Winter Activities for First Grade!

BRRRRR... it's cold in here...

(there must be some Torros in the atmosphere - tell me I'm not the only one that thought of that right away!)

We are back at it in room 102. It sure is cold out and we are just having fun, working away! It was hard to go back, don't get me wrong, but I just love seeing their little, smiling faces after such a long break.

In math, we have been learning all about fact families. We used these two excellent freebies from two of my blogging friends:

Ummm.... yeah that is Frankenstein... and I know it's January, but Katie King's freebie is too dang good not to use. So, we called it "monster math" and went about our day!

Grab it HERE!

Then, sticking with the season, we used this cute freebie from Michelle Oakes! My students loved the little penguins.

Grab it HERE!

In writing, we went right back into writing how-to stories. I picked up these two books over break and I was so excited to put them to good use:

How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan

How To by Julie Morstad

After we read both books, I had my students practice their how-to writing using the prompt, "This is how I stay warm in the cold!" We have plenty of winter prompts that we are using from my Writing through the Seasons {Winter} unit.

First, get a blanket and snuggle in it. Next, stand next to the heater. Watch out! Not that close. Last, put on mittens, a coat, and a scarf. I feel warm.

First, you make a fire out of sticks. Next, get some winter clothes like a hat and coat and mittens. Last, you drink hot cocoa and you get a blanket.

In reading, we have been practicing close reading in small groups - is your district all about it too?! Thankfully, I had some training on close reading in Vegas before I left so I was pretty familiar with the process before I moved back to MA. We are using both fiction and non-fiction passages from my Close Reading Winter pack - which will be done SOON!

Here is a sneak peek:

Hope everyone is back in the swing of things!

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Back At It... With Holiday Photos!

Monday was filled with hugs, learning, and laughter.

It was exactly what we needed to get back into the swing of things in our little classroom.

Today... was jam-packed with holiday fun!

This morning we read The Gingerbread Man and retold the story using headbands and a little reader's theater action. The students picked their parts in the play, colored in their headbands, and retold the story to the class! They did a great job and they were pretty darn funny. I love that we practice, and practice, and practice. Then the students get in front of the class and go BLANK.

My friend, Tracy got these cute little headbands from this book. It has some classic stories for the kids to read and practice retelling in order.

  

To kick off our math block, we used Deanna Jump's gingerbread cookie graphing activity found in THIS pack. The students were each given a gingerbread cookie and they were told they could take 1 bite from the cookie. After they took their bite they came to the mat and we graphed which part of the cookie they ate first: the head, the arm, the leg, or the tummy! The students thought this was hilarious. Then, they went back to their seats and filled in their graph independently.

 

Next up, we reviewed fact families and made Kelley's Gingerbread Fact Family Houses.

My students lovedddd making these and they turned out adorable! It was the perfect activity to review these skills before break.

Lastly, we traveled to our second stop - MEXICO - to learn about how Christmas is celebrated. The students created this adorable poinsettia and completed their Christmas around the world journal created by the ever-amazing, Stephanie, from Falling into First.

 You can get her pack HERE!

That is about it for our fun-filled day. I hope all you other teachers out there are getting back into the swing of things with your students and enjoying the last few days together before break!

T-minus 3 days!

WOO!

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