Spider Web: We're All Connected

At the beginning of the year, the students worked together to make a large spider web to practice working together as a team and to show that we are all connected. We started with a large ball of yarn and each student took a turn rolling it to one another as they shared interesting facts about themselves.

My Classroom 2012-2013

Here are a few pictures of my classroom setup this year:

Summer Bucket List

The students created a summer bucket list of things they would like to do this summer. I found this idea on Pinterest. I believe the original idea came from TeachWithMe. After creating the buckets and writing their lists, the students visited the computer lab to write a friendly letter to their parents using the Letter Generator from ReadWriteThink to tell them about one thing they would like to do this summer.

End of Year Readers' Theater

As a way to demonstrate their reading accomplishments at the end of the year, we always hold an End of Year Readers' Theater. Each class learned a Readers' Theater from You Read to Me, I'll Read to You by Mary Ann Hoberman which they read for their families and available staff. The entire grade also read a readers' theater together followed by one with their families. Readers' Theaters are a great way for students to practice and showcase their reading.

Friendly Letters to Kindergarten

In writing the students have been learning to write friendly letters. Using the Letter Generator from ReadWriteThink, the students wrote a class letter to Kindergarten about all of the things they learned and enjoyed in first grade. After modeling how to write a friendly letter, the students wrote letters to Kindergarten on their own. After editing the letters in writing workshop, they wrote their final drafts. Last Thursday the students visited Mrs. Munoz's Kindergarten class to read their letters to her students.

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.