It's FRIDAY!!!
I just finished my third week of the school year. Looking back now, it seems like it's gone by quickly, but the days have felt very LONG. Especially with this midwest heat wave.
Heat advisory + Indoor recess + Roofers constantly hammering + AC going out = One grumpy teacher and wound up kids!
But we made it and actually managed to get a lot accomplished!
Here's a snippet of my week:
I started the week with a big change!
I got nine inches of hair cut off and am sending it to Children with Hair Loss. I love my new short 'do!
On Tuesday, we started our BLOGS!
I am long overdue for a full-blown KidBlog post. I'll get it together soon!
For now, just know that using KidBlog with my first graders was one of the best teaching decisions I've ever made!
On Wednesday, one of my all-time favorite parents brought in caterpillars for us (and the other three first grade classes) on HER birthday!
This never gets old. It is AMAZING watching these creatures transform.
I also started #geniushour during our enrichment period last week. I let the kids brainstorm ideas for what they were interested in/wanted to learn more about, and then the research was on! This is also something that needs a post all of its own, but here is a shot of one of their presentations this week. This group's passion for Minecraft was infectious!
This just made me smile this week:
I'd totally "plik" all of you, too! :)
And finally, today was the day I got to introduce my class to…
wait for it…
Our school's brand new iPad cart!!!
{Insert singing angels here}
I'm beyond excited about it, and I'm sure you can imagine the squeals from my very eager kids!
This cart has to be shared between 18 classrooms, but I'm hoping to be able to use them at least once a week! Send your favorite apps my way!
Happy three-day weekend!! Give your brain a break! :)
I am your newest follower and so pleased I found through Five for Friday. I love your iPad trolley and I am so jealous. Well done you on donating your hair.
ReplyDeletePaula from Paula’s Place and iSURF Maths
Thanks so much, Paula! :)
DeleteSo glad I found your blog! I just moved to first grade this year (I was in 3rd for the last 3 years) and I'm thrilled to hear that you did KidBlog with your students. I did it with my 3rd graders, but was unsure of what that would look like in 1st grade or if it would work at all. Look forward to more posts on that! :)
ReplyDeleteLittle In Betweens
Thanks, Jessica! This is my third year using KidBlog with my first graders. You should totally do it. My suggestion would be to find a parent you can rely on to help you. The main difference I would imagine between first and third is the level of independence. My kiddos are still hunting and pecking for every letter they type, which takes a while. I also make sure they let one of us check what they wrote before they publish. At this point in the year, I don't care about spelling, capitalization, or punctuation, so it sometimes looks like another language! But by the end of the year, we've had several mini-lessons on how to capitalize, where the punctuation keys are, how to use spellcheck, etc. It's so great, and both the kids and parents love it!
DeleteThis is a great post! Love KidBlog and Genius Hour for the primary classrooms. How exciting to have access to iPads! Enjoy your long weekend.
ReplyDeleteAllie
http://thepositiveteacher.blogspot.com