Week 2 is through...

My intentions are to send you emails often, as I like to give you a snapshot of what is happening in the classroom, and provide you with some talking points to talk with your first grader about their days. What I will also do is compile these emails into a summarized format on this blog so as to give you another chance to peek at these emails. The more information the better is my motto :)

I am also in the process of building a new classroom website. Blogger and I are breaking up...I think. I will send you a peak into my new format once I have more of it done and you can let me know what you think! I'd welcome the feedback! Always thinking and retooling my craft! Of course we will still have the Mann-Tastic First Grade Fun Blog as a stream-lined place for all things first grade at Mann. 

I'd like to ultimately get the kiddos into blogging. We may use KidBlog for this. In years past when I've used this, the students created a pseudonym and we used it as an optional homework element to keep the conversation going about things in class. I'll speak more to this as we begin that adventure and clearly communicate my hopes and expectations with it. 

Can you tell I love teaching and revel in all the possibilities open to us as we begin a new school year? ;)

This week we continued to practice reading workshop; this included word work. The children will have a Think-Tac-Toe sheet for each week. As we work through reading workshop each day, the Cairns Ice Cream Cones will have some ownership and control over how they do their word work for the week. They will be required to complete a certain number of tasks, in addition to keeping the recording sheet in their cupboard in our classroom. The word work is related to our study of the weekly spelling patterns in addition to the wonderful vocabulary words for the week! 

We have been practicing routine of being good math partners, and what mathematicians look like. We also began to work with part and whole number stories. Ask your child if they can verbalize what part and whole number stories are all about!

Something I try and do every day after lunch/recess {and if time allows, after classroom recess} is ask the children about their recess. We talk as a group about awesome things that happened and not so good things that happened. My purpose for this is multi-fold. Partly to learn about their recess and see what I can do to help them if there are things going on that they didn't share with me out on the playground. Also I want them to work as a group ways to problem solve. My goal on the playground is always to empower them to problem-solve together, so we take the time in the classroom to figure out ways to solve things on our own! I also want them to know I am always there for them and want them comfortable opening up if there is something bothering them. Finally, we want to celebrate awesomeness. Like today one student had an "amazing kick in kick-ball" wooohoo! That's what I'm talkin about! :)

My son is a chatty little guy. He talks all the time. That said, it is very tricky getting him to open up about his school day. It trickles out at random times, like when we are brushing his teeth at night or when he is setting the table for dinner. I saw an NBC nightly news piece about strategies for how to talk to your child about their day and wanted to share :) Good luck! Let me know if any of them work!
Thank you so much for ALL you do! Have a wonderful weekend!

#1. What was the best thing that happened at school today? (What was the worst thing that happened at school today?)

#2. Tell me something that made you laugh today.

#3. If you could choose who would you like to sit by in class? (Who would you NOT want to sit by in class? Why?)

#4. Where is the coolest place at the school?

#5. Tell me a weird word that you heard today. (Or something weird that someone said.)

#6. If I called your teacher tonight what would she tell me about you?

#7. How did you help somebody today?

#8. How did somebody help you today?

#9. Tell me one thing that you learned today.

#10. When were you the happiest today?

#11. When were you bored today?

#12. If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed up someone who would you want them to take?

#13. Who would you like to play with at recess that you’ve never played with before?

#14. Tell me something good that happened today.

#15. What word did your teacher say most today?

#16. What do you think you should do/learn more of at school?

#17. What do you think you should do/learn less of at school?

#18. Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?

#19. Where do you play the most at recess?

#20. Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is he/she so funny?

#21. What was your favorite part of lunch?

#22. If you got to be the teacher tomorrow what would you do?

#23. Is there anyone in your class that needs a time out?

#24. If you could switch seats with anyone in the class who would you trade with? Why?

#25. Tell me about three different times you used your pencil today at school.