Indoor Recess & Singing High Frequency

Rain, Rain, Go Away...or we will just sing and dance away! We had to have indoor recess today, and the kids voted on musical chairs...accompanied by Justin Bieber music!

Also, during our Reading Block we just love singing our high-frequency words. ENJOY!

Blogging by the Firsties!

I have decided to let the students start blogging! So keep up with our classroom blog, but also check out the students blogging skills! This blog will be totally student led. Also, please understand that the first graders are blogging only when they finish all of their classroom responsibilities. Don't mind the spelling errors, as this is just a fun way for the students to express their feelings about the day, and most of all to reflect-- (which is huge for the 1st graders!) Check it out, and leave comments!

Click here for Blogging by the Firsties!

So Far...SO FUN! Skyping with the UK!

To start our short week off...we had a skype date with another class! It was so interesting. We skyped a class all the way in the United Kingdom. We were able to ask questions, and get interesting answers. We asked them 3 questions...how many students are in their class, what is the weather like, and if they have a national anthem/pledge of allegiance. It was very informative, and exciting for the kids. The kids loved the way they spoke, and thought it was neat that they have a Queen. Enjoy some pictures!

P.S. We have a follow-up Skype with our class from the UK so that they can sing us their National Anthem!

This Week!

We have had a blast this week...we have had to put the car into reverse and review our rules again, but other than that, what a week! We have been using much more technology this week, and having fun with it. We started our "photo-challenges" this week, where the kids get the digital cameras, and they get to find the vocabulary words in the school in a matter of 6 minutes. So if one of the words was "amiable" they would need to find or create a picture for amiable, like 2 teachers smiling, since amiable means "nice and friendly." Anyways, here are a few of our fun sprinkles from this week!

New Me, Knew Me! 2012

Back to school, bundled up, & interviewing!

I am so excited for the firsties to be back. We started the week of with reviewing all of the rules, going over all the procedures, and protocol for the classroom. I was surprised at how many specifics of the rules the kids could reiterate to the class. Also- a little bragging on my class...yours truly has had this horrible throat 'thing" for a couple of days now, and now I am in the stage of limited voice. My little firsties were doing some of the talking for me, and really stepping up to be leaders in the class. I love them!

Anyways, so our project this week is..."NEW YEAR, KNEW ME" The kids all picked a buddy in the class, and had to conduct interviews with each other. Once the interviews were conducted the students must record the answers on their paper. Today, we will use our classroom digital cameras to record the interviews...should be fun! My main point for doing this is for the kids to express themselves, record answers, and use technology to document their learning. (Plus it's a really great memory maker too!)

Back to School!

As I sit here, in this empty classroom anticipating the kids arriving tomorrow...I have time to reflect. I am so thankful for this year, thus far. It has had its ups, and downs...but through everything lessons have been taught and learned. Each 1st grader I have in this room is a unique individual, and I am excited to see how much they have grown over break!

Goals for the New Year:
1. Read More (For fun!)
2. Step back a little, and let the kids lead more... (OH SO hard for a control-diva!)
3. Let things go (Let petty things go, instead of dwelling!)
4. Reflect More (On my day as a teacher, wife, etc.)
5. Be more merciful and gracious
6. Complete a 5k (Hopefully by March 3rd at Gasparilla!)
7. Focus on one project at a time
8. Get more organized
9. Integrate even more technology in the classroom with cameras/blogs/emails
10. Skype at least 4 other classes around the country/world