Made it Monday

This is actually a made it weekend. I have a first grade resource page and Mr. Book.
Michelle over at FabulousInFirst 
has a great first grade helper. I also saw another helper that was similar on another blog and I'm sorry that I forgot which one. I liked the idea of kids having something at their desks to use as a reference. Two issues I have is that my class doesnt have enough wall space for what I want to put up and when the words are on the wall it becomes a distraction and some kids get up just to get up and then forget why.

I created a three page resource, I really tried to get it into a two page but there was just too much. I also used our current LA program cards and spellings. Dictation is a big thing in our district and they want the kids to use the sound spelling cards when writing.

Take a look. There is one for boy and girls and the only difference is the number line design. Three pages total, the first one is a word wall, the second page is numbers with 120 charts, words for shapes and numbers, and a number line, the third page is the sound spelling cards for our LA program.

First grade boy

click here

boys number line is dinosaurs

First grade girl

click here

girl number line is fairies

MR. BOOK! My youngest kids did this in first grade last year at their school and I thought is was cute and many years ago our librarian read my class a book about taking care of books that goes along with this little one. Our librarian is gone and I cant find the book she read but this is still a good first week activity.

Click here for the book

Most of the pages are self explanatory. Page 7 requires smudging chocolate, either with a brown crayon or I may give them a "kiss" and have them smudge some on the page. On page 8 my daughter has a bite mark with her teeth.Page 9 requires a band-aid.

School Year Resolutions

I am linking up with Amanda from Teaching Maddeness. I never make new year resolutions because I always have too many and when that is the case, it never works out. I thought this was a good idea because I have been thinking of what I want to do differently this year. So here are my resolutions.

#1 I started this blog, to hopefully not just sit untouched, so my students and their families could see what is happening in the classroom. My goal is to post regularly, which to me is at least twice a week. This requires to take pictures of what is happening and actually do something with those pictures instead of leaving them in my camera.

#2 I have never been really good with small groups with the dictated programs we have to use. There just never seems to be the time. I have learned so much in the past two years as the Intervention Coordinator, who only worked and planned for small groups, that I can do it within my classroom.

#3  and final.................in the 12 years I have been teaching at a low performing school there has been such a push in our district to teach more Language Arts and Math and leave practically everything else to the wayside. We are to teach LA for 3.5 hours and Math for a 1 hour. While I will teach what I have too, Science and Social Studies, PE and ART will be evident this year. I feel so bad that we push push push and leave out all the "fun stuff". We have an awesome Science program and I will be doing it ALOT!


I do have more I could say but for reality's sake I am going to focus on these 3 resolutions. 


Whats Yours?