Picnic at Apple Park

Munching on our snacks

Sitting on our parachute to avoid the itchy grass. To add a lesson to our picnic, we talked about pairs and colors as each student and a partner had to share a color to sit on.

This week in our Treasure's book we read about families that went on a picnic at Apple Park. So, we too decided we needed to go on a picnic as we are a big family at school. Next week we will be learning about Johnny Appleseed, so instead of apples we decided on graham crackers, gold fish, and juice boxes(student's choice). It was great to get the students out of the classroom and seeing the excitement on their faces to realize that school and learning can be fun.

A is for Apple

Our brainstorming complete!

This week was all about letter A. First, we always talk about the sound the letter makes and then think of words that have that sound. You'll notice words like August and April or students names that don't have the 'a' sound like apple, but the students identified they all start with letter A. This was due to the fact that we have these things posted around the room for them to see. It was nice to see that they could identify letter A.

After we talk about the letter as a whole group, the students then journal. Depending on their level, some focus on writing the letter and some work on writing words that begin with the letter. This is done as a quiet activity so that students can focus. I whisper, "You may move on" after they have shown me some of A's they have drawn. They can then move on to writing words. If they move on to words, they must provide a quick sketch. For example, if they write the word apple they must then draw a picture of an apple. I really emphasized the word quick when I introduced this activity as I did not want the students spending too much time drawing. The students really like this as it lets them express their creativity with their drawings, but it lets me see where they are at with their writing.

Library before and after

After                            Before

We finally have a new library! We got rid of the big cart and added some cubbies. There are still a lot of books to put away, but this is more kid-friendly! I can't wait to post more pictures of the work were doing to room 4!

Letter M

The big letter M was done during whole group instruction, and the smaller M's were done individually by the students.

Learning all about M was a lot of fun! We sorted M and M candies into different colors, went on a scavenger hunt around the school to find things that started with letter M, and made our very own M's to decorate our classroom window with. I have a wide variety of ability levels and you can see that in the picture above. Some of my students were able to start writing words and other focused on how to write the letter. Before we started writing on our own M's, we circled the M's on our big classroom M paper.

Reading is so much fun, it will give you GOOSEBUMPS

Artwork done by the students.

The book fair was here while conferences were going on. The entire school participated in a door decorating contest. Only rule was that it had to have the saying, reading books is so much fun it will give you goosebumps. As you can see above, the students created puppet monsters. To give it more meaning, the students had to count the objects that they were using out loud to me. For example, one student used 5 eyes, 4 different markers, and 1 colored streamer. The students had a lot of fun creating them even though we did not win. I think they had even more fun saying that I looked like their monster. I now need to rethink my wardrobe :)

5 Senses

Musical instrument made by one of the students in room 4.

We spent an entire week learning all about our 5 senses. On Monday we listened to six different objects that were inside of blacked out containers. The students then had to draw a picture of what they thought might be inside the containers. We then had a whole group conversation discussing the different sounds we heard before revealing what was actually inside. They loved this!

On Tuesday we smelled different objects. We had to use words to describe what we thought it smelled like before we could guess. Did is smell sweet or sour? Did it burn our noses to smell? Did it smell good or bad? Many of the students guessed the smells right away! 

On Wednesday I put 10 objects on a tray to see. The students got into a line (this is a great way to practice standing in line with a bubble in our mouths and our hands behind our back) and walked by the tray. I then took away one of the objects and had the students walk back through trying to guess which object I took away. Some of my students surprised me as they knew each object I took away.

On Thursday we put our hands into paper sacks and had to describe what we were feeling. Was it soft or hard? Before we started, we discussed what different words meant like smooth or rough. It was a great activity to get kids talking and learning new words. I was surprised that some of them were so hesitant on putting their hands into a bag as they were scared of what was inside. To help, I also put my hand in the bag. If they were still hesitant, I did not push it.

And finally, on Friday, we were able to taste different foods. My kids begged me to buy Taki's, a spicy type of chip, as I had never tried them. If they sampled all the foods I brought for them to try, I promised I would try the Taki. The students sampled limes, bakers chocolate, different fruits, and some different flavored crackers. I then tried the Taki. It was unbelievably spicy! I guess that is what you get when you teach in the southwest. The students giggled as I started to sweat, but it was only fair as I laughed at their faces when they ate the lime.

I had a lot of fun learning with the students and getting away from paper pencils for a while. These students always seem to find a way to put a smile on my face.

We CAN grow!

Busy Students CAN Grow!

The students in room 4 have many sight words to learn this year. To help us better understand and learn the words, we're going to add an exciting twist. Not only did we learn about the word, we also focused on our fine motor skills. The students traced their hands, cut it out, and wrote 'I can cut' on the back. This was a huge task for the students, but they handled it well! 

In AZ, the sun quickly changed the color of our bulletin board paper. I apologize for the sun blocking part of the photo, and for the sun changing part of the coloring as well.

Safety First!

School Bus Safety!

Week 1 was filled with lots of rules and procedures. To add a little excitement, we colored some busses to help decorate the outside of our classroom. We talked about how to color and using colors that make sense. For being 5, they did a phenomenal job! I'm so excited for my first year of teaching to unfold.

Where do I begin?

From the first day of school to our first conferences, all I can say is that teaching is what I was meant to do. I've been so exhausted that I felt as though I couldn't function and I've been in tears because I felt like I had no clue what I was doing. All I know is that each day is different than the next, and we're finally figuring out how things work in room 4. 

Room 4 is getting some upgrades and we're rearranging the way things look. It's a bit messy, but I can't wait to show before and after pictures. In the meantime, I will be posting some of the work we will be doing. Enjoy!

-Mrs. Brown