It’s Screen Free Week!

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Posted by Alissa | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on April 29, 2013

Lots of information went home in the backpacks on Friday about Screen Free week.  We had 7 families return their pledge cards today promising to go a week without screen time.  If 80% of the class participates I have agreed, along with many other teachers at school, to dye my hair for a day!  The children are already choosing the colors.  They may not realize how challenging it will be to spend a week trying out some new activities for fun.  Here is an idea:  Read some poems!  Shel Silverstein is always a big hit with children of this age and his poetry books are a lot of fun.  Where the Sidewalk Ends and Light in the Attic are two books I have to replace every year because the children wear them out, reading the poems in them again and again, laughing out loud at his pictures and words.

Here are several more of our 1st grade poets reading their favorite poem aloud.  They are sure to put a smile on your face!

http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=lx76yb6cv4oiudx2ybct

 

It’s Poetry Month!

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Posted by Alissa | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on April 25, 2013

Click on the link below to hear more 1st graders reading their favorite poems!

 

http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=lx76yb6cv4oiudx2ybct

 

 

“This is actually quite fun…”

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Posted by Alissa | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on April 24, 2013

What a great thing to overhear from your students!!!  Ivy came in again today to work some artistic magic and help us create these lovely castles that are now hanging outside our classroom.  The bulletin board is still not done though.  Now each child is going to draw a picture of one of the many people who worked inside the castle in the Middle Ages and then add it to their castle door.  More pictures to come!  One of my favorite Maria Montessori quotes is, “One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.”  This unit has been working so far because we have lots of happy kids on our Wednesday project days!

 

 

 

 

Poetry Challenge

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Posted by Alissa | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on April 13, 2013

We started our poetry challenge this week.  Students were asked to find a poem they love, illustrate a picture to match the words, and practice reading it out loud with expression.  Here are some of our 1st students to rise to the challenge!!  Click on the link below to hear them read their work.

http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=lx76yb6cv4oiudx2ybct

Castles

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Posted by Alissa | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on April 10, 2013

Our study of Castles continues.  Today we read a few more chapters in our research book to learn more about how life was the same/different from today.  All of us were very surprised by some of the things we learned!  We also studied the parts of a castle and how each part was used, mostly as a means of protection.  Then the kids went to work drawing their own castles and labeling the important parts.  I overheard one group of boys say, “I’d rather do this then go to recess.”  Whoa!  I’ve never heard THAT before.  I think they are enjoying the Castle unit!

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