tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64212286742296967812024-03-23T05:00:35.200-07:00Kindergarten Coffee TalkJen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-31418911198424443672019-09-22T12:33:00.002-07:002019-09-22T12:41:49.552-07:00Engaging Letter and Letter-Sound ActivitiesWhen it comes to teaching letters and the sounds they make, there are lots of fun things you can do in the classroom to keep it engaging. Each year in kindergarten, we get kids who have a variety of experience with the alphabet. Some know all of their letters and sounds, some know the letters in their name, and some have minimal experience with the alphabet. It is our job to meet children where they are and help them get comfortable enough with letters and sounds that they can begin combining letters to make words. Here are some ideas for things you can do in the classroom to reach all students:<br />
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Start with Names:</h2>
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First and last names gives you the opportunity to introduce letters in a meaningful context. Kids love playing with their names and comparing them to their friends names. One of my favorite ways to do this is by making a name chart. Sorting names by their first letter on a name chart will give your students a reference that they can use when reading and writing through the year. You can also make a chart that compares the amount of letters in their names. This helps students think about the difference between a letter and a word as well as recognize that words can have a different amount of letters and still be a word. Some more fun activities for names include putting together name puzzles, building names with letter tiles, stamping names into dough, and picking a surprise letter and having the students do a thumbs up if it is in their name or a thumbs down if it isn't in their name. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These fun stamps are from <a href="https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/">https://www.lakeshorelearning.com</a></td></tr>
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Sorting letters:</h2>
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One of the first things we do when learning about letters is sort between the target letter and words that start with that letter and letters and words that don't start with the target letter. When we do this with multiple fonts, it helps students look at the features of the letter. This is fun to do first in whole or small group and then it turns into a center. We like to pretend that we are letter detectives and "The Reading Detective Agency" has asked us to find a target letter and words that start with that letter in a group of letters and pictures. The engagement is high and the activities are predictable so the kids can focus on the learning. Its a win-win! </div>
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This sort was done with the whole class:</div>
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Recently we have been adding movement into our lessons by having students hop, bear crawl, or crab walk to a card, bring it to the pocket chart, and then hop back to their spots. Another option for this sort is to give students the cards and see if they can find the rule. Below is a group of students sorting cards as a team:</div>
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And this is a kiddo working independently to sort out letters:</div>
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We follow up the sorting activities with independent picture sorts in two ways so we can focus on words that start with the target letter. The first way we sort is by keeping that detective theme and looking for pictures using magnifying glasses. </div>
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We also do a cut and paste sort:</div>
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If you are interested in this resource, you can find it here in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Letter-and-Letter-Sound-Identification-and-Intervention-Reading-Detectives-4157852">Teachers Pay Teachers store</a>.</div>
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I also like make these trace and stamp books with the kids. We use my thin smelly markers for tracing and then we stamp the first letter. After the kids make the books, I send them home so they can read them with their parents for even more letter practice!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Letters-and-Sounds-Trace-and-Stamp-Books-1742381">Click here for this resource</a></td></tr>
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Alphabet books:</h2>
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Reading alphabet books is another fun way to help students focus on letters and letter sounds. There are alphabet books for just about any topic and fun books about the alphabet. These are some examples, but by far not an exhaustive list of alphabet books. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r4O32EPt8OHpzPFmYLYkX38RIxPh4LI3LfJxYerNNoMrj6nGOLPViLLTsvB4sEO1nqtyCORVoyOn_0DyvZTThhV9cFRMYb6SL64Q6OLZLFg5tNHsZGe7geXArZZ_wHwTdguhCYCkHdYf/s1600/51oC4yJbGFL._SY437_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="500" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r4O32EPt8OHpzPFmYLYkX38RIxPh4LI3LfJxYerNNoMrj6nGOLPViLLTsvB4sEO1nqtyCORVoyOn_0DyvZTThhV9cFRMYb6SL64Q6OLZLFg5tNHsZGe7geXArZZ_wHwTdguhCYCkHdYf/s400/51oC4yJbGFL._SY437_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of my favorite series where the characters are letters! You can find it <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-Adventure-Audrey-Wood/dp/043908069X/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=alphabet+books&qid=1569166580&sr=8-7">here</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zc9JkL83_esjwAjX9I2Oz0SHlm8vFi-9xiZbtgzaCeLRTrDeJ3fdpayNppnsRpGS15LAXXcp1PlRAw2bUM1LYrYE8HAWl3ST3p1GrCfJj8hO7dNdUBW3e9AcdJBxUVI0RbAiIMfG6d2_/s1600/51wfzW0QnXL._SX381_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="383" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zc9JkL83_esjwAjX9I2Oz0SHlm8vFi-9xiZbtgzaCeLRTrDeJ3fdpayNppnsRpGS15LAXXcp1PlRAw2bUM1LYrYE8HAWl3ST3p1GrCfJj8hO7dNdUBW3e9AcdJBxUVI0RbAiIMfG6d2_/s400/51wfzW0QnXL._SX381_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always a fan favorite! You can find it<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chicka-Boom-Board-Book/dp/1442450703/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=chickadee%27s+chickadee%27s+boom+book&qid=1569166925&sr=8-1"> here </a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDFmIkesdK-At0f9c5aRgr_f315OPmMGeqAZ0reFVEUpbnrnySsw8GrWCDNXW6mJ7u4YiX9oZwNBipllgt6OI1DC9zgeZtK1lxd_8tnt6YXZkBcQuG7HXLdKgcn_py7to_MuUkqF9HSVO/s1600/51D0wSZ0PZL._SY436_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="500" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDFmIkesdK-At0f9c5aRgr_f315OPmMGeqAZ0reFVEUpbnrnySsw8GrWCDNXW6mJ7u4YiX9oZwNBipllgt6OI1DC9zgeZtK1lxd_8tnt6YXZkBcQuG7HXLdKgcn_py7to_MuUkqF9HSVO/s320/51D0wSZ0PZL._SY436_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A more traditional <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eating-Alphabet-Lois-Ehlert/dp/015201036X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LIH9256WG6C2&keywords=eating+the+alphabet+by+lois+ehlert&qid=1569167068&sprefix=eating+the+al%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1">ABC book</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezJ45ULFDGo0-HtdwOMrFyZFrRY-eCVcdZzYGB7acOfMBVLjCOx8TvtCwLDPUomto4RBLmlyeYqaIbRKW23Z3BJT825jNlpeMwYrABkYp7RDFCwOqv7F-YNsd0aNUTB7EgY1QRFLi0bR3/s1600/51WlR2KQh4L._SX389_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="391" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezJ45ULFDGo0-HtdwOMrFyZFrRY-eCVcdZzYGB7acOfMBVLjCOx8TvtCwLDPUomto4RBLmlyeYqaIbRKW23Z3BJT825jNlpeMwYrABkYp7RDFCwOqv7F-YNsd0aNUTB7EgY1QRFLi0bR3/s320/51WlR2KQh4L._SX389_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-Under-Construction-Denise-Fleming/dp/0805081127/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=alphabet+book+construction&qid=1569166992&sr=8-2">Another great one! </a></td></tr>
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How do you like to teach letters and letter sounds in your classroom? I'd love to hear from you!</div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-39685208074151000772019-02-15T08:30:00.001-08:002019-02-16T18:59:00.596-08:00Hibernation Inquiry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you read Jan Brett's new book called <i>The Snowy Nap</i>? It is about Hedgie (the hedgehog from <i>The Hat</i>) trying to stay up to see what his animal friends do during the winter before he hibernates.<br />
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If you haven't seen this book, you must check it out! Jan Brett's books and illustrations are always so captivating for kids and adults alike. I love the little cut out pictures on the side and how you can talk about what is happening in the side pictures while the characters are doing something else in the story. It is just great for developing executive function skills and theory of mind. We loved using our retelling cards to retell and then act out the story.<br />
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Then, we couldn't forget our hedgehog snack! Each Friday we make a snack to match our theme... it gives us something to look forward to! We used pre-made sugar cookies, frosting, chocolate chips, and cocoa krispies. Didn't they turn out cute?<br />
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After reading <i>The Snowy Nap</i>, we had so many questions about hibernation. {Which animals hibernate? Why do they hibernate? Where do they hibernate?} We did a little research to figure out our answers and then made a poster to teach others what we learned. I helped by drawing some of the background and giving them pictures to color so that we could focus on interactive writing. We used our favorite <a href="https://www.thepencilgrip.com/">Kwik Stix paint</a> for our mural. If you haven't tried them you must! They are paint sticks that dry in 60 seconds...amazing! If you'd like to try them, you can click <a href="https://www.thepencilgrip.com/">here</a> and use the code COFFEETALK10 for 10% off (affiliate link).<br />
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We also enjoyed reading <i>A Time to Sleep</i> to help us better understand the variety of the animals that hibernate and where they hibernate.<br />
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To answer the question "why do animals hibernate?", I froze blueberries in a container and asked the kids to pretend to be hungry bears and get enough berries to eat out of the ice. They tried dropping the ice on the table to break it or digging the berries out of the ice, but they couldn't get enough to be full. We left the frozen berries in the container overnight and observed that we could get all the berries out when the ice melted.<br />
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We made a bear paw for snack out of a graham cracker, Reese's cup, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. </div>
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Do you teach about hibernation in your classroom? What are your favorite activities and books?</div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-13017405719695849552018-11-10T13:35:00.001-08:002018-11-10T13:35:24.229-08:00Nocturnal Animals Research Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nocturnal animals are seriously fascinating for kindergarteners. What kindergartener wouldn't want to stay up all night? Plus, we get to learn cool words like mammal and echolocation. We started our research project by sorting between pictures of nocturnal and diurnal animals (not pictured) and watching a video from the <a href="https://letsfindout.scholastic.com/">Let's Find Out </a>magazine website from Scholastic. I use those videos for EVERYTHING. They are just long enough to peak the kids interest and stir up a lot of questions. With our interest peaked, we decided to focus in on bats and owls. Then, we labeled a bat as a group and then on our own.</div>
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After labeling a bat, we read through some non-fiction bat books that I have from Scholastic and National Geographic Kids. We used these to help us complete our can, have, are chart.<br />
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This chart was not completed in one session. We started it and then added to it as we did more research. I love how kindergarteners can do research by looking at photographs in non-fiction books. My students were fascinated that bats eat so many types of food, even watermelon! <br />
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Next step: learning about echolocation. This is always a fan favorite. We watch the episode from "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That" with bats that shows how echolocation works and then make our own bat ears. <br />
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The kids wanted to be sure that they were using colors that made sense so they looked through the books to check. Then we simulated echolocation by rolling a ball to the wall and watching it come back to us while squeaking like a bat.<br />
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It wouldn't be a fun unit without a snack! We made bats with double stuffed Oreos, frosting, and decorative candy eyes. They turned out super cute! (full disclosure: this is not my hand... it is the hand of one of the speech pathologists at my school who is much taller than me and has longer arms to better take a picture...lol)<br />
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The kids were so excited about all of the things they learned that we made two posters to teach others what we learned about bats. We painted the background with tempra paint and then used our favorite non-messy<a href="https://www.thepencilgrip.com/"> Kwik Stix paint</a> to make the bats, trees, and bat food. If you haven't tried Kwik Stix, I promise they will change your life! They are solid tempra paint sticks that dry in 60 seconds. Can we say game changer?<br />
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Bats during the day:</div>
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Bats at night:</div>
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We compared and contrasted bats and owls and made another can, have, are chart to help us organize our thinking.<br />
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We labeled and owl and then we made an owl snack. To make this snack you will need graham crackers, marshmallows, m&ms, and candy corn.<br />
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What activities do you do during your nocturnal animals unit?<br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-21853681100785306602018-10-27T10:07:00.002-07:002018-11-10T12:00:18.271-08:00Apples and Pumpkins Unit <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone! I’m back with a blog post about our most recent unit in my classroom. We have been talking about apples and pumpkins. This unit is one of my favorites (I think I say that about all of the units we do, lol). I like to start with apples towards the end of September and then move into pumpkins at the beginning of October.<br />
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We always like to start a unit by talking about our schema and asking questions about a topic. I like to make sure my bookshelf is stocked because looking through books always helps us come up with more questions. So many of my books are from <a href="https://clubs.scholastic.com/">Scholastic Book Clubs</a>, but when I don’t have enough books about a topic, I go to the library and grab some more.<br />
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During our apple unit, we read books about apples, talked about the apple life cycle, dissected apples, labeled them, and taste tested different color apples. Then we made an apple pie in a cup!<br />
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Our favorite part was smashing graham crackers with a toy hammer!<br />
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After we learned about apples, we began learning about how pumpkins grow, pumpkin features, and things we could make with pumpkins. I always like to start this unit in early October so we can carve our pumpkin and watch it decompose throughout the month! So spooky!<br />
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The can, have, are thinking map is one of my favorites. We talk about how we can make sentences about pumpkins using those words.<br />
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We studied the outside of the pumpkin and made predictions about what would be inside. When we check to see if it would sink or float. To most kids surprise, it floated!<br />
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Then, we talked about how we would carve a pumpkin. We sequenced how to carve a pumpkin before we actually did it. This way the kids could direct me in carving the pumpkin based on what they knew from the sequencing work they have done.<br />
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These are part of my Sequence and Write: How to Carve a Pumpkin pack on TpT. If you are interested in getting these cards for yourself, you can find them <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sequence-and-Write-How-to-Carve-a-Pumpkin-3453903">here</a>.<br />
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We put our pumpkins out in the garden next to one that we didn’t carve and made predictions about which one will decompose first.<br />
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Our unit wouldn’t have been complete without a food activity. We made a pumpkin patch with chocolate pudding, smashed Oreo cookies, candy pumpkins, and green Sour Punch Straws. You can find the original recipe here.<br />
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We also added some super simple fun fall activities to our workstations. The kids have been making pumpkins, pumpkin seeds, apples, and fall leaves on the light table.<br />
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We have also been using beads to build pumpkins and leaves on our mirrored tray (I found that at Target last year).<br />
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As Autumn is in the air, we have also been completing these fun Autumn themed activities from <a href="https://www.education.com/worksheets/spelling/">Education.com</a>. Below is one example of a worksheet, but you can go check out their website for more fun activities and games!<br />
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Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l58CwR6pEoQIRwqWkIq-xIFGc1K3mExm/view?usp=sharing">here to get this worksheet</a> and click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nX0T1AjQ8djMLcomtBVUs0S3IAuP2zm2/view?usp=sharing">here </a>to get the answer sheet!</div>
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Happy Teaching!<br />
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-68762446319243305772018-08-12T14:00:00.001-07:002018-08-12T14:14:42.392-07:00Math Interactive Notebooks in Kindergarten: Getting Started and Keeping it Simple<br />
I love using math interactive notebooks in kindergarten. They are a routine that we establish early on that carries our learning throughout the school year. The first couple of weeks are slow moving, but once we get it a groove it is smooth sailing after that.<br />
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Getting Started:</h2>
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To be honest, I have found two different ways to get started with interactive notebooks that have been quite effective for me. I choose between the two depending on the class that I have.</div>
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Option 1: I like to start my students doing a version of "workstations" early on in the school year. During this time, we <strike>play</strike> get familiar with our math manipulatives and I teach students about staying in one spot, voice level, and how to clean up neatly and completely before moving on to the next workstation. I also take this time to teach students about stamina and we start of at the workstations for about 5 minutes and start adding one minute a day as soon as they are ready. Once we get up to 10 minutes per station and the group is working at one spot with a level 2 voice level, I pull kids to my small group table and I guide them through cutting, gluing, and completing our pages. </div>
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Option 2: We begin math notebooks together and I guide them through cutting, gluing, and completing the pages while using a document camera. </div>
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But isn't it a lot of steps?</h2>
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Yes, in the beginning, we take it slow. And when I say slow, I mean S-L-O-W! In my classroom, I use both community supplies and individual supplies in a pencil box. For interactive notebooks, we use pencil boxes (just a personal preference of mine- community supplies are great too). We practice getting out our pencil boxes, where we need to put them, and how we need to sit to get ready for math notebooks. In the beginning especially, I usually keep and pass out the notebooks. Later on in the school year, the kiddos can be responsible for that too. We also practice getting out our glue sponges and tidy tubs as well. If you have never heard of glue sponges, you MUST check out this post from <a href="https://thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/2013/06/kindergarten-smorgasboard-how-to-video-2.html">Kindergarten Smorgasboard</a>. Life changing...seriously! Tidy tubs are our trash collectors that are on our tables so that we don't have to get up to recycle any of the paper until we are done. Yay! </div>
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Once we can do all of those things, we are ready to get started with the page. This is critical: I show the kids one step, stop, and then let them do it. We continue that until we have completed all of the cutting. This is often my stopping point for day one. Then on day two, we glue and do the page together the same way we did the cutting...step by step (anyone else singing New Kids in their head right now?).</div>
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A few more tips and tricks:</h2>
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1. Have your highlighter and scissors ready. In the beginning of kindergarten, fine motor skills are at so many different levels. A highlighted line or a simple cut goes a long way. </div>
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2. Glue sponges are the best for interactive notebooks! They keep the paper attached to the notebook. Glue stick glue just doesn't keep it attached for the whole year.</div>
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3. If you have multiple interactive notebooks, pick a color of duck tape for each type of notebook and put it on the spine. It is so much easier to organize that way!</div>
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4. Hot glue a piece of ribbon inside the back cover of the notebook to use as a bookmark. Then, minimal time is wasted flipping to the next empty page in the book. </div>
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What do they look like?</h2>
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1. My math notebooks are spiraled practice. Once we get in the groove, on Mondays we measure, Tuesdays we tally, Wednesdays are word problems, Thursdays are geometry, and Fridays we practice number sense. I love this because once the kids learn how to do each type of page, they can look at the page, know what to do, and get started right away. Each page has minimal steps... thats just how I roll. If it is too complicated or feels too much like an art project, I won't do it. Lol!</div>
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2. These struggling students and English Language Learners have done really well with these notebooks. They are concrete enough that they can complete even the word problems, but challenging enough to keep everyone learning and reviewing information. </div>
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3. As the kids get in the routine, interactive notebooks take about 10 minutes. I fit them in at the end of my small group time before they go to workstations.<br />
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A week of math interactive notebooks:</h2>
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Here is what a week of math notebooks look like in my classroom at the beginning of the school year. The activities grow and change throughout the school year for spiraled practice.<br />
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Monday:</h2>
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Tuesday:</h2>
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Wednesday:</h2>
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Thursday:</h2>
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Friday:</h2>
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Want to try some interactive notebooks? Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Interactive-Notebook-Freebie-3992135">here</a> to download a whole week for free!<br />
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Any questions? Please feel free to email me. We LOVE interactive notebooks in our classroom and I hope you will too!<br />
Happy Teaching!</div>
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-72047096042861224492018-07-16T07:39:00.000-07:002018-07-16T07:39:01.620-07:00Education.com : A great resource for teachers!<br />
As a teacher-mom I am always looking for easy resources to keep things fun in the classroom (or even at home). <a href="http://education.com/">Education.com</a> has everything you need including games, science experiments, worksheets, learning songs, interactive stories, and lesson plans. This really is an easy go-to website for ideas for any subject area.<br />
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I was excited to test out one of their math worksheets and am looking forward to using it at the beginning of the year when we are focusing on getting into the routine of workstations. We tested it out at my house and my 5 year old loved it.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Whether your child is in school or just preparing for it, this crawlies themed maze is a great way for young ones to work on their fine motor skills and spatial reasoning. This maze is a fun game, but you can find more </span><a href="https://www.education.com/games/math/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">educational math games for all ages at Education.com!</a></div>
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I am also super excited for my students to try out their math games. As you can see, there are a ton of games to choose from that your students will love! Check them out <a href="https://www.education.com/games/kindergarten/">here.</a></div>
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I am also in love with their interactive stories for literacy workstations. So many fun options! Check them out <a href="https://www.education.com/stories/kindergarten/">here.</a></div>
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Check out <a href="http://education.com/">Education.com</a> for yourself and find some resources for your classroom next year! </div>
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-29691746267323849782018-04-10T19:41:00.002-07:002018-04-10T19:41:44.230-07:00Our Space Inquiry My students were fascinated with nocturnal animals and the moon in the fall. They have been talking about it ever since and I just knew that we had to revisit the topic. As we embarked on a journey into space, I gathered space books to share with my students and let them explore. We wrote down our questions and used them as a guide throughout the inquiry.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHmlKu0OpTxSLtYQkzSWNJecn6MOWzxKKrgPO8hhbHSEGFnqmxCHMYwlZPbf8ll6S_h4coBVivddy0MiAGuKBwkCx569X3aHcu5Jf8m_AFj0rsLDk-lNkWmU56TXIgiRNnvmW9sVGCXo0/s1600/space+blog+post.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHmlKu0OpTxSLtYQkzSWNJecn6MOWzxKKrgPO8hhbHSEGFnqmxCHMYwlZPbf8ll6S_h4coBVivddy0MiAGuKBwkCx569X3aHcu5Jf8m_AFj0rsLDk-lNkWmU56TXIgiRNnvmW9sVGCXo0/s640/space+blog+post.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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My students loved this book about space:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/X-WHY-Z-Space-Kids-Ask-Answer/dp/1618931261/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523410228&sr=1-1&keywords=x+why+z+space&linkCode=li3&tag=kindergarte0d-20&linkId=95e195fe7d394b6fb641269ce807304d" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1618931261&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=kindergarte0d-20" width="400" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1618931261" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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This was a great one for inquiry because it was in an ask and answer format. My students loved looking at it to get their questions answered. Below is a picture of the model one of my students made on the light table of the solar system from looking at this book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BAWk1xRbJlacQKqLmRUyicnr0sE5b7R6rQhKZxDLgCzZdutFRSoPvmLf5xnMBVQOZ37G9lHieVoGS_9BPoDm1jfWRBA3F_nUmeVZvO5_0MeLzKqBc9l1EEUe7ITJYPywDKsjXEnGW4Nc/s1600/space+blog+post.009.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BAWk1xRbJlacQKqLmRUyicnr0sE5b7R6rQhKZxDLgCzZdutFRSoPvmLf5xnMBVQOZ37G9lHieVoGS_9BPoDm1jfWRBA3F_nUmeVZvO5_0MeLzKqBc9l1EEUe7ITJYPywDKsjXEnGW4Nc/s640/space+blog+post.009.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Then, she drew and wrote about her model:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4TVkjSCFW_W_fXLDJQPFj_8zoycmJ_mssdUjSqebgViXB9zeUiP5QxVS5pgYRTJ48oJUPgdFs_Vne7Dyjl3TsaQ68BIaBtA0rj6sWoK138uhgZyZG2wsAzsB24OWMd6nyukPik26yzyI/s1600/space+blog+post.010.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4TVkjSCFW_W_fXLDJQPFj_8zoycmJ_mssdUjSqebgViXB9zeUiP5QxVS5pgYRTJ48oJUPgdFs_Vne7Dyjl3TsaQ68BIaBtA0rj6sWoK138uhgZyZG2wsAzsB24OWMd6nyukPik26yzyI/s640/space+blog+post.010.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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My students also really enjoyed learning from the pictures in this book:<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0553521039" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Little-First-Space/dp/1426310145/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1523409930&sr=8-1&keywords=space+books+for+kids&linkCode=li3&tag=kindergarte0d-20&linkId=7df0447db2434e2d985df938947da7ed" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1426310145&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=kindergarte0d-20" width="400" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1426310145" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1426310366" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue"; text-align: left;">We began our inquiry by making a solar system out of black water beads and glow in the dark planets. My students unanimously decided that we needed black water beads for our background and of course we needed stars. </span><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue"; text-align: left;">Are stars yellow or white? How could we find our answer? Look in a book of course! My students were shocked to find out that stars can be white, yellow, red, and blue. It is so neat seeing even our youngest kiddos figuring out non-fiction text features through asking and answering questions. </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">When my students learned that the sun was a star, they had so many questions! We made a chart (inspired by </span></span></span><a href="http://mrsmyerskindergarten.blogspot.com/2016/04/our-space-inquiry.html" style="font-family: helveticaneue; text-align: left;">Darla Meyers </a><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue"; text-align: left;">class) to show our new learning about stars. Then, we went back to our solar system and added blue, red, yellow, and white water beads to represent stars. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOR1XRvSqOMl27MTZ0bJIGd7t3J5utiGSFXaLTH0S59WkGoP-iZFLE5zqn7xylV99peM1b4Buu8yyKRYV0zyViovPAdDFwQnArNReW5xw5b8r6qdhncYYMt64iOL6uV30oCObxfczrBRB/s1600/space+blog+post.002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOR1XRvSqOMl27MTZ0bJIGd7t3J5utiGSFXaLTH0S59WkGoP-iZFLE5zqn7xylV99peM1b4Buu8yyKRYV0zyViovPAdDFwQnArNReW5xw5b8r6qdhncYYMt64iOL6uV30oCObxfczrBRB/s640/space+blog+post.002.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Then, we made a large solar system on black butcher paper:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfatv1zWr4gTXJB_h6_DgcwAY8Tx0h4fHI5w61wNtCxPa0iTfrlpnaYn4r0j-O8W_UZIsa28UkZXZNIpR_JcBbXPX9cdl_fZyOUI79EuLoHzMuED7YQQcbfGC_vCvE-RTeZHemIBSbQ6O/s1600/space+blog+post.003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfatv1zWr4gTXJB_h6_DgcwAY8Tx0h4fHI5w61wNtCxPa0iTfrlpnaYn4r0j-O8W_UZIsa28UkZXZNIpR_JcBbXPX9cdl_fZyOUI79EuLoHzMuED7YQQcbfGC_vCvE-RTeZHemIBSbQ6O/s640/space+blog+post.003.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Below is our space small world play that we made out of <a href="https://amzn.to/2EBUThR">colored water beads</a> , <a href="https://amzn.to/2qlrBQh">black water beads</a>, and small <a href="https://amzn.to/2qnkLZJ">planets</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d2ADdcT3i5ZHvR2Dr0TfEHN13FUUZ5ZMWJ2t3LKbl5Aul-G_f9FMo6LyXMMPzb2jw-G1wHShN0YlHkSHe5e6oEyKwTPE10iDYbgmRrphMRqwnBMKFDwvI5cbIyGq6whaLMzIc8zH46IZ/s1600/space+blog+post.008.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d2ADdcT3i5ZHvR2Dr0TfEHN13FUUZ5ZMWJ2t3LKbl5Aul-G_f9FMo6LyXMMPzb2jw-G1wHShN0YlHkSHe5e6oEyKwTPE10iDYbgmRrphMRqwnBMKFDwvI5cbIyGq6whaLMzIc8zH46IZ/s640/space+blog+post.008.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue"; font-weight: normal;">We were challenged to make our own constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks. Their STEM challenge question was: can you make a constellation from marshmallows and toothpicks? We documented our learning by putting our final product on a piece of paper and glued confetti stars were the marshmallows were and then wrote about it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVga1Acnxhv2MiYcaAE3JK9xxcuFJeLqSFgL6MDz8YkV-UVkiHryxWBYbcwZq4fueqjoiIxg9OERcr34eM2t5-0BHxIqYPnmb41iZo55psj6ZCUnEUpBkvKm7aomvRxRoU-GKXre83cfg/s1600/space+blog+post.004.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVga1Acnxhv2MiYcaAE3JK9xxcuFJeLqSFgL6MDz8YkV-UVkiHryxWBYbcwZq4fueqjoiIxg9OERcr34eM2t5-0BHxIqYPnmb41iZo55psj6ZCUnEUpBkvKm7aomvRxRoU-GKXre83cfg/s640/space+blog+post.004.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMQJaCpcV3XSe718aVYpg0-D9PxX4oqFI02h_C7GiYNEhpc8BNswrm6F5fhyD4anDVYuzPzXGuVXTWjEQFTHATlybJmiNsD6bf3JovL-XHIApYWFxizGCkwOKceiesbd8G3Jz4LUu5XM-/s1600/space+blog+post.005.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMQJaCpcV3XSe718aVYpg0-D9PxX4oqFI02h_C7GiYNEhpc8BNswrm6F5fhyD4anDVYuzPzXGuVXTWjEQFTHATlybJmiNsD6bf3JovL-XHIApYWFxizGCkwOKceiesbd8G3Jz4LUu5XM-/s640/space+blog+post.005.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHVMtQBDzNtBSKEDVcp3lVcyXCS57px1mvnTQdRbTATjRqUEu0wWM5aPiz3Twu11_YDI3aVCTWByWjjVDWdz_9vwt5Jc8-r3ir7wYA50_s7iBY0rPbSbkzZaxIyEAMg9EgyejjjE6Tco0/s1600/space+blog+post.006.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHVMtQBDzNtBSKEDVcp3lVcyXCS57px1mvnTQdRbTATjRqUEu0wWM5aPiz3Twu11_YDI3aVCTWByWjjVDWdz_9vwt5Jc8-r3ir7wYA50_s7iBY0rPbSbkzZaxIyEAMg9EgyejjjE6Tco0/s640/space+blog+post.006.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJumElLOyZvxj9gcKxBN7UgEWevA0pkwkkQ1zecTBGdnWEp2nbvV0jm474qH3FqV-5CLSzk33Yy27NjiMJvDEuDtY6UM6bOlSd5yxxbA-093A9jqHX50lrngguK78Q0mTQX5IOVrp3mmkS/s1600/space+blog+post.007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJumElLOyZvxj9gcKxBN7UgEWevA0pkwkkQ1zecTBGdnWEp2nbvV0jm474qH3FqV-5CLSzk33Yy27NjiMJvDEuDtY6UM6bOlSd5yxxbA-093A9jqHX50lrngguK78Q0mTQX5IOVrp3mmkS/s640/space+blog+post.007.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made a bear in the sky!</td></tr>
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We learned about Van Gogh and made pictures inspired by The Starry Night painting. First, we practiced making swirls on aluminum foil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIw4TafRl0W5k7WB4nfUT9uXrzFezhUOJyqvomKH-S1vACaQ2bBNqA6EhXWcNn1hJsuq-TESFuFMqXBhuMiWvG_f7KSfsD7KKuPUa1Rp_RqlAiE0r_A0DJ-xAqMTcj1bxTjSvJS-LKZlA/s1600/space+blog+post.012.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIw4TafRl0W5k7WB4nfUT9uXrzFezhUOJyqvomKH-S1vACaQ2bBNqA6EhXWcNn1hJsuq-TESFuFMqXBhuMiWvG_f7KSfsD7KKuPUa1Rp_RqlAiE0r_A0DJ-xAqMTcj1bxTjSvJS-LKZlA/s640/space+blog+post.012.jpeg" width="640" /></a>Then, we made our own pictures inspired by Van Gogh. We used chalk pastels, but if I were to do this again, I would use oil pastels.<br />
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Last, we explored the different types of planets. We made craters by dropping pebbles into white play dough to model Mercury. We made volcanos to demonstrate the surface of Venus. And, we blew up a balloon by using baking soda and vinegar to demonstrate that some planets are made of gas and not rock. (Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of these activities).<br />
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I hope you found some fun activities to incorporate into your next space unit!<br />
Happy Teaching,<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhGiHtlajGOlX8f9XzJYLMXBRMaGhu2idparVRKAZm_CntIzSO0qzuhyphenhyphen0eIDUpiMMZ4pHJZY3mU5C2JsSWQ85AoI4Pp_GPICf7NbyVLF7FU9gC3NF83LdzGbOTeFQK8jw0fdQkinx4N3W/s1600/Signature+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhGiHtlajGOlX8f9XzJYLMXBRMaGhu2idparVRKAZm_CntIzSO0qzuhyphenhyphen0eIDUpiMMZ4pHJZY3mU5C2JsSWQ85AoI4Pp_GPICf7NbyVLF7FU9gC3NF83LdzGbOTeFQK8jw0fdQkinx4N3W/s1600/Signature+1.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Please note that the links above are Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase something through this link, Amazon will send me a small compensation at no cost to you. </span><br />
<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-5809899251201766502018-03-04T18:55:00.000-08:002019-02-16T19:22:23.958-08:00Fun and Easy St. Patrick's Day Ideas for your Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYqW_H_v-AuFkwq7oOmDAdppxam-KG6XWMCyNils08mdpouJfkMrpsvtqomSoj9n4k_mLV_Jl2_Nj2NVaqryG5NurShA97YFELg_0Ao7HKRvvffbFsKcXJist9DSrzMUT4RBNPlpV1nMI/s1600/st+patricks+day+pin+.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYqW_H_v-AuFkwq7oOmDAdppxam-KG6XWMCyNils08mdpouJfkMrpsvtqomSoj9n4k_mLV_Jl2_Nj2NVaqryG5NurShA97YFELg_0Ao7HKRvvffbFsKcXJist9DSrzMUT4RBNPlpV1nMI/s640/st+patricks+day+pin+.001.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div>
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St. Patrick's Day is always a magical time for our students. The little leprechaun that comes to visit our classroom adds so much fun and excitement to an engaging week of learning.<br />
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Some of my favorite books to read with the kids during this week include:<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Night-Before-St-Patricks-Day/dp/0448448521/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1520994255&sr=8-1&keywords=the+night+before+st+patrick%27s+day&linkCode=li3&tag=kindergarte0d-20&linkId=70433ea32cb90c7552ef05e48a3d5bac" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0448448521&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=kindergarte0d-20" width="634" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0448448521" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Catch-Leprechaun-Adam-Wallace/dp/1492632910/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520994773&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+catch+a+leprechaun&linkCode=li3&tag=kindergarte0d-20&linkId=eb8df2fdb6026aa6a3a11bad07b81310" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1492632910&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=kindergarte0d-20" width="640" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1492632910" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thats-What-Leprechauns-Eve-Bunting/dp/0547076738/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1520994255&sr=8-5&keywords=the+night+before+st+patrick%27s+day&linkCode=li3&tag=kindergarte0d-20&linkId=8b6212fd39ab2c24c53eeb4ee6c83d8b" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0547076738&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=kindergarte0d-20" width="478" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0547076738" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/There-Was-Lady-Swallowed-Clover/dp/0545352223/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520994910&sr=1-1&keywords=i+know+an+old+lady+who+swallowed+a+clover&linkCode=li3&tag=kindergarte0d-20&linkId=6602a1d235d3616abdf2481e63ecfcc3" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0545352223&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=kindergarte0d-20" width="512" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kindergarte0d-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0545352223" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Everyone knows that if you want to catch a leprechaun, you have to find one and the best way to do that is to look at the end of a rainbow. But where can we find a rainbow? How are they made? What type of weather do we need to see a rainbow? This simple science experiment is a great way to begin investigating these answers. All you need is a dark room, a small mirror, a glass of water, and a flashlight. Place the mirror in the cup of water and shine the flashlight at the mirror. A rainbow will appear on your wall or ceiling. You can see each of the bands of light and it is fascinating! This is one of my students drawings of the different color bands.<br />
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Some other great resources to check out for videos about this topic is the StoryBots episode: Why is the Sky Blue? (There is a part where an artist shows the different colors of light). Astronomer Amy from Ready, Jet, Go also has a nice clip about prisms and how they work.<br />
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Learning about rainbows cannot be complete without the Skittles science experiment. It is so fun and easy. All you need to do it put the skittles in a circle around a plate, pour water on top, and watch the magic happen!<br />
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The leprechaun is a pretty tricky little guy and likes to visit our classroom while my students are away. Last year he left ingredients for a shamrock shake, fun leprechaun rocks, and even peed in our toilet. Well, only because we asked him to… lol. This is a great opportunity for a little letter writing practice. We tried to catch him, but unfortunately we were unsuccessful. Maybe next year...<br />
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Leprechaun rocks are super easy to make. All you need is gold coins, baking soda, water, and green food coloring. Check out the <a href="https://www.giftofcuriosity.com/magic-leprechaun-rocks-st-patricks-activity/">Gift of Curiosity's</a> blog post on how to make these. When the leprechaun drops off these rocks, make sure to leave "water" in a bottle next to them... The last trick is that the water is actually vinegar. <br />
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So fun!</div>
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Shamrock Shakes are easy to make and so cute! We put a little green food coloring on the bottom of our cups, added a scoop of vanilla ice cream, poured Sprite on top, and then added rainbow sprinkles on top. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vSfdHJk3bLaxNjhyphenhyphenSjsTHLpAJQzmdQJ25MYLETOQ2pY5qNjxCCuinlrLUgz_rqcZ9WBpyi6K6tY1XZYqAF69iQrjI-pgoSIfhaOoTurEvYRiaiIlvjjzONV449i9Njhk6c2laV82wbeH/s1600/St+Patricks+Day.003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vSfdHJk3bLaxNjhyphenhyphenSjsTHLpAJQzmdQJ25MYLETOQ2pY5qNjxCCuinlrLUgz_rqcZ9WBpyi6K6tY1XZYqAF69iQrjI-pgoSIfhaOoTurEvYRiaiIlvjjzONV449i9Njhk6c2laV82wbeH/s640/St+Patricks+Day.003.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And to top off our fun, we even had some St. Patrick's Day math interactive notebooks.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZFQt8Rpf-duYs_R2i29sh8tNe7luWrOtbjPP0YjJxELa837LEpIVPB1b6SGnZCIof-bFTVFsiZ3a7oTEaqF6GL-fQlRf3DwQf2LagOypk6AvFPLpchJafyCEjBfnE5buJAKcqAFK1gS_/s1600/St+Patricks+Day.004.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZFQt8Rpf-duYs_R2i29sh8tNe7luWrOtbjPP0YjJxELa837LEpIVPB1b6SGnZCIof-bFTVFsiZ3a7oTEaqF6GL-fQlRf3DwQf2LagOypk6AvFPLpchJafyCEjBfnE5buJAKcqAFK1gS_/s640/St+Patricks+Day.004.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can find these in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Interactive-Math-Notebook-for-March-2392426">Teachers Pay Teachers</a> store if you are interested </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Happy St. Patrick's Day!<br />
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-7178556190781195562018-02-13T19:40:00.000-08:002018-02-13T19:41:22.554-08:00Valentine's Day "How To" WritingIn our classroom, we like to combine “how to” writing and sequencing. This week we are writing about how to make a Valentine’s Day card. I like to start by asking the class, how do you make a card for Valentine’s Day? It is always fun to hear their answers. I also read the book, “The Night Before Valentine’s Day” to help build a little background knowledge and excitement for the topic. Then, I had my students look at the sequencing pictures and help me put them in order.<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioYExykgVZOYoK88M5lqe1WMM9ZxjW5kxE56WGcwYnOKiQjEvR5mudCFbbM0EIfp30WeT-4kek3fmgnEOZWGcdrj-atQUq_Z6K7qgiBsXZ5c5iiwivrEklGG5xTDpwnD_x4j3_g0lGBIu/s1600/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioYExykgVZOYoK88M5lqe1WMM9ZxjW5kxE56WGcwYnOKiQjEvR5mudCFbbM0EIfp30WeT-4kek3fmgnEOZWGcdrj-atQUq_Z6K7qgiBsXZ5c5iiwivrEklGG5xTDpwnD_x4j3_g0lGBIu/s640/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.002.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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After that, we read our shared reading book on our interactive whiteboard. This is fun because we can highlight the sight words we know. I usually read the book during the first reading and then my students help me during the second reading. It is a little hard to see, but I turned the Smart Notebook pen into a highlighter and we found words we knew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQpaIyZbjCYN1_vg7ZNSy90cvhgzU8lEg9VBaimEBbStA0N4HlV4XUMusdXzXvN1AeJ22gz0bAGKJj7-aoaBaXsXtgqgyL4Yj4J51YHEmUw3p8NNdDdKo_2k5uuLtVPfq1VtsLF93aCRh/s1600/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQpaIyZbjCYN1_vg7ZNSy90cvhgzU8lEg9VBaimEBbStA0N4HlV4XUMusdXzXvN1AeJ22gz0bAGKJj7-aoaBaXsXtgqgyL4Yj4J51YHEmUw3p8NNdDdKo_2k5uuLtVPfq1VtsLF93aCRh/s640/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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We cut and pasted a sequencing page. </div>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nFDDbokKCAf0jYCqqkUwpaPdYK0L-Mhp2VilDQr_te5YT4-Q7kWlQMp5ZFMoP3ox9nb0SG3D52f1wcH_NQL7QKcHottXYEYzug-VyeZ5dvu5WebhW-bTpdtQybGBMd_wH2WkWy9zQ9en/s1600/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nFDDbokKCAf0jYCqqkUwpaPdYK0L-Mhp2VilDQr_te5YT4-Q7kWlQMp5ZFMoP3ox9nb0SG3D52f1wcH_NQL7QKcHottXYEYzug-VyeZ5dvu5WebhW-bTpdtQybGBMd_wH2WkWy9zQ9en/s640/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.003.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
Then, we made a card for our loved ones. I joined the fun by making a card for my parents :)<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZM35UOdqlrdPO1YjVzefzZZeBnpI13bLAC6iWk7XHwzavvqNckOyEI4QXwH9Ds1LvgOUOzas-5m6tclGWVDolJpIhK4YUonPsFEZy8NjNW1QJD_LgNkbaa6DoiPDW8mxr67AxbvxZSFS/s1600/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.004.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZM35UOdqlrdPO1YjVzefzZZeBnpI13bLAC6iWk7XHwzavvqNckOyEI4QXwH9Ds1LvgOUOzas-5m6tclGWVDolJpIhK4YUonPsFEZy8NjNW1QJD_LgNkbaa6DoiPDW8mxr67AxbvxZSFS/s640/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.004.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-ibKf88D82NSVf0TKnibFojcJxwGm-8Knf3HP4y2Q4XfXzQm25b1KzW493dTMr6zziPaEj_Uhd2B-TivfVhvv64EMRlpYA5xZUBi_vfphbAPl7HYgBKe5mcqAV45aR-GatpoJez2ANsU/s1600/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.005.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-ibKf88D82NSVf0TKnibFojcJxwGm-8Knf3HP4y2Q4XfXzQm25b1KzW493dTMr6zziPaEj_Uhd2B-TivfVhvv64EMRlpYA5xZUBi_vfphbAPl7HYgBKe5mcqAV45aR-GatpoJez2ANsU/s640/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.005.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvytDDpDJIhY82D9arfZhODvqcJVv49tIkvyO_5Zhyphenhyphen_y-W32cxP929GxoLFJdThLEPvBYU5w0aR6WmZeWUbea25eKQzTI8ArryU5r0exLicpMmT-9XKcq-sS0-6S2bjA8zrSEC9-8BGNyd/s1600/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.006.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvytDDpDJIhY82D9arfZhODvqcJVv49tIkvyO_5Zhyphenhyphen_y-W32cxP929GxoLFJdThLEPvBYU5w0aR6WmZeWUbea25eKQzTI8ArryU5r0exLicpMmT-9XKcq-sS0-6S2bjA8zrSEC9-8BGNyd/s640/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.006.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />
After all of the fun, we wanted to teach others about what we knew. We are in the process of using the sequencing pictures and interactive writing to make a poster so we can hang it up and teach others. We will finish that up tomorrow!<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_oT3-57SoFAMvKYU5SBBXIwZNu0zTCaWO1B4q8JNRgUz1XEVnIvrxqnqmcrk8GiyEwB7R4GUWtec94ynF9FxGtya5wYmJWLnV4ZBijt7OFkWyy6TCOd6u5sAnyMlEZsIQt2uqopwshKP/s1600/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_oT3-57SoFAMvKYU5SBBXIwZNu0zTCaWO1B4q8JNRgUz1XEVnIvrxqnqmcrk8GiyEwB7R4GUWtec94ynF9FxGtya5wYmJWLnV4ZBijt7OFkWyy6TCOd6u5sAnyMlEZsIQt2uqopwshKP/s640/How+to+Make+a+Valentine%2527s+Day+Card+Blog+post.007.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
I just love kid writing! It's the best!<br />
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You can find these activities in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sequence-and-Write-How-to-Make-a-Valentines-Day-Card-2997276">Sequence and Write: How to Make a Valentine's Day Card</a> unit on Teachers Pay Teachers.<br />
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Happy Teaching!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhGiHtlajGOlX8f9XzJYLMXBRMaGhu2idparVRKAZm_CntIzSO0qzuhyphenhyphen0eIDUpiMMZ4pHJZY3mU5C2JsSWQ85AoI4Pp_GPICf7NbyVLF7FU9gC3NF83LdzGbOTeFQK8jw0fdQkinx4N3W/s1600/Signature+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhGiHtlajGOlX8f9XzJYLMXBRMaGhu2idparVRKAZm_CntIzSO0qzuhyphenhyphen0eIDUpiMMZ4pHJZY3mU5C2JsSWQ85AoI4Pp_GPICf7NbyVLF7FU9gC3NF83LdzGbOTeFQK8jw0fdQkinx4N3W/s1600/Signature+1.png" /></a><br />
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-7461274027312500202018-02-12T19:23:00.000-08:002019-01-03T08:08:49.649-08:00Polar Animal Inquiry<h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Learning about polar animals is always a favorite in January. I love helping students learn that some of the animals they thought may have lived together actually live in different parts of the world. When doing research, I always like to start by allowing them to browse a non-fiction books about the topic to spark their interest and help them get ready to ask questions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Then, we sorted arctic and an arctic animals. This gives me some nice information about prior knowledge and student interest. (Check out </span><a href="https://www.simplykinder.com/arctic-animal-videos/" style="font-weight: normal;">Simply Kinder's</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> website for some Kindergarten ready videos) I find that while my students may not have strong background knowledge for this topic, once they see the videos, they are always excited to learn more. We also completed a “I see, I think, I wonder” chart. This year, my students were super interested in penguins and fascinated by the narwhal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The kids always want to know how the animals stay warm in the cold waters. The classic blubber glove experiment is a great science experiment to help kids through the scientific process. It is so great to see their hypotheses and then construct their own knowledge from the experiment. Usually, kids think animals just have thick fur. We always take a look at walruses and wonder what they do because they don’t have fur like a polar bear. The kids put their hands in the water with ice (this year I added some arctic animals from the Safari Toob) to see what that felt like. Then, they tried the blubber glove and were amazed at the difference. We used the left over water to grow our water beads and then put the animals from our experiment into the water beads. </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />We also made these cute polar bear cups. You will need ice cream cups, chocolate chips, and mini Nilla Wafers. </span><br />
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">During our literacy workstations, the students were able to use “snow” playdough, the Toob animals, and glass pebbles (from Michaels) on a mirror to tell stories. They also used the water beads for storytelling as well. The kids helped decide to split our water beads in half so that one tub could be Arctic animals and the other could be Antarctic animals. We could NOT mix the two...lol! These non-fiction books were in Chick-fil-a kids meals last year. A student brought them in to share with the class.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Two of my favorite fiction books to read during this unit are “The Three Snow Bears” by Jan Brett and “Dear Polar Bear”. “The Three Snow Bears” is an arctic version of “The Three Little Bears” and great for retelling or acting out. “Dear Polar Bear” is a book about a lonely polar bear who writes letters to his bear friends around the world and a penguin postman who delivers them. The best part about this book is a map in the beginning of the book that shows how the penguin traveled to each part of the world to deliver the letters. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfssATKh6GbEdRMiTL8YjxHZMJVSZ3Fh0alqLEBwIr7pwV2KW9-taBMSU0EX0FpH7cr8r1jy7f3LS9GbAMnpRNb3nv2EneR0d-n8kxW27PPoiFObCEmKnaO2Kwp4J1g3q-fb4XYPb-bZS/s1600/51i-ktNaG0L._SY418_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="500" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfssATKh6GbEdRMiTL8YjxHZMJVSZ3Fh0alqLEBwIr7pwV2KW9-taBMSU0EX0FpH7cr8r1jy7f3LS9GbAMnpRNb3nv2EneR0d-n8kxW27PPoiFObCEmKnaO2Kwp4J1g3q-fb4XYPb-bZS/s320/51i-ktNaG0L._SY418_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" title="https://janbrett.com/bookstores/three_snow_bears_book.htm" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture to go to Jan Brett's website</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhBQOeeBrSGq7mMxHuYJxqhxKOrv4fBb_8IFff3IMDYCLdUALM073WklC-Q4Z9ffddCE2siD-Av-aKdJw9D9OpParsDlCwa5fhw0We8jci-ISpYyESsMP_u-BBu4XyEmRrU2XZgxBESF1/s1600/51CHFmNFO1L._SY497_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhBQOeeBrSGq7mMxHuYJxqhxKOrv4fBb_8IFff3IMDYCLdUALM073WklC-Q4Z9ffddCE2siD-Av-aKdJw9D9OpParsDlCwa5fhw0We8jci-ISpYyESsMP_u-BBu4XyEmRrU2XZgxBESF1/s320/51CHFmNFO1L._SY497_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" title="https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Polar-Bear-Barry-Ablett/dp/0545000688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518491269&sr=1-1&keywords=dear+polar+bear" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture to go to Amazon to check out the book <br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The last part of our inquiry was about penguins. We watched a penguin video from Scholastic News and read a non-fiction book about penguins. We learned that emperor penguins are 4 ft tall so we use a tape measure to draw an emperor penguin to scale on butcher paper. Then, we stood next to the penguins to see how tall we were compared to a penguin. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Then we learned how penguins kept their eggs in their feet so we used a ball to practice walking with an egg. This brought about lots of laughs. Then we huddled together for warmth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">We ended the unit with a stem challenge. I froze the Toob animals in small mason jars. The kids were presented with the problem: Your animals are stuck in the ice. You only have salt, a plastic spoon, and a plastic knife. How will you get the animals out of the ice?</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Happy Teaching!</span><br />
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Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-86250621472128867612018-01-25T20:17:00.000-08:002019-01-03T08:08:04.975-08:00Easy and Fun Snowflake Activities for Kindergarten <br />
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Reading the book, Snowflake Bentley, was a nice catalyst to helping my students ask questions about snowflakes and really just get them interested in the topic. The week earlier, I had tried to spark their interest through pictures, discussion, and some art projects. While they truly enjoyed the art projects, they weren’t yet asking the questions I was hoping to get to spark deeper learning. <br />
I stumbled across Snowflake Bentley and thought I’d give it a try. I think everyone else may have known about the book, but to be honest, I hadn’t until I saw some cute clip art on Teachers Pay Teachers. Apparently the clip art sparked my own person inquiry...lol. We read the book in somewhat of an unconventional manner. I had planned to just read the book all of the way through, but as we started reading it, my plans changed. Seems to me that some of my best plans happen on the fly during the time I had planned to do something else. Anyone with me? As we read, I stopped to ask questions of the kids that might have been going though Wilson Bentley’s head as he was trying to figure out how to catch and share the beauty of snowflakes. Some questions emerged such as:<br />
*How do you catch a snowflake?<br />
*Can you catch it in your hand?<br />
*If you bring snow inside and it melts, what happens when you put it back outside? Does it turn back into snow?<br />
*Will snow melt if you put it in a jar and close it?<br />
*Do snowflakes just come from the sky?<br />
*How do snowflakes form?<br />
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It was the perfect day for this activity because not only did we have snow on the ground, there were flurries throughout the day. We got out our magnifying glasses, making us feel like scientists (hello engagement!) and got to work. Finally, as we read about how Snowflake Bentley captured them in his pictures, we came up with an idea. We got into groups, put black paper on trays, got our magnifying glasses, and went outside. Finally, we were able to catch snowflakes and have them stay together long enough for us to look at them with our magnifying glasses (unfortunately, not long enough for a good picture). Huzzah! We were victorious!<br />
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Since that time, we have learned that snowflakes have six points, are shaped like a hexagon, and are formed from tiny specks in the clouds. We have been retelling the main idea and three important details from the book. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The headers for our retelling can be found <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Retell-a-Story-Anchor-Charts-and-Graphic-Organizers-for-Any-Book-3571467">here</a>. They are part of my retelling pack for fiction and non-fiction books.<br />
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We have also been learning about the difference between a magnifying glass and a microscope and exploring both of those tools. Science is cool!</div>
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Once we were excited about snowflakes, I put out a Snowflake provocation which sparked some writing as well. </div>
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This was so fun after exploring snowflakes!</div>
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We also had fun with an easy art project. We painted craft sticks with <a href="https://www.thepencilgrip.com/">Kwik Stix paint</a> (if you haven't tried them, you must! They are paint sticks that go on like a glue stick and dry in 60 seconds. If you'd like to try them yourself, you can click the link above and use the code COFFEETALK10 to get 10% off.), squeezed some glue on top, added a little glitter, glued the sticks together, and we made beautiful snowflakes. The picture does not do the final product justice!<br />
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Happy Teaching,<br />
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Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-41173240159372119702016-10-23T08:37:00.002-07:002016-10-23T08:37:49.346-07:00Teaching Through Themes: Fire Safety WeekThis past week we learned all about fire safety. In preparation for this week, I had a discussion with my class about fire safety and learned we had a lot of misconceptions. Our fall break (yay!) fell during the middle of that week so I decided to postpone it so that we could spend a full week learning how to be safe. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/campaigns/fire-prevention-week" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5U-Qq1MmfJ0xzJK3U4x3mmPhrEyMcXNGIaZ8fTspaUGHCIpSK3QOcT2Fnv9TRXUOFvu384BeHbmEWQrU5xr3R5tugtWBSam_FKMX36KBndy322w7vjUEpo_C9zC8AIyTEhS8-RE4Tw056/s640/FPW16Infographic.jpg" width="497" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture to go to NFPA's website</td></tr>
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We started off the week by talking about our schema and what questions we had about firefighters and fire safety. Then we spent some time looking at non-fiction text to help us label an color a firefighter and fire truck. Looking closely at non-fiction text has helped us realize that we can get our questions answered through books. It has also helped us label and have our colors make sense in our pictures when writing.</div>
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We had some fun making a replica of a hook and ladder truck! We used Boo Berry cereal as the firefighter driving the truck and a small marshmallow as a siren.</div>
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Then, we made firefighter hats and put out some fires. I found this idea <a href="http://www.mrspspecialties.com/2014/10/fire-safety-lesson.html?m=0">here</a> and had to do it! We took a field trip to one of the fire extinguishers in our school to check it out. Then we made a fire out of tissue paper in our cups. We added baking soda and sprayed in vinegar to watch the "fire extinguisher" put out the fire. </div>
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Can we say fun?! We also read a firefighter emergent reader so we could practice sight words and vocabulary. </div>
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And our shared reading was all about being safe if there is a fire. Here is one of the pages:</div>
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Throughout the week we also played this great firefighter game from <a href="http://consumersafety.org/">consumersafety.org</a></div>
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What do you do for Fire Safety Week?</div>
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Happy Teaching!<br />
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-56518935141851532812016-06-28T20:27:00.003-07:002016-06-28T20:30:21.710-07:00Text Dependent Questions: Chapter 1I am so excited to be back at blogging. Trying to find time to blog with a 3 year old and 3 month old has been a new adventure, but I am slowly learning how to make it work. One of my favorite things to do is read professional development books (#totalnerd) so I thought this was the perfect way to get back into blogging!<br />
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I am so excited to be linking up with <a href="http://mrswillskindergarten.com/">Mrs. Wills Kindergarten</a> for her book study! Her blog has been super helpful to me over the years!<br />
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One of the fabulous things about my job is that I have the freedom to choose my own books. When I read this chapter I kept hearing myself say yes! this is exactly what I need to do. From now on, I will be using the four phases of close reading when picking books. Not all books are appropriate for close reading...which has been my hang up in the past. It is going to take some practice to pick books out in this way, but I am excited to try.</div>
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I like the idea of giving my kids a space to struggle. Questions that fall into our students' zone of proximal development is a sweet spot where we see the most growth. The authors tell us that the amount of support we give in our students' struggle is on a continuum. We have to remember that as a class e are learning how to read books just as much as we are learning about the author and book itself. For us as teachers, we also have to remind ourselves that it is about practice not perfection. We need to allow ourselves space to struggle with this new teaching practice as well.</div>
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I love trying out new practices in my classroom. This is especially true when they are taking my class into a direction that follows best practice! It really can be a messy practice. Muddling through something new does not always go right the first time (so hard for me!), but getting messy is the best way to learn how to integrate new practices into your own teaching style. </div>
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I look forward to getting more practice with the four phases of close reading. I feel like I am building an anchor chart in my head to refer to when picking books and for lesson planning. My first a-ha moment is the organization and understanding I am beginning to feel around close reading. My second a-ha is collaboration between teachers and students as well as the class learning from each other. We, as a class, are learning how to learn from books together.<br />
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Looking forward to chapter 2!<br />
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-26982348962314124862016-02-27T07:39:00.002-08:002016-02-27T08:23:20.019-08:00Having fun with FlocabularyHave you heard of Flocabulary? It is a fun and engaging program that will help your students learn through educational hip-hop music. They have content that spans all grade levels, all subject areas, lesson plans, resources, and assessments that are Common Core aligned to help you with your planning. They have over 700 videos (and counting) to support your instruction in math, science, social studies, ELA, vocabulary, current events, and life skills. And the website is easy to manage! Check out the picture below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLBYrRD1-hKNa5ZGYS9CRmfjhmbNUlaFZ8XJcv8xgP692SmgGBX5_-eQ6eMaauiZIreALV9Nncf8bE_rXCX-fnroWphlaofrEi59afeJFlOLQ7jZlcxMi7Jr1qtf4_MYpmXanUXbj_IPY/s1600/Snip20160227_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLBYrRD1-hKNa5ZGYS9CRmfjhmbNUlaFZ8XJcv8xgP692SmgGBX5_-eQ6eMaauiZIreALV9Nncf8bE_rXCX-fnroWphlaofrEi59afeJFlOLQ7jZlcxMi7Jr1qtf4_MYpmXanUXbj_IPY/s640/Snip20160227_1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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In my class, we love the vocabulary videos. The kids love to watch them, dance, and act them out. I love the vocabulary instruction and the speed of the rhymes. My students are able to act out the vocabulary words introduced in the videos because the pace is just right for them! (I apologize for not having a picture of my classroom using Flocabulary. My projector is having some issues so the color is very off right now.)<br />
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Would you like to explore Flocabulary and see if it is right for your classroom? Click on the image below to start your free trial. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flocabulary.com/promo/WTB2016/"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo20GBqG_mUhsI3mNK9_d-d2RD2y_A_P7b_MLIlM8zFk19ZZ2FRjeebZNIP5rGokCeXXnFQvCjJIX61esXSIIltFUf3PPylHA2j1sAPKusqrY1kzzlu33YHJfsOuVK6mQwCVbK-i39KoBe/s640/unspecified.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I hope you love Flocabulary as much as we do! <br />
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Happy Teaching,<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Gxm3sCSsPZ8%2FVtHB0JXydCI%2FAAAAAAAAAks%2FWzu_LXf3MDo%2Fs640%2FSnip20160227_1.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 144px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Gxm3sCSsPZ8%2FVtHB0JXydCI%2FAAAAAAAAAks%2FWzu_LXf3MDo%2Fs640%2FSnip20160227_1.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 144px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-60025918252956712192015-12-18T15:04:00.003-08:002018-12-16T05:47:58.218-08:00Five For Friday: It's almost winter break!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
I am linking up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2015/12/five-for-friday-linky-party-december_18.html">Doodle Bugs Teaching</a> for Five for Friday!</div>
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The week before break is always jam packed and this year was no exception!</div>
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I tried something new I found on Pinterest for parent gifts this year (I think it was from <a href="http://firstgradeblueskies.com/">First Grade Blue Skies</a>. Everything she does is so cute!). We made handprint snowman canvases for our parents this year and they turned out super cute! All you need is a small canvas, acrylic paint, the kids hands and some sharpies. I had never used a canvas before, but this gift could not have been easier. All you have to do is have the student write their names on the back and the year, paint the canvas, paint their hand, and then decorate to make snowmen. </div>
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We have had a lot of fun practicing "How To" writing in the past couple of weeks. This time of year it is always fun to sequence and practice "How to Decorate a Christmas Tree." We started off by sequencing pictures and making a Christmas tree out of play dough. </div>
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These are the materials we used. The kids helped me decide that the small gems were lights and the large ones were ornaments. We also added bell and snowflake ornaments as well. I didn't get a picture of this, but the kids got such a kick out of putting the real ornaments on the tree (I found the glitter ones at the Target dollar spot... thank you Target!). I forgot to get stars for the top so we improvised with a snowflake. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWXuHrZbxrB_sYewvfdAcuewmvKj7GRBG8gTRqNIzRZ7_Zs0nNk-pIrrlKrwUfL8BZUH7lvYfGCuZpd6iXc4DTbjEMVypb6WnSLNqTrgangNj-C3f14FzqDmXj2ZvwgrearLAddZUjQPS/s1600/Divider-3_thumb3_thumb2_thumb%255B2%255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWXuHrZbxrB_sYewvfdAcuewmvKj7GRBG8gTRqNIzRZ7_Zs0nNk-pIrrlKrwUfL8BZUH7lvYfGCuZpd6iXc4DTbjEMVypb6WnSLNqTrgangNj-C3f14FzqDmXj2ZvwgrearLAddZUjQPS/s1600/Divider-3_thumb3_thumb2_thumb%255B2%255D.png" /></a></div>
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We also used our sequencing cards to build Christmas trees out of sugar cones. Yum! We used Skittles as ornaments and reserved a yellow Skittle for the star. Find this resource <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sequence-and-Write-How-to-Decorate-a-Christmas-Tree-2266904">here</a>!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0rRczxA5cGnMnx_UnV6QNYdzjfrNVVk85A62dMHO2Yyvzt3eVLsCNLwfRD2XfH1e14xJDn1aoUY-H6-441XNWUkj3A8PNiBrlDVKXVVJt9sQlP1IlGBtgAzQqOe1yuuhrdIJYate1JO_/s1600/Finished+cone+christmas+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0rRczxA5cGnMnx_UnV6QNYdzjfrNVVk85A62dMHO2Yyvzt3eVLsCNLwfRD2XfH1e14xJDn1aoUY-H6-441XNWUkj3A8PNiBrlDVKXVVJt9sQlP1IlGBtgAzQqOe1yuuhrdIJYate1JO_/s640/Finished+cone+christmas+tree.jpg" title="How to Decorate a Christmas tree" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is my new favorite way to send these masterpieces home:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yL9tFKskEhmA0ff8QCdtjjl6xNsNklH9psQKBOJqZDmEQXdw6lj7bOC_j7bjgsYhnw1kSr2ZMA287_8ysbBymekcZ82zerbs857BAoqPyBCWJj5Rf9Kg__nMB-qNoflOkRi3nHeyVNQv/s1600/sending+cones+home.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yL9tFKskEhmA0ff8QCdtjjl6xNsNklH9psQKBOJqZDmEQXdw6lj7bOC_j7bjgsYhnw1kSr2ZMA287_8ysbBymekcZ82zerbs857BAoqPyBCWJj5Rf9Kg__nMB-qNoflOkRi3nHeyVNQv/s640/sending+cones+home.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We transferred the trees to a bowl, put a cup on top, and then wrapped them in aluminum foil. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAjHjW63c0ZzQ4kdtxO55Utht2XUxt4MPHAuBySXqultnvDB4ZCaYzUmD7RfiW8sduzbR65Kas9BR_TnFjLksqEW-iy5rJr3O0__YQq0W3WsfTS117nA1-3_f7L00KUOOQmCDlLwk7m6s/s1600/Divider-4_thumb3_thumb2_thumb%255B2%255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAjHjW63c0ZzQ4kdtxO55Utht2XUxt4MPHAuBySXqultnvDB4ZCaYzUmD7RfiW8sduzbR65Kas9BR_TnFjLksqEW-iy5rJr3O0__YQq0W3WsfTS117nA1-3_f7L00KUOOQmCDlLwk7m6s/s1600/Divider-4_thumb3_thumb2_thumb%255B2%255D.png" /></a></div>
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All of these activities supported our interactive writing. I love interactive writing and so do my students. It can be a time consuming process, but it is such a great way to help kids in the zone of proximal development (but that is a post for another day). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1F6qkZoloSa4d415xnkKsYMKSNjiAcc-x8BJwBlTriaVx-sRaAcABtoPoghkXfzNm4PG6ByOG1yqm6IuLNFAovoY_TWqJ84BkJxFs3o7WkbV2iJd12nF1N1rTMGvs9e6xn2MCb5NnpXo/s640/How+to+Decorate+a+Christmas+Tree.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
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If you are interested in this resource, you can find it in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sequence-and-Write-How-to-Decorate-a-Christmas-Tree-2266904">TpT Store</a> </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsVfCe_nK3dSFtT3VSRTdUpYGeK82dk1eN1oNPuMStFs0qbFavBJek4eycSg1ITD0juMVy2Wc6TKiSU9xg9Zot2L2SqCwG2B7lnoVI2bzaLwheLdQpp43yf68Vdw-IKzVAVdxxnaL0ISp/s1600/Divider-5_thumb3_thumb2_thumb%255B2%255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsVfCe_nK3dSFtT3VSRTdUpYGeK82dk1eN1oNPuMStFs0qbFavBJek4eycSg1ITD0juMVy2Wc6TKiSU9xg9Zot2L2SqCwG2B7lnoVI2bzaLwheLdQpp43yf68Vdw-IKzVAVdxxnaL0ISp/s1600/Divider-5_thumb3_thumb2_thumb%255B2%255D.png" /></a></div>
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I just discovered PicMonkey this week and it has changed my life! It is a free easy way to edit your pictures. <a href="http://www.stepinto2ndgrade.com/2015/09/using-picmonkey-to-edit-pictures.html">Amy Lemons from Step into 2nd Grade</a> has a great tutorial on how to use it.</div>
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Happy Holidays! </div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Clcf9w770SQ%2FVSfOwJ62rbI%2FAAAAAAAAAI0%2FqTAOS4gVcIA%2Fs320%2Ffiveforfriday2_thumb3_thumb2_thumb_thumb.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 36px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Clcf9w770SQ%2FVSfOwJ62rbI%2FAAAAAAAAAI0%2FqTAOS4gVcIA%2Fs320%2Ffiveforfriday2_thumb3_thumb2_thumb_thumb.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 36px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-33287428561299343062015-11-01T18:43:00.000-08:002015-11-01T18:43:51.634-08:00Currently-November<br />
I am linking up again with Farley from <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/">Oh' Boy 4th Grade</a> for the November Currently. I have been a little (a lot) absent from my blog recently because:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ay3MNbViGncn8wNIVDXw9zHQtk42yfLqgo2moP6Eo4DOpAUHBdYS261LIiXVX0fIIma-lpgSML_8ZlX0z0hxT-n5w9086WqN479IdNMud55A7ZRKDIe8EmR1FjoOoCZB1E0IBMez2Dh4/s1600/Slide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ay3MNbViGncn8wNIVDXw9zHQtk42yfLqgo2moP6Eo4DOpAUHBdYS261LIiXVX0fIIma-lpgSML_8ZlX0z0hxT-n5w9086WqN479IdNMud55A7ZRKDIe8EmR1FjoOoCZB1E0IBMez2Dh4/s400/Slide2.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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I have a few post ideas in draft form right now and excited for currently to help me get back into the groove!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EowmCcxRZ8z9CBRRQpcsPoA_gYPwkq1VbQA4CY2K-SJh5Zued645ZY5xMJvVkeE55tSWStkUAYbSN9SzphWf1Vrjx2gaqjAMEcjpdednLexOpwKPWkN8YwYSe-myy0WX9dSK0MaTcIlg/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EowmCcxRZ8z9CBRRQpcsPoA_gYPwkq1VbQA4CY2K-SJh5Zued645ZY5xMJvVkeE55tSWStkUAYbSN9SzphWf1Vrjx2gaqjAMEcjpdednLexOpwKPWkN8YwYSe-myy0WX9dSK0MaTcIlg/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
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Listening: To my husband and son playing...there really is no better sound then all of those giggles. </div>
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Loving: The cooler autumn weather. </div>
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Thinking: I can't believe it is November already. Where does the time go? </div>
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Wanting: A nap. I love naps right now and gaining an extra hour is fabulous, except for when your 2.5 year old wakes up at 7 AM. </div>
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Needing: I am giving a parent presentation on phonological awareness in about a week and a half. Yikes! I am nervous because I want to make it fun and informative. I have a rough draft right now that is just content. I can't wait to add fun graphics and clipart :)</div>
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Yummy: I love a good pumpkin pie! Really, I love any kind of pie. Costco has the best pumpkin and apple pies this time of year. Yum! :) </div>
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Happy November!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhGiHtlajGOlX8f9XzJYLMXBRMaGhu2idparVRKAZm_CntIzSO0qzuhyphenhyphen0eIDUpiMMZ4pHJZY3mU5C2JsSWQ85AoI4Pp_GPICf7NbyVLF7FU9gC3NF83LdzGbOTeFQK8jw0fdQkinx4N3W/s1600/Signature+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhGiHtlajGOlX8f9XzJYLMXBRMaGhu2idparVRKAZm_CntIzSO0qzuhyphenhyphen0eIDUpiMMZ4pHJZY3mU5C2JsSWQ85AoI4Pp_GPICf7NbyVLF7FU9gC3NF83LdzGbOTeFQK8jw0fdQkinx4N3W/s1600/Signature+1.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-t9w6_qUE_oI%2FVjbGbt_jJXI%2FAAAAAAAAAiI%2Ft9XMs4VyFb4%2Fs320%2FIMG_1829.JPG&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 72px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-t9w6_qUE_oI%2FVjbGbt_jJXI%2FAAAAAAAAAiI%2Ft9XMs4VyFb4%2Fs320%2FIMG_1829.JPG&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 72px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-11420990062021912282015-09-05T10:46:00.000-07:002015-09-05T10:46:21.896-07:00Do you GoNoodle?If you don't, you need to check it out! It is a must in my classroom. I don't know how I ever taught without it! <a href="http://www.gonoodle.com/">GoNoodle</a> is great for a brain break. The kids are up, they are moving, and everyone is happy. <br />
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I am linking up with other GoNoodle bloggers for the GoNoodle Blogger Blitz to give you a glimpse of how we use GoNoodle in the classroom. Check out everyones posts for fun giveaways too!<br />
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<a href="http://www.gonoodle.com/"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUuI-6vDKCP6UEiMYraN8HL90mMemk-0XIY_GkXCkDA4dw4UB6ze9bzyjNtsFahQ_xdJbeqbeQ5DWtWAneK05xLQwOFc98fNs1SrAaLvZTTe3rAqu_8Tkl6zBtaqFqT7d8yOjVIUanFPf/s320/Blogger+Blitz+Image.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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My FAV-O-RITE (I am saying this just like Eric Litwin singing the song to Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons) way to use GoNoodle is with the Scoreboard from Whole Brain Teaching. It is easy and so motivating. My scoreboard is this simple whiteboard (see picture below). Kids get points by following the rules (the happy face) and the teacher earns points when they don't (sad face). Neither kids nor teacher can be up more than three points on each other. At the end of the day (or in the middle at the beginning of the year), we calculate the difference in points and the kids earn "GoNoodles" for each extra point they have.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJn6xz8Hq8J-ShXSB9-4wni6hQnYjhlXQ2LZHe3qcXElSgeFDxSNdId3IoyV2vpXeOatlay6AwAA7JeVsQ31asEXAxiVcNvK0LDU1O96A5GV-Kz_CPNunCog4rtubrHrrcfFlXp244YIU/s1600/IMG_1467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJn6xz8Hq8J-ShXSB9-4wni6hQnYjhlXQ2LZHe3qcXElSgeFDxSNdId3IoyV2vpXeOatlay6AwAA7JeVsQ31asEXAxiVcNvK0LDU1O96A5GV-Kz_CPNunCog4rtubrHrrcfFlXp244YIU/s320/IMG_1467.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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We also love using GoNoodle during Morning Meeting. The handshakes from the Koo Koo Kangaroo channel are perfect for our greeting!<br />
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Now for a little fun! Between September 4th-11th the <a href="http://shop.gonoodle.com/">GoNoodle Shop</a> is 15% off with the code BTSwithGoNoodle. I may have to get some champ stickers and temporary tattoos for my students! They would be so excited!<br />
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And last but certainly not least, a giveaway! I am giving away <a href="http://shop.gonoodle.com/products/eraselet">Eraselets</a> from the GoNoodle Shop. They are bracelets and erasers in one. No more erasers rolling around the classroom! Leave a comment and let me know how you use GoNoodle in your class and I will pick a winner at the end of next week!<br />
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<a href="http://shop.gonoodle.com/products/eraselet"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVcgqZXNUnS7p10RXLha1kGJ7hOh-9XTN-DSpQEeDPfCMx6eIffFb90QF_z7WAwsULRkdqaYb_nOFspdMZ6fc5SzqCW5ZuBN5DI_ymPclaEUqLWNFuqI-o0p6OjnbBfkCIOBrc_XTq5ql/s200/GN_5_of_22_1024x1024.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Happy GoNoodling!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-mg6RzlF_JQE%2FVej5Bomj2bI%2FAAAAAAAAAhE%2FhaiYRHp_i6s%2Fs320%2FBlogger%252BBlitz%252BImage.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 144px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-mg6RzlF_JQE%2FVej5Bomj2bI%2FAAAAAAAAAhE%2FhaiYRHp_i6s%2Fs320%2FBlogger%252BBlitz%252BImage.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 144px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-mg6RzlF_JQE%2FVej5Bomj2bI%2FAAAAAAAAAhE%2FhaiYRHp_i6s%2Fs320%2FBlogger%252BBlitz%252BImage.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 144px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-mg6RzlF_JQE%2FVej5Bomj2bI%2FAAAAAAAAAhE%2FhaiYRHp_i6s%2Fs320%2FBlogger%252BBlitz%252BImage.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 144px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-12268579307610969442015-07-29T10:24:00.003-07:002015-07-29T10:24:37.793-07:00I am Excited to Go Back to SchoolI go back to school next week. I can't believe it. Friends, don't get me wrong, I love teaching. But, that transition back to school is tough. Waking up, getting back into routine, busy all the time...it is a big change from those "lazy" days of summer. <br />
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If you have seen "Inside Out" you know my sadness and fear were taking over. Well, that train of though needs to come to a screeching halt! I needed to bring back my Joy. She needs to be in control. Does anyone else feel the same way?<br />
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That being said, my new goal has been to focus on the positives of going back to school and I hope you can join me in that endeavor.<br />
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1. <b>Go Noodle:</b> I can't wait to teach a new group about Pop See Ko and find out what this group's favorite song will be. Will they love the ninja training or want to get loose? Dancing and singing with my kiddos is probably one of the best parts of my day. Thank you GoNoodle and Koo Koo Kangaroo!<br />
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2. <b>The energy of a new group of kids: </b>It is contagious and exciting!<br />
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3. <b>School supplies. </b>I love new school supplies, color coding, and pretty planners. Wasn't that your first clue that you wanted to be a teacher? :)<br />
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4. <b>Introducing a new group of kids to Pete the Cat or Splat the Cat or Mercy Watson or the Pigeon books:</b> Each class is different, but one thing they always have in common is that they find a series of books to love. Two years ago my class LOVED Pete the Cat. They could recite them all from memory... even my most struggling readers. I had one student write his own "Pete the Cat" book. Last year, my class LOVED Splat and once we read the Pigeon books starting putting "talking bubbles" in all of their writing.<br />
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5. <b>Implementing my new summer learning:</b> This summer I participated in the Teaching with Intention Book Study hosted by Greg of the Kindergarten Smorgasboard. I also read "The Morning Meeting Book" from Responsive Classroom and am still working on "Teach Like a Pirate." I have lots of fun new ideas that I am excited to try. I really look forward to adding more games into my classroom, focusing on comprehension, and adding more fun science projects throughout the year.<br />
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Why are you excited to go back to school?<br />
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-19447367395991128422015-07-23T12:22:00.000-07:002015-07-23T12:22:37.161-07:00Kinder Tribe: Meet the Teacher <div style="text-align: center;">
I am linking up with the new Kinder Tribe collaborative blog for meet the teacher. Click on the button below to meet other fabulous Kindergarten teachers. </div>
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<a href="http://kindertribe.blogspot.ca/2015/07/all-about-this-kinder-teacher-first.html"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ObCfMZGOUckFSkjS0J1etOmOBVRjTBghowLVnjFH5NDG_T8Kg1VfoD8DauxN3hfqXyk1MTm7KDZUO11pc729y3QSaU6RM8qYmERH5f2kSeUtxNlesYSQdKyvjamOt888494BKF8-igTs/s320/linkypartygraphic.png" width="317" /></a></div>
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Here is a little about me:</div>
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<b>Years Teaching/Years in K:</b> This will be the start of my 11th year of teaching and 3rd year in Kindergarten. I have taught a variety of grades (and have enjoyed them all). However, Kinder is my favorite :)</div>
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<b>I can't live without my: </b>Coffee...teacher + 2 year old = coffee! I also LOVE GoNoodle. Back to school is tough, but I have to say that the idea of teaching Pop See Ko to a new group of kids is exciting. </div>
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<b>Favorite School Supply: </b>I love school supplies. When I read about the Pilot Frixion Pen, I had to try them. Let me tell you, they have changed my life. No more messy papers or notes to myself. </div>
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<b>Favorite Kinder Book:</b> My class and I love Splat the Cat and his friends like Seymour and Spike. We also love the <a href="http://www.mercywatson.com/">Mercy Watson</a> books by Kate DiCamillo. Between the hilarious antics of Mercy, her family, and the colorful illustrations, we love these early chapter books! </div>
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<b>Favorite Kinder Blog:</b> I found <a href="http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/">Mrs. Wills' Kindergarten </a>when I first knew I was moving to Kinder and I have loved it ever since. She is so knowledgeable, down to earth, and funny. I also had the opportunity to meet her last year at I Teach Kinder in Indianapolis and she was such a sweetheart in person. </div>
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<b>I love teaching Kinder because...</b> I love teaching beginning reading. The reading growth we see in a year is so neat to watch. I also love how loving Kinders are with you. I really enjoyed teaching older kids, but I learned that I need those little Kinder hugs to make it through the year. </div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-pPe85SZ3C0w%2FVbE46-bMadI%2FAAAAAAAAAeo%2FCh4WyEHsKCU%2Fs640%2FSlide1.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 106px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 428px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6421228674229696781%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-pPe85SZ3C0w%2FVbE46-bMadI%2FAAAAAAAAAeo%2FCh4WyEHsKCU%2Fs640%2FSlide1.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=TJaKKVtnrhaK&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 106px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 428px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-51237455171000839562015-07-16T07:44:00.001-07:002015-07-16T07:48:55.097-07:00Teaching with Intention: Chapter 6I am excited to be linking up with <a href="http://learningwithmrslangley.blogspot.com/2015/07/teaching-with-intention-chapter-6.html" target="_blank">Learning with Mrs. Langley</a>, <a href="http://dupreesclassroomadventures.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Teaching with a Southern Style</a>, <a href="http://jenhartdesign.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jen Hart Design</a>, and <a href="http://www.thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/" target="_blank">The Kindergarten Smorgasboard</a> for Chapter 6 of the Teaching with Intention book study.<br />
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I have a love/hate relationship with lesson planning. Don't get my wrong, I love a good lesson plan, but sometimes it seems as though I start off with my plans and end up going in an entirely different direction. Please tell me I am not the only one! The good news: the new direction is often better than what I was originally going for. The bad news: I spent a bunch of time planning and didn't use my time wisely.<br />
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Two things have really spoken to me as I have been reading:<br />
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1. I love Debbie's thought process for lesson planning. I really think it could be used for a workshop model in any subject.<br />
2. I read a lot, think I will remember all the great things I have learned, and then forget. So glad to know I am not the only one :)<br />
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With those two things in mind, I made myself another cheat sheet :)<br />
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Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8SGwM6zFzQda0NTQUM2RjJYYms/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">{here}</a> to download!</div>
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Happy Teaching!<br />
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Ok, back to the book study :)<br />
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I am linking up with the awesome Greg from <a href="http://www.thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/2015/07/a-kindergarten-smorgasboard-teaching.html" target="_blank">Kindergarten Smorgasboard</a> and Kelly from "From Kindergarten With Love" (ah, two froms... not sure what to do with that, my inner OCD is going crazy, but I am going with it!)<br />
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Chapter 5 focuses on teaching nonfiction concepts though the use of schema charts. These are so much better than the KWL charts that I used to use. I loved how Debbie (I feel like I know her now!) breaks down how she uses a schema chart in the classroom by taking us through a lesson on sharks. <br />
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I have done schema charts in the past, but I always felt like I was missing something. A large majority of my students do not have strong background knowledge. I struggled with trying to pull that out into a schema chart that we could use for teaching. As I was reading this chapter, I kept saying to myself, "Aha! I get it now!" <br />
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I love how she structured her file folder chart:<br />
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Schema- what we think we know.<br />
New learning- where we will put our new information.<br />
Misconceptions- information that we thought was true, but our new learning taught us that it was not. Questions we still have (for research)<br />
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I think in the beginning there will need to be a large amount of teacher think-aloud for my class. I always need to remember that this is a journey... a process. I am teaching my kiddos how to learn new information. How to bridge their background knowledge (whatever that might be) with new learning. It will build over time. And that is where we go back to the previous chapter and think about how we talk to our kiddos and help them to put their thinking on display. This is where I am going to go back to this cheat sheet:<br />
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPZUCvArsS2Wz9gpp8nVNTI3PRR-XCo2PiZ1OWIEqbS3HAjGhLL6d7EoBY5O8bn41KX3D0OFjuoWjPom4G21C6ptUjSr8_pmVdDQAysoLHU-l1yR3f-9XT-gaXPO3zZKWgYF01H-YE2GC/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="494" /></div>
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You can find this in my last post. <a href="http://kindergartencoffeetalk.blogspot.com/2015/06/teaching-with-intention-chapter-4.html" target="_blank">{here}</a></div>
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Happy Teaching,</div>
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<br />Jen Graffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01596333371733737437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6421228674229696781.post-35528049725622501002015-07-02T11:06:00.001-07:002015-07-02T11:06:27.691-07:00I Puffy Heart Whole Brain Teaching!!Do you use Whole Brain Teaching in your classroom? I just started using it this year and I LOVE it! I created my own Super Improvers Wall and Book for my kiddos to keep track of their points towards the next level. <br />
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Each book has a page for each level with black and white clipart to match. The pages have ten frames on them so that we can have fabulous behavior AND practice math. "I have ____ many more to make 5 or 10 ;). Then, I can move to the next level!"</div>
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Click on the picture and it will take you to this FREE (of course!) product on TpT.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Whole-Brain-Teaching-Super-Improvers-Wall-and-Book-1936091" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DZBM7QYZ3yGFj5mCvkDFcIHx_bOvfCtM1g4Ne_ubnv2vYAdWr0jeyNoOlwyvip06IrUzG-3S36Bod0ViZpKm3-89UbcsgDllM4ke1qWKvliliFFvkSB-cgRQTaLSr1tY0ixexY401idD/s320/Slide01.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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(Whole Brain Teaching is copyrighted by Chris Biffle and I claim no affiliation with or endorsement by Chris Biffle.)</div>
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Happy Teaching!<br />
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This week's challenge has inspired me to finish up and share my math journal for August. I made this resource for my classroom last year for independent spiral practice throughout the year, but I hadn't finished it up (or the other months) for TpT just yet. I hope you like it! You can find it on TpT <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Interactive-Math-Journal-for-August-1935718" target="_blank">{here}</a>. It (and the rest of my store!) will be on sale through the weekend!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Interactive-Math-Journal-for-August-1935718" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52jCIj5ip7zDpF7mMDDfyfqZKr8PmB_DrqsfiqlkHi9Aa4BCRpunGzrcJWK9mfRIEzCJajfjsRjGeeQKdWdOF7yRXaLNgFAuWS8Kuos8PgXgKhP4_bJev2Zi0zeZpzCjeHXJ2h88tSLeb/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">These math journals can be used for centers, morning work, guided/small group math, or large group instruction.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; line-height: 16px;">*I created these journals as a way for my students to practice math skills from each domain throughout the week/year. Each domain has an essential question and is aligned to the CCSS which are located both on the prompt and on an overview sheet for easy planning. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">*Each domain is set up in an alliteration format for the day of the week. This is how I use math journals in the classroom. However, you will notice that the prompts on each journal page do not have the day of the week. This is so that you are not tied to that format if it does not work for you in your classroom. </span><br />
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Below are some sample pages. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of my sample notebook or my students' work. </div>
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I am linking up with <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2015/06/currently-july-2015.html" target="_blank">Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade</a> for Currently!</div>
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Listening: I am currently listening to Wimbledon. I LOVE tennis! Wimbledon is one of my favorite majors to watch...probably because I get to watch the whole thing each year. Thank you summer break!<br />
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Loving: We are going to Disney World this Friday and then on a five day Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. I am so excited!<br />
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Thinking: I should be packing and yet I am blogging instead ;)<br />
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Wanting: The women's team to win the World Cup. Watching their game against Germany last night was awesome!<br />
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Needing: Sleep... We have been watching a lot of sports and binge watching True Detective and Game of Thrones. It is so easy to get hooked into watching just one more.<br />
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All Star: I love reading. These days I mostly read teacher books. I have so many I want to read and wish I could read them faster.<br />
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Click the images below to check out this weeks hosts' blog posts. These posts have some great ideas and helpful freebies.</div>
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<a href="http://www.schroedershenanigansin2nd.com/2015/06/teaching-with-intention-chapter-4.html#comment-form" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaCqciVZJPHZJYJCb-RMzBlAdRLgwZmh2XnUnJ7YvYEAa_uueoPM5zLpBLkJvJih_6MW3gXHQdzWHFZch_FfmnWxB9s3wq-UOCSdy57VXtHpcvD4mAAoihyphenhypheng9kL3bea38NB4f_1lRv70/s1600/BlogButton2.png" /></a> <a href="http://positivelylearning.blogspot.com/2015/06/teaching-with-intention-classroom.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g447/eschaff/Positively%20Learning/btn4.png" /></a></div>
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There are those kiddos out there who will learn no matter what you put out there. They can easily tap into their metacognition (thinking about thinking) and readily use it throughout the day and in a number of subject areas. But what about those kids who struggle to do this? Maybe they are your ELL kiddos or the kiddos who didn't get a strong background in literacy before they joined you in kindergarten. How can we help them? <br />
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Debbie outlines three things we can do as teachers to help "support and promote student thinking."<br />
1. Putting our thinking on display.<br />
2. The intentional use of language.<br />
3. Make thinking visible, public, and permanent.<br />
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When I was reading this chapter, I thought: close reading! This is such a powerful way to put your thinking on display. I am a newbie to close reading. I just started doing it this year, but whoa, what a difference it made. I found that one of the best ways to reach all of my students was to slow down, focus on one book, and put my thinking on display both verbally and visibly through anchor charts. This chart took us a week to complete and there was a lot of modeling on my part. However, I noticed that the quality of our questions improved throughout the week and then in the future. <br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Check out this post Tara from </span><a href="http://littlemindsatwork.blogspot.com/2014/05/kindergarten-close-reading-mega-post.html" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Little Minds at Work</a><span style="text-align: center;"> wrote about close reading. She is a wealth of knowledge on the subject!</span><br />
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One of my favorite ways to encourage my students to think is to build a positive and collaborative learning environment. When we teach our students how to listen and learn from their peers, we can also teach them how to encourage and help each other. In the beginning, I model this behavior for them. The kids think it is fun to be a part of the lesson. When we as teachers, notice and name thoughtful language and positive behavior, our students learn how to do that as well. After a lot of modeling, I encourage my students to help each other out throughout the day. I "listen in" to their conversations. For some students, this comes naturally. But for others it takes some training, repeated practice, and time. <br />
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It seems as though I am always saying:<br />
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"What do you think?"<br />
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"Can you tell me more about that?"<br />
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"That is such a great idea. Will you share it with your friends?"<br />
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Debbie gives us so many great words and phrases to use in the classroom with our students. I made a reference sheet for myself and want to share it with you! Click on the picture below to grab it.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8SGwM6zFzQdZmtXcUI4eXp2LXc/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0b-Z0sjngkvEdqEqI2aLD40wjiHUYWDXsXkHnDW5g9kR5eqiz7pceHWyvEWEgN8ZI7JajieE9gtaA4EC-J2gdKGGpJMJ14za3O3euEexZulDfsLsRT9BipCAUAyFY_nDKDSxgAAvEpz4/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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See you next week!</div>
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