You're never going to believe it: MORE SNOW is coming my way. I would like to act like it bothers me that I'm going to spend the first part of June in a school building, but let's be honest - the last week of school is always fluff anyway, so I'm okay with a few extra days at the end of the year. My motto: embrace the snow. I can't control the weather, so why complain about it? Anyways... We've been working on the not-contractions the past few days in language arts, and as nerdy as it sounds, I've really liked teaching it! I started with the chart pictured below. I wrote the little poem at the top, which we've been reciting each day as reminder about what a contraction is. I showed them how you can substitute the 'o' with an apostrophe for every one except "cannot." We used green painters tape to eliminate the 'o' and then the students volunteered to write the contraction to complete the "contraction equation." We also played Contraction Kid Match-Up. I gave each student a pre-printed name tag with either a contraction on it or the two words that make the contraction (if you want the Word doc, email me!). Then, they had to search the room for their partner. Once they matched up, the students returned to me and I gave them a paper "contraction kid" to decorate and to put their name tag on. We hung them up on our cubbies as a visual reminder of the not-contractions. The kids LOVED finding their match and it was a great physical reminder {for those kinesthetic learners!} that 2 words make up a single contraction. I thought they turned out pretty stinkin' cute :) Of course, we're also doing contraction activities in one of our literacy centers. I stole this idea from the amazingly creative Sarah Cooley of First Grader...at Last!. I purchased the cupcakes from our local school supply store. I also made a recording sheet for my students to use. You can download it by clicking the picture below. I also made a contraction memory game. You can also download it by clicking the picture below. Lastly, to ensure their learning, the students completed a quick contraction quiz. You can download it by clicking the picture below. * * * * * Some other exciting things going on in first grade lately have included: More of Deanna Jumps' Snow Unit & timelines in math. {Does anyone dislike Everyday Math as much as I do?! It bounces around so much it drives me bananas!!!} Deanna, if you're reading: EVERYONE has complimented this activity! They are DARLING! {As always, please let me know if a link isn't working! You can always email me for a document, too!! I'd also love to hear if you have any great contraction activities!!!!!} Happy Wednesday and, if you're in the midwest: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!
Oh mah word, we have had a busy weekend. The kitchen isn't complete, so don't get excited. We're working on a DIY schedule, which means that progress is regularly interrupted by we-don't-know-what-the-heck-we're-doing moments. So, we have to call on the experts. The experts being B's dad and Matt, my brother-in-law, and of course Google. {Please note: My husband is also an expert and is single-handedly attacking this kitchen with more know-how than I could even imagine having. He's kind of awesome like that.} When it finally stopped snowing, our super sweet built-in electrician {i.e. Matt} came over to move and add new outlets to the kitchen, and B and his dad made it out to Lowes to exchange half of what we bought last Monday. Measurements were a wee bit off. The drywalling is almost complete, with one more round of joint-compound to go on tomorrow (it takes fo-eva). I'm going to quit saying we're going to paint and do the floors because every time I think it's going to happen, it doesn't. ***** In other news, my son has created a new dance that we've coined the Booty-Shaker. It looks a little something like this: Kid's got moves. Probably from watching his momma belt it out to Britney into a hairbrush. I, too, was doing the Booty-Shaker when I saw how many of you have ordered my Clipboard Classroom Activities at TpT. THANK YOU!!!! I mean, I was 12 kinds of excited to sell one, but y'all made me more like 1200 kinds of excited! Again: thank you, thank you, thank you! We also celebrated my nephew Sutton's birthday this weekend. As if it weren't enough to have one crazy two-year-old boy in our family, now we have two! And boy do those boys keep us busy. My sister and I already talk about the crazy shananigans we're going to get calls about in a few years. I hope y'all had a great weekend! Have a super week :)
Niblet is a gerbilcorn — part-gerbil, part-unicorn — featured in Abby's Flying Fairy School. He is the class pet and enjoys eating anything he can get his paws on. In the first installment of the series, Mrs. Sparklenose warns Abby and her friends never to let a gerbilcorn get hold of their wands. No sooner has she said this than the red-furred, horned creature grabs Blögg's wand and starts to wreak havoc in the school. Ultimately, though, he does return the wand.
A number of researchers believe that symptoms of child traumatic stress could be mistaken for ADHD and that the risk of misdiagnosis is high. This is because there is an overlap between ADHD symptoms and the effects of experiencing trauma. Unless symptoms are examined closely, the profiles of child traumatic stress and ADHD can appear to be similar. We know that misdiagnoses are happening. Let's help change that. To download the full Guide go HERE
The abacus (the suanpan is the most useful variety) is a deceptively simple calculating tool still used all over the world. It's a useful learning device for the visually impaired, as well as for anyone who wants to learn the roots of the...
Need help teaching high school geometry proofs? These tips and activities will help students understand how to write proofs and will keep them engaged!
Why people choose to write to 'agony aunts' in an effort to solve their problems, I'll never know. Because why talk it through with friends and family when you can have it published in a newspaper for all to see? Sometimes I think that it's all a big scam that newspapers pull to titillate their readers with scandal, some of the scenarios are just beyond belief at times.
