Sun Art

We're finishing up our Space Race.   Most students have reached the sun and are anxiously awaiting the SUNdae party!  We plan on making ice cream sundaes and watching a movie with the rest of the first grade classes.  Here are kids working on their art.

You Know You're a Teacher When...

Abby, at The Inspired Apple, is doing a Linky Party!  Join in...

You know you’re a teacher when…

*your collection of really COOL stickers (especially smelly stickers) takes up a shelf in your cabinet.

*you buy your own personal laminator so you can laminate ANYTIME of the day or night.

*you don’t make time during the day for a bathroom break but don't realize it until the end of the day.

*you do a quick little dance when supplies are donated to your class.

*you’ve memorized kid’s songs (we listen to Dr. Jean) and you find yourself singing along.  I really love when one song just goes around and around in my head!

*speaking your sentences don’t always make sense but your kiddos seem to understand.  My kids are now picking up on my foolish mistakes.

*you continually misplace items you JUST had in your hand.

*you find yourself getting wrapped up in creating your OWN art project while the kids work on their own.

*you find yourself having conversations about Justin Bieber with your six/seven year old students.

 *your shoe choices and styles seem to change over the years from uncomfortable to comfortable shoes.  When I first started teaching I wore kitten heels, now wedges...but most often flat ballet shoes.

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Students are continuing to learn what good readers do.  Our focus has been asking questions before, during, and after reading.  Before reading Officer Buckle and Gloria I had students brainstorm a list of "I wonders" they had.  I stopped midway through the book and had them brainstorm more "I wonders."  We did the same at the end of the story.  We used a highlighter to underline all the questions that had been answered and found some questions were left unanswered.

Ten Things (or more) I've Learned From Teaching

Jennifer at Rowdy in First is hosting a "Ten Things I've Learned" link party so thought I'd join in on the fun.  I'm POSITIVE I've learned more than 10 things!

1.  I get just as excited as the kids do to read new picture books!  Today, a teacher gave me a new Scaredy Squirrel book and I read it first thing to my kids.
2.  First and for most I am a teacher, but I also hold many other jobs while working: parent, role model, nurse, secretary, guidance counselor, data collector and analyzer...
3.  Kids are like sponges!  I'm amazed more and more everyday at what these kids have learned in a year.  If you teach it, they'll learn it.
4.  GOOD teachers RARELY sit.  I have a desk but rarely use it.
5.  I thought teachers were a bit obsessed with laminating when I saw them with their own.  I'm now one of THOSE teacher and have a small laminator at home!
6.  I love organization and having things in their place.  Binders are a big deal to me!
7.  Routine and structure is ESSENTIAL for all students.
8.  Set high expectations-students CAN meet them with effective teaching!
9.  People truly have no idea how much $$ you spend on your classroom and supplies unless they work in this field!  I'm sure my husband would cringe if he saw ALL of my receipts.

AND NUMBER 10...
10.  It takes a school community to grow successful, happy students.  I've ALWAYS believed this!  One person alone can't always do it.  Having the support of fellow colleagues is crucial.

AND A COUPLE MORE...
11.  Making kids laugh out loud is pure bliss for me!  I've worked so hard this year on sense of humor with them.  They were all so literal at the beginning of the year.  Having those "small" moments with them and then having them know it's time to go back to work is PERFECTION!

12.  PATIENCE.  I've always been a patient, relaxed, low stress type of teacher even though life seems to be SooOoooo fast paced and constantly on the go.  This year, since moving to first, I've really taken notice of this and have worked hard on creating a calm environment where it isn't about how fast they can get their work done or HOW MUCH we can squeeze into a small amount of time.  It's quality!

WOW, I could probably go on but I was suppose to stop at 10!!

Word Ladders

Have you ever tried Word Ladders with your class?  I used these when teaching 3rd grade and thought I'd try it with my first grade kiddos.   I've just begun using them and they LOVE them!!  We complete them together before we begin our word work lessons.  This helps them get their brains thinking about words and changing letters to make new words.

Noun Town Pictures

Here are students working on their drawings for Noun Town.  We had policemen, cars, a lake, a beach, animals, houses, signs, flowers, trees, and people in our town.  As you can see, I too was in Noun Town along with my dog Lily.  We even had some famous stars-Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.  She's walking next to me SO we MUST be friends!

LOOK CLOSELY...Justin Bieber!

Mrs. Lyons and Taylor Swift

Once all the pictures were glued down students labeled their nouns.

WANTED: Leprechauns

OH NO!! Have you been having some trouble with leprechauns lately? They seem to be stopping by our room. Today he/she OR a whole group of them left some green shamrocks on the floor and in desks! We quickly filled out some WANTED signs to find these sneaky guests. Isn't it funny how these tiny leprechauns look A LOT like my kiddos? Hmm, interesting. Here are some finished products of what they made today. My class is SO ARTISTIC and need little help with creating their own artwork!

Mrs. Lyon's as a leprechaun

Bree posting her sign in our community

We hung our WANTED signs all over the school in the hopes someone just might find one! 

Nutrition Riddles

To finish up our nutrition unit students picked their favorite food and wrote a riddle.  They had to write what it tasted, smelled, looked, and felt like.  On the other side they had the answer with a picture.  Here are a couple of them.

Good Ol' Silent E

Today, students learned about "sleepy e" and "bossy e."  They're getting REALLY good at knowing when to add an e onto the end of a word.  Sudents worked in groups for word work brainstorming as many words as they could that had a silent e on the end.  One group had over 30 words!!  Quite impressive!!

Once I checked over their work, kids wrote their words on large chart paper.  We'll continue to add to the list as they come up with more words.

Our Little Dog Lily

Click here (Ladybug's Teacher Files) to join the Linky Party!  Of course I had to add a pic (or a few) of my dog that I absolutely love!  She's an eight year old Cairn Terrier (that's right TOTO) that acts like a puppy.  She constantly wants attention and I LOVE the fact she's always on the go, even though at the vet they labeled her chart as being a SENIOR in a bright orange sticker!  Here are a few pics of her.