We Heart Being First!: 2014

Monday, December 22, 2014

Christmas Fun!

We had a lot going on during the three weeks before Christmas! Here are a few pictures from December!

We graphed!

Is your tree real or artificial?

We measured various Christmas Trees in inches and recorded the results!

Who doesn’t love using glitter!!!

We worked on time! We moved the clock ahead 1 hour each day. We also recorded what we are doing at that time. Now we see exactly what we do over a 24 hour period.

We practiced on odd and even numbers by adding 1 mitten to the chart each day. This ia a great visual for odd and even numbers!

Word problems are fun when they’re about presents and ornaments!!

Of course we did so much more, but never think to make pictures during this hectic time.
Merry Christmas to you all!

Monday, November 17, 2014

You would have thought it was Christmas when I gave out the Wikki Sticks today. We were practicing time and these make perfect hands for the clock! I kept hearing, “You’re the best teacher ever!” HA! HA! I was thinking, not really, because it took me 69 days to remember to get them out!! Anyway, they had a blast! I let them take them home, along with the clock. Due to the excitement, I feel like they will be practicing at home!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Monthly Math

We have compiled some of our favorite math activities into Monthly Math Packs! Inside each pack you will find a variety of activities. You do not have to use everything! You probably won't have time! There are several activities that you might want to use every week…not just one day. The skill levels are varied so that you can differentiate as needed. We have been using most of these activities for 25+ years. We have been through Math Their Way, Marilyn Burns, Math Investigations, Calendar Math and 7 or 8 different textbook adoptions. We would love to give credit where credit is due, but we honestly don’t remember where all the different ideas came from! Most ideas were tweaked a little to fit our style or theme, but most ideas did originate from somebody! If it was YOU and you want credit, let us know. We will gladly give it to you.

Here is the link to January!

Here is the link to December!

Here is the link to November!

Here is the link to October!

Here is the link to September!

Here is the link to August!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Spooktacular Nouns

We have been working on common and proper nouns. Today, we went on a little hunt and found eyeballs all around the room! Some were common nouns and some were proper nouns.

The students had to write the words in the appropriate columns. Simple, but fun! It's always fun to get up and move around the room...while learning!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Runaway Pumpkin

Here's a little FREEBIE to add to your Halloween collection or sub tub.
Read the book The Runaway Pumpkin by S.D. Schindler.
Then have the students read the statements and decide if they did or did not happen in the story. Then have them cut and paste yes or no in the box next to the statements.

To get it click here.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Trick or Treat Roll and Add

Today we played roll and add using this cute little witch game board. The children take turns rolling, add two to the number rolled, and cover their number. The person with the most covered at the end is the winner. We used the cute little candy corn and Frankenstein erasers I found at Target last year in the dollar section to cover the numbers. I've looked this year, but haven't found them again sadly. If you find them, grab them up. Well, you KNOW how they love competition. They had a blast and didn't want to stop to go to PE. Some played the game three times.

Monday, October 20, 2014

50th Day of School

It is hard to believe that it is already the 50th day of school! Where has the time gone???

Of course our number of the day was 50. We have a certain format we use to work with our number of the day. After watching me model for the first 30 days of school, they finally get to take turns doing it on the interactive board. The kids love using the interactive board to show what all they know about numbers. We also practice once a week on paper so parents can see what we do everyday!

Then we played a game called "Rockin' and Rollin' to 50". We played Teacher vs. Students first on the white board! I show no mercy and always try to win!! Today, they did! We were going back and forth trying to get the last square! They finally rolled a "1" and won the game!

After the whole group game, they played with a partner! I let them play two times so they would have a game page to take home! Plus, each child had a part on the bottom to do. They had to write to 50 by 2's.

After all that Math...WE HAD TO DANCE!

We had a lot of twistin' goin' on!

It's really hard to capture "dancing" in a picture, but trust me, they were good!!!

Monday, October 13, 2014

The Little Orange House

This is one of my favorite activities to do during the month of October. It's a story about a little witch that was looking for a house. She found a piece of construction paper and decide to make a house.

First, she folded the paper in half. Next, she cut the corners to make a roof. Then, she cut herself a door. She had to make a point at one side for her tall hat. She thought her house was perfect, but maybe just a little dark. So, she cut herself a window. Now, her house was perfect.
She went back outside a saw a little ghost. The ghost was sad and crying because he had no where to live. She invited the ghost to live with her and even made the ghost his own special door. In the end, the lived happily ever after!

Of course the actual story is a lot longer, with more detail, but you get the picture. I do it in front of the kids and then ask if they'd like to see inside the witches house. When I open up the house they are amazed!!!

Next I pass out paper and let each of them to the house. I retell the story, telling them exactlly where an how to cut. I've been doing this 26 years. Believe me, you will have atleast 1 (more like 3) that will not listen and then you will have tears. Just do it again for those while the others clean up!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Peas and Carrots

Does anybody out there still use painted Lima beans for math activities? I have had mine for 25+ years and they are really starting to show it! I may need to paint some more of these real soon! When doing the Spill the Beans activity, I always use the term "Peas and Carrots" because my beans are green and orange. I think I started saying this about 15 years ago, after doing a Marilyn Burns math activity. It just kind of stuck with me. And it sticks with the kids too. They know the equation has to match the picture. Peas first. Then carrots.

Some of the YOUNGER teachers has not heard of this saying. I started to question myself and googled it! There are a million examples of PEAS AND CARROTS! I'm not totally crazy!

Friday, September 19, 2014

I Have Who Has

I Have Who Has is a GREAT way to practice the High Frequency Words that your first graders are learning with the Wonder Reading Series! In this pack you are getting all the HFW for the entire year. You students will love playing this while practicing valuable vocabulary and listening skills! The kids love it!! And they are actually getting pretty good at it!!

Click here for this fun activity!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Wonders Social Studies and Science

We needed help with science and social studies grades! We love how our reading series incorporates Science and Social Studies, but had no way of getting "graded papers" for parents. That is why we developed this supplement that will provide activities to teach your first grade curriculum as well as follow along with the Wonders Reading Series. We have provided one to two activities for each week of the school year. Each week you will be covering skills taught in the first grade science and social studies curriculum. Even if you are not a Wonders Reading Series school, you will find many helpful activities that could be used for a grade or to assess learning.

Click here to see this!

Monday, August 25, 2014

Monthly Homework

If you have been looking for meaningful homework that reviews the skills being taught in first grade, this 73 page packet is for you. Included are monthly packets filled with lots of activities covering skills in all subject areas. It is intended to be sent home the first of the month and returned when completed, or at the end of the month. There are several suggestions for ways we have used this successfully in the teachers notes at the back of the packet. The monthly homework starts in September and goes through May with a blank for June for anyone who wants to create their own summer homework. By creating a packet that can be sent home monthly, you are giving your students the privilege of working at their own pace around their schedules. It has been a wonderful supplement to our first grade classrooms. Please see the preview to see what we have included.

In this packet you will get word work activities, math practice, language and writing activites, science activities, and social studies activites. Each monthly packet also includes a reading log for the month to encourage reading.

Click here to get this packet!

Monday, August 18, 2014

High Frequency Words for Wonders

This High Frequency Word packet goes with the Wonders Reading Program for first grade. These are the words for Start Smart and Units 1-6. This is all you need for the entire year! The 63-page packet includes:

~Weekly words in a flash card format
~Weekly assessment
~Unit words in a flash card format
~Unit assessment

Click here for the packet!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Wonders First Grade Supplements

Here are all the supplemental units for WONDERS FIRST GRADE! We thought this would make it easier for you to find what you needed. You can find everything you need right here for Start Smart through Unit 6. We hope this helps!!