A Difference

I sit here on Sunday night anticipating stepping back into a first grade classroom. I will look at my kids much differently as will teachers everywhere.

The television has had to remain off most of this weekend. It was too painful to watch, to hear, to share.

But as I sat grading papers I know that God has worked through our writing from last week. Good old Common Core. The different types of writing that we now expect. Last week it was a review of several types--one being "opinion". I knew that with Christmas coming that it would be a great time to let the words flow. I expected most of the kids would have opinions on holidays.

This is one:

Christmas is a time when we share our love with others. My family celebrates Chistmas by reading the story where Jesus was born. My Papa tells that story every Chistmas. And my family nows that Chistmas is'ent about geting presents it is about Jesus comeing to erath. Abd Jesus was born in Behtlahim. We just give presents for our love. And Chistmas is my faveorit holiday.

I find peace knowing that little first graders can believe. And twenty new angels had a chance to feel God's love. 

Take care of your kids! Love them as you teach them. And maybe you will look at life much differently too.

Sadness all around...

Sad. Shaken. Heartbroken. All these emotions traveling through our nation and especially hard for teachers to comprehend. We've practiced that very same drill of lock yourself in the classroom and hide in the corner. But it takes on a new meaning. I just can't fathom those precious children whose lives were lost. I can't understand how the children who witnessed the horror will ever feel safe again.

But we can pray. We can know that our faith will sustain us. Prayers will give strength to the families.

Just pray.

Random Acts of Kindness

After Cara posted about the Random Acts of Kindness and Lyndsey over at A Year of Many Firsts even posted a free unit on TPT--I was sold! We can all use a little kindness.

It seemed strange to tie it in with our Grinch week but it did. It was perfect. The heart that grew is exactly what we are trying to do!

Day 1--I used the package with the pretty bow. It just happened that it was also the day I put up the tree. It was funny to hear their thoughts. They were still thinking Grinch was in the box. 

Day 1's kind kids went out to pick up trash from the playground and surrounding areas. I was amazed at all the trash that was there. Our school borders a major interstate but there is a wooded area that creates a buffer--along with several fences. 

Day 2 was giving the kids' last year teachers some "hugs" and HUGS. They loved this!

Day 3 was to treat the school secretaries and school nurse to a little poinsettia. They loved this--both the kids and the adults.

The next one will be the most touching. We will write cards and notes to a little boy who is gravely ill. He happens to be my neighbor's grandson. A lot of prayers are going up for him. Some of my children attend his church and know him. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated also!

Family adjectives

My theme this week (along with Grinch and Random Acts of Kindness) is family. Also Common Core adjectives. And...is this going somewhere?

I made a little quick way to let the kids label their family with adjectives.

Click here to download.

Evaluation Help From Abby and Cara

I haven't met Abby. But The Inspired Apple's help for my latest evaluation was a God SEND!!! I think one of the most the most difficult part of the evaluation process is actually deciding what to do. I mean we all KNOW that we teach every day with WONDERFUL and ENGAGING lessons. Right? HMMMM.

(I think my best lessons just kind of happen during the flow of the day. One thing leads to another with a connection, etc.)

But...any...how--I knew my unannounced visit would be a math of language arts lesson during a week. Lucky me--it was narrowed down to two days since it was this week and we only had school for two days! And..another lucky part was that we share our assistant principal with another school. So...it had to be on Monday.

In Math we were working on plane shapes. The lesson was symmetry. So, I pulled out Cara's lesson with the assessment being the turkey using plane shapes.  If I had it to do again I would make the turkey bodies smaller! Some of the turkeys looked naked after covering up their symmetry.  :)

Actually math is in the afternoon and my evaluation was OVER so we could relax a bit with this fantastic lesson. You can find her original post here.

The reading was the lesson that was the unannounced visit. We have been working on making predictions and inferring. I had used Abby's Snow Day Case Files last year. I hope she doesn't mind but I "recreated" it to be a Fall Day. The lesson went well (according to THE evaluator principal). I created a powerpoint to make sure that I named my objectives several times throughout the lesson. What I did forget. gulp. was Abby's powerpoint that contained the posters as a modeling of the inferring strategy. I got off track. Why is it when we are being stared at, listened to, critiqued, that we would forget?

Below is the powerpoint I used. You can find Abby's great plan here.
Fall Break Case Files

With the Cyber sale on Monday you can probably pick up some great ideas! Isn't TPT wonderful????