Oh the joy that spreads through our room (and school for that matter!) when we have a three day week! We spent yesterday working very hard to get ready for the long weekend. We practiced many of our routines again and had many talks about how to use self control throughout the day. Today we started our day by making a list of everything we were going to do to make the day the (in the words of Connor) "the absolute best day ever!" Here is what we came up with: Use cooperation and assertion, listen, follow directions, walk, help each other, and do our job. I am happy to report we were successful in all areas! You should have seen how hard each student worked! At the end of the day we decided that we earned the privilege of Free Choice! [ Insert "You're the best teacher ever!" comment here, haha! ] The reality that Free Choice is no longer an everyday activity like it was in kindergarten has been a drastic adjustment to get used to in first grade, so it was so fun to have the time today to let our kids simply play together. Not only is Free Choice a great way for our kids to relax and enjoy each other, but it teaches and reinforces our C.A.R.E.S values: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self control. There are always lessons that rise from this time.
We learned how to use another tool today! The Peace Rug is an incredibly powerful tool that teaches our kiddos how to be assertive and problem solve independently and peacefully. There are five steps in the peace rug process:
H- Have a place to go (the peace rug)
E- Explain the problem using "I" statements
L- Listen to each other
P- Plan how to fix the problem
S- Shake hands, high five, or hug
We spent almost an hour of our day role modeling this process incorporating a variety of different situations. This process is simple enough for all students to understand and execute and is very effective. It is empowering to the students and teaches them that standing up for yourself or solving problems does not have to be violent, angry, or loud. It is such a humbling experience to see kids using this together and being completely successful at it. I'm hoping to record students using the Peace Rug so that everyone can see it! We will continue to practice everyday until it becomes our second nature.
Reluctantly, we wrapped up our study of owls. The students were disappointed that we weren't going to continue learning about them but we have to make way for... bats! We will start learning about bats next week! Autumn is my absolute favorite time, we learn about such fascinating creatures!
Books We Read Today:
Pigs Can't Fly - Ben Cort
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back - Dr. Seuss
Interesting Tidbits From Our Day
"Would you like to play with us?" ("Yes!) "Well there is already four students at legos, but let's ask Ms. Carlberg if you can join us anyway so you won't feel left out." (WOOOT! See what I mean about the wonderful lessons that come out of Free Choice!?"
"I'm going to miss everyone so much this weekend. I wish we didn't have to go."
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
"Ms. Carlberg I can't learn, I'm too worried about our friend who's hurt."
Welcome back! Our kiddos came bouncing through the door with energy and enthusiasm ready to start the day. We had an extremely busy day and looking back, I can't believe how fast it went! We learned how to play a new game with five frame cards. (Five frame cards are simply a rectangle divided into five boxes.) We have been working on combining numbers to make five. This is an essential skill called partitioning. It is the foundation for addition, manipulating numbers, and mastering facts. Everyday our understanding gets deeper and we are now able to identify what number goes with another to make five. (I say, "I have 4 cookies. How many more do I need to make 5?") We will start making pairs of 10 next week. We played 5 Frame Memory which was very well liked! The students had to make a match of 5 frame cards that add up to five. Here are some of us playing.
Today we continued our study of owls. We were going to start learning about bats this week, but we're so crazy about owls still I didn't want to stop. We made owl puppets to learn and play with, and then hang up in our front display case. Not only did the kiddos do a great job of following directions during this, but they loved playing with them after we were done! I would tell a story and the students would move their puppet to follow the story. Not only does this require imagination, but it is also fun and helps the students practice using self-control and following directions. I thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to these kiddos create. Take a look at what we've done!
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| Brandon used his owl to help him clean up his scraps. |
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| After they were done, the kiddos were able to play with their owl on the carpet. |
We finished our day by celebrating Justice's birthday! Justice was gracious to share a cookie with each of us while we made her a birthday book.
Books We Read Today:
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back - Dr. Seuss
The Mouse and the Motorcycle - Beverly Cleary
Interesting Tidbits From Our Day:
[After a student tripped and fell on his face.] "Ms. Carlberg, I can't learn I'm just too worried about him in the office."
"Ms. Carlberg did you know I love school? Want to know why? Ok, well I love everyone here!"
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
"Ms. Carlberg, we should wait for him to finish washing his hands because we are all in this together!"
It really is truly wonderful when our kiddos take to heart the things that we are teaching them. Yes, academically it's satisfying but watching them grow and learn how to take care of each other and treat each other is, for me, the most rewarding part of our days. When we were taking a bathroom break I suggested to a student who was moving slowly to meet us in our classroom. How humbling is it that a student reminded me of yet another way we could live up to our class motto! If you have not noticed huge academic growth in your student, which is normal because we've been in school for 1.5 months, take a look at how they interact with others- you will find huge growth! We have some great kids!
Mrs. Olin, a retired first grade teacher from Highland, came to read to our class today. Mrs. Olin is a master teacher whom is respected not only by peers but also by students. When she reads everyone, including adults, have a hard time not becoming fully entranced. She came today and read to the kiddos and they loved it! Hopefully she will have more time to come and join us, we all love when she does!
Mrs. Olin, a retired first grade teacher from Highland, came to read to our class today. Mrs. Olin is a master teacher whom is respected not only by peers but also by students. When she reads everyone, including adults, have a hard time not becoming fully entranced. She came today and read to the kiddos and they loved it! Hopefully she will have more time to come and join us, we all love when she does!
We also learned another way to be assertive today. It's called the "Stop, Walk, Talk". We learned this by role playing scenarios in which someone is being hurt, they ask the other person to stop, and the other person refuses. After asking them to stop, the next step is for the student to say, "Stop", walk away, and then tell an adult. This is valuable to students for two major reasons: it teaches them that even if they are assertive and it doesn't help that they don't have to be hurt and it also teaches them that if someone is hurting them they need to tell an adult to get help. The students responded really well to this tactic. This would be a great thing to practice at home!
I was absolutely floored by how responsible our kids were today! They had a very hard time listening, following directions, and learning in music today. When I found this out, we came back to our room to talk about it. Through our discussion, our students were able to identify what went wrong, why it was not ok, and what they were going to do to fix it. They decided that we need to make rules for music and then go to Mr. Rosas (the music teacher) and tell him they're sorry and how they are going to do better next time. Isn't this incredible! It takes a huge amount of gumption for anyone to admit they were wrong and be able to amend their behavior! I was so impressed and proud of our kiddos!
Books We Read Today:
The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss (we're learning about rhyming words so it's great!)
Night Creatures - Gallimard Jeunesse (This week we're learning about owls and this is an incredible book! More about owls tomorrow!)
Interesting Tidbits From Our Day:
"Next time in music, I will do better by listening and not talking to my friends."
[very concerned] "What if I try to walk away and they just keep following me and then I have to run and they can run faster?" (A legitimate concern and one that was addressed.)
"I'm going to miss this class." (Me, "are you leaving it?") "Well, no but for the night I'm going to miss it."
Monday, October 10, 2011
"Monday Monday Mon-day!"
It was energizing to hear kiddos chant this song as they came into our classroom today. The joy that they feel is wonderful and it was good to be back! It was a very exciting day because we finally receieved a highly anticipated book: Skippyjon Jones Class Action! For those of you who are not familiar (well one, you need to read this book) this series is about a Siamese kitty boy named Skippyjon who wants more than anything to be a Chihuahua and has a huge imagination. Oh, did I mention he has an alter ego named Skippito Friskito who is Spanish. We really enjoyed reading this new book this morning!
We also learned how to play a new math game today! Total Ten is a simple game in which the students have to cover up 10 squares by rolling a dice. This seems like a simple task, but it helps students in putting together numbers that make 10. This is a great game because it appeals to all students regardless of their academic level. We practiced using cooperation, assertion, and responsibility while we played today. It was a success!
By far, the most wonderful part of our day was reading the book, A Mother For Choco. This book is about a little bird who does not have a mother. He ventures out to find his mother only to be turned away by other animals. He finally finds a bear who takes him in and becomes his mother. This book opened up incredible discussion about our families and how they are all different. We even talked about how different families have different qualities- some have a mom and dad, some have just a mom, some have just a dad, some have no mom or dad but a grandparent. We discussed our families and then had the opportunity to draw pictures of our families. This was incredible to me because the students used crayons that were like their actual skin color. How awesome! We will learn about another type of family in November with another book, but until then here are some pictures from our day. (We will constantly be talking about families, just not using the Families All Matter curriculum.)
Books We Read Today:
Skippyjon Jones Class Action Judy Sachnar
A Mother For Choco Keiko Kasa
The Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss
Tidbits from our day:
"Please stop kicking me, I don't like it." (WOO What a great way to be assertive!)
"Wow, Ms. Carlberg you are enormous!" (This kiddo was so proud because enormous is one of our exciting words... haha!)
We also learned how to play a new math game today! Total Ten is a simple game in which the students have to cover up 10 squares by rolling a dice. This seems like a simple task, but it helps students in putting together numbers that make 10. This is a great game because it appeals to all students regardless of their academic level. We practiced using cooperation, assertion, and responsibility while we played today. It was a success!
By far, the most wonderful part of our day was reading the book, A Mother For Choco. This book is about a little bird who does not have a mother. He ventures out to find his mother only to be turned away by other animals. He finally finds a bear who takes him in and becomes his mother. This book opened up incredible discussion about our families and how they are all different. We even talked about how different families have different qualities- some have a mom and dad, some have just a mom, some have just a dad, some have no mom or dad but a grandparent. We discussed our families and then had the opportunity to draw pictures of our families. This was incredible to me because the students used crayons that were like their actual skin color. How awesome! We will learn about another type of family in November with another book, but until then here are some pictures from our day. (We will constantly be talking about families, just not using the Families All Matter curriculum.)
Books We Read Today:
Skippyjon Jones Class Action Judy Sachnar
A Mother For Choco Keiko Kasa
The Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss
Tidbits from our day:
"Please stop kicking me, I don't like it." (WOO What a great way to be assertive!)
"Wow, Ms. Carlberg you are enormous!" (This kiddo was so proud because enormous is one of our exciting words... haha!)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
"There's NO dancing because it's not Funky Friday!"
I would like to start my post today by saying that the above quote is absolutely not true...a kiddo said this because another student was wildly dancing and flailing his arms in line instead of walking. I'm glad to see that the Funky Friday dance party theme is sticking. Last Friday we invited Room H (our next door neighbors) in to enjoy our Justin Bieber Funky Friday. Our sharing during our Morning Meeting was, "If Justin Bieber walked in to our room I would...". We had responses everywhere from screaming to saying nothing to pretending to sleep. There is an unprecidented joy that circulates throughout our room on Funky Friday. Don't worry, we are going to listen to a wide variety of artists and genres on Fridays, not just teeny-bopper music.
Yesterday and today we have continued to practice working in small groups. This is the time of the year when our routines and expectations start to click. This is exciting because it allows us to start some serious learning time! It's also refreshing to hear students redirect and remind their peers. ("Remember we walk in our hallway." or "Please show five, we won't start without you.") We learned how to play a new math game yesterday and practiced again today. It's called Fill Five and the purpose is to fill all five towers with beans. This game is exciting for the kids because: 1. It's a game. 2. You get you use beans! (Seriously, they're simple beans you can buy in the grocery store but oh so exciting!) This game requires students to practice to skill of "counting on". They start at a number and count on like this, "Start at 5. 5...6...7...8." This is a very tricky skill but one that is slowly starting to catch on. It's entertaining and exciting to watch our kiddos learn together and help each other out!
We learned more about bullying behavior this week. First, we learned that bullying is a choice. Just because someone chooses that behavior it doesn't mean they are a bad person; they can always choose a better choice. We also learned that bullying is repeated. If someone pushes them at recess one day that's not bullying. If they do it everyday even after the student asked them to stop however, that is bullying. We also learned what it means to be a bystander. This is someone who sees or knows about bullying but does nothing to stop it. We had some very meaningful role play regarding this issue. I would role play a situation about bullying, stop in the middle, and ask "What can this person do to help?" This is such an interactive and meaningful way to teach about this topic. I am blown away by the responsiveness and the focus the kiddos show. You can continue this conversation at home too! You could even role play a situation that your student is struggling with! If you need help setting it up, please let me know I'd be more than happy to help!
Tomorrow we are returning to Kordiak Park in search of perfect fall leaves! Hopefully it won't be a hurricane!
Yesterday and today we have continued to practice working in small groups. This is the time of the year when our routines and expectations start to click. This is exciting because it allows us to start some serious learning time! It's also refreshing to hear students redirect and remind their peers. ("Remember we walk in our hallway." or "Please show five, we won't start without you.") We learned how to play a new math game yesterday and practiced again today. It's called Fill Five and the purpose is to fill all five towers with beans. This game is exciting for the kids because: 1. It's a game. 2. You get you use beans! (Seriously, they're simple beans you can buy in the grocery store but oh so exciting!) This game requires students to practice to skill of "counting on". They start at a number and count on like this, "Start at 5. 5...6...7...8." This is a very tricky skill but one that is slowly starting to catch on. It's entertaining and exciting to watch our kiddos learn together and help each other out!
We learned more about bullying behavior this week. First, we learned that bullying is a choice. Just because someone chooses that behavior it doesn't mean they are a bad person; they can always choose a better choice. We also learned that bullying is repeated. If someone pushes them at recess one day that's not bullying. If they do it everyday even after the student asked them to stop however, that is bullying. We also learned what it means to be a bystander. This is someone who sees or knows about bullying but does nothing to stop it. We had some very meaningful role play regarding this issue. I would role play a situation about bullying, stop in the middle, and ask "What can this person do to help?" This is such an interactive and meaningful way to teach about this topic. I am blown away by the responsiveness and the focus the kiddos show. You can continue this conversation at home too! You could even role play a situation that your student is struggling with! If you need help setting it up, please let me know I'd be more than happy to help!
Tomorrow we are returning to Kordiak Park in search of perfect fall leaves! Hopefully it won't be a hurricane!
Monday, October 3, 2011
"Finally, Ms. Carlberg, you have your camera back! I've been waiting for you to take pictures of me!"
The kiddos were happy to return to school today, but I think even more so were excited that I had my camera back. If only I would have known that taking pictures was such a motivation tool. (I'm kidding of course.) Monday's are an unpredictable day at school; sometimes the kiddos come in rested and ready to learn and sometimes they come in groggy from the weekend. Today, they were excited and ready to work! Their energy really got me going (they will tell you, as I say it all the time, Monday morning's are not really my best time.) I was most impressed by their concentration and work during Read Well! We have spent weeks working on the routines and expectations of this time, and they are finally paying off! There are students working in groups, reading in our classroom library, reading their own books, and doing skill work during this time and all of the students now finally understand how this works. This is cause for celebration!
During math today we played two games: Rock, Paper, Scissor Tally and Top-It. While these two games reinforce math concepts, today we focused on how to play together in groups. Here are the rules we created together for when we play in groups:
Today we learned about how important it is to fix what we break; when it's a toy, a tool in our room, or when we hurt a friend. This not only promotes problem solving and peace in our classroom, but helps students independently take responsibility for their actions and work to resolve issues. We read Enemy Pie to help us discuss this issue, and then we made a list of some things that we can do if we hurt someone with our body, words, or by ruining their things:
make them a card, give them a hug, help them, get them a kleenex, sit by them, play with them, eat lunch with them, spend time with them to prove that you can be a kind friend, and say "I'm sorry for..." but only if you mean it. It's really exciting to hear our kiddos discuss this topic and to brainstorm all of these ideas independently!
We continued to learn about sign language today by finishing reading the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? I am simply amazed at how quickly these students have picked up on the signs for the colors and the animals in this book! Now everything we do is, "How do you sign this? How do you sign that?" It's exciting to see and pretty incredible how quickly they learn. I am going to start giving directions in sign- not only is it a great way to learn vocabulary, it's a way that requires focus and self control.
Let's hear it for Monday!
During math today we played two games: Rock, Paper, Scissor Tally and Top-It. While these two games reinforce math concepts, today we focused on how to play together in groups. Here are the rules we created together for when we play in groups:
- Use cooperation
- Share your tools and take turns.
- Play fair.
- Use a 2 inch voice
Today we learned about how important it is to fix what we break; when it's a toy, a tool in our room, or when we hurt a friend. This not only promotes problem solving and peace in our classroom, but helps students independently take responsibility for their actions and work to resolve issues. We read Enemy Pie to help us discuss this issue, and then we made a list of some things that we can do if we hurt someone with our body, words, or by ruining their things:
make them a card, give them a hug, help them, get them a kleenex, sit by them, play with them, eat lunch with them, spend time with them to prove that you can be a kind friend, and say "I'm sorry for..." but only if you mean it. It's really exciting to hear our kiddos discuss this topic and to brainstorm all of these ideas independently!
We continued to learn about sign language today by finishing reading the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? I am simply amazed at how quickly these students have picked up on the signs for the colors and the animals in this book! Now everything we do is, "How do you sign this? How do you sign that?" It's exciting to see and pretty incredible how quickly they learn. I am going to start giving directions in sign- not only is it a great way to learn vocabulary, it's a way that requires focus and self control.
Let's hear it for Monday!
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