Back to School UnitHappy teaching!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Back to School!
Looking for back-to-school ideas, songs, poems and worksheets? Check out our "Back to School" unit. It is full of fun activities to use at the beginning of the year. Activities like songs and poems, graphic organizers, class book with cover and student pages, 100 chart, reading log, leveled mini-books to make and take, simple math worksheets, and more.
Back to School Unit
Happy teaching!
Back to School UnitHappy teaching!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Getting to Know You
Back to school! No matter how prepared you (think you) are, there is still a wave of panic that comes over you when your new students walk in through the classroom door. What will they be like? Will they go home saying they had a wonderful day? Will they like me and be excited about the school year? The first week of school is all about getting to know each other and getting familiar with the classroom and routines. I always like to have a few fun things for the kids to do to get to know each other on that first day:
* "Get to know" Dr. Jean. I don't know what I would have done without her creative songs and ideas. Check out this link for cool name games to play with little ones so that when they go home, and their parents ask, "Who did you sit by/play with/meet?", they will be able to actually give a name.
http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2010/07_Jul/index.html
* A friend I worked with my first year of teaching taught me a variation on "Willoughby Walloby Woo" that helped me "get to know" my students, while praising good behavior. It went something like this:
Willoughby, Walloby, Wace,
I like how you're sitting, Grace,
and Willoughby, Walloby, Waddy,
Thank you for listening, Maddy!
The kids loved this song, and it also helped them learn each other's names by identifying the rhyming words. Check out this YouTube video for the tune:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dakz5lmEwR8&noredirect=1
*Another song idea: I'm not sure where I got this, or if I made it up! Have the kids sit in a circle, and teach them the rhyme to "Itsy Bitsy Spider". Walk around as you are singing it and point at one of the students to sing about. Kids love being the center of attention, and this gives them the opportunity to be in a song! You can use the song in their poetry folder or as a class book by having them write their name and draw a picture of themselves under the spider.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
*K-2 students are all about Me! Me! Me! So give them a chance to talk about themselves while finding friends who have things in common with them. Here is a variation of a sheet that I've used a lot. First have the kids color their hair and eye color and their favorite color, then draw their pet (if they have one) and their family. Then let them walk around and find friends to sign their names on the paper.
Find a Friend
Enjoy getting to know your little ones! Before you know it, they (and you) will all be the best of friends!
* "Get to know" Dr. Jean. I don't know what I would have done without her creative songs and ideas. Check out this link for cool name games to play with little ones so that when they go home, and their parents ask, "Who did you sit by/play with/meet?", they will be able to actually give a name.
http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2010/07_Jul/index.html
* A friend I worked with my first year of teaching taught me a variation on "Willoughby Walloby Woo" that helped me "get to know" my students, while praising good behavior. It went something like this:
Willoughby, Walloby, Wace,
I like how you're sitting, Grace,
and Willoughby, Walloby, Waddy,
Thank you for listening, Maddy!
The kids loved this song, and it also helped them learn each other's names by identifying the rhyming words. Check out this YouTube video for the tune:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dakz5lmEwR8&noredirect=1
*Another song idea: I'm not sure where I got this, or if I made it up! Have the kids sit in a circle, and teach them the rhyme to "Itsy Bitsy Spider". Walk around as you are singing it and point at one of the students to sing about. Kids love being the center of attention, and this gives them the opportunity to be in a song! You can use the song in their poetry folder or as a class book by having them write their name and draw a picture of themselves under the spider.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
*K-2 students are all about Me! Me! Me! So give them a chance to talk about themselves while finding friends who have things in common with them. Here is a variation of a sheet that I've used a lot. First have the kids color their hair and eye color and their favorite color, then draw their pet (if they have one) and their family. Then let them walk around and find friends to sign their names on the paper.
Find a Friend
Enjoy getting to know your little ones! Before you know it, they (and you) will all be the best of friends!
Monday, September 17, 2012
"How I Spent My Summer Vacation" by Lorane
Who had an action-packed summer? Me! Me! Me!
How did I spend my summer vacation? Oh, doing nothing really, except. . . . having our 3rd baby girl while taking care of our other two children while on maternity leave after teaching 2nd grade while my husband was away at training for 12 weeks. (Big breath) Oh, and no big deal, but we also moved across the country where we know nobody. Not much really. . . How was your summer?
While the events I just described were hectic to say the least, the silver lining is that now that we are in Seattle, I have the opportunity to stay at home with my 3 little girls! I am so excited to be on the other side of things- I sent my 1st grader off to school this year instead of welcoming first-graders to my own classroom. I am also looking forward to working with my Mom on our resources for teachers and spending more time on my blog (I mean, really, 8 months in between posts?!?).
In the upcoming months, I'm planning on posting some ideas and links to Rainy Day Learning resources to help keep your classroom running smoothly. Welcome back to school, and check back often to take advantage of freebies and ideas!
How did I spend my summer vacation? Oh, doing nothing really, except. . . . having our 3rd baby girl while taking care of our other two children while on maternity leave after teaching 2nd grade while my husband was away at training for 12 weeks. (Big breath) Oh, and no big deal, but we also moved across the country where we know nobody. Not much really. . . How was your summer?
While the events I just described were hectic to say the least, the silver lining is that now that we are in Seattle, I have the opportunity to stay at home with my 3 little girls! I am so excited to be on the other side of things- I sent my 1st grader off to school this year instead of welcoming first-graders to my own classroom. I am also looking forward to working with my Mom on our resources for teachers and spending more time on my blog (I mean, really, 8 months in between posts?!?).
In the upcoming months, I'm planning on posting some ideas and links to Rainy Day Learning resources to help keep your classroom running smoothly. Welcome back to school, and check back often to take advantage of freebies and ideas!
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