Flashlight Fun

Turn out the lights. Give one student a flashlight. He/she will stand facing the Word Wall. Say this poem with your class:

“Flashlight, Flashlight, oh so bright,
Shine on a word with your light.”

The student will “shine” the flashlight on a Word Wall word. He/she will choose various students to guess the word. When the word is recognized, the students will write it on the recording sheet. It can be obtained by “clicking” on "Word Wall" picture below. The student who reads the correct word is the next one to hold the flashlight. Repeat the process over until all ten words are completed.

My students LOVE this activity!!! Not only are they practicing word recognition, but all of them are thoroughly engaged in the process.

  

Technology Activity

Technology is a part of our children's lives. It engages students to acquire and use higher-order thinking skills and their imagination. Imagination helps children grow up to become adults who are creative thinkers.

Each month, my students participate in a technology activity connected to a piece of literature which requires them to use their imagination and reinforces keyboarding skills.

This month, I read The Wartville Wizard. In this story, a man has the power to get rid of all of the trash forever. When someone litters, that piece of trash sticks to them! My students thought this was hilarious!!!

Using the Kid Pix program, I displayed a picture of a student on each computer. Then he/she used the rubber stamp option (comprised of various objects) to "stamp" objects on the following body parts: hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, cheeks, chin. These objects represented the trash the students threw away while walking through the town of Wartville. Here are some of the finished products:

    

    

These creations were displayed as a hallway bulletin board entitled "The Wartville Wizard". "Click" the recycling icon below to obtain the explanation of the activity. It was placed in the hallway to give "curious" viewers background knowledge.

I bet you will never litter again!
Happy Recycling!

Rain Sticks

After exploring the rainforest, students learn it rains almost every day there. Then, I share a "real" rain stick with my students. When tilted slowly, you can hear the rain trickling down from the sky. We discussed what materials could possibly be used to acquire that sound. Once this background knowledge is built, the students will be ready to create a rain stick of their own.

Materials Needed:

• paper towel tubes
• masking tape
• straight pins
• rice
• white construction paper

Preparation:

• Tape one end of the paper towel tube with masking tape
• Assign one bowl of straight pins per group (five students).
• Cut white construction paper to cover the tube.
• Trace and cut out two circles per student (to cover the ends of the paper towel tube)
• Discuss: How to slowly remove pins from the bowl so students do not prick their fingers. The teacher will model how to remove pins from the bowl and how to insert them into the tube.

Directions:
Give each student a paper towel tube. Tell them to begin inserting the straight pins. Remind students to scatter them around the tube. When there are enough pins, the teacher will place a small cup of rice in the tube. She will seal the other side of the tube with masking tape. Students will listen to the sound of their rain stick. If it does not sound like the original rain stick, they will need to add more pins. The straight pins slow the speed of the rice from dropping to the bottom so rapidly. Once the sound is imitated, give them a white piece of construction paper. The students will create a design on one side of the paper. The teacher will use Scotch tape to secure the paper onto the paper towel tube. Finally, the students will color two circles. The teacher will attach them using masking tape.

***While the students are working, put on "rainforest" music so they can feel the experience of walking through a rainforest.***

Enjoy!

Counting Coins

Counting coins is a challenging skill for first graders. Once they master pennies, nickels, and dimes... a quarter comes along. Sound familiar? Here is a little trick to help your students along the way.

What do you need? large U.S. coin cut-outs and a marker or dot stickers

By this time of the year, first graders should be very comfortable counting by 5s. Display a nickel and represent it with one dot. Each dot on the coin is equivalent to the value of five. A dime would receive two dots and a quarter has five dots. Since a penny is worth one cent, no dots (count on by ones).

Once you model this strategy to your students, allow them to work in pairs using slates and dry-erase markers to practice the application of this skill. Draw a series of coins. Ask the pairs to work as a team to create the dots and find the sum of these coins. Remind the teams to count each dot as five and count on by 1s for any pennies.

After reinforcing this activity several times, the students will begin to build the confidence needed to create the dots and count individually. They will become more enthusiastic about counting money. Satisfactory guaranteed! This framework is also known as the "Gradual Release of Responsibility".

Show Me the Money!

Potato Heads (Cross-Curricular Instruction)

What comes from potatoes? Some of my favorite foods... French fries, potato salad, sweet potato pie, and the list goes on. Here is a potato flavor of Cross-Curricular Instruction:

During Guided Reading, I read the stories Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato and The Enormous Potato to my students. Then they were given the opportunity to explore and investigate a real potato. Their findings were recorded on a potato book reproducible(Mailbox).

Add a tablespoon of Science: The students were each given a knee-high nylon. They placed their hands in the stockings and stretched them out to form a potato shape. Then three pinches of grass seed were added. Top it off with a small coffee cup of dirt. Tie the end of the nylon. Place it in a small, styrofoam bowl. With a Sharpie marker, each student will write his/her name on the rim. Add a little water and sunlight...Whoa-La!...A Potato Head! Once the grass seed grows, add two Google eyes, a pom pom nose, and use a red marker for the mouth.

Add a teaspoon of Writing: The students created a story about their potato. Each potato went on a different adventure. They did an excellent job with the use of descriptive words! The stories were taken to the publishing stage. Three folded pages of white paper with lines and three staples on the binding.

My students enjoyed these activities! They thought the Potato Heads looked like Chia Pets! They couldn't wait to take them home to give them a haircut!

Word Work

Spring is officially here! Are your students missing the fluffy white stuff associated with boots and shovels? If so, this activity is definitely for them! Create a "Snowball Fight" in your classroom. Give each student two pieces of white paper. Ask him/her to write a Word Wall word that is three letters or more on each piece of paper. Then crumble the papers to form snowballs. Yell "Snowball Fight"! Students begin throwing snowballs continuously. Say "Blizzard!" (which means to "stop").

Explain: A blizzard is a severe storm with strong winds. They need to sit down at their desk to get out of the storm. Select one student to pick-up a snowball from the ground. Ask him/her to read the word. Each student writes it on the "Snowball Fight" Recording Sheet located below. Dispose of the snowball (place it on the teacher's desk...to be used for a snow fort). The purpose of this activity is the reinforcement of word recognition. Therefore, you may use any words...do not limit yourself to Word Wall words. When the activity is completed, ask the students to take out their shovels (their hands) and plow the snow to clean up the remaining snowballs from the floor. Tape the snowballs together for the students see how big they made their fort.

Share: The more words you know...the bigger the fort will grow!

Can you "visualize" a snowball fight
in your classroom?

Let it Snow!

Click for Recording Sheet