I have a wonderful group of firsties. We're finally settling into school-mode, and today we all worked very hard (which they know is Ms. Stookey's #1 rule). :) I felt like all my friends were really listening and engaged today. Wahoo! This group is really getting the hang of Daily 5 (or Daily 3 so far... we've been practicing Word Work, Read to Self, and Listen to Reading). I can't wait to finish our DRA testing window so that I can start Guided Reading and Daily 5 with this new group!
Since I've been so behind, this is going to be an update on the first two weeks. We have an "All About Me" unit, so we can get to know one another. Setting up a safe classroom environment is huge to me, and I love developing a sense of community. We talk about our strengths and weaknesses, focusing on how we are going to work as a team all year. I want the kids to know that we all have to communicate and work together to be successful. Trusting one another is very important!
My favorite book that we read last week is Have You Filled a Bucket Today? We have a bucket-filling board that the students can use to write notes to one another throughout the week. I started this last year, and it is one of my favorite things that we do. The kids really seem to love it, too, and it lends itself to many connections throughout the year!
We also read Leo the Late Bloomer and made connections to the text. We discussed things that we can do, and then the students made their precious tigers. A few even thought to add tails with their leftover scrap paper. Gotta love those creative moments!
Our campus is big on Thinking Maps, and our team is pretty amazing at integrating them across the curriculum. :) The first week, we created Circle Maps about ourselves. They're a little unconventional, as the kids draw their face in the middle, write things they like in the circle and people they love in the frame. They come out really cute, and they are great to post in the halls for Open House. It's a great way to refresh the kids on Thinking Maps!
We also read How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague and practiced making connections again. My kiddos this year had very exciting summers! They went to Nigeria, Hawaii, Disneyworld, Mexico, and a lot of other places. So exciting! We had lots to discuss, and we got to add a little geography in with our lesson too, so that was a great bonus! :) We wrote about what we did, then illustrated. I'm pretty impressed by the number of my friends this year who really take their time to draw and color nicely.
These are just a few of my favorite things we did last week. We made a fun "I Like Me" flipbook, too, after reading I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson. It was a good confidence-booster for the kids to think about all the things they love about themselves. Sharing them with one another was nice to see, too. These kids are very supportive of their friends!
We've been having fun getting to know each other. The kids seem to love Daily 5 so far, and they are really getting our procedures down quickly. I'm so proud of my new group!
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