The Dog Ate My Homework

     

     Last year a student actually said to me, "My dog ate my homework."  It was all I could do to control my eyes from bugging out.  Let me inform you of some background...this girl is an awesome kid who has a great, outgoing personality and sense of humor.  However, she's the one we all have in our class who chronically has excuses for her homework not being done (we're talking 10 minutes a night plus some reading) and I hadn't seen her folder in weeks.  I gave her a new one (which I never saw again, btw), she had to miss recess on Friday (each week) when she failed to turn it in, which escalated to no morning recess until you bring in something that even remotely resembles homework.  I called her mother, but to no avail.  I have to convince myself that just because they don't learn their lesson in first grade doesn't mean it won't get learned later in life.
     Homework is due on Friday and sent home on that same day.  It is the same routine week after week.  It's even the same routine as in Kindergarten.  Before anything else happens on Friday morning, they are to get their folder and library book out and turn them in.  It's a bit exciting, all that activity, pride (relief?) evident on their faces when they turn both in and are relieved of responsibility for just a little while.  It's an accomplishment for a little kid to complete the pages, get them put back in the folder, put the folder in his/her backpack and then also remember (after 28 reminders) to turn it into the tub.
     Sometimes, however, students are extremely hard of hearing and fail to get it out of their backpacks and into the tub, even when I've told them to before they come in the room, even as a bunch of them are turning them in right before their very eyes, even when I tell individuals to do so, and yet when they are seated on the floor and I ask each student if he/she turned homework in, there is still someone who exclaims, "Oh!  I forgot!"  What's it like to be oblivious?  It must be nice, I'd love to try it!
     This year, I was thinking about Natalie's (not her real name) proclamation about the dog, and the general (seeming) inability of 6 year olds in general to follow the routine.

     Here is the amazing (really, not) thing I made in hopes that it will imprint on their little minds that the dog doesn't like your homework any more than you do, so get it done and turn it in:
   

     

It's kind of a roundabout process, but it's kind of a look into how the mind of a teacher works:

• This summer, I was cleaning out my closet and found a plastic Ikea magazine holder.  I never once used it and it wasn't assembled.  So what was my thought?  "Hm...I wonder how I could use this in my classroom?"  I set it aside.
• Last week I was surfing on Really Good Stuff and saw a cardboard "The Dog Ate My Homework" collection tub that cost $19.99.  My thought, "Hm...that's cute.  But I don't want to spend $20 bucks plus shipping and I can make that a lot cheaper."
• Two days ago, I was shopping at the Dollar Tree in the Teacher aisle when I came across a package of 2 classroom posters.  One of the posters was of the above dog with a piece of notebook paper in its mouth.  My thought, "Hm...I could use this for my homework collection tub."
• Last week, I got to my classroom for the first time since June and started sorting.  As things started taking shape, I came across my Ikea magazine holder.  I made the connection between the magazine holder and the poster (lightbulb!).  So I dropped everything and obsessed on making the new homework tub.  Priorities.

     I think it's cute!  My hope is that more kids will remember their homework on their own because it's fun to give it to the dog.  Who knows...that kind of thing would've worked on me at that age.  

**I can't for the life of me find the magazine holder on the Ikea website, but really, any tub you already have would work.  I just cut the poster apart and used postal tape**

     

Is It Really July?

     I have neglected my blog.

     It's been since FEBRUARY that I last wrote anything!  I'm a bit astonished at how fast time flies.  Truly, that must be why it's such a cliche.  Let's see, what made me neglect my blog?  It might have something to do with Life full body slamming me.
     Being trained in GLAD (Guided Language Acquistion Design) is both a wonderful thing and the bane of my existence last school year.  It was incredible and I was astonished at how much better my students did in nearly everything.  I thought I put in too many hours before GLAD entered my life.  GLAD strategies are mainly focused on getting everyone, and I mean everyone, actively participating in lessons, which equates to the teacher spending a tremendous amount of time planning and preparing.
     Then there is Common Core.  And Pinterest.  Thank you very much.  Do I need to explain further?  I didn't think so!
     Then there's my pathetic attempt at a personal life.  Because of all these things and the fact that I've said "no" to too many invitations for social gatherings...I've spent a lot of my summer catching up with my spouse, friends and family, walking my dogs at the park, taking the dogs camping and hiking, reading (three romance novels and some non-fiction), cooking, keeping the kitchen clean, talking to my sister on the phone, making jewelry and photographing it (for sale on etsy!), going to the movies (Hello, Man of Steel), lunching here and there, going to weddings (two), going to memorials (two), going to ball games, and yes, watching TV (my guilty pleasure).  I am now caught up on my shows...Mad Men, Downton Abbey, and Law and Order SVU (I know, cheesy) and I've discovered some new ones (yippee!) such as Arrested Development and Parks and Rec.  At least I ride my semi-recumbent stationary bike at the same time.  This is just June and the first week of July...sigh.
     July is upon me, and I'm starting to mentally gear up for August.  I have to go to Ikea to get new bookshelves, I have to go to Lakeshore Learning for the usual, and I have to go to Target for their back to school sale, blah, blah, blah....  But before I do any of that, I'm going to paint the kitchen and rearrange furniture in my house (when we get home from our next trip), and try to update some lessons for this blog that I did between February and May.
     Yes, it really is July.  I have neglected my blog, but not my life.  As Ferris Bueller said,

 Such wise words.
   
     

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

     My first grade team and I are taking our students on a journey around the globe to learn about the oceans and continents.  So far, we've taught about North America, Europe, and Antarctica.  With only 61 days of school left, we better get moving if we're going to finish the tour!
     This week, we introduced Asia, with China being the focal point, and celebrated Chinese New Year.  They l.o.v.e.d. learning about the firecrackers, the dragon, the parades, the feasting, the red envelopes of money, the chinese alphabet, and most importantly, that it symbolizes a renewal.
     To start off, I re-visited our world map and reviewed what we'd covered already and then labeled Asia and China.  We looked at an Atlas and discovered that Russia is actually on two continents (I never realized).  See?  We all learn something every day!
     Since we have only 3 days to cover this, I went straight to my big book called Lion Dancer, a non-fiction account of a little boy named Ernie and his experiences getting ready for the new year.  The fact that he learns two languages and has to go to school on Saturday is not lost on my students!  They also loved learning that most of them were born in the year of the Rooster.

photo by amazon.com

     I then used a GLAD strategy called "10/2" and let them turn and talk to each other about the story.  Then I asked questions about it, and what I love about getting this training is that if someone can't answer a question, a friend can tell him/her the answer and then that student can in turn answer the question.  It seems like such a simple thing, but one that I had never used before.  It gets them ALL talking on topic!
     The next day (today, actually), I taught a poem my colleague found online.  I don't even know who it's by, but it was a lovely short and simple review of Chinese New Year that rhymed and had tons of phonics and sight words for them to hunt for and find.  After they read it again later today, I let them choose what they wanted to draw...fireworks, lions, red envelopes, or "I could teach you how to draw a dragon."  That was a bit hit!
     To go along with the theme, we made red Chinese lanterns by folding a piece of construction paper in half the long way, cutting slits (not all the way through).  I gave them a phonetic Chinese alphabet so they could write their name on their lantern in Chinese in gold crayon.  When all that was done, they rolled it into a cylinder to be stapled and hung up with string.

     They're all "kid made," meaning I didn't help them much, and beautiful.  Beauty, is truly, in the eye of the beholder.  When they were done, they wanted to write in their journals in Chinese...THIS is why I love first grade.  While some of them did that, I read Dragon Dance.  What is it about lifting a flap?
   

photo by amazon.com

     Tomorrow, to wrap it up, they will hear another story called The Dancing Dragon, which is folded accordion style and will be one long dragon when it's finished, and given a fortune cookie.  I know they'll love it.  Next week, we will get into Komodo dragons, pandas, and bamboo... Whew!

photo by amazon.com

     

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

February in First Grade

     I love February in First Grade, mostly because it's a turning point.  Most of my students have become readers and they can write a sentence or sentences on a topic.  Since my GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) training, my students, I believe, have learned to love learning.  I hear, more and more, phrases like, "I LOVE Martin Luther King, Jr.!" and "I LOVE the presidents!"  I don't believe I've ever heard anyone exclaim that before this year.
     I've found two children's books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln that I cherish and that really make these two beloved presidents come alive for children.  Not only do the kids learn a lot from these two books, but I learned a little something as well.  George Washington actually had very bad dental problems and lost his teeth while he fought the Revolutionary War!  Since children in first grade are in the midst of losing their own baby teeth, they can relate.  The timeline at the end of the book, along with pictures of his false teeth, only adds to their fascination.

photo by amazon.com

     Another book I really like is called Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers.  It's about a little girl named Grace Bedell, who wrote to Mr. Lincoln about growing whiskers.  The back of the book has a photo of her actual letter.  This book also brings to light the issues of equal rights (they gasp at the fact that women couldn't vote!) and are appalled at the idea of slavery.  They also get a glimpse of what life was like before tv, cars, internet, and cell phones!

photo by amazon.com

     I sometimes feel bad that I make them genuinely care about these historic figures and then they get the bad news:  they're dead.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot.  Abraham Lincoln was shot.  At least George Washington died of natural causes (I think).  

     But on a lighter note, I taught them how to draw each president, mounted the drawings, and then they wrote sentences about each one.  I gave them the first sentence to copy, then after they discussed as a group what other facts they remembered, I had volunteers tell me some facts they might like to write for their second sentence.  I wrote those on the board.  

Here are some samples:

    I cut gray paper to 8" x  6".  I used gray so white crayon would show.  I also had visuals of both presidents and I talked a little about how artists use colors to show shadows (the picture of Washington had hints of purple and blue in his white hair).  When I was a new teacher, I got Art for All Seasons by Evans and Moore, which had a lesson on drawing Lincoln and Washington, which is very easy to follow.  This is the version I have:

photo by amazon.com

     

     Another great book I have, that's on a lighter note and fun for the kids, is Abe Lincoln's Hat.   My students really liked the notion of putting important things up inside a stovepipe hat, so they got to make a hat to wear and write what they'd put in their own hat.  I loved the responses...my stuffed bunny, my mom and my legos, and "my shrink ray, so I can fit all my toys inside."  Awesome!

photo by amazon.com

     And then there's Valentine's Day...

Base Ten Blocks

     This may seem obvious to everyone else on the planet, even people who aren't teachers, but this week, after having taught place value for I don't know how many years, I finally had the light bulb go on in my own head.

I try to throw in related questions...is this number odd or even?  How do you know?

      While the kids used their own manipulatives, green foam base ten blocks and workmats, I could model the same number on the board big enough for them all to be able to see.  I used to draw the tens and ones, but it took sooo much time out of the learning, so today I made myself a large set from one piece of green construction paper.  I had a roll of magnetic adhesive tape so it was easy (even though I ended up having to glue stick the allegedly adhesive tape to the back).  Please ignore my dirty white board...
   
Here is what my kiddos did at their desks while I was fooling around at the board:

Ahhh, meticulous!

     To manage all this stuff out on tables, I have the ones and tens in plastic crayon boxes and before we start, I remind them all about grabbing and I have them sort the tens and ones into the separate sides.  They each have their own mat and pen and are told their finger is the best eraser of all, just wipe it off when you make a mistake or need to start over.  We spent 45 minutes building numbers today.  It was great!
   
     

Ceramic SnowPeople

     The time period between when we come back from Thanksgiving Break to the beginning of Winter Break is hectic and fun.  At my school, we still get to participate in Christmas holiday cheer, so we go all out.  Kindergarten does a very cute performance and nearly all grade levels hold special events and activities.
     First Grade is no different.  Every year we teach the kids how to make snowpeople out of ceramic clay, fire, glaze, fire again, and then dress the snowpeople up with pipe cleaners and hot glue.  In addition, they make a ceramic clay tree ornament (may as well, right?  Since we're firing the kiln anyway!).
     The following are the the steps to teach the snowperson.  The trees will be in another, separate post.  Before I teach anything, I read to them The Biggest, Best Snowman by Marjorie Cuyler, because it's about a girl who is "too little" to be helpful, but she teaches her animal friends how to make a snowman, step by step, but any book about snowmen/women will do.

photo by amazon.com

Materials:
Bag of ceramic clay (to fire to cone 06)
Clay cutter made of wire
Paper towels
old pencils or bamboo skewers
water (acts as "glue")

      I gather the kids together on the rug and demonstrate how to make a complete snowperson before breaking out into small groups.  On my lap I have a board, a chunk of clay, a skewer, and a small bowl of water.  Once I've done that, kids make their own snowperson during a small group rotation, and pretty much know what to do.  I also have a completed snow person, but the head is not attached, an example of what will happen if you fail to score and slip the ball together...but they don't know that yet.  Ha!

1.  Make three balls from the chunk of clay, a large, medium, and a small one.  Roll each so the cracks are minimal, but stress that it's not that important.  If they overwork the clay, it will begin to dry out and not be as flexible.

2.  Use a pencil or skewer to make "tic tac toe" on each ball of clay .  This will act as teeth, or a lock, so the balls can be connected and not fall apart once the clay is dry.  This is actually called "score and slip" but I've found over the years that this simpler language works better.

3.  Once two balls have the tic tac toe scratched on, put a tiny drop of water on one of them (the "slip" part of score and slip), then match up the tic tac toes.  Gently push and twist (a 1/4 inch either way) the balls together.  I make a "chk, chk, chk" sound when I do it so they can get an idea of how much pressure and how many twists to do.  To test the strength of the bond, gently pick up the whole thing by the top ball.  If it stays, chances are it's bonded well.  Continue with the third ball, remembering that both balls need to have the scoring so they bond.  If too much twisting occurs, take it apart and re-score it.  "If you don't do this step this is what happens..." then I tap the head of the completed snow person and they crack up as it rolls away!

4.  Let the kids use the skewer to add facial features and buttons (dots) if desired.

5.  Have an adult use the skewer to create a hole through the center ball.  Put the skewer all the way through to the other side and wiggle a little as the hole will shrink slightly when fired.  This is for the pipe cleaner arms at a later time.

6.  Add student's name on the bottom ball.  If the bottom ball is larger than about 2 1/2 inches, slide a straightened out paper clip up the center (yes, like a you-know-what-hole) so any residual moisture can escape during firing.

7.  Let them dry for at least 7 days, longer if you have the time.

Wet snowmen will dry for at least 7 days.

8.  Once the kiln is loaded, I preheat for at least 6 hours.  That means the kiln will heat up to 180 degrees and hold there for 6 hours (this year? 10 hours because we had to rush it).  This allows the snowpeople to get completely dry before firing.  I fire to cone 06, as any hotter than that is not necessary.

     When firing is over, the clay has turned white!  The kids are joyous when they arrive and see the transformation.  Next we get to glaze.

Glazing
Glaze is literally liquid glass.  It used to be that it was really tricky for kids, with green glaze actually looking like red paint, but now it's more straight forward.  There is an element of fun and mystery, as glaze is pretty muted when they paint it on and very bright and shiny once fired.  It also dries very quickly and kids are usually astonished at that for some reason.

Materials:
Non-toxic glaze (clear gloss or matte)
old paintbrushes
water

1.  Demonstrate how to cover the entire snowperson in glaze, even the face, the head, the back, all over, (I say all this because they will ask!) EXCEPT the very bottom.  If any glaze gets on the bottom, it's important to clean it off with a wet sponge as it will fuse to the shelf during firing.

2.  Once all kids have glazed, make sure you clear the center holes of any glaze, as they will be clogged if you don't.

3.  Fire to cone 06 again, but hold for 10 minutes at the peak temperature.

     Now the snowpeople are white and shiny!

Getting Dressed

The kids love this entire project, but I think this is their favorite part!  They get to choose what their snowperson wears and dress it up.

Materials:
fabric strips or yarn (scarf)
brown pipe cleaners (arms)
colored pipe cleaners (hat)
fuzzy balls for the hat (hat)
hot glue gun  (adults only)
scissors

     Again, in small groups, follow the steps:

1.  Cut a brown pipe cleaner in half and put it through the center ball.  Curl the ends or otherwise make it look like sticks.

2.  Use a colored half pipe cleaner for the hat.  Twist the pipe cleaner around your finger to make a swirl and squish it down so it looks like a beanie.  Hot glue it to the head.

3.  Choose a fluffy ball and hot glue it to the hat.

4.  Choose fabric strip or yarn for the scarf and tie it around the neck.

Voila!!

     On the final day, kids get to wrap their snowpeople in tissue and put them in a Dollar Store plastic gift bag (the ones that come 25 to a pack and usually used for baked goods).

     This project, and other ceramic projects I do throughout the year, is one of the things I love best about teaching.  What a great way to build confidence, foster acceptance and responsibility for their own work, and create a one-of-a-kind-mothers-can't-live-without heirloom!  It doesn't have to be a "Christmas" project if your school's policy doesn't allow for holidays.  Make the snowmen in January and create a winter wonderland!
     During this time period, I also go on a "field trip" to the room that houses the kiln.  It's just an oven that gets really, really hot (about 2,000 degrees), but for some reason the word "kiln" makes people shutter.  In addition, I teach about the properties of clay-that it's from the earth, it's a "viscous" liquid a soft solid! (because it keeps its shape) until it's fired and then it's a solid  (bad teacher!), they learn about "moisture" and tiny molecules, etc.

Troubleshooting*

*Sometimes after firing, heads roll!  No biggie.  Just glaze the pieces and make sure they are put back together when you put them in the kiln, glaze touching glaze.  The glaze will fuse the pieces together.  If you forget to do that, just use some Elmer's glue when the project is complete.   DO NOT glue them together before firing though, as the glue will just disintegrate.

*Remember to not let any glazed areas touch the kiln shelves.  A tiny amount will not matter, but unless you want a shelf stuck to your project, clean it off or set it on top of a pedestal with metal teeth.  I once had to let a child take his turtle (different project) home with one of those pedestals permanently attached, so watch out!

*Glaze is water soluble.  It is cleaned up with water and can be thinned out with water if it's too thick in the jar.   It will melt in the kiln and re-harden as the kiln cools, so minor scratches/dents/mistakes in the glaze probably won't show.  Make sure you are using NON TOXIC glaze.

*Since the materials are comparatively expensive, we return unused glaze back into the bottle.  This is not what a professional would do, but since it's elementary school, we are fine with a little "stuff" in our glaze.

Have fun with this and don't be afraid to make mistakes!

One Thousandth Viewer

At 999 views, my blog is now on Teachers Pay Teachers, buried on about the 10 page of blogs that are also about teaching first grade.  Hey, it's not at the end!

Be the 1,000th viewer and get.........a chuckle?  I hope so.

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One thousand reading what I have to say is a milestone for me!  Thanks for reading.