Literature Circles With Henry and Mudge

For the love of Henry and Mudge! It's all coming together, my students are engaged, reading, writing and speaking about reading.

During intervention time, my students participate in reader's workshop. I meet with a guided reading group while the other students typically work with a buddy on a specific reading strategy. During the first part of the year, I find that more than one buddy often leads to silliness.

But, as the year progressed and the students became comfortable with the expectations I began to wonder about independent literature circles in first grade. These were always apart of my third and fourth grade classrooms, but could my first grade friends really handle this, while actively participating?

Thanks to Stacy at Mrs. Johnson's First Grade, my first graders rose above and beyond my expectations. Stacy's Henry and Mudge Literacy and Math Activities were just what I needed to get my literature circles started.

Honestly, my students are loving working together to read, discuss and write about these stories. I have loved sitting in on the groups, or just passing by and catching them deep in discussion. They beg to have Henry and Mudge literature circle days.

Ahh...it makes me so happy when it all comes together! And believe me this is not always the case!

I hope you'll pop on over to Stacy's blog and check out her Henry and Mudge Literacy & Math Activities.

Happy Tuesday!

Clever Chicks

I don't know about you, but I am so looking forward to the long weekend. We have Friday and Monday off, super excited! But I'm also looking forward to coming back next week and using some of the activities I've created to go along with Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! and Chick 'n' Pug.

(Click on the image to download a preview from TPT)

If you're a Reading Street teacher I'm sure you are very familiar :) with Tippy-Toe, but if you haven't read the story, it's a perfect springtime problem/solution story.

Chick 'n' Pug is my new favorite! My own son was laughing out loud as we read this story about a chick who loves reading the adventures of Super Pug. Chick is bored with the chicken coop, so he sets out to find the real, live Super Pug. He ends up meeting, not Super Pug, but a normal everyday pug. Chick also ends up solving a problem too. I promise your class will be laughing out loud as you read this story.

Below, I've included a link to a free word work game that is apart of this packet. I hope you'll check it out! Clever Chicks includes some really fun literacy, science, math, and cooking treat activities. Perfect for the springtime!

Luring Leprechauns and a Wedding

Oh my, the lead up to spring break was filled with such fun and excitement!

Leprechauns made footprint appearances early in the week. This led the students to design, bring in and set their traps. Such excitement, especially from my own first grade son!

And the traps from the students...love them!

We also completed our Luring Leprechauns experiment (the students used vinegar and salt to clean pennies), and sure enough those tricky little leprechauns snuck into the classroom and stole the shiny pennies. Click here to grab a freebie copy of this experiment for next year.

On Friday, the entire first grade headed out on a field trip to the butterfly museum.

We wrapped up the field trip and my wonderful teammates took all of the kiddos back to school on the bus so that I could head out of town for my little brother's wedding. He was married on St. Patrick's day, so I'm sharing a few photos. I hope you don't mind!

My sweet mom decorated the cake and I was her assistant cupcake decorator.

My all grown up, little brother and I...posing with our gold and green shoes.

It was such a fun wedding, candy bar and little green mustaches (on my cute cousins)!

Spring break is almost over. I can't believe we only have one more quarter until the school year is over. Boy has this year flown by!

Welcome Friends!

Hi, I'm Jamie. I began teaching over ten years ago. Wow, it seems just like yesterday! Along the way I've taught students in first through the fourth grade. I took a few years off to stay home with my little guy, but I've been back in full swing with my first grade friends for three years.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!