We've made it through the 1st Month of School...

...and it has been a busy one.  We started out with 30 students in my class, then reduced it down to 28.  The students have been working really hard, and I feel like I never stop working.  19 Kinders and 9 First Graders in one room is A LOT!!!  As you may have already noticed, the students have become comfortable with my routines, and are learning how to work together in the classroom.  We do seatwork skills (writing/ identifying syllables/ reading/ etc.), do some activities at the carpet (attendance/ calendar/ stories/ sight-word practice/ etc.), then return to our tables for more skill work.  After recess we do Center activities (computers/ books/ word sorts/ writing/ manipulatives/ art/ etc.), return to the carpet for another story, and then do math while the First Graders are at lunch.  After the Kinders leave, we do writing practice, have PE, then end the day with some Math and the occasional History or Science lesson.  I try to keep the routine set, as I have found it keeps my students motivated and willing to work hard and stay on task.  The homework packets are thoughtfully prepared each week based on the skills we have practiced in class.  They go home each week on Monday and are returned by Friday.  I check them in myself each weekend, offering any comments I think are relevant, then start the cycle over again.  This detailed account might sound a little boring, but I do try to have fun in my class whenever possible with my students.  Now that the busy work is out of the way, let me leave you all with my favorite lesson of the week:  Apple Muffins!!

We have been reviewing the letters and sounds for Aa and Mm.  As a culmination for the 3 week focus, I decided to surprise my students with a culinary lesson making (A)pple (M)uffins.  We mixed up all the ingredients together in class, set them in muffin cups, and baked them during lunch at the staff room.  While the muffins cooled, the students made little flags labeling their "phonetic morsels".  They wrote an (a) on the apple flag and colored it, then wrote an (m) on the muffin flag and colored it.  We put the flags on the muffins with toothpicks, then they brought the muffin home to share their edible lesson with the family.  Everyone had a great time and walked away with a personal connection to the letters "Aa" and "Mm".  To all you teachers reading this, I definitely recommend adding cooking to your Educational Arsenal.  The kids love it and you know they will remember your intended learning objective while they "eat it"!!

Progress Reports will be going home early in October, so if I don't post again for a couple weeks, please understand how busy I am getting them prepared.  Please comment and let me know what you would like to hear about, or what you think of my little blog.  Not really sure how this works, but am giving it my best!!

*P.S.  - Please don't put names on the site.  I am trying to be vague on individual names until I create some alternate names for my students.  I want to be considerate of privacy laws and respectful of my families.  Photos will come in the future when I learn how to post some w/o actually putting my students on (maybe examples of student work or pics of my empty room, not sure yet).  Thank you for respecting the privacy of others!!