"Don't cry because it's over,

Smile because it happened."

                     by Dr. Seuss

We couldn't have said it any better ourselves!

THANKS for dropping by, especially on a Friday night!

We hope you enjoyed this week!

Mary from Pitner's Potpourri is scooting back to school...

Click on the picture above to scoot right over to check it out.

Mary's GIVEAWAY is...

Click on the picture above to grab a copy from 8:00-9:00 EST.

Click over to...

to check in on Mary.

Delena from Learn With Me in Grade Three has a GIVEAWAY of

Click on the picture above from 8:00-9:00 EST to grab it for FREE!

Stop by...

to see what Delena is learning these days.

Kathy from First Grade a la Carte is sharing a riddle just because...

Click on the picture above to check it out.

Kathy's GIVEAWAY is...

From 8:00-9:00 EST, click on the picture above to grab it!

Check out...

to see what else Kathy has to offer!

*These GIVEAWAYS will only be available for one hour from 8:00 pm-9:00 pm EST. 

After that time, they will be gone!  

You will then have to head over to their stores to purchase these products and check out a whole lot more!

**Be sure to leave a comment below to let us know that you grabbed up a thing or two tonight so we can have some kind of idea how many have been grabbed up. 

THANKS!

Science Fair: The First Grade Way!

Happy Weekend to all my friends here at Class*y!
I have been MIA for a short while...Off getting married and honeymooning in Italy!  (Which was absolutely incredible by the way!)  I'd like to throwback a very amazing treat that inspired me to start a NEW tradition in my first grade classroom this year.

In previous years, I have always finished out the year with a Fairytales Unit and Reader's Theater Play.  This year's class voted to do something completely different.  I was so proud of the kids when the votes were tallied and the winning project would be a class science fair!  I immediately got online and searched for ideas and of course, found this fabulous freebie on TPT to get me started.
 Click here or on the image below to grab it!
 

I found some Pinterest-inspired sites that referenced first grade science fair ideas so I made a list of about 20 ideas and had each student choose which project they wanted to research.  The parents received a copy of the above-mentioned student guide over spring break in April and had the entire month of May to work on the project.  
We held our science fair over the last three school days (8 to 9 students presented each day).
Of course, I was lucky enough to have the empty room next door to set up all the projects.
I was absolutely blown away by the excitement, anticipation and effort put into these awesome science projects!  Take a peek!

Hazel's LIVE ACTION video feed:

I did take points and assess three major areas of each project. (Oral Presentation, Materials, and Scientific Method). I then created these cute Young Scientist Awards that included the final grade for each student.

I made this document editable so if you'd like to use it, click here!

It was an incredible first grade experience to have a science fair this year!  I am definitely putting it on the agenda for next year and many more to come!
Have a fabulous weekend everyone,

The Writing Thief

What have you been reading this summer?

Well, I've been reading The Writing Thief by Ruth Culham.

I definitely could have used this book last year when I was writing the 5th grade writing plan.

Our school was looking to improve our scores on the 5th Grade Georgia Writing Test, so as literacy coach, I wrote the plan. It included daily journal writing, weekly mentor sentences, power writing, paragraph building, practice writing tests, and writing lessons based on the scored domains using mentor texts.

Ruth asks for and embraces change in what we are doing in the classroom to promote writing. We have clear definite scope and sequences for reading, math, science, and social studies but seem to be lacking the same clarity in teaching writing. I find this to be true where I am. A simple thing to note is that when I am in a first grade class, I am teaching capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, and I am doing the same thing in 5th grade classes also.  I am only doing it in 5th because my observations of student writing indicate that they need it. Where is the breakdown? Are we expecting the same mastery of skills in student writing as in reading and math? Something to ponder.

Ruth goes on to discuss some of the dumb things we are doing and how we can turn them around, the relationship of reading and writing, and the importance of excellent teachers teaching the 4Ws of writing.

And that's just the first chapter! Stop by ...

on Monday for more on the 4Ws and using mentor texts to teach writing! 

End of the Year Throwback

Hi! Kathy, from First Grade a la Carte, here to share...

I've gotten emails lately about my version of The Important Book for the end of the year, so it's the perfect thing to share again.

Click on the picture above to take a look. ENJOY!