Mrs. Carter's Calling

Elf Yourself!

2011-12-19T07:53:00.002-05:00

May your Holiday be merry and bright!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all my families!

Elf yourself this holiday season by clicking here!

Mastery Club Challenge

2011-09-28T16:07:00.000-04:00

Mastery Club Challenge!

Brought to you by an amazing 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Renz, who has inspired thousands of teachers to do the same in their classrooms.

Welcome to the First Grade Challenge.
Follow this link to complete the challenges. You will need to scroll down the page until you see the actual challenges.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to complete as many challenges as possible.

Each challenge:

1) needs to be on its own piece of paper

2) the challenge subject and number must be clearly marked

3) turn it into the wooden box by my desk

For each challenge you complete, you will receive a star. You do not need to complete them in number order. Have fun and learn something new!

This is not mandatory and will be for fun. This is for those students who can NOT gain enough knowledge and love to learn!

...besides who doesn't like to see who can collect a lot of gold stars? :o)
I will introduce this at school and allow time for them to work on it here if they choose.

Numbers

2011-09-08T07:08:00.000-04:00

I am sure you all have received and read the letter from the principal yesterday. It is with such a heavy heart that I had to send this home. It is a difficult time in all of our lives as a classroom community. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no say over who stays and who goes on to the new class.
I do want to ask of you a few things.
First, please make this a positive experience for your child...no matter how upset you may be over this. Children are resilent and adapt extremely well. This is especially true if they know their parents are behind them 100%.
Second, please give the "new" teacher a chance. I was her back in 1993. I started after school had begun. I received 33 kindergarten students. (Yes, class sizes were huge then!!!) It was a great experience for me and the students. As a matter of fact, I just attended a graduation of a young lady who I taught that very first year. I have watched her grow and bloom over all of these years. She still says I was her best teacher EVER!!!! You may just have the same kind of experience.
Lastly, I am the team leader and school wide mentor for all new teachers. She will carry out a very similar plan and structure of her classroom as I do in my own. Perhaps, she will bring even more amazing things to the classroom that I am able to learn from her as well!
We had high numbers in 1st, 4th, and in 5th grade. The 1st grade teacher has not been hired yet. I imagine the process will be a couple of weeks.
Again, it breaks my heart to even think of losing one student to a new teacher. However, the positive side is that lower class sizes makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!!! Please believe me on that. It will be best for all students involved. The level of attention and focus your child will receive is impacted even with two extra children in the class.
Til then, I will let you know as soon as I know anything. Most days though, I am last to know.

First Grade Handbook

2011-08-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

I am very much looking forward to Open House on Thursday night. I understand some of the parents have siblings in the other grade levels that are meeting the same night we are meeting. I am placing the "Handbook" on the blog so you can refer to it at your convenience.
See you Thursday night!

Mrs. Carter’s First Grade Handbook

Clothing

First graders are involved in active learning. Despite our reasonable precautions your child may get dirty. Clothing should be comfortable and manageable. Your child should be able to use the bathroom and zip, snap, fasten, and tie clothing without assistance. If he/she wears tie shoes, please be working on tying skills.

Getting Ready

Be sure your child has the energy he/she needs by getting plenty of rest and starting his/her day with a good breakfast. School begins at 8:35 each day. Please do not send your child before 8:15 am. Dismissal is at 3:00 pm every day except Wednesday when it is 2:00pm. Please be on time to drop off and pick up your child.

Bathroom

Please work on independent skills. Children are permitted to use the bathroom at any time of the day. They are asked to use the bathroom before P.A.M. (P.E., Art, Music) and lunch. Please work on hand washing skills as this will help the germs from spreading.

Lunch

Our lunch time begins at 10:50 and lasts for 30 minutes. Please pack a nutritious lunch that you think your child will eat. (Candy and sodas should not be included.) Practice opening lunch box, food containers and a thermos at home. Be sure your child’s name is on all parts of his/her lunch box. The lunch menu is posted at SCPS website (www.scps.k12.fl.us). Your child will have his/her own lunch number which you should help him/her memorize as soon as possible. Each time your child makes a purchase, the cost will be deducted from the account balance. Please discuss with your child what he/she may buy: ice cream, cookies, chips, etc. Please discuss appropriate table manners with your child and encourage the same table manners that you expect at home. If you would like to come and have lunch with your child, please sign in at the front office and get a visitor’s name tag.

Transportation

One of the most important times of the day is dismissal. It is of utmost importance that your child arrives home safely every day. Please make sure he/she is aware of how they will go home. Under no circumstances will a child be sent home because he/she says they are going home by a different mode of transportation. I must have a written note or a phone call to myself or the front office stating if a child will be having a change of transportation. Please do not just leave a message on my voicemail with a transportation change, make sure you speak to me or the front office.

Dismissal

First graders are escorted to their designated dismissal areas a few minutes before the rest of the school is dismissed. Do not tell older siblings to come to get your child at dismissal time. Older siblings and/or parents should meet the first grader at his/her dismissal area.

Classroom Access

For the safety of all our children, all campus visitors are required to have a Visitor’s sticker (attained in Front Office) every time they are on campus. You must be a registered Dividend to assist in the classroom/go on field trips. If you signed up last year, you must sign up again this year. You may not volunteer in the classroom or go on field trips if you are not registered. This includes any family member who may be interested in volunteering at school.

Media Center

We will visit the media center weekly. In a few weeks your child will be bringing home the books he/she has checked out. Please remember to return the media book on or before the next media day. Our media day will be announced in the near future.

Accelerated Reading Program (AR)

First graders will begin participating in the AR program. Some of your children may have participated in kindergarten last year. We have many AR books in the classroom that the students may read during the day. They may also check out AR books from the media center. If you have a Seminole County library card, the Wekiva branch has a list of the books that Sabal Point students can take tests on. Your child will be able to take tests on a regular basis. He/she signs up in the classroom when they have completed reading a book. They may take as many tests as our schedule allots each day. Please encourage your child to read each book thoroughly as each test asks for specific details. Tests are taken on computers in the classroom as well as the media center. This is an outstanding program as it helps to strengthen comprehension, word recognition, fluency, etc.
Daily Take Home Folder

Your child has been given a green folder that is to come to school with him/her daily. The folder will contain notes from me, reminders, homework, etc. I ask that you check your child’s folder DAILY and take out all important information, then return it the next day. Take time to discuss the items in your child’s folder. I recommend looking through the folder together each day at home. If something is incomplete, please make sure your child finishes it and returns it to school the next day.

Birthdays
Birthday treats may be dropped off in the front office and will be distributed during lunch. There are 20 students in our class.

Homework

Homework sheets will be sent home on Monday each week. They will be placed in the front sleeve of the green take home folder. Homework is required in first grade. Homework will generally be assigned Monday through Friday. Please go over your child’s homework with him/her, but make sure he/she is doing the actual work. The homework needs to be done in pencil, no pen. Please make sure your child’s name is always on his/her homework.

Scholastic Book Orders

I try to send home book orders every month. With each book order our class earns free books for our classroom library. The due date for each book order will be stamped or written on each form. Please send a check made out to Scholastic Books, NO CASH. Please also remember to write your name on the order and return it to school by the due date.

Illness

If your child is ill please keep him/her at home until they are feeling better. Many times children hate missing class and want to go see their friends. I will be happy to send things home with a sibling, friend, or you may come pick up homework at the front desk if you like. Please write a note/call the office to excuse an absence. Students may not transport any type medication (including cough drops and chapstick) to school. Please be sure to complete and return the pink, green, and white card to school immediately so you can be reached if needed. (Be sure to update the cards during the year as needed.)

Classroom Donations

We are asking for a voluntary $10.00 classroom donation that will be used for our Scholastic News magazines as well as other classroom supplies. Budget cuts are preventing some of these things from being covered.
Show and Tell
Is a wonderful opportunity for your child to share something with the class that is special. Please help them think of three clues to tell about their object so we can guess what it is. You do not have to write these down. I will send home a bag when it is your child's day.

Week #2

2011-08-22T08:08:00.000-04:00

It is time to take off into our 1st grade curriculum! We had so much fun getting to know one another, the class routine, and all about our class community. We will begin working on our classroom community in regards to learning this week. This will solidify our routine and classroom expectations. 1st grade is a great place to be!

You will notice on the right hand side of the blog I have created a spot for homework and what we are doing in the classroom. I update this weekly. If your child happens to forget their folder, please refer to this blog and save it as a favorite.

Thank you so much for your support and making the start of 2011-2012 school year such a success!

Here's the teacher!

2011-08-17T19:23:00.001-04:00

Hi, My name is Mrs. Carter.

I am married to Mr. Carter

and we have three children; Jacob14, Jayda13, and Jay3. Jacob and Jayda have been earning volunteer hours in my classroom.

I was born in California and raised in Reynoldsville, PA. I attended Gannon University on a volleyball scholarship division 2. We were 5th in the nation all 4 years I attended. We traveled the country and made many trips to Florida. It was during these trips that I fell in love with Fl. I started at Winter Springs Elementary in August 1993 and then began in 2001 at Sabal Point. I have been teaching since 1993 with a few years of maternity leave in there! I have spent MANY years in Kindergarten, a few in 2nd, and this is my third year in 1st grade. I really enjoy this grade level.

I enjoy fishing,

( This was my biggest fish ever. A goliath grouper in Marco Island. It weighed over 150lbs.)

(This is my most exciting catch. A mutton snapper on the reefs of Marathon in the Keys.

We were going for Yellowtail snapper and I coaxed this one out!)

boating,

(Mr. Carter driving our boat in Key Colony)

making precious stone jewelery,

reading on my Nookcolor,

spending time with my children,

(I told them to look fierce...

I made angry bird water balloons and we had a water balloon fight this summer!)

Free hand embroidery,

starbucks grande soy skinny vanilla latte,

and paper painting.

( I paint papers and use found papers to create the painting...in my spare time. LOL )

I also enjoy scrapbooking,

the beach, and shopping.

My gift is teaching. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I decided in 2nd grade.

I believe I come by it honestly as my mother was quite possibly one of the best teachers I ever had the pleasure of having in high school. She was a health and PE teacher. I do believe my daughter Jayda may follow in my foot steps. I look forward to a very fun year with your children!

Here's our classroom!

2011-08-17T18:10:00.000-04:00

I will be sending out permission slips for you to look over in regards to allowing pictures of your students on the blog. I will not post last names or school where they go. Enjoy!

Back to School Time!

2011-08-07T14:38:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to school!

I am so excited about getting our classroom ready! It is much the same and very much different at the same time! I am using a travel theme in the classroom, along with my favorite owls lurking about the room.

I will post pictures as I get my class up and running this coming week!

Meet the Teacher / Open House

Friday, August 12, 2011

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

****All Grades****

Come and meet your child's teacher(s) for the 2011-2012 school year!!

A really exciting scavenger hunt will start off the year just right when you come to see me!

I am looking forward to meeting each of my new students very soon!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-05T13:12:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone is having a relaxing and wonderful 4th of July!

Enjoy the video below and try and make your own! Send me the link in the comments section below PLEASE I would love to see what you create!!!

GoAnimate.com: School's out for summer! by jessicamae3

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2011-06-23T19:25:00.001-04:00

Just a quick summer update:
Looking for something to read to/with your child? Why not pick up Mr. Popper's Penguins?

This is a novel that our school will be reading as a whole. Many fun plans are in store for this novel 2011-2012!

The end is here...but it is just the beginning!

2011-06-07T18:05:00.000-04:00

The end of an amazing year has come and gone. We are now into our summer vacation. Bigger, stronger, smarter, and oh so ready for second grade! I am so proud of these students! Second grade does not know how lucky they are to be receiving your children!
Below are scads of photos that I never got around to uploading. Feel free to download them for yourselves!

N is for New Names:

O is for Outside: We were sharing. The question was, "Can we please go back inside and read now?" Um, let me think abou tit..."YES!!!" :o)

It appears these types of notes HAVE NEVER GONE OUT OF STYLE!!! :O)

P is for Picnic Lunch:

This is Mrs. Zarynski, AKA Mrs. Z. She came in every Wednesday morning to listen to us read...because she loves children...and knew no one in the class prior...and is a retired first grade teacher herself...and is AMAZING...and is set to work in my class next year too! YAY for me...and my future students!!!!

Listening to reading and reading to someone. Love how natural this time became by the end of the year!

Reading the big books.

Writing about Reading, AKA making their own books!

Sharing their books.

Love this one by a student, who took it home to finish. Yeah, I did not assign that...but they did it all the time!

May 25, 2011 3,100 books read aloud!

What a way to welcome the summer...a broken arm for one little girl!

X is for eXchange Autographs.

End of Year Party:
Bubbles

Cupcakes

Balls and Hula Hoops

2nd MOST AR points in 1st grade!

My heart makes room for 18 more children I will carry in my heart forever! I wish you all the best. Come back and see me after you meet your NEW teacher in August!

M is for Memories!

2011-05-11T21:10:00.000-04:00

You will note how wonderfully the children are working in photo above. Then, notice the children as I took their photos individually. They cracked me up when their "Paparazzi" persona immediately came out!

I think he just died...

...wait their he is willing himself NOT to smile! :o)

Hope you enjoyed reading what your children wrote as much as I did! The autograph session was possibly one of their favorite moments...with a pen! I LOVE these little people!

J is for Joke Day!

2011-05-11T20:54:00.000-04:00

Each and every child got up and shared jokes with us! It was one of my favorite afternoons to date with your children. They were funny. They were engaging. They had good timing and not so good timing. We laughed through it all!
I prefaced the afternoon with the fact we needed clean jokes and ones that were school appropriate.
I was a little shocked at one of the jokes, but feel it is important to share. Everyone deserves a good laugh!

"A man goes into a bar and gets drunk on beer. (Yes, it was at this moment I said, "Whoa is this a clean joke?") He leaves the bar and begins to drive drunk. He drives down a one way street the wrong way. A cop who saw him leave the bar and drive drunk followed him then pulls him over. The cop says, Didn't you see that arrow back there? The drunk man replies, What arrow? I never saw the Indian!"

Moral of the story and life lesson taught to a classroom full of 1st graders and a teacher with her mouth hanging open...DON'T DRIVE DRUNK! The children didn't really get it. I never stopped giggling.

Rearranging!

2011-05-11T20:15:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok, ok...it is true I am behind! You will have to forgive me. I have taken on 120 hours of in-service work that will be complete June 27th. As well, I am leading a PLC(professional learning community) amongst a core group of teachers who will be taking the Reader's Workshop and reading skills of our students to the next level.
That is pretty much taking up every other day in the month of May for me. Just call me C-R-A-Z-Y! :o)

Oh, yeah, and by the way I totally transformed our room Friday afternoon/Monday morning to make it more conducive to learning in my classroom! I am all about the learning! :o)

I liked seeing the time on the clock...I had completed the task at hand(rearranging room) in a little over an hour. Yes, that is AM time!

This is my second year teaching first grade.

Last year, I was scheduled to teach Kindergarten until three days before school started.

I was moved to first grade.

I was dreading this.

My family needed me. (or so I thought)

I was just back from maternity leave.

...and I know how I am!

I will not ~~stop~~ let it go,

until it is just ~~right~~ perfect!

I am not perfect.

But, I do know I am moving in the right direction.

I have been teaching since 1993.

I do not ever quit learning and teaching myself.

I know my weaknesses. It is this knowledge that drives me forward to be the best that I can be each day!

Despite the tears I quietly shed to my husband on the phone in the closet so no one would hear that afternoon nearly two years ago, I am ~~very happy~~ ecstatic to be in first grade!

Paid advertisement from the teacher...

2011-05-04T20:45:00.001-04:00

...okay, there really isn't a "paid" advertisement here. There's not even really an advertisement, period.
I wanted to just sneak in some of the totally cool things we have been doing in the classroom.

***You may, or may not, have heard about our "apple cart".

On its own it does not look very exciting, but once you open it a whole new world opens up in front of you. Quite frankly, I find it magical. We are a lucky school to have such a wonderful resource at our fingertips. We actually have two of these. Since FCAT is over, I am fending off the upper grades who are wanting to also "borrow" it! It also brings a breath of fresh into the classroom when spring fever has all but taken over every last one of my precious children.

Working on reading skills.

Listening to Reading part of our Daily 5 in 1st grade Reader's Workshop.

We have used them for reading and math skills practice, listening to reading, and "mastery club".
I is for illustrations will include work created on the iBooks...hopefully if the tech works out in my favor! Cross your fingers people!

***The children earn money or lose money each day as part of our positive behavior plan in the classroom. Almost every single child can count money with little to no help. (Just my sneaky way of practicing money counting skills!) Some children choose to spend every cent they earn, while others save all but a very little of their money.

Last week, I had put out post it notes with things they could buy on Flea Market Friday.
Sit at teachers desk, sit with a friend in class, help with math lesson, sit by a friend in the lunchroom, homework pass, sit in my rocking chair for all circle time activities to name a few.

*** We completed an activity this past week using the computers one afternoon. We visited wordle.net and typed in meaningful words about ~~I can't tell you or it will ruin the surprise.~~ I was shocked how quickly the children could type in their words.

Wait, I was shocked at how well each child could use a laptop mouse! WOW!!! (Why should I be surprised at the speed they can type?) :o)

****It is at this time when you notice children really mastering the curriculum and skills in first grade. I love this time of the year. Here are two children reading to self. The class works like a well oiled machine at this time of year.

The children are comfortable, on task , and READING with tremendous stamina.

I found this online, somewhere, and could not resist printing it out through one hour photo and passing to each person on my 1st grade team today wishing them a very happy Teacher Appreciation Week. I want to take a moment and let you know what a pleasure it is to teach your children. I consider myself a VERY lucky teacher indeed! Thank you!

H is for Hat Day!

2011-05-04T19:57:00.000-04:00

G is for Game Day!

2011-05-04T19:44:00.001-04:00

F is for Favorite Book Day!

2011-05-04T19:42:00.000-04:00

Fairy Tale Readers Theater

2011-04-29T17:56:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful morning in First Grade! The boys and girls did a wonderful job. Regretfully, nerves took over some of the children and their incredible voice and character they brought to their reading was lost. ...and they still did an AMAZING JOB!!!
I want to personally thank you for taking the time to come into school and support your children. You made this day incredibly special to them!

I am sorry I did not get more pictures. I definitely wanted to make sure I took video of each presentation.

Red Riding Hood

Three Grumpy Bears

Goats

Three Pigs

It is such a pleasure to teach your children!
PS: Please send me your photos. I had just this one. If your video is better than mine...pass it along! :o)

E is for Extra Recess!

D is for Doughnuts!

2011-04-28T18:12:00.000-04:00

Just had a treat this afternoon in honor of the hard work they have put in for their fairy tale readers theaters that they wrote on their own!

We are performing our original remakes of fairy tales in a readers theater tomorrow.

Hope to see you there!

9:45-10:45 am

Stay for lunch after!

C is for Comics

2011-04-27T21:04:00.000-04:00

I took out the tub numbered 28. There was a smidge of dust the billowed up. No one touched this tub all year. It has all comic books in it. You will note above the children tore up this tub and left a mess in their wake! (...Which I loved seeing!) After I introduced the comics and discussed the speech bubble, thought clouds, narration squares and let them write their own, they could not wait to get their hands on this tub.

I was amazed that they grasped the concept so quickly and turned out some great comics.

"I am making a non fiction cartoon Mrs. Carter."

This is the ultimate in ninja ~ alien warfare!

B is for Bubble Gum!

2011-04-27T20:54:00.000-04:00

We chewed sugar free gum, listened to the story Trouble Gum, tried to learn to blow bubbles, and wrote a paragraph on how to blow a bubble.

The children were so excited about this! This is one of the reasons I love teaching!

Something so simple could be so enjoyable. Next time...I will not say, spit out your gum in the garbage and let's chew another one.

Oh, you can bet I will say let's chew another one.

BUT, I will not say...spit it out...there was more spit on the wall than in the garbage. Choose your words carefully people....choose your words carefully!

A is for Antonyms

2011-04-27T20:45:00.000-04:00

We are counting down to the end of school! Every afternoon we take on one more letter of the alphabet!

Wizard of Oz!

2011-04-27T20:41:00.000-04:00

The children had such fun learning about the Wizard of Oz. They did not fear the witch or the tornado. I imagine it is because the graphics are so "old fashioned" .

The children began the morning a few weeks ago with a melted witch in the middle of the hall.

I read the pop up book in the middle. It is phenomenal and wonderful for holding firsties attention!

Enter at your own risk!

Mrs. Carter: What are those things on your wrists?

J: um...well...um...they protect my wrists as I am writing. My wrists get sore ya know!

Tornado research and experiment.

The children LOVED this! I had a box of 96 crayons and they picked them and wrote their names! They seriously LOVED this! :o)

Brainstorming prior to reading about rainbows.

Another activity that seems too young for them. NOT!!! They had a ball!

Learned about weather, tornadoes, clouds, rainbows, and spring.

We did a lot of brainstorming and I was shocked how much the students knew prior to reading about the heart!

The cowardly lion needed courage. Our class has a lot of courage!

I loved bringing this "fairy tale" to life for your children. Many had never heard of it.

Reader's Theater

2011-03-16T05:19:00.001-04:00

"Readers’ Theater (also spelled "Reader’s Theatre"                           or "Readers Theater") is an activity in which students,                           while reading directly from scripts, are able to tell a story                           in a most entertaining form, without props,    costumes, or sets.This                        is a reading  activity, and students are not asked to                        memorize    their lines. They are, however, encouraged to "ham                           it up" and use intonation and gestures appropriate to                           their characters and their characters’ words. 

Readers’                        Theater serves many useful functions:             

It provides repeated reading practice—an important factor in building fluency. Repeated reading practice also improves students’ confidence in, and enthusiasm for reading. It’s an enjoyable change of pace from everyday practice sessions. My students love it! And so do we. Students are so thrilled at their newfound skill that they ask to perform for younger classes.

It’s a great opportunity for children who are used to feelings of failure to provide expertise entertainment for others.
Using only their voices, facial expressions, and bodies, they interpret the emotions, beliefs, attitudes, and motives of the characters. A narrator conveys the story’s setting and action and provides the commentary necessary for transition between scenes."

How to foster your child's friendships

2011-03-15T08:04:00.000-04:00

I found this great execerpt from Education.com .

"To support the development of friendships in your child’s life, try some of these techniques:
***Offer a variety of opportunities for play and socializing. Host friends over for play dates or lunch. See if you can participate in a carpool and sign-up your child for group activities such as art, drama or dance. Exposing him to different areas of play will help him learn to socialize. “Giving children lots of unstructured time to play is important because they learn the social skills they need so they can keep playing and have fun,” says Salin. Additionally, you can include your child when talking to people out of his normal range of peers. Take him to visit a neighbor, or bring him along to the dry cleaner. The more he is exposed to interacting with all kinds of people, the more he will learn to do the same.

***Provide support to your child. This may seem easy, but how often do you really listen to your child? Pick up on her social cues by listening to what she says happened on the playground. Support your child’s choice of friends and welcome them to your home. Try getting to know her friends and their parents.

***Stay balanced when things are hard. Go ahead and empathize with your child’s pain, but keep it in perspective. Making friends is a lifelong process and will of course have its ups and downs. Pain, unfortunately, is a part of it. According to Salin, “all children will experience some form of ‘normal’ social pain in their friendships. We can support them by listening and acknowledging their feelings.” Talk about your concerns with other adults who can support you -- such as a coach, teacher, friend, or family member. You never want to share your anxiety with your child, so find someone who can help offer insight about your child or consult with professionals.

***Perhaps most importantly, you need to show your child how to be a good friend and make friends. The best way is to model the behavior you would like to see. According to Boys Town Pediatrics, there are several ways you can accomplish this at home:

***Help your child realize his own strengths.

***Have a sense of humor about yourself and your shortcomings.

***Listen to your child without criticism.

***Be kind, give compliments, wave to a friend, open the door for someone.

***Be understanding of what others are going through by showing empathy.

***Don’t complain. Instead, teach your children to accept what can't be changed by working hard to change the things that can.

***Learning to build friendships is one of the ways children develop into well-rounded, emotionally healthy human beings. “I’ve worked with many adults who have achieved tremendous success in terms of college, career, money, etc. and yet they are sad and empty because they have great difficulty in their relationships,” says Salin. By giving your child the skills he needs to be confident and compassionate, you increase the likelihood that friends will eagerly come into his life. And friends will give his life a richness and happiness he will always treasure."

Nominate A Teacher

2011-03-02T08:03:00.001-05:00

I came across this for any current elementary, middle school or high school teacher in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia :

From RBC Website:
"Beginning January 1, 2011, complete a nomination form telling us why your favorite teacher should be recognized. This year, we’re recognizing our best educators all year long with two tribute periods and 100 winners! Nominations submitted between January 1 and March 13, 2011 will be considered for the May tribute awards. Nominations submitted after March 13 will be considered for the December tribute awards.

Because Great Teachers don't quit when the bell rings...

Nominate Your Favorite Teacher to Win $500 in Classroom Cash

100 finalists (50 each in May and December) will win $500 cash for use in their classrooms
1 grand prize winner from each award period will enjoy a $2,000 shopping spree

It's time to give teachers the extra credit they deserve. "

Go Here to Nominate a Teacher

February Already?

2011-02-07T18:04:00.000-05:00

Punxsy Phil did not see his shadow this year. Will it truly mean spring is just around the corner? I am sure the Northern folks sure hope so! Go here to see some interesting background info on Punxsutawney Phil. We learned about light and shadows and how light travels as we discussed whether or not Phil would see his shadow. We hypothesized about what we thought would happen to tin foil pulled tight over a bowl with rice on top while I banged on a metal cookie sheet. This led to a discussion about sound waves and how sound vibrates.

Wednesday is Chapter 8 Test on number patterns. Please continue to review skip counting with your child.

The Carter house was on cloud nine Super Bowl Sunday! Mr. Carter is a huge fan of the Packers. He is even a share holder! We celebrated with pizza for dinner and snacks during the game.

Friday your child's valentine boxes are due to school. We will be exchanging Valentine cards Monday. If you would like to participate, your child can purchase these or make homemade cards! The class list is on the homework sheet and the blog as well. Please make sure to fill in the names and sign your own name. Start today and this way your child will not have to write so many all at one time.

Your child's "job" is school. It is their responsibility to pay attention, listen and follow directions, work hard, and be a productive citizen in our community. Just as we are paid for our jobs, they are now being paid for their job. It is a sneaky way to encourage practice with counting money in a meaningful way. On Friday, they will have an opportunity to shop at our Flea Market from 2:00-2:45 pm. I am hoping that this will provide a wonderful opportunity to count money, learn the value of money, and the value in saving for something they want until they can afford it. I spent the better part of this weekend cleaning and organizing my house. Perhaps you would call it "spring cleaning". :o) I came across toys my children have never used and some wonderful treasures I am going to be including in the "Flea Market Friday". Feel free, as you come across odds and ends that are not necessary to your children any longer, to send in any gently used treasures. As always, your support is truly appreciated.

This Friday, February 11th, Lollipops are going on sale $.25 or 4/$1.00. You can find these in the front hall or in the cafeteria. Student Council is running this.

Time is flying! We have come so far this year! Your children are growing and changing moment to moment! I am always amazed at how they transform the minute January ends. They have become readers. Their comprehension is off the charts! The children have the stamina to read to self and take AR tests for nearly 60 minutes. This provides me with the opportunity to work one on one with students in specific areas of concern. It provides me with an opportunity to conference with your child and see where their areas of need may be and to celebrate in their accomplishments. I am pleased to announce that as a class, the children have read aloud 1,810 books as of Friday, February 4. I am amazed!

We are working on determining importance in fiction. Last week we worked on finding the important things the author was trying to tell us in the book. Finding the theme was pretty easy for the children. In the story, Miss Rumphius, the children learned from the author how important it is to make the world a more beautiful place. Secondary theme the children found was to not judge people or call them names because you do not understand them.

Today, we worked on opening our hearts as we read. I shared a book called Always and Forever about 3 animal friends who lose a friend to death.

I shared with the children that each one of us have had something very sad happen to us. Sometimes, authors will address really difficult things about life in a story to help children understand what is going on around them. When I looked up and saw this precious child with tears in her eyes. I said to the class as a whole, "I just looked up and saw some children with tears in their eyes as I was reading this story. (She piped up, yes, it was me.) When I saw these children I knew for sure they were doing what good readers do. Good readers open their hearts as they read."

The children have been filling their busy brains.

Earlier in the school year the children made some goals. We are going to reevaluate their goals and set some new ones. They have far surpassed their original goals!

The children absolutely loved Tacky the Penguin. Here are a few samples of their Tacky work!

Tacky the Penguin is a total nonconformist who lives with a group of formal, proper penguins. His behavior is hilarious, inappropriate, and totally without any ill will. This is what cracks the students up time and time again! They love the humor and "get" the jokes!
Below are the Tacky Books we enjoyed. There are so many more out there. If you happen to come across them, pick them up and share them with your child! You will find them as endearing as we have!

I am sorry the blog has been so quiet for so long. I have been not feeling up to par since December. However, I am pleased to inform that I am doing much better!

Cross Country friends!

2011-01-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

This note is for Grace who moved to Washington at the beginning of January.

We sure have missed your lovely smiling face!

We got your note today and LOVED hearing all about your cross country adventures. It sounds like you had a very exciting trip, except for that little ice cream incident! That made us laugh even though the man was not happy!
I allowed Brynn to keep your letter after I read it to the class. She misses you most of all!
Can you email me your address? We would love to write to you!
Have a good weekend!
Love,
The Class &

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T08:11:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to school!

I am looking forward to a wonderful new year! Please keep in mind how important it is for your child to read, learn their sight words, and math facts as we start the second half of the year! Only 92 days left until my work here with this group will be done and they will be marching off to 2nd grade.

I also feel that this is a wonderful time to start new habits as a family. Set up game night, go for a hike or walk, set aside time for one on one time with each child even for 15 minutes time, and remember that children always learn best through play! That being said, have fun! Time flies in a blink of an eye.

I have received the first Flat Stanley letter this week! Follow along with Flat Stanley's adventures by clicking on the link on the right side of the blog!

Welcome back. Any questions or concerns, please contact me.

Short Week!

2010-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning all! Happy Monday!
This week is a short week with short days. Dismissal will be at 1:00 pm (12:50 pm for 1st grade).
P.A.M. 10:05 am-10:30 am
Lunch 10:40-11:00
There is no homework this week.
Please allow your child to wear their PJs on Tuesday as a special reward. (If they do not want to it is okay!)
We will have PE on Tuesday so sneakers are a must, no slippers.

Call for help

2010-12-03T15:15:00.001-05:00

The morning custodian at school, whom I see every morning at 6:30 am as I walk in the building, stopped me and asked me about hand me down clothes. She has family living outside of the country who are so poor they barely eat. She was asking me for Jay's outgrown warm, winter type clothing. They need infant on up to late teen clothing. If you have any boy or girl clothes that your children have outgrown and no longer have a use for...I am sure she would be grateful to have the chance to send them on to her family. Just bring it in to me at school, I will be happy to pass it along to her.
Thanks!

Non Fiction Writing

2010-11-04T16:43:00.000-04:00

This afternoon we worked on finding information and facts on space related topics in non fiction books. The children are going to work in groups and create non fiction books of their own based on found information. It has been a great opportunity to help the children understand what staying on topic means, the difference between fact and opinion, correct sentence structure and grammar, and teamwork. Here they were just getting started.

Our Planet Reports!

2010-11-03T18:11:00.001-04:00

The boys and girls were offered a planet. They chose the one they wanted and picked a partner. The first day, they gathered facts from a planet book. The next day they created their poster. The final day they shared information about their planet. I can not tell you how amazing it was to listen to them shout out, "Hey I learned something new!" Followed by them telling me what they learned. As I watched them work together in pairs, I couldn't help but think this is what teaching is all about! Wait...I change my mind...it is when they come up and hug me and tell me how much fun it was to do a report and I am the best teacher in the whole world.
In light of the upcoming last and final space shuttle launch, we have been learning about planets and space travel.

If you click on the picture they will enlarge for easier viewing.

Boosterthon Boys are getting 'em fired up!

2010-10-26T16:24:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to get you started.
www.funrun.com
Unfortunately, there was a glitch in getting first grade info printed on our necklaces, so they will be coming home 10/26/10.
Here is a snippet of what we experienced in the Booster-thon Fun Run Pep Rally.

Planets via Hubble Telescope

2010-10-25T18:59:00.000-04:00

Hubble Telescope was launched into orbit in 1990. This year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Hubble Telescope.
Here you will see photos of the planets thanks to Hubble!
Mercury:

Jupiter:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Mars:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Venus:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Saturn:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Uranus:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Neptune:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Non Planet, Pluto:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Other Hubble photographs:
Omega Swan Nebula

Source: Hubblesite.org
Helix Nebula:

Source: Hubblesite.org
Galaxies:
Majestic Sombrero Galaxy

Source: Hubblesite.org
Spiral Galaxy

Source: Hubblesite.org
Black Eye Galaxy:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Star Clusters:

Source: Hubblesite.org

Source: Hubblesite.org

Source: Hubblesite.org

Class Photos and Updates!

2010-10-25T18:18:00.001-04:00

The vowel word chunks are added to our wall as they are introduced.

This is our Venn Diagram of what thinking looks like and how it leads to real reading.

Schema is everything you know and have experienced in life.

Sung to the tune We've been working on the Railroad.

Ways we read books.

The children are learning more and more about comprehension.

Sung to tune Twinkle Twinkle

Sung to the tune Are you Sleeping?

Featured AR books for AR testing.

"Even when no one is watching!"

This past Friday I colored up to 400. We are over 450 today!

Their eyes light up!

Reading Challenges to better fluency.

Long Vowels

ABC

Short Vowels

Bob Books

I Pick Song

Brainstormed ideas by the class for our reading goals.

For every book read aloud, AR test, or reading log entry the child receives a hole punch. We are keeping track of how many books we read in first grade. If a child reads 500 books I take them out to lunch!

I love owls!

Reading Tubs and what's inside!

Challenge books ready to be read.

Words I use when I write...for expanding vocabulary.

Reading Log, punch card pocket, child's reading goals on post it.

Reading log entry example, "just right" books, and books of interest

Dolch Most Used word lists for mastery

Dolch phrases

Post it Notes and book marks are all things that can be found in these reading tubs.

We learned the correct name for parts of pumpkins. Did you know the stem is also called the "peduncle"? That cracked us all up it sounded so funny!

Working together to answer questions about pumpkins and find all the words that start with P.

Red Ribbon Week October 25-29, 2010

2010-10-22T14:38:00.000-04:00

This coming week we are honoring Red Ribbon Week through some fun activities.
Monday: Wear Red for a special treat in the cafeteria.
Tuesday: Wear crazy colorful socks.
Wednesday: Wear your favorite hat.
Thursday: Wear your favorite sports team shirt.
Friday: Wear Red

Sight Word Fun

2010-10-13T19:39:00.000-04:00

Rainbow words

Use colors to write the words several times. Make each color or word a different color.

Flash Cards

Memory Match

Two sets of word cards turned face down. Take turns picking 2 and reading them. Keep the matches.

Word Hunt

Look for words in the newspaper, magazines, books, and other printed materials.

Funny Chants

Spell and read the words in funny voices.

(T...H…E.. spells the.)

Sight Word Bingo

3 x 3 squares with sight words written inside. With more words, use a bigger card.

Call sight words use small objects to cover words called.

Sentence Writing

Write or use sentences with the words. Draw a picture about your sentence.

Invented spelling is ok, independence and listening to sounds is the goal!

Word Building

Cut letters from old magazines and grocery adds. Glue to make sight words.

Use magnet letters or letter blocks or letter cards etc. to build the words

Go Fish

Two sets of sight word cards.

Ask opponent for card to match one in your own hand. When all cards are matched, player with the most matches wins.

Bang!

Sight words and a few cards with the word bang on it.

Take turns picking cards, cards that are read are kept; others go in the “not known” pile. When a Bang card is drawn all the cards go back except the Bang card. Play until all cards are drawn

Play dough

Shape letters out of play dough to spell words.

Creative Writing

Use shaving cream, sand, goop, paint, or chalk to finger paint and spell words.

Beat the clock

Show a word card for 3 seconds and have your child recognize it.

Guess my Word

Give clues about a word and have students say or write the word.

And (has 3 letters, begins with a…) Add your own!

THE PIZZA HUT BOOK IT!

2010-10-12T12:10:00.000-04:00

NATIONAL READING INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Dear Parents,

In order to further encourage the children to read at home, our school is participating in THE BOOK IT! NATIONAL READING INCENTIVE PROGRAM sponsored by Pizza Hut. We will be sending home a blank form for listing books read each month. Please help your child list all books that he/she has read during the month, either independently or with your help. You may also include all of the books that you have read to your child. The blank form will be sent home with the children the first day of each month and should be returned to the classroom the last school day of each month (or before, if it is complete).

As an incentive to participate in this program, Pizza Hut has provided us with certificates for free personal pan pizzas. If your child returns his/her completed list, he/she will receive a FREE PIZZA AWARD CERTIFICATE for that month. On the first visit, the child also receives a BOOK IT! card and a recognition sticker for the card. The child receives another pizza and sticker on each successive visit.

If a child completes all six months of the program, he or she will become a BOOK IT! All-Star Reader in the classroom and will be awarded an All-Star medallion at Pizza Hut.

This program starts October 1, 2010 and ends March 31, 2011.

Thanks for your help!

Bring an Apple to School

2010-09-26T16:35:00.000-04:00

Any size any color is acceptable. We are going to be doing some fun apple activities!

Officer Buckle Inspired Safety Rules

2010-09-24T10:52:00.004-04:00

We read this story together today. We have been talking about friendship and choosing good reading partners this week. Have your child retell the story to you tonight! They loved it! Afterwards, we made our own safety rules and illustrated them.
Here are their "Rules":

Never talk to strangers.
Never surf when you see a shark.

Never go in a lake when you see alligators in it.

Never play baseball in the house.

Always ride your bike with a helmet.

Don’t play with guns.

Don’t go swimming in a pool when it is green.

Never go surfing when a shark is there.

Stay away from cars.

Don’t smoke marijuana.
(Yeah, this one stopped me in my tracks too...but I chuckled to myself and moved on.)
Never run across the street when cars are coming.

Never jump.

They loved creating these! Only one child had heard this story before today. I love when I can bring a funny, good story to them!

Scholastics Classrooms Care Program

2010-09-24T07:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Parent,
This school year, thousands of classrooms across the country
will be participating in Scholastic Book Clubs’ ClassroomsCare
literacy campaign—a unique reading motivation program that
teaches children the importance of reading and giving.
Every student in your child’s class will pledge to read ten books—
and when they’ve finished, Scholastic Book Clubs and its charity
partners will donate One Million Books to Kids in Need in
all 50 states!
By encouraging your child to read today, and by empowering
him or her to share resources with those in need, we can
shape a brighter future where all children benefit.
Visit www.scholastic.com/ClassroomsCare with your child
for more details and fun activities.
Thank you!

PS: We do so much reading in the classroom, we will reach the goal of 10 books per child by the end of next week! The deadline is December 17, 2010. Thank you for all your support in creating children who love to read!

How to Study for a Comprehension Test

2010-09-22T18:58:00.000-04:00

It's Wednesday night, the reading book is home and your child is telling you they need to study for the reading test. Time escapes you during the evening, so you have your child read to you in the car on the way to school. What???? .... you think I didn't go through the same thing you are going through each day!?! :o) I know how it gets sometimes. Rest assured, we have gone over it and over it this week.

Here are some ideas to help you go over the story the night before the test:

go over the "words to remember", this is for the vocabulary portion of the test
discuss the genre, title, author, illustrator
take notice of any phonics rules and discuss(such as -ck in Jack and Rick)
listen to your child read the story
make sure it is read fluently~if it's choppy, they have no idea what they are reading and are just spitting out words
reread if necessary
retell the story
answer questions at the end of the story
allow the child to ask you the question and check your comprehension

Hope this helps!

Mid - Week Review

2010-09-21T07:20:00.000-04:00

Life is coming at you fast and furious, I understand that fact! I am a parent just like you. The after school meetings, open houses, evening meetings, cooking dinner, cleaning house, and responsibilities of the day to day wear me out as much as they do you. I appreciate you taking the time to assist your child with homework, reading skills, and sight word recognition. Anything you do at home is above and beyond what we have done here at school already. I am thankful for your support! It is not an accident that I am able to teach this great group of children. It is because of your hard work and dedication that they have come to the place where they are today!

The ants are confused and ready for release. I caught my ants for the ant farm vs. buying them from the company who sells ants. They have been trying to get out the top more than they have been digging in the gel. Another teacher bought the ants and they dug happily content to do what ants do best. However, this brought up a wonderful conversation dealing with capturing wild animals and trying to make them tame for pets. The consensus was we need to let the unhappy ants go and catch some happy ones. I do not think they got the point! :o)

We started our study of the five senses. The children learned yesterday that sounds traveled like waves and caused the inner ear to vibrate which in turn sends a message to the brain. It just so happened I had a life like pop up book about the human body that actually allowed me to pull a tab and it showed the ear "vibrate"! It was very cool for the children to see it in action. We played sound games and even went outside to list the sounds we heard.

In math, we are continuing our study of subtraction using manipulatives and
pictures to show subtraction. If you missed the Math Information Night on September 16th, here is the information.

1. The Next Generation Sunshine State Standards were reviewed.
2. A tour of Go Math! website was done.
https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do
3. If you have difficulty with this link, go to www.thinkcentral.com, click on mathematics, then click on Go Math! Florida. This will take you to the login page.

Your child's login is his/her student number.(email me if you need this #)
Password is YYYYMMDD(his/her birthday).

Book fair is this week. You are welcome to come in and check out the fair with your child!
Here are our scheduled times:
Tuesday, Thursday: Book Fair Browse 12:40-1:00
Wednesday: Book Fair Browse 10:30-10:45
If you are unable to make those exact times, contact me and we can arrange something that works better for you!

Have a great day!

Upcoming Dates and Reminders:

2010-09-15T19:46:00.000-04:00

School Yearbook Photos:
September 29, 2010 (Wednesday) 10:20-10:50 am
Book Fair:
September 20-23
Tuesday and Thursday 12:40-1:00
Wednesday 10:30-10:45

Ask your child about our ants! No, we don't have ants in our pants. We have an ant house that is made out of a gel that the ants can tunnel through, eat, drink, and stays clean from bacteria and fungus. In 2003, the astronauts on the space shuttle took ants into outer space to study them. They needed to come up with a gelatin material that kept the ants safe during take off.
Ask your child what a Myrmecologist studies.

We have been observing the ants and learning a great deal about ants. I will post pictures very soon! In the meantime, here are some photos taken from this website where you can learn more about our ant farm!

Sight Words for Reading Fluency!

2010-09-11T14:37:00.003-04:00

The words are listed here from most frequently used sight words to least used. Review these with your child and write down the ones your child does not know. Practice these sight words to build your child's reading fluency.

Dolch List 1

the
to
and
he
a

I
you
it
of
in

was
said
his
that
she

for
on
they
but
had

Dolch List 2

at
him
with
up
all

look
is
her
there
some

out
as
be
have
go

we
am
then
little
down

Dolch List 3

do
can
could
when
did

what
so
see
not
were

get
them
like
one
this

my
would
me
will
yes

Dolch List 4

big
went
are
come
if

now
long
no
came
ask

very
an
over
your
its

ride
into
just
blue
red

Dolch List 5

from
good
any
about
around

want
don't
how
know
right

put
too
got
take
where

every
pretty
jump
green
four

Dolch List 6

away
old
by
their
here

saw
call
after
well
think

ran
let
help
make
going

sleep
brown
yellow
five
six

Dolch List 7

walk
two
or
before
eat

again
play
who
been
may

stop
off
never
seven
eight

cold
today
fly
myself
round

Dolch List 8

tell
much
keep
give
work

first
try
new
must
start

black
white
ten
does
bring

goes
write
always
drink
once

Dolch List 9

soon
made
run
gave
open

has
find
only
us
three

our
better
hold
buy
funny

warm
ate
full
those
done

Dolch List 10

use
fast
say
light
pick

hurt
pull
cut
kind
both

sit
which
fall
carry
small

under
read
why
own
found

Dolch List 11

wash
show
hot
because
far

live
draw
clean
grow
best

upon
these
sing
together
please

thank
wish
many
shall
laugh

What does math look like?

2010-09-09T09:22:00.001-04:00

I am truly enjoying the new Math program we have implemented this year!
I love all of the hands on activities and how in depth the curriculum goes into addition. The format is set up in a way that the children practice over and over again each "skill".
As a whole group we explore the skill with manipulatives and think about the "why" of the skill. The children then participate in a hands on manipulation of objects to make the skill more concrete for their developing minds. After I have introduced the skill, we work together on a few problems. Then, the responsibility is released to them. I have the children work in pairs. Most of the children have mastered the days skill and are then available to "teach" each other. By teaching others, they are solidifying the skill in their own minds. The ones who were on the fence about the skill usually get it through this working time. They have time to practice it with a partner. I make my way around and help those who may be confused. We come back together and discuss what we learned, clear up any remaining confusion, and then complete a task on their own to show mastery. It is at this time I am able to stop at the one or two children who still did not get the skill and work one on one with them.
The material is well organized, developmentally appropriate, and introduced in a manner that makes it understandable. The one skill that gave children a bit of trouble was ways to make a number.
If you remember the homework last week, it was when they had to color the uni fix cubes red and blue.
10+0=10
9+1=10
8+2=10
7+3=10
Overall, I am looking forward to our math series which introduces the skills in order in a developmentally appropriate manner!
How is math homework going?
Do you find your child struggling?
The homework is a reinforcement of what was taught at school that day.
If you saw your child struggle as they completed the work, please make a note on the homework for me.
Thanks for all your help and support!

What is it about "readers workshop"?

2010-09-08T19:22:00.000-04:00

It's reading. It's listening to reading. It's writing about reading. It's talking about reading. It's practicing reading. It's learning phonics. It's conferencing about reading. It's thinking about reading. It's sharing about reading.

The books I read to them all teach a lesson of some sort or another that goes along with our reading workshop. I perfected a series of mini lessons that gradually releases responsibility to the children for their reading. Thus, allowing me the time to conference with each one during the week as a means of keeping them focused on their individual reading needs and goals without being interrupted. I am teaching them how to read, listen to, and comprehend books. I make mistakes when I read such as saying wall instead of hall. I stop and say wait a minute. Did that make sense? They say no. I reread that sentence and fix up the mistake I had made and then talk about how easy it is to make a mistake. I then explain how easy it is to fix the mistake. They are doing a very good job during the reading portion time of class. They have learned quite easily which are the "just right" books for themselves. Some are still working on this, and I conference with them to help them through this learning process. Not to mention they love our "I PICK" song. I am not so sure it is about the words to the song or if it is how I have taught them to dance to the song. I believe it is the latter...but I figure whatever it takes to help them remember how to pick just right books! They are up to about 25 minutes of sustained reading time.(This means they are quiet, nearly silent, and reading their just right books.) The goal is at least 45 minutes of which I will not demand silence. After all, talking about books and sharing your learning is how we all learn best! I keep reminding them that reading is like a sport and that they have to practice, practice, practice reading! I tell them that they are becoming voracious readers. They love the new and exciting words I point out such as indignant, voracious, and gleamed. I write them in my words I use when I write book because I love them so much and want to remember to use them in my writing during writers workshop. Modeling for them the exact way I want them to write these words they find as they read in their "words I use when I write" book. Next time you hear your child read...tell them they are becoming a voracious reader! They will probably faint that you recognized in them what their teacher has been telling them all along!
So many things happen in our day, I can not even begin to name them all. I do know that it is my goal to make their learning fun and meaningful in a developmentally appropriate way. You CAN NOT rush these things...so you might as well have a lot of fun along the way! I also can not stress enough how very much I care about each student, what they are learning, and if I am teaching it to my utmost ability! Besides, they are just children...life can get difficult and troublesome down the road...for now its about having fun and learning to love to learn!

I tweaked an email I had sent out earlier to a parent and placed it here on the blog. Good information for all!

Building Comprehension Skills

2010-09-07T19:53:00.000-04:00

Parents,
This is a helpful tool for you to use to ensure that your child understands what he/or she is reading. Use this as a guideline while your child is reading to you at night.
BEFORE READING
Discuss the title and cover of the book
Make predictions about what you think the book may be about, or what might happen in the story.
Take a picture walk. Look at the pictures carefully, and discuss them. This gives them a sense of what the story will be about and gets their mind ready to read the book.
DURING READING
Help your child read unfamiliar words by using the “comprehension”strategies.
Encourage your child to make connections by asking, “Has anything like that ever happened to you?” or “Does this remind you of another book you’ve read or heard?”
Ask higher level thinking questions by asking…
• What would happen if…?
• Why did that happen?
• What would you do?
• What do you think might happen next?
AFTER READING
Have your child retell the story.
Be sure they include:
o Characters
o Setting
o Beginning
o Middle
o End
o Have your child tell you his/her favorite part and why.
Talk about why they think the author decided on the title.
Hope this helps you help your child become a reader who understands what they read.

Scholastic Online Ordering!

2010-09-02T17:54:00.001-04:00

Online Ordering Information
Web address: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: GTGDG

Dear Parent,

Now it's easier than ever to find the right books for your child — and help us earn FREE books for our classroom library at the same time!

With new online ordering from Scholastic Book Clubs, you can choose from a much wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card.

Best of all, our class earns a FREE book every time a parent places their order online.

It's so simple! Here's how it works:

* SIGN UP at www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the "Don't have a User Name and Password?" link, then register for your own username and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.

* SELECT the books you'd like to order from over 500 titles available online...and take advantage of online-only specials and discounts.

* SEND your order to me online by the due date. Books will be delivered directly to our classroom, as always.

Of course, you can still order using the form from the printed flyer. But why not experience for yourself how convenient it is to order online?

Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure. Plus our whole class benefits thanks to the FREE books we'll earn with every parent online order.

Go to www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs now to get started.

Thank you,

Phonics Readers

2010-08-30T20:31:00.001-04:00

I will be sending home phonics readers with your children. They have been told that they are to read them with you. When they have mastered the story, even if it is memorized, they may bring it back to me. Please sign your name to it and make sure their name is on it as well. Al and Max was sent home today.

Today we worked on picking just right books. We are learning a song to help us remember how to pick "just right" books. The classroom library is now open for business and the children are loving all the options. With so many options, they are getting a very good workout in picking the ones that are good fit books. We compared reading to learning to ride a bike. When you first begin to ride, you do not try it on a hill. It would be too difficult to go uphill and you would tip over. Likewise, a book that is an uphill book would be too difficult. It would be so dangerous to start down a hill and you would crash at a high rate of speed. Speeding through a book, would tell you it is to easy. But, if you learn to ride a bike on a flat surface, it is smooth sailing. A just right book is one in which you know almost all the words. I was overjoyed at the book choices the children were making. When I checked in on each one, I was able to see a conscious effort to pick the books that are just right for them.

Our day was filled with many more activities to many to count! I suppose it is kind of like when you ask your child what they did at school today and they say, "Nothing." To explain it, I would have to spend an entire day doing it! I will simply say, I am very pleased with their work habits and abilities. They are primed and ready for learning!

Happy Friday!

2010-08-27T22:00:00.001-04:00

I wish I took more pictures to share with you. If I had an extra set of hands and eyes, I would have snapped a photo the moment:
*the children doubled over in gales of laughter as David, in the story No, David , had his finger stuck so far up his nose. (Pure childhood bliss!)
*they had all passed me by walking in line with their hands behind their backs to perfection.
*the vice-principal walks into the classroom only to find 18 students with their book tubs at their seats reading to themselves...silently.
*they sat holding their breaths waiting for the next words out of my mouth as I read aloud a precious story they are able to connect to personally.
*when their eyes light up with joy as I say something clever to gather their attention because they just can not sit through one more math lesson on a Friday afternoon when all they want to do is play outside.
*with folders up and pencils gripped waiting for the next question on the reading test.
*18 students begin singing "What a Wonderful World" as we begin our day.
*when said students are asked to come to the carpet to meet the new guidance counselor first thing in the morning...without the song "What a Wonderful World". (habits are formed in less than 14 days...I can vouch for that!) Everything was wrong with the world at that moment! :o)
*a child rushes over to help another student whose books went tumbling off the desk.
*the longest railroad track was completed and star wars lego spaceship was flying through the air.
*a child comes to me, wraps their arms around me, and tells me they love me.
YES! That is why I do what I do!

We continue to build our reading community and are taking on reading responsibilities next week. We are writing about things that are important to us. I am focusing on comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary. I am feeling very good about the new math curriculum and really enjoy how this series teaches the children step by step. The children are getting the hang of it and will start the homework that goes along with each lesson next week. They should have a very easy time getting through the math homework. I have explained it in depth and they have had plenty of time to use manipulative and become very familiar with each lesson. If they are struggling, please review the lesson with them. We will start on lesson 1.6 on Monday. Feel free to complete any of the homework pages prior to WB PP P15-P16. Please do not rush ahead in the book.

A note about homework: If it is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday your child has homework. This is to be completed daily. Please be sure your child completes their work AND returns it. Thank you for your help in this matter.

As you may have noticed, I am not a big fan of worksheets. It is my goal to find ways each day to complete the skills often found on worksheets by other means. When I do have the children complete them, it is because I am working on the skill for a test. It could also simply be for the fact I want to work on their handwriting. We do work on the floor often in order to strengthen the muscles in their shoulders. This will in turn build strength in their hands for fine motor skills. It also strengthens their neck muscles to begin to work from the white board(which once used to be called the chalk board :o). I have also begun using the "exercise tub" during centers of our small group time. Everything in it is used to strengthen their fine motor muscles. Ask your child about the tennis ball with a face that likes to eat marbles. They should tell you the ball has a hard time saying no to the marbles and gets sick often. :o)

Be watching for small readers to begin coming home. The children should practice the book and only when it is mastered, return it to me. They will then read the book to me and get a punch card punched. I am keeping track of the books they read aloud to me and the AR tests they take. It will be a fun way for them to keep track to! Do not panic if they memorize the story. Make sure your child tracks their reading with a finger under the word. This way, even though it is memorized, they will see the word and say the word. Also, the pictures are an excellent resource when children are just beginning to read. These books build confidence in the children. They will actually see that they are readers very quickly. For those children who are excellent readers already, this is an added bonus and easy way to fly higher on our reading chart. The books will either go along with our weekly story or be based on phonics. The children have access to such a wide range of books to read on a daily basis that the advanced readers will have plenty to read and time to do it on their particular level. Please write or have your child write their name on the book and sign it so I know they have read it to you. If you save these readers, the children will have a nice collection by the end of the year.

Thank you for making the start to the first grade year such a successful one!

Growing Strong Readers

2010-08-26T18:48:00.004-04:00

*The following ideas all came from the website: Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading "FAIR"

Letter Names and Sounds
1. Use index cards to create two (2) sets of alphabet cards (letters A - Z). Play "Go Fish" or "Memory" with the alphabet cards. Have your child say the letter name when he/she makes a match.

2. Use index cards to create two (2) sets of alphabet cards (letters A - Z). Play "Go Fish" or "Memory" with the alphabet cards. Have your child say the sound the letter makes when he/she makes a match.

3. Use paper and crayons or markers to have your child make his/her own alphabet books. Help him/her write the letter on the top of the page and then draw items that begin with that letter. You can extend this activity by talking about the sound that letter makes.

4. After reading a book with your child you can play “I SPY” with letter names. Open to a page in the book and say “I spy the letter__”. Have your child find the letter.

5. Cut out letters from magazines, newspapers, or junk mail printed in different fonts. Have your child sort the letters to give him/her practice recognizing the key features of letters regardless of the font.

6. Use paper or plastic cups and label each cup with one letter of the alphabet. Cut out pictures from magazines or use objects from around your home to play a matching game. Have your child sort the objects/pictures into the cups based on the first letter sound that occurs in the name of the object (e.g. boat- match the object to the cup with the letter b on it).

Phonemic Awareness
1. Take turns thinking of two words that begin with the same sound. Examples: mom, moon; dog, door; fun, fast; paper, pet.

2. Play the "Say it quickly" game. You say a word, one sound at a time and then have your child say the word at the normal rate. For example, you say each sound in the word cat, "/k/ /a/ /t/." Then your child says the word at the normal speed, "cat." Play this game with five to ten short words (words like: am, is, it, in, on, sit, pan, sun, top, net, and fin) every day.

3. Play rhyming games. Say a two word rhyme (for example cat & sat) and ask your child to say a word that rhymes with your words. Take turns. Ask your child to say a word and then you respond with a rhyming word. For example, your child says, "run" and you say "fun"; he says "hair", you say "pair."

4. Play the "Say it slowly" game. Say a word at normal rate and then have your child say the same word slowly, one sound at a time. For example, say the word, "mat." Then your child will say that same word slowly, one sound at a time, "/m/ /a/ /t/." Play this game using about five (5) to ten (10) short words each day

5. Take turns thinking of two (2) words that end with the same sound. Examples: mom, some; dog, rug; fun, ran.

6. Play the “Change that word” game. Think of a one syllable word and have your child think of another word that is different by one sound. Take turns with each word. For example, sat, sit, sip, lip.

Phonics
1. Take the plastic covers from milk jugs and write letters (include vowels and consonants) on them. Put them in a baggie for easy storage and use those letters to build various words your child has learned to read and spell in class or words found in your child’s homework. Highlight or underline words that you can sound out from the day's "junk mail." Ask your child to read these words.

2. Use paper or plastic cups and label each cup with one letter of the alphabet. Cut out pictures from magazines or use objects from around your home to play a matching game. Have your child sort the objects/pictures into the cups based on the final letter-sound that occurs in the name of the object (e.g., cat- match the object to the cup with the letter t on it).

3. Go over your child’s reading homework with him/her everyday. If your child has a book or reading assignment, have him/her practice reading it out loud to you making note of certain word patterns that might be tricky for your child.

4. Make letter cards using a pen and paper or index cards. Using words from books or homework your child has brought home, practice building the words with the letter cards. Swap out vowels or consonants to make other words. Have your child practice reading the words he/she builds.

5. Practice reading word families (e.g., words that end in –an, -op, -it) by creating groups of words that all have the same vowel and ending consonant(s). your child can write them on index cards or a piece of paper in categories.

6. Practice identifying letter-sounds in a story book. Open the book to a particular page and have your child count the number of letters that make a specific sound. For example, how many letters on the page make the /t/ sound or the /l/ sound?

Fluency
1. Encourage reading fluency by having your child read and reread familiar books. It can also be helpful to have your child read a short passage over several times while you record the time it takes. Children often enjoy seeing if they can improve their time from one reading to the next, and the repeated reading helps to establish a habit of reading smoothly, with no mistakes, like natural conversation.

2. Schedule 15 minutes of special time every day to read with your child. Take turns reading a page at a time. Or, read a sentence and then have your child read that same sentence until you read through the whole book.

3. When your child brings home papers containing his/her completed work, let him explain what he/she did and have your child read the completed work (e.g., journal entries) to you.

4. Select a book that you know your child will be able to read with success and spend some time reading with him/her. To make the practice into a game, flip a coin to decide who will read each page or couple of pages.

5. Read a passage aloud for your child, modeling proper expression and rate. Read the same passage together with your child and then have him/her read the passage aloud on his/her own.

6. Encourage your child to read along while listening to a tape recording of a story. Many young adult novels can be found on audio-cassette or CDs in public libraries.

Vocabulary
1. Pick out a new vocabulary word from one of the books you are reading with your child. Talk about what it means having your child put the definition into his/her own words. Then make up a sentence with the new word. Try to use the word again that week.

2. When you are riding around your neighborhood, take turns spotting items that fit within a specified category. For example, tell your child to look for and give the name of things that are in the category of transportation (e.g., car, bus, train, boat) or plants (e.g., roses, sunflowers, hydrangea).

3. Use a photo from an album and ask your child to retell what happened the day the picture was taken. Encourage the use of vocabulary associated with the setting (e.g. tractor, milking, crops, etc.) of the picture and the use of sequencing words such as first, next, and last to provide the proper order of events.

4. Make hand puppets out of old socks to practice retelling stories read in school or at home. The puppets can take on the role of characters from the story.

5. Have your child pick out a word from his reading. Help him/her make a “word map” with that word, making connections using examples, nonexamples, synonyms, and antonyms. For example, the selected word ‘pretty’ could be mapped with sunsets, cockroaches, gorgeous, and ugly.

6. Encourage frequent conversation with your child. The give and take of constant shared conversation builds vocabulary.

Comprehension
1. Go to the school library, public library, or local bookstore each week and read a book together. After reading each book, talk to your child about what happened at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story.

2. Go to the school library, public library, or local bookstore once each week and read a new book together. After each story is read, ask your child to retell the story to you. Go back to the story to reread sections if your child needs help retelling the story in sequence.

3. Schedule 15 minutes of special time every day to read to your child. Before you read each book, read the title and look over the cover and pictures inside. Ask your child what he thinks the book may be about (prediction). After reading the book, review his/her prediction. Was the prediction right? If not, what happened?

4. Go to the school library, public library, or local bookstore once each week and read a new book together. Read the title then look at the cover and pictures inside. Ask your child to predict what the book is about. After reading the book, review his/her prediction then ask about the characters, setting, problem and solution.

5. Fact or Opinion Game: You say a sentence to your child then ask whether it is a fact or opinion. Example: The weather is nice (Opinion). A dog can bark. (Fact).

6. Fold a piece of paper into three parts. Let your child draw a picture of something he/she did in sequence. Then help your child write one sentence under each picture explaining what he/she did first, next and last.

Open House

2010-08-26T07:31:00.000-04:00

*Thank you very much for the turnout at Open House on Tuesday. Your support is greatly appreciated!
*PTA is wanting to change to a paperless newsletter. If you would like me to add your email to the list, please contact me and give me your email address you would prefer to receive it. If you signed the form at Open House, disregard this request.
*Please sign the discipline policy with your child and return to me. It was in your orange owl folder at Open House. THANKS!
*Your Donations from my wishlist help make this classroom run smoothly. I appreciate your support in this area!
If you missed Open House or need a refresher(I know I can talk fast...and talk...and talk, here is the outline from the power point.
If you have any questions, contact me.

Welcome to Open House

Mrs. Carter’s 1st Grade Class
Daily Routine
8:35-8:45 Prepare for the Day
8:45-10:15 Reading Workshop
10:15-10:55 Small Groups/Guided Reading
10:55-11:25 Lunch
11:35-12:15 PAM- Music (Mon.) P.E. (T, Th, F) Art (Wed.)
12:15-1:00 Math
1:00-1:45 Writing/ Social Studies/Science
1:30-2:00 Recess and Teacher
directed PE
1:45-2:45 Choices
2:50-3:00 Dismissal

Class Rules
Keep hands and feet to yourself.
Raise your hand before speaking.
Remain in your seat while working.
Respect your friends and use good manners.
Listen while someone else is talking.

Behavior System
Clip Chart
Positive Reinforcement
Phone Calls and Notes to parents
* Administration will be involved as a last resort.

Grading
S’s and N’s assigned as grades.
S = 70% and up
N = 69% and below
Grade is recorded if noted as a number over a number (e.g. 10/10)
P.A.M gives S’s and N’s
% will go on all graded papers(I want you to be aware of where they are at on the % scale.)

Homework Sheet
Your child will place a new homework sheet in front of their green take home folder every Monday. Please check it daily.
The green folder is taken home everyday and needs
to be checked for notes and class assignments. Please return to school the next day.

AR
Once students finish AR books, they have the opportunity to test their comprehension of the book via the AR program.
Points from the AR quizzes are not a part of the student’s Reading grade.
AR tests can only be taken after all Kindergarten site words are memorized.
AR is currently out of order.

Field Trips
1 fall fieldtrip TBD
Must be a registered dividend through the SCPS website
to be considered as a chaperone.
1 spring fieldtrip TBD

Birthdays
Birthday treats for the class
Birthday book available through Mrs. Brown in the media center
Honored in the classroom

Dividend Support
Listen to children read: M-W 10:00 - 10:45 am
Book Checkout (time TBD)
Super Science (time TBD)
ART SEE program (time TBD)

Parents and How You Can Help
Activity Donation $10 (Scholastic News, end of year party)
Dividend Form
Volunteering/Chaperoning
Encourage your child to READ
Study for Reading and Spelling Tests
Check take home folder every day for homework
Reinforce School Procedures and Attendance

Red Plate
It was a time honored tradition among American families that when someone deserved special praise or attention they were served dinner on the red plate. Watch for this!

More Information:
Water bottles acceptable in the classroom (no Gatorade or juices)
Snack after recess, please supply a snack for your child daily.
Scholastic Book Orders, coming home soon.
Math Homework-book stays at home, rip out homework pages and return to school

Goals:

2010-08-21T14:53:00.002-04:00

"Knowledge does not just sit there. It functions richly in people's lives to help them understand and deal with the world." ~David Perkins

As a teacher, I know exactly where I want my classroom of students to be by the end of the year. You will learn very early on that I care tremendously about your child and their education. It is my goal that each student reach their maximum potential in first grade. More importantly, I want to instill in each one of them a love for learning. After all, this is the most important lesson to be learned!

With that in mind, I am focusing on the following *literacy goals for the students over the year:

* participate in a reading community

* build reading habits, and responsibilities

* develop an awareness of their thinking as they read, listen, and view

* understand that their thinking matters

* leave tracks of their thinking by drawing and writing

* learn how to turn and talk to a partner about their thinking

* learn what a specialist is and what it means to have a passion

* recognize that they all come to school with lots of information and that they are all specialists in something

* use text and images to understand

* think and wonder about new learning

* jot down new learning on post it notes and sort them

* understand that misconceptions are normal and learners revise their thinking after reading and listening

* understand what it means to infer

* infer by merging the background knowledge with clues from the text

* grow to cherish the sound of words and the rhythm of language

* recognize what a detail is

* distinguish important information from interesting details

* understand that summarizing information about a topic helps us learn and remember important information

* use reading, thinking, and writing strategies to create a developmentally appropriate summary
* merge their thinking with information to write a summary that is interesting to read and written in their own voice

Things I keep in mind during our readers workshop:
Active literacy is when you READ-STOP-THINK. Nothing is more important than each students thinking. READ-WRITE-TALK. Must get students talking about their thinking. Active Learning allows for Responsive Teaching. One size does not fit all students! They each have their own needs. Post it notes are terrific spots for documenting their thinking. Drawing and writing are crucial to exploring, understanding, and learning about print. It is important to stop and reflect often. I show the children how we read, think out loud, and share thinking. Turning and talking to their neighbor allows them to collaborate and increase purposeful student to student talk. The children need social interaction in order to learn. Initially, the children will respond to literature in a brief response and gradually the responses will be longer. Comprehension strategies help children understand what they are reading in every context(math, science, social studies, history, etc.).

As I assess, I am looking for understanding. Is their learning authentic? I eavesdrop on their conversations, read their work, observe them each day, document their success, and take note of what I must review with them. This is necessary to gear effective instruction and know what I need to teach next.

*These goals are adapted from Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis~authors of The Primary Comprehension Toolkit

Happy Friday!

2010-08-20T21:02:00.001-04:00

We not only survived our first full week of school; we completed it with top notch behavior, hard work, and much success.

The children are familiar with our class and have seen their math book and reading book for the first time today. They were so excited about the books. It was a perfect week as far as getting to know one another and getting the routine down pat! It will make for a very easy transition into our work week next week. It will be full of fun, learning, and exploration.

Please review:
sight words
color words
number words

I have personally completed all sight word, letter, letter sound, number recognition, and a writing prompt for assessment this week. It is tricky swinging time to assess while also managing 17 other students. Yet, the children are respectful, on task, and worked hard to give me the opportunity to spend one on one time with each child this week.

Review number recognition through 31 and letter/sound recognition with your child if you think they may need some extra practice. These are things they should be fluent in upon entry into first grade.

Be watching for the homework sheet that comes out on Monday. It is your child's responsibility to get their homework done and returned to me the next day. Let them pack their homework back into their folder and have it ready to go for the next day. I will not accept, "My mom forgot to put it back in my bag." My answer will always immediately be, "Your mother has already completed and passed the first grade, it is your responsibility."

Also, please note the right side bar of the blog. I will have next week highlights, homework schedule, and the spelling list. Makes it easy if your child happens to forget their green folder.

Open House is on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 from 6:00-6:30 PM . I will post our Open House Outline on the blog after in case you are unable to attend.

Have a great weekend!

ABC's of Technology for grades PreK-3

2010-08-20T19:24:00.002-04:00

When it comes to finding appropriate educational games online, this SIGHT is it. CLICK HERE!!!!
I hope you find some things for your child to enjoy.

I especially like:
www.starfall.com
www.spellingcity.com
www.funbrain.com
Harcourt Reading Activities

Day three...

2010-08-18T22:34:00.001-04:00

We continue to learn more and more about one another, become comfortable with our classmates, and classroom routine.
I have begun our classroom behavior management system. I am being quick to jump on the infractions so that they learn immediately what is expected and unaccepted. I am using a plan that is positive more than negative.
The plan has them moving forward as well as backward. If someone moves to "Be Wise" for their warning, they have the opportunity to move back to the ready to learn upon complying with the class expectations. I love this plan because it provides the student with an opportunity to improve rather than give up.

I am all about creating a community of safety, order, and great learning opportunities. When you have the consistency within the classroom, the extraordinary can happen when it comes to learning.

I am looking forward to meeting you all again at Open House on Tuesday evening. I will go over our classroom procedures and expectations of your children this year. There is a lot to cover so PLEASE arrive on time so I can begin promptly. This is an evening for parents only. Please make arrangements for your children to be looked after by someone else so that you are able to get all the information with as little distraction as possible.

We will start into our curriculum material next week. Reading: The first few stories are very easy. Fear not, as you noticed I have many books in my classroom and your children will be reading more than you will ever believe as we move through the year. For those children who are not quite fluent or confident in their reading, this is a developmentally appropriate transition into the reading series. Math: Our first Big Idea is addition and subtraction. Social Studies: We are covering rules, self, community. Science: The children will learn more about their world through the use of exploration. Writing: I will hold a writing workshop every day that focuses on all aspects of writing. Handwriting: My biggest focus currently is breaking bad habits of pencil grip and letter formation. Please remind your child of correct formation and grip as they complete homework. Those children who are not strong in pencil grip, get a three point griper for a place for each finger as they should grasp the pencil.

As I speak to the children each day, I can tell they feel so confident in themselves in school and have all faced a great deal of success this week. I have been holding onto a lot of their classwork for their portfolios. We are also creating bulletin boards with their work and creations for you to enjoy at Open House.

Thank you to all the parents for sending back your Name Interviews about your children. They have truly enjoyed the opportunity to have me read how they were named. More importantly, as each child stood before the class I told them how happy I was to have them in my class and noted something I had learned about them that makes them extra special.

I know their personalities so well already. The most amazing thing is that each and every one is so very different. I look forward to knowing more about them. But more importantly, I look forward to learning from them. We do a lot of talking with one another. I know Travis has strong ties to Texas, Grace and Katie have a twin, Jackson can name every president on Mount Rushmore, Charles is a sports fanatic, Gretchen informed me she likes to "toc and toc", Katie's eyes light up from the moment she walks into the class until she leaves, Izaiah has a strong belief in God, Ana Sophia knows way more than she will ever let anyone know...yet, Gabrielle loves double dip ice cream cones, Josh has so much to share and connects with almost everything we talk about(what an excellent comprehension skill), Pierce is so confident in what he can do in first grade, Bradley carries a sweet prayer book in his backpack and is a joy to be with everyday, I have two Graces in the class and their mothers both feel so blessed to have them, imagine Shane and Logan's disbelief when they found Star Wars books in my collection, Brianna has a sister going off to college, Brynn found a book today in the class she has read before, Jacob loves art, and need I say anything about LEGOS??? Not a day goes by that a 5, 6, or 7 year old teaches me something new. Maybe that is why I love teaching so very much!

First Day!

2010-08-16T21:26:00.002-04:00

***If you click on the photos they will open in their own window to view with ease!

The day flew by in a flash! Or...make that a thunder and lightning flash! Dismissal was wet for sure and the children handled it very well for the 1st day of school.

I must say how very proud I am of your child! You would be so proud! I have never had a smoother transition into school than we did this year! I am sure it is going to be a wonderful year!

We read the story The Kissing Hand . The children completed a hand/heart project just for you! We talked a lot to one another and introduced our selves in several different ways. Songs were sung, poems were recited, and the children showed me they learned a great deal last year as we reviewed.

After our school tour, we stopped in the bathrooms next to the cafeteria where every child washed their hands and used the restroom before lunch.

We listened to the stories Scat the Cat, I Like Myself!, and a few pages in the chapter book, Junie B. Jones, First Grader(at last!).

Our math time consisted of calendar time, number review, prerequisite math skills assessments, and manipulative center time.

Below you will find samples from our writer's workshop time.
I totally love the artistic renditions of each child's work. They just make me smile to look at...hopefully, the same goes for you!

We tried to get out for recess, but the storm was rolling in. We played inside and spent some time exploring the room and activities.

It was an excellent day! I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Dear Boys and Girls,

2010-08-13T19:50:00.006-04:00

The classroom is set up, the books are all waiting, the desks are all labeled, the bulletin boards up, I know how you are getting home the first day of school, the decorations all around, and everything is ready and waiting for you!

Thank you for coming to meet your teacher today! It was so nice to have a chance to meet you face to face. I get the feeling we are going to have a wonderful year!

I know just how you are feeling about 1st grade. Last year, I moved from many years in Kindergarten to teaching first grade...three days before school started! I was nervous, anxious, excited, and worried. Yes, I said worried. Just like you might be feeling! I was afraid I wouldn't know what to do in first grade. But, then the children all came into my classroom and were so ready to learn. It was easy. I think you will be surprised how easy the transition to First Grade from Kindergarten will actually be for you!

The first week we will get to know one another. It is so exciting to meet new friends. We will go over the letters and sounds, rhyming words, and sight words. We will review numbers and how to write them. Speaking of writing, I expect your best handwriting. We will learn the class routine and the importance of getting along with one another. A tour of the school will be in order for any of the new students to our school and to remind you where everything is in the school. We will read many fun books. Maybe even one or two you may have heard before! That's great. Do you know why? It's actually very good for your brain to read books over and over! I love books, and from being in my classroom~I am sure you can believe that! Speaking of books, I will teach you all about how to use our library in the classroom. We will have recess time in the afternoon followed by a "Choices" time where you are able to explore several activities I will have set out for you. The days will go by so very fast. I am really looking forward to the start of school and for us to get to know one another better!

At the end of the day when it is time to go home, you will go to another teachers classroom just like in Kindergarten. You will travel with several friends from our class plus an adult so you will not be alone or have anything to worry about at the end of the day.

The first week of school we will not have any homework, spelling words, or a reading story to study for on Friday. Next week, we will start homework. It will be so easy to do, you will feel like it's not even work!

I am sending one sheet home next week for you to explore how your family came up with your name. We will share these during the day. That's as far as it goes for homework!

So this weekend, relax and enjoy your last weekend of summer. Know that on Sunday night, I am having as hard a time as you are falling asleep. I am so excited to teach you!
Love,

This is my desk, our writing table, and where your computers are located.
This is our birthday train and the bulletin board with your name on it!
Our class motto is very important to our learning community.
This is where your books are stored and where you will store your book choices.
Inside of this cabinet is where we will store your backpack.
The reading castle.
Our circle time area.
Books and more books.
Did I already say more books? Well, here is some more.
Behavior chart.

Welcome to 1st grade!

2010-08-13T19:40:00.002-04:00

I hope the following "ABC's of 1st grade"answers some questions you may have.

A
If your child is absent, please call me (407-746-3013) or the front office to let us know. A note stating the reason for the absence must be brought to school as soon as possible to avoid an unexcused absence.
If your child has any allergies, especially food-related, please let me know.
We have art on Wednesday.
B
If you would like to send a birthday treat with your child on or near his/her birthday, please feel free to do so. These treats will be eaten during our lunch time. Birthdays are recognized during our calendar routine as well. We will recognize summer birthdays at the end of the school year. Please do not send birthday party invitations to be distributed at school unless all children receive an invitation.
I will send home book order forms for you and your child to look over every month. Book clubs offer books at reduced prices. It's a great way to build your child's home library!
Our cafeteria serves breakfast each day for $1.50 .
C
Parent and Teacher conferences will be held after I have had an opportunity to assess and observe your child. Watch for information and reply accordingly. If you need to speak to me prior to the conference date, contact me.
Communication is important. Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, comment, or concern. You can reach me by phone (407-746-3013), in person, by email (jessica_carter@scps.k12.fl.us), or by note.
D
Discipline is simple. We work hard as a class to make the classroom a positive and safe place for all.
E
My school email address is Jessica_carter@scps.k12.fl.us. I check email daily. If you have an email address that you’d like me to be aware of, please let me know.
Please complete and return the emergency card promptly. If your home or work phone number change, please inform the office and me.
Early Release Days will take place on Wednesdays. On Early Release days, students are dismissed at 2:00.
F
Information about field trips will come home in the green folder and will be detailed in the field trip permission slip and weekly newsletter.
Green Folders will come home each day. Please check your child’s folder daily and review all class work. Return your child’s folder each day.
G
The green folder you received at meet your teacher is the green folder your child will use all year. It will be used for communication, housing your child's homework sheet, and transporting notes or homework.
H
Students will have nightly homework in 1st grade. Please refer to the homework sheet in the front of their green folder. Homework assignments will be daily math, spelling, and reading. The math homework book will remain at home and your child will tear out and return that days assignment. Unless otherwise noted, please return the homework the following day. We will move slowly into this process.
I
Independence is a goal for students because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. 1st graders are very capable of doing many things on their own and I encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the classroom. Please work on the following self-help skills at home with your child: zipping, tying, completion of chores, etc.
J
Writing takes place every day in 1st grade. One way we accomplish this is through writing stories in our journals during writer’s workshop. Encourage your child to write at home for a variety of purposes.
K
Keep updated by reading the classroom newsletter/homework sheet every week, checking the green folder every day for other notes and information, and viewing this website. I will update spelling and homework weekly in case your child forgets something.
L
Our class eats lunch at 10:50-11:20. If lunch money is sent to school, please send it in an envelope or ziploc. You are welcome to come eat lunch with your child, just check in with the office when you arrive. Lunch: $2.25
M
The children will have music class every Monday with Mrs. Shea.
The 1st Grade math curriculum provides students with mathematical experiences that help them develop number sense and a positive attitude towards mathematics that will continue throughout their school career and lives. Math concepts are covered through our daily calendar and math routine.
Our class will visit the media center once a week. Our media specialist is Mrs. Brown. Your child will check out a book when we visit the library and return it every Thursday. If your child forgets to return the book for two weeks, they will not be allowed to check out a new book until it is returned.
N
A weekly newsletter will be sent home on Mondays to keep you informed about what is happening in our class.
There will be no school on the following days: September: 6, 9; October 18 November: 24, 25, 26; December: 23-January: 9, 17; February 21; March: 18, 21-25; April: 26; and May: 30.
O
I will share more information with you at Open House on August 24.
P
Our class will have “PE” every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The children are asked to wear athletic shoes on PE days.
When picking up your child early, please sign your child out in the front office. They will call down to the room for your child.
Q
Questions? Please feel free to call, email, or send a note.
• Jessica_carter@scps.k12.fl.us or jessicamae3@yahoo.com
• 407-746-3013
R
Report cards will be sent home 3 times during the year.
1st grade has recess from 1:45-2:00.
S
The focus of the 1st grade science curriculum is on developing an awareness of the world in which we live. Science concepts and skills will be explored utilizing a literacy based, hands-on approach.
Super Science is a PTA funded curriculum that provides small group, hands on science experiments one day a week that go along with our 1st grade curriculum.
The kindergarten social studies curriculum focuses on the students and how they relate to others in their families, classroom, school, and community. Social Studies concepts and skills will be explored utilizing a literacy based, hands-on approach.
We will have a daily snack time. Please pack a healthy snack for your child. Avoid “wet snacks” like fruit cups, jello, and puddings. Unfortunately, accidents happen and the carpet stains easily. Place snack in a separate Ziploc or bag than lunch or your child will eat it at lunch and have nothing for snack. No juice drinks/Gatorade. Please stick with water.
T
If your child has any changes in their transportation please let me know in writing prior to, or the day of, the transportation change. Calling the office is the best and only method for letting me know about last minute transportation changes.
U and V
VolUnteers and visitors must register in the office and pick up a badge.
W
Please pack a water bottle for your child to have water at their finger tips. No Gatorade or juices please.
Wet and/or dirty clothes can be uncomfortable. In the event of a spill or accident, your child will be provided with a set of clean clothing. Please wash and return the clothing as soon as possible for the next child to use. If your child has outgrown size 4, 5, or 6 shorts or t-shirts and they are in good condition...The clinic is always looking for these sizes to be donated.
Class Website: www.mrscarterscalling.blogspot.com
X
Parents and family members may eXit and enter via the main school entry. All gates are locked throughout the day.
Y
You’re your child’s first teacher and know your child better than anyone. Please share with me any details that will enable me to best meet your child’s needs. We are a team!
Z
Zzzzzzz - Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child .

1st Grade Supply List

2010-07-28T19:30:00.001-04:00

2 4 oz. Elmer's Washable School Glue,white
1 Sharp 5" Fiskar Scissors
2 boxes Washable Crayola Thick Classic Markers
3 Magic Rub Eraser,non-glossing white vinyl
3 16 Ct. Crayola Crayons or 24 count
1 Ruler Box 13L x 6.25W x 2.5H
4 Comp Book 1/2" Ruled 8 X 10 must be bought in the SPE STORE
2 #2 Yellow Wood Pre sharpened Pencils,12ct.
1 Disinfecting Wipes 35ct Pop-up canister(extra appreciated)
1 125ct Kleenex Facial Tissue
4 Elmer's Large Washable Glue Stick,purple
1 8 oz. Waterless Hand Sanitizer with Pump
1 Blue 2-Pocket Paper Folder w/clasp
1 Purple 2-pocket Paper Folder w/o clasps
1 Purple POCKET ONLY folder
1 Box Colored Pencils,pre-sharpened
3 16ct. Crayola Crayons
3 Magic Rub Eraser,non-glossing white vinyl
1 Ruler Box 13L x 6.25W x 2.5H
2 #2 Yellow Wood Sharpened Pencils, 12ct.

Mrs. Carter's Wish List

2010-07-28T18:43:00.004-04:00

1. Band Aids~Sometimes you just need a little tender loving care and a band aid!
2. Post It notes(any size, any color)~The children will be using these like crazy!
3. Febreeze air freshener (dual plug in or spray apple cinnamon flavor)~Some smells just need a quick shot of Febreeze!
4. Starbursts Candy~When no words can possibly describe their brilliance.
5. Hershey Kisses~When they "Kiss Their Brain" for being so smart!
6. Treasure Box Prizes (Especially the kind from Happy Meals your children are tired of!)
7. Post It Notes~Children will write a novel on these when they wont write two words on a notebook piece of paper.
8. AA and AAA batteries~To keep the Leap Pad and hand held phonics games powered.
9. Wiggly Eyes~Brings your child's projects to life.
10. Bounty Paper Towels~The quicker picker upper.
11. Dixie Cups~Nothing holds snacks better.
12. Extra Snacks~Speaking of Snacks.
13. Book donations gently used or amazon.com gift card~These are the life force of my classroom.
14. Post it Notes~Did I say this already??? :o)
15. Scrabble tiles~for making words
16. Stickers~to adorn wonderful work
17. Baby Wipes~for projects

As always, your donations are greatly appreciated and will be well used in making your child's school year a successful one!
Thank you, thank you , thank you from the bottom of my heart to the top!

Top 100 Picture Books

2010-07-11T10:43:00.003-04:00

This list came from The School Library Journal website.
If you are looking for some good read alouds. This is a great start!

1: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)
2: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947)
3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1979)
4: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
5: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (2003)
6: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1941)
7: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)
8: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)
9: Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928)
10: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (2004)
11: The Story of Ferdinand by Monroe Leaf, ill. Robert Lawson (1936)
12: Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann (1994)
13: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948)
14: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith(1989)
15: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (1996)
16: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (1987)
17: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1947)
18: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (1970)
19: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (1982)
20: George and Martha by James Marshall (1972)
21: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (1999)
22: The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, ill. by Mike Smollin (1971)
23: Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (1964)
24: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, ill. Lois Ehlert (1989)
25: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (1942)
26: Corduroy by Donald Freeman (1976)
27: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902)
28: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, ill. Ray Cruz(1972)
29: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)
30: Brown, Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr., ill. Eric Carle (1967)
31: No, David by David Shannon (1998)
32: Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, ill. by Betsy Lewin (2000)
33: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi and Ron Barrett (1978)
34: Olivia by Ian Falconer (2000)
35: Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, ill. Blair Lent (1968)
36: Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith (1992)
37: Eloise by Kay Thompson, ill. Hilary Knight (1955)
38: Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, ill. by Margaret Bloy Graham (1956)
39: The Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood (1984)
40: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton (1939)
41: The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, ill. Stephen Gammell (1985)
42: Curious George by H.A. Rey (1941)
43: Tuesday by David Wiesner (1991)
44: Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola (1975)
45: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (1985)
46: Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt (2006)
47: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff (1985)
48: The Big Orange Splot, by Daniel Pinkwater (1977)
49: King Bidgood is in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, ill. Don Wood (1985)
50: Black and White by David Macaulay (1990)
51: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1981)
52: Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard, ill. James Marshall (1977)
53: The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (1978)
54: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (2001)
55: The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, ill. George & Doris Hauman (1961)
56: Frederick by Leo Lionni (1967)
57: Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, ill. Harry Bliss (2003)
58: Flotsam by David Wiesner (2006)
59: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (1975) by Verna Aardema, ill.Leo and Diane Dillon (1975)
60: Chicken Soup With Rice: A Book of Months by Maurice Sendak (1962)
61: Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (2005)
62: The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack (1933)
63: Traction Man is Here!, by Mini Grey (2005)
64: “I Can’t,” Said the Ant: A Second Book of Nonsense by Polly Cameron (1961)
65: Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner (2003)
66: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (1995)
67: Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni (1959)
68: The Arrival by Shaun Tan (2006)
69: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, ill. Helen Oxenbury (1989)
70: Miss Fanshawe and the Great Dragon Adventure by Sue Scullard (1986)
71: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, ill by Michael Martchenko (1980)
72: The Little Brute Family by Russell Hoban, ill. Lilian Hoban (1966)
73: The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant (1933) by Jean de Brunhoff
74: Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (1942)
75: Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (1940)
76: Zoom at Sea by Tim Wynne-Jones, ill. Eric Beddows (1983)
77: The Library by Sarah Stewart, ill. David Small (1995)
78: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
79: Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm, by Alice and Martin Provensen (1974)
80: The Jolly Postman: or, Other People’s Letters by Janet Ahlberg (1986)
81: Possum Magic by Mem Fox, ill. Julie Vivas (1983)
82: Who Needs Donuts? by Mark Alan Stamaty (1973)
83: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (1971)
84: Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes (1988)
85: Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats (1964)
86: Yoko by Rosemary Wells (1998)
87: Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (2004)
88: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (1993)
89: A Hole is to Dig: A First Book of First Definitions by Ruth Krauss, ill. Maurice Sendak (1952)
90: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis (2006)
91: Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures With the Family Lazardo by William Joyce (1988)
92: Swimmy by Leo Lionni (1963)
93: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (1964)
94: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood (1984)
95: The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, ill. David Small (1997)
96: The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle (1990)
97: Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox, ill. Judy Horacek (2004)
98: Anatole by Eve Titus (1956)
99: Little Pea by Amy Krause Rosenthal, ill. by Jen Corace (2005)
100: Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley (1992)

2010-04-09T10:05:00.015-04:00

Happy Spring Break to you all!
Hope you have enjoyed some time with your families!
I have been so busy in the classroom these past several weeks, along with my family life, and some health issues have kept me from blogging much. However, do not think the fun and learning ever ends in first grade!

I love reading! Imagine the joy I felt when I was able to visit the home of the author of one of my all time favorite stories ever, "The Yearling". Cross Creek is located just north of Ocala where my inlaws live and I went to visit a month back.

The neatest thing about this is that this is one of my most recent reads.

Although, my latest read was "Good Morning Miss Dove". I fell in love with this story. "An aging schoolteacher in a small New England town becomes deathly ill, and the town rallys around her for support. Among them is one of her former pupils, now a successful surgeon, who can perform a procedure to save her life. Then many of her other students arrive to show her how much she's changed their lives through flashbacks of her younger days as a teacher." It was written in the early 50's and a classic in my opinion! Inspiring.

My love for reading is what I want to share with my students! My travels to and fro looking for inexpensive quality literature to bring to the classroom led me smack dab into a treasure of a story!

I found this book called "Aunt Claire's Yellow Beehive Hair" at the friends of the library sale and may have paid a dollar for this book. It was well worth the 4 quarters! I picked it up when we were reading "Busy, Buzzy Bees" in our reading book as the word beehive caught my eye.
Needless to say, it had nothing to do with bees or beehives and everything about tracking the history and memorabilia of your families stories and history. I used this opportunity to model for the children how I was able to connect to this story and shared my families vintage photos mixed in with recent family photos. I use every opportunity to model for the class how they can connect, infer, dig deeper, and use their schema to increase comprehension.

I would be remiss if I left out photos of the very cool and creative robots my class made for a home project. The only requirements: create a model of a robot using whatever you want. You can even just draw it! Then write 5 sentences about what your robot can do to make your life easier.

The creativity and secret buttons surprised and amazed me. I loved this project as much as the children enjoyed it!

Thanks to Vic's parents for donating this lovely reading castle. This is a daily hit and a sure fire way to get even the least likely readers to get lost in a good book!

Part of our reading program includes making recommendations to other students.
This was our first version of this process. I found there was too many backups and wasted reading time while people were busy waiting to be writing.

I changed to a library pocket for the children. They take a paper that asks for title, author, who recommended the book, genre, and a summary.
The children have begun to use this system and seem to really enjoy the "mail" in their pocket.

If you ask your child, "what do good readers do?" You will be amazed at their answers. Hopefully, as much as I was! We have been talking for several months about what do good readers do. Recently, I created this poster together with the class and they came up with all these ideas!

Mr. Carter has been very busy over the past couple of weeks. He was creating these shelves for my class! I did all the painting...he hates to paint! :o) I was so thrilled to have the shelves, I did not complain! I went shopping and purchased all the red tubs that WalMart had and I am thrilled with the outcome! Mr. Carter delivered the shelves to my class on Thursday afternoon before Spring Break. He brought along Jay and the children had the opportunity to see little Jay.

I was thrilled with the outcome of our hard work and even more thrilled to hear the students remarks! One child~while touching them said, "WOW these look like you bought them." Another child said, "Mrs. Carter, when my playroom is all a mess and all my toys are laying around it is terrible. When I clean everything up and put them on shelves I feel like I can do anything. That's how I feel now that our books are on the shelves."
Oh the little things!
Thank you for all of your support!
Be watching for information coming out on our Fairy Tale Unit
Carter's Coffeehouse:
A Fairy Tale Dream
Save the date!
May 27th, 9:00 am
Coffee, Tea, Cookies will be served in the classroom as we listen to the children read their own fairy tales they write.

Flat Stanley is busy still as I write. Hunter's Flat Stanley is in Africa!

Reading with Meaning

2010-02-17T17:49:00.007-05:00

The blog has been very quiet...but I have been here! I am working night and day having changed our classroom into a more conducive environment for reading and comprehension.
The children have begun to take Accelerated Reader comprehension tests and some very good readers were scoring some low scores. I had to re look at how reading was being taught in my class. I didn't want them to just learn to read, I wanted them to comprehend what they were reading!
With this being said, I have brought all of my books off of the shelves and put them out for the children to read!
The following is a basic schedule of how the morning goes in the classroom.
8:40-9:00 Music, Read Alouds, Mini Lesson (focusing on schema, visualizing, inference, questions, determining importance, and synthesizing)
9:00-9:45 Independent Reading {all reading...all the time! :o)} and Teacher conferencing with students
9:45-10:00 Sharing
10:00-10:45 Small Groups
Teacher: Guided Reading Only
Seat work: Phonics Focus
Center: Independent Reading/AR testing/Parent listens to student read for fluency

Here are a few photos of the children actively reading:

After reading Debbie Miller's book, "Reading with Meaning", I feel I have found a technique that speaks to me as a teacher and a learner.

I googled Reader's Workshop and found this young lady making this technique work in her class. Head over to her website and click on some of the videos she has created. This is what a typical morning sounds like in my class! I highly recommend visiting the sight here and seeing what she has to say about this in her classroom. You will get a great idea of why I am doing the same in my class. Having not had the opportunity to start first thing in the year has not been a hinderance, the children have adapted to my routine with ease by this time of the year. They are enjoying the opportunity to read more and become better readers!

With this new setup, I have some odd requests:
I appreciate all of the parents who send in donations to the classroom! I am looking for your help before I go out and spend my money on these things. Perhaps you have some of the items available that are cluttering up your home.
***By all means, I am not asking you to go out and purchase any of the following!!!
*clipboards
*post it notes
*small lamps you do not use any longer...not looking for style, just lighting! :o)
*A tall floor lamp... ditto! :o)
*plywood to make shelves
*cushy pillows to sit and read on...again style is not an issue
*any books your children have grown weary of and may have outgrown
*Do you see the tubs in the background of this photo of Melissa? I sure could use some if you have any lying around not being used. The soaking tubs are the perfect size, but any will be greatly appreciated! I have many more books I would like to still get out and into the hands of the children.

Connect your right and left brain!

2010-02-05T07:04:00.003-05:00

Crossing the Midline
by Dr. Jean (Educator Extraordinaire if you ask me!)
Click on the name of the article to be taken to her website!

"Draw a line vertically down the middle of your body. That’s called the midline. Every time you cross over that line, you are helping connect the hemispheres in your brain.

Put on some music and have children follow along as you do some of these exercises where you cross over the midline:

Simple Tap - Touch right hand to left knee and left hand to right knee.
Bend and Stretch - Lift left knee and touch with right elbow. Lift right knee and touch with left elbow.
Backwards Touch - Lift left foot behind you and stretch back with right hand and touch. Reverse for the right foot and left hand.
Catch a star –Reach with right hand up in the air to your left and pretend to catch a star. Then reach with your left hand up in the air to your right and catch a star. (You can also pick apples, oranges, or any other fruit you like to eat.)
Windmills – Stretch out feet. Touch right hand to left foot. Stand. Touch left hand to right foot.
Pat on the Back – Alternate patting the back of your left shoulder with your right hand and your right shoulder with your left hand.
Picking Peppers – Stand with feet stretched. Bend to the left and pretend to pull something beyond your left foot with your right hand. Stand. Bend to the right and pretend to pull something with your left hand.
Push and Pull – Stand with hands on hips. Twist left and push with palms up and then pretend to pull something towards you. Twist and push and pull to the right.
Piddle Paddle – Put fists on top of each other as if holding an oar. Pretend to paddle on the right side of the body and then sweep hands and pretend to paddle on the left.
Shopping – Pretend to steer a grocery cart and then reach to the left with your right hand and take something off the shelf and put it in your cart. Reach with the left hand to the right and put something in the cart.
Climbing – Act like you are climbing a ladder as you reach up with your right hand and lift your left knee. Reach with your left hand and lift your right knee.
Nose and Ears – Touch right ear with left hand and place right hand on your nose. Touch left ear with right hand and place left hand on your nose.
Disco Dance – Put right index finger in the air and point to the left. Bring right index finger down by your side. Place left index finger in the air and point to the right. Then bring down by your side.
Put the Fire Out – Pretend to get a pail and scoop up water on the floor by your right foot. Throw that pail of water over your left shoulder. After ten times in this direction scoop water from the left and throw it over your right shoulder.
Crazy Eights – Make the figure eight in front of you with your right hand and then your left hand. Make “lazy” eights by making eight laying down with your right hand. Make lazy eights with your left hand. Clasp your right and left hand and make large lazy eights. Lean over and pretend to draw an imaginary “lazy” eight on the floor with your right hand and then your left hand. "

These ideas are all from Dr. Jean at www.drjean.org . I take no credit whatsoever!

"Writing in First Grade"

2010-02-04T14:23:00.003-05:00

http://www.education.com/
Writing in First Grade: It Takes Practice
by Hank Schlinger, Ph.D.
This link will take you directly to this article.

"For many children, first grade is the time when they begin to learn academic skills such as reading and writing. It’s also the time when differences between their own work and that of their peers start to become apparent. Some children learn certain skills faster and some seem to learn them better. These aren’t differences in inborn ability; they arise mostly from differences in direct experience. Poor performance in a particular area is not necessarily a life sentence. But it can feel that way to a first grader.

Take writing.
In first grade, children pick up the pencil in earnest. They learn to print uppercase and lowercase letters. Parents expect teachers to teach this skill, but unfortunately it does not always happen. Thus parents must step in and help.

The old adage “practice makes perfect” is true. Consequently, parents must arrange opportunities for their children to practice the correct behaviors. Here are some tips for helping your child:
Get specific.
Find out from your child’s teacher how your child is doing with each skill. Be sure to get the teacher to tell you in terms of specific actions, (“She needs to learn to make her capital Ws larger than her lowercase ws”) instead of vague descriptions, such as “Your child needs more work on understanding the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters.”
Stock up.
Ask the teacher to provide materials that you can use at home or to advise you about where to buy them. This ensures that you and the teacher are working on the same skills.
Focus.
Set aside a specific time with your child when there are no interruptions. Turn off the telephones and televisions and arrange, if possible, for other siblings to be occupied.
Set the stage.
Sit by your child and ask her to write a couple of letters you know she can do well and immediately tell her how good she did by specifying exactly what she did that was right, for example, “I like how tall these letters are” or “This line is nice and straight”. Giving a child a few concrete examples of what’s working, is better than heaping on general non-specific praise. Approach the problem.
Move to letters she is having difficulty with. Start with what she can do and then instruct her how she can make it slightly better, for example, “Try making this letter a little taller”. When she follows your instructions and completes the task effectively, praise that behavior. If she’s not quite able to do it yet, model the behavior for her and then ask her to tell you the difference between yours and hers. You can also physically prompt her by guiding her hand with yours to make the correct letter.
Leverage success.
Once your child can write the correct letter and can tell you what makes it correct, then move on to the next letter. But always include previous letters when learning and practicing new ones. Also, once she has learned to write a letter, you needn’t praise her skill as much or immediately.The best piece of advice? Keep it short. It’s hard work and you shouldn’t expect sessions to last more than 10 minutes at a time. So get that pencil dancing.
And remember, make it fun!"
(Hank Schlinger, Ph.D., BCBA, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, directs the Masters Program in Applied Behavior Analysis in the Psychology Department at California State University, Los Angeles. He is the author of the book, "A Behavior-Analytic View of Child Development", as well as numerous scientific articles and popular columns.)

1st Grade Writing: What Happens
by Amy James
Follow this link to the direct article!

"It's easy to think, “Okay, I taught/helped teach my child to read, whew – I'm glad that is over.” But writing might be the hardest thing your child does all day. By combining reading skills with small motor skills and adding in spelling, your child is just learning to communicate via the written word – a skill that will be used and refined for the rest of your child's life. When a first grader writes, he or she must simultaneously recall ideas, vocabulary, and rules of spelling, punctuation, and grammar while putting thoughts on paper.
Curriculum varies from state to state, of course, but children working at the standard level at the beginning of first grade:
*Name and label objects
*Gather, collect, and share information
*Stay on topic (maintain focus)
*Can write in chronological order
*Incorporate storybook language (for example, “They lived happily ever after”) into their writing
*Think in a more extended fashion than they can write, so some thoughts must be extended orally
By the end of first grade, students working at the standard level:
*Communicate in writing
*Reread their writing to monitor meaning
*Begin to use feedback to change their writing either by adding more text or by making minor revisions
*Revise their writing by inserting text in the middle rather than just at the end
*Make deliberate choices about the language they use
*Use punctuation and capitalization more often than not

(Amy James is a former teacher and a national expert on school curriculum and testing. Her company, Six Things, Inc., provides consulting services for publishers and school districts on compliance with state and national education standards, as well as professional development for K-12 teachers. Reprinted with permission from "First Grade Success: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Child Learn" by Amy James (Jossey-Bass 2005) )

Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T18:39:00.006-05:00

The groundhog did not have a shadow here in Florida...does that mean Spring is just around the corner? I hope so! Up north, he did see his shadow in Punxsy...so they have 6 more weeks of winter.

Gobbler's Knob is very much alive and well. We visited in August of 2007 when I was pregnant with Jay visiting with my folks in Reynoldsville, PA.
Here is where they pull him out of a makeshift burrow. There was still hay in it when we opened the little doors and peered in!

This was taken right out in front of the library. These groundhogs are painted like the Ocala horses and are placed all around the town of Punxsatawney.

Here is where the Groundhogs live year round. There is one up on its hind legs trying to get the attention of a child in the library. Two more are laying in the little burrows. I believe there were like 5 or 6 all total in there. This photo was taken through a window outside of the library.

We had a very busy and exciting morning. Super Science, three parent helpers and some good old fashioned learning fun!
How cute is that hat exclaiming, "6 more weeks of winter!".
The children LOVE www.starfall.com!

2010-01-19T10:54:00.003-05:00

Cloudy with a Chance

Dear Mrs. Carter’s Students,

Thursday, January 21, 2010 your presence is requested at School(Mrs. Carter’s classroom to be exact). You are to come dressed in your finest pajamas. Please remember our school dress code when putting together your favorite pajama outfit! Slippers are also a good idea. I wouldn’t want you tripping on any falling spaghetti and meatballs without them! Just throw them in your backpack and change from your sneakers to slippers once you arrive! We will be dining on such fine food as pancakes and eggs compliments of Chef Cartier` (That’s fancy talk for: Mrs. Carter will be making pancakes with syrup and eggs with ketchup if you so choose!) If you prefer to have a bag lunch, please pack your own (the cafeteria will also be serving bag lunches). We will be watching the movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs after lunch is cleaned up! Thank you for your attention and I look forward to Thursday!

Your Teacher,
Mrs. Carter

If you would like to donate any of the following, please call me or email me:
*paper plates
*napkins
*plastic forks and knives
*juice boxes
I will be purchasing everything else.

***Slippers and Pajamas are optional! If your child has someplace to be after school, send in a change of clothes.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-10T06:41:00.002-05:00

I know, I know...it's late. But, better late than never right?
I hope this post finds you well and looking forward to a positive year.

This past week has flown by in a flurry. There has been a blizzard of things to do and get caught up on from our recent winter vacation. Did you notice my reference to snowy weather? Well, let me assure you...it is ALLLLLL the children have been focused on all week. The prospect of snow was their main focus and goal this week and it started early Tuesday morning.

If you can not beat them, join them. This coming week we are learning about weather. We will cover temperature and how to measure it, clouds and what type of weather they bring, and the water cycle. Among many other things! We will be reading the book "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and adding our own twist to the story!

Our reading story next week is called "Friends Forever". As you read the story with your child, PLEASE remember to go over the "Words to Remember" at the beginning of the story. These are sight words and they are getting more difficult. When we get to the test, they can not read these words(Obviously as sight words, they can not be sounded out.). I am trying to transition the children to begin reading the tests on their own. In second grade, the teachers do not read the tests to them. I work on independent reading and comprehension each day in small groups. You can help at home by read, read, reading with your child! :o)

This past week we had a wonderful lesson on Monet in ARTSEE. The children painted such beautiful renditions in the style of Monet. They were left drying on the back table in the classroom and the children will bring them home Monday.

This past week, you also received MANY tests. These were all from prior to the winter break while I was out having surgery. The substitutes graded the tests. This is why you may have noticed that some things I usually mark wrong were let go by the wayside. It would not have made a major difference on their grade so I did not change it. Otherwise, I can not tell you how wonderful a job the subs truly did.

Right down to the last day before break when she turned on beautiful classic music, moved the tables out and created a circle, handed each child two paper plates, and had them ice skate! Then, to put the icing on the cake she had hot cocoa for each child after they skated! This was of course after all the academics were done. You see, 6 and 7 year old children need to have fun! After all, isn't that what makes life enjoyable?

As the new year begins in the classroom, the expectations of your child are increasing. I am demanding neat hand writing or they try again, names must be on papers or they lose a point on their grade, neatness counts for a grade as well. Phonics skills are being repeated over and over, fluency is being practiced each day, and comprehension is a big focus now as we work towards the end of the year. Math concepts are being repeated in order that each child masters these skills in order to build on math knowledge. It is my goal to have them well prepared for the 2nd grade.