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!!!