FIVE for Friday~SOOOOO Random

Hi~ya, Friends! This week has been a busy one! We spent a huge chunk of the week completing our end of year {only 6 more weeks} reading inventories, so the camera didn’t leave the case much. This Five for Friday is a mix of randomness that I haven’t shared before.



We created these little cuties as we were preparing for our spring Open House and will be using this painting technique again in the coming week as we connect with my FAVORITE story of the year…………….The Dot. =)

As of today, our little chicks are on day 20 of 21….we’ve got our fingers crossed that they’ll wait until we get back to school on Monday to start crackin’ out of those shells. We used a few nonfiction texts and video clips this week to learn about the chick’s life cycle and to prepare ourselves for what we’ll see as they emerge. EX.Ci.ted!!!!



My firsties are the sweetest! I just love them! Check out the cute note one of them left me on the back of his work today. Awwwwww…*LOVE*…..A+ for HIM!!! =)

I love you, Ms. Dwyer. Thank you for your kindness.

 

Annnnd, what better way to end the week than to come home to new shoes in your mailbox? =)

 

Have a great weekend! See ya next Friday!

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like SPRING!

Hi~ya, friends! It’s beginning to look a lot like spring has sprung in our classroom! I absolutely love all the fun science that spring brings! One of the reasons I love it is because its so easy to make connections across different subjects.
 
This week, we’ve begun studying plants and used it to explore differentiating between facts and opinions too.  After reading a nonfiction text {pictured} about the largest plant of all, we read and sorted facts and opinions.

{Click the pic to grab the sorting cards!}

We’re also completing our yearly reading inventories, so the whole group sort trickled over into an independent project to keep my firsties busy while I listened to students read one at a time. They referenced the chart in order to write the examples of facts and opinions and then illustrated the parts of a tree using torn construction paper. Can you say, time intensive, lol? Just what the doctor ordered for a lonnnnnnnng, quiet session and a happily testing teacher in the corner {wink, wink}!



Yesterday, reading….today, math. We got this chart idea from the fab Cara Caroll and used her freebie to interpret the data from our chart. It started out as a picture graph, but took a bit of a turn when most of the class chose the same type of plant! Ha! Can you tell that we’re not a group that eats our veggies! Yuck!
 
Looking at this…kinda makes it look like a have huge class too! How many firsties are in your bunch? I love my 22!



You can’t learn about plants without trying to grow a few….emphasis on the word TRY! Please take a moment to include our little plants in your prayers. This teacher has no signs of a green thumb AT.ALL and is calling on divine intervention to help these littles grow! (PL-UEEESE!!!=)

Our chicks are on day 18 and the excitement is mounting! ANNNNND last but not least, on one of the coldest days of April so far, look what came in the mail….



……YAY!!! They look a little still here, but after having a little time to warm up they’re climbing and crawling all over the place. Can’t wait to introduce them to the kiddos in the morning! So, we’ve got plants, chicks, and now….caterpillars!

What else can we grow, lol? What do you enjoy growing in your classroom this time of year? Have a great rest of the week!

FIVE FOR FRIDAY~HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

Math problems, that is! TGIF, Friends! How are ya? It’s been a lonnnnnng week, but we managed to wrap it up well!


We spent this week focused on using strategies to solve story problems. It was a fun way to incorporate reading and a mixed review of skills we’ve previously learned in math. 

The first one we focused on was using a picture to solve a problem.



Then, we added equations or number sentences….



….and used props to act out solutions.  One of the little things my kids always love about solving story problems is finding their name or the name of a classmate in one, so I work to incorporate their names as often as possible.  It’s always the little things that hook them in and get them learning!



Story problems can be a bit of a challenge, so we tend to work together to solve them. After one of the week’s whole group lessons, students got to choose partners to solve big kid, real-world problems!  Each pair was provided a problem to read, mark, and solve.

The goal of the week was to really in grain looking for important information and identifying what we’re looking for to solve the problem……INSTEAD of trying to just rush in and guess an answer.



We also had a blast with vowel teams/diphthongs this week! We had two guests in our room today that both left with a severe case of the giggles after watching us play an exciting game to brainstorm words for each vowel pattern.

We’ll continue to work with both of these skills next week….and the fun continues! Have a great weekend, friends! =)