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This unit has taken me forever to finish.  Partly because I don't like to offer units to other teachers without teaching them first in my own room.  This at least let's me find any errors and what worked and didn't work for me. I can also see which activities are the children's favorite.  This unit has so much but the most important element was the EMBEDDED VOCABULARY.  My favorite was the "Read and Do" student reader. I have a few EL students and my class this year does not have a vast amount of background knowledge.  1st graders loved the compound word activity and the writing. Here are some pictures but there are many other sheets that are included and not shown.  Instructions and pictures are included in the unit.
Click on any of the pictures to take you to the unit.  It's only                                                 $6.00
If you download the preview - you'll find the compound word freebie there.







Here is another Freebie for You . . . Snowmen Number Bonds Sheet to use in centers or whole group.  Click HERE to get it.

What the heck!  Look at that craziness!  I wanted to get a clearer idea of exactly what  it was I was doing and what the kids were doing so I made a diagram.  Just looking at the diagram made my head spin.  Wowie! Wow! Wow! as Junie B. would say.  Looks crazy but It actually runs really smooth.  UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE.  Now let me cross my fingers and hope it stays this way and that the learning measures up when I assess.  I want to do a Prezi using this diagram that includes the type of activities and pictures so follow me if you want to know when I do.

Small Groups:  This does allow me to work with small groups or with students 1/1.  This shows how the morning flows M-Th but this is just 1 day!  I have been working on a unit to use during these rotations.  I am trying the 2nd unit out this coming up week to make sure it is solid and STUDENT APPROVED : ).

Here is a peek at the unit: (this has taken me forever and a day to get the format and also meet the needs of students and teaching styles).  DONE!  YEA!  Tested and Tried and Student Approved!  Click on the pictures to go to the unit.





Writing: I am training my students on the writing component and when they are ready, I hope to be able to add work on writing which will incorporate more of the grammar and author's traits.  Writing workshop is separate.

Shopping for Books:  I had to add shopping for books into the rotations or it seemed we never had time.  I have a schedule where 3-5 kids shop for books each day during the 1st rotation.

Word Work - I keep it simple! I don't do well with managing pieces with center type stuff though it all looks so wonderful. Phonics programs on the computers, charting words using decodables with the focus sound for the week, easy to use board games that follow the same format (phonics, making words, and grammar type games, stamping words in play-dough - soon to be gone and replaced).

Rotations: Every student goes to read-to-self and read-to-someone everyday.  They can pick 1 word-work activity per day but get through all 4 by Thursday.  The students are loving their morning.

 The Worksheets can be used as a pre or post assessment.  I made them because I always want to see if the kiddos are transferring the skills from the games they play.  Of course mini-lessons are involved as well.

         Scroll down to read the post and the "tutorial"



Today . . . I will drink coffee before I go to school.  Then I will drink more coffee, and when I get there, I will drink more to keep up with my students today.  If you are reading this - you might even want to do a prayer for my grade level partner and me.

On my blog, I try to keep it real but in the back of my mind I am always trying to figure out how I can add relevance and application to my lessons.  Sometimes I get off track as it would be extremely hard not to mention time consuming to do these type of projects all the time with every lesson.

Today, one of my grade level partners and myself will be showing students how to turn sheep wool into felt.  They are making scarves for their snowmen (gourds).  Mind you, they have been stored since their pumpkin patch trip in October.  Needless to say, I know how to felt wool but am by NO means an expert or claim to be so any felted wool expert people out there please be glad the kids are learning  a centuries old skill while we have fun, learn, and dabble in the art field.  Plus just think - if they ever need to make their own clothes they can just shave their cat or dog and felt it.  Just joking. 


Read Aloud:  Have to go to school and look at the author. This book literally fell in my lap!  Another student brought this book to me before I even thought of felting wool with 1st graders.  I was thrilled (I will post it later).


 Essential Question:  How do animals help people (why . . . people use animals for food and we use some animal fibers for fabrics)?

 Vocab:  Texture, textiles, fibers, hue, acid, felt, wool, shrink,

 Writing:  How to books

Measurement:  Tie string around gourds (neck).  Make string 4 3 times as long.  lay string on work area (now our work area is just going to be the ground with lots of plastic and fabric shower curtains to soak up any water.

Stay Tuned and check back later this evening for updates on how this project   went!
The wool I get from a former students parent who has a farm.  They shave them and send the wool to be cleaned.  It is not the finest grade of wool but suits the purpose I need it for.  You can also purchase wool from ebay and etsy.  A little goes a long way!



The whole ordeal took about 2 hours and instead of 43 kids we ended up having 60+ students make scarves from wool for their gourd snowman.  I was lucky because it just so happened a parent volunteer made felted wool as a child and lived on a farm when she was young.   Looks great right? Too bad these pictures don't have sound.  It was not QUIET!

 They did a good job but most needed to rub the wool harder since the wool was course.