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

FUN Friday Treats!

In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, Nicholas and his mom provided a Fun Friday snack for our class that had a little assembly required! The kids had a blast painting their ice cream cone Christmas tree with green icing and decorating their "tree" with lots of edible goodies. Thanks for making their treat so fun and delicious!

Sharing Talents

Our class was fortunate to have Mason's big brother, Jake come to our class and share his talent with us. He brought in his saxophone and played some Christmas songs for the kids. They got to sing along and then ask him questions about learning to play an instrument. Thanks so much Jake!!

Morning Readers!

I feel so fortunate to have parents who are willing to come read to my students 15 minutes before our school day officially begins. It is usually a hectic, crazy time for me getting last minute preparations ready for the day. What a wonderful gift for my students to have a morning reader begin their day with a book! These readers are simply parents who want to share their gift of reading, interacting with students, and sometimes making them laugh and surprising them! Below is Mason's dad reading a holiday book to the students. Before he read the book, he pulled out his Santa costume and beard and hat from his bag and put it all on for the students. They were so excited! Thank you Mr. Owens and thank you to all of the parents who have volunteered as a morning reader for our class!

Kevin Henkes Centers

The students had an incredible day last Friday dressing up as their favorite Kevin Henkes character and rotating through fun centers. They played Kevin Henkes bingo and showed off their knowledge about Kevin Henkes as an author, his characters, and his books. They watched an animated version of his books and enjoyed some "cheesy" snacks. They went to the "Lightbulb Lab" and used their imagination and creativity to create letters, puppets, and much more. They made purple purses and wallets, decorated ties, and made movie-star sunglasses (inspired from Kevin Henkes' book-Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse). The students had a blast and it was so nice to see the students being so creative! We ended the day with students performing their scripts of a Kevin Henkes book in front of our class. They practiced turn taking, using loud reading voice, using intonation, and taking on the role of the character. It was a super "mousey" day! Kevin Henkes Centers on PhotoPeach