First Grade Wow: craft connection

Showing posts with label craft connection. Show all posts

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Retelling Thanksgiving

Hello Everyone!
I hope you're having a great weekend! I wanted to share a couple of quick but very special things. First off, we will be doing so many wonderful Thanksgiving related learning activities this coming week. One of my favs is our Thanksgiving Retelling Story Bracelet. As the kids are reading a poem about the first Thanksgiving, they are creating a bracelet with beads on a fuzzystick. You've probably seen this idea floating around for a while. I think it originated with the infamous Dr. Jean. I just love it so much. I updated the poem a tiny bit and can't wait to share it with my kids this coming week.

You can get your copy of the poem and directions HERE!

Oh...My...Goodness...I am so thankful for these kids and the gifts they give me every day!!

Thankful for you, as well!! Your encouragement has kept me on this joyful journey!!

Nancy

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Candy Corn Connection Part 2

Hello Everyone!
I just wanted to share a few pics from our math lesson today. We have been working hard on place value, standard notation and expanded notation. I wanted to see if the kids were really getting it, and decided a hands on visual was what we needed! We made some giant candy corn shapes that were two sided. Then I gave each kiddo some random 2 digit numbers. They had to write that number in standard notation, show the place value and expanded notation. On the other side of the candy corn, they had to write the math vocabulary words that went with each section. I think they got it!!

I also wanted to let you know there was a silly typo on my Candy Corn Connection pack I shared earlier this week. (Page 19) If you want the edited version, here's the link again.

CLICK!!!:) A mini version of the hands on visual is included in the pack.

So sorry for the inconvenience!!

Hope you're having a good week!! We're gearing up for our annual Chili Bowl tomorrow!! Each class is responsible for making a pot of chili. The moms have been working hard to come up with just the right recipe. We will make it in class in the morning and let it cook all day! Yum! Can't wait!! The Chili Bowl is part of our PTA meeting! Our PTA rocks!!

So, till next time!!

Thanks for taking a peek at our day!!

Joyfully!

Nancy

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse mini unit

Hello Everyone!
Thanks for stopping by this little "Window On Wonder." A first grade classroom is wonder-filled place to be and first graders are simply amazing little learners . I love starting off the year with Kevin Henke's books as they are so relevant to the lives of our little cuties. Chrysanthemum and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse are perfect to teach classroom behaviors. Last year I shared my Chrysanthemum unit. You can get it HERE!! :)
This year I want to share a little Lilly mini unit with you. The unit is an integration of ELA and SS. At the beginning of the year, we include lessons on rules and leaders in our community as well as laying the foundation for beginning reading strategies.
Here's a quick peek into my Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse unit.

A little picture/word matching game

Make a little purse to store your game pieces

HOV (Hands On Visual) connection

Thinking map

To get your free 20 page Lilly unit, click here!! :)

The unit includes patterns to make Lilly's Purple Paper Purse and a little Lilly.

Hope you can use even a little part of this unit! I can't wait to introduce Lilly to my new little ones!!
Don't forget to leave a little comment if you have time. I learn so much from you!!
Till next time!
Have a joy-filled day!!
Nancy

Monday, July 8, 2013

Hot Air Balloon Unit!

Hello Everyone!
I know it's been a few days since my last post, but I've been busy finishing up my newest unit. I think it would be fun to start the new year off with a unit on hot air balloons. Kids (and adults) are fascinated with hot air balloons! They are so colorful, almost magical, and so interesting!! This 78 page unit includes some beginning of the year poems and books the kids can make, some goal setting, some alphabet and phoneme practice, some math ten frame practice, strategy games, and math tub activities, some information on hot air balloons and science experiments, and much more! Oh! I can't forget! It also includes patterns for a "Hands On Visual" connection (formerly known as a "craft" connection).
Here are a few pics!

Make a mini hot air balloon science activity with recording sheet

hot air balloon 10 frames with a matching game

goal setting

A Class Graphing Activity with recording and observation sheets

counting phonemes partner game, word cards included

For your free 78 page cross curricular hot air balloon unit, click here!

I would love to hear from you, if you think this is something you can use! I know I can't wait to share it with my new kids!! Please leave me a comment! I love reading your responses!! If you would like to see anything else added to this unit, don't hesitate to ask!!
As always, thanks for stopping by for a peek!! I appreciate you! Till next time, have a wonder-filled week! Keep soaring!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Friday, June 7, 2013

Ahhhhhhhhh.........

Hello Sweet Friends!
Phew! Ahhhhhh! Wow! Sniff! Another year with first graders is over. I do have to tell you that this past week was so bittersweet for me. It is no secret that teachers take their students and carry them in their hearts. Some people say that they love teaching because there is a beginning and and end every year. I find it hard to accept the "end." Each of these littles will have a spot in my heart for who knows how long. Some of them forever!! Lots of tears while saying goodbye...No! Not goodbye...See you later!! :)

The last couple of weeks of school have been busy with a fun popsicle unit. I shared the unit already, but I added some fun components, so you may want to download again.
The unit included a simile activity that I decided to create a craft connection as a publishing component. Here are a few pics.

After brainstorming some fun popsicle similes, the kids turned them into poems by writing some of them on paint chip samples. They added a popsicle stick and tah dah!! A sweet, colorful way to publish!

The last week of our popsicle unit brought some fun ways to practice some math and personal finance. (Yes personal finance is one of our objectives! ) We created a little popsicle shop and had the kids earn money for doing things during the week. They collected coins in little bags and set goals for what they wanted to buy at the end of the week. The kids had opportunity to trade coins in. When they got 5 pennies, they traded for a nickel, etc.
On Friday they were able to "buy" the popsicle of their choice if they had enough money.
We also made some fun little "Soda Jerk" hats. Too cute!
Here are a few pics.

Directions for soda jerk hats are included in the unit update.

Waiting to purchase a yummy popsicle!

For a new and improved version of my popsicle unit, click HERE!!! :)

Oh my! I am going to miss these kiddos!!!
So stay tuned for more first grade fun because I'm not ready to let them go!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Popsicle Pizzazz!

Hello Everyone!
Wow! What a week! I am so sorry I haven't posted in a while. We had a huge musical production on Thursday evening which included a cast of our 100+ first graders. Each one had either a dancing or speaking part along with singing 5 songs. It was spectacular! The support we had while working on this memorable event was amazing, and having an audience of over 400 guests (standing room only) was thrilling!! I will post some pics soon!!
Right now I would love to share a fun, cool crosscurricular unit that can take you right into summer. It's all based on popsicles. Here are a few pics from the 60 page free unit!

Table of Contents

Craft Connection

Five, Six Pick Up Sticks!

Strategy Game

Play a game called Popsicle Scramble!

4 poems with readers response opportunities

A set of 23 thinking challenge cards with a popsicle stick theme
to get your free 62 page downloadable printable of this cool unit, click HERE

I am so looking forward to the next 3 weeks with my little sweeties. They have learned so much and have had a little fun along the way!! Stay tuned for more updates!! Thanks for stopping by our little window on wonder!!
Joyfully!
Nancy