Y*M*C*A

As I type the title to this post, the song is running through my head!!  OH MY...

First, I want to give a BIG thank you to our gym teacher Ms. A.  She organized this AMAZING opportunity for the  kiddos at our school.  With the Y being so close I can't believe we didn't do this sooner!!

The kids spent their gym time at the Y...IN THE POOL!!  I will say, I think we set record times in how fast kids could get ready to swim and then get ready to head back to school.

They practiced kicking (trying to splash me of course), floating, swimming, making fish faces, bubbles, and they even had some free play.  I LOVED seeing the initial fear in some and then the exhilaration as they became more confident.

Here are some pics.

We've Been Busy Little Elves

 We've been little elves!!

I read the book, A Letter to Santa Claus by Rose Impey.  We discussed how kids are ALWAYS making lists for Santa and if they had ever wondered what he might like.

The kiddos brainstormed items he might like under his tree.

Here are a few examples.

We also finished up our Traditions Around the World Scrapbook.  Students wrote an opinion piece, sharing their favorite tradition.

We're continuing on with our RACK (Random Acts of Classroom Kindness)  Today we RACKed our principals.  The kids wrote thank you letters to them.  It seems being kept safe is on their minds. Most wrote that first.

We've also been working on some holiday surprises for parents.  I'm not giving any clues though!!

Why Am I a Teacher?

So I was asked twice today how I did it...how I managed to be a teacher...to be around the same kiddos ALL day long...to be so patient...

Just look at these little faces!!  I think I might be the LUCKIEST teacher in the world.  To come to work each and every day to see the excitement in their eyes.  Watching them learn and grow.  To see the lightbulb go off when they finally get a concept they've been working so hard to learn. To know that I'm instilling values that I hope they'll one day carry on.    

They keep me on my toes but I also feel they keep me young and fresh.  Each and everyday is something new.  I never know what to expect but we do have fun along the way.

Are there trying days?  OF COURSE!!  It's not picture perfect but I think it's the PERFECT job for me.

These pictures make me smile and I LOVE the quote.  For the 6 hours your child is with me, he/she is my whole world. I'm here to teach, comfort, care for, and keep your child safe. Thanks for sharing your child with me!!  

Happy holidays from Mrs. Lyons' Class!!  Have a happy and restful vacation.

I used these pictures for their parent ornaments.  I bought some clear ornaments, added the picture to the inside, and they decorated them.  Wish I had taken a picture!

Back to School...

Back to school...I planned on hugging each and everyone of my kiddos this morning but they seemed to find me first throughout the day.  They just needed that extra squeeze!

Our teachers were given a script to read which I did stick to...I really did...The tears did well up as kids began talking about what they knew or heard.  I reassured them our school is a safe place.  Our job is to teach and keep them safe.

After our morning meeting, I kept the day as routine and normal as possible.

For Writer's Workshop I read, Olive, the Other Reindeer.  Each of them filled out a Reindeer Application and then made themselves as a reindeer.  So darn cute!!  You'd hire them, right?

On Friday, we made Geo-me-trees!

My Heart is Heavy...

My heart aches for Newtown, CT.  I wrap my arms around you as we try to figure out why this happened.

As a form of my support for those who lost their lives, I will be joining many teacher bloggers throughout the country in a day of silence on Sunday, December 16. 

Traditions...Traditions...and MORE Traditions

Our class has been focusing on traditions around the world.

Students learned about Sweden's traditions.  We learned about St. Lucia Day and how the oldest girl in the family dresses in white.  She puts a wreath with seven lights on her head.  She carries coffee and buns to her family.

The boys were quite giddy when they found out the girls would be serving them!!

We traveled to England today!  Kids learned about "Father Christmas" and how many years ago their letters were tossed into the fire so their wishes could go up the chimney. We talked about Evergreens and how people thought they were magical because they always stayed green.

And last but not least...we had Christmas Crackers (not the crackers you eat).  Now, I had my cousin try one of these and it didn't crack or make a loud noise when she pulled on it.

Let's just say when the kids pulled on the crackers today, they were LOUD!!  Confetti, trinkets, and paper hats were flying across the room.  The kids were SO excited and I'll admit I was too!

Now, I'm sure the custodians weren't excited by the surprise they found on the floor.  We did try to clean up and I even had a couple of boys asking to help me.

The after affects!  YIKES.

I even made them wear their hats to lunch.

Were YOU RACKed today?

So...were you?  Today our RACK (Random Act of Classroom Kindness) was thanking our bus drivers and parents for getting us home safely.

We attached our RACK card and a candy cane!  I hope it made your day if you did get one.

Traditions in France

Today we traveled to France.  We practiced saying, "JOYEUX NOEL!" which means "Merry Christmas!"

Students learned that children in France leave their shoes by the fireplace.  On Christmas morning, the shoes are filled with toys and treats.

We also learned about the Yule Log and even tried some Yule Log Cakes (really Swiss Cake Rolls).

We've had so much FUN traveling around the world.  If you haven't checked it out yet I found the cute scrapbook at First Graders...at Last.

Random Acts of Classroom Kindness

This week we made bird treats!!  We went on the bike path and found the perfect place to put our tasty treats.

The Classroom Gingerbread Man That Didn't Get Away

Today we conducted an experiment.  Our question was, "What will happen to our gingerbread man if we put him in water?"

The kids made predictions.  Some thought he'd float, while others said dissolve, and break apart.  We drew pictures, wrote what we would need, and observed throughout the day.  The first observation was the color change of the water.

This is how he looked before lunch.  Our poor little gingerbread man!  He didn't have a chance.

We also took time today to decorate gingerbread cookies. They worked so hard and this is how they came out.

Then the UNTHINKABLE happened.  Look away if you must!!

The cookies were DELICIOUS and I hope your child wasn't too sugared up after school...just full of sweetness!

What's Your Favorite Gingerbread Story?

We've finished reading different versions of The Gingerbread Man!

Today, kids turned and talked about their favorite book and then wrote an opinion piece.  We tallied up which book was the favorite (Gingerbread Pirates WON) and gave reasons why we might like each book.

ALL kids have an opinion, but I will say my class is getting better at giving LOTS of reasons why and writing a wrap up sentence.

Here are some samples of their work today.

Working in groups they had to write one reason why they liked the book and create a wrap up sentence.  It was quite cute when I began taking pictures.  Most wanted an ACTION shot of them running.

As I'm posting these pics I noticed that YMCA came up in a couple of their closing sentences.  Now how in the world did that get past me?  I can't wait to ask them about it tomorrow.

Run, Run As Fast as You Can

We've been reading SOOO many versions of the gingerbread man.  We've been keeping track of the setting, characters, and how each story ends.

Students will be writing an opinion piece tomorrow.  They'll be writing about their favorite version of the story.  I can't wait to read their reasons why.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The stockings have been hung, ornaments are up, and Christmas music is playing during work time...  My kids walked into the room and noticed ALL of the changes!!  I LOVE this time of year.

Have you been RACKED yet?  Our class is doing Random Acts of Classroom Kindness!!  I did this last year for the first time with my class and they LOVED it.  I might as well make this a tradition.  Each morning we open a bag and read the Random Act of Classroom Kindness.

On Monday, we picked up trash on our playground.  Today we gave a hug to someone who might have needed it.  I had a group of boys all hugging each other before lunch!

We've also begun learning about traditions.  I found this FANTASTIC resource at First Grader...at Last.  The kids will be creating a scrapbook as we fly around the world learning about traditions.  I'm quite excited about teaching these lessons! 

Today we learned about traditions in the good ol' USA!  

Did you know...

In Alaska, colonial doorways are decorated with pineapple.  This is a symbol of hospitality.

In Massachusetts, carol singing festivities are famous.

In Washington D.C., a HUGE tree is lit when the Presidents turns on the tree lights.

In Hawaii, Christmas starts with the arrival of the Christmas Tree Ship.  Santa Claus also arrives by boat.

In California, Santa surfs!

From First Grader...at Last

Good Writers Write Bold Leads

Our focus this week has been, "Good writers write bold leads."  We've looked at and read MANY examples.  The kids have been practicing them in their Writer's Notebooks.

Instead of starting a new piece, students are using Post-Its to practice different types of leads on stories they've already written.

They've done a great job and have enjoyed writing exciting openings.

After kiddos learn a lead, it's added to our writing board with the examples of books with that type of lead.

Here's what my writing board looks like!

Two Page Informational Spread

Now that's a post title!  We've been learning a lot about informational text and how these books are set up. Students have been learning about diagrams captions, maps, and other ways to display information.

We've been learning about turkeys this week.  GOBBLE, GOBBLE!  I thought this would be the perfect time to have kids display the information they learned in a two page spread.  Here's the book I use.

We talked about borders and how they could be effective in sharing information.  Working with a partner, they created a border.  They came up with great ideas.  Some drew turkey prints, while others drew eggs, or turkeys.  Once they created their borders we looked at the book again and how Jim Arnosky displayed the information in his book.

Let me just say having a color printer at school is A-MAZING!  I didn't want the kids stressed out over making the illustrations so I printed some of his illustrations in color and found some images online.

Students did have to include one diagram in their informational spread.  I had one student tell me turkeys were hard to draw.  Of course I agreed and he quickly came up with a solution.  The hand turkey...now who doesn't remember making those in school?

Each group picked four pictures and worked as a team on how they wanted to lay out the pictures.

The solution...the famous hand turkey!

I then met with each group to go over what information they planned on sharing.  Let me tell you, they learned A LOT about turkeys!!  I also helped them by making the lines on their spread to keep their writing organized and together.

I think for our first time doing this they came out really well!!