Hello Everyone!!
I think the kids were just as excited as I was!!!  Thank you Sandra Markle!!!  You made us feel very special!!  I can't wait to come up with a fun literature response for this one!!!  Sandra's books are easily accessible at Scholastic and Amazon.

Before Spring Break we held our annual Open House.  Every school in our district has Open House and invites the entire community to see what kids have been up to.  It is kind of a big deal. To kind of go along with our whole Pirate theme this year, we decided to go "swimmin with the fishes!"  We developed an integrated unit about fish.  We learned so much and the kids had a blast!  Here are a few pics.



 

Some more Sandra Markle books!!  These ideas are all part of my new unit. A147 page printable unit with so many integrated ideas for your young learners!!! Here are a few pics of what is included.

Phew!!! We were so ready for a break after all this fintastic learning!!  I hope all my kids are safe and happy! I miss you!!!
If any of this fun is flipping your fin, you can download the unit.  
Simply CLICK HERE!!!! GLUB GLUB!!

YUP! It's free!!!


Anyway, thanks for stopping by our little Window of Wonder!!!  Now I'm off to see if my e-mail is working! 
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!  See you soon!
Joyfully!
Nancy
firstgradewow@gmail.com

Hello Everyone!!
Well, this spring break has been awesome!   The weather has been rainy and cloudy the whole week.  Yay for all the lakes around us.  They are finally filling up after a looooong drought! I got a lot done on the homefront!! Some closets cleaned out, carpets and wood floors redone, made some fresh new wreaths for my front doors, and took a quick trip to visit my baby. I also had time to combine and add to an animal unit.  Kids love animals.  They love learning about the different characteristics and fun facts.  Three of my favorite books to use to integrate science, ELA, and even math are "What If You Had Animal Teeth?," "What If You Had Animal Hair?," and "What if You Had Animal feet?" all by Sandra Markle.

Using letter tiles, kids will build and record real and nonsense words. (Letter tiles included in the unit!) If you can use a 12 page ay, ai unit, click HERE! Well, that's it for now!  Back to school for many of us tomorrow.  I have enjoyed my week off, but I am ready to make this coming week awesome for my kids. I hope they are ready!! Till next time, thanks for stopping by for a peek into our wonderful world.  Stop by again soon!! Joyfully! Nancy

Hello Everyone!
We have finished our study on what and how animals eat and what kinds of body covering they have. Sandra Markle has written two perfect books to help organize kids' (and teachers') thoughts on those exact subjects.

What if You Had Animal Teeth and What if You had Animal Hair have become two of my favorite books.  I posted about the teeth book last year right about this same time, and Sandra came through with the hair book just in time for our study this year!! Both books are wonderful examples of a blend of fiction and nonfiction!!  Perfect!!  After reading, discussing and comparing, I had the kids write about the kind of animal teeth they would want to have.  They created a self portrait including those teeth! They turned out so great again this year!



After reading and discussing the hair book, the kids wrote and created a similar hands on visual, with animal hair added to their self portraits.  So cute!! Including a hands on visual connection helps kids understand concepts more deeply and in their own creative way.