10 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 5

Problem: Using the SMARTboard as a listening centre. I have tried all different ways of doing a listening centre. I had the big earphones for a while connected to a cd player, but a parent was super concerned about the kids sharing earphones and I found it difficult to find books on cd and storing them all was tricky. Then I started using my SMART board to show the kids a story and listen, but it was distracting when they all could hear. So, each student now has earphones on their supply list, but I was still trying to figure out a way to connect it all to the computer.  Enter this green star of amazement!!!!   Voila, I can connect all of the kids individual earphones to the laptop (I have a long cable to connect it). It works great.

Halloween Center Activities

As the leaves change colours, the weather becomes cooler, and the pumpkin spice lattes and sweaters come out of hiding, it can only mean one thing; it's October! I know that this month all I will hear about is one thing, and one thing only. You guessed it; HALLOWEEN!!!

First graders will probably ask every day in October if it is Halloween yet, and so as the anticipation builds and the excitement grows, when the day finally comes, they are about ready to explode! When October 31st arrives it is so difficult to focus on curriculum that I had to come up with a way to keep the students engaged and busy and what better way than, you guessed it, centers!

If possible, I ask an older grade to join us in the classroom so they can assist the grade one students with each activity. The centers take all afternoon as the students spend about 10 minutes at each one. I make sure to include math and literacy skills plus a whole lot of fun!! I prepare eight stations for the students, with direction cards at each one and materials all prepped and ready to go. They stay with their buddy and a small group of students for the entire afternoon.

I think the favourite is the snack center, I mean who doesn't love a spooky Halloween snack! I make sure they are healthy snacks because they will be eating so much candy at night, with a spooky twist. Eyeballs, Jack-O-Lanterns and Ghosts OH MY!

Our math center focuses on estimation. I always carve a pumpkin with the kids earlier in the week and we do some five senses writing about what we see, feel, and smell. I save then seeds, wash them off and then put a plastic bag in the pumpkin. Students take a small handful of seeds, estimate how many there are and record it.

I find it helpful to have buddies at this one as students often forget about the estimation part and skip right to counting and recording their seedsx.

We do lots of Language Arts; I include some spooky stories at one center, halloween sentence making at another and a listening center. I use my SMARTboard to show the story and hook up ear phones so the whole group can hear.

Another one of my favourite centers is the Haunted house! Students use their senses to predict what is in the jar. Some of them are too afraid to touch, but once they figure out what is actually in the container they can't wait to try it out! THE HAUNTED HOUSE IS A FREE ACTIVITY you can try out in your classroom by clicking on the picture.

I also like to do a craft with the students, a Jack-O-Lantern Lantern!!! Again, it is super helpful to have a buddy at the this station. I provide visual instructions for each step so it is easy to follow along. After students complete each activity I have them put it on top of their desk, and then at the end of the day they get to take everything home with them.

How do you deal with the Halloween Crazies in your class? To try out all of these centers in your classroom, click on the picture! Happy Halloween friends.

   

Engaging students using Social Studies Centers

I have always struggled with teaching Social to my first grade students. I found it difficult to keep them motivated, a challenge getting them to express their ideas, and frustrating to teach about things they hadn’t experienced.

I needed a change, so I thought about what made teaching Math or LA more enjoyable. Then it came to me: CENTERS!!!! 

I came up with 4 different centers to meet my objectives each week. 

REAL LIFE CENTER -It is challenging to get students thinking about topics in relation to their life. I chose to use technology, projects and interactive notebooks. Students acted out being responsible/irresponsible(haha, they love this) and recorded each other on the iPad at the center. I put all the clips together in a movie. They also brought clothing items from home and video taped their discussion about how it shows they belong.

We made poster wanted ads for GOOD CITIZENS to put up around the classroom. Students completed drawings and writing reflections in their Social notebook.

READ ALOUD CENTER- Developing vocabulary related to outcomes was my goal for this center. Social books are often not at a grade one reading level, so I made readers theatre plays about the topics and included lots of pictures. 

Students work in groups to read their parts and then read it to the class. I also use books (we don’t have a textbook but I’m certain you could use one) and have students look through them together and discuss what they have read.

GAME CENTER- Social can be a little, how should I say this, dry at times, so I decided games were the way to go! Have you ever tried to find games related to your Social topics? I couldn’t find much, so I created my own. I brainstormed a list of common games, and then figured out a way to relate them to my outcomes.  We played Symbol BINGO, I have/Who has Community Helpers, ‘My Rights’ memory match, and the ‘Groups I Belong To’ board game to reinforce concepts. 

To make sure my students understand how to play and the rules (so I don’t get the ‘he said/she said’), we play as a class before they play at the center. 

TEACHER CENTER- Assessment is challenging in its own way, and trying to figure out if my students got the Social topic we were learning about by looking at their notes was almost impossible. I decided that oral assessment would be a better direction, but how can you assess 20-30 kids orally during class time? It’s very difficult. By sitting with students at a ‘Guided Social Studies’ center, I can teach a mini lesson about the topic and ask questions. I can quickly tell who easily understands and ask higher level thinking questions, who gets the basics, and who is struggling and needs extra support for differentiated learning. I take anecdotal notes at this center, and quickly realized that my standard mark book format wasn’t going to work so I made a space for notes in my mark book.

Turning my curriculum objectives into centers took a lot of thinking ahead and detailed planning. I looked at my outcomes and sorted them into units and then weekly objectives.  Then I planned out how I was going to turn those outcomes into the four center based activities.

Try these ideas out for FREE here.

Do you do centers with your students? How does it work in your classroom? I'd love to hear from you!

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Math Centres... Numbers 1-100 and Skip Counting

This year I have been trying a WHOLE new approach to math because in the past...well...let's just say that math wasn't my most favourite thing to teach ;)
And let me tell you, what a difference, my kids love it and I look forward to teaching it, nothing better than that.
So basically it revolves around a weekly system of teaching and centre based practice of outcomes.

A LOOK AT MY WEEK
Monday- I complete a full lesson on the outcomes, we practice as a class and then the students practice in groups, partners or on their own.
Tuesday- I complete a mini lesson on the outcome and then go through the centre activities. Students complete one centre.
Wednesday- I complete a mini lesson on the outcome and then students complete two centres.
Thursday- I complete a mini lesson on the outcome and then students complete two centres.
Friday- We review what we have learned over the week and complete any unfinished centres.

How I set up rotations:
I have a bulletin board with each of the centres
CAMPP
Computers, Alone, Manipulatives, Problem Solve, and Partner
Each group is listed underneath of the title card, and when they complete a centre then I just move the groups to the next space. I have three bins with binders to contain paperwork. The students complete all activities in their math interactive notebook.

Here are some sample centre activities from this unit. They especially love the partner games and playing on the computer. At the alone centre I get a chance to work with small groups on areas that they need improvement. The centres really allow for differentiation as I can put different manipulatives and activities into the bins as the groups work through them.

You can find my entire unit HERE.

Mrs. Dunn

Practicing printing in the first grade classroom

I always like to practice letter formation at the beginning of the year, and find there are a wide variety of abilities when looking at printing skills. I'm always looking for innovative ways to practice letter formation, and I love to use centers! (of course)

I know I blogged about this a couple of years ago, but I just had to revisit my revamped printing centers. I have four or five centers, depending on the size of my class. They spend about 5-10 minutes at each center during a Language Arts period. I focus on one letter each day, and we practice the sound, letter formation, and read stories.
I think it is so important to sit with small groups of students and watch how they are forming letters. When it is done as a whole class, I find it difficult to watch each student and make necessary corrections. I use this booklet to practice letter formation as well as beginning sounds.

Find the booklet by clicking on the picture below.

Printing centers are never complete unless you have a play doh center! I show the students how to make long snakes to make little and big lines, as well as curved lines.

My students LOVE getting to write on the SMARTboard. I found a tracing page off the internet and put it at the bottom of the board. Students each get to do one letter, and wait in line for their turn.

We also practice on the whiteboards. I love my whiteboards, they have a red line at the bottom and are interlined.

I also have paint bags the students write their letters on, sorry no picture!

My students love doing these centers, and it's great practice for them.

Mrs. Dunn

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Eric Carle and Spring Centres

This month's centres have an author focus on Eric Carle, of course so many of his books fit perfectly with springtime and the units we study in Science.

Puppet Centre

Students were making caterpillars, which also fits with building things as students need to make this kind of a puppet (accordion style)

Listening Centre

Students sequenced the story "Mixed up Chameleon" after watching it on the Smartboard. They LOVE this story, such a good one.

Thematic Book

Students wrote their own version of the very hungry caterpillar story. 

Journal

Students did some writing about spring time. I always give them a picture to glue on otherwise they spend the entire centre drawing pictures and colouring instead of writing!

Guided Reading

After reading and discussing with the guided reading group, they did a response in their booklet.

Working with words

I found this ridiculously cute word family craft on Teachers Pay Teachers from Susan Moran- TGIF here. Makes for easy differentiation just change the word family or the number of words they need to write!

Writing

One of my amazing partner teachers gave me this cool activity to go with the mixed up chameleon. The kids pick which creature they would be if they were the chameleon and then glue on the body parts and write about it. So cute!!

Last centre is just sight word BINGO nothing too exciting there.

Also, we did a little craft to do some retelling with the mixed up chameleon. The kids made coloured the chameleon and cut out the centre of his body.. I will laminate and put on popsicle sticks. They created the background with all the different places the chameleon goes for the retelling.

Mrs. Dunn

100 day... a little late!!

Well, with report cards finally being finished up, I made some time to get my pictures up from 100 day. We had the best day.

Here is Grandma Dunn, I may have pretended to be my Grandmother all day, and it may have actually worked.

The students dressed up too! We did super art project. The kids made themselves at 100 years old. They turned out just adorable.

We did centers all day and the kids really had a great time.

Making 100 day glasses

Making 100 day crowns

100 day writing booklet

Reading 100 day stories

Making words from one hundred

A student modelling the crown and necklace

Most of these activities were found on Teachers Pay Teachers. We had a super day, can't wait until the next 100 day!
Mrs. Dunn

Polar Express and the World is Ending

Well, yesterday was the last day before Christmas break, WOOHOO! I came down the hallway to hear proclamations of " I saw the meteor, I saw the meteor, I saw it!" and then "Mrs. Dunn, I think the world is ending" 

Oh Dear. Well it looks like we've survived to see another day, what a relief.

On to the Christmas festivities! Thursday was polar express day, so we all wore our pyjamas, so much fun.

The students spent the entire morning at Centers and then watched the movie in the afternoon.

I usually give out tickets and at the end of the day each student gets a bell.

Here are the centers:

CH words

Inspired by Hot Chocolate

Students selected from six marshmallows three that begin with ch.

The first give of Christmas bell. Students make their bell and write on the back what they would get if they had the first gift of Christmas.

 Students listen and watch story book the Polar Express on the SMART board with the earphones.

Five Senses: I had vocabulary cards, and the students drew and wrote about what they could see, hear, smell, taste and touch in the Polar Express.

I found a sight word game the students enjoyed playing here.

I got this idea super cute doubles matching activity from TPT here.

The kids had so much fun!

Mrs. Dunn