ExSL Shadow Day

{Haley and David practice lines with Isabella, Gregory, and Noah as we get ready to perform our readers' theater of the book Something Beautiful by Sharon Wyeth.}

Last month, I had the treat of hosting my children in our classroom as they participated in Buffalo Creek's ExSL "Shadow Day."  They got to spend the whole morning in our classroom shadowing me and learning what life is like in our first grade room.  They worked with the kids and had so much fun.  I wish they could have stayed all day!

(ExSL = Extreme Student Leadership)

We had so much fun celebrating the first 100 days of 1st grade today!  The children were SOOO cute all dressed up as senior citizens... I loved it!  Here are some photos of the kids... you should get a giggle or two out of them.  I have a video of our "Senior Citizen Fashion Show," but I've hit my media limit on our classroom blog.  Please wait for an e-mail invitation from me to a shared folder on Dropbox.  You'll find the fashion show video in there.  It's too cute!  

Awww... look at all my "old" friends!  Some of us can't even stand up straight!  :)

Josiah, Sean, and Mason look awesome!

Here's what it looks like when old friends sit on a bench and hang out.

Loving Gregory's, Bryson's, and Noah's "old man" clothes!

Juan and Zachary need their glasses just to see these days.  :)

{If you look closely, Zachary has a shirt full of stuffins today... it's an old-man belly!}

Lilly's hair looks great, especially since it's not normally close to this color.

Lots of powder completes this pretty girl's look.  Beautiful!

   Not only is Austin's tie super cool, but his silver hair and scruffy beard make him look so handsome!

Dear Families and Friends,

This is always a very special time of year with many reasons to celebrate and give thanks.  We had a wonderful December continuing to learn new things, but we managed to sprinkle in a little holiday hoop-la here and there.  Thank you so much for sharing your generous gifts with me last week, most especially your children... they are the best gifts!  Have an amazing holiday and enjoy all your new memory-making moments!  Merry Christmas!

The children reached a whole-class behavior goal and designed their own celebration.

"We want to make our own ice cream sundaes!"  So, we did!

Sean is obviously a big fan of gummy bears!  :)

Gracie-Lou-Who is letting Mrs. Moss style her "Who-Hair" at the First Grade Who-Ville Hair Salon during the annual Donuts in December event.

Isabella makes her peppermint snowman ornament during our winter festival... pretty!

Josiah and Marley battle it out in a math game practicing their doubles facts.

It looks like a close game!

Nathan and Mason have fun playing, too!

Team Ironman makes food for Santa's reindeer.

{Juan, Kate, Sean, and Gregory}

Lilly and Austin show off their reindeer food.

Isabela does a great job making her reindeer cookie.  Looks yummy!

Welcome!

Hi... Welcome to our first grade classroom blog!  We're glad you're here!  Be sure to follow our blog to receive notifications about classroom news and updates.  Simply click on "Our Blog Buddies" on the right side of this page.  On our blog, you'll find tabs at the top designed to help keep you and your child in touch with me.  Here's what you can expect:

{Class Scrapbook}

Keep an eye on our "Class Scrapbook" from time to time.  This is where you'll find fun pictures of the students engaged in educational and social activities.  Let your out-of-town relatives know about the scrapbook... it's a great way for them to see what your child as been up to at school.

{Our Daily Schedule}
Check here to see our daily schedule, including our specials schedule.  These times may vary for special occasions.

{Current Instruction}
In this section, I'll keep you up-to-date on the instructional content planned for each subject area by quarter.  As a parent, being aware of our academic goals will help form a strong bridge between home and school, allowing you to support your child's education throughout the year.

{Word Wall Words}
Keep track of our weekly word-wall words by clicking on this tab.  You'll see our five new words for the week, as well as a cumulative list of all the words we've learned so far.  By the end of the year, there will be more than 100 words on our word wall!

{About Homework}

Important news about homework, including my philosophy and assignments, will be located here.  This section is also a place where I will provide strategies and suggestions for supporting your child's education at home.

{Story Time}
This tab includes videos of books being read out loud.  They're good resources for supporting homework, just in case your child forgot to bring home a book from school.  The videos feature me and my two children reading some of our favorite books.

{Behavior Plan}
Would you like to know more about our classroom guidelines and how we monitor behavior?  Check out this section of our blog for more information.

{Requests}

Sometimes, I don't have what I need or want to pull off a certain activity or lesson in the classroom.  If you ever find yourself wondering, "Hmmm... what could I do for my child's teacher?" just check here.

{"Do" Try This at Home}

Every now and then, I come across great ideas or activities that are perfect for trying at home (not necessarily at school... ha ha).  When Steve Spangler, my favorite science guy, is about to do a crazy experiment, he says, "Don't try this at home.  Try it at a friend's house."  So this tab includes things I think are awesome, but may not have the time or resources to pull off at school.

If you need the link to the school's homepage click below:

Virgil Mills Elementary School

Please feel free to e-mail me at school:
knighta@manateeschools.net