Firsties Need to Create in the Classroom

First graders need more than worksheets, ipads, and computers.  They need scissors, glue, crayon, paint, glitter and so much more! We have to find a happy balance between assessing knowledge through worksheets and technology and assessing knowledge through creation.  Creation comes in many forms and one that worked beautifully in my classroom was creating crafts with an assessment piece attached.  The finished product always made my students proud.  My two year old granddaughter was thrilled to see her "Name Caterpillar" on my fridge! When she saw it displayed she broke out in a huge grin and  said, "Granmommy, that's my Name Caterpillar. It says Harper!" We want our students to have this same feeling when they see their work displayed at school.  If creating a craft helps to do that....I say DO IT!!! 

Fridays were always our new craft day.  It was always the culmination of what we had studied in reading, science or social studies. The craft always had an assessment piece tied to it.  The assessment might be creating a list, completing a graphic organizer, writing about what they had read, etc. 

Crafts take some planning ahead of time so that everything runs smoothly.  Below are some tips that may be useful.

1.  Print the patterns on colored paper.  I cut the construction paper to fit in my printer and print straight from the printer. You could do the same for the copy machine. I just found it more convenient to use my printer.

2. Let the students cut out the patterns. They need to use those scissors to help boost fine motor skills.

3. Create the craft yourself and display for students to use as a guide or you can display the picture included in the product if you have purchased a product. I created the craft and students used it to guide them in putting the pieces together.  I never showed them how to do it.  This step helps them to persevere and problem solve. It makes them find their GRIT!

4.  They won't ALL be perfect but each student will create a beautiful piece. 

5. Complete the assessment piece first. Explain thoroughly what is expected and pair students if needed.

Maybe you have never attempted a craft because you think it is too time consuming and will waste academic time. Try it because I know that your students will learn important skills needed as they get older: how to follow directions, how to persevere when things are tough, how to find facts from what they are reading, how to research, etc. 

Click the link below to get started with a fun FREE rubber ducky craft and graphic organizer.  Everybody loves rubber duckies! Why not let your students read about them and create this fun craft? Perfect for any time of the year but especially perfect for the end of the school year or Rubber Ducky Day on January 13. 

Rubber Ducky FREEBIE

Does Teacher Morale Effect Students?

 Absolutely! Teaching is personal and teachers pour themselves into what they do.  If teachers' morale is at the forefront students benefit.  High staff morale means teachers are excited to come to work. They are excited to teach a new lesson. Students are engaged because the lessons have been planned. Even though the work is hard teachers working in a positive school climate know  that hard work does not go unnoticed. 

Increasing staff morale doesn't always mean teacher treats. Treats definitely help though! Increasing staff morale also includes valuing thoughts, opinions, etc. of your teachers. In other words give teachers voice and choice. Trust their judgement and methods.  Invite your teachers to the table. 

Do I really need to boost staff morale? Yes, I think you do.  As an assistant principal I learned that an act of service towards your faculty lets them know you value the work they are doing. I carried these ideas of service into my own principalship to a school that had not been the recipient of these treats. The teachers were so appreciative of being honored and noticed!  Sometimes the ways to motivate staff may be as simple as early out passes or jeans days; however at other times you may want to shower your faculty with something that has a little more depth.  Lunch is ALWAYS a HUGE hit!  Teachers don't get to leave for lunch and take a break.  They are always on.  Give them the gift of a special lunch without students. 

Grab this teacher appreciation lunch idea freebie HERE.

I've compiled 40 different teacher morale boosters into a year long booklet and teacher reward coupons. Use these ideas to increase your faculty morale. 

Staff Morale Boosters for the Year

Teacher Reward Coupons

Buy both Staff Morale Products in a Bundle & save 30%

Staff motivation is closely tied to student performance.  It is so important to focus on our students but don't forget your teachers need to know you see them and their hard work! When teachers are performing at their optimal level students are performing at their best!

Graphic Organizers

 Graphic organizers help students make connections between ideas and information. They can be used at any grade level and with any subject.

Yes, your first graders can complete a graphic organizer! It takes a little training and instruction but once they understand the concept it requires very little process instruction and your firsties will be organizing and synthesizing their thoughts with ease.

Types of Graphic Organizers that can be used with lower elementary students:

1. Comparison/Contrast Example: Venn Diagram. Perfect for comparing and contrasting characters, subjects, animals, etc.

Create for free Here.

2.  Descriptive Example:  T-Chart. Easy to use to describe certain characteristics.

       Create for free Here.

3. Webbing Example:  Use for brainstorming ideas around a central idea. I love to use webbing graphic organizers when we create anchor charts.

Create a Thought Web Here

I love to tie in a craft with my graphic organizers. Lower elementary students want and need to use their scissors, glue and crayons. It's IMPORTANT!  It's important for fine motor skills, creating and fun! When my district went 1:1 digital there were so many mandates about students doing the majority of their work digitally. So....as a complete rule follower, I complied.  IT WAS MISERABLE. I was miserable. The students were miserable and I will NEVER forget the day one of my precious students looked at me and said, "Mrs. Wrenn, are we ever going to get to use our crayons and scissors?" That day we closed our iPads, got out the scissors and crayons and we didn't look back.  We used the iPads in moderation, but I knew my students needed a way to synthesize what they were learning.  Graphic organizers and crafts became some of their favorite activities. 

Below you will find my Frog and Toad Craft and Graphic Organizer.  Read your favorite Frog and Toad story, have students complete one of the three graphic organizers included and create the frog craft. I promise they will love it and will be so proud of their creation. If you need a Frog and Toad story. Check out the list below.

Frog and Toad Craft and Graphic Organizer

Frog and Toad Stories:

Frog and Toad Complete Collection

Frog and Toad are Friends

Frog and Toad Together

Frog and Toad All Year

Days with Frog and Toad

I also have several graphic organizers that are easy and quick to use for any text. Help your students organize their thoughts with these Graphic Organizers for Reading.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links and I will make a small amount of money if you make a purchase.

February Theme Teaching

Where do I even begin??? February is prime time for theme teaching.  There are never are enough days in the month to squeeze everything in, but it such a fun time in the lower elementary grades.  The things they learn this month will go with them throughout the rest of their lives.  I still remember those important themes because of my first grade teacher and how much fun we had learning about them.  I've gathered some of my favorite activities and want to share with you.  Some are free and some are paid. I'm pretty frugal so nothing extravagant!

Ground Hogs Day - who doesn't remember the excitement?  Help your students find the excitement with this fun activity:

Classroom Freebies Groundhog Freebie

Valentines Day - Oh My Goodness!!! Valentines Day Parties are HARD on teachers but children sure do get excited about them.  I know with Covid this year Valentines Day will look different.  Let's try to bring some separated excitement with a pancake breakfast in the classroom.  Bring in your griddle, some pancake mix, and syrup.  Cook some heart shaped pancakes for your sweet babies.  They can eat them socially distanced with a smile. They will love it!  If you are virtual, spread a little love by having them wear their Valentine finest to their virtual class and teach them how to cut out hearts from construction paper to decorate their room at home.  You may need to have parents drop by school earlier in the week for construction paper. 

Presidents Day - For a few years in our district Presidents Day was not a holiday, so we made it a day of first grade fun with rotating stations.  We had 3 first grade classrooms and rotated all first grade students through stations in all the classrooms and hallway.  With Covid this year we can't work together in person on projects but they can absolutely work through individual activities. Make it a full day of learning about our presidents, past and present.  Some ideas: presidential writing, presidential math, Lincoln and Washington, and presidential reading (gather as many books as you can find about the presidents and designate a time for some quiet reading) Several ideas can be printed from the freebie below.

Bethany Gardner's Freebie President's Day Printables

Teeth - What first grader doesn't LOVE to learn about teeth?? They are all about the tooth fairy!  My all time favorite author Robert Munsch has a great tooth book, Andrew's Loose Tooth. I loved to read this book and then let my firsties write their own story about the tooth fairy.  I would conference one on one with each student to help develop and edit the stories. Once the stories are complete students can share with a buddy and those that want can share with the class. They'll have a blast and be completely engaged in writing! Perfect for virtual or face to face teaching.

Black History Month - There is so much to share about black history that I taught it throughout the year. However, I made sure to make it the spotlight of our month with books, projects, videos, and discussions.  First graders understand more than we give them credit for and have amazing discussions around the events in our history.  Three of my favorite black history activities are below:

                                                           

                                                    Martin Luther King Jr.

                                                           Ruby Bridges

                                              George Washington Carver

If you purchase from Amazon, I may make a small amount of money from the purchase.

Students Taking Ownership of Their Learning

Firsties completely engaged in weather research.

For as long as I can remember I always told my students it was my job to make them independent learners. I wanted my students to leave my first grade classroom knowing how to set goals, ask questions, and find the answers to those questions.  Above all, I wanted them to leave with a general love for always wanting to know more. I implemented these three things in my classroom that made tremendous impact on my students: The Daily 5, setting academic goals, and research projects. 

Now researchers call this philosophy, "students taking ownership of their learning."   Research shows increased academic progress in those students who set learning goals, have an interest in what they are learning, and have choices as to how/what they learn. It's never too late to start creating independent learners! Start slow. Start now. Start with one thing. Watch your students blossom.  It will change your world as a teacher. I promise.

Suggestions on how to create independent learners: 

1. Find a book, blog article or research article about students owning their learning. Within that book or article, find one new idea choose to implement in your classroom. I've listed a few links below to get you started:

Books

Leaders of Their Own Learning by Ron Berger

Learning that Lasts by Ron Berger

The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy in the Elementary Grades

I may make a very small amount of money if you purchase from an Amazon link.

Blogs

4 Ways to Let Kids Take Ownership of Their Learning

Beyond Engagement

7 Things That Happen When Students Own Their Learning

Articles

Student Ownership

2.  Take a look at your current instruction. Are you already implementing strategies to create independent learners? Can you tweak something easily and make it student centered?

3. Conference with your students individually. Use goal sheets to guide the discussion. An easy goal to begin with is an Accelerated Reader goal with a focus on engaged time reading or points or STAR goal with a focus on Percentile Ranking or Grade Equivalency. Create your own goal sheet or save time with a goal sheet that has already been created. If you need a quick and easy goal sheet you can download my Goal Setting Sheets, print and start setting goals with your students. A digital version is also included.

4. Student Data Notebooks:  Create notebooks or folders so that students can track their own data.  I found a free simple reading and math data notebook for early elementary on TPT.  You can download it here.

5. Research Projects:  My students LOVED research projects. Yes, my firsties became quite the researchers!  At times they would collaborate and at other times they worked independently. Sometimes I assigned what they would research and other times they were given choices.  I always checked out books about the subject from the school library and had them available in the classroom. Kid friendly search engines are another plus when doing a research project. Think about units you are already teaching. How can you add a research component to these units?  I have several research projects that I created for my classroom and offer in my TPT store. One of the absolute favorites is my Research Tourist project.  My daughter-in-law just used it with her third graders last month and they had a blast! See the pictures below of the finished product.  You can purchase Research Project Washington D.C. today and be ready to start the project tomorrow.

Created by First Graders

Created by Third Graders

I have also bundled all of my Research projects into one product. You can purchase the bundle HERE. Make sure you FOLLOW ME on TPT so you are notified when I upload a new product.  ALL new products are discounted 50% the first 24 hours.

I promise if you teach your students how to take ownership of their learning you will see growth like never before.  Take baby steps and ease into the pool of independent learning! 

Much Love,

Rebecca Wrenn

January Theme Teaching

 When I was in the classroom, January was always the beginning of theme teaching that carried over into February and March.  I LOVE theme teaching and my students were always engaged in our activities.  You can tie in so many standards in a unit and get your firsties researching too! Below are some of my favorite theme units for January. They can be printed and sent home to your remote learners.  I still believe that these students need tangible learning where they use scissors, glue, pencils, crayons, etc.  Create packets periodically and have parents drive thru to pick up.

Martin Luther King Jr. 

First graders need to understand segregation and how it effected so many people, both adults and children. Martin Luther King Jr.'s story is one of faith, courage, and hope that can help children understand the civil rights movement. I used the lap book unit below to teach my firsties about Dr. King.

Purchase the unit HERE.

Penguins

Another favorite of my firsties in January were PENGUINS.  Who doesn't love a penguin? I created an Emperor Penguin Family Scrapbook for my firsties to work through.  It's an 11 day unit with a teacher plan included. It can be printed and sent home to your remote learners.  I still believe that these students need tangible learning where they use scissors, glue, pencils, crayons, etc.  Create packets periodically and have parents drive thru to pick up. 

Purchase the unit HERE.

Tackylocks, Tacky the Penguin

One of the last theme units I taught in January was my Tackylocks book study. It is a fun unit to teach after your penguin unit.  I have carefully created a unit tied to several common core reading standards. I want all of my units to focus on academics alongside the creative piece of the craft. This is such a fun story! I know your firsties will love it!  If you need the book, Tackylocks and the Three Bears, you can purchase it HERE on Amazon. 

Your firsties will love making this craft of Tackylocks.  Purchase the whole unit HERE.