's feelings change?

Auntie Claus: Character Traits of Sophie Kringle

One of my favorite Christmas books is Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera. The story is great to use for analyzing character traits. It is also a good reminder for the students to be on their best behavior to avoid being on the BB&G list (you know, the "Bad Boys and Girls" list...). After reading the story about Sophie and her adventure to the North Pole, we created a class Flow Map to retell the story with an emphasis on how Sophie felt and how those feelings changed over time. We also discussed why her feelings changed. As we created the Flow Map, I spiraled in some mini-lessons on new vocabulary words such as complaining, relieved, and selfless. After creating the Flow Map, we discussed the importance of being selfless and giving to others when possible. We talked about the lesson Auntie Claus was trying to teach Sophie: "It is better to give than to receive." The students then created gift boxes as graphic organizers to write four things that they could give to others without having to actually buy anything.

Jumping Hills - Number Patterns

While learning about number patterns, the students learned the strategy of using "jumping hills" on a number line to count the number of spaces between numbers. To help them practice, students used dry erase mats and number lines to draw their "jumping hills." For example, if the number pattern was 1, 5, 9 then the students would draw a hill from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, and then 4 to 5. They would see that there were four "hills" or four spaces. They would then repeat this going from the number 5 to the number 9. They would then see that it was again, four spaces. From this they could conclude that the skip counting rule was +4. The "jumping hills" really give the students a good visual of skip counting number patterns.

Shake Those Beans

To help the students understand the concept of addition and subtraction, we have been playing a game called "Shake Those Beans." Each day we practice finding addition sentences for a set sum. The students get a cup of two-color beans that equal that set sum. They then shake the beans and count how many of each color and add them together. Fellow teachers, you could use two-color counters for this as well if you do not want to spray paint beans. They mark their answer on a graph. After each student has rolled their dice a total of ten times, we tally on the board which addition sentence they rolled the most. This is a great probability connection because most of the time, the addition sentences in the middle, such as the doubles, are rolled the most. The students find this fascinating! We follow up this lesson by building the various addition sentences with two different color sets of Unifix cubes. We then practice flipping over the stick to show how addends in a fact family just "flip flop" but the sum stays the same. We then find the related fact family subtraction sentences by taking away parts.

If Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney

On Thursday the students wrote responses to the prompt "What would happen if Santa got stuck in the chimney?" to use creative problem solving. (I found this great idea from Pinterest - follow me here!) The students then colored legs and shoes to show Santa sticking outing of the chimney.

Christmas Lights

As a part of our writing program, Write From the Beginning, the students created their own strand of Christmaas lights which they then wrote about. They described what they look like, how they feel, and what they can do using a Circle Map followed by a Tree Map. They then used the Tree Map to help them write sentences. I try to use at least one of our days to do guided writing with the students rather than guided reading. They seem to love editing their work and getting a chance to make corrections. We hang up their final products in the hallway along with their art. Their writing tends to be better when they realize they have a purpose for writing - an audience!

Literacy Cafe

Last Thursday night some of the students participated in our 2nd annual Literacy Cafe! Some of the students were hosts and hosstesses. They took the guests to their tables where they were greeted by student waiters and waitresses. They then took the guests orders which they took to the "kitchen" where the orders were filled. The guests could choose one appetizer, one entree, or one dessert. These were actually student readers. For our grade, the appetizers were riddles, the entrees were short books, and the desserts were tongue twisters. The good news is that there were so many guests and the "kitchen" was so busy, I did not get a chance to take many pictures at the cafe. But, I did manage to snap this cute shot of two of our readers!

My Top Ten Christmas Ideas!!!

Since a large number of my "followers" are fellow teachers and because I know teachers like to get ahead, I thought I would post a few of my favorite Christmas ideas that we have done in my class in one place. You can also use the search feature on the side to find additional ideas. Click on the links below to see pictures and detailed descriptions of the lessons.

1. Christmas Tree Doubles - Dot paint ornaments on paper Christmas trees to practice addition.
2. Stockings Descriptive Writing - Send home paper stockings for students to decorate however they wish. Students will write about their stockings in class and then hang them on the class fireplace.
3. Better to Give Than to Receive - Read Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera to learn about character traits.
4. Affirmation Tree - Display a large tree inside or outside of the classroom with blank ornaments. The students write affirmations to one another and add to the tree.
5. Santa Study - Research, compare, and contrast the role of Santa Claus around the world including his name, appearance, transportation, etc.
6. Polar Express Day - Wear pajamas, read the story, drink hot chocolate...enjoy!
7. Classroom Christmas Tree with Book Covers - Print out pictures of your students' favorite books and laminate. Hot glue an ornament hook on and the students can add them to the tree.
8. Christmas Story Maps - Read Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto and Merry Christmas Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola to discuss the different elements of a story. Create story maps for both stories and then create a Double Bubble Map or Venn Diagram to compare the stories.
9. The Snowman - Read The Snowman by Raymond Briggs or watch the movie (great for the day before Christmas break). Have the students create their own snowman out of construction paper. These are great to leave hanging in the hallway as a transition to January.
10. Fact Family Wreaths - Have the students create wreaths from paper pattern blocks. You can download the wreath pattern from PreKinders. You can download the recording sheet that I made to go along with the wreath pattern at my TPT store for FREE. You can download the printable pattern blocks here.

Our Turkey Poem

Last week we studied the various attributes of poetry. We learned about alliterations, rhymes, and sensory details. To assess their understanding of poetry, the students worked together to write their own poem about turkeys.

Turkeys are tasty to eat,
They are juicy like meat.
Turkeys are soft and fat,
And have smooth wings like a bat.
They talk with a loud gobble,
And walk with a squeaky wobble.

The students first brainstormed as many words as they could think of to describe a turkey. They then chose six of those words to brainstorm rhyming words about. We charted their words on Circle Maps. They then chose which rhyming word they wanted to start with and we reviewed that rhyming words usually are at the end of poetry lines. After brainstorming the lines, we went back to decide where we wanted to add sensory details. The students chose to describe the turkey using taste, touch, and smell. They then divided into small groups to illustrate their part of the poem. They later read their poem to the school secretary and music teacher.

Thanksgiving Feast

Thank you to the parents who provided so many treats for the students' Thanksgiving Feast. They feasted on the modern day Thanksgiving - turkey sandwiches, popcorn, grapes, and of course cookies and cupcakes!

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We Are Thankful...

The students recorded what they are thankful for using Audacity recording software. You can visit our podcasting site to listen to their recording. Parents, the recording can be downloaded to any MP3 enabled device. Some of the students also wrote about what they were thankful for and some brought in pictures to share.

Cornucopia Placemats

The students made cornucopia placemats for our Thanksgiving feast tomorrow. After coloring, cutting, and gluing the cornucopia and fruit, they listed people and things they are thankful for. After they were printed, they glued them around the cornucopia.