Back to School CrAzY Time!

It's been quite a while since I've blogged.  SORRY. I've totally felt like the hamster running on the wheel.  Good news is that I finally feel like I've got my feet planted - praise the Lord!

Here are some snapshots of some of the fun things we've been up to!  We've spent SO much time on procedures, procedures, procedures.  Every day gets a little bit better - and I'm perfectly fine with that!

We read If You Take a Mouse to School and went on a scavenger hunt to find the important places in our school! Here a link to the book (you can edit it to your own school!)

Classic first day of school picture - can't wait to compare their handwriting at the end of the year!

Counting fun :)

More counting fun!

If you look closely you can see the "Name Book" I made for our writing center.  Each child's picture and name is in the book for children to use to practice writing, stamping, etc. their friend's names! They love using these! Definitely a "must make" next year!

iSpy/Read the Room activity that is a weekly hit during center time!  $$$ Tree glow in the dark wands make great (read: cheap!) pointers!

Fine Motor! The kiddos had so much fun practicing cutting and filling up the "pool" with their scraps.  I had all different kinds of lines on each of the papers

more iSpy!

Apple tasting! - Golden Delicious apples were our class winners!

Practicing sorting by colors using Fruit-Loops!  Yummy snack too :)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a child enjoying a book!

Johnny Appleseed, Personal Narratives, & Reading with Friends

Fall is one of my favorite seasons to teach! I love getting to spend time talking & learning about pumpkins, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and APPLES!  I just love teaching apples!

I've finally finished my beginning of the year assessments and will finally get to start pulling some small groups next week.  We still aren't quite ready to start reading small groups (we're still a little needy during center time)...so instead next week I'll be pulling small groups to work on some Johnny Appleseed writing.  Many of my kiddos are convinced they CANNOT write - my job this week: convince them that they can!

One big adjustment for me moving down to kindergarten this year has definitely been in teaching writing.  So many of my babes can totally write but are too scared to even try!  My hope is that over the next couple of weeks I'll start seeing some words and phrases to go with the beautiful illustrations we've got going on now.

We are also talking this week during our Reading Workshop about reading with friends! We are partnering with a 4th grade class at my school once a week to have "Reading Buddies," so I want to make sure we're ready.  They sure do love to talk - now to just get them talking about BOOKS!

We will be completing some of the lessons from Kid Adsit's great reading workshop units! I have loved teaching her reading workshops! 

We will also begin our personal narratives unit this week! I've really been building up that we are going to be "making books" and they are so excited to get started! I can't wait to watch to continue to grow!

2D Shapes & Ordinal Numbers

Here’s a peek at my week:

 

Math: 2D shapes and Ordinal Numbers

On Monday we will explore 2D shapes using manipulatives and make a class chart:

(From: Deanna Jump, Mrs. Jump's Class)

We will also be making this shape book! I love how it incorporates ELA with reinforcing one-to-one correspondence!  

For ordinal numbers we will be reading Eric Carle's 10 Little Rubber Ducks

We are going to make a class book that mimics Carle's book to practice writing and reading ordinal numbers.

We will also being using There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves to review ordinal numbers.  This is a great literacy connection for retell and sequencing, too! :)

      

So this is a blog?

After many years of "oh maybe I'll try that next year"...I'm officially doing it! I'm starting a teaching blog!  

Right now I have Z.E.R.O. followers so this feels kinda funny, ya know, like writing to yourself but pretending others are going to be reading this.  Oh well - if nothing else I'll be able to look back at the end of the year and laugh at all my kinder-funnies that happened throughout the year.

Reasons for starting this "thing called a blog":

1. All the cool kids are doing it.

2. Other teaching blogs were THE reason that I survived my first year (yeah right - more like second, third, and fourth!) of teaching.

3. I work with five-year-olds all day. If you've never hung out with a child for a day, let me fill you in on a little secret...they're HYSTERICAL!  It's selfish of me not to share the humor that is my day-to-day.

4. Who knows, maybe some first year teacher out there will read and either a) learn something, b) know that he/she will survive.  If I did, anyone can!

Things "this blog" will not be:

1. Grammatically correct.  I am not an English major...anyone that really knows me knows that my dad's (aka my editor) name should really be listed with mine on all my diplomas :))  so that means NO JUDGING!  Consider this my disclaimer.

Well, I think that's all for tonight!  Tomorrow is my last official day of summer, but like so many other teachers out there in the "teacher-verse" I will be busy working in my classroom and getting ready for those sweet babies that I GET TO MEET ON FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (I'm not at all excited). 

Happy last days of summer everyone!!!

If you were just able to read this whole post, go 

thank a teacher! :))