End of Year Emoji Day

As the end of the school year approaches, I am always looking for ways to keep my students engaged and learning right until the last day.  This year I decided to create some activities featuring emojis to do just that.  I was inspired by the idea after Scholastic sent me some emoji themed bookmarks with my last book order.  The students loved them and were so excited because they contained those little smiley faces.  So I decided to host an "Emoji Day" to hopefully capture some of their excitement and help with the countdown to summer break.  Who knows, I may even stretch it out over two days!

To build some excitement about the upcoming emoji day, you can ask your students to dress all in yellow and black.  Then decorate your class door to greet them as they arrive in the morning.  During morning meeting show them some of the activities they will be completing during the day.  I also bought some emoji themed props to help set the stage for the day.  I found a kissing emoji at my local dollar store and I was lucky to grab these emoji themed buckets in the 50% off section of Walmart.  They will be great for holding the materials for each center.

I find this time of year it is important to change things up and try adding something different from the usual routine.  I am going to have students collect different emoji collector cards as they finish each activity.  This will work great as a motivator for students to finish their work.  These collector cards can then be kept in the student's wallet to take home at the end of the day.  I may add string to each wallet and students would be able to wear them as a necklace during the day.  I think it is important to let students be creative.  Give them a blank t-shirt or iPhone sheet and let them create what they thing the next emoji should be.

I think it is important to also keep practising math, reading and writing skills right up to the end of the school year.  My students slide back over the summer and I want to make sure I am doing my best to slow down this process.  Having students roll an emoji dice to practise graphing skills and reading all about emojis is a great way to keep students learning.  Did you know that there are 69 new emojis coming soon?  Did you know that there will be a curling stone, T-REX, and gloves?  I had no idea before doing a bit of research.  I also want my students writing everyday and adding some emojis just seems to make reluctant writers want to pick up their pencil and get started.

Finally, this time of year is all about making memories.  Students can make an emoji booklet which highlights some of their favorite things on one side and then collecting the autographs of their classmates on the other side.  What a great keepsake to look back on in the future.  If hosting an "Emoji Day" sounds like something you would like to try, you can find these activities here. 

Rethinking Writing Prompts! Spice up your writing block!

Hello all!  Thank you so much for stopping by!  It's Hilary From Primary Planet!

Today I want you to stop for a moment and re imagine Writing Prompts.

Usually when I think of writing prompts, I think of a narrow, specific task that the students need to address. 

What if I told you that Writing Prompts could be fun, scaffolded, and engaging?  What if I even told you that your kiddos would ask for them during Writer's Workshop or Writing Centers (even your most reluctant writers)?

Let me introduce: Pick a Prompts and Story Starter Cootie Catchers!

First up: Pick a Prompts!

These are writing prompts that give the kiddos choice over what elements they want to write about.  These are perfect for substitute teachers, fast finishers, or the "I don't know what to write about " gang.  They have pictures with short, easy to read captions that scaffold your students writing!  These are great for ELL students as well!

 

Your students choose one "prompt" from each section, then use them to write their story!

When I use them in my classroom we have a discussion before we write.  We read all of the choices and if there is something that they don't understand we clarify.  

I make a list of "key words" on my whiteboard easel, then let the kiddos turn and talk to  a partner about their plans for writing.

Then, the kiddos go back to their spots, circle their choices and write, write, write!

Sometime the kiddos make some modifications to help the prompt better fit their needs:

I also often challenge the students to use all of the elements!  My kiddos LOVE these and often ask for them.

If you would like to give these a try, I have a freebie in my store HERE!

If you like these prompts, but are trying to go paperless, I have several digital versions in my store as well!  They work with Google Drive and Microsoft One Drive!  You can find them here:

Up Next:  Story Starter Cootie Catchers

I have to start with: My kiddos LOVE Cootie Catchers (or fortune tellers if you prefer). You would think that they were somehow magical that is how much my kiddos love them!

What a better way to get them writing but to use a cootie catcher for a writing prompt!

These are similar to the Pick a Prompts as it has choices for Settings, Characters, and Plots.

Throw in that they are on a cootie catcher and it is magical!

Let me first say that folding Cootie Catchers with second graders was a bit of a challenge the first time we did it.  Yes, I almost tore all of my hair out, but I had a student who knew how to fold them on her own, so she was a great big help.  Let me also say, it was worth it!  The kiddos were enamored with them all day!  They asked to take them home as well!

These would be great for putting in your Writing Center for Writer's Workshop, fast finishers, or as holiday gifts (yes, they really love them that much!)

First, we folded them.  It was painful the first time we did this, the second time went much smoother.  I only had to refold a few of them!  

Then, we take some time to explore them with our partners and tell stories!

Then, we go back to our writing spots and using the special paper, get drawing and writing!

My heavens!  These kiddos wrote, and wrote, and wrote some more!  They actually groaned when I told them that Writer's Workshop was over!  Even my kiddos who do everything they can to avoid writing!

If you would like to try these, I have a freebie (it is Halloween themed, but it would be fun to try out!) HERE

Now in my room when I say "Today we will be writing to a prompt" the kiddos all cheer!

Of course we still do some of the old, test style ones as well...

but you can probably guess which ones they prefer!

If you are looking to spice up your writing block, you can find these products by clicking on the pictures, or here in my TpT store:

Pick a Prompts!

Story Starter Cootie Catchers!

These are the links to the bundle, but you can buy them separately as well!

My Snowman Melted!

Hello! It's Allison from Stuckey in Second. I always love to come over to Who's Who and share a fun blog post with this collaborative group of teachers. Today, I'm sharing a blog post from a little earlier in the year that I had over on my page. I know it's March, but is this weather crazy or what? We have been having 60 degrees one day and snow the next. Back and forth! Let's hope that groundhog was correct and that spring REALLY IS right around the corner. 12 more days until the official first day of SPRING!

Well, I will be honest, here in Indiana we haven't had enough snow to even make a snowman yet...and with this year's weather, if the kids were able to make one, I'm sure it'd melt within a few days!

This quick project was inspired by this fun picture my daughter brought home from preschool. Isn't it adorable? At first, I assumed it was her version of a snowman...see the hole punched eyes and buttons, carrot nose, and arm? She informed me this was a MELTED snowman. So adorable!

I got to thinking, what could be done with 2nd graders (or just older than preschool kids!) So,  I just whipped up this fun writing template for students to tell how their snowman melted. My idea is to encourage them to think of a unique way that it melted... maybe he went to get his hair done at the salon and the hair dryer melted him!

 

I've added a small paper plate, turned over to the white side to make this a fun 3-D project. It kind of looks like a paper bowl, but it really is a plate. You could use a bowl too! Truly you could add the little construction paper pieces to the actual writing template without the paper plate if you wanted! Also, you could use crayons and markers instead of construction paper! I would just do it this way with the plates and construction paper to make it a little more engaging for my particular students! :) 

For the free template, click here, FOLLOW my TPT store by clicking FOLLOW ME, then download the freebie! I'd love your feedback! :) 

Helping students WRITE OUT OF THIS WORLD

Hello!! I am Melanie from Momma with a Teaching Mission. I am a 1st grade teacher in Maryland and I love my job!!

So today we are gonna talk about it---that dreaded subject that everyone (me included) doesn't like to teach. Writing. :( Many teachers that I talk to either have a niche to teach math or reading, not too many favor teaching writing. Ok so I've learned to love it, but it has taken a good 2 1/2 years.  Let me first say that my group of students are low. Our classes are grouped by ability this year and I am just teaching literacy. So I teach reading, writing, and our phonics program to two different groups of kids---our lowest level (a class size of 13 very needy kids) and our right below average (a class size of 19).

I think it is super important to first instill a love for writing in your students. The first 3 to 4 weeks was spent building a love for writing. We generated ideas and I did 5-7 minute mini-lessons, but the majority of our writers workshop time was spent with them writing and building their writing stamina. We always closed out a lesson sharing a couple pieces.

Then it was time to move onto teaching 'how to' writing, or common core standard W.1.2 (Writing informative pieces). As many of you know, students come to us on all different kinds of levels. And I know you are probably sick to your stomach with the word 'differentiation', but I will tell you that that has really made the difference for my students.

I mean really, how can we give all students one tool and expect the same result from each one. They are all different, coming to us from different paths and backgrounds. That is ABSOLUTELY LUDICROUS to expect one organizer or one way to work for ALL of our students! So here's what has worked for me!

Modeling with relevant topics. Yes. That's right. That is me in the bathroom with a how to writing that we created as a class, for the bathroom. Now I should have included pictures for each step, but...I thought they got the point! But I'm sure you also get the point--modeling writing with your students is great and I do it daily--but what's better is relevant topics that they know about and can help you write about!

Let the students help write the story. Whatever it is you are writing about, use their exact words, OR even better, let them come up and write it in their own words and own spelling. It doesn't have to be perfect, as long as they are doing their best!

Offer technology (when it's available). My school got macbook carts this year and are to be used to enhance our lessons (not just as a center). So I have been trying to mindfully find ways to integrate technology with my young friends when appropriate. So with teaching how-to writing, I found this website, www.tarheelreader.org, students can read books written by other students (or there is an option for it to read to the students), and they can even create books (we haven't made it that far!) But offering technology helps to get those easily distracted students more engaged in the activity.

With some of my students, they get so caught up in the pictures, so I have pre-made pictures and they have to write the words to go along with the pictures. Of course, I let them color the pictures after the writing is complete, but it does help them to concentrate on the words before pictures.

With some of my kids, they know the steps of what they want to write, but they get distracted with sequencing them in order. I took a simple how to as how to make a pizza and put it into task cards for the kids to organize into steps and then put it into words in their writing.

Paper choice! As simple as it sounds, I let the kids pick what kind of paper they want to use. Many of them will use the same kind over and over again, while other students go back and forth with different kinds of writing paper.

When you see that you're losing them, recognize it! And take a brain break!! You wouldn't believe how long a 2 1/2 hour literacy block can seem until you teach 1st graders in the afternoon without a break! A 3 minute dance or gonoodle break can go extremely far!!

And don't give up! If you find what you are doing isn't working, that's OK!! Try something else. You will see what works for you and your students. Not everything will work every year, and that's ok!!

The resources in the images above can be found by clicking on link here: How to Writing How to Make a Pizza or you can visit my TPT store: Momma with a Teaching Mission

Best of luck to you! Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments, you can find that over at my blog!

Zoo Time!

Zoo Time

Lions, Tigers, and Bears… Oh My!

This month we are learning about the ZOO!  We are in the midst of writing our zoo animal research books.  I started the unit out by reading lots of zoo books!

We then made a list of zoo animals we love.  I guided them in picking six animals I have ready to research.  Lions, kangaroos, sea lions, pythons, orangutans, and giraffes, are the animals we are focusing on.  From there we used our QR code posters to research different aspects of the animals.  It’s a blast!  Take a look at our research! 

To carry over our theme into math and reading we have been using centers and QR code animal riddles.   All around the classroom are animal riddle QR codes.  Early finishers can walk around and infer what animal is being described.  To reinforce our math concepts of fractions, tens and ones, and addition to 20 we have been using zoo themed centers. 

We are so excited to be learning about zoo animals and can’t wait to visit the zoo at the end of the month to see our animals in their habitats.