1st Grade Hodgepodge Update

What fun we are having in 1st grade!!!!!

A few weeks ago we practiced the -op chunk! One of my favorite things to do is a sensory writing with POPCORN.  We didn't get to the popcorn that week, but we had fun writing -op chunk words on popcorn pieces and making this art project!

Yup, I'm hungry now! :-)

Next up, Columbus Day!

2021 Edit:  As I look back on my posts, I realize that some of the things I blogged about over the years, are no longer celebrated the way they use to be or reflect correct information.  For example:  Christopher Columbus.  Although I could delete this, I am going to leave it up.  Why?  My hope is that my post will spark ideas for other explorers or activities teachers could use INSTEAD of this one. 

My students and I discussed how Columbus was an explorer.  We then talked about what an explorer is and what they do.  Then they wrote about what they might see for the first time if they were the ones who discovered America.

They came up with this:

I know I got the unit off TPT but I can't find it anywhere.  If this is your unit, please let me know so I can give you credit!  Thanks!

On Monday, we went to the zoo!  I took a whole bunch of pictures but I'm only going to post a few of them!

If you can't see - there are 2 of them there!

We had such an amazing time!  This has really helped boost our enthusiasm for our zoo project we're going to embark on this year!!!!

Next up: The kids saw a bat at the zoo and they started talking non-stop about it!  I found this awesome idea from First Grader...At Last! and knew I had to do it!  Therefore, I leave you with our bat mobile!

Thanks if you have hung in this long! One more subject for the evening - fire department visit!!!!

We had guys from our local fire department come and talk with the kids on Thursday!  The kids saw one of the guys put their uniform on and after each piece he put on, they were reassured that he wasn't scary.  We're trying to emphasize the importance of firefighters and that kids have no reason to be scared. They talked about what to do if their clothes catch on fire and what to do if there is a fire in your house.

Then we went outside and got to look at an ambulance and a firetruck.

Here are some pics!

The kids had a blast and they were so well behaved!  Afterwards we wrote about firefighters and did a craft to go with it.  I'll make sure to post those pictures next time!

All right folks! Thanks for reading!  Enjoy your weekend!!!!!
Stacey

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

That quote is from Albert Camus! (He was a French Nobel Prize winning author, journalist, and philosopher.

I absolutely LOVE fall!  It truly is like the quote where every leaf is a flower!  The fall colors are absolutely beautiful!  We've been having some fall fun in my classroom!

First of all, I want to post something that I mentioned in a previous post but never posted the picture:

 

Back at the beginning of September, I mentioned Have You Filled a Bucket Today .  This was the art project that went along with it.  The hand prints on the bucket are black and white.  Mine is the black one on the bottom.  Then the student's paint their hand white and put it on top of the black once it has dried.  The idea came from here.

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Each week, the first graders practice a different chunk.  A few weeks ago we did the -ap chunk.  During that week we read Caps For Sale, one of my FAVORITE books.  Well, the students got to make their OWN monkey with a cap!  Check it out!

 

It's not shown in the picture but on an orange sentence strip I wrote, "You monkeys you, you give me back my caps!!!!" The kiddos LOVED this projet!!! :-)  (I love the glasses on the one in the top row and all the rainbow colored hats!!!)

Of course I had to make a tree - although I didn't put the monkeys in the tree.  The kids and I made what has become an annual fall tree!

Let's break this down piece by piece!

The kids traced and cut their own hands!

The trunk I made myself.  After the leaves were up, the students made the squirrels during art center!  I can't find the pictures I took of them making the squirrels but it was so adorable!

The red squirrel eyes crack me up every time!!!

The final piece to our fall motif was making leaf pile kids!  I found the idea for the leaf pile kids here!

I love how this student made his hair just like his own!!!!!

Here is my teacher sample that I made along with the kiddos!

And finally on display....

For this project, we watched 3 short Autumn / Fall clips on Discovery Education.  Then we brainstormed facts about Fall and wrote them down.  The students produced their writing from the list.  After the writing, they finally put their leaf pile person together!!! :-)

This was a fun project - and a LONG project! :-)  But the kids loved it so it was worth it!!!

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Every Wednesday during our center rotations, one of the centers the students go to is puzzle center.  I truly believe the puzzles help their hand-eye coordination and the way they look at things.  This past Wednesday, I gave them a puzzle they had never seen before and they LOVED it.  They worked so hard together to complete it.  Here are a few pics!

The second I took the puzzle out of the drawer, the entire class shouted, "THE AVENGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!"  I think they were just a little bit excited!!!

Earlier this week we also did a Columbus activity but I don't have those pictures yet so I'll post about that next time! :-)

Thanks for reading!  Please make sure to follow my blog and share with your friends! :0)

Enjoy the rest of this "Second Spring!"

Stacey