Cooperative Learning Groups & Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Wow!!!  What a week.....is all I can say.  But it did end with a great field trip to the pumpkin patch.  All 1st graders had the best time & perfect weather compared to the beginning of the week.

Well with the new Common Core we have been thinking of ways 1st graders can work collaboratively.  We simplified Cooperative Learning groups to fit what we wanted in 1st grade.  We found many ideas & picked out what we wanted & made our jobs.  Maybe this could work for your younger students.  I was surprised mine did really well.  Here's how we did it......


First I went over this poster telling what the 4 jobs were going to be & our assignment.   Our assignment was to take Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed  & fill out the writing diamond with the beginning, middle & ending of the story.  We had been reading these books all week & filling out the story diamond after reading.

Then I passed out these cards that are colored coded.  They had to find their color & sit somewhere in the room to start working!

Then they started working & here is how it went......

It did take about 20-30 minutes for everyone to finish. Here are some finished groups.....

One group had 5 people & I used the Material Manager card 2 times in 1 group.  You can get you FREE copy here.







We have made these personal rekenreks for our firsties to use.  It has been great when solving math problems, combinations of numbers.  They love them!!!  We use some of the lessons in this packet.  Click here to take you to the website.

And finally our wonderful trip to the pumpkin patch.  If your school is any where around the Charlotte, NC area this is a great place....Patterson's Farm.  We are 1 1/2 hours away & leave school at 8:30am & get back right at dismissal (2:40pm).  But the kids love it & so do parents & teachers!!!!

Corn Box......just like a sand box but better according to my kids!!

Stuffing our scarecrow......too bad it didn't make the bus ride home so we could decorate him:(

Picking pumpkins

Hay ride

Stuffing more hay in the scarecrow

Feeding the animals

As she called them.....snow angels

That was our busy week!!!  Hope everyone has a great Sunday.  It's going to be rainy here all day, so we may watch movies & just relax.  Hope you enjoy whatever your Sunday brings:)

New School Year

Well we are off & running in 1st grade!!!!!  I have the sweetest little class (well 22) but they are eager everyday to learn....which I love.  We have done many back to school activities, including Jitter Juice, Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom & learning about Thinking about our thinking while we are reading (Metacognition).  We even made a Real Reading Salad....can't wait for this week when we do another reading salad & start learning about characters in stories & their characteristics.  So take a look at our week in pictures!!!!

Magnet we made the first day....since I have a pirate theme we took pics in a pirate hat.  Then added the cute poem for them to take home & hang their artwork throughout the year.  Great Pinterest idea!!!!

Math Tub time.....doing Mystery Bags

Crates I made...another Pinterest idea....what we would do with out Pinterest???

Coconut Sink & Float

End result of writing in our Science Notebook....Last week we went over the Scientific Method & read the book What Does a Scientist Do?

It floated!!!!

Filling out our hypothesis before we do the experiment.

Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom Bingo

The excitement of playing Bingo!!!!

They are also oh sooooexcited about playing Bingo!!!!

Well off to another great week I go!!!!  Fall is in the air but I am wanting SUMMER to last forever!!!!Hope everyone had a great weekend & I look forward to sharing more classroom activities soon.  Monday & Tuesday is Reading 3D testing.  Oh & did I tell you I got an IPAD for the classroom....I am looking for ideas on how to use it in the classroom, so any ideas please leave a comment!!!!  Have a great week:)

Oh My Pinterest!!!!!

I know I have neglected this little blog over the summer but Pinterest has over taken!!!  MY OH MY .....What did people do before it.  This post is dedicated to all the fun things I have found to make & then actually made!!!!  But I can say my classroom is ALMOST done.  I will post pics next week sometime.  With only 10 more days before I start back, I am going to enjoy the last of my summer lazy days.  Here is how we spent yesterday at a Western themed theme park.  We had a blast b/c most every county around us is back at school.  Hate it for them but loved the  NO crowds.

Now on to that little website that wastes takes up a lot of our time.  I wanted to spice up my room this year especially my library.  So I found this idea on Pinterest & went to it.  As Matthew likes to say I have a beginning, middle, & end picture with all my projects.  Can you tell we have been working on that over the summer!!!

I started with plain jane letters

Spray painted them red then put black polka dots on them

Finished & hung in my library area

 

Started with just colored notebooks

 I worked on organizing ALL my notebooks too!

See what a little scrapbook paper & clipart can do for you!!!!

Then added dividers & labels & yes every paper is in a page protector.  That way there are no holes.

 
I wanted to jazz up how we celebrate birthdays & saw a simple way to make a birthday cape.  All you need is a T-shirt & a decal.  You can click here for a free download of the decal I made.  Then click here for the directions on how to make.  Here are some pictures of how I made it.  The link gives more detailed directions.

Start with a t-shirt (I had extra large)

Finished project.....may be too long but I'll fix.

Then I saw how you can use fabric/wrapping paper to cover backs of bookshelves.  I took the boring & drabby bookshelf.

Added a little Pirate wrapping paper & WOW OH WOW what a difference.......

Back to Birthdays.....I saw this idea & loved it.  Crazy straws with a balloon sign.  Click here to go to this sweet blog.  Lots of great ideas!!!! 

This is my own original idea....cork board & ribbon.  I saw this ribbon at Hobby Lobby & just LOVED LOVED it.  So I got a pack of 4 cork tiles, hot glued them together & added ribbon around the edges.

Another project I am working on is chalkboard clips.  This is a picture of what I found.

So I got my little helper & he helped me spray paint my clothespins red & black. 

I have a few more things to finish up....burlap pencil sign, painting a bookshelf & cutting some Cricut letters to label containers.  Off to Hobby Lobby when they open to get a few more things.  They must say SUCKER when ever I walk through the door....since I go about 3-4 times a week.  I hope my faithful friend Target doesn't find out!!! ha




I hope every has a great Friday.......TGIF.  If you have started back, hope it's been a great start & if you haven't enjoy the last of your lazy summer days because I know I will!!!!!!