Personal Narratives ...continued....

Kyle

Lee

Madison

Russell

Zachary

Personal Narratives Continued

Here are some more of their fantastic personal narratives. :) Job well done!

Brendan

Drake

Genavieve

Joe

Personal Narratives (Photostory style)

Yay! We have turned the personal narratives that the kids worked so hard on a few weeks ago into "movies."  I have only done a few so far to test it out.  We are writing our October stories in the next couple weeks and I will upload all of those when they are "published."  Please check out all the hard work that your children have been doing in class!  They are so proud of it! :)

Abigail

Karlye

Sophia

Hank

Having fun & learning at the same time...Who Knew?

Today we had lots of fun reviewing "cause & effect" (What happened & Why it happened?) on the Smartboard using the Senteo Clickers.  The kids think they are "remotes" or "toys."  Every time we "play" with them, they always say, "I LOVE THIS GAME!"  Too bad they don't realize they are actually learning...SHHH, they may not know. :) I love using the Senteo clickers because I can see who knows the answers to my questions without cheating, lack of confidence when answering, worrying about what their friends choose, etc.  It is an easy way for them to input their answer choice and I can see who has answered and who hasn't.  The kids don't see what each person chooses or if their friend gets the answer wrong.  They just have fun while answering questions.  And at the same time, we sneak a little learning in here and there.  :) Here are a few fun pictures of our friends caught in the act! Enjoy :) 

They are always ready to learn when Senteos are involved.

Lock it in Lee!

patiently waiting for the others to lock in their answers :) 

looking to see who hasn't answered yet and trying to figure out the answer

Destiny's ready :) 

Junie B. Jones First Grader at Last....Field Trip :)

Last week, we had a blast going to Furman University to see Junie B. Jones (the play). Other than the minor sound glitches here and there, it was perfect.  I am so thankful to all of my chaperones that were able to help us out on our trip.  Y'all did a FABULOUS job and I am very happy to have had your help!  We weren't allowed to take pictures in the play (while the actors were performing) so I could only take before and after shots, but you get the gist.  :) Enjoy!

Walking to the play from the bus

Anticipating the play

Still Waiting...

SUPER EXCITED :) 

Pretty fountain the kids insisted I take a picture of

Leah, Kimberly, & Destiny...patiently waiting

Emma & her mom :) 

Mari :) 

Karlye's mom & Gabbi :) 

Hank & his dad :) 

Joe, Ethan, & Zachary

Karlye & Genavieve

:) Kyle, Sophi's mom, Sophia, & Abigail :) 

Elijah B.'s mom, Elijah B., (in the back...Sophia, Abigail, and Drake)

Elijah B. & his mom, and Lee (can you tell Lee is super excited?)

Junie B. Jones' TOP SECRET PERSONAL BEESWAX JOURNAL :) 

The stage lit up 

Cheese :) 

We had so much fun, now back on the bus, ready to head back to school! 

What a great day! :) 

L

Reading Stamina SHOES OFF CHALLENGE

I caught two friends that still struggled with reading out loud (which is fine, but it distracts their neighbors, so I had to help them solve this problem).  I let them use the phonics phones to see just how loud they were reading out loud.  Once they began to read (like they normally do) they could instantly tell how loud it actually was because it was almost like they were yelling into their ear.  They began to whisper as they read out loud and their neighbors realized it was a lot easier to tolerate :)

 This week I let the reading stamina challenge be an individual challenge.  Normally, I walk around while they are reading and set the timer.  If someone becomes distracted (looks at me, someone else, around the room, gets up, lays their head down, etc.) then they have BROKEN reading stamina.  The goal is to build the children's reading stamina so they can eventually sit and read for 20 minutes for pleasure without losing focus (which could hinder comprehension).  This week I told each of them if they didn't break their own reading stamina then they get a shoes off pass.  (One day of walking around in just socks).  I had all but a few receive a pass.  So, the next day a lot of the kids wanted to use their passes.  While reading, I caught some of them with their shoes off...So cute!

Mrs. West's Stars/ New Friend

Here are a few of our star students from the past 3 weeks... I haven't been so good on updating my stars. These students have been FABULOUS and have been a star example of what it is to be a good student.  They not only have been following the rules but have been good role models, respectful, and a pleasure to have in our classroom.  They have definitely filled my bucket.

 This week we also added a new friend to our class, Elijah G.  I am excited for the class to really get to know him, and I am sure he fits RIGHT in :)

Group Community Pictures

Here are the final products of the group community murals.  I promised them, perhaps not this late....but here they are :)