My Mom came to class today!

This is one of my favorite activities to do with my classes! My mom came in today to read a story. I love sharing her with them and letting my students get to know me a little better. My mom read "The Kissing Hand" and talked about when she was a teacher. She also showed them a little bit of short hand. The kiddos were so respectful and were full of questions and connections. Now it's your turn! Come on in parents and read to the class!

I am a writer.

Today we launched our writer's workshop. What? It's the third week of school. Don't worry, we've been writing daily since the very first day of school. Now that we know the expectations and how to be independent, we are beginning to get serious about our writing. Today we discussed "I am a writer." I told the class that if you are sitting on my rug (everyone), then you are a writer. If you can write your own name, you are a writer. We discussed how writing involves taking a risk, and you have to be willing to try something you maybe haven't done before. Today the students had the option to write about anything that they want. They now have a beautifully labeled writing folder that they can keep in their desk, and they have a sticker on the inside of their writing folder that says "I am a writer."

The First Week of School!!! We did it :)

Well, our first week of school is officially over and we're now getting acclimated to school life. Last week we established our morning meeting and classroom routines. Morning meeting consists of a message that the students read as they enter the door, a greeting that promotes friendship and review of classroom material. We typically discuss our day, greet each member of our class, talk about concepts learned the previous day, and a game or getting to know you activity. The kids seem to really be enjoying this home to school transition every morning. We are currently working on calendars in math, learning our reading centers, shared reading, writing, and citizenship in social science.
My blog is a good place to get caught up with upcoming events and the happenings in our classroom.

This week: we are taking a walking field trip right outside of Creighton's corner to explore our local rural and suburban areas of Creighton's Corner. Please make sure that you send in your child's field trip form. If you would like to attend the field trip, I will take all volunteers willing to walk with us.

I am still in search of a room mom, if you are interested, please send me an email! =)

2nd Grade

It's official! I'm going to be teaching second grade this coming 2013-2014 school year! I couldn't be more excited. Second grade has always been a dream of mine, and I am really looking forward to working with such an amazing team. I had two favorite teachers growing up; Mr. Noland (who currently teaches at Briar Woods HS) and Ms. Goff-- my 2nd grade teacher.  I think the fond memories of mine from second grade, mixed with the love of that age are what has driven me towards this goal. I love the independence that a 2nd grader possesses mixed with the sweet innocence and genuine desire to learn.
I went to my classroom today to drop off a few things that have been making my hubby crazy sitting around the house. It just made the feeling real as I walked into my future classroom. However, I'm looking to a few more weeks of swimming, having fun, and being mommy.
See you soon friends!

Summertime!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I just got back from an amazing trip to Greece. I can't wait to pass on pictures to the third grade! =)