Nibits for Newbies ( PLUS A FREEBIE ) from 1stgradefireworks

Hi GUYS!

It's  Wendy from 

This is a weekly series I have started to help those of us who are new to teaching, new to a grade level, or just need some "NEW" ideas!

I hope you can get some "NEW" inforamtion to help make your classroom  a "HAPPY" place for you & your kiddos. :)

If it's SUNDAY....

IT'S

Nibits for Newbies!

This week....

Keeping IT  Clean!

So..WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SCHOOL PERSON YOU NEED TO KNOW?

( OK...AFTER  the Secretary!)

THE   JANITOR! 

This is the person who can help make your life easier...

 moving desks, tables, etc, etc..AND  

KEEPING YOUR CLASSROOM

DUST FREE

BUG  FREE,  MAMMAL FREE

and

GERM FREE!

( LOTS of GERMS on tables, floors, deks, etc..etc )

These little "creatures" can make kids stay home, 

can RUIN the best lesson ( if no one is there..the lesson has to be done AGAIN..)

or the absolute worst...

THEY CAN MAKE THE TEACHER SICK!

SUB PLANS???   NOOOOOO!!!!!!

So...Let's worktogether to keep our classroom CLEAN!

So here is MY THEORY..

Our janitor only has "X" amount of minutes to clean MY room!

I want him to spend the MAXIMUM amount of time 

cleaning the stuff 

my students & I  cannot!

TEAMWORK!

So..I have 2 helpers each day who are the 

CLEAN UP  CREW

(This sample is available for FREE..click HERE!)

Their job

 (while the rest of us are at the carpet listening to AUTHOR'S  CHAIR)

is to stack ALL chairs into stacks of 6...

to pick up ANYTHING on the floor ( under tables & desks)

AND 

to use the push carpet sweeper to clean the floor!

THEN.....EVERY FRIDAY we

DE-GERM our classroom!

We take papertowels & SANITIZER

YES...SANITIZER

And wipe ALL surfaces!

I MEAN ALL!

Tables, desks, student whiteboards, chairs, pencils ( I know... "germy fingers" )

THE DOOR, pencil sharpeners...EVERYTHING!

WHY???

Because...I want my students to 

TAKE  RESPONSIBILITY  for  their  ENVIRONMENT!

You "live here' ...YOU  'clean it!"

THEY  LOVE  IT!

Then..after we leave..

the janitor can spend his time doing DEEP cleaning...whiteboards, dusting, windows, windowblinds...

stuff I can't get to & the kids cannot either!

Monday Morning....CLEAN CLASSROOM!

( I LOVE to start the week with a clean classroom!)

So...make friends with your janitor.

Keep your classroom CLEAN.

Get your kids involved!

After all...WBT RULE # 5....KEEP YOUR TEACHER  HAPPY!

:)

Super Reader Certificates and Notes

Hi, its AMC from Elementary AMC  and I am so happy to be joining this fabulous team of 1st grade teachers and bloggers!!! I have been teaching for 16 years in Grades 1-4 and am currently calling Grade 1 home : )

When I was teaching students in Grades 3 and 4 I would love to send them home with door hangers and notes for the door that let their families now that they were reading and not to be disturbed. It was a fun way to send home the message that reading at home was an important routine and put the students in charge of their reading time.

Now that I am in Grade 1 I still want my students to be engaged in meaningful reading activities at home but most of my students need an adults support during this time. So instead of a sign asking for quiet time I made these little invitations for students to give to an adult (or older sibling) at home to ask for some help reading or an audience for their reading.

Grandparents' Day is on the Way!

This is always such a special time because Grandparents play a special role in their Grandchildren's lives.  Yes, there are some kiddos who do not have Grandparents so make them feel special by having them think about someone in their life other than their parents who are important to them.

You can celebrate Grandparents day very simply or you can make a "party" of it and invite Grandparents in for donuts, lunch, or tea.  Whatever you decide to do plan SOMETHING because it is a unique time to bring together the past and the present.  I have put together some great items for you to make your planning easy!

First here are my 4 ALL TIME favorite stories for reading to the class.  They are perfect for story recall, for making predictions, and for connecting the characters in the story to their own life.

Yep, READING FOR MEANING!

What do you predict is best about Grandpa or Grandma?

How do you think they will babysit their grandparents?

Let's list all the things we can remember from the story.

For the self to story try this list for the kiddos to do.

Use these vocabulary cards to promote reading, writing, and word work.

Put them in ABC order or have them out when the kiddos are preparing their lists.

Lists are great for this kiddos not as proficient at writing because one word will do.

Encourage your more proficient writers to prepare more!

I just love how colorful they are and the pictures promote connections to the words.  They fit perfect in a chart or just on a table for manipulating.

What do your Grandparents like to do?

What might you celebrate with your Grandparents?

In my classroom we invited the Grandparents to lunch.  Depending on your district, socio economic restrictions, schedules this may not work.  We ate in the classroom.  I ALWAYS had it the Monday following Grandparents' Day because families are often together for the event.  You could do something as simple as donuts in the morning or cookies in the afternoon.

The Grandparents love looking around the room and we always talk about "What did you NOT have in your classrooms?"  Computers, phones, markers, etc.  It is an eyeopener for the children.

Then my favorite is I ask 2 great questions and give prizes.  "Who has traveled the farthest to join us?"  I give a $5 gas card and "Who has the most grandchildren?"  I give a picture frame.  What fun it is!  You might also ask "Who is the most mature?" Ha how old are you????

Another favorite is singing the song "I think you're wonderful" from Finding Peace by Red Grammar.

Here is the link:

You must listen to this!

Another word with words and pictures.

If you haven't played it for your class you must.  It is something we need to play and sing over and over!!  Each time I play it I wish our classrooms and educators could remember this each day!

After the song we always hand the grandparents Hugs and Kisses in a baggie!I cut these out and attach them with a ribbon.  So cute, so simple, so touching.

As parents to donate the candy, baggies, and ribbons.

While the grandparents are with us what fun it is to complete these interviews.

Now that is the more involved version but for the simple:

Whatever you decide you won't be disappointed you took the time to celebrate.

For your free copy of each of these Click Here.

For my complete packet 47 pages $2

For my family packet which includes Grandparents. 92 pages $4

Stop by and visit!

Thank you for following along with me today!

Sample from 1stgradefireworks

Hi GUYS!

It's Wendy McCarty

from

1stgradefireworks!

I have been teaching for ..um...26 YEARS!

( WOW!!..NOT feeling OLD or anything..)  :)

So...I just wanted to share with you some things I use in MY classroom.

I teach in a title 1 classroom in NORCAL.

25-27 students...no full-time assistants...and this year 8 languages!

*disclaimer...ALL of MY kiddos SPOKE English.

WE did fine! ( Though I did use translators to conference with parents ).

I can "communicate" with parents,

 but when it came to hard core "ACADEMIC" discussions...

I wanted to make sure we were ALL on the same page!

So...

One of MY BIGGIES...is VOCABULARY!

How can I teach a child to retell, use inferences, discuss character traits

if they don't have the VOCABULARY to attach knowledge to?

So I use LOTS..I mean LOTS ..of vocabulary in my classroom!

In most, not all, but MOST, of my ELA units,

I include vocabulary cards.

My newest packet

FALL..

I have included vocabulary cards to help ANYONE..not just EL's 

with reading, writing, and UNDERSTANDING! Pictures are a MUST!

Here is a sample of the vocabulary cards..

JUST FOR YOU! ENJOY!

(Click HERE to print)

If you would like to see the complete unit, 

you can check it out here.

Happy SUNDAY!

* Don't forget to follow iTeachFirst on Bloglovin'..Facebook...& Pinterest!

Wendy

Power Pix!

Happy Freebie Friday!

Hi, it's Jen from Positively Learning!

After three weeks of summer PD, today marks the end of the first full week of students. 

Happy HAPPY Friday :)

Our students have brought the enjoy and joy into the building! I just want to fast-forward through learning routines and expectations and launch into learning! 

Does anyone else feel like that?

I teach first grade Special Education (inclusion). At my school, we balance between teaching the core contents ON grade level and then adding all the interventions our students need. 

It's always a fine balancing act and there's never a wasted minute!

I'll be sharing a bit more on how we fit it all in future blogposts both here and at 

Positively Learning, but in the meantime, here's a MEGA freebie to get started!

I keep a set of both the ELA and Math Power Pix (adapted from Whole Brain Teaching) in both classrooms I "push in" too. They quickly become part of our daily routine! 

You can download both sets here!

Have a fantastic day!

Back to School Classroom Makeover DIY on a Budget

Let's face it, as teachers we LOVE to craft, organize, and make our rooms so stinkin' cute for the upcoming school year! We think about our plans all summer, but after all of that dreaming, we stop and realize that it can cost a TON of money to change a theme/decor EVERY year! Well, good thing you stopped by because I'm here to help you save money in your classroom while giving it a total makeover! :)

I don't know about you but I LOVE having everything match. This is such an easy way to get more decor to go with your classroom theme! All I did was take out the drawers and spray paint the plastic outer part! Such an easy way to add your classroom colors in without having to buy anything new (just the paint!;) )

Painting baskets has changed my life!! I use baskets for our classroom library, turning in papers, and for each table "cluster". It's always so hard to find the colors you want! You can find these baskets at the dollar store or even in the Target dollar section! Just spray paint them like you did to the drawers and voila! 

Need I say more? I use these for EVERYTHING! 

My favorite is painting tin cans to match my table colors for the "community markers" and "community colored pencils". The kiddos keep their own crayons in their pencil boxes. 

**Not pictured** I also paint the bigger ones (top picture) to match the table colors and use those for community markers. Whenever we need markers, the kiddos grab their "color". This makes them accountable for their own markers and know that I will know if they don't keep them organized (with the caps ON! ;) ).

I found this tutorial from Briana over at Sun, Sand, and Second Grade! It's super easy and cheap and looks so stinkin cute! Check out her blog to get your tutorial! (Her picture is also WAY cuter!!)

Briana's is ROCKING! I can't wait to get back into my classroom and add some cute ribbon like she did! :)

This is another thing that has helped me stay SO organized and they are SO cheap! You can get a pack of 5 for 1.99!!

This idea came from another awesome blogger. She used PVC pipes to make small pocketchart stands! It's perfect for my small groups! I didn't get a chance to take a picture of how mine turned out but you can check out Marvelous Multiagers, who did a fantastic job of showing how to make these!!

Thanks for checking out this post and please don't hesitate to ask any questions that you may have! 

Reading Interest Surveys

Hi! Mona from First Grade Schoolhouse here. I would imagine that most of you are in the process of setting up your classrooms and preparing all your back to school activities. This is my first week back and students arrive on Monday. I’m still prepping some of next week’s activities, but I’m a-l-m-o-s-t ready. How about you?

I’m talking about reading interest surveys today. It’s a back to school activity that I find useful in getting to know my students. You can use them anytime during the school year. You might want to give one at the beginning of the year and then midway thru the year to see growth and changes in your students’ reading interests.

Do you know what kinds of books/topics interest your students? 

Jan Richardson & Maria Walther talk about the importance of knowing your student’s reading interests in the book, The Next Step in Guided Reading Assessment.

It helps teachers make read aloud book choices that will build students’ background knowledge, which is especially important for those with limited language experiences. Students' interests will grow with appropriate read aloud books.

You can use the common reading interests of your students during your guided reading groups. Use the student surveys to include books that interest the students. It increases their engagement.

You will be able to better guide students as they choose independent reading material. Some students have a difficult time deciding on a book from the classroom book center and school library. Knowing their interests will help you guide them.

As you choose books to include in your classroom library, you will want to include titles that meet your students’ interests. Having books available that interest your students will lead to students broadening their interests.

I created some quick and simple reading surveys that I could give whole class or in small groups. They can also be sent home as a homework activity to be completed with parents.

Click HERE for a free download. I hope you find them useful. Enjoy!