The end of the year...

Can you believe this school year has come to a close?

I am looking forward to a fresh new chapter in my "book" of teaching.  Boy this book could tell a lot of stories! A long time ago someone actually told me to keep a book of things my students have said or done...kinda like "Kids Say the Darndest Things".  Has anyone done that?  

Anyways moving on, I thought I would share a few things my class and I did for the last few weeks of school.  It ended up being a wonderful ending to their first grade year.  Individually they were all so unique and sweet.  It was hard to send them off to second grade.

Here is a look at what we did...

At the end of the school year I always make a first grade memory book for each student.  Below you will find a page that I include within this book.

Another activity I have my students do is a writing activity to show their growth.  They write a story about themselves and draw a self portrait in the beginning of the school year and at the end of the school year.  I love seeing their development in writing!

Click on the picture to check out the booklet for students...

Click on the picture to check out the booklet for students...

Another activity we do the last week of school is our Nature Journal. First my students gather toilet paper rolls to create binoculars.  Then they received their journals. I paired my students off so they can work with someone and enjoy walking around the field together.  They are able to work on these journals independently, but obviously I am their to supervise and answer questions.  Students love filling out this journal and then sharing with the class what they observed in nature. Not only are they making observations, but using their map skills, writing skills, and weather knowledge.

Click on the pictures to check out the nature journal...

These are just a few ideas to use at the end of your school year within your classroom.  I hope you all enjoy your summer break!

Writer's Workshop

This month in writing we will be creating writing plans and then writing our small moment stories.

First off, we talked about our writing folders and handed out our "Book of Words".  Our class then learned about authors and how they create a writing plan before they start writing.  As the wonderful writers that we are, we created a plan and listed ideas to write about, in the front of our writing journals.  This will be a great reference for students who are stumped on what to write next.  Throughout the year we will focus on our first grade writing goals.  These are clearly stated on our "writing bulletin board" within the classroom.  As we continue to become stronger, more confident writers, the students will start feeling and seeing their own success in writing.  To help them visualize and think about their writing goals, I have posted these goals on the board with students' writing pieces to match each goal.

Here are a few pics from our writers workshop to get a clear idea on what we are doing within the classroom to reach those goals!

Word book found at my TPT store

Happy Writing!