Currently November

It's time for Farley's Currently again...yahoo!

Here is my November version of Currently.

Time for more fun with the girls and then an extra hour of sleep!  Happy Saturday!

Writing Goals Anchor Chart

I must say that I'm shocked by the power of the writing goals anchor chart that I just started using in my classroom. It is not my original idea. I pinned a writing goal anchor chart on Pinterest a while back. Unfortunately, I can't find the original source because the image that is floating around is accompanied by "I don't know the original source".   So, if this is your original idea...thank you and and I would be happy to give you credit.

 So... here is the chart that I made for my first graders. You know how I love scrapbook paper...some scrapbook paper and a few sticky note strips and bam! We have posted writing goals!  

These are not the real goals for my students.  I took the picture before I had a writing conference with each student to set their first real goal.  Each time one of my students finishes a piece of writing, we have a writing conference.  The student reads their writing to me and we set a new goal (or keep the same goal if needed).  

Occasionally, teachers (and parents) ask me about the fact that my students reading levels and now writing goals are posted in my room.  I try really hard (like most of us do) to create an atmosphere that promotes individualized learning.  Everyone is working on improving different things throughout the day (even me - especially me) and I expect the students to respect each other.  My students don't ever ask about it, they just know that it's my job to help them maximize their learning and that it's their job to work hard and support their friends who may have different goals.  

Off to go shopping with the girls!  These southern folks are lucky!  I love snow, but I could get used to this sunny and 70's business.

Time to Vote! (freebie)

Let me start by saying GOODBYE Halloween! Halloween was just how I thought it would be at school and it was great at home. That sums it up, right? I'm exhausted and if I eat one more "bite size" bar, I'm going to burst right out of my britches. 

We are packin' away the pumpkins and preparing for the big election. My school does a book election. The students vote for their favorite book (out of 3 choices). They register. They stand in line. They vote.  They get a sticker. To prepare for the book election and the "big" election next week, we read the two books below in my room and did a bit of writing about why it is important to vote.

Like I said, we did a bit of writing about why it is important to vote.  

We used this little paper to do our writing.

Click on the image below if you'd like to download 

my little election day writing pack for free. 

Now, I'm off to do something I've never done before.  I'm heading to Georgia (all by myself like a big girl) to have a girls weekend with my college roomies!  I feel a teeny bit guilty about going away without the Mr. and the kids...but I'm also super excited to see the girls!  

Happy (almost) Friday!

Halloween Line Poems

My students wrote line poems about Halloween this week. I'm super proud of how their writing turned out. First, we talked about the fact that their line poem should begin and end with the word "Halloween". Then they added 10 words in between that reminded them of Halloween. 

We published their writing by turning their poem into a fancy bookmark. When the bookmarks were complete, we did a poetry reading for our publishing celebration. All of the children sat in a circle. I brought jack-o-lantern light up candle to put in the middle of the circle. All those little poets sitting in a circle reading their poems by the light of a festive candle was just about the cutest darn thing! 

 The paper we used is from my fall themed stationary pack.

Today, they will take home their published piece (on the bookmark), the draft in their own writing and the memory of their first poetry reading! 

Happy Friday!
 

Long Vowel Personal Reader Stories

Just a quick post, since I'm watching my favorite team play in game 1 of the World Series!!! 

I've received emails from several of you inquiring about when I would be posting my long vowel personal reader stories. I finally had time to post those over the weekend. A few weeks ago, I added a post about how I use personal reader folders in my classroom. You can read that post here if you're interested.  I use all three sets of the personal reader stories with readers in my classroom who need extra support, extra practice and/or extra confidence throughout the year.

 Here is a snapshot of my Long Vowel Personal Reader set. You can click on the image below if you'd like to check it out at my Tpt store or in my Teachers Notebook shop.

So far, this baseball game is not going well for my team.  Go, Tigers!!!!!!

1st Grade Rocks!

1st grade rocks and so does my new shirt (if I do say so myself)! Over the summer, I discovered an Etsy shop called Sewing Sassy in Texas. I fell in love with the colorful designs on her shirts! I ordered a custom shirt right away. My shirt came in the mail last week and I could hardly wait until Friday to wear it.  Excuse the "it's Friday and I'm so tired I can hardly function" face that I'm making in the picture below.  My daughter snapped this photo on my phone for me.

So, if you're tired of wearing those staff shirts that everyone wears to show school spirit on Fridays...blah, blah, blah.  Maybe it's time to spice things up a bit?  

Here is the link... Sewing Sassy in Texas

My husband is a teacher too.  Over the years, he has kind of declared Friday as "fun shirt Friday". This is the shirt he wore a few weeks ago.  

Unfortunately, he wouldn't let me take his picture wearing the shirt.  

It just about caused a riot at his staff meeting when the other teachers thought he was "awarded" the shirt from their principal.  Maybe they don't think the wood shop teacher deserves the title? Or, maybe they are just jealous of his fun shirt friday find.  You can find the shirt above at Cafe Press, just in case you want to stir things up have a fun shirt Friday of your own.

Favorite Easy Chapter Books for Halloween

I had big plans to write this post earlier tonight.   It turned out to be perfect weather for our annual visit to the pumpkin patch.  Big pumpkins for carving- check! Little pumpkins (just because they are adorable) - check! We made a stop at our favorite local pub on the way home (all teachers take their children to eat dinner at pubs on a random school night, right?).  Then we rushed home to watch the Tigers sweep the Yankees in the playoffs.  Go Tigers!!!!!

On to the post...

Halloween is a big deal at my school (my principal loves it).  I'm talking costumes, a parade, parties in our classrooms, a school wide story teller assembly and teachers who are so overwhelmed and tired at the end of the day that we can barely walk to our cars.  I am trying to pump myself up for the whole thing.  It's not working very well.  I'm all about kids having fun.  I also believe in the power of simplification to prevent kids and adults from getting so overwhelmed.  Books always make me feel better.  There are so many great books to read at this time of the year! 

 I read lots of leveled books to my students to introduce them to different series that they might like as they move through the reading levels throughout the year. Here are a few of my favorite easy chapter books to read to my class for Halloween.

At this time last year, I also did a post about my favorite picture books to use for reader's workshop lessons at this time of the year.  You can read that old post here.

Happy almost Friday!