Vacation Note
7.2.08: Just a note to let everyone know that I'm taking some R & R out of town on summer holiday. I am taking a break from website building and responding to website questions. I will be return on Aug. 15th.
Mrs. Meacham is Back
Teach Time Tech-Style
http://www.time-for-time.com/swf/myclox.swf
Follow this link for a cool way to teach time!
Math Games & Activities
Mathwire.com | Math Standards via kwout
Dolch Sight Word Program
Foss Web Science Masters
There is a wealth of information on the FossWeb website - www.fossweb.com, and a link to the duplication masters for the K-2 modules are linked below as well as on the Science page and the Class Books page. 3-5 masters are there, too, as well other resources and links to the computer games available online.
Duplication Masters for Foss Science Units
Summer Reading List
Due to high demand, I have created summer reading lists for the parents and students in my classroom. I wrote parents a note and included links to a summer reading list which I created on Scholastic Book Wizard.com, and you can create, too, as well as a summer reading list for Rising 1st Graders exiting Kindergarten who will be entering first grade in the fall. You can read the full note and access the lists on the homepage of my parent/classroom website at
Fullscreen Timer
If you're a teacher that uses an LCD projector in your classroom, and use an overhead countdown timer, this is the same thing, and free. Try it, it's easy. Great for presentations and workshops!
Number Fluency Website
SuperKids Math Worksheet Creator via kwout
For the last 25 days of school, we will be working diligently on number fluency. This is a great website that allows you to create math worksheets ideal for number fluency assessments, aka, timed tests. What I do is a create file folders labeled +0, +1, +2, +3, +4 and +5. Since the second grade benchmark is 10 problems in a minutes, the students will get 2 1/2 minutes for the 25 problems. They must pass +0 before moving onto +1.
ABC Art Book
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| Abbey's ABC Art Book |
Chicken Sunday
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco is the new book for which I have written an Enrichment contract. During the first and second reading of the book, before I give them the contract, the students are practicing the comprehension techniques of Reciprocal Teaching: Questioning, Clarifying, Summarizing & Predicting with each other per page. The sheets will be posted tomorrow.
Responding to Math
With the CGI Math Journal, I've started to do a lot more writing during math time this year, Marilyn Burns has talked about it for years and there is so much research to support higher order question stems along with text based classroom discussions. The first one I created was for the book, Jim and the Beanstalk, a fiction story with a mathematical twist. Read it to your class, discuss the questions together (which is not an easy first grade skill-discussion) then send children on their way to respond in writing. You will be amazed, shocked, disgusted, all of it, and what they can do, can't do and what you thought they understood about measurement. Click here for the response sheet. The lines are made with the font, Primary Lined.
New from ReadWriteThink
Family Math Challenge
I discovered a website this weekend that I am going to use as homework enrichment. Every week or two, "Aunty Math" writes a math challenge for students to solve. So, I created a Family Challenge Recording Sheet, originally created by Amy Swan, to conduct the problems. The website can be found below. I also have a link on the Parent Connections page. Thanks Amy, the great idea of linking home enrichment with a great math site.
Science Notebook Sample
100 Ways to Praise
For teachers to use with students
For students to use with students
For parents to use with students
For students to use with teachers
For students to use with parents
Click here for 100 Ways to Praise Sheet
Games for Cognitive Skills
Click here to find games on the market to improve cognitive skills like Auditory Discrimination, Processing, Divided Attention, Short-Term Memory, etc. These games/skill matrix is provided by Learning Rx.
Science Writing Resources
Found this on the Internet today - we don't use GEMS science kits, but the topics are very similiar to FOSS and Carolina Science.
Science Prompts and Quick Writes
Open Court Resources
As Requested...an Updates Page
As I update my website, I will post them on the Updates page.
Phonics Site
Fun with Letters was voted the 3rd best phonics website on the Internet by the Int. Reading Assoc. Check it out. Or, click here to read IRA article about phonics websites.
Readers Response Log Pictures
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| Reading Response Logs |
I took some pictures from my students' Readers Workshop Reading Response Logs today to give some insight into the different ways to respond to text related to the comprehension strategies. I spent a bit of time up front modeling different thinking maps and charts that could be used, vs. running of sheets of blank responses sheets - I would rather teach them how to create it IN their logs so they know why they are using one over another depending on the text, the strategy and the purpose of the response.
Spell with Flickr
Make any words using fun letters at Spell with Flickr
Kindergarten Class Blog
Thinking of starting a class blog? This one is inspirational. I like it because it features all the lastest free technology available for use in the classroom including:
Phonological Awareness
I've added a PA link on my Literacy and Language page that is full of free lessons and activities, resources and research.
New Mathematics Standards - NCSCOS
The state of North Carolina has revised the K-12 goals and objectives stated on the Standard Course of Study for Mathematics.
The primary difference in the 2008 revision of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study is not the addition of new objectives, but the increased depth and complexity of the objectives. In addition, a problem-solving strand has been added to the K-8 standards. The problem-solving strand illustrates the connections among mathematical ideas and illuminates the reasoning and communication skills necessary for success in the 21st century.
Classroom Snapshots
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| Make a slideshow - it's easy! |
Scholastic's New Leveling Site
I recently emailed the customer service department at Scholastic out of frustration because I could not find the levels of many of their own books listed on thier book orders, and I was happy to find out they have a new link just for teachers who are looking for book levels. It's easy to use and can be found here:
Scholastic Book Wizard Audio Tour
Valentines Day Scrapbook
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| Make a scrapbook - it's easy! |
Curriculum Maps
The monthly curriculum maps located on the Teacher Planning page are the contribution of the entire first grade team at my school. We created them this year to help the five of us stay organized and on the same page. We have several sets of twins and a set of triplets in first grade this year, so want parents to know that all are children are receiving the same curriculum at or around the same time.
Monthly Homework Calendars
Beginning this February we did away with weekly (low level thinking) worksheets for homework and began a new form of homework - a monthly homework calendar. In an attempt to design more relevant, meaningful, higher level thinking homework, save paper and give families more of a "pick and choose" style of completing homework, in one week, it's received rave reviews. Check it out on the Homework page.