My students are working on report (informational) writing right now. They worked in pairs during these past few weeks. Their hard work came to an end this past Tuesday. They turned their reports in to me and I began grading them that night. As I went through one child’s report I noticed his glossary page. He had the word kick listed. After kick it said: “Kick: like a punch, but with your feet.” I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s neat to see their mentality of thinking. It was funny to see that he listed kick, thinking it was important enough to include in his glossary. However, his definition was a pretty clear and well written. It was a reminder of how much I love teaching first grade!
As a teachers we are always looking for things to help us in the classroom. I have come across this book and just love it. The best part is, I use it in all subject areas. It has the best graphic organizers for 1-3 grade. There are graphic organizers I give to my students for just about everything. I’ve used it in science, reading response, and writing. It’s one of those teacher must haves. Click on the book to learn more about it!
One of my favorite things to do with my first graders, is Word of the Week. Each week I give them a word that is far above their vocabulary. I ask them to tell me what they think it means. Once they share their ideas, I explain the word and definition on a first grade level. I give them an index card where they write the word, draw a picture to help them better understand it, and write their own definition. I’ve noticed them using these words in their writing and daily language. They sound educated and love the ideas of having these large words added to their vocabulary. I highly recommend this to teachers of all grade levels.
For the 100th day I have a few things planned. In math we will be writing/counting to 100 three different ways. We will be counting by 2′s, 5′s, and 10′s. This will help enforce multiple ways of counting. This is also a great time to talk about and point out noticings on the 100′s chart.
In writing we will be finding 100 words to write. I have also asked students to bring in 100 small things that could fit into a paper bag. They will then write about why they chose those items. My students really look forward to the 100thday of school! I can’t wait to see what they bring in!
