Daily 5 - Work on Writing

Heyo! It's Andrew from Mr. First Grade! I wasn't able to post last month, as my life was becoming overrun by Sweeney Todd rehearsals! We've done 8 performances so far, and we've got one more today and one more tomorrow afternoon. It's definitely going to be very bittersweet when it's all over... I'll have some semblance of a life back, but I'm going to miss the show dearly! Anyways, I wanted to take a second to share a little more about my journey into the land of the Daily 5!

I read the Daily 5 book over the summer and knew that it sounded like something that would work for me. I am fortunate enough to still have an aide in my classroom for all of language arts, who runs her own reading group, which mostly focuses on phonics and writing skills. (I know, right?! Don't hate me).

I generally followed the routine outlined in the back of the book in terms of pacing, and it worked very well for me! When it came to work on writing, I knew that I wanted to have something more than just journaling available for my firsties. I slowly introduced various activities they can do during this time. I use Lori Rosenberg's I Can Write A...Writing Menu, which I highly recommend if you're setting up a writing center! It's filled with gazillions of options for your kiddos to write. At first, I only introduced: letter, postcard, how-to, list, sticker story, and scribble story, which is a huge hit. However... If I read one more scribble story where they turn the scribble into a roller coaster or a mountain, I'll scream. As the year went on, I gradually introduced new options for them to choose, and phase out ones that have been out for a while.

Anywho, here's what my Work on Writing station has shaped up to be. I got the cart from Big Lots on sale for $25 well spent. Basically, I made a drawer for each option they can choose. They know they can choose ONE of these during each Work On Writing, then they must journal. Some choose to only journal, which makes my heart smile.

I decided that the top drawer was going to be their spot to turn in finished writing. There's also a mailbox (which I forgot to take a picture of) that they can mail letters and postcards to friends in the room. In order to turn in work, the students must highlight their name on their paper, mostly because some of the worksheets don't have spaces for names, so they always forget to squeeze it in.

Here's a peek at my writing focus board. Sorry for the terrible not-so-great quality... My iPhone 5 went swimming last summer and I've been surviving on an old iPhone 4 from ebay that has a terrible not-as-great camera. The posters about what they can write all came in the writing menu pack. I also plopped up a few of my "I Can" Statements for things we're focusing on in writer's workshop.

I also put our anchor chart that we created about things to write about. The pencil about what do writers write came from The Teacher Wife.

Do you Daily 5? How has it worked for you? I'd be anxious to see how others have it up and running... I hope to bring you posts about how I run the other stations in my room in the next few months!

Saturdays in Spring - Week 4

Our "Saturdays in Spring" is coming to a close, but we have some surprises in store! Last week, our lucky commenters received the full product from the freebies that they downloaded. This week, we have a giveaway going on to win a $25 Teachers Pay Teachers gift card! Check it out below:

Andrew from Mr. First Grade is sharing 20 Floral Papers - beautiful digital paper to use in any creation.

Alyssa from Just A Primary Girl is sharing Monthly Calendar Journals - it includes skills such as money, fact families, time, place value, and weather.

Carrie from Table Talk with C and C is sharing Animals QR Code Cards - an interactive activity for students to use with any animal unit.

Crystal from Once Upon a Classroom: Tale of Two Teachers is sharing Party Planning Math Practice - a fantastic way to practice addition and subtraction money problems.

Serena from Magic Mistakes and Mayhem is sharing Flower Power Clip Art - a fun set of bright flowers that are perfect for any spring product.

Be sure to enter the amazing giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All the teachers at Collaboration Connection are working hard to bring you the best posts, ideas, products, etc. As a teaching community, it is important for us to collaborate and share! We really hope you have enjoyed the freebies that have been presented throughout the last four weeks. Please be sure to us individually too, to see what else we have going on! Enjoy these freebies, and good luck!!

Introducing... Andrew!

Hello! My name is Andrew and I come to you from Mr. First Grade.

 

As you might guess by my blog name, I'm a first grade teacher and I love every minute of it... This is my second full year in first grade, and I also taught second grade for 2 years as a long-term substitute before getting my full-time job. I'm completely over the top, I wear bow-ties to school every Thursday, and I am not afraid to make a fool of myself.

A little about me...

2 years ago, I married my high school sweetheart. We were married in Hershey, PA, where we gave singing, historical tours of the town onboard the Hershey Trolley all through high school and college (and every once in a blue moon nowadays). I played the character of a dorky conductor who hops off of the trolley throughout the tour, changes into different costumes on the back porch, then comes on as different characters throughout Milton Hershey's life. I loved every minute of it.

My wife (who's a high school English teacher) and I don't have any children of our own yet, so we may be more than a little in love with our cocker spaniel, Charlie. We rescued Charlie when he was about 3 years old, and I also rescued a guinea pig named Jelly Bean who lives in my classroom. They're pretty wonderful.

I'm an avid musician and runner. This past October, I ran my second half-marathon in Hershey. I play the violin in the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, and my wife and I are currently rehearsing for Sweeney Todd for a theater company in Harrisburg, where I'll be playing the part of Anthony. We also sing in a local chorale. We're busy, busy, busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way...

I can't wait to share more about my life, my classroom, and my amazing batch of first graders, whom I consider it a privilege to spend my days with...