Five for Friday March 20

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. Thank you for hosting, Kacey! 

We had a lot of fun reading The Doorbell Rang this week.  We used it several different ways.  First, I read through the book.  We predicted what would happen each time the doorbell rang. Who might be at the door?  How many people might be there?  What would happen to the cookies? Luckily, thanks to Greg (The Kindergarten Smorgasboard) I use a doorbell to change centers, so of course we used that for the story!  When we discovered who was actually at the door, we worked our math magic to decide how the cookies would need to be divided.

This story is great for a review of the number twelve.  I still have  a couple cuties who mix up 12 and 20, so this was a chance to reinforce 12 lots of time.  Some of the children weren't familiar with the word "dozen," so this was also great for vocabulary.  We brainstormed what different things come in dozens- donuts, cookies, eggs- one smartie even said golf balls!    Another little girl brought up a "baker's dozen" so I explained how that came to be.  The kids thought that was nice of that baker.

After I read the story through once, I sent the children to their seats with a baker's dozen of Cookie Crisp cereal. They had to count to be sure they had a thirteen!

Then, they ate one to start off our math lesson.  If this doesn't happen, they seem to only focus on "WHEN CAN WE EAT THEM?" So, that baker was really smart to include the extra just for this moment.

I told them to find the cookie with the most chocolate chips, and eat that on- because why wouldn't you?

Now we were ready to reread the story and divide up the cookies as the doorbell rang and the guests arrived.  

2 people

4 people

6 people

12 people

Later, during Center Time, I had two books with two sets of play cookies and cookie sheets.  The children read or retold the story to a friend as they acted it out with the cookies.   I made 3X5 cards with numbers to go with how many guests had arrived so they knew how many people had to share the cookies.   I had plastic cookies, but you could also make construction paper cookies!

                                                             

We also had fun with frogs this week.  I do a unit on frogs and toads in the Spring.  This week we had a little introduction about what's to come!  

Of course I adore the Frog and Toad books, too.  I posted all about ideas to go with Frog and Toad are Friends HERE.  I posted the ideas I use for Frog and Toad Together HERE. 



I made a Frog and Toad Prezi (free at my TPT store) that I use all the time in the Spring when we are watching our eggs (and reading these stories). It has lots of videos of the stories, videos about frogs and toads, ideas, games, and charts to use if you are reading Frog and Toad, or having a science lesson about frogs and/or toads!

This is my newest frog story acquisition, and I love it!

Here is a description from Amazon and a book trailer!

Fans of Mo Willems’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back will love meeting this willful young frog with a serious identity crisis. Frog wants to be anything but a slimy, wet frog. A cat, perhaps. Or a rabbit. An owl? But when a hungry wolf arrives—a wolf who HATES eating frogs—our hero decides that maybe being himself isn’t so bad after all. In this very silly story with a sly message, told in hilarious dialogue between a feisty young frog and his heard-it-all-before father, young readers will identify with little Frog’s desire to be something different, while laughing along at his stubborn yet endearing schemes to prove himself right.

And some pictures!

This book lends itself to so many writing activities: Why didn't Frog want to be a frog? Of all the animals Frog wanted to be, what one might you want to be and why? Would you want to be a frog? Why or why not? and on and on...

We just finished writing our How To books and are beginning our Informational Writing. Dan Colquhoun (Rocking Dan Teaching Man) is teaching 4th grade this year. His class wrote a "How To" song about making a paper frog. I thought it would be so much fun for my kids to follow the directions and make their own! They loved it.

The first time through, we listened and danced. As the children made their frogs, I stopped the song as we completed each step. When we were done, we listened again (and danced with our new frog friends!)

This was so much fun and such great timing for my class because they got to see "How To" in action!

Many thanks to Dan and his class for the great song and activity!

SO much personality!

The leprechauns came late in the afternoon on St. Patrick's Day!  We had a busy day that day. We had a guest reader for Agriculture Week and a visit to the Book Fair, so I  the leprechauns had to time it just right so it was ok to finally let down and celebrate!   They knocked over the chairs and the recycling AND made little footprints all over the tables that I JUST CLEANED... so the kids knew it wasn't me...  Mrs. Kisloski would NEVER...


We did lots of writing about leprechauns.  Our class makes a We Are Lucky class book, thanks to Sarah from A Sunny Day in First Grade.  I LOVE her products. Every one is so well made and so perfect to use in the classroom. Plus, she shares so many wonderful freebies- like this one! This book is free at her TPT store!  This sample is from last year's class.

                                     

                                    

 I am lucky because I am hape.  (happy)

                                    

We also finished our Lucky Journals!  We worked on a couple pages each day, and the children really took their time. It is a simple way to have children write a little, and works great for morning work, too. If you don't include the "Leprechauns hide..." page, you could use this anytime in the spring.  Maybe you could go on a lucky clover hunt outside on a nice, spring day!

                              

There is another page in the little journal that says, "My last name is..."    On this page, I let the kids write their last name with all different colors and fancy ways- because most of them need practice spelling and writing their last name.

  

I also made a different cover in case you prefer rainbows...

                                           

Every year, I take the children's pictures in a hat they choose, and have each of them tell me why they are lucky.  This first one made me smile. 

This one got lots of  bonus points, as you can imagine...

We also wrote our three wishes.  

This little one went all out!  Why not?!  They make sense to me!

"I wish I could fly.  I wish I had every power in the whole world. I wish I had wings."

This little one broke my heart and got a HUGE HUG because it was the best I could do.  

"a phone with a case, a unicorn, my grandpa back"

                            

This week my Smart board was taken out- and I got a new Apple TV system with an 80" TV.

Our Smart boards were actually 6 years old, and the district was having lots of problems with them and trying to fix them- so they are thinking of going the Apple TV route.  I am piloting it for the primary wing.  The fourth grade teachers each have one and are loving it.  They helped me figure it out- and got me going. They are awesome. And kind. And patient. And didn't talk over my head. And I love them. I will be doing LOTS of playing around with the TV  and learning as I go.  Each of our fourth graders actually have their own iPads for school as well, and what they're doing on them is amazing. 

One app that I hadn't used, but seems to be very useful for interacting on the Apple TV is Educreations. I can have the students on this app and airplay it onto the TV, so the TV becomes a sort of white board.  I have a ways to go...  If anyone has an Apple TV and some tips, I'd love to hear about them!

It's very pretty.  Except... I need a bit of touch up paint.  Luckily we're learning our Water Cycle Song- so I covered up the ugly old paint with the anchor charts for the water cycle and clouds.  

                                                

Look how our bean stalks have grown!  Oh they WERE magic beans! Just to let you know, I didn't soak the beans or anything before I planted them.  They didn't do anything for a few days and I thought I over-watered them and I worried...  but then ...  

I did plant some extra and I was glad that I did, because I was able to switch them out with a couple that didn't grow as well. 

Here is my post ALL about Jack and the Beanstalk.  It's such a fun unit, especially for this time of year!

And finally, oh how I love this quote.  

Have a happy, healthy weekend. Happy, Happy Spring! Thank you for stopping by!