Simply For Teachers

Celebrating Dr. Seuss is so much fun! There are so many great ideas floating around various blogs and of course the mother of showcasing creativity..Pinterest.  We wanted to jazz up our hallway decor to honor the great author.  So both first grade classrooms crafted truffula trees around each doorway.  My one regret is that we didn't make  the trunks yellow like in the book the Lorax, but they still look stinking cute.   We've received MANY compliments from our fellow teachers.  Most importantly, so many children have commented on them both among themselves and to teachers.  They all recognize them as the truffula trees from the Lorax (brown trunks and all).  Our second and third graders are in the same hallway and to hear their excitement is rewarding.  We did something right while they were in first grade if they are still excited about Dr. Seuss!   It is so important to surround children with elements from literature.  T...

I love Read Across America!  We use this week to kick off our Author Study of Dr. Seuss that will last for almost the rest of March.   Today we introduced Dr. Seuss and read The Cat in the Hat, of course.  (We'll read The Cat in the Hat Comes Back tomorrow and complete a simple venn diagram to compare and contrast the stories.) Then we read Green Eggs and Ham!  Actually, my grade level partner read Green Eggs and Ham and I got the special snack ready.  I can't take credit for gathering the ingredients, but I assembled them beautifully!  Our Kindergarten actually makes green eggs and ham so we can't repeat that event.  Instead we make a fun looking sweet treat!  I'm sure you've seen this one on Pinterest but it's a keeper! As you can tell, these are not real green eggs.  It is green vanilla pudding with a vanilla wafer cookie in the middle and sprinkles for fun.  Yummy!! The kiddos all had seconds, shocking I know. ...

After greeting those eager firsties at the door in the morning it is time to unpack.  We work really hard to set up those routines at the beginning of the year.  We practice, practice, practice and then practice some more!  Finally we're rolling and we can start to add to that simple morning routine so the kiddos get some independent settle in time.   After all of the unpacking we settle into our calendar job.  The calendar jobs are another very simple but consistent routine to encourage independence which strengthens self esteem.  There is a purpose to this "busy work".  Always be ready to defend your pedagogical choices with knowledge.   We use a simple blank calendar and a weather graph.  The weather graph satisfies two standards in first grade: science- tracking weather, math-organizing data. We choose to include daily simple review pages inside our calendar.  I've done a lot of different things over the years.  It...