First Grade Common Core

Hands-on Common Core activities!  

Common Core ideas for First Grade! 

 Do I have your attention yet?  I've been hearing such wonderful reviews about the K version of this book so I was excited when they released the 1st version.  I was even more thrilled after I downloaded the free sample.  I was expecting a typical workbook feel but that's not what this is!  It looks just like our favorite units that we download from TPT (even with graphics by Scrappin Doodles)!  Activities, posters, worksheets!   I'm so excited to get my hands on the First Grade Common Core workbook!

Go check it out!

Oh, those fairies!

Have you visited Ms. Jessica  for technology tips over at A Turn to Learn?  If you haven't then get yourself over there as soon as you read this!  She rocks!

Back in April she had this post about creating a talking avatar. I missed that one but saw this post about the talking Handwriting Fairy. Oh...my...gosh!  I showed this to my kids and they lost their minds for a minute!  Every time we write they want to see if the Handwriting Fairy has a new message for them.  Jessica has been creating new messages, but I realized that I wanted to create my own HF (Handwriting Fairy) so I could personalize the messages.
So here she is..

So on Friday I began training my kids on how to keep their desks neat and organized.  Then I told them that sometimes the Desk Fairy visits and leaves little treats for neat desks.  There were audible gasps all over the room.  They wanted to know if she knew the Handwriting Fairy and if she will talk to us.  Haha!  So you know what immediately went on my weekend to-do list.  I told them that she's the Handwriting Fairy's sister.
Here she is!  She's a little goth, haha!

This was so much fun!  Thank you to Jessica for the ideas!

You can create your own free account at www.voki.com.  They have created a Voki Classroom feature but it is 30 dollars per year.  I used the free items to create the Fairies above.  

A Birthday Hit!

I saw some really cute ideas for birthday celebrations this summer on Pinterest and blogs.  There were the pixie stick or curly straw balloons that I loved.  I just couldn't find straws that I liked so I wanted something else.  While shopping at Dollar Tree I saw these coloring books..

That is my friend, Rita, modeling it for you, haha!  They are HUGE!  DT had all different kinds...pirates, princesses, dinosaurs, fairies.  The first page is a whole page of stickers.  I chose this one for the boys because the stickers were boyish.  The one for the girls is similar but with girly stickers.  

I gave out my first one on Friday and wow, was it was a hit!  Serious oohhhs and aahhs and kids reminding me of when their birthday is.  I love it when a plan comes together!  

Check these out if you haven't figured out your birthdays yet.  The best part is that they are just a dollar!

Take care,

Yes, David...it's Open House!

Hello everyone!  I know some of you are lucky enough to have Open House BEFORE school starts but not us.  Our Open House took place 11 days into the school year.  I had to have something cute for the hallway.  I pinterested (that is a verb now, right?).  I looked in my files, searched blogs, pulled old Mailbox magazines out...nothing grabbed me.  

My firsties always love David Shannon books like crazy at 

the beginning of the year.  I saw a David pattern online, remembered a poster I had in a drawer and ding ding ding!  Idea!!   I have searched the world over and can't find where I got this pattern.  If it's yours or you know where I got it, PLEASE let me know.  I hate that I'm not going to be giving someone credit for this.  I've got to do better about writing down where I get things.
UPDATE:  Yay!  I found it!  The pattern is from Angie Neal's TPT store.  Here's the link:
David Learns the Rules

The pattern said to have blue stripes for the shirt, but I just passed out their markers and let them have at it.  They were so excited to use those markers!  I let them put as much or as little hair as they wanted.  I'm pretty sure I have a few vampire and zombie Davids here.  Love them!  

I cut a piece of copy paper in half and let them design a book for David to be reading.  Some of them copied  books from our classroom library and some designed their own.  They turned out so stinking cute!

A few closer..

Take care,

Whose turn is it?

Wow!  It's been so long since I logged on to Blogger I had to look up my password!  I hope all of you had a wonderful start to your  new year.  I have 20 new sweeties--10 girls and 10 boys.  We have had a good start so far.  I have a few challenges but progress is being made so I can't complain.  

Look what I got on the first day of school from one of my parents!  I have never gotten a beginning of the year gift and this one was A-mazing!  

It even has my initials on it!  She had to do a little research for my middle name. It is orange and white because I live near Knoxville, Tennessee..otherwise known as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers.  It was full of gourmet goodies!  I say was because they are g-o-n-e.  Haha!

It has been more of a challenge of time to incorporate Daily 5 and math stations this year than I had anticipated.  I am still working on getting my math stations going to my satisfaction.  We are enjoying Daily 5, but I'm not happy with my instruction so far.  I have some D5 blog stalking planned for later tonight.  You should see my to-do list for this holiday weekend!  

Whose Turn is It?  

Now to the main topic of my post..taking turns on the Promethean Board.  I love using my PB.  I love to let the kids use it often.  But I have found that if I give EVERY child a turn at the board each day it takes f...o....r...e...v...e...r.  They get the wiggles, start talking, tick off the teacher.  So I started having Girl Day and Boy Day.  I made these cute little signs from Scrappin Doodles clip art to hang next to my board.  

I have found that it's easier for me to keep up with turn taking by making everything based on this system.  So on Girl Day, the girls get to use the PB, share their journals, and read anywhere during D5.  The boys get their turn the next day.  The kids make sure I change it each day.  :-)  It works for me!  

Take care!