Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Soaring With Eagles and Hopping into Leap Day!

Hello Everyone!
Is it really only Wednesday???  This teacher is already pooped!! We are gearing up for our annual Open House!  It is a ton of work to get ready for the kids to "show off" but it is so worth watching them shine!  We always like to have a little theme going on.  This year we are focusing on our national bird, the bald eagle.  We will cover our ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies objectives with this one bird!  I put together a little unit to help coordinate all the activities. Here are a few pics from the 90+ page unit!  We got started on some things this week!!























We will start next week with a very quick little Leap Day fun!! Kids will practice graphing, skip counting and more!!




We'll be graphing those little plastic jumping frogs.



I have so much more to share from the past couple of weeks, but I am runnin' on empty! Anyone else in that same boat???? Spring break is in sight, but... so much to do before then! Hope this post helps to make your days a little easier!  Thanks for stopping by and taking a little peek into our world.  I promise I'll share more very soon!
Joyfully!
Nancy


Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Read Between the Lines

Hello Everyone!
I am quickly sharing a mini unit on Inferencing...or as we like to call it, "Reading Between the Lines!"
Teaching young readers to infer before, during, and after reading can be tricky. By helping them make connections to their already present schema, asking questions, reading between the lines, looking for clues, etc., kids can be aware of the power of inferring.
Some simplified ideas for teaching inference include the following:
*We need to find clues to get some answers.
*We need to add those clues to what we already know or have read.
*There can be more than one correct answer.
*We need to be able to support inferences.
It is suggested that teachers pose four questions to students to help young readers discuss  inferences.
What is my inference?
This question helps students become aware that they may have just made an inference by filling in information that wasn’t necessarily in the text.
What information did I use to make this inference?
It's important for students to understand the various types of information they use to make inferences. This may include information from the text, or it may be schema, background knowledge, that a student brings to the text, or some other source.
How good was my thinking?
It has been suggested that once students have decided on where the answers to their questions come from (inferences), they can engage in the most powerful part of the process.
 Do I need to change my thinking?
The final step in the process is for kids to think about the fact that their thinking changes, and to be aware of that. 
We have to remember that we shouldn’t tell students their thinking is wrong, but rather to help them develop the habit of continually changing their thinking as they gather new information. Think about thinking! :)

Here are a couple of posters I quickly made to give my kids a visual of what it means to infer. 






 Practice inferring by writing a short mini story. Have kids come up with an inference!  Of course have kids get the idea by wearing slatted shades.  They will really be "reading between the lines!!


Can you believe this little guy wore this shirt today????  Perfect!!!































I know this has helped my kids think about their thinking!!I have this little unit which includes some pencil paper activities as well as the posters. 

Well, thanks for stopping by for a peek through this little window.  It has already been a crazy busy month already!  But I'll be back soon!  As always, don't forget to leave a little comment! 
Have a great rest of the week!!
Joyfully!
Nancy




Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Sweet Valentine Fun

Hello Everyone!
I quickly wanted to share a little sweet fun for you to share with your littles for Valentines (or Friendship) Day. The Spangler Candy Company has those great little gems, Dum Dums, for just this kind of sharing.  I have created a couple of things in the past using Dum Dums, and I couldn't let Valentines Day go without including them!! Here's a little friendship card for you to print and give.


I also wanted to share my math tubs for next week.  We are working on addition and subtraction to 20. This little unit includes 7 tub activities (29 pages) to help kids realize their potential in this area!! All tubs are Valentine themed with lots of hands on sweet fun!




Well, that was short and sweet.  I've got to put the finishing touches on our 100th day festivities!! Can't wait!!!  Hope you're having a great week! Talk to you soon!!!

Joyfully!
Nancy