Working on our Handwriting

I had the opportunity to try out Zaner-Bloser Handwriting for first grade these past few months, and am super excited to share my thoughts with you! Most of my kids still need to get this practice in and they are LOVING it.
First off, I have to tell you how flippin excited they were to get their little hands on these books. I gave them permission to flip through the pages, and they immediately asked, "Can we take these home?"

I was a little worried when I first received the materials, because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to squeeze in ONE MORE THING into my busy schedule. My day begins at 8:00 and ends at 2:30, which means it is jam-packed! But the manual indicated that the lessons could be completed in 15 minutes or less! #saywhaaaaat 

I was skeptical... until I started flipping through the student consumable. The directions are straightforward and easy to follow. I was able to find time on various days for students to break out their handwriting books. Students quickly learned the meaning of the green dot and red check mark. The red check mark signifies that a student should reflect on their handwriting and circle the "best letter" or "best word" on the line.
Do you see all of those QR codes? They're all linked to short animated tutorials! They aide students as they complete the page, which means I don't have to repeat myself 10 times. Why aren't these in all of my books? #seriously

 My students get excited every single time we get these out now. Perhaps, it's the bright colors or the fun pages. Looking at the cute picture introductions reminded me of a Highlights magazine. Bright, colorful and fun.  I'm really hoping we can buy these next year, because the books are so easy to use. 
Do your students like to practice handwriting?

TWO for Tuesday

Hi friends! I’m joining Chalk One Up for the Teacher’s linky party 2 for Tuesday to share some deals that you can find in my TpT shop!

I’ve got a new set of PRINT & GO Writing Prompts in my shop. Looks like I dropped the ball on this one. I was trying to wrap this up at the end of the school year, but you know how crazy that time of year is. You can always buy it now and save it OR pin it for later.

Click HERE to see it on TpT

The second item that’s half off are my Morning Routine Displays. Perfect for displaying on a screen and getting students started in the morning. 

Click HERE for Powerpoint version.
Click HERE for Smartboard Notebook version.

Be sure to head back to Chalk One Up for the Teacher to check out other sales!

My Daily Schedule

I’m so excited to be linking up with Ashley (Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd) and Angie (Lucky Little Learners)! They’re starting a monthly linky and we’re going to share our schedules with you this month. Want to know what my firsties’ daily schedule looks like?! Check it out here:

8:00 – 8:15 Morning Routine

         When students walk into the class they check the board and complete the tasks. Students usually read their poetry books or work on their math facts. Once the daily announcements begin, they clear their desks. I took photos of my students completing the tasks and placed them into my smartboard display. Click HERE to check them out.

8:15 – 8:25 Calendar

         The calendar person reviews the date and number of days in school. After this, he invites students up to build the number of the day. We use a program called What’s my place, What’s my value. It’s a great way to build number sense and place value skills. Click HERE to learn more about it.

8:25 – 9:40 Reading Workshop (15 minute blocks)

         8:25 Mini-lesson- I conduct a 15 minute mini-lesson related to a particular skill or standard. I usually focus on the same idea or for an entire week.

         8:40 Just Right Books – Teacher meets with Group 1. Students read books at their Independent reading level. We use Fountas and Pinnell leveling system. They keep a bag of 6 books plus any books given to them during guided reading. The students trade their books weekly.

         8:55 Interest Books – Teacher meets with Group 2. Students have a selection of books from read. They may choose books from a book bin, library books, books from home, or poetry books.

         9:10 Literacy Centers – Teacher meets with Group 3. Students are in heterogeneous groups and go to one center each day. The rotations are assigned and posted on a chart at the front of the classroom. 

The centers include Computers, Writing, Library, Word Work, and Games. At computers, students play games practice their spelling words on SamsonsClassroom.com. I update their words weekly and they LOVE it. Students complete a page from their writing booklet at the writing center. I've been making my own prompts. Click {HERE} to see them. Students trade their books and read at the library center. The word work center is the most simple. Students rainbow write or dotty write their words. For games, I've been using Marsha McGuire's I Can Do It Myself packs. I have multiple packs and have switched the words throughout the year.

         9:25 Sight words/ Games – Teacher meets with Group 4. Students have sight words on a sight word ring. The cards are from Primary Graffiti’s Year-Round Homework packet. I have also placed pages from the Moffatt Girls’ I Can Read packet in sheet protectors. My kiddos use these in partnerships.

9:40 – 10:00 Recess (duty free)

10:00 – 10:30 ELD Deployment

       All first and second grade students deploy for ELD instruction (even the English only students). Each teacher has a different level/group. We use a program called EL Achieve.

10:30 – 10:55 Close Reading (Standards based instruction)

       This year is my first year teaching first grade, so I followed the district’s pacing calendar and used Houghton Mifflin readers at the beginning of the year. After blog stalking a few bloggers for a few months, I found more information about close reading. I’ve used this in order to support the units of study my grade level team created. I switch between fiction and nonfiction. I’ve found Tara West’s Close Reads to be most detailed. Click HERE to see her packs. They are AMAZING!

10:55 – 11:10 Math Stations

       This may be a blog post all on its own. Let me know if you’d like some details. UPDATE: You can read about it {HERE}.

11:10 – 11:40 Math

       I use much of the enVision program and sometimes supplement with my own worksheets or activities. It really depends on the topic.

11:40 – 12:40 Lunch (duty free hour)

12:40 – 12:55 Spelling/ Phonics

       Some of our spelling activities: tap spell, crazy write, bubble blow spelling

12:55 – 1:10 Grammar

1:10 – 2:00 Writing/ Science (Units of study)

2:00 – 2:20 P.E.

         GoNoodle, Deskercise (subscriptionrequired), good old fashion relays

2:20 – 2:27 Clean up

       Students color their clip chart calendars, clean their floors, and put their book bags in their backpacks. Then, we sing the “Get” song from Heidisongs (the song is at the end of the post in the link). Each team checks their mail and gets their backpacks. We line up, sing our goodbye song, and head out the door.

2:27 Dismissal

I tried to give details, without going overboard. If something is unclear or you’d like to know more, I’d be glad to share with you. Just leave me a comment.

An InLinkz Link-up