Oh Those Leprechauns! St. Patrick's Day Fun

It has been a while since I've written.  So here's a SUPER Fun thing I do for my students and I thought I'd share.  I have done this activity for over 25 years and every year it works!  Mined you I've only done it in the Primary grades.  You'll have to judge your students/kids on their ability to believe.  My first, kindergarten, and pre-school students have all believed.  It takes a little imagination on your part.  Have I enticed you enough. Oh, also you can do this activity before or after St. Patrick's Day as well as on St. Patrick's Day.  So here goes,,,,,,,

Of course, as I said this activity works before or after St. Patrick's Day, but this year St. Patrick's Day isn't until Sunday, so I did it yesterday (Friday).  The Leprechauns attacked our classroom.  It was crazy.  Did we see them?  No, but look at the mess they left us and even a note.

The Leprechauns left us this note.  One of my students asked why it was such shaky writing?  I told him, well you know they're so little they had to probably climb on each others back to up there and write.  The Leprechaun on top was probably moving a lot while the others were holding him up.  My student then said, Oh.

Leprechaun footprints

Poster upside down and in the wrong place

 Not sure if you can read it but The Leprechauns took our letter cards and spelled out "Leprechauns rule"

There where footprints leading from our back door, to the chairs, on the table, and up the closet where you see the Legos and some kids pictures are upside down. (Sorry for the blurriness).

Close up of foot prints.

They also piled a chair on top of my stool to put Frosty the Snowman on top of our closet.  Again they left footprints.

Oh my gosh, our calendar was all messed up.  Months of the year, days of the week, and March were all upside down.

To top it off my chair was on it's side and they left our blocks and Lincoln log/tinker toys out.

 

 

Well as you can see those Leprechauns had a busy fun time in our room.  My student came in and tried to blame me, but I explained I hadn't been in the classroom, I was running off papers.  (My classroom opens to the yard where we pick up our students, so I always make sure I do not get them that day through our back door).  I always walk around the building like I've been somewhere else.  As I did yesterday I had papers in my hand that I had truly just run off.  He He!!

 

 

Anyhow this is a blast for me and a memorable experience for my students.  They are amazed at the mess and really believe the Leprechauns have come.  We had been reading stories with Leprechauns all week, so they knew about them and that they can be tricky.  My student then help straighten and clean almost everything.  It's also funny if anyone comes late as one of my students did yesterday, at least five students come up telling him all at once about the Leprechauns being here in our room.

 

Doing this activity does not make a calm day, they do settle down but will be talking about this all day, to friends, other teachers, and finally to their families. 

 

Oops! I forgot to mention once we've cleaned up most of the obvious mess, I mention to the students about a legend I've heard (many of them know it already because their Kindergarten teachers told them about it last year).  The legend is if you take off one shoe and leave it outside the Leprechauns may leave you a coin (use the chocolate ones).  So of course we have to do it, (even me) to see if it works.  And it does!  due to my aide who I had ask earlier in the morning to put the coins in their shoes before she came in our class.  **This can be tricky to do without anyone seeing but somehow every year my aides do it.  Now this year I have the kids put there shoes on one side of our building but then we had them change them because I said a lot of people use the bathroom right next to us and that might scare the Leprechauns, so we moved our shoes to a better spot.  They had no problem doing it.  They think it's so crazy to run around our class for a while with one shoe off and one shoe on.  My aide did a terrific thing this year too.  She moved our shoes around putting them up on a box and some pipes, so they weren't in the exact spot we left them.  When the kids went out they thought the Leprechauns had taken their shoes, but quickly found them.  They were so loud and excited.  Throughout the day they keep wondering if the Leprechauns would show back up again.  I said, I don't know.  

 

I loved every minute of  this activity.  This is what teaching is about for me.  I'll tell you most of  my former students remember the Leprechauns coming to our room.  Even yesterday, the second grade teacher told me that most of my former students shared what had happened to them in my class last year when the Leprechauns came.

 

Anyhow basically use your imagination to set up your room and as I said you can do it a few days before, on, or after St. Patrick's Day.  You just make a mess.  I also did  a writing once things had settle down. 

                          The Leprechauns were in our class.  They.........

 

Oh, by the way I usually get one or two students that say they're afraid, but I say when did we ever read about a Leprechaun hurting anyone?  NEVER.  All Leprechauns do are tricky things and they like to play.  My student's yesterday thought about writing a big note to the Leprechauns to ask them when they play with our things to please clean up, because it took a lot of time to clean up their mess.  Are Leprechauns real?  Well my answer to you and my students is, "it is what ever you believe in your hear". 

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!



Positional Words: Where is the Heart?

I have created a book to help students understanding in arranging and describing objects by proximity, position, and direction.  It is called Positional Words: Where is the Heart?  Words in this book are: below, above, next to, on, in, between, inside, around, near, under, below, beneath, behind, on top of, and in front of.
 
Each student can make their own book.   It's up to you as to how many pages you want to make it.  Use this for shared reading, guided reading, or with your ELD / ESL students.  Make one for your class library.

My own students had a lot of fun putting this together and reading it to each other.  I do have many second language learners and this book really helped them gain a better understanding of the positional words.  It was quick, easy and most of all FUN!



http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cindy-Tirado
 

 

Enjoy!

Writing an Opinion Piece in First Grade

I am in the process of teaching my First graders to write an opinion piece.  Our District is requiring the students to write an opinion piece about their favorite character in a book.  It is also a Common Core standard for first graders.  As I have mentioned before in my Blog I have a class with about 80% second language learners, so writing in English is not the easiest thing for them.  They are barely learning to speak English let alone write in English.

This opinion writing is very challenging.  Most 6 years olds will say, I like her because she's pretty,  I like him because he's cool. 

So I have been trying to draw other reasons out of my boys and girls.  It has been taking me about a week to go through my own process and teach them a meaningful way to do this writing.

Day 1 and 2:  Read a story with a good strong character:  Example:  Curious George (any of his stories work).  Make some kind of thinking map, Ex:  Circle Map which in the center says:  I like Curious George because...........  Then brainstorm ideas or reasons why the boys and girls like him in the story.

Day 3:  I use this Communication Guide.  I write it on chart paper and laminate.  The boys and girls use it along with our circle map.  As a group we use sticky notes and complete the blanks together.  We do this a few times.  First I do it and then I have a couple of students do it in front of the whole class and then we read it together.  (using my comminication guide I do teach my students to put the title in the middle of their paper and then to indent 2-3 finger spaces to start their writing.)

                                           __________________
                                                       (Title)

               My favorite character in ______________________________
                                                                   ( Name of book)

is _______________________.  First
          (character)                                                                           
I like (him or her) because _____________________________________. 
Then, I like (him or her) because _______________________________________. 
(Choose one of the  closing and write it here)
     

Closings:
1.  _________________________ is a great character.
2.  __________________________ is my favorite character.
3.  I enjoyed reading about ___________________________________.
                    
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               Completed example:
                                                      Curious George
                          
      My favorite character in  Curious George Goes to a Costume Party is Curious George.  First, I like him because he dresses up like a cowboy.  Then, I like him because he scares the people at the party when is a ghost.  Curious George is a great character.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 4:  We complete the above Communication Guide again whole class a few more times and then we Think-Pair-Share what we plan to write with our partners.

Day 5:  We write using the above guides.  I do leave everything up for all our practice writings.  By the time the actual writing assessments comes they have pretty well memorized this way of writing their Opinion Piece.  Students that can handle it can extend their writing if they wish.

**When the Assessment comes I do take down all the scaffolding charts.

Well best of luck and if anyone has some more ideas on Opinion Writing I'd love to hear from you.

A 4 day week with 3 minimum days and 24 parents conferences, right before Thanksgiving, Help!!!

Have you ever had a week where you were wondering how you would get it all done?  That week is coming up for me.  Next week is a four day week for us.  Sounds good right but we also have Parent Teacher conferences and three of our days are minimum days (which means we get out early, sounds good but just before Thanksgiving break with 3 furlough days, Ugh!).  I still have to teach our Treasures reading program (last week of Unit 2).  Continue with math patterning and geometrical shapes (as per our grade level pacing plan).  Then if there's time, try to get some Thanksgiving information and activities in.  My dilemma, how do I do everything?  I guess we all run into weeks even days when this happens.  My mantra is "do my best and move on".

Tip:
In order for me to enjoy my Thanksgiving Holiday break and take some pressure off me during Parent Teacher conferences (because those conferences allow me zero time to prep) I decided this past week to prepare and set up my materials for the week we return from the holiday.  In all honesty I try and have one to two weeks of materials/lessons prepared ahead of time. I have never been one to work on the fly.  If you try this you may find it's very easy to tweek and change or move things to other days or even to another week when things pop up.  Best of luck.

Thanks for reading and have a GREAT day. 

All About Me Writing Activity for first grade with 2nd language learners

I have a class of 24 students of which 17 are limited English speakers.  For that reason it takes me a while to teach writing.  I have to take many more steps than I would if my class was all English speakers. 

This activity was a fun write for all my students.  It took a few days but that's how it is with second language learners.  I also use a lot of scaffolding which helps everyone. 

DAY 1:  We start off with a circle Map (written on chart paper). 
The smaller center circle says:  
                                                          Things I Can Do
                                                                  I Can.......

I have the bigger circle left blank so my students could give me about 8-10 things they can do.  What ever they came up with I write on the circle map with yellow sticky notes.  We review whole class all the things once I had gotten the 8-10 items they said.

That night I go home and google image most of the items they had suggested and add a couple of my own.  I write each item on a word card and glue the image/picture I had found next to it.  (ex:  walk, run, jump, draw, put on a costume, read, learn etc.)

DAY 2:  We go over our circle map saying the phrase, "I can ____." and used every word or phrase on the circle map they had suggested the day before.  

 I then introduced our Communication Guide (written on a separte sheet of chart paper) (we used similar guides when I taught Into English; an English as a Second Language Program).   We use the Commication Guide by filling in the blanks. I also have Closings written out on chart paper (see below).  

I do an example first using the Communication Guide.   I use sticky notes for my/their name and put it right in the blank.  Then I have a sticky note that says boy or girl and I/they put it in the next blank.  Lastly I grab 2 things from our circle map relating to what I/they can do.  I also tell them they must choose a closing to end the writing. 

Once we have practiced filling in the Communication Guide whole class with me showing them how I would do it, I then have 2-3 students come up one at a time and complete the Communication Guide.

Day 3:  Begins by reviewing both the Circle Map and the Communication Guide, as well as the Closings.  Then again 2-3 students come up one at a time to fill in the Communication Guide to show how it's done.  Then I have the class turn to a partner and orally read the Communication Guide filling in the blanks as we have been practicing.  They then switch and the other partner reads theirs orally looking on the Communication Guide on the chart paper.


                          All About Me
         My name is ________________________.  I am
a _____________.  I can______________. 
I can ________________.


 Closings (they must choose one to end their writing):

1.  I am awesome.
2.  I am wonderful.
3.  I am _______.

DAY 3 or 4: We do a few more samples moving words into the All About Me communication guide and then I show them how to write it on special paper. The paper I use has name and date on top, a box for a picture and then lines to write their All About Me story. They must copy the communication guide: All About Me inserting their name, if they are a boy or girl and their own choice of words (from the circle map) for what they can do. And then a closing.

I do teach them that their title must be on the first line in the middle of the picture.  They need to have a three finger indent for their topic sentence.  I show them they must write to the end of each line and then start a new line at the margin.  Finally they must have a closing.  I do remind them their picture must relate to what they write.

This may seem like a very detailed process but many of my students are just in their second year of learning English if they went to Kindergarten, so their writing skills are not the best yet, but we'll  get there!!!!






                                                                                         I

Quit while your ahead

        Today I received a new student from Mexico right in the middle of my Treasures' first grade Reading Comprehension Lesson (a story about Roberto Clemente).  I had to stop to talk to his mom and grandmother quickly about:  My parent packet, his homework, does he have lunch money, and where to pick him up when school ends.  I also had to tell her today is our early day we get out at 1:19 but the rest of the days we leave at 2:19.  I am doing all this in the best Spanish I have, but the reason I decided to write this evening is because I feel it's important to understand this 10/15 minutes I lost talking to my new student's parent resulted in me having to just STOP my lesson and just forget about it.  The moment was gone.  Sometimes it is hard for us to realize when to stop, but it's best to just quit.  If you think about it there will be plenty of lessons in your Reading series that accomplish the skills that you were teaching.  So don't feel guilty, just STOP when you feel you've lost your students or the moment.  I did today and things went more smoothly for me and I wasn't as frustrated as I would have been if I had continued. 

Tomorrow is another day!!

Word Family Neighborhood

Here's a quick easy way to do the Word families all year long.  Each week I cover one word family.  I usually use the word family that is on the Daily Oral Language worksheet that week but, you can go in any order you choose.

All I do is make a house and at the top of the house I write the word family that we are covering.  Then I ask my students to come up with words in that family and I write them inside the house.  If I am in a drawing mood I try my best to put a picture by the word.  Sometimes the words may not have a picture I can draw, so I don't and sometimes I just write the word with no picture because I feel they can read without the scaffold.  It's all up to you.  We go over these words throughout the year whenever we have a minute or two. 

I line the neighborhood up on the wall.  The students see our neighborhood grow.  During Open House my students must read one house of words to their parents.  At the end of the year I take them down (the houses or apartments) and let each child take one home.  They love it.

Here is a  close up of one but I can't figure out how to rotate my picture, sorry about that. I hope you don't mind turning your head.

Have a terrific tomorrow!