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Math Notebooking

December 4, 2013, 8:49 pm
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Hello Everyone!
I have had so many questions about how we do our math, so I thought I would show a few things about a typical math time.We start our math day with extensive work on the calendar and number of the day,  So much can be learned about the relationships of numbers through "math talk" revolving around our calendar. Here are our thoughts from today.





After some serious exploration about the numbers involved with our calendar and our number of the day, we move to our math notebooks as an opportunity for kids to independently grow their number sense.   Many of you may already do notebooks and have maybe even given ours a try, but I am going to share the unit again because I've added some new pages for our number of the day. There are now 9 different levels from which to choose. 
 While students learn how to "do" math, they must also learn how to articulate what they are learning. It is important to provide many opportunities for students to organize and record their work with some structure and guidance but leaving room for self discovery,  experimentation, and challenge. Problem solving notebooks support students' learning because, in order to get their ideas on paper, children must organize, clarify, and reflect on their thinking. Initially many students will need support and encouragement in order to communicate their ideas and thinking clearly on paper but, as with any skill, the more they practice the easier it will become. Notebooks also serve as invaluable assessment resources that can inform classroom instruction. Reviewing a student’s math notebook provides a useful insight into what a child understands, how s/he approaches ideas and what misconceptions s/he has. Here are some pics of our notebooks.




Today the kids noticed that the twin number 66 has diagonal twin friends!!



The number operator page gives kids the chance 
to grow, grow, grow.
 After notebooking, students have the opportunity to tell what they already know about a certain math topic before we get started on our whole group strategy mini lesson and our math tubs.  Then after a lesson, they can talk/write about what they worked on. 





For your own math notebook printable unit, click HERE!!
45 pages

I hope this answers some questions you may have.  We do follow our state/school district curriculum resources as far as what skills to teach, and when, but the notebooks lets the differentiation happen!!

Let me know if you have any other questions!!
So happy to help!
Joyfully!
Nancy









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OH NO!

December 6, 2013, 11:05 am
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Hello Everyone!
Oh No! Santa's stuck!!  This week we worked hard on discovering the problem in stories. Santa's Stuck by Rhonda Greene is a perfect book to enjoy that discovery.  We wrote about that problem and how the problem was solved and then worked to make a connection by putting ourselves in the story.  How would we help Santa if he was stuck in our chimneys? We practiced a fun song and then brainstormed ways in which we could help. 


I love some of the creative ways to help Santa!!!
We then put our thoughts down as a "reader's response" and added a hands on visual connection. 
They turned out great!!!  The kids are so prepared to find and help solve problems!!







Great job, kiddos!!!  It's good to know you've got Santa's back!!!
If you would like this song and the visual connection patterns, HERE!!! :) Quick before anyone gets stuck in your chimney!!
Till next time, stay warm everyone!!
Joyfully!
Nancy





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Math Mints

December 7, 2013, 8:13 pm
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Hello Everyone!!
Well, I can't believe I'm posting again this weekend, but we are iced in pretty good here and I'm beginning to get a little cabin fever.  We had an ice day (aka snowday) on Friday and we still couldn't get out today. Church has been canceled for tomorrow. That gives you an idea how bad it is.  I've baked, made 2 kinds of soup, cleaned, put up the rest of my Christmas décor, organized 2 closets, avoided some of the many files I have to attend to...and now I'm posting.  Feeling blessed!
I wanted to share this year's version of our math mints.  Last year when I posted about this activity, we were focused on fact families.  This year we were developing our doubles facts.
We learned a catchy little rap (inspired by Saxon) and as a whole group lesson, we worked on a giant mint work mat. I used two different colored starlight mints to show how to compose and indicate the part/part/whole of doubles facts.







Kids had recording sheets to help them see the patterns in our number sentences.
After our mini lesson, the kids has a chance to make their own math mint. This hands on visual connection was quick, easy, fun , and looks great hanging up.  It was also a good way to differentiate, as some kids challenged themselves with higher level doubles facts.



 
We just took two cheap white paper plates, colored them to look like a mint and wrote our facts. Glue the rims together so they become 3 dimensional, wrap them with clear cellophane and tied the ends. When we get back next week, kids will make a little book about doubles.
 
Click here for the rap, the mini book and a math tub activity
 
Hope you are all staying warm.  Till next time!
Have a great weekend!!
Joyfully!
Nancy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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A Pinch of "You Know Who!"

December 10, 2013, 7:27 pm
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Hello Everyone!
Next week we will learn through the celebration of a wonderful holiday classic by Dr. Seuss.  We will be learning so much through this wonderful story.  We celebrate this amazing author and know that he would love for school children to spend so much learning time using his book!! He would love the connections we are making with his characters.  We thank him for inspiring us to read, write, talk, and learn!
We'll concentrate on adjectives, text connections, author's big idea, comparing holiday traditions, energy, matter, and so much more.  I have shared this unit before, but have added a bit to it.










































If you're interested in the updated 56 page unit, click 
here...it's free! :)


I'll post some pics next week to let you know how everything went!! Let me know if you have any questions, or problems!!
Have a great week! Stay tuned for some pics of our learning activities from this short week! We're taking a mouse to the movies!!! :)
Joyfully!
Nancy
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Stuffing our Stockings with Blends!

December 11, 2013, 6:58 pm
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Hello Everyone!
A very quick peek into  a few minutes of our day today!  We've been studying blends for the last few weeks. This week we are spending time reviewing.  I wanted to make our wordwork fun, easy, and memorable.  We cut out some large stocking shapes and attached a little label topper. Then we wrote some of our blend words on white adhesive mailing seals. (You could just use circles cut from paper and glue them on.)
We stuck our words on our stockings and added some little details.
Fun, easy, and memorable?
 Take a look!







If you'd like the stocking topper, click here for your printable!

Gotta run!! Lots of holiday planning to do!! Have a great rest of the week!!
Joyfully!
Nancy


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New Year 2014

December 15, 2013, 1:08 pm
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Hello Everyone!
I have had several requests to update my New Year unit for 2014.  While doing that, I decided to add a couple of things to go along with where we are in our curriculum.  I have added another poem/chant to help kids work on responding to rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration using voice and body, as well as written expression. 
I have also added a component practicing the hard and soft sounds of c and g. Oh! and there is a quick 2-d geometric figure activity. 
The unit ended up to be about 55 pages.  Here are a few pics.


















For your free printable 2014 unit, celebrate and click here!

Have a great week!!! 5 more days for us and then winter break!!
Joyfully!
Nancy
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Sharing a Couple of Recaps and a Couple of Units

December 31, 2013, 7:29 pm
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Hello Everyone!!
2014 is almost here!  We are staying home, safe and sound in our living room this year!  I am so happy!!  We had a houseful of love and laughter this past week with both boys and friends here, and frankly, I am pooped!!  It feels good to not have to cook, clean, dress up, and be "on" for a few hours!! But at the same time, I miss them already!!!
I do, finally, have a minute to show a couple of pics from the week before winter break.  One of my favorite days was our Grinch Day.  We love celebrating the special message that Dr. Seuss illustrates in this infamous story!  Here are a couple of pics!
The kids went all out with grinchy green spirit!

The grinch sent some sweet little elves to check on our kindness and make sure we learned from the story! Jolly, Joy, and Jingle made their debut and will probably hang around throughout the new year!!

A yummy green snack was mysteriously left for the kids!!

This amazing team really gets into every celebration!!

I also wanted to share with you something our room moms made for our classrooms!!!  The kids brought gift cards to clip onto this amazing snowman tree!!  
We have the best room moms around!!!

When we get back from winter break we will be studying the historically significant and amazing life of Eleanor Roosevelt,  First Lady of the World.  I put together a little unit about her, integrating social studies and ELA. Here are a few pics from the 17 page unit.












For your own printable unit on Eleanor Roosevelt, click here!!

Another thing we will begin studying is the science concept of living and nonliving.  I have shared a mini unit on this topic before, but I revamped it a bit, so I'm offering it again!
Here are a few pics from the 9 page unit.





For your little living/nonliving unit click here!!

I hope these little offerings will help your 2014 get off to a good start.
 Stay tuned for a little somethin' somethin' 
later in the week!!
Till then, be safe and warm tonight. 
Welcome 2014!!!
Joyfully!
Nancy









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Historical Figures, MLK and Inventors

January 2, 2014, 1:07 pm
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Hello Everyone!
It is so nice to have time to put some finishing touches on a couple of units that we have coming up! Another historical figure we will study after Eleanor Roosevelt is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a nation we celebrate his life daily! Thank you Dr. King! Officially we celebrate on the third Monday of January. I have posted about our activities before, but I went through and cleaned up, and added to my unit.  Here are some pics from the updated unit!












If you would like the 30 page free printable unit CLICK HERE!! :)

My second offering for today is a unit our curriculum team worked on this summer. We had fun integrating reading and social studies and are finding it a natural way to teach and get everything in.
This next unit is about other important historical figures.  It includes posters about Alexander Graham Bell, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Garrett Morgan, and Richard Allen along with reading strategy practice activities.  It also includes an invention home project packet for kids. The unit ended up to be over 50 pages! I am excited to include this unit in our curriculum in a few weeks!!  Here are a few pics from the unit!










For your free 52 page Inventors Unit CLICK HERE!! :)


 So glad I had time to share these endeavors!  Hope you can use at least parts of either one!  It is my joy to be able to share and help your journey in the classroom or homefront become a little less stressful. As always, please let me know if this is something you can use, if there are any typos or problems, and if you would like to see something else in particular on this little blog.  I hear from teachers and parents from all over the world, and I am so grateful for all of you!!  
Joyfully!
Nancy







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Out Of Sight But Not Out Of Mind

January 5, 2014, 3:02 pm
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Hello Everyone!!
Well, our two week winter break is almost over.  I have to say it was about perfect!  Our high school state championship winning football game, then some amazing Christmas family time with my guys, some fun shopping with my son's girlfriend, a ton of cooking---and with that a ton of cleaning, some sleeping in, and then a surprise little mini trip to Cow Town! Yee Haw!  For those of you not from Texas, Cow Town is just another name for Fort Worth, one of my new favorite historically significant cities of Texas. Ahhhh, preserving everything Cowboy!
My husband had to turn my new camera on me! But don't you love that giant spur???
My turn to get some good shots!



 You would think I could leave thoughts of my  students, classroom, and future lessons home, but no!  Even when I am away, I am always keeping an eye out for interesting things for school. Do you do the same thing?? Is it an illness???  I don't know,... but I know I can't help it!!
While walking around the stockyard area of Fort Worth, in between the rodeo and bull riding adventures, we came across a fun little shop called "Crosseyed Moose." I instantly fell in love with the sweet manager, Shari, and her collection of all things Texan.  If you know anything about me, my classroom, and my love for animals, you can just picture me in this shop filled with animal skulls from Texas critters. I found a havalina skull, a wild hog skull, coyote teeth, a badger claw, a small bobcat skull, and beaver teeth!! Oh! And a piece of buffalo hide!  I know what you're thinking, CREEPY! But sooooo cooool!!  My kids are going to love being able to touch all of this!!

From our study last year we learned that the front layer of  beaver teeth is made of a different, and much stronger, enamel than the white tooth beneath. It takes much longer for that orange part to wear down. The result of this uneven wear (the orange front wearing slowly and the white back wearing faster) creates a nice sharp, chisel like tooth, perfect for an animal that scrapes and gnaws its food. Many rodents have the very same orange teeth!

havalina--youch!

wild hog!


You can check out Cross- eyed Moose HERE!!!! :)

Shari loves teachers and will do what she can to hook you up with some amazing things for your classroom!  Thanks, Shari!!


In the spring we do a huge animal unit with one major component being how and what animals eat.  These fine specimens will fit perfectly with a little unit I put together last year. I can't wait to add to it.  Until then here's the unit from last year, but keep an eye out for an update soon!








The 40 page unit is here! CLICK!!! :)

Well, back to my littles tomorrow!! I have missed them!!  I hope they know I am always thinking about them!! Can't wait to hear all about their break!!

Should be a fun week!
Talk to you all soon!
Til then, stay warm and safe!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

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We're Gonna Knock Your Socks Off!

January 6, 2014, 6:20 pm
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Hello Everyone!
I want to start off sending warm and cozy hugs through the lines to all my friends and family in the arctic vortex!  I can't even believe the temperatures some of you are enduring!!! It has been cold here, but nothing like a large part of this country.  Please stay safe!  I am keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers!

We were blessed enough to get back to school today after 2 weeks off. I missed my kids so much!  I think some of them were anxious to get back to the routine and the fun of first grade.  We had a great day!!  One of my favs from the day was our "In 2014 I'm going to knock your socks off by..." We first had to talk about what that little phrase meant, and what we wanted to work on that would knock someone's socks off.  
Here's our chart!

I think the kids came up with some great ideas!!
Then they had the opportunity during our D5 Work on Writing time to write their own and create their own hands on visual.  They had to write their own, make a sock from scrapbook paper and share!  Great job, kiddos!!








I kept our cute little snowman up!  I think he will fit in with our class all winter!  In fact he is going to help display some socks that the kids will get to clip on as they knock them off!! I can't wait to fill up our little man!! 
If you want to try the "Knock your socks off" activity, you van get your free printable in this unit!
                                                       Click HERE!!!!

Looking forward to tomorrow!! Ready to have my socks knocked off!! :)
Joyfully!
Nancy



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We Heart Worms!

January 11, 2014, 9:17 am
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Hello Everyone!
"This is the best day ever!" Don't you love to hear that from your kids??  I heard it over and over again yesterday during our SCI FRI.  We've been studying living and nonliving things all week and ended the week with our comparison of gummy and earth worms.  The kids couldn't believe that I actually had live worms for them in the classroom!!  You should have heard the squeals as I uncovered them!!  Delightful for some and a little freaky for others!  I put the kids into groups and they went to work comparing the two specimens.  So much fun learning!!














Look at the heart shape this little worm made for us!!
We heart worms and worms heart us!!

You can get worms from any pet shop or WalMart.

Next week we will compare what living things need to survive, culminating with the hands on visual creation...pet rocks!!









You can get all the printables you need for these activities HERE!!! CLICK!!! :)

What a great week back!! Thanks kids!!  Your enthusiasm for learning helps me want to do more for you!!! 

Thanks for stopping by our little Window On Wonder!!  We love visitors and comments, so don't leave without leaving a quick comment!!
Have a great weekend!!
Joyfully!
Nancy




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Winter Olympics!!

January 12, 2014, 7:01 pm
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Hello Everyone!!
They're almost here!!  The Winter Olympic Games!!  I love watching every part of every event!  The dedication and passion that each athlete displays is at times mind-boggling!  They are all winners just for being there!
I have gotten several e-mails asking if I would create a unit on the Olympics.  I had some time today to put a few things together.  This little unit includes some ELA activities using Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester (Love Tacky!!),  6 math tub activities, and a hands on visual connection!  I hope you can use at least a portion of this!  I think I'm going to enjoy helping kids make this important world connection. Here are a few pics of the 45 page unit!






























If You would like to try this new unit, click HERE for the free printable!!!

Okee Dokee!!  Got to run!! Making some yummo lentil soup and it smells like it's ready!!
Have a great week everyone!! As always, don't leave before leaving a comment! Is there something else you need?  Want? Questions? Concerns? I read them all!  
Joyfully!
Nancy


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Sweet Geometry! (and geome"trees!")

January 17, 2014, 5:09 pm
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Hello Everyone!
Phew! Busy week of Middle of Year Testing, curriculum meetings, tutoring, faculty meetings, PTA meetings, etc, etc, etc, and oh yeah!...We did do some sweet learning along the way!!! We finished up our geometry unit this week with some culminating mini lessons and tub work.  We built figures with edges and vertices (toothpicks and marshmallows) and created some pretty sweet Geome"trees!" Take a look!









 
Two thumbs up!!




Let's make Geome"trees!"










                                        Got to dress the part!!














Tell me about it!!



 We covered our trees with clear cups, taped them down, and brought them home!!

If you would like a printable of our geometry unit, you can click HERE!! :)




Ahh!!  Friday evening!! Hubby's bringing home dinner, catching up on some missed calls, e-mails and terrible TV!!  Can't wait!!!

Till next time, hope your days are filled with
 sweet geometry!!
Joyfully!
Nancy




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Author's Audience

January 19, 2014, 5:38 pm
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Hello Everyone!
Just a quick post and share tonight.  This coming week we will be working on understanding that writers write for an audience and that our writing changes depending on that audience. This is sometimes hard to teach so I wrote a quick little chant, made a mini poster and a quick idea recording page to help make that connection.


We will create a large chart in class with student ideas for audiences. We will also chart responses for how to make sure our writing matches our audience. During Writers Workshop mini conferences students will get used to my asking who their audience is? 
Can you use this little printable? Good! CLICK HERE!!
Yes! It's free!

That's all for tonight!! Have a memorable 
MLK Day tomorrow. 
We have teacher inservice, so we won't have kids, but I hope it will still be a memorable day!
Thanks for stopping by!! Don't forget to leave a little comment!!
Joyfully!
Nancy





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Equal Shmequal!

January 22, 2014, 4:44 pm
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Hello Everyone!!
If you are working on fractions, you have to read this book!
Equal Shmequal by Virginia Kroll is a perfect book to introduce kids to the concepts of equal and unequal, symmetry, same, congruent, etc. This week I used this darling book to introduce our fractions unit. Today we worked hard on the symmetry aspect of equal and unequal.
In first grade, symmetry is an important mathematical concept that  actually serves as a jumping off point for many different mathematical objectives.  We naturally look for balance and order in our lives, as well as in math.  Symmetry can be taught with real life examples and leads beautifully in to a study of fractions.
To help grasp the concept further, I made up a life sized game of equal schmequal!  Kids got some paper triangles. I made sure that there were two of each color.  I taped a line of symmetry down the carpet and we reviewed some of the math talk words that would be important for this game.  Then the kids took turns placing the shapes one at a time making sure that the design they were creating was symmetrical, the shapes were congruent, the sides were even, the same, mirror image, etc.
They were delighted with the design created and definitely understood the idea of symmetry.





Equal Schmequal!!!

I have some similar activities in a symmetry mini unit I shared last spring.  
This little unit includes :
2 mini posters with definitions
A hands on shape activity  
      creating a class symme“tree”
4 visual activities
3 center or math tub activities

A vocabulary word search






For your 20 page symmetry unit (free) click HERE!! :)

We had a great day!! We hope you had an equally great day!! Thanks for stopping by for a peek into our little Window On Wonder!" Let us know what you think!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Oh! And stay tuned for a quick little terrarium unit to help learn about living things and dependency!!

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Terrific Terrariums!

January 24, 2014, 4:29 pm
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Hello Everyone!
Happy Friday!  I hope everyone is staying safe and warm!  Prayers lifted for those of you in the extreme deep freeze. Please take care! This weather has been crazy!!
We had a great week!  In science we've been studying the interdependence of living things.  We believe in a hands on approach to science, so of course we had to come up with a plan.  Our district suggest we either study aquariums or terrariums.  Well, we tried the aquarium thing last year and enjoyed it for a while, but when the adult fish stared eating the babies...oops, that circle of life- that interdependence- got a little sad for our firsties.
This year we decided to try the terrarium route.  We did some research and tah-dah!! We made terrariums with our kids today!! Here are a few pics! First we reviewed and created a little response chart as we learned about the interdependence of living things:





Then we began our lab.

Gather soil, rocks, 2 litre bottles, and plants

Cut tops off two 2 litre bottles


Pour a layer of rocks for drainage


Add a layer of soil
Add some plants, and water until moist

Put the second bottle bottom over the first to create a terrarium!




Place in a window





make observations






I put all the directions and explanations into a little unit. Here are some pics








Unit also has observation recording sheets and a fun little vocabulary word search.
If you are studying living things, you may want to try this.  You can get the unit by
Clicking HERE!!

I can't wait for the kids to see how the plants depend on each other for survival (without eating each other).  As a bonus, we will be able to see the water cycle in effect!! 

 Each class made one terrarium, but I also think it would be fun to have the kids each make a mini one using small clear water bottles. Hmmm. Maybe next year!! If you do try this activity, please let me know how it went.  What would you change, what worked better for you, etc.  I am always looking for improvements and clarifications!!
Have a fantastic weekend, friends!!
Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!!
Joyfully!
Nancy









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Celebrating Imaginations and Inventiveness!

January 28, 2014, 7:19 pm
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Hello Everyone!

Next week we will be finishing up our inventors unit in social studies, with a celebration of students' inventions and creations.  We will also celebrate imaginations by reading about two fiction characters and one historical figure who all happen to be girls! Meggie Moon by Elizabeth Baguley, Have Fun Mollie Lou Melon, by Patty Lovell, and Marvelous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully are the three books we will focus on and I'm happy to share a quick little unit which emphasizes asking questions before, during and after reading to help with comprehension.  The unit also has a quick little venn to compare the three characters and a hands on visual for kids to show off their imagination and creativity.






 








The little unit is about 15 pages with lots of opportunity for writing and connecting. 
You can get it here. Just click! :)

If you missed the unit on inventors you can get it again!  Click here!!


I hope reading these selections will help kids to embrace creativity and to not give up on their ideas!! 

You Go, Kids!!! 
Can't wait to see your inventions!!
If you are a follower of this blog, stay tuned for pics of creativity in action!!
Joyfully!
Nancy 

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I Heart Inflectional Endings

February 4, 2014, 6:11 pm
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Hello Everyone!
I am so sorry I haven't posted anything lately...battling a crazy cough and cold. I think I'm finally on the upward swing though! Yahoo!
Today we reviewed inflectional endings. During D-5 I combined our "wordwork" and "work on writing" into one hands on visual where kids were practicing inflectional endings, and creating a seasonal heart!  We brainstormed and charted things we loved and created a little poem about those things. We read the sentences to be sure the endings were in place and then wrote the poem around a heart shaped piece of scrapbook paper.  Here are a couple of pics.

















If you have a heart for inflectional endings and need a quick printable, click here!

Hope you are all staying healthy!!
Stay tuned for more fun! Thanks for stopping by!!
Joyfully!
Nancy





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Hooray for the 100th Day!

February 8, 2014, 9:15 am
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Hello Everyone!
Our awesome week was capped off by our 100th day celebration!!  Hooray for the 100th day!! We always celebrate in a big way, all day!  From morning work to math tubs to poetry to balloon launch, we are all about that century mark.  Here are a few pics from our day!

Writing the letters in our name 100 times!


math talk



room moms made a cute sign with a photo op!




Colorful 800 balloon launch. We are tracking locations where our balloons are found. Last year We had one found in the Bahamas! All the way from Texas??? WOW!


I was honored to release an orange, yellow and purple balloon. Orange for the grade level, a yellow for a sweet little first grader, and purple for a sweet second grader who are watching from above. My little angels!


A sweet ending to our fun day!



How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop??? :)
The world may never know!!

For your own little lollipop lick printable, don't lick...click here!!


For a complete 100th day unit, click here!!

Hope you enjoyed your peek into our day! Stay tuned for more wonder!!
Joyfully!
Nancy








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Historical Figures, George and Abe

February 8, 2014, 2:00 pm
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Hello Again Everyone!
I wanted to quickly share our upcoming Reading/Social Studies Integrated Unit.The next couple of weeks will be focused on some of our presidents. We put together a little unit to help celebrate George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and February is the perfect month to learn through reading about these historical figures! Here are a couple of pics from our unit!












Make a tricorn hat! A fun hands on visual!!










Hope this helps you make some integration with your curric!!
If you are at all interested in this unit, CLICK HERE for your free printable!!

Have a fantastic rest of the weekend!!
Joyfully!
Nancy








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