I am going to teach like a Pirate!!! Arrrgg!

When I say I am EXCITED.. it is an understatement about how I am feeling right now.  I am joining this summer book study with some great teacher friends!! Teach like a Pirate! Only $9 and change at amazon.com!

Thank you Rowdy in First Grade!

and Third Grade Tidbits!

Chapter 1: Passion

Within your subject matter, what are you passionate about teaching?

This is tough! I LOVE LOVE reading! But the best kind of reading is the kind the resonates within the child and gets them thinking and analyzing their own lives. I know most people will say that teaching values is a no no, but it is my FAVORITE! I love reading about how characters fall into sticky situations and talk about how we might fix a similar problem. I think I love this time in my class because this is when we really get to know one another. 

Within your profession, but not specific to your subject matter, what are you passionate about?

My professional passion is to create a special place that we call ours. Where all students feel open to discuss, question, and share. A place where the students are not afraid to be themselves and feel good about who they are. I also have a professional passion for creating exciting, engaging, hands on lessons where my 1st graders use their imaginations to change the room from a classroom to a pizza shop or science lab. After all.. "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Albert Einstein 

Completely outside of you profession, what are you passionate about?

I am a creator of all kinds of things! I love crafting, sewing, scrap booking, creating digital items, taking photographs, organizing things, labeling those things I've organized, and sharing all of the above with the people I love. I am passionate about life and living everyday as though it will be my last. I am passionate about my family. I enjoy telling them how much I love them! You never know when it will be too late to say goodbye!

My favorite line from this chapter: "Light yourself on fire with passion... and don't worry if it's not a controlled burn."

Join us!! It will be fun!

Top 10 Favorite Books!

Miss Proctor's First Grade Class LOVES Books!

I wanted the students to vote and decide which books were their absolute favorite books from this school year. They were allowed to nominate any book that we read in class. Then we had a vote!  Here are our top 10!

My ALL TIME favorite! Pete & Pickles - a great story about friendship!

For the Love of Autumn - Who does not love Patricia?? They also loved Junkyard Wonders!!!!

They all clapped after we read this story!

No, David! We love David Shannon! He makes us giggle!

Thump, Quack, Moo!

We did a fun visualizing activity with this book! 

This was a great book to use during our Earth Day (2 week long celebration)

I was so SURPRISED this was a favorite. It is the most basic story about spring, but we went outside and laid in the grass as I read to them. They loved visualizing and getting into the "spring feeling."

This is one of my other ABSOLUTE favorites! We read this around Halloween when we did our unit on Spiders. It is a creepy and very cool look at how spiders trick their prey. We also make our own stories and use black paper and white crayons to do similar illustrations. 

We all know I love the Interrupting Chicken! You can get our activity for this book FREE on my TPT

Way Side School! 

I remember reading these when I was a kid. We loved them, could not get enough! 

My class begs me to read them everyday. 

Next year I am going to try to do more with characters in this story. 

Here is our Book Rating Sheet we are going to be using next week as we re-read our top 10 favorite books of first grade!!

The students fill in the stars based on their opinion,

 Then they will write about why they did or did not like the story! 

I hope your last few weeks are filled with fun & lots of great books!

Interrupting Chicken

Writing & Puppet Craft

This idea actually came from a great friend of mine. Maritza introduced me to this book and the cute idea of making puppets when we presented together in Georgia. We did a workshop on recycling in the classroom. (Pictures below)

I wanted to use this story to talk about dialog in our writing. I created a document where the students can create a scene of their own and then apply the dialog in a piece of writing. I also included the items to create the puppet craft.

I MUST say that the kids LOVED this story and the activity! They enjoyed coming up with a scene of their own and using the puppets to get ideas. They did SUCH a great job and they really did a nice job. I will try to post some student samples! 

Click to get the Interrupting Chicken Item for free from my TPT account.

Maritza presenting The Interrupting Chicken! 

Just us :)

Summer Reading & Writing Packet!

Summer Reading & Writing Packet

A great teacher friend of mine approached me about making a reading and writing summer packet. I was not sure exactly what direction I wanted to go in, but this is what I have come up with. Please know that I will be adding to it.. Once you buy it you can get the upgraded file for free, even if it is next summer!! :) Just go to my purchases and you will see NEW UPDATE AVAILABLE blinking!

Here is what I have come up with so far!

Click on the picture to take you to my TPT

Thank you for all of the support! It is appreciated!