5 Favorite Read Alouds for Spring

Once the craziness of Valentine's Day ends, I get the itch to look ahead towards spring, and one thing I love to do is pull out some of my favorite books to read aloud to students. Here are a few of my top picks, accompanied by a teaching focus to use with each one.

#1 Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Tops & Bottoms is the tale of a rabbit who lives on a bear's property. Through a series of cleverly made, self-serving deals with the bear, the rabbit grows and harvests a variety of vegetables, each time taking the crop's best parts for his own family. This time, Bear, you take the tops and I'll take the bottoms. Deal?... and off the rabbit goes to plant carrots and the like.

Use Tops & Bottoms to teach theme. The story contains several, including ones involving work ethic, the lengths one goes to help one's family, and the "little guy" besting the "boss man." Be sure to include the illustrations to help students discover and understand certain themes. For example, the bear wears boots throughout the story, adding to the impression that he is "the big boss." Some say there are even ties to plantation owners and the struggle of slaves, so even though the story is written at a third grade level or so, some pretty deep and meaningful discussions can be brought out.

#2 Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming

In Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, Mr. McGreely does battle against three little bunnies who continue to break into his garden and eat all of his vegetables. Mr. McGreely goes to great lengths to protect his garden... fences, moats, walls, you name it. But the bunnies always figure out a way to thwart his efforts.

Use Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! to teach onomatopoeia. Each time the bunnies break into Mr. McGreely's garden, a slew of snappy sound words accompany the illustrations, showing their sneaky exploits.

If you are interested in my literature unit for Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, you can see it HERE.

#3 The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

The Gardener is one of my favorite books with which to teach. Set during the Great Depression, Lydia Grace is sent to the city to live with her Uncle Jim and help in his bakery. The story is told through the letters that Lydia Grace writes back to her family. Though at first Lydia Grace is unsure of her new environment, her positive attitude and spirit help to change more than just herself.

Use The Gardener to teach character growth. Though Lydia Grace is the main character, use the details in her letters to infer changes in Uncle Jim. The clues can be subtle, as Uncle Jim never says a word, but the change is profound.

If you are interested in my literature unit for The Gardener, you can see it HERE.

#4 Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

In Weslandia, the main character, Wesley, a sort of social outcast at school, develops (with a little magic, of course) a brand new plant he calls a swist. Wesley's backyard gets filled with the new plant, and Wesley begins using parts of the plant for food, shelter, and various gadgets. Wesley eventually develops products from his plant that he sells to the same kids who bullied him! A whole new civilization is born in Wesley's backyard.

Use Weslandia as a companion to your science unit on plant growth or even in conjunction with your economics unit. (Yeah, it's that versatile.) Integrate engaging projects with students' plant learning, like asking students to develop a new plant of their own, with diagrams and explanations of its parts, needs, and uses. Extend the project into the economics realm by having students use their plant as their natural resource to create imaginary products to sell.

#5 City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems

Oh City Dog, Country Frog, how I love thee. Seriously, this simply told, touching story from Mo Willems (yep, the pigeon author) and illustrator Jon J. Muth (how this book didn't win the Caldecott I'll never know), takes the reader on a journey of friendship, at times full of love, and at times heart-breaking. Though the story travels through all four seasons, it begin in spring and ends in "spring again." The text is minimal, but very powerful, which makes it a perfect choice to reread and use multiple times during the year, even with upper elementary.

Use City Dog, Country Frog to teach how to create mental images. (Use it for a lot of things, actually.) The concise style paired with Muth's illustrations compel readers to use their five senses to dig into deeper understanding. After reading and discussing, try rereading the book once more, asking students upon completion to draw and explain their "lasting" mental image, the image seared into their mind that they will remember until they are old. (Yes, it's that good.)

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What are some of your other favorite picture books to use during the spring?

Winter Art That Teaches Color Value

Winter is not over yet so I got to teach my students the values of color with my FAVORITE art lesson!!!!

This art project teachers students patience because it is done in 3 stages with paint drying in between. I find that the waiting for each part helps build the anticipation of my little eager students!

All that is needed to complete this is a white piece of paper (I used card stock) and 3 colors of paint (blue, white, and black)! 

You can get easy, step-by-step instructions on how we completed this beautiful, eye-catching art work here.

Cheers,

 

Spreading the Love

Spreading the Love

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner we have been focusing on put ups instead of put downs in 1^st grade!  I love having a Valentine’s Day party with the kids.  We focus on writing letters to each other, completing a project with our family, and finding the good in each of us.  A few weeks ago I sent home a letter telling about our party and a project to complete at home.  Each child was asked to work with their parents to make a Valentine’s mailbox.  Here is a peek at a few of the mailboxes.  I love to add a home component to school units. 

Next we have been working on writing each child a Valentine at our writing center!  Students are able to use the paper they want and supplies!  They have really had a great time thinking of special things to say about each person.  I love how this week is a great reminder of how to fill each other’s buckets!

Here is a writing template freebie!

The Best Parent Teacher Conference Ever

Are you looking to spice up your Parent/Teacher Conference?  I would like to share what works well for me!  

1.  Set up student work for parents to browse through while waiting.  I usually keep a writing portfolio of all my students final copies.  I set them out during conferences and then send it home at the end of the year.  Parents love it!

2.  Make sure your bulletin board is updated with student work.

3.  Place a sign in sheet on a podium or table outside your classroom. Make it look cute with flowers, a cup with pens, and even a table cloth over the podium.  This shows that you are welcoming and eases any parent fears.

4.  Include your students in the conference!  Whether they are physically there or you simply share their reflections, it is best to let the student lead the conference!  It takes so much of the blame away from the teacher.  Students take ownership of their learning and parents get to see what the students think about their learning.  It is a simple form that covers CLASS PERFORMANCE AND WORK HABITS, HOMEWORK PERFORMANCE AND STUDY HABITS,  BEHAVIOR, GRADES AND GOALS.  Most students are brutally honest and you don't have to be the one to let parents know about any difficulties.  If there is a discrepancy in your thoughts VS students thoughts, it is easy to explain.  Usually you are telling the parent that the student was hard on himself and you would have rated them higher.  For a short time, I will have this form free for visiting this awesome Who's Who Blog!  Click below to grab it!

I hope these ideas help you with a happy conference experience.  If you don't get to grab the freebie in time, you are welcome to copy the ideas from it!  

Pam 

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The Amazing Binder Clip

I'm a little OCD when it comes to school supplies (what teacher isn't!!) and one of the tools I like to hoard is binder clips.  I looked through my carefully organized drawer of binder clips (in 5 different sizes and 4 colors) and tried to figure out some ways I could use them up!  Here's a few ideas that I came up with that really helped me get some spaces more organized!

 We have a station for charging all our devices, but the cords keep falling down, so if you clip a binder clip on a desk or shelf, you can feed those little cords right through them (and for the small ones, clip them on with a smaller binder clip to the large clip) and they won't fall down anymore! This also keeps them super untangled!

 I love to read chapter books (this one is from the Magic Tree House series), but I often lose my place.  Not anymore!  Just pop a small binder clip on and never lose your place again!

 How many of these tiered folder holders do you have?  I've got three! One sits just to the right of my desk, close enough for me to see from my computer screen and phone.  I clip the staff directory/roster here and I always have every classroom extension number handy--and I can't lose it this way! 

 I also have a set of wire shelves next to my desk holding all my teacher books, but the little trinkets and bracelets that my sweet students give me often fall through the shelves, so enter the binder clip! I can clip one on the side of the shelf, hold their sweet gifts and hold up other important papers as well!

 How many of you have LOTS of little scrap papers floating around on your desk? They need a home, but not in a drawer? Yeah, me too! Use a large binder clip to act as a giant paper clip, and as a bonus, it will stand up on its own! 

 I use binder clips to display student work in the hallway too! Makes it super simple to change out their work (so easy they can do it!) and holds it on firmly attached! Much better than clothes pins!

We have a computer program that requires us to have a separate user name and log in for each student.  You can see how beat up these papers are and we are only 1/2 through the year! So by using a binder clip and hanging it from a Command Hook, we can keep them together for longer and they won't get lost!

 

 Short on space in your classroom? I have curtains up over all my open bookcases to help cut down on the clutter you see, but to also keep my kids with sensory needs happy. :)  You can use binder clips to clip on large charts and other student work to the front of them to make better use of your space!

 I just discovered this idea and I LOVE it! I have paper lanterns and lots of other student work hanging from my ceiling, but the old paper clips and strings keep falling out of the ceiling tiles.  So, by tying a string to the handle part of the binder clip, you can clip them to the drop ceiling tiles and they aren't going anywhere! :)

 

A few years ago, I switched from making labels for student mailboxes each year to using binder clips.  BEST DECISION EVER! Once my students put their mail in their mailboxes, we couldn't see their names any more, so by using binder clips, we can ALWAYS see their names and know where to put their items. :)

I hope you found a new idea or two that you can use your stash of binder clips for--or maybe you're rushing out the door to buy a big box? 

Come visit me over at Kristen's Kindergarten!

What's for Lunch?

Hey Everyone! Molly from Lucky to Be in First here! I hope you've settled into 2016 okay! 

If you know me, you know I'm not so into cooking.  So, you can imagine it bums me out pretty hard to need to pack a lunch, too! Years ago, I hated leftovers. But recently, I've realized that leftovers actually provide lunch the next day. So, my dislike of leftovers was quickly overcome!

All I can say is thank goodness for Pinterest! My lunches {and dinners for that matter!} have definitely improved thanks to all those amazing mommy and lifestyle blogs out there showing me that cooking is actually not that difficult! {I hope JB isn't reading - I don't want him getting any ideas that I'm starting to enjoy cooking!}

Here's my list of favorite lunches {and some I plan to try this school year!}

I'm obsessed with mason jars and the salads you can create using these versatile jars! I love to set up an assembly line on Sunday and make all of my salads for the week! Now, keep in mind...there is a total process to this so that your ingredients don't get gross during the week!  Make sure you follow the guides to ensure your salads will be great all week. Click on the picture to learn more.

When I have the Sunday blues {or I'm too lazy to make my week of salads!} I sometimes just buy all of the ingredients for the week and leave it in the fridge in the staff room! Then, I just take out what I need and whip up a salad right in the break room!

This tortellini salad is BIG in my lunch rotation. You can find the original recipe by clicking on the picture below.  My only variation is that I use a vinaigrette dressing to perk up the flavor a little bit! If I make a big package of this on Sunday night, I can stretch this out through the week. {My mouth is watering just thinking about it!}

Follow my Savory Salads on Pinterest for more yummy ideas!

When the weather cools down, I am a big fan of soups! You make 'em once during the week and then you've got lunch and dinner for days!

This chicken noodle soup is sooooo easy to make! To make it even easier, I will break up a rotisserie chicken we've already eaten most of for dinner earlier in the week! 

I am obsessed with Trader Joe's Organic Creamy Tomato Soup.  Throw in a few croutons and shaved parmesan cheese and you've got a hearty meal! If you're into cooking soups from scratch, this is a great recipe! I'm just far too lazy for that!

 

Now for this next soup, I don't have a fancy picture, but I can promise you...it will be a favorite! My friend Aubrey {who is an amazing cook and baker!} shared this deliciousness with me! Click the picture to grab the recipe!

 

Follow my Mmmm Mmmm Soup Board on Pinterest for more ideas! 

By October, I'm pretty much over sandwiches!  One can only eat so many Pepper Jack & Turkey or peanut butter {I don't like jelly!} sandwiches!

To mix it up, I use a panini press to liven up my boring old sandwich!

My absolute favorite panini is a Caprese.  Super easy and so delicious!

 

Another fave is just a plain 'ol grilled cheese! I get some yummy sourdough bread {the bonus for living in the Bay Area!} and cheese and throw it on the panini. So simple!

Follow my Yummy Board on Pinterest for even more ideas!

As we run around the classroom, it's great to have snacks to fuel snacks.  This granola is delightful! A batch of this will last me a few weeks!

And I haven't tried this yet...but oh. my. word.  These look incredible! I'll definitely be adding these to my back to school treats!

In addition to the panini grill, I also have an electric tea pot {to make tea or oatmeal}, a microwave, and a toaster!

Don't worry - it's all hidden away from kids!

Need a little help planning your weekly meals? 

Snag this Meal Planner FREEBIE. Just click on the picture!

 

What are some of your favorite School Lunches?