Groundhog Day & Comprehension Beanie Baby Posters

Well it was a successful Groundhog day in my classroom, everyone went home happy & ready for DAY 100.....tomorrow b/c that means only 80 more to go (but who's counting).  Here are something we did today to celebrate the groundhog.....even though we don't believe we will have 6 more weeks of winter (b/c here in NC it has been in the high 60's all month). 

We made these too cute groundhogs, that went with a glyph.  The arms depended on if your bday is in winter or not, the inside ears depended on if you were a boy or a girl & the sun/cloud was if you thought the ground hog would see his shadow or not.

Then we watched a short video on shadows & went outside & looked for our shadows & then they paired up with a partner & they drew each others shadow......good thing it was SUNNY!!!!  It was fun to see the different ways they would stand.

Here are some other things we did during Daily 5....Nonsense word Candy Land (read yesterday's post to get the Candy Land Cards).  Met with a reading group to finish their character page on Junie B. Jones in the 1st chap. we read & did fast phrases with my students.

We just started that this week.  They get a Fast Phrase book with 6 lists.  Some kinders I had last yr. & they picked up where they left off.  They have to read the 25 phrases in 30 seconds.  It takes practice at home, they can not just come to school & expect to ace it.  As they finish their 6 lists they move up to the next 6.  I was really impressed with how they did this week!!!!

Fast Phrase booklet

List 1 ....they all look like this & need to be read in 30 seconds.

Junie B. character page.  We are trying to focus on character traits & describing characters.

If you are interested in Fast Phrases you can Google Frye's Fast Phrases & find it there. 


My latest download on TpT....Comprehension Beanie Baby Strategies.  You can purchase it here.  It includes posters for the following comprehension strategies:  Spinner the Spider (connections), Rocky the Raccoon (visualizations), Fix It Bear (Monitor & Repair), Digger Dog (dig for important details), Jabber Parrot (retelling), Iggy Iguana (Making Inferences), Questioning Owl ( Ask questions).  It also includes cards for each strategy they can take home to trigger a conversation with their parents about what they have learned that day. 

Cards to take home

Posters to use in your classroom

Here is Digger the Dog.....this is the strategy I introduced this week.  It is an added bonus to use the beanie baby with the poster to help students remember.  I got mine on ebay, dug them out of the bottom of a closet from years ago & they sell them at AC Moore & teachers get 10% off.

Stay tuned for Decoding Beanie Baby Posters.......& 100 Day activities tomorrow.  We are starting off our day with a parade around the school to show of our 100 day projects.  I will say this one is my fav ......I got the idea on Pinterest!!!!

Happy 100th Day for those who are near or it already happened or is tomorrow!!!!!!

What's Going on in First Grade....ALL sorts of Learning

Hello my friends!!! What a week, I feel like it should be Sat. but only Wed. night.  And the days have been jammed packed with stuff all through out the day.  I think it is because I am EXHAUSTED!!!!  Oh well here is what's been going on...Inferencing, Guided Reading Groups & we still have Groundhogs Day ( tomorrow) & the 100th day (Friday). 

So I purchased The Inspired Apple's  Snowy Day Inference Unit.  It was all sorts of fun for my kids & a great way to introduce inferencing.  We started by reading the book Suddenly.  Then the next day we read a story about Tim & Grandma.  The students needed to figure out what Tim & Grandma did on the snow day & where they were when mom came home at 4pm.  The kids did a REALLY great job with Inferring.  Here they are recording all their evidence.

Then today we did a time line & answered questions about what Tim & Grandma did.  I just wrote the questions on a flipchart.  Next year I will have a flipchart already made.

Then exciting.....exciting.......we have started to use TAG Readers during Daily 5 for Listen to Reading.  We have 2 TAG readers & 2 computers to use for Raz-Kids.  So much better then the walkmen to listen to books on tape.  I hated fighting with those things & not keeping battery life!!!!

Just a Work Work Drawer

Now we are at Guided Reading groups.....we are focusing on Main Character to help with comprehension questions. 

Some students have played Candy Land with Dolch waords, Nonsense Words & Addition Problems.  I have found these Candy Land games here.  They are awesome.....I can't get enough!!!!!

We have also started reviewing Long Vowels & Sparkly E.  I can't remember where I found the idea for Sparkly E but I LOVE it!!!!!  We sang the Sparkly E poem to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  Then we incorporated Flippy Dolphin (decoding Strategy) to flip the short vowel to the long vowel when there is Sparkly E.  We also reviewed all long vowel sounds by sorting pics on the Activboard & I found a great video on Teacher Tube...I Like Apples & Bananas.  They change words to say the words using long vowel sounds.

Song to sing

Changing sit to site

tub to tube

Wow makes me tired just writing & recalling about the week so far!!!  I also seemed to make Comprehension Beanie Baby Posters.  It is on my TpT store. Check it out I love using the decoding & now Comprehension beanie babies to teach these strategies.  I will post pics of some posters this weekend:)


Hope everyone has a GREAT rest of the week.  Happy Groundhog Day.....not sure if winter will ever reach us:)  But I am just fine with that.....stay tuned to morrow for Groundhog Day activities & of course Fri for 100 Day of School activities.  I will say I do have the best 100day projects compared to year pasts.  Maybe they are all addicted to Pinterest like me. haha

Check back this weekend:)

Sci-Fri & Super Slipper Spelling Friday

Thanks goodness it is the weekend!!!!  Lot's of things calling my name.....Long Vowel flip chart, long vowel word highlighter pages for word work, Fast Phrases to get ready & get Leap School Tag readers ready all by Monday...plus laundry & the infamous grocery shopping (that may wait till Monday).  I think I want to catch up on some Tivo & In Touch & Nicholas Sparks on the NOOK tomorrow!!!!

So yesterday I started Sci-Fri (Science Friday).  Every Friday before our Science lesson, I will do an experiment with the students & they will record their hypothesis & conclusion.  Got this great idea from another blog (can't take full credit).  The students also have a 3 prong folder which is their Sci-Fri Journal.  This weeks experiment was Dancing Raisins!!!!  Boy the excitement!!!!  I love Science.

The ingredients for the experiment (cups, Sprite, raisins)

Sci-Fri Journal

Recording page that then went in their Journal

Getting ready to experiment

Pop, fizz, dancing all around

Still DANCING!!!!

Super Spelling Slippers......

All my slipper spellers

We read Fancy Nancy Splendid Speller, talks about not looking on other people's papers & taking your time.  Beginning of a new semester, they need to be reminded.  So now every Friday they can wear their slippers while taking their Spelling, Fundations & Words their Way tests.  They put them on before their test & keep their regular shoes under their desk until we are done & then the slippers go back in their bookbag.  It is a big hit!!!!

Lastly on our busy Friday, we made snow globes.  They turned out very pretty.  All you need is a white circle, black trapezoid, blue water color paint, glue & glitter.  Students draw a snow related picture...you can color in with white b/c when you paint with blue it shows up.  Take blue water color paint & paint over their snowglobe.  When it is dry they put glue dots & sprinkle silver glitter. And then Whala.....you have snowglobes.......it may be the closest thing we get to snow this winter but I am NOT complaining!!!!!

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!!!  I am excited about next weekend.....we have Groundhog Day & the 100th Day of School & we are starting learning about Inferencing.  Plus I get to wear my 100 Day shirt, where I got the idea from Pinterest!!!!!  Come back next week for some more fun learning experiences.