First Full Week {Sunday Snapshots Linky Party}

I am linking up with Clutter Free Classroom for Sunday Snapshots Linky Party!

This week was busy, busy, busy as it was our first full week of kindergarten!  Our theme this week is "I Feel Amazing! I Feel Fine!", which is an all about me unit.  We use a scripted reading curriculum (Success for All) so this is how our theme is determined.

We explored pattern blocks this week.

In our Dramatic Play lab (center), we are having a birthday party!

In the Math lab (center), we are sorting buttons by attribute.

In the Art lab (center), students are drawing self-portraits or looking at a list of feelings and drawing "feeling faces".  This child is happy!

These are just a few of the things happening in my classroom this past week. This week is Open House, so we'll be busy getting ready.  Check back next week to see what we are up to!

I'd love to have you follow my blog and leave a comment!

What's Your Name?

We have been focusing on names this week.  One of our Everyday Math skills this week is creating a graph.  We used letters of different fonts to spell our names then created a graph to show how many letters are in our names.

I started by bagging each students' name in a snack-sized bag.  Students were given a strip of construction paper to glue their letters on.  The letters are 1 inch by 1 inch, so I cut the strip 1.5 inches wide and 1 inch longer than the child's name (if the name is 4 letters long, I cut the strip 5 inches long).

Students then glued their letters in the correct order to spell their names.  We used the letters below that I found at a Lakeshore Learning store.

We then counted the letters in each child's name and taped it to our graph.  As we went, we discussed which column had the most/greatest, equal, least/fewest.  My students loved it; they really seemed to understand making and reading a graph, and it looks great for Open House next week (a bonus!).

Mark Your Spot

It has been a busy week!  We started using our Lab Journals this week (see post here), but my students are having a difficult time finding the next page to write on.

These are our lab journals.  They now have name stickers on the front.

I found this idea on pinterest:

Their journals are only 1/2 the size of a composition book, so they do not need a bookmark that big!  I came up with this idea instead.

I took a regular office paper clip (the larger size).  The ribbon is in the scrapbook section at Hobby Lobby.  (50% off through today...only 50 cents per 6 foot spool!).  Each piece of ribbon is about 6-8 inches long.  I counted out 12 dots; I didn't actually measure. 1 spool of ribbon made 14 bookmarks.  Fold the ribbon in half, then loop it through and tighten around the clip.  If I made them again, I would use coated paper clips so it doesn't rip the paper, but I think these will work for their journals.  I made them so the paper clip will actually clip on the journal with the ribbon sticking out so they can easily find the page.

How do you help your students find their page?

Can anyone tell me how to include a link on a picture?  I want to say "click on the picture" to go to the link, but I am having a difficult time figuring it out.  I'm sure it is something very obvious, but I'm not finding it.  Thanks in advance.

Enjoy your weekend!

First Day Photos

There have been so many cute first day of school frames floating around on Pinterest.  I love them all, but I never got around to making one of my own.  I did find the sign you will see below and used it instead.  I cannot remember where I downloaded them, and the file is on my work computer.  If it was you, please let me know so I can give you credit!

I wanted each of my students to have a copy of his/her picture.  Have you seen the deal WalMart is currently running?  A FREE 5x7 print for the first day of school.  The fine print says "one per child".  Well ok said this teacher, I'll do just one per child.  The kind woman at my photo department said I was the only person to take advantage of the deal so far!  You just have to ask for it!  Click here for a link to WalMart's site for more info.  I got 21 5x7 pictures (1 per child) for free- the original bill was $48!  I have foam frames for students to decorate with their pictures in them.

Back to School Books Linky Party

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin for the Back to School Books Linky Party.

I love back to school books!  Below are a few of my favorites that I look forward to each year.  All book links take you to The Clever School Teacher website.

Jake Starts School by Michael Wright: Jake is a bit nervous to start kindergarten.  He does not want to his parents to leave...until his teacher finds something he can relate to.  The illustrations make this book humorous, and many children can relate to being nervous about starting school.

The New Girl...and Me by Jacqui Robbins: I love the illustrations in this book!  When a new girl starts school, making a connection and becoming friends can be difficult.  Find out how Shakeeta, the new girl, finds a friend in Mia.

Pete the Cat (Pete the Cat: Rocking My School Shoes) by Eric Litwin: Pete will, of course, be making an appearance at the beginning of my school year. I use the original "Pete the Cat" book in the first day or 2 of school to introduce my students to Pete.  They beg for him daily for the first few weeks (and beyond).   I love "Rocking My School Shoes" to discuss different places in our building (goes well with your building tour).

What are some of your favorite back to school books?  I'm always looking for new books to add to my collection!

Where I Teach Wednesday

Today we had "entry conferences" where we meet with each new kindergarten child and his/her parents.  Conferences last 20 minutes and went from 8:00am-7:00pm (with a couple breaks).  While we meet with parents, children are being screened and having hearing/vision tested.  The kids start tomorrow!

I'm continuing Teacher Week and linking up with Blog Hoppin for "Where I Teach Wednesday".

I teach in a preschool and kindergarten building.  We have 7 half day preschool classes (14 kids per room per session) and 12 kindergarten classes (averaging 20-22 kids per room).  It is a busy place!  I snapped a few pictures of my classroom before I hurried out at 7:00 tonight!

This is near my classroom door looking into the room.  You can see the bulletin board, writing and art tables, library,  and SMARTboard/large group area.

My classroom door is to the left.  Please excuse the supplies on the tables; I was sorting them as they came in.  

This is looking back to the side of the room with the door.  You can see my dramatic play center, small group table and word wall.

I hope to have more pictures of my classroom soon.  Tomorrow is our first day with students.  Looking forward to getting the year started and getting into a routine.  We are starting a new curriculum this year, so many changes are happening!  

What kind of building do you teach in?

Tech Tip Tuesday {Teacher Week}

I am linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Tech Tip Tuesday, part of Teacher Week.  Last year, our building received a set of iPads through a grant with a local university.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on those iPads!  I had 2 gifted readers, so as enrichment, we used the app "Zapd".  You can easily create a website using this app.  My boys did research on penguins using some nonfiction books I had in our room.  They wrote out their penguin facts on paper for me to review.  After writing the facts out on paper, they typed them into Zapd, and with my supervision and guidance, found images on Google images to go with their research.  They LOVED it!  Here is a link to one of their Zapd sites.

Another app we love is Bugs and Buttons.  I paid $2.99 for it, but it is well worth it!  Awesome graphics, games that work on fine motor as well as academic skills and a little something to interest everyone.

My students also each maintained their own blog.  We used Weebly to accomplish this.  As you can imagine, this is not something that was done independently for quite some time in kindergarten!  When beginning in October, students dictated what they wanted to write to a college student volunteer as the volunteer typed it on the iPad.  In January, I began writing out (on a white board) what students dictated, and they independently typed it into their blogs.  By the end of April, they typed completely independently.  I did help with spelling if it was something that their audience wouldn't be able to figure out.  This was done in groups of no more than 5, depending on how many iPads I had in my room that day.  We blogged about 2 times per week.  Parents enjoyed accessing their child's blog, and the kids loved sharing.

What is your favorite tech tip?