Our first full week is in the books and it was an A-Maz-ING week!! As most of you are doing, we were all about procedure procedure procedure!! Funny how you get a group all grown up and ready to move on in June and then in September you forget how they all start out as babies and you have to re-teach the whole gig again! I am a little OCD in my procedures and teach everything from bathroom procedures to handwashing. I mean we write it all down (well not the goings on of the bathroom just the proper knock/wait/wash etc.) and read it through. EVERY year I generate new lists with the kiddos and although the tree hugger in me SCREAMS at the idea of wasting paper each year the control freak (aka teacher) in me really knows they need to OWN their list and ideas. Sometimes they come up with an idea that works better than what I had in mind and it adds to my year!! While we were doing this the class was running through the typical annoying standardized testing for the beginning of the year. With all the interruptions and pullouts everything had to be quick, small increments,and easy to understand.
In addition to all that we worked on building our math bags. I got this idea years ago from the days when our district could afford those conferences! Wish I could give credit to the genius who introduced me to it but alas I cannot remember.... oops! Basically each child gets 10 unifix cubes on the first day of Math bags. We count, play and manipulate them until our hearts are content. THEN I hit them with expectations and we generate a list of what we can and cannot do. We then practice/review number formation and make little cards with the numbers 1-10 on each. We do this over the course of the week. before they are make the card they are practicing proper formation on small white boards and I am circulating to help them out. They can have a card if they make the number right and then they use the cubes to build the number. A little practice in making sets and all that fun stuff!! Plus the ever important fine motor and PLAY as learning!!
Language arts has been filled with basic phonics, making little books, lots of cute writing things, stories, and just fun stuff to get to know each other as well as brush up on our phonetic skills. The daily journals are really taking off!!
Overall I am happy with the direction our class is taking and can't wait for the apple unit to begin this week. Does EVERYONE study apples in September in lower elementary?? I just love the opportunity to use a little science, fill the room with yummy smells and celebrate fall!!
Please leave a little comment and tell me how you celebrate fall in your room!
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