Wisdom Wednesday~Know Them

Kids are people TOO!

Hey there! How are ya? Kids a little wonky as you wind down these last few days? Who am I kidding?! Kids bonkers?! Need a quick pick me up or activity to keep them engaged in accountable talk AND get some great writing in too! Well, I’ve got an activity for ya! We’ve been reading biographies and sharing facts about personalities past and present. We’ve really enjoyed learning about so many different people, BUT guess what?! Kids are people too!

Don’t think that every time you sit down to write or share information about a person that it has to be someone that has conquered the world, landed on the moon or won a championship. Some of the kindest, most talented, inspiring people I’ve ever met have been only 6 years old! Building community and maintaining it throughout the year takes a lot of work…..maintaining it until the very last day will keep away the sibling sillies that develop when the kids have just about had enough of each other!



As we began writer’s workshop, we reviewed punctuation {Can you ever really do THAT enough?} and thought of two common things we found in most of the biographies we had read recently. In most of them, we discovered we were told the person’s name and when they were born, soooooooo together we posed the first two questions for everyone to use. Enter….turn and talk…..HERE. Then students turned to each other to think of 2 additional questions they could ask of their classmate to get to know a little more about them.

After discussions were had, students moved to their desks to record the 4 questions on sticky notes. Yes, I know….I’m addicted to them. We use sticky notes for everything. =)



Questions were written on the sticky note…..then each set of partners took turns interviewing each other. Did they like this?! Did they EVER! They LOVED it! Underneath each sticky note, students recorded the answer to the question in the form of a statement. Punctuation practice + engaged + happy + talkative + writing kids = 1 HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY teacher! Next, came the illustration. Students were also held responsible for making the illustration look as much like their classmate did on the day we completed the writing as possible. Their drawings were so cute, BUT because we were mostly using complete names, I could only find ONE without a full name to snap a pic of. Isn’t he a cutie? You could absolutely pick him out if you saw him in person right? =)



Anyhooo….that’s the gist! The next time you get ready to do a little research, remember…..kids are people too!

Happy writing!

Five for Friday~Just 8 more…..

….days! I can hardly believe it! I CAN believe it….but CAN’T all at the same time! Where has the year gone? This past week was just a little wonky because I spent the majority of it in training. After having spent the last 2 1/2 days sitting still {the hardest part} in a chair, it felt great to get back to my classroom with my kiddos! I met them on the playground today and almost got knocked to the ground with hugs! My kids are the best!

Now back to the 8 days part! Ready for rest and relaxation…yes.I.am! Freaking out just a little bit about paperwork, packing, meetings, paperwork, and documentation that needs to be completed…..yes.I.am! Thank heaven for a long weekend to get a head start on wrapping things up, so I can concentrate on making great memories over these last few days because one thing is for sure….they will go by at the speed of light!


Since I spent most of the week out of the classroom, here’s a quick “catch up” over a little of what we’ve been up to recently….



We just wrapped up our measurement unit. I love mixing a little literature into our math block as often as possible. With measurement, we read several different versions of Jack and the Beanstalk as an introduction to each lesson. On this day, we used the giant’s boot coming down the beanstalk to explore area. After reading the story, each kiddo illustrated a beanstalk down the middle of their page to divide it in half. We discussed using the boot as their measurement tool for making comparisons….to decide if items covered less area or more area. Students walked around the room and placed items on top of the boot to make comparisons. If the they could still see the boot, it covered less. If the boot disappeared, it covered more. Sweet, simple……and FE, FI, FO, FUN!



Everything grows a little bigger in Texas, even beanstalks….or in the case of Waynetta and the Cornstalk by Helen Ketterman, cornstalks.  Students used area tiles to build their own cornstalk design, then colored to transfer the design to grid paper, and counted the number of squares used to determine the amount of area covered. You can get another glimpse of this little activity by taking a quick look at my Instagram page. Don’t forget to follow!



Math station skills review has been SUPER! Students are reviewing lots of skills to get ready for second grade! You can check out this little activity to generate and determine the value of numbers by clicking HERE.



I couldn’t come back after being gone most of the week without a little fun up my sleeve! Today was letter ‘R’ on our ABC countdown. In honor of all things R, we visited Rainbow Town to meet our friend, Roy G. Biv. I great, big ole {puffy heart} LOVE directed drawings!!! After listening and following directions to draw Mr. Biv, students used crayons and watercolor paints to give him a splash of color….afterall, there’s no wasted space in Rainbow Town. Bright, beautiful color is a MUST! =)



Here’s a closer look. What do you think? 

Enjoy these last few days……and if you’re already out…..(don’t mention it). Ha! =)