Watch Me As I Grow: A Collection of Self Portraits/Writing Samples Throughout the Year

Watch Me As I Grow

First Grade is a huge year of growth for first graders.  Each year I do a scrapbook for my kids with lots of pictures throughout the year.  In this packet I am including the “main pages” that I put into my scrapbook.  Each month we do a number of different things that I hold onto to share with my first grade parents at the end of the year.  I start with the cover.  Each month I have the kids do their self portrait.  This is the first page of their monthly collection.  I then have them do a name writing sample and they write as many words as they know how to spell.  I then include a class picture and a couple snapshots that I have taken throughout the month.  I put this book together month by month so that the first grade parents can see the progression that their child has made throughout the year.  I sometime add random journal entries in these books, or whatever else I have collected throughout the year.  Have fun!

Clip Art From:  Creative Keepsakes & Scrappin Doodles

You can purchase all 40 pages at my TPT store by clicking on the link:

http://classic.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Watch-Me-As-I-Grow-Collections-Throughout-the-Year

Parent Information Night: Guided Reading Idea

It's been a busy beginning of the school year and I am loving my class.  We have been sooo busy learning about each other and how to work well together in our classroom.  We have learned rules, routines and we have been learning each other's names.  To top all lf that off...we had our Parent Information Night last night.  One of the areas that I talk about is Guided Reading.  We play a game (from Mad Gab) where I give each person a card.  I have them try to read the words and make sense out of them.  Most people cannot figure out what is on their card or what the words mean.  I tell them that this is what kids sometimes feel like when we hand them a book to read.  For most of our kids, the words are foreign and really don't mean anything.  I then tell them that we need to teach kids strategies to figure out what the words mean.  I have them try to say the words slowly and think about what makes sense.  After reading the cards, some parents are able to figure out what their words mean.  This is so much what like reading is like for our first graders.  They need to learn to use strategies, such as looking at picture clues, re-reading the words, asking what makes sense, etc.  Finally, I have leveled books (a 3, 8 and 16) to show what the different levels of books look like.  I am downloading the cards that I put out at PIN for the parents to read. 

                                                                Click here for picture cards

Writer's Workshop Bin Labels

Today was officially my first day back at school.  After sitting through four hours of meetings this morning and working another four in my classroom, I still feel like I have a lot to do.  Today I spent some time creating some labels for different parts of my room.

Throughout the year my first graders write different kinds of books during Writer's Workshop.  I have them put completed books in a bin with their name on them.  At the end of the year, we celebrate our writing accomplishments during Author's Tea...where we read our best story.  Let's face it...most kiddos coming into first grade are barely writing.  By the end of the year they are creating books.  That's a lot to be proud of!!!



                                                          Click HERE to download labels

Reality Finally Set In...

 I packed up my car...

 It was full!

 View as I entered my room...

 Everything in the corner...

Minor heart attack....

Looking to the right of my room...

My boys came and brought me McDonald's for lunch!  This really made me smile!!!

And a GIANT COOKIE.  I ate it all!!!!  The chocolate chips were the size of quarters!

All my laminating on the floor...

Another view....

Love my new sign!  Thanks to Vistaprint...it was free!

Labels on individual book bins for reading...

I had to take this picture of my trash.  It was proof to me...even though it didn't seem like it, I actually did get stuff done!

I couldn't avoid it any longer.  I finally went back to school to start setting up my classroom today.  We have workshops starting on Monday with time set aside to work in our classrooms...but let's face it, with me being a social person and with team meetings scheduled, I knew I would not get ANYTHING done in my room with other people in the morning.  So...today I packed up my car (with all the stuff I have been collecting and working on at home) and headed into school.  I was there from 9:30 - 6:15 p.m. or so.  I feel like I got nothing done and one of the reasons is because I have discovered the blogging world.  I feel like a brand new teacher because of all the ideas I have found on blogs that I follow.  I am soooo excited to start the new year!  I took some pictures of my room today...as I started and as I walked out the door. I have sooo much left to do!  I'll post pictures later of my walls and areas of my class.  Monday is coming WAY to soon!

Summer Fun

So...this isn't really a school post...well maybe a little bit...but not really. After being out of school since June 5th, I have spent every day with my 2 kids and I LOVE it. BUT...out of the 19 or so days we've been out of school, it's rained almost EVERY single day of them. We had maybe 2 really NICE days where we sat out at the pool and I fried myself because I didn't wear sunscreen. Odd that I lather it on my own kids...and lecture my kids at school about it...but I didn't do it myself. So for 1 1/2 weeks I was in pain and learned my lesson. Anyway this past week has been rainy, and I have blog stalked a lot and have gotten most of my lesson planning done for September and 1/2 of October. My husband and I also sat and bailed water out of our sump pump for 2 hours early one morning this week because we lost the power and because of all the rain...we didn't want our basement to flood. I have also have my 2 kids attached at my hips because at almost 4 feet tall they can't let me go out of their sight because of the 1 inch centipede we saw crawling in our bathroom the other morning...and crazy...but they think it is going to find them and eat them up. We have researched centipedes and found they are pretty harmless, but that still isn't preventing them from sleeping in my bed at night. I think I am going to pretend lie and say I found it and vacuumed it up! After this week, and the constant begging of my friend to come with her to Country Fest, and the week I have had...I decided at last minute I was going to go. SOOO...tomorrow morning I leave my babies (yes they are 7 and 9 and I still call them my babies) with my hubby. I was running around and doing last minute things and had to clean all the school pictures off my camera (which I was sad about...but there were over 500 of them since April). I had to do it because I am so convinced Josh Turner is going to find me out of 10,000+ people and sing..."Why Don't We Just Dance" to just me! :) I found this one picture on my camera that I wanted to share before I go because I know many teachers were probably feeling this way during their last weeks of school...and it's how I feel now! I took it during our chick unit at school in April...and NO...it is NOT dead!  Hopefully the rain will clear up for the next 4 days because I am taking mini vacation from my vacation! :)

Getting To Know Your Students

I start every year with a book about us (each child in our class).  I sent home the templates during our Open House in the fall.  As each kid brings them back, I insert them into sheet protectors in a 3 ring binder.  I have a cute cover on the top of the binder,  The first pages are of me and my family.  The kids absolutely LOVE this book.  In the past, I took the pages out and sent them home with the kids, but 2 years ago I did not.  My kids LOVED looking at this book…and loved reading about kids that I have had in my class in the past.  Some of the kids they played sports with, some were neighbors and some they went to daycare with. 

CLICK HERE FOR FORMS

Ending Sounds in Words

In beginning of the year we work a lot on hearing sounds in words.  We listen for beginning sounds and ending sounds.  When doing free journal writing time I will not tell my kids how to spell words.  I will either refer them to their word walls on their desks, the word walls in the room or I will tell them to sound out their words as best as they can.  At first they ask a lot...but they know that I won't tell them...I will only encourage them to use their strategies.  Soon they are hearing beginning middle and ending sounds in their words.  This activity that I am posting works with ending sounds in words.  Students will look at the picture card, say the word and say the ending sound that they hear.  They will then place it on the correct mat that ends with the same sound.  Finally they will record it onto the recording paper.  Enjoy!  If you like this activity leave me a note! :)  Tell me what else you would like to see.

                      Click here for ending sounds in words activity