Didn’t have a pic to show you of this cutie pie when she lost a tooth the other day. Check that out! Too much for words, huh? 🙂
Category Archives: Classroom
First Days!–Part 4: Choice Time!
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the first three parts of this story here, here and here. 🙂
For those of you who have been on this first grade journey with us, I thank you for hanging on and coming back to read all the bits and pieces I’m sharing! For those of you who are new, welcome!
Let me start this one with a picture I found (and then shared!) from Edutopia last week:
Here’s another one–from Mr. Rogers:
As I said when I shared this photo, I TRULY believe this to be true. And honestly, I’m not sure that it’s just for kids. Adults need to remember to take time out to play, too, but that’s a conversation for another time and place. The point here is that I find play, free-time, independent discovery and curiosity to be crucial to the development and learning of kiddos. And so because of that, we have choice time in our first grade classroom. To some of you that’s a surprise, and believe me, it was to some of my kiddos, too! I guess they were expecting first grade to be a vast departure from the “fun” they had in kindergarten, but in my mind we’re going to be doing some of the very same things, just at a different level. And play is definitely one of the most important ways we will learn this year. 🙂
Our first few tries at choice time were very structured and we signed up for where we would spend our time. As we’ve learned how to do it, and have become more familiar with the choices, they’ve gotten more freedom with deciding on their own where to play. For now they’re only allowed to make one choice per day, though, and so they have to be really thoughtful about what that choice will be.
See the sign-up sheet? Most of the time our groups end up being 3-4 kiddos each. One choice that is full everyday is LEGOS! I am so thankful to the families that donated these to us–we’ve used them for our learning everyday of first grade so far, and I see them being a VERY important tool for us all year!
From the first minute that some kiddos stepped foot in our room (on Open House night!), these big blocks have been a hit. This is another learning tool that I couldn’t imagine being without. It’s also another one that some of my friends were surprised to see.
Not only the boys like big blocks, though! Kylie and Makayla were two of the first to sign up. Notice that they did choose to play separately, though. 🙂
One of my favorite things is to see how kiddos’ brains work while they are building. For some reason when I look at blocks (including Legos), I see “square” things like houses, cars and buildings. I love how others see more organic things in those blocks. Kylie made a flower here. 🙂
Lincoln Logs have been a popular choice (gotta love garage sales!) for everyone in our class! Choice time is also snack time in Rm. 202.
Big books are always fun! At quiet time AND at choice time!
Do you have any stories about using choice time and/or play in your first grade classroom? If you’re a parent, what are your kiddos saying about this time of our day? I’d love to hear your thoughts!! 🙂
First Days!–Part 3: Quiet Time
You’ve seen First Days Part 1 and Part 2, right? If you haven’t, go ahead and check them out. I’ll wait. 🙂
Ok, so now let’s talk about something that is so super duper important in first grade–quiet. No–not all the time. Actually a lot of first grade is anything but quiet. BUT when we are doing the important work of readers, quiet is imperative.
So early on in first grade we started practicing what we call “quiet time.” During that short time (well, at least in the beginning it’s short, but we will build up as we go further into the year), kiddos are expected to work INDEPENDENTLY on reading or writing activities. They laughed I told them the only reason they should need me is in the case of an emergency–and an emergency meant they were BLEEDING or BARFING! (And yes, at least one kiddo asked me what “barfing” meant. 🙂 )
Everyone got a book box on the first day, and by day 2 or 3 I had filled it with 3 or 4 just-right books (I used data I got from end-of-year kindergarten assessments for this purpose) to get them started. When it was time for quiet time, I gave everyone a 3C spot–which means somewhere that they can be Confident, can Concentrate and are Comfortable–and we got to work. I was really impressed (wow–I think that’s a theme around here) with how great of a job they did!
Check it out!
Peyton and Emily are hard at work. (See the start of our carpet rules chart? I’ll share that soon–once I get a final picture of it!)
Lauren and Charlie are busy in their book boxes!
Makayla and Evan both had 3C spots on the floor. They decided to do some writing about the book they were reading.
C.J. and JKB both read, read, read in their independent quiet time spots.
Some kids at tables, some on the floor: Diego, Ella Marie, Nate, and Kylie are hard at work. 🙂
Ava and Amelia both reading and writing in their spots.
Jacob read about bears in his 3C spot.
Love how we can read in all sorts of ways and places! This rug was placed in our library for just this purpose! Landen choose to read and write in his 3C spot.
After our first try at it, we sat down to have a quick reflection time (reflect is a word we’d started talking about on Day 1 and will use it all throughout this year!) about how it went. Here were our thoughts:
On our most recent days of quiet time, we actually put a “school” name to what we were doing and began talking about Read-To-Self. They were experts on this subject–“because we learned about it in kindergarten!”–and we started charted our smart ideas about what it looks like and sounds like. In this conversation I was impressed (again!) when C.J. knew the name for being able to read for a long time was called stamina. Way to go, C.J.! They could also tell me that the reason that we need to practice Read-To-Self is to become better readers. 🙂 We got as far as the “student” side of our chart on Friday and will start working on the “teacher” side once I get rotations up and running next week!
Like I’ve said before, keep up the good work Rm. 202!
First Days!–Part 2: David’s Drawings
Our first days together were so great and so busy! Busy enough, in fact, that all the fun wouldn’t fit into just one blog post (or rather it would, but you’d have been sitting for hours and probably wouldn’t have wanted to finish!). So here’s Part 2 of the fun of the First Days of First Grade.
Mrs. Appelbaum, one of my fabulous teaching partners this year, was kind enough to share a great book that she uses during her first days to help encourage collaboration and cooperation, David’s Drawings by Cathryn Falwell.
(photo courtesy of Amazon.com)
We read the story together one morning and loved it! The big idea of the story is that David, the main character, is drawing a picture, which starts with just plain trees. As times goes on, his friends come and ask to add different details to his drawings that can help tell a story. The important part is that his friends don’t just ADD their details, they ask him first, as well as explain their thinking to him as they draw. The end product is a picture that everyone has made together, which started from one friend’s great idea.
We had to try it!
After specials, kiddos came back to find 4 very plain white pieces of paper with just the outline of a tree in the center. Once we got into table groups, we got to work. They were invited to, although no one did, to draw on as many pictures as they wanted. The important part–as with David’s Drawings–was that they talked about their additions as they drew them and made sure their partners knew what they were putting in the picture. As with most everything else we do, I was so impressed with how beautifully they cooperated for this activity!
Beginning…
Ending: See that awesome treehouse?
Beginning…
Ending: I think there’s a treehouse there, too. 🙂
Beginning…
Ending
Beginning…
Ending: Lots of leaves in this fall story!
We were finished, each group picked one person to be the spokesperson and tell us the story of their group picture–again allowing us to work on becoming good speakers and listeners!
What a great job, Rm. 202 kiddos! Now our creations hang where we can see (and admire!) them, with a reminder that “David’s class worked together to create a drawing, and so did we!” What a great example of how more heads make for a more creative picture! Goes with our theme for the year: LEARN. CREATE. COLLABORATE. Love it. 🙂
Keep up the great work, Rm. 202!
First Days of First Grade!–Part 1
Wow! What a week we’ve had! Is anyone else tired? I might have been ready for bed by 7 pm on Thursday night–but no, I didn’t actually do it. Lasted until 9. Man–these little ones keep you on your toes!
I’ve been working really hard to figure out how best to tell our first week story, as I didn’t want to just make it a big long list ‘o things we did. But we DID have a big long list of things I want to share!! So, I think I’ve decided that for this first post, I’m going to organize the info around the goals we had for our first days together, and explain some of the rationale for why we did them. Ok? Well, then get ready–this one might be long! Get your coffee. Settle in. Read on. And thank you–I so appreciate your time and your interest. 🙂
During the first week of school in first grade (well in any grade, really), there are some key goals that I work towards. This week those goals were:
- Students will learn each others’ names (and mine, too!), as well as learn one thing that a friend likes to do outside of school.
- Students will learn–and then practice–the expectations for how our room will run.
- Students will be guided through discoveries of some key materials in our classroom that they will be using on a regular basis later on.
- Students will present their work to the class (in a whole group, small group and partner setting).
- Students will begin the year having fun and seeing our classroom as a positive, happy place to learn and grow!
All that being said, there were MANY things we did this week, and honestly I do not have pictures or videos of them all. (As a side note, I’ll add in a quick observation here: first graders do so many more things in the first week than fifth graders do! The number of activities and directions you prepare for each hour of the day with 6YOs is SO MANY MORE than when you have big kids. That’s probably an obvious statement, and even one I knew going in, but I was definitely reminded of it very quickly this week. Like by lunchtime on Tuesday. 🙂 ).
Getting to Know Each Other
As we began the week, we worked to get to know each other, and did activities together like finding friends who like certain activities (soccer, swimming, reading, etc.); being a name detective and finding friends whose names start with different letters of the alphabet; playing name bingo; and playing together. During our first Morning Meeting, we introduced ourselves and shared our favorite colors. And while I don’t have any pics of it (sorry!), we also started sharing our Brag Bags, which they filled at home with 5 things that tell about them. Kind of like the 3 Things project I’ve done in 5th grade. 🙂
Working on Procedures and Routines
Much of our days are spent learning about where things are, how move around the room, how we sit on the rug, how we each take a turn during conversations, how we come into the room in the morning and get started, how we walk in line–you get the idea. These kiddos have been doing a super job of showing what they know from kindergarten and then adding in the “first grade version” of the routines. We’ll keep working this week as we continue to add new things/places to our repertoire.
Lunch count
Supply caddies are kept on the windowsill when we’re not using them.
Picture to remember what caddies are supposed to look like!
Everybody has a hook with their class number on it so they know where to find their things, as well as a special spot on the bulletin board with their number, too!
Special signs hang on our door to remind us of what to do in the line.
Mailboxes
Sign-out board
Morning Routine
Lunch menu and specials rotation on the side of the mailboxes
Reminders of the hallway routine
Hall passes are on magnets and hang next to the door and sign-out board (thanks for the idea, Mrs. Appelbaum!).
How Do We Get Home?
We got started on a chart to remind us of carpet rules. We’ll add to this in upcoming days.
Guided Discoveries
One way I introduce kiddos to the materials in our room is through guided discoveries (which is an idea put forth in the book The First Six Weeks of School, full of SUPER ideas to start the school year). So far, we’ve investigated Power Polygons (which will be used in a variety of ways in Math), colored pencils (which will be utilized on almost a daily basis, and are organized in a special way), scissors and glue (because you know that could be a trip to CRAZYTOWN if we didn’t learn to use those appropriately!).
With Power Polygons, kiddos were given a pile of polygons and given the task to make a creation. They could make it on the table (and we’d take a picture) or they could trace their creation on paper and color it in with crayons. I was AMAZED (but not surprised! ) by what they made! Check it out:
For our guided discovery with colored pencils, we spent a good chunk of time upfront talking about what they noticed about HOW the pencils are organized, WHY they are like that, and WHY it is a must that we keep them that way. I was really proud that once we were finished, all the pencils were back in the right cups! Way to go, first grade! For the guidance on this discovery, they were asked to create a picture of their favorite place to be, using as many details as they can–so that someone else could imagine being there, too.
Friends work together to find the pencils they want.
Friends at Table 4 get started thinking about the place they will create during their discovery.
Lots of friends at Table 3 chose Six Flags as their favorite place to be. I saw lots of roller coasters and a huge Ferris wheel, too!
The challenge to some friends was to keep adding details when they thought they were “done.”
See the Giant Ketchup bottle on that paper? 🙂
The last discovery this week was with glue (we did briefly talk about scissors, too). We read the book Too Much Glue, and practiced the sayings “Just a dot, not a lot” and “glue raindrops” instead of glue puddles that turn into muddles. Then they got busy creating a flower to represent the many ways they will grow this year. We’ll go back and add their pictures to the middle later, as well as a goal for a way they want to grow. This was an activity for fine-motor development as well as art, as they crinkled the tissue and put it just where they wanted it on the glue dots.
Sharing Our Work
This week we had many opportunities to share our work and start developing the skills needed to be effective speakers and listeners. We did this in whole group, small group and partner situations. I’m already impressed with how these kiddos can turn-and-talk to their partners (we call it EEKK, eye-to-eye-knee-to-knee) and keep their conversations going.
We read this book together on the second day of school, and reflected on our first day.
Students completed a sheet to remember important parts of their first day…
then got EEKK with their partner….
and shared what they had written.
After our colored pencil guided discovery, kiddos had to share with their small group at their table and tell about the place they chose and why they chose it. Then, after an activity based on a book we read called David’s Drawings, we shared whole group. Kiddos also took a few minutes to share their first creation with Power Polygons. They answered the question “What do you like best about your work?” It’s great to see the skills that these friends are coming in with from kindergarten, and how proud they are to share what they’ve created. Can’t wait to see them continue to grow in this area!
Having Fun!
Ok, one last video. It’s related to that last goal of having fun and seeing our classroom as a great place to be. While I hope that everything we do makes them feel that way, I know that when I first told them we’d have a dance party there was definitely a BUZZ in the room! Check us out as we move and groove. And while you can’t quite see it yet in this video, we are working on moving our bodies in responsible, controlled ways. We have 4 rules for when we dance: 1) Keep your feet on the floor, 2) Move your body the whole time, 3) Keep your body movements to yourself, and 4) Keep your voice at a level 1 or 2 so we don’t disturb others’ learning. I should also mention that besides just being fun, dancing allows us to release energy, work on self-control, and will also help us make sure we’re working on gross-motor movements that then lend themselves to other skills (like crossing the mid-line). We are definitely very purposeful in all that we do in Rm. 202!
Ok….so I guess it did kinda turn into a big long list ‘o things, but I’m not sure that could be helped. The first week is always like that–I want to make sure you know all about the great stuff happening in our room! After this one, I’ll be better able to highlight certain things, focus in on the methodology behind it and the ways that our work influences our growth as learners. I hope you’ll be along for the ride!
Dancing Shoes Take 1
I welcomed my new friends to first grade a couple of weeks ago. Then the other I got my first “I’m Ready for 1st Grade” video. It came from Mille, and man is it awesome! Well, actually she sent me two, but I’m just posting this one. She even got her little brother to join in on the fun. Check it out, friends, then send me your own! Way to go, Millie! You are indeed ready for 1st Grade! 🙂
Home Visits!
I am sure by now you know that I am returning to first grade, where I began my teaching journey so many years ago (wow–I was just a kid then…), and am super excited about it. I am excited to return to many things that are the same, but am also excited about some “firsts” that will happen in this move back to first. There are several, but first up (hee, hee) it’s home visits.
When Riley was in kindergarten (which is somehow 2 YEARS ago now–how did this happen??), I was excited when we got an email from his teacher about coming for a home visit. I hadn’t heard of our teachers doing them before, and in fact I think that was the first year they started. I remember Ms. Dale showing up at our door (which was awesome in itself because we don’t actually live in the district and she had to drive extra far to see us) with a big smile and a game of Candyland.
Now, for me as a parent, the experience was probably different than most when initially meeting their child’s first teacher; I have worked with Ms. Dale for 14 years and so have a relationship and already knew she’d be an amazing match to my kiddo. We were already comfortable with each other. But for my kiddo, this visit was priceless. HIS teacher was coming to HIS house to meet HIM!! While he was at first really apprehensive (and actually ran away from the door to hide when she knocked!), once I left them alone and they started playing the game, he quickly warmed up to her and they had a great time. The visit was short and sweet, but I know for sure that it set a very positive tone for the rest of their year together. There was much less “worried” talk about school after this and more excited banter about when he’d get to see his teacher again and when he could go to kindergarten. And we had a really cute picture of our little man with one of his new favorite people:
Ok, so that’s not the actual picture we took at our home visit, but I couldn’t NOT include that very special lady–Ms. Dale–in this post. 🙂
So…as a start to kindergarten, this seemed like a fabulous way to begin to connect our family with our new family at Robinson. For both my kiddo and myself, it took away nerves and gave us an opportunity to see his teacher as a person, not just a teacher. But on the other side, I know that it also gave her a chance to connect with Riley on “his turf”–to see where he plays, where he eats, where he sits and reads a book on the couch with his mom. And if we had a dog, I know she’d have met our dog so that when he wrote story after story about that dog Ms. Dale would know who he meant. Instead, she met his little sister. 🙂
As we started planning for our first grade year this fall, I remembered back to this special day with my kiddo and suggested that maybe we try this with our new friends. There is research to show that there are benefits for teachers and families in every grade level and it was exciting to try it with another grade of little ones in our school. The team and our principal thought it was a great idea!
So here we are and I’ve just begun my home visits for this year. I have only gone to a few, but so far I have met 5 kiddos, 3 older brothers, 1 older sister, 2 little sisters, 1 little brother, 3 dogs, countless dolls and horses; played several games of War and Go Fish, read almost 10 books and of course become acquainted with the fabulous parents that are so kindly sharing these lovely children with me this year (hopefully I didn’t forget anyone in this list!). It’s been great to see how comfortable they all have been, and how proud they seem to be that THEIR teacher is in THEIR house sitting on THEIR couch. I love how I’m already able to picture these little learners in my classroom, too; I know this will add another important level to the way I put our classroom together this year since it will be for kids I actually know–not just faceless names on a classlist. And as I was telling one of those kiddos as I sat on her green couch the other day, I am excited for how this will alleviate some of my first day jitters (yes, even teachers get those!) because instead of wondering who will walk in my door, I’ll be ready to welcome old friends to our new home. I’m pretty jazzed about that part.
So I have to say a HUGE thank you to those of you who have already welcomed me into your homes, and to those of you I haven’t met yet—I’m coming! And I’m excited! See you soon! 🙂
Welcome to First Grade, Friends!
Welcome to First Grade!
I am so excited you’re here!
Please proceed with caution, and read carefully….
The following letter contains 2405 words that will begin to shape your child’s first grade year (I know–it’s a little long. Sorry!). You will want to have your family sit and read this so you can all be excited about first grade together. You should also have dancing shoes on (true story) and a video camera handy (extra credit).
Ready? Of course you are! Because you are all about to become…
First Grade and Fabulous!
I am excited for the year ahead – how about you??
Let’s get started!
First a little bit about me. 🙂 I am going into my 14th year of teaching and every one of them has been at Robinson! I even did my student-teaching here long ago, so Robinson is definitely my home-away-from-home. In my real home–which is in St. Peters–I have a fabulous family that I love dearly. My husband, Grant, is a teacher, too, in Wentzville (isn’t that cool?). He has taught 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. We have a 7YO son, Riley, who is in 2nd grade at Robinson, too. We also have a little girl named Allison–we call her Allie–who is 3 1/2. She is staring preschool soon, which will be new for us all. We LOVE (yep, love) Disney World, and travel there often. Chicago is another one of our favorite places to travel to together. We also just like to hang out together at home (or anywhere, really) and spend time with each other. So that’s me. What about you? Can’t wait to learn more about YOUR family!
Like I said, this is my 14th year as a teacher, and every year, I begin the school year as a different person. I decide on that first day and then every day thereafter, who I am as a teacher. What is important to me. What I want to accomplish. What I want my students to see when they come to school. I choose that. I don’t let other people tell me who I will be and I don’t just be who I think other people want me to be. I read, I think, I write and then I decide.
Parents, I am excited to find out Who YOUR CHILD will Be! Will they be the kid who has brilliant ideas? The kid who loves math? The kid who looks to help other people? The kid who……? Fresh start. Clean slate. We all get one (that includes you!) and we all get to begin first grade as the person we want to be. Every deserves to be whoever they are and whoever they want to be! Remember the saying: Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
Another wondering: What is important to you? (This is another big question and one I am really curious about so I will ask it twice.) What is important to you (and your child)?
There are lots of things that are important to me: my husband and my kids, sharing ideas, reading, writing, being able to have a conversation, making things, discovering things, sharing what I know, sleeping in, staying up late and knowing when to say sorry (and when to say nothing at all!).
As a teacher, there are a few more things that are important to me:
* YOU and YOUR CHILD!: They’re the reason I’m there, after all right? It is important for me to get to know your child (and your family!), and know them well. Not just as a learner, but as a kid, too. I want to know what they like, what they don’t like, what makes them tick. Who they are. That’s ok, right? 🙂
* Respect: If you’ve been around Robinson for longer than 5 minutes you know that respect is a HUGE part of our culture. It’s pretty much what we’re all about. I expect respect to be a huge thing in our classroom. I will respect your child, and I expect them to respect me, as well as everyone else in our community. This counts when we agree and even when we don’t. I have a saying that I learned from my good friend Mrs. Ford years ago, that is really important with this whole respect thing. It’s this: You are not the sun. In other words, the world does not revolve around you, and there are lots of other people in our classroom that have needs, wants, likes, dislikes, etc., that we need to take into account. I love your child, but I love everyone else, too!
*Reading: I know–you’re thinking, “well isn’t every subject important?” And yes, to a point, that’s true. But in my opinion, one of the single most indicators of success in life (and let’s face it, enjoyment as well!) is developing a love of reading. I ask that you join me in the task of helping your child LOVE reading. I am sure they’re probably already on their way, but let’s keep it up together! Read to them as well as with them. Share your own reading with them. Read in front of them. Show them the importance of words and how you can lose yourself in the right text. HAVE FUN and help them do the same! I hope that I will do my part to encourage all of these things as well!
* Mistakes: I expect your child to make them. Yep, I said it. I want things to be hard for them. I want them to struggle. When they need more than one try or lots more practice with a concept, they’ll get it. When they need to show me what they know in a different way, then we’ll figure it out. When they need me to repeat something or explain it in another way, I’ll do it. If your child needs a big, fat challenge–watch out, they’ll get one! No, I’m not crazy, I just want them to try things that may be tricky at first. I want them (and you!) to learn to work through it when it’s hard and figure out what to do. I want them to feel the joy and success of learning something new because they persevered! Not everything will be easy here. And that’s ok. We’re in it together and I’ll help you all along the way. 🙂 THIS IS A PLACE WHERE WE WILL BE GRITTY!
* Collaboration: I love to share ideas and get ideas and try new things and even when those things fail, I know I am just one step closer to finding what does work. I love to work with other teachers to figure things out and find new solutions to old problems (and because of this I am SUPER excited about our team of 5 really smart teacher this year!). But just as much as working with adults, I love to collaborate with students. I love to hear what they’re thinking, how they’re feeling about things, what they think would be the best way to learn something. It’s OUR classroom, and often your kiddos’ ideas are WAY better than mine. I know I’ll share lots of examples with your child (and you!) about how that’s happened to me over the years.
Aside from collaborating with me, though, they’ll be collaborating with each other! Your child will have lots of opportunities to share with their classmates, to give ideas, ask questions, prove reasoning and challenge each other. I expect that we will work together to help EVERYONE in our class be the best they can be. Together we’ll achieve much more than we would if we tried to do it on our own. 🙂 Reminds me of a sign I saw in Disney World at the Animal Kingdom the other day:
I like to say that in our room, everyone is a teacher and a learner.
* Questions: There is no better way to learn something than to ask a question. It is DEFINITELY how I learn, and so please understand if you find me asking you (or your child) lots of questions as a means of figuring out how best to meet their needs or to connect with your family. In turn, I hope you will feel comfortable to ask me any questions you may have, and the perhaps most importantly, your child will feel comfortable to ask me–and their classmates–questions when they need to. Knowing when to ask for help is an important part of learning. 🙂
* Time is precious: So is your child. I don’t like wasting time and I especially don’t like wasting learning time. That means I try to come to school ready, fired up, and prepared to make a ruckus (I like to think that a ‘ruckus’ is the sound your brain makes when it is challenged to be creative, thoughtful, inquisitive and world-changing – it is a beautiful sound). I hope–and expect–that your child will come into our classroom every morning ready to learn, ready to work hard, ready to put their very best foot forward. We only have so many days together, and we need to make the most of every single one of them. We’ve got so much to do! 🙂
* Technology : I love technology because it allows me to connect to new ideas. I like to think about what I want to do and look for tools to help me do it. I want to hear your ideas on technology and what works for you–and I ask that you be open to trying new things (that goes for BOTH you and your learner). We will be using technology in many new and exciting ways this year, so get ready! You child be blogging, using Twitter and other sites, using iPads and laptops (yep, your child gets their very own iPad Mini VERY SOON!), working on the ActivBoard, making videos of learning and trying out many new things that we may not even know about yet. Whatever we do, though, the goal is always learning. We will use technology in meaningful ways to better create new knowledge. Excited? I know I am! PLEASE let me know what–if any apprehensions you have in this area, either for you or your student. This will be an important area for us to explore together. 🙂
* Community: Our class, our families, our school, our neighborhood, our city, our state, our country, our world. There are so many amazing people doing amazing things. I bet your child can think of ten amazing people who do amazing things right now. We need to hear those people’s stories. You (mom and dad) should be on that list. You are awesome. (Assignment one; help your child email me a List of Awesomeness about people in your family* -*family = people you love and are connected to even if they don’t happen to live in your house or share your last name).
* Taking risks: I like to take risks. I hope you do too. It is scary sometimes and it fails sometimes but sometimes, more often, it is just A-MAZ-ING! Usually when you do something scary you do things you never thought you could. You surprise yourself. And then you want to do more! Someone smart once said “Fear and Excitement are shades of the same color”. Cool, huh? (Parents, this is true for you as much as it is for your kiddo!! 🙂 )
HANG IN THERE….You’re almost done!
OK…if you made it this far and are still with me, congratulations, you (and your kiddo) are a rockstar. Stop reading right now and do some kind of victory dance. No really, go ahead. Dance. I’ll wait. Better yet, have someone video tape your dance and send it to me! I’ll even post it on our blog! (Did you see the posts where I did that from last year’s class? They didn’t believe that I’d do it, either. 🙂 )
So….what now? How can you best prepare for the extreme awesomeness of first grade?
- Have a great summer! Be extraordinary.
- Read something. Write something. Wonder something. This’ll get your learning muscles warmed up. 🙂
- If you have any questions you can always email me. Anytime. No question to big or too small.
- Think about what I said about who you want your child to be. Most importantly, remember that everyone else in our class is thinking about that too. Be gracious to those who are brave enough to set lofty goals and make the effort to become an even better version of themselves.
- THIS ONE IS FOR THE KIDDOS!: Look around your house (or your computer, maybe) for a picture of your family. I’d love to be able to decorate our room with us–pictures of all the people who help make us who we are and who encourage us to do our best. I want to be able to fill our window sills, bookshelves, walls–wherever there’s room–so please bring a 3×5 or 4×6 framed picture with you to Open House or on the first day of school. And if you don’t have one, don’t worry! We’ll take your picture!
Despite having now used about two thousand words, there are no words to describe how excited I am about working with you next year!
Here’s To Being First Grade and Fabulous!
♥ Mrs. Bearden
PS. If you didn’t get up and dance before and are now wishing you did, there is still time to do it. Anytime. Send me that video with your best moves (extra credit).
When you have had a chance to relax, digest this letter (maybe talk about it with your family or friends) and get your first grade brain tuned up, I would love for your child to write to me to introduce yourself, ask questions, maybe respond to something you read in this letter that made you think. An email, postcard or a good ‘ole letter via snail mail is great! Even better–I’m excited to come see you when I start home visits later this month!
I look forward meeting you!
Mrs. Bearden: Email–jennifer.bearden@kirkwoodschools.org; Phone–314-213-6100 x4214 (after August 15)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MrsBeardens5thGradeClass (this will take you to my updated FIRST GRADE page!)
Twitter: @jbeardensclass
Blog: feel free to leave me a comment here to let me know what you thought, what you wonder, how your summer has been, etc….this is always a great place to talk to me! 🙂
**Thanks to @terSonya and Mrs. Hong for help with writing this post! Like I said, I love to share ideas!**
The End….Now What?
This year has been super great, from Day 1 to Day 176 (or whatever the number is in Missouri….). And just like any normal year, I got sad when I started thinking about passing my class on to middle school and not seeing them again. But then, there was an added sense of “finalness” (yep, I just made up a new word) because they would be my LAST 5th grade class. Maybe not forever, but at least for a while.
Along with my last day of 5th grade also came my son’s last day of 1st grade AND my baby girl’s last day at her babysitter–the babysitter she’s been with since I first left her at 10 wks old. She’s going to preschool, Riley’s moving to 2nd grade and I’m moving to 1st. And while these are all welcomed changes that we knew were coming, still there’s a feeling of loss that comes before the new arrives and we celebrate it, you know?
And so packing up my room, which is something I have done at least 13 other times since I started teaching, took on a different meaning than it usually does. Instead of just packing up all my stuff to use again in a different way with different kids, I ended up packing up and then giving away most of that stuff to someone else. Some of it was no big deal (I mean come on, every grade has math manipulatives and whiteboards and board games), but surprisingly, the thing in my room that had the biggest impact on me was my classroom library. Something about that felt different in a more definite way. Final. Over. Caput. Done. Moving on.
Out of no where came tears. I guess there was something about seeing all of my “friends” being packed up to be sent away to someone else (even if that person is my loving husband who is in his own right a FABULOUS 5th grade teacher and will for sure take good care of them), and seeing the remnants of my once-amazing library strewn all over the floor that was just too much for me. It was just too much.
Boxing up old friends…
Remnants…
6 boxes to begin with, ended up being 14. 😦
But the part that was the hardest was this image in my nearby trashcan:
Labels off of my now-empty library boxes
It’s so sad, right? Somehow this represented so many things to me: hours of time spent organizing and labeling my library to keep it in order for so many readers to use each year; hundreds and hundreds of books read over the years both by me and my 4th-5th grade readers; books that I would no longer be reading to my students, since they’ll be so much younger–that means old friends I don’t get to spend time with anymore.
Ok, I know. Really it’s just books. It’s just words on a page packed in cardboard boxes. And someone else will take their turn reading them now. And yeah, I’ll have new books to be able to enjoy and share with my new first grade friends, and perhaps some of those will become my new favorites. But still, this chapter of my life is (for now) over. Finito. Done. Bye-bye. Sayonara.
And so….so long Ralph, Jerry and Sharon (don’t tell anyone you’re my favorites 🙂 ). I’ll see you later Joan, Beverly and Ann. Will, Peg, Judy and Margaret, don’t forget me. We’ll meet again at some time and place in our future lives. Who knows, maybe I’ll be a published author then, too. 🙂
Finishing Strong
Every year the last weeks of school come and life starts going CRAZY FAST!! It seems that I have time to take pictures of things, but not to write about the things I take pictures of (wait, do I say that at the end of every year? I should go back and look….)!
So…since I hate to leave things all messy and untied, I’ll end the year the way I began it–with a highlights reel. Here’s to the last few BUSY weeks of 5th grade with some of the BEST kids around. Have a great summer, friends of Rm. 202!
Check it out. 🙂
MATH OUTSIDE
In April we had a whole school Outdoor Learning Day, with the focus being on how to get kids outside more often. I had to take Ms. Turken’s lead and try math outside. On this particular day, we were working on division problems with a little bit of a “scavenger hunt” around the playground. Funny how just a change of environment can make for so much less whining about long division!!
ACES DAY
Ok, so granted, this picture TOTALLY doesn’t do this day justice, but imagine our whole school with All Children Exercising Simultaneously to some really great music, with really cool routines created by our 5th graders, and that’s ACES Day. Always a fun one!
ADOPT-A-PILOT
This year, as with the previous few years, our class (along with the other 5th grades) adopted a pilot through a program with Southwest Airlines. He is our own First Commander Marcus Smith, whose kiddos go to Robinson and who is a beloved Kirkwood resident. Here are some pics from our culminating activity–a paper airplane flying contest!!
ROBINSON NIGHT AT THE BALLPARK
Ok, so I admit it, these are not The 20somethingkids that you were expecting to see, but they are pics of my kids nonetheless! This was a great night of fun at the Cards game, where our Honor Choir–along with the choir from Tillman–got to sing the National Anthem! SO fun to see Cardinal and Kirkwood red everywhere you look! Go Cards!
SPRING SING
This year Mrs. Kesler helped every grade level get something ready for our first ever Robinson Spring Sing! While I expected greatness because of what I know about both Mrs. Kesler and our Robinson kiddos, I was BLOWN AWAY by how amazing it was! (And like the ACES Day section, I feel REALLY bad about not posting a video, but I couldn’t get a good quality one!! I know, bummer….don’t be mad, ok? 🙂 ) Can’t wait for Spring Sing Take 2 next year!
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- Mr. Cochran and Mrs. Kesler playing along with the singers.
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- Abbi totally rocked it in her solo at the beginning of our song “It’s All Good!”
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- Gotta love to see your talented teachers on stage, too! Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Dix, Mrs. Kesler and Mrs. Hong led us in a sing-a-long to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Fun!
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- We’re a pretty great bunch, huh?
FIFTH GRADE CELEBRATION
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the parents who made this night of food, friends and fun possible for us! What a touching way to say Goodbye to 5th Grade! Those shirts are perhaps the best part–we can take our memories with us! And they looked really great when we all wore them on our last-day field trip!
20% TIME PROJECTS
One thing I hadn’t yet tried, but was SO EXCITED to do this year was 20% time. Some schools call it Genius Hour, and it’s not really equated to 20% of our time, but you hopefully get the idea that it’s a project that kiddos could do that was completely of their interest. Some friends had some extra time in the last few weeks to investigate something of their choosing, and MAN WERE THEY EXCITED!! We had so many fabulous projects, and spent our afternoon after Field Day presenting our new learning. It is so cool how interested they all were in the new expertise their friends had to share!
Abbi learned some new techniques for taking fabulous photos.
Jacob researched how to make chocolate…
…and then made us some to sample!
Cate explaining her clothing designs!
Sam sharing his learning about radio waves.
Another one of Abbi’s…
Ok, so apparently the theme of this post is “I don’t have pictures or videos of everything I want to tell you about”–and somehow that happened here, too. I wish I could show you the smoothies that Owen made for us, the posters that Max made about radio waves and how they transmit music, the dance that Cate and Mia choreographed and then taught the class, the Keynote the Grace created to show how she learned to do makeup (including a before and after picture of how she tried it out on her sister!) or the demonstration Tom did about the most effective jump shot in basketball, but I don’t have them. Just know that THIS IS ONE TALENTED GROUP OF KIDDOS WHO DIDN’T DISAPPOINT WITH WHAT THEY SHARED WITH US!!
Well, as they say in the movies (or at least Looney Tunes, right?)–that’s all folks! It’s been a wild ride since our first Fifth Grade and Fearless post, and I wouldn’t have changed a minute! Here’s to a great year in middle school and MANY more years of changing the world after that! Remember your GRIT and all that you learned about respecting yourself and others at Robinson and GO GET ‘EM! I MISS YOU ALREADY!!
20somethingkids and 1kookyteacher 