Kindness Matters in Our Classrooms!
One of the most important things I want to teach my students is how to be KIND kids and show kindness to one another. In first grade, students are building friendships that will set the tone for their elementary years. We spend a lot of time working on kindness and other character traits throughout the school year. I designed this board game to ... Read more 07 Dec 2017 - 2 minute read
STEM Snowman Teamwork Challenge
One of my favorite winter stories to read to my first graders is The Biggest Snowman Ever. This book is filled with themes about teamwork. After reading the story, I always take time for some really great conversations about why teamwork is important, how teamwork can help complete a job, and why working together is better than working by yourse... Read more 04 Dec 2017 - 2 minute read
December Reflection Circles
Last week I started a new practice for my reflection circles at the end of the day. So far this year, we have sat in a circle on the carpet to share our answers to various reflection prompts. Rather than sitting in a circle, I had my students join hands and make a standing circle all the way around the classroom. They loved it! I noticed that my... Read more 26 Nov 2017 - 1 minute read
Long I Vowel Reading Intervention Activities
This past week we focused on the Long I sound in my classroom. In my experience, learning to read long vowel sounds is one of the most difficult reading concepts for my first graders to learn. It takes practice, practice, practice! Reading long vowels is a skill we work on for several weeks to encourage mastery in my students. I have found that ... Read more 22 Nov 2017 - 3 minute read
Christmas Lapbook
What could be more special than having your students create a memory lapbook where they reflect on their family traditions around the holidays?!? Making an effort to get to know your students and their families is crucial to having a strong classroom community. If you find that your students could also benefit from building fine motor skills, th... Read more 17 Nov 2017 - 2 minute read