Wednesday, January 31, 2018

February in First Grade

Well folks, it's a brand new month. That means my entire store is 10% off for the first three days and you can snag my latest First of the Month Freebie (see the bottom of this message for details!). Also, the time has finally come for me to share my secret... my husband and I are expecting our first baby in July 2018! After moving back to the States from Japan, buying a house, and getting married last July, I thought we'd already been through enough changes to last us awhile, but this is the most exciting change yet. Now that I've started my second trimester, I'm ready to share the news with my students, too! (Last week, my students discovered I don't have any kids yet, and one told me, "You should get a son, they're fun!" Little do they know I might have one on the way!)

My Teacher is Having a Baby Activity Packet

I've got a bunch of activities planned for a fun "baby day" in first grade. 







We're not going to find out if we're having a boy a girl, but if we were, I'd be all about these gender reveal puzzles :)


Also coming up in February, I can't wait to teach my firsties all about Theodore Roosevelt and the history of teddy bears. It's an awesome way to combine Presidents' Day and Valentines Day into one interesting lesson! Read all about it here.

Theodore Roosevelt and the History of Teddy Bears

And finally, it's time for a First of the Month Freebie! My kiddos have been having a tough time catching onto the "make ten" addition strategy, so I made these worksheets to reinforce the concept. 

Free: Make Ten Addition Strategy Worksheets
Free: Make Ten Addition Strategy Worksheets

Happy teaching!




Sunday, November 26, 2017

Elf Week in First Grade!

It's Time for Elf Week!

Thanksgiving is said and done, and my husband and I had a wonderful time celebrating our first big holiday as a married couple in our new house. Pheasant pot pie and homemade blackberry pie were on the menu... I've been living off of leftovers for the past two days! 

Now that December is soon upon us and it's socially acceptable to begin winter celebrations, I've been gearing up for Elf Week in my first grade classroom. I'm taking our Classroom Elf festivities to a new level this year! This cutie was a steal on Amazon. He'll make his debut on Monday to kick off our week!

Our Classroom Elf

Elf Week Overview

Day 1

Our classroom elf with appear with an original poem to get students excited about choosing his name. We'll make our selection with this fun graphing activity!

Name That Elf Graphing Activity

Name That Elf Graphing Activity

Students will get to describe our classroom elf with this graphic organizer:

Our Classroom Elf Describing Graphic Organizer

And we'll start a lapbook activity. We'll add a little to the lapbook each day until it's all finished on Friday! I'm going to let students get creative with this. I figure that at least a few students will be bummed that their names weren't picked for our elf, so I'm going to have them create their own elves for this activity!

My Elf Lapbook

My Elf Lapbook


Day 2

On Tuesday, the elf fun continues. We'll start the day by reading "How to Catch an Elf" and completing a response page.

How to Catch an Elf Response Sheet

We'll also start writing letters to our elf by working on this graphic organizer.

First of the Month Freebie for December 2017!

We'll add "All About My Elf" to our lapbooks:

My Elf Lapbook


During math, I'll introduce the game "Cookies from the North Pole." It's a hands-on activity that helps students practice ways to make 10! It will become part of our center rotation throughout the rest of December.

Cookies From the North Pole

Cookies From the North Pole- Making 10 Math Center

Day 3

On Wednesday, we'll start the day by reading Memoirs of an Elf and making Elfie Selfies. I think I'm most excited for this story :) (Tip: I ordered it from the Scholastic Book Club!). 

Memoirs of an Elf Response Sheet

We'll continue to work on letters to our elf. I'll model using the graphic organizer to write a letter, and students will complete a rough draft.

Elf Letter Activity- First of the Month Freebie for December 2017!


For the lapbook, students will add pictures and questions for their elves.

My Elf Lapbook

My Elf Lapbook


In math, students will practice ways to make 10 again with another "Cookies from the North Pole" activity. This activity has students use 10 frames to find the ways to make 10.

Cookies From the North Pole: Making 10 Activity


Day 4

On Thursday, we'll read Pig the Elf and complete a story map.

Pig the Elf Response Sheet

Students will complete the letters to their elves and if we have time, they'll share them in Author's Chair.

They'll add their elves' "favorite foods" to their lapbooks.

My Elf Lapbook


During math, I'll introduce "The Hungry Elf" subtraction game. This game will also become part of our center rotation throughout the rest of December.


The Hungry Elf Subtraction Game


Day 5

Friday- our last day of Elf Week! We'll read The Littlest Elf in the morning and complete a sequencing activity. 

The Littlest Elf Response Sheet

Anyone who didn't finish their letters yesterday will finish today, and the class will learn how to address envelopes. They're going to "mail" their letters in our elf's special mailbox, and throughout the rest of the month I will our elf will return their letters :) 

It's time to finish the lapbooks! They will write about their elves' favorite movies, sports, and animals.

My Elf Lapbook

My Elf Lapbook


During math, I'll introduce "Ernie's Cookies," another subtraction activity. This game will also become part of our center rotation next week.

Ernie's Cookies- an Elf-Themed Subtraction Game

Ernie's Cookies- an Elf- Themed Subtraction Game


That's a wrap! I can't wait to see my students' faces when they meet our elf on Monday!

All of these activities can be purchased as a bundle in Elf Week: A Bundle of Elf-Themed Activities.

Elf Week: A Bundle of Elf-Themed Activities


You can also find some of these activities separately here:

Bundle: Elf- Themed Math Activities

The Hungry Elf

Cookies From the North Pole: Ways to Make 10 (Elf-Themed Math Center)

Cookies From the North Pole: Counting to 10 (Elf-Themed Math Center for Kindergarten)

Ernie's Cookies: An Elf-Themed Subtraction Activity

Name That Elf Original Poem and Graphing Activity


Elf- Themed Printables

Elf Letter Freebie. Little Owl's First of the Month Freebie for December 2017!

My Elf Lapbook














Friday, November 24, 2017

$100 TPT Thanksgiving Giveaway!

*** THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY ***


As we are SO thankful to you, myself and a team of amazing teachers have grouped together to gift an awesome teacher with a TPT gift card to show them how appreciative we are!

PRIZES INCLUDE 
1 x $100 TPT Giftcard

#1 TAG your teacher friends by adding their names in the comment section
#2 SHARE THIS POST
#3 ENTER HERE: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b4951b8526/?

REMEMBER: each entry counts as ONE entry, the more links you complete, the higher your chances of winning!!

Raffle CLOSES: Friday 1st December 2017 12am

GOOD LUCK!!!

February in First Grade

Well folks, it's a brand new month. That means my entire store is 10% off for the first three days and you can snag my latest First of t...