Schedule, Journals and Tattling... OH MY!

This has been our first week with actual switching classes for our firsties.  Here's how our day looks. 
8:15 Students may arrive, go to breakfast and then head on up to our classrooms.
8:30-8:50  Homeroom or Family Groups as we call them
8:50 Switch
8:50-9:35 Blue Gibbons:  Writing
9:35-10:15 Specials: Rotating Gym, Art and Music
10:15-11:05 Blue Gibbons: Writing
11:05  Switch
11:05-12:15 Yellow Monkeys: Writing
12:15-1:05  Recess/Lunch
                   Our firsties go to lunch as do their Curious Teachers.  We have lunch for 30 minutes. Then, we have a vertical planning meeting from 12:45-1:05.  Not a lot of time, but it's time that we need to get/give ideas and pretty soon we will be looking more closely at particular students because all our baselineish testing will be complete.
1:10-1:35  Yellow Monkeys:  Writing
1:35 Switch
1:35-3:10  Green Chimps:  Writing
3:10  Switch
3:10-3:20 Homeroom Groups come back and we get ready to go home

I know what you're thinking..... how can they switch at 1:35 and be starting class at the same time. Well.... we do have some travel time, but it's not as much as I thought it would be.  We are able to start  *thisclose* to that time.  :)    This week FLEW by!  I'm hoping thinking they will all go like this because we are on the move all-day-long!

So this week, we started each day with a review of our WBT and CHAMPS.  I started "Smileys and Frownies" and it went not how I expected o.k.  One of my goals this weekend is to review it on the Whole Brain Teaching site to be sure I'm doing it correctly.  Anyone out there with ideas?????  For each class I was using if they earned three Smileys they earned incentive.  On Tuesday, it was No, David.  Wednesday and Thursday were rough, but Friday each class with a little help earned a 1 minute dance party.  I'm sure we'll get better in time.  My F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E part of WBT is "Teach" and "OK".  It's so darn cute to hear the kids repeat what we say to each other, I LOVE IT!!!!  My fellow Curious Teachers Em and Karen put our firsties with their Peanut Butter and Jelly partners, so we'll be able to better utilize that strategy with our firsties! 

Now onto teaching stuff.  :)  This week we started with and discussed "Why Writers Write".





Then, we read   and made a chart for "What Writers Write".   Both of these lessons were inspired by Cara Carroll at The First Grade Parade. If you click here it will take you to her post on writing. I condensed all our thinkings into charts that were like hers and I also made a pencil where our firsties wrote their first list!!! :) If you would like a copy, drop me a comment as I drew it myself. Watch out art teacher! hahahaha
Next, we read  and made our "Things We Love" hearts that will stay in our writing folders for when we need a little inspiration.  Finally, we read
and it was the BEST story!  SUPER cute!!!  I was thinking I may read this one first next year, but I'm not sure.  After reading this story, we wrote in our journals about something we love.  Here is some of our work. 

 

This said, " I love castles and knights"

 

One firstie who drew her picture before writing.  I say, she listened, well.... maybe.  She likes to draw but we had talked about how sometimes writers will draw their thinkings first and then write.  I gave my firsties the option.  She chose to draw and draw and draw.  :)  Eventually, she did write a sentence that said, "I love princesses" not spelled that way.  :)  I LOVE inventive spelling.

Have you ever read this story????? If not, add it to your repertoire because it's wonderful! Our firsties were so engaged as Curious Karen read this story to them. LOVE the tattle rules and now all we have to do is refer back to the book! When we were finished we made tattle tongue's with our firsties pictures. The are so stinking cute hanging in the hall. They were inspired by this lesson for Fox in Socks, by Fun in First Grade. 
    

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!!  The Redlegs are winning, so all is good in Cincy!  :)

Stay Curious!

Maria