Everything I Need to Know I Learned in First Grade

It was a rainy 4th of July here in Gracias.  We are in the middle of the rainy season.  It is very predictable.  The afternoons are scorching hot and right about 2 or 3 the sky opens up.  It has been a nice break in the heat.  It really cools things down and everything is so green right now.  I had intentions of going into town to do some shopping, but it started raining earlier than usual.  Instead I decided to get a start on all of the ideas that have been running through my head for the next school year. Many of you know I have gotten hooked on Pinterest.  I have gotten so many great ideas for things to try.  Here's a peek at some of the crafting I've been up to.

I found this idea for a giant Boggle game and adapted it by putting velcro on the letters so that I can change them out.  This will be great for earlier finishers to play in their notebook!

I saw this idea originally used for spelling homework.  I thought it might be a little much for first grade, but it is perfect as another activity for early finishers.  Students can choose any 3 activities to do in their spelling notebook that make a Tic-Tac-Toe.  If they get a "blackout" they will get a prize...

Another good idea was to write out the minutes around the clock to help with telling time.  The teacher had used circles, but my clock was a little small and I thought it looked cuter to make it a sun...

I am so tired of my students turning my Legos into guns, so I re-purposed them as a game for our literacy centers....

This isn't quite finished, but isn't this going to be a fun puzzle for my mathmaticians?

And finally my class rules....

What if everyone followed the rules of first grade?  We all know the popular poem "Everything I needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."  Now if we could just remember it, wouldn't the world be so much nicer?

197 Days

197 days of school.  27 first graders.  1 pencil stabbing.  100's of tears.  1,000's of smiles.  It's been a great school year.  Overall it has been the most challenging year in my 5 years of teaching.  Put 18 WILD boys and 9 sweet girls together and it's a recipe for chaos.  Throw in the fact that none of these 6 year old darlings speak English as their first language and we're crammed into a tiny classroom and you can see why I almost went crazy some days.

But don't let me fool you.  It was also one of my favorite classes.  They are some of the smartest, most respectful and sweet children I have ever had the privilege of working with.  I was blown away with their progress this year.  By the end of the year EVERY ONE of those 27 students was reading, writing and speaking in English.  Most of them were reading on or ABOVE grade level! 

In the next series of posts, I'll update what happened each month of school.  For now, I'll start with day one.  This year I did a Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom!  theme in my room.  We started with a unit on the alphabet, reviewing what they had learned in prepa the year before. 

I used a coconut tree I had and added velcro alphabet letters that I made from scrapbook paper and laminated.  We alphabatized, grouped by sounds, and acted out the story.  We also made a "Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom... Look Who's in Our Room!"  display where the students decorated their coconut tree and added alphabet stickers to spell their name.  It was a great unit to assess where my students were and where to begin. 

I'm already in the process of getting ready for the beginning of the next school year.  This year I'm going to have a reading theme with quotes and displays from some of my favorite children's books.  I started cutting out my Giving Tree.  I can't wait to show you the end result in August! 

For now it's back to moving.  I am in the process of downsizing now that I'm living alone for the summer.  Actually I'm just moving right next door.  It's a cute 2 bedroom house with a kitchen/living area.  I hope to post some pictures once everything is moved over and organized.  It's funny.  I've lived in 3 houses in Honduras and I can see them all from this house.  What can I say?  I live in a great area and have great neighbors.  I am really blessed.