I Speak For the Trees

This week has been full of Seuss.  We were able to integrate writing, math, social studies, and science with Dr. Seuss books. 

Dr. Seuss Math

Some of my most reluctant students showed off their writing skills with their versions of some Dr. Seuss stories.  A favorite was There's Wocket in My Pocket.  Thanks to Rachelle at What the Teacher Wants, my students were able to imagine a pocket creature that rhymes with pocket.  Students also wrote about their favorite Dr. Seuss books.  Our Thing One and Thing Two Glyphs were too cute.  It was my fault that they glued the hair on wrong, but they are still too cute.  Kimberly Edgerton's directions for the Dr. Seuss glyph were clear, but I failed to make a sample before the students did the activity. The students learned that a glyph is a display of collected information in the form of a picture instead of a graph.

We used One Fish! Two Fish! Red Fish! Blue Fish! to graph Gold Fish Crackers and to do nonstandard measurement.  We also used Oh, the Places You'll Go! for nonstandard measurement.  Marlana at Li'l Country Kindergarten provided a 100 chart picture of The Cat in the Hat.

Using toy cars to measure our paths

During our discussions, we made connections with modes of transportation when we read Oh, the Places You'll Go!  After watching a Sneetches video, students made a text-to-text and text-to-world connection with Freedom on the Menu and the civil rights movement.  I usually save The Lorax for Earth Day, but since I was The Lorax, and the movie started today, I just had to read it.  Thing One was quick to make a connection about how we need to take care of the Earth by planting trees and stop being wasteful.  I shared that the reason I choose to dress up as The Lorax is because my birthday is on Earth Day.

I Speak for the Trees

There was so much to do, that we weren't able to finish our Oobleck.  The students who were able to make Oobleck today, also had to mix colors to make the color green.  That was not intended to be part of the lesson, but the students were able to witness some problem-solving in action. I might as well get a big bottle of green food coloring so we can finish this project and be ready for St. Patrick's Day.

The whole school celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday by dressing up and decorating bulletin boards.  Teachers switched classes and read a Dr. Seuss book. I enjoyed visiting kindergarten, because I was able to see who might be in my room next year. 

Pitner's Potpourri: Cause and Effect Treasure Freebie

Check out the Pirate themed cause and effect activity. Teaching 1st graders about cause and effect has always been challenging. This activity will make learning fun.

Pitner's Potpourri: Cause and Effect Treasure Freebie

Groundhog Day

We read Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub. Then we made our own groundhog, Brownie.  The day before Groundhog Day, the students used a math activity to help predict whether the groundhog would see its shadow or not.  Students used dice in dice to create addition problems.  If the sum was even, the students colored that number of blocks in the no shadow side of a graph.  If the sum was odd, they colored that number of blocks on shadow side. We graphed the students' results as a class.  The shadow side won.:(  Students also made an accordion book with information about Groundhog Day.

On Groundhog  Day, we planted Brownie in an open spot in front of the school.  On the way from PE, we checked to see if he saw his shadow.  He did.  We used cubes and measured his shadow at about 9:00.  Brownie's shadow was 45 cubes long.  I asked the students to think about the book we read, and what it said about shadows on the wall in relationship to the distance of a flashlight.  I also showed them where the sun was positioned that morning.  I asked them where the sun would be in the afternoon.  When we returned to the classroom, I gave them a sticky note, told them to write their name, and write whether the shadow would be longer, shorter, or stay the same. Everybody except for one student wrote that the shadow would be longer. One student said the shadow would be the same length.  I read the part about a flashlight and shadows on the wall again. I then asked if anyone wanted to change their answer.  Nope.

Brownie

After lunch, we visited Brownie again.  Not only was the shadow SHORTER, it had changed positions.  The shadow now measured 18 cubes long.  Wow!!!  I guess I should've demonstrated instead of just showing the pictures in the book.

Classmates prompted this student to take some cubes away, to make it even with the shadow.

To be honest, six more weeks of the spring-like weather that we've been having is okay with me.  I just hope our tulip garden project will survive if the temperatures drop.

Guess Who Made the Local News?

The whole school has been doing a PBL project about China.  The activities lead up to the Chinese New Year.  We will actually end the project on Friday with a slideshow and presentations.  First grade is creating a travel brochure.

Chinese Display

Last Thursday, we had parent volunteers help lead Chinese Stations. To introduce the festivities, I had my "twin sister from China" bring each student an orange and greet each student in Chinese (Thank you Kai-Lan).  I made a costume for the occasion, and wore my wig.  Some students really believed I was my sister.  It is interesting to know what my students think of me.  I was also impressed with how much the students were able to tell my sister about what they have been learning.

One station had students using the characters to write Chinese greetings.  In another station, the students made noise makers with tag board.  Thank goodness the noise makers didn't make noises, but the students had fun with them.  Thanks to Karen at kbkonnected, for the Fortune Cookie Creation Station, one parent was able to help students make fortune cookies with math facts. We will play a game with these tomorrow.  I helped students make fans.  The fans didn't turn out like I planned, but the students were still able to work on their fine motor skills.

Greetings on a Bamboo Matchstick Shade

Noiseless Noise Maker

Math Fact Fortune Cookie

The media coordinator worked with an international student life coordinator from a nearby private school, and students from China to set up more stations.  One student read traditional Chinese fairy tales.  Two students helped our students make Lucky Money envelopes.  Two more students wrote our names in Chinese.  Some of the characters in my name mean beauty.  They also showed a video about how Chinese families make dumplings.  They are nothing like our "southern dumplings".  :)

Directions and Characters for Lucky Money Envelopes

The newspaper reporter was tipped off by the principal that I made my costume, so she interviewed me, and took a picture.  It was also our 100th Day of School.  The other first grade class made a Dragon by using 100 paper plates for the scales.  They paraded down the hall making noises to scare away last year's bad luck.  I wish the newspaper reporter had been able to get that picture too. 

I'm sorry the newspaper picture is fuzzy.

Homemade Kidney Table

This is What I've Been Waiting For

I have been trying to get a kidney table for years.  There was an antique, horseshoe table with attached seats in my classroom when I first started teaching.  First I posted a project on Donors Choose.  I didn't have any luck with that.  I had mentioned to my daddy that we might need to build one. I was determined to get a table, so I got rid of the "dinosaur".  When a friend transferred to another school, I thought I would be able to get the one in her old room.  Someone else beat me to it.  I tried working at a rectangular table, but it was not effective.

Making a Template

 I priced the materials to build one, took measurements of the chair and carts that I wanted to fit under the table, and then checked the prices of assembled tables.  I found one that was about $50 more than what I had priced the materials for.  I placed the order, and then the shipping charges were applied a day later.  Because of the size and location, the shipping charges were over $100.  CANCEL that order!

I presented the original plans to Daddy.  We made a trip to Lowe's Home Improvement to get the lumber.  I wasn't happy with any of the legs that were available.  Daddy said that he had some folding table legs that he could cut down.  That was even better.  I really wanted a laminate table top, but we decided to paint it for now.  I can add the laminate later. 

Almost Ready for the Paint

I wanted you to see how Daddy signed the bottom, but I realized that he put his full name.  He's not ready for big orders yet. ;)  He added the date and put "For my no. 1".  I am his first child, so it works. LOL!

Primed

Painted

Delivered 

On the last day before we got out for Winter Break, I saw a familiar face at my classroom door.  I started jumping up and down, and screaming.  The students probably thought Santa Claus was coming.  Yep!! Santa came early.  The students had heard so much about my table, they were almost as excited as me.

Close-up of the Frames

The reading strategies were taped to the other table, but there will be none of that on this table.  The table is perfect.  My nieces helped me rearrange the furniture.  I will switch my leveled books to the bookcase behind the table, and make a few more changes on our workday.