Crabs!

We had a little fun with crabs last Friday!!  We read all about marine crabs and hermit crabs!!  Then we went crab hunting!!  They chose  6 crabs from a bucket and glued them in ABC order on a strip of "sand".  Next they wrote the words on a sheet and used each word in a sentence.  We also stayed busy with crab facts, more ABC order, watched videos of hermit crabs changing shells, and making paper plate crabs!!  I remembered to take a few pictures!! 

Beach

It's that time of year again!!  I love ending the year with a beach theme, filled with lots of review!!  Of course a trip to the beach always helps get me in the mood!!   We always bring back a bag full of shells for incentives!!   When I see good behavior, I send them to the "sand" to pick out a shell!  They love it!!  You'd think I'd brought back gold!!  Here's a little picture of what my world was like for 4 days!!  I hope it helps to get YOU in the mood too!

I have a complete Beach/Ocean Animal Unit available on TPT.  If you are interested in the 93-page unit, you can click HERE to get it!  A snapshot of the preview is below!!  It is full of ideas to keep your kids engaged the entire month of May!!

We started our day off brainstorming things we already know about FISH!

Then it's time to read Swimmy!  The kids love the story and it teaches them a valuable lesson too.  We painted a huge Swimmy and his friends for the hallway!!  The rest of the day will be spent reading and learning about many different kinds of fish!!

We even had time for paper-plate fish!

Time to log into our "Under The Sea" booklet.  At the end of the day the "underwater experts" write a few facts about the ocean animal we studied.  It's interesting to see which facts stuck in their minds!!

We are still having fun with our plant study, even though there is no sign of our lima bean plants sprouting anytime soon!!  I hope the pack of seeds were actually good seeds!  They will be so disappointed!!  Fortunately, our grass heads are growing!!  Some thought it was time for a hair cut! 

We've been reviewing greater than and less than with numbers to 120.  Check it out!

The activities above came from our PLANTS Math Unit. If you are interested, check it out on TPT by clicking on the title above!  It includes other skills as well.
Here is the preview page!

We also have a 43 page Science Unit on PLANTS. If you are interested, click HERE.  You can download the preview to see what all is included!!  This has been our top seller on TPT!

We did a hallway display on "How To Plant A Seed", using one of the sheets from the science unit.  Since we are a school that focuses on the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, we just had to have a cute sign to go with it!! 

Fact Families FREEBIE

Here is an addition and subtraction FREEBIE to use for practice with  fact families. Our first graders love making the connection between addition and subtraction. They also love the challenge of making their own related number families. We always use the story of the three bears.  They can SO relate to this.  The biggest number is daddy, the middle size number is mama, and the little number is baby.  The numbers are a family that works together and there are no more bears ( numbers) in the family that can be used. 
                            Click here to grab this FREEBIE!
       

Observing Seeds

We started our Plant Unit this week!!  We started out with the kids observing, sorting and measuring with seeds!  They had a blast!!  It's always fun when magnifying glasses are included!!

Then we looked INSIDE OUR SEED!! 

They found the seed coat, food storage, and the little baby plant called the embryo!! 

 

Then it was time to plant!! 

They wrote the steps on a construction paper pot and put a flower inside!! 

 And now we wait!!!

St. Patrick's Day

Around St. Patrick's Day we always practice ABC Order.   I gave them leprechaun cards with 5 words on them.  I was able to differentiate by giving highter students ABC order to 2nd or 3rd letter.  Each child got what they needed!! They had to write the words in ABC order and then use the word in a sentence.  These cards are in my St. Patrick's Day Pack O'Fun!  Click here here if you would like that.  It's on SALE from now until the 17th!!

Next, I had them cut out BIG words from a newspaper.  I didn't tell them why.  After we had all the words cut out and the mess cleaned up, I told them we were glueing them in ABC Order on a green piece of paper!!   We glued on Mr. Leprechaun to hold the paper!!  Cute in the hallway!   And they loved it!!  No idea they were learning!  :D

We also worked on Greater Than and Less Than!! Using the signs to compare is new to them. Earlier this week I used several different visuals (pacman, alligator,etc) to model the < and > signs and how they work. So today, I pulled out the St. Patrick's Day boys and shamrocks. They worked with a partner to make 8 Greater Than Less Than sentences that were true. Then they recorded them on the paper.  They did a great job.  If you would like a copy of this, it is available in my TPT store.  Click HERE.

 

Look at the difference in the first 3 pictures and the last 2 pictures!!  NOTE TO SELF...When you get a new phone, remember to remove the plastic that is covering the camera!  :D

Potatoes! Leprechauns! Gold! Oh My!

We started off reading The Hungry Leprechaun!  This is one of my favorite books!  I love the story.  I love the illustrations.  I love Tippery!  And I love how it gets us all ready for some potato and leprechaun fun!!

Right after reading the book, we did some Potato Activities!  The first thing I do is bring out a 10 pound bag of potatoes.  Of course, I don't tell them what it weighs.   I let them guess!  They have to lift the bag.  You wouldn't believe the answers!!  NO ONE guesses under 10 pounds!  After we weigh them, each child gets their own potato.  They observe with a magnifying glass and record what they find.  Here are the sheets we used to record the results.  Record sheets are in my St. Patricks Day Pack of Fun.  Click here if you are interested!

 

 

 

We also measured them, weighed them, and graphed our favorite ways to eat a potato!

 

 

Unfortunately, they were not heavy enough to activate the scales!!  So, on to plan B!! 

 

I had one of the students hop on the scales!!  (I was certainly NOT going to volunteer!)  He weighed 59 pounds.  (Close to my weight, but not exactly!!)  Then we had him hold the bag of potatoes and weigh again!  Now he weighs 69 pounds!!    Hmmmm... Time for a little math!    They were amazed to find out that the heavy bag of potatoes was only 10 pounds!!

 

 

 

 

Next, I gave each of them a sheet of 8 potatoes.  They choose 8 of their spelling words and put a word on each potato.  Then I had them make a bag. (Don't laugh)  Once the bag and potatoes were cut out, they glued the words in ABC Order. 

 

You could also use the potato words for ABC Order.  We just choose to use Spelling words.

 

I let them get with their Buddy Read partners to practice reading I Like Potatoes.  There is a copy of the poem in my "St.Patrick's Day Pack of Fun".  Click here if you are interested in that!  Afterwards we graphed our favorite way to eat potatoes...skins, french fries, mashed, baked, or chips!  The graph is also included in the "St.Patrick's Day Pack of Fun".  Again, click here for the pack!

Last we read, Jamie O'Rourke and The Big Potato.

I love, love, love this book!!  We talk about how Jamie O'Rourke is the laziest man in all of Ireland.  I ask if any of them have heard the expression "Couch Potato" and what that means.  Then I ask...Do you know a couch potato??   Most all of my kids say MY DAD!  And I want to holler MY HUSBAND!  :D 
So, next we make a big couch!  We put a face and clothes on a potato and lay down on the couch.  Then the kids write about WHY their _____ is a couch potato.  I've had a few say it was their mom or an older sibling, but 9 times out of 10 it is the dad!!  Things that make you go hmmmmmm!

We have a lot of St. Patrick's Day activities coming up in the next 10 days!!  If you are interested in our Pack O'Fun, you can find it on TPT!!  Hopefully I'll have time to upload some of the activities that we're doing!  If you have any quesitons or comments, let me know!  Click here for the Pack O'Fun and here for a fun FREEBIE with the number 17!!

Finally, I've found a little time to BLOG!  Hasn't February been crazy!?!?!  Between all the days leading up to Valentine's Day, President's Day activities, a Boosterthon FunRun and getting to come in late 3 times this month, I've had ZERO extra time to blog!!!  Yes, we got to come in 3 different mornings at 10:00!!  And all for no reason really!!  But hey!  I'm not complaining!  I loved it!  I'm still waiting on SNOW!  (not going to happen here!)

We have been working so hard with Place Value and numbers to 120!  We used several different Valentine's Day sheets to assess what has been learned.  This is one of my favorite!!  We have done many different Mystery Pictures using the 100 Chart.  This one is a little different.  The students did this one on their own!  They read each hint and then had to find the number and color it.  Here is one students finished paper.

 

If you would like to do this with your students, click here.

Thank you Dreamlike Magic for giving us our new look!!  We ♥ it!!

Hello!

Hi!  We are two first grade teachers from Alabama!   Between the two of us, we have taught nearly 42 years.  We are still passionate about teaching and we're both obsessed with new ideas! We have spent the past year in awe of all the creative teachers out there.  We have spent countless hours blog-hopping each night when everyone has gone to bed.  And YOU have spent countless hours creating and sharing with teachers all over the world.  

Honestly, we have created many different things for our classrooms, too.  We have decided to jump head first into this blog thing and share with you!  It's our hope that there might be someone out there that can use something of ours!!  So...here's a little of what we're doing, in first grade, down in Alabama.  You've inspired us!!!

 We ♥ BEING FIRST!!!!  Don't you?!?!?