Valentine's Celebration!

Our Valentine's Day Celebration was so much fun! I had a great group of parents that organized and came up with some very creative games and activities for the students. We began the day with the students passing out their Valentine cards to each of their friends. After that, we played a game called "Guess the Lovebug." Parents sent in a baby picture of their child and one of the parents put them on a slideshow. The students and I got to write down the name of the student that we thought belonged to each picture. This was so much fun! Some of the pictures looked exactly like the student now, (you could see that little baby face still in there). Some of the pictures were more difficult to figure out because of the hair color being so different or no hair at all. I was so proud that I only got two wrong! The kids had a blast playing this game and it was so fun to see who they thought each baby picture belonged to. It was especially cute when they didn't know that it was their own baby picture! The students played a game where they spun the heart spinner and whoever it landed on was who they gave a compliment to. After their personalized compliment, they got a Hershey's Hug and gave it to that friend. Our class is so sweet that there is never a shortage of compliments and "bucket-filling." Then the kids got to ice and decorate their very own heart-shaped sugar cookie! YUM! The students played a game in which they had to work together at their table to use their individual straws to pick up conversation hearts and transfer them to another plate/bowl on their table. We played this game two times because it was so much fun! The last game the students played was Valentine Bingo. This was extra special because students filled out their bingo card with names from our class. They always love when their name is a part of a game. We had lots of Bingo winners! What a fun day! Valentine's Celebration! on PhotoPeach

100th Day of School!

We had a blast today celebrating the 100th day of school. Students dressed up as 100 year olds. They were adorable! They brought in their water bottle with 100 items in it. They got to share these items with their 4th grade buddies. They practiced counting them by 10's, 5's, 2's, and even 3's. I asked each student what they thought a 100 year old would be thinking about and then wrote their thought in a "think bubble" and took their picture. The day seemed to zoom by so fast with lots of 100 day activities. We ended the day by working together in teams to put together 100 piece puzzles. 100th Day! on PhotoPeach What did you say? on PhotoPeach

Class Store

Last Friday was the first day of our "Class Store." Students have the opportunity to earn money (cards with different coins on them)for doing their weekly homework. They can also earn extra money for doing special jobs! At the end of each month students have to count their money and get to go shopping at our "Class Store," which has items that parents have donated or little toys, trinkets, and candy. Students had to decide how much money they had, whether they could afford the item they wanted to purchase, and how much money they would get back, (if any). Some students purchased one thing and put the rest of the money back in their bank account to add to next month's money. Others kept shopping and shopping until there was no more money left. This is such a fun way for students to see the a real-life application of using money. Don't worry...credit cards were not accepted-CASH ONLY!

2nd Nine Weeks Award Ceremony

Time is really flying by! We just celebrated the end of the 2nd Nine Weeks! Students earned new pins for the different learning clubs that they have worked hard to get into. They also earned awards for their academic achievements, reading goal, behavior, attendance. We recognized two "soaring eagles" and two "class bucket fillers." I am so proud of each student! Awards! on PhotoPeach

My BIG Nonfiction Researchers

Students have been SO excited about reading nonfiction books, researching a particular animal, and learning so many new facts!! The first two pictures were the "research" that we did together as a class to try to figure out just how big a baby gray whale is and how much it weighs as an adult gray whale. We talked about how you don't just read nonfiction from one cover to the end. Instead, you can read one fact and think about it, make comparisons, and reread it several times so that you understand what the book is teaching you.

Putting the "FUN" in Functional Writing

The purpose of teaching Functional Writing is for students to understand that they need to step by step explain all of the details involved in whatever process they are writing about. To illustrate this point in a "FUN" way, I asked students how many of them knew how to make Kool-Aid. Almost every student said that they had, especially since we made it several times in Kindergarten. I had students write and draw the steps on their papers. Then... I read two different student papers and followed the steps exactly how they were written. Which resulted in the following pictures and actions below, including pouring water and Kool-Aid on the table (because the direction just said "pour the water", but didn't specify where and how much) and drinking the Kool-Aid from the table in one picture and from the packet in another (again because the students didn't specify the details). This demonstration was fun and engaging and really helped students see the importance of sequencing their steps and providing lots of DETAILS!

Holiday Class Pictures