Sunday Rewind: It's A Wrap - Open House

This is that time of year when I wonder how I will ever make it to the end of the year.  Yes there are only a few days left in the school year - we are in the teens right now.  To get there however there is a long list of things to accomplish and check off that giant teacher to do list we all have.  

This last week was a big one - Open House.  In my district, this is a time when we invite all the parents, all the children, and potential future parents to tour our school and our classrooms.  This calls for all hands on deck and every nook and cranny to be tip-top, decorated and organized to the ninth degree.  

So here are a few pics of my classroom so you can share in this experience.
I do my best to have something from each curriculum area on display,
but there is just so much wall that you can plaster with kids projects.  

After the walls are covered, I put everything else on their desks.

This year was stressful because just as I was leaving to drive back to school for the big night, it started pouring rain.  Yikes!  I am going with "all is well that ends well".  AND. IT. DID.  I made it through the night and even managed to make it to work the next day.

Enjoy this photo tour through my first grade class and know that summer is just around the corner - time to refresh and rekindle and get ready to do it all again another year!

Geometry - Plane Shapes with marshmallows and toothpick.  

Our big buddies came and helped with this project.

 Science and Language Arts - We read Frog and Toad Stories.  

Then we planted our own seeds and learned about the life cycle of plants.  

 We raised ladybugs and watched them progress through the larva, pupa, and adult stages.  

We let them go on the rose bushes at the park next door on Friday. 

 We wrote letters to the next year's first graders.  They shared their memories of first grade and things to look forward to.  And yes... they did type all that themselves - A huge jump from the beginning of the year when they could barely type their own names correctly!

We wrote acrostic poems about ladybugs and made tulip art 

from tissue paper for the cover of our poems.

Poetry in a Jar - The students read poetry, picked a favorite, and then illustrated the poem by adding items into a jar.  We will do oral presentations of these projects to our parents next week.

Well there you have  it!  It's a wrap.

Sunday Rewind - Moving Classrooms Again!!!

School is now over and the next adventure begins!!! Packing and moving - AGAIN!  
I have spent the last week working long hours to literally pack everything in my first grade classroom so it can be stored until August.  Yes stored.  The classroom I am moving into is an old portable with 4 blank walls and will need some major renovation before a classroom can be moved in. No cabinets, no shelving, no nothing.  I have requested a few pieces of furniture/shelving to get started. The good news is that the carpet is being replaced.  Good thing since it smelled like a moldy attic when I did a walk through.

It looks a a lot like the beginning of the school year - boxes, boxes, boxes.

So, I will get to create the space.  I read once that you should begin with an empty space or classroom and then move in pieces as you establish the need for them.  That should be fairly easy since the room is completely empty.  Student desks and chairs will be moved over from my old classroom. My teaching partner is also moving her 
classroom into the portable right next to me 
(looking for any small silver lining I can latch on to).

All of these changes came about because our school is beginning extended day kindergartens.  In the past we have had pairs of two kinder teachers teaching and sharing a classroom with half day schedules for the littles.  No more sharing classrooms with an am and pm class. That also means no partner to help teach.  

Big changes. I am trying to take the high road and not complain too much. However 3 moves in the last 4 years is a little daunting even for me who usually just rolls with it. Fortunately I have been able to stay  at my same school throughout all these changes. 

The upside is that I will have time to read and reflect focusing of two things in particular.
1.  Daily Five Rewind - How did it go after the first year  of implementing Daily Five?  What will I do differently next year?   What will I continue to do the same next year?

2.  Implementation of Common Core State Standards - I will be attending 3 days of training throughout the summer directly tied to Proficiency Scales and our new electronic report card as it relates to Common Core.  Fun times!  

What changes are you experiencing this fall?  How have you dealt with portable classrooms in your teaching?


~ Clara @ Teaching 365
First Grade Sunflowers and Ladybugs

Sunday Rewind - Teacher Appreciation Week and Parent Volunteers

This past month we had Teacher Appreciation Week at our school and my parents outdid themselves. Let's see --- Starbucks deliveries, Chipotle lunch, a banner decorating the front of the outside of my classroom, flowers, and a huge stash of gift cards to my favorite places. I have the most creative crew of parents this year.  The gift cards were tucked into a grapevine wreath.  What teacher doesn't love a few gift cards. The kids also brought in cute things that teachers love - Ticonderoga pencils and flowers. My favorites were the hand drawn cards where the kids assured me that I am the BEST.TEACHER.EVER.  At least until they get their awesome 2nd grade teachers.

Now it's my turn to show my appreciation to my parents for all of their hard work volunteering in my classroom this year.  I am blessed with a huge group of volunteers - 14!!! Yep 14!  They work with small groups of kids and prep mounds of materials for me - making copies, cutting out laminating, collating and stapling little decodable books.  You get the idea. Last year I made homemade salt scrub for my volunteers.  This year I think I will bake some yummy Peanut Butter Blossom cookies with Hershey's kisses on top. I found a cute parent volunteer tag here Parent Volunteer Gift Tag from The Teacher Wife.

Just about perfect to add to the cookie bags. 

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies - You can find the recipe on the back of a large bag of Hershey's Kisses.

How do you honor your parent volunteers?  I would love to hear your ideas.


~ Clara at Teaching 365

Sunflowers and Ladybugs in First Grade

Sunday Rewind

We have 13 days left in this school year.  Can you say holy light speed?  The next 3 weeks are sure to be a whirlwind of end of year activities.  Let's see... Open House, Spring Sing, Field Day, and the End of the Year Party.  

Our Open House was this past Thursday.  I don't  know about your school, but where I work Open House is a time to show off your students' best work and is attended by almost all of our families.  It is also a time when potential students come to visit and see what is in store for the next year.  While it is very rewarding to hear the comments and compliments from the students' parents, it is also exhausting.  So a little down time this weekend is in order.

Here are some pictures of my favorite Open House projects.

Opinion Writing - What would be the best superpower to have?  I was proud of my firsties as this was one of their first assignments that they typed in the computer lab.  And yes they had help - some more than others - but the words are all theirs.

Spring Acrostic Poems with Tissue paper tulip art - The poems are underneath the tulips.

Parts of a Flower interactive science project 

Poetry in a Jar - My teaching partner came up with this awesome poetry project.  The kiddos choose a poem and then put items into the jar to illustrate the poem.  Very creative ideas!

How many days are left in your school year?  Are your remaining days filled with special events?  I would love to here about any fun things you do to keep the kids (and the teacher) interested the last few days of the year.

~Clara @ Sunflowers and Ladybugs in First Grade 

Teaching 365