Teaching Young Learners How To Make A Plan
(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.) Hello everyone! I don't know about you, but my summer has flown by! From teaching…
The beginning of a plant inquiry
Hello friends! I hope that this post finds you well. We are currently in the middle of a giant plant inquiry. This year, I…
Engaging hands-on activities to help you gear up for spring!
I know that it is not officially spring yet, but it certainly feels like it here in Austin, TX. I currently have my…
Studying the human body with kindergarteners
This year, my students were very interested in learning about the ways their bodies worked. We spent about three weeks learning about our five…
Student-led inquiries: Project work with young learners
I love the summer because it allows me the time to reflect on the year that just finished and read a ton of…
Ocean activities for young learners
I can not get over how quickly this year flew by. We are down to only 4 days left and I am so…
Engaging lessons on tide pools
This week we began a new unit on tide pools. As some of my students have never visited the ocean, the first day we…
It’s SPRING! Take this science activity outside!
I don't know about where you live, but here in Texas, we are experiencing a BEAUTIFUL spring!! Each day we are finding new…
Hands-on activities when studying storms
In Science, our objective this past week was, "students will observe, describe, and illustrate objects in the sky such as the clouds and Sun."…
Exploring Light In Kindergarten
{This blog post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.} This past week my kindergarteners explored light. They enjoyed our unit SO…
Adding PLAY To Your Guided Reading Groups
As a teacher we want our students to LOVE to read. We want our students to devour good books and to become amazing little readers.…
Simple activities to make your Arctic unit come to life!
I love teaching because every year, every month, and every day I get to learn something new. I get to see the joy…
Making Magic Potions
For our Friday experiment last week, my students entered our classroom to find, silver platters set out with intriguing science tools. They "oooohhhed…
Activities During Our Forest Inquiry
We currently are knee-deep in our forest inquiry. Throughout the week, my students came up with some great wonders! Here are a few things…
Making a Bible Lesson Come To Life With Science
The first Bible lesson that I always teach my class is the story of Creation. This year was no exception. In order to…
Integrating Science Into Your Day–Finding The Time
People often ask me, "How do you fit everything in?!?" I understand why. It is so very hard to fit everything you want…
Developing Independent Kindergarteners- Part 1
Let me begin this post with two words: Independent Kindergarteners Two words that often are not put together in August. In fact, now, in June,…
Oceans, Islands, and Waves OH MY!
This week we are learning all about the Ocean and BOY OH BOY are we having a blast!! I am so glad that…
What have we been up to?
The last few weeks have been SUPER hectic. You know how it goes. However, I just HAVE to share some of the FUN…
Math In May
Can you believe it is already May?! Where has the time gone?? At one point today I stopped to take in the quiet…
Plant and Earth Day Activities
If you read my last blog post, I promised to tell y'all about the rest of our Earth Day and plant unit activities.…
Earth Day Activities
This past week we have been gearing up for Earth Day. We have been learning all about plants and our world. To make…
Hands-on lessons for young students about rocks!
The past week we have continued our study on the Earth. This week we focused on the "land." Throughout the week, my students…
Gearing up for Earth Day!
The past two weeks, my class has been gearing up for Earth Day. We have been having a blast each afternoon as we learn…
St. Patrick’s Day Fun!
This week we have had so much fun learning about St. Patrick's Day! My students have LOVED all of our activities to fit…
Cause and Effect
Cause and effect is not always the easiest concept for students to grasp. However, I was determined this year to make it tangible…
Helping Elementary Students Learn About Geography
At my school, each grade level has a "cultural focus" and spends a few months studying their focus area in an integrated unit.…
Our first theme of the year: worms!!
This week we are starting our very first theme in kindergarten and it was a HUGE success. This is a brand new theme for…
Teaching With Themes
As many of you know, one of my favorite things to do in my classroom is to teach using themes. I have had…
A Special Surprise
The other day my students were in for a HUGE surprise. If you haven't noticed, I simply ADORE Nikki, the illustrator who draws…
3 {Easy and CHEAP} Ocean Activities
We are down to 8 days left of school. Those days include 5 full days and three half days... amongst those days we…
Writing about shells {and the ocean}
The ocean is one of those things that simply fascinates me. My mom has a picture of one of my brothers and I…
3rd Annual Camping Day!
It has become a tradition at my school that every year, around this time, I host a camping day for the first graders.…
A rainbow of writing
During writing workshop, we have been working on making our writing more colorful. I wanted my students to really focus on word choice…
Exploring Plants
Last week was our testing week and I am very glad to say that it is over! My students did fantastic but by…
Volcanoes! {best day ever!!!}
Today was "volcano day" in my classroom. It was SUCH a great way to end our study of landforms! Oh my goodness, I…
Teaching Landforms Can Be Fun!
I will be 100% honest...Knowing that "landforms" were coming up in the curriculum did not have me jumping for joy. I love, love,…
Frog Week- summaries, writing, and an art “experiment”
In Texas, the weather is currently beautiful. Spring is in the air (and allergies are on overdrive)! To capitalize on what is going…
Our new favorite SPRING Science experiment {on matter!}
This week we revisited what matter is. In December, I introduced this concept with a fun science activity. {you can read about that…
Texas sized fun! {making social studies come to life!}
We have been having SO much fun learning about Texas this week. My students would concur that Texas is a pretty incredible state.…
Fun with force and motion!
Oh my goodness. This past week was SO MUCH FUN. When we shared what our favorite part of the week was on Friday…
A glimpse into our day!
I thought it might be fun to show you a glimpse into a 'normal' day in our first grade classroom. As many of…
“Best Week Ever!”
I have a student who has been asking me since August, "Miss Smith, WHEN are we going to study about the DINOSAURS?!" Well,…
Blast Off To The Moon
This week has been an absolute blast. (pun intended!) We started our unit on the moon and space and my students could not…
Increasing Rigor and Engagement At The Same Time
This past week I was able to go to the SDE conference here in Austin and got to hang out with some of…
Having fun in the winter! {Freebie!!}
Weather in Texas is so crazy. One day this week it was 29* when I woke up. The next day, my students were…
Winter is Here!!
Winter has definitely hit my classroom. While we are NOT experiencing all the snow and cold that y'all are having, we did get…
Getting ready for a new year!
Happy New Year!! I hope that you are all doing well and are still enjoying your last few days off. I have been…
“Life saving” winter crafts!
Hooray!!! It's Winter break!! We made it-- congratulations and job well done! I don't know about you, but our past week was filled…
Baby, it’s COLD outside!
Being from New England, a few 20 degree days should totally not throw me for a loop but MAN! I'm freezing!! I have…
What does the fox say? {finding the main idea and details in a passage}
I'm sure by now your students have told you all about the song "What does the fox say?" In case you have not…
Reindeer Fun! {getting ready for December!}
On Friday, my students came to school dressed to the nines ready for our Thanksgiving feast. It was such a blast and such…
Clams?!
Today my class was in for a surprise when they walked in the door. We have been diligently studying Thanksgiving and what the…
We’ve got spirit, yes, we do! (and owl pellet dissections!)
This past week we celebrated "Spirt Week" at my school. Each day students were able to come to school out of uniform. (which…
Owl Week!
On Monday we start our next unit. Throughout the upcoming week we will learn all about owls! The owl pellets arrived the other…
I love my job! {and a Freebie}
Today my students walked in and their mouths hit the floor. Those few seconds of silence, followed by the HUGE smiles, and then hands…
“It’s fun first grade!”
In my classroom, we have lovingly named Fridays, "Fun Friday." On Fridays my students work super hard in the morning taking their assessments…
Monday, Monday…and a whole bunch of bat centers!
Today my students walked in to a classroom set up ready for bat week. Our Scholastic readers (featuring bats) were on their desks…
A week of spiders {How do you fit it all in?}
This past week we went CRAZY for spiders. My students LOVED every.single.minute of each day and they came out stronger readers, writers and…
Creepy, Crawly Spiders!
Well spider week in my classroom is off to a HUGE hit! I had a few parents email me saying that their child…
October Mapped Out and Spiders! {and your chance to win!}
Can you believe that it is almost October? CRAZY, right?! Goodbye apples, and hello October themes! On Friday I mapped out my month…
More Apples and Johnny Appleseed Day!
Oh wow! What a whirlwind this week has been. My students have amazed me this week. They have worked so hard and have…
How to make applesauce in your classroom {recipe included}
On Friday my class made homemade applesauce in class. It is truly one of my favorite activities that I do every year. I…
Apple Juice! {classroom style!}
On Tuesday, in one of my guided reading groups, my students and I were working our way through an "apple" reader. In the…
Apple Weeks start TOMORROW!! {plus TONS of Freebies!!!}
Hooray, hooray!! Our Apple Weeks start tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited!! I have TONS of fun things planned for us and…
We Love Weather!
The other day one of my students raised her hand and asked, "Miss Smith, are we going to study weather next week?" I said,…
Visual Plans and Freebies!
Before I get into my visual plans, I have to tell y'all about my latest obsession. Here in Texas unfortunately it is still…
Weather Galore!
This week we started our first "science theme" of the school year. I start my year with weather because it echoes both my…
Week 3: Weather! {Visual Lesson Plans}
Tomorrow we kick off one of my favorite units. {Yes, I think I say that about every unit... but I really love this…
Reviewing color words with science
This past week we reviewed our color words. I'm so happy to say that this year most of my first graders came to…
I love Science! {and your chance to win!!}
Y'all know how much I love teaching Science. I am SUPER excited to announce that I have two new Science packs out. They…
Science Galore! {and a FREEBIE!}
Planning for a new year is always so much fun! In reflecting on my past school year I definitely think one of the…
Getting Ready For A New Year
A little bit of sun... ... a…
Ocean weeks continue — peek at my week!
Tomorrow we will continue our lovely study of the Ocean. My students have been LOVING this. Tomorrow we will focus mainly on sea…
Dive in to some ocean fun! (Freebie!)
We are in LOVE with the ocean. We have been listening to this great playlist of songs that I just have to share…
Ocean Fun and an Intro to Discovery Bottles
You already know that I am a *tab bit* in love with Science. My class it, too. We're a great fit for each…
Two, no, THREE of our new favorite Science experiments
So, the other day we went Science CRAZY. It was probably one of my favorite days of the whole year. We accomplished FOUR…
Testing Week: a very crazy Thursday schedule
My kids have worked so hard at their way too many tests this week. By the end of the day today, they were…
Egg Geodes
The other day we completed the "egg geodes" science experiment. I took out one of the first anchor charts we made this year…
Butterflies- an EASY craft
We have been working so hard at reading in first grade. I'm sure you all can relate. We have tackled most of our…
The day the dinos came to school….
I have to back track a little because I had wanted to post about this but literally just took these pictures off of…
Dinos!
I'm so sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have an excuse... and it's a good one. Did you…
Ice Race!
We continued our study on the three states of matter using Jen Ross's amazing States of Matter Pack. It was a serious life saver.…
Groundhog Day craftivity
My good friend Heidi from My Not So Elementary life has the CUTEST Groundhog day activity available! My students LOVED it!! In her pack…
States Of Matter
To introduce the three states of matter we completed a REALLY engaging science activity. Early before school started, I filled up two balloons…
Outer Space Science Experiment
My class loves Science. They can't wait for Friday to arrive to see what Science experiment we will complete. They moan and groan…
Planet Reports and Crafts!
This week we studied the planets. Each of my students picked a planet and then researched information about them. They learned how to…
Moon Week Recap!
Oh my goodness. To say that we LOVED Moon week is an understatement. We went crazy for the Moon this week and learned…
Blast Off to the MOON!
We go back to school next week and will jump right back into learning. Next week we will be blasting off to the…
Turkey Mania
Remember how I said I was excited to put up Thanksgiving decorations in my classroom? Well... I may or may not have overdone…
Pumpkin Week (and FREEBIES!)
Get ready, get set.... this week is PUMPKIN WEEK!!! Yay!! I love this week. I love watching the kids dig into their pumpkins…
Owl Pellet Dissections and a weekly recap!
Last week was "spirit week" at my school. We had crazy hair day, crazy sock day, favorite sports team day, PJ day, and…
Are you thinking about Thanksgiving?!
I don't know about you but even though Halloween is just around the corner, my mind has already gone to Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one…
Getting ready for a week of owls!
Coffee in hand? CheckLamination all over my bedroom floor? CheckPrepping for a new week of fun and exciting activities for my first grade…
Bat week continues!
My kids have been working SO hard this week at writing informative texts about bats. We have been working on how we write…
Bat week has started!
Bat week has officially begun! We have learned poems about bats, read numerous books, and have really been working on our writing with…
Making Grammar Fun! — Adjective Pumpkins!
We have been studying nouns, verbs and adjectives for about 5 weeks now. I'm sure most of you have been, too. We have…
Spider Week!
Spiders, spiders, OH MY!We went crazy for spiders last week in my classroom. We learned more than I ever wanted to know and…
Autumn Math Bins! (Including Differentiated Freebies!!)
Hello Friends!!Happy Fall :) We have been very hard at work during math! We have introduced addition, number sentences and have been using…
Johnny Appleseed Day!
Happy Johnny Appleseed Day!!! We have gone overboard with apples... and Johnny. We sing about him:(warning this song is sure to get stuck in your…
