This is math, This is math, This is math

I love my neighbor teacher. We can be serious, and we can joke.

Yesterday I was in the hallway (just dropped my kids off in music) and heard her telling her students, "come in, sit down, and then we will have snack." 

I thought that sounded pretty good. So, I went in, found an empty desk (I have no idea where the lovely student was that was supposed to be sitting there) and sat down. She was teaching and talking (and getting around to snack) when she finally looked around the room and noticed me.

We laughed a bit, I left (without my snack) and smiled that we can be goofy in a very serious profession.

Today she walked in my room to discuss morning recess. Go outside or not? 28 degrees, finely misting. She looked around my room and asked--they are already having recess?

Um, no. They were playing a math game. Upon closer inspection she realized that it was a math game.

These were some comments she made:

1. Look, they are working together.

2. Oh, they are helping each other.

3. See how those two are sharing a chair?

4. This is math.

5. This is math.

6. Repeat this often Alyce, this IS math!

My teaching buddy (who does not live near by, but comes by often to plan and chat--I love her, too) and I are using a great product this week in lead up to Earth Day. (Find it here on TpT.)

For math today they started with addition cover up (from the packet), then practiced adding three numbers, then played the above game (identifying 3-D objects) when my neighbor came in.

I am so glad to have my neighbor teacher near by. She encourages me. She gets me to think out of the box.

And she brings me K students who have big questions that I can answer for them.

That is what she did this afternoon.

I thought it was going to be something like "how are kids supposed to treat each other," or "this is why you learn letters."

Nope. 

His question (after she left him in my able care), "why can't we talk about God at school?"

WHAT?

I looked up and the secretary was smiling at me. Oh boy!

I did the best I could and sent him back to K.

************************

In other news...

We are working through an awesome Reading Unit. All about characters. See it here on TpT.

Today was day 2, and I blended Critter Cafe with it. Iggy the Inferring Iguana.

The kids "got" it. I love it when that happens.

What's going on in your neck of the woods?

I'm a Copycat

If Julie did it and blogged about it, you can bet that I am thinking about it and doing 1/2 of it.

I love her Critter Cafe. Way back in September she started blogging about it and I was hooked. I have not kept up with strategies like I could have, but I do squeeze in some. 

Last week Julie wrote about Main Idea and Details. What a tough piece of comprehension for me. To really understand and to teach. But it is HUGE on our state assessments. Which is why I was excited to copy Julie and give these first graders a great start.

Today was potato day. (More on that in another post.) We did some stuff. Then I read a non-fiction book about potatoes, and used an on-line lesson plan about teaching main idea that I followed it to a "T." Kids kinda got it.

We did some more stuff.

Then I introduced Digger the Dog. He digs for details to support the main idea. The kids loved him.

I read Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato to them. We filled in the anchor chart I had whipped up (per Julie--of course) and learned a whole bunch.

Truly, 2/3 of my class got it. And the other 1/3 understood (at least they looked like it--you know wide eyes, nodding heads, their "me too" hand signals were up).

Here is the photo I snapped of our awesome chart. 

I am so excited to do this with more books. I love making abstract ideas real and concrete. Digger the Dog really helped.

I won't be doing any comprehension with The Boxcar Children (which I started reading today). It is a "read for enjoyment, not "assessing" book. But you know, so much comprehension happens anyway. I just don't have to plan it! They were so quiet and now they can hardly wait to find out what happens to Benny, Violet, Jessie and Henry tomorrow. 

Summer Bucket List

Crazy title, huh? Especially since it is the day after Thanksgiving.

Way back on May 12, 2012 I created my Summer Bucket List. #1 on that list was to create a year-at-a-glance for reading, writing, math, social studies and science (and ag as much as possible).

Sorry to say that it (the year-at-a-glance) never happened.

I tried to several times. But could not figure out where to start. Blame it on switching grades. Or lack of understanding of CCSC. Or that I was too busy creating cute "things" for my classroom. Or that I was doing the other items on my bucket list.

Recently I decided that I needed to get it done. Sure, we are 1/3 into the school year, but that leaves 2/3 of the year to get everything else done. I needed a plan.

Especially since I am eager to really teach The Phonics Dance and the Critter Cafe (see Ms. Marciniak's post or mine).

Sure, I could hop along and skip around and hope that I do everything possible before May 2013 rolls around. OR, I could buckle down and put a scope and sequence on paper.

This past Monday I was sitting in the bleachers at my son's (who became a teenager today!) basketball game. During half-time I pulled out a tiny notebook, a calendar, The Phonics Dance book, my districts word study list and started planning. Week by week. It was so fun. I couldn't even put my books away when half-time was over. I tried to work only when there was a break. But I may have missed seeing a basket that my son made (oops).

No time to work on this plan on Tuesday, we were preparing and feasting and recovering from feasting.

However, I did get back to it Wednesday morning. Now I was ready to add the CAFE strategies. And today I added social studies, science, writing, and art. Ohhhh, it is so lovely.

Perhaps over our Christmas break I will add math to it.

I would be pleased to let you see it. If you leave a comment and your email I will send it to you. Maybe you could even give me some tips on how to make it better (more user friendly) or how you scope and sequence.

Happy Thanksgiving!

C.C.the Cow

I am loving The Critter Cafe! This unit was created by my bloggy friend, Ms. Marciniak, @ First Grade Critter Cafe'.

Using my birthday money, I was able to purchase several beanie babies to teach a couple of "Cafe" strategies. I was super nervous starting this. I used come Cafe information and techniques last year. But it never really clicked for me.

Yesterday it clicked.

We (who am I kidding, it was all me) finished reading out loud The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary last week. Oh, we enjoyed it. I always think it is a good thing to watch the movie after you read the book, so that is what we did.

We watched the movie yesterday. Then, in order to make the activity educational, I prepared a compare and contrast lesson (enter C.C. the Cow).

C.C. helped us to know how to compare and contrast. Wow, the kids were good at this. I think they do this a lot, but do not always have the vocabulary to let us teachers know that they know how. Now, we are all on the same page.

This is the poster that we created.

(Yellow and Blue make Green)

It helped a lot if the student held C.C. while giving me a similarity or difference.

When we were finished, I hung the poster in the hallway, so that our schoolmates could marvel at how smart these first graders are. It did get attention.

Here are some of the kids explaining the poster to our principal.

They have such a great handle on this comprehension skill!

Waaaaaay back in September I read The Three Billy Goats Fluff. It was fine. But they did not know the original version. About a week ago I found a big book of the original Three Billy Goats Gruff. And I read it today.

Perfect way to practice compare and contrast again. And again, it really helped to be able to hold C.C. the Cow.

Later in the afternoon (while I was progress monitoring), the kids had a word sort to complete. Wow, they worked quickly and carefully. Because I told them they could practice more comparing and contrasting when they were finished.

LOL! "Kids, do this work fast, and then practice this comprehension skill! It is fun!" Just shaking my head.

I was half-way done with progress monitoring, looked up between kids and what did I see?

A group of 4 students sitting in a circle in the middle of the room. Whispering. Comparing and contrasting the two Billy Goat books. Pride was spilling out of my eyes!

Cannot wait to teach another skill with a beanie baby. It is the perfect way to take an abstract idea or skill and make it concrete. And that is just what we all need.

Hey, if you are interested in learning more...go visit my friend Julie, at The First Grade Critter Cafe, and tell her that Alyce sent you.