5 for Friday: April 5th Edition

I'm especially excited for this week's Five for Friday! 

I had my post already to go yesterday, but once I got home I was tired. Like couldn't keep my eyes open and went to bed at 8pm tired.

Which is why I'm just now posting.

But it's SPRING BREAK!  Finally!

So I'm going to share what's been happening this week and then go lay on the couch for a week.

1. Introducing Connie Conjunction! She loves to join two sentences together using or, but, because, and so.

I just realized I misspelled conjunction. Eek! I'll be fixing that ASAP!

Wait. Did I just say but?

No, not that kind of but.

I'll let you get your giggles out.

Oh wait, my firsties giggled all week long every time "but" was said.

Thank goodness I have more girls than boys this year.  Last year's class would have had a field day.

Each student drew their own Connie Conjunction, labeled the poster, and wrote a sentence using a conjunction.

I found blank glue bottles in a packet on TPT (freebie alert).

Each student wrote a sentence using a conjunction and wrote the conjunction on the glue bottle.

2. It's first grade's month for the bulletin board out in the hallway.  We went with an Earth Day theme.

Each student wrote about a way they would help the Earth.

3. We wrapped up our weather unit.  Students chose a type of storm to research and write about. This one did an excellent job writing, but her picture was a tornado.  Oops!  We are still working on graphic features!

Let's compare anchor charts for a moment.

Here's the beautiful one about the different weather instruments.

I keep telling my parapro that she need to make her own font and sell it on TPT!

And here's mine that I made for our new plant unit.

Inspired from First Grade Parade

I made it during lunch while eating. :)

4. April family projects were due this week.  I don't usually have a family project due in May since it's such a crazy month.

You can tell the parents and students are ready for school to end. The beginning of the year the projects are elaborate and this time almost everyone just colored their flower.

5. I forgot to share these beautiful crosses we made for Easter!

I gave each student a card stock cross, messy glue, and tissue paper.  They folded the tissue paper over the end of the pencil (eraser end), held onto the tissue paper and dipped in glue.

Look the end result!

Now for a week I won't think about teaching or find any super cute ideas that I want to use, right?? Because it's Spring Break! Happy Saturday!

Five For Friday....on Saturday

The last two weeks I managed to be first on Kacey's Five For Friday. This week I must have slacked off a little because it's Saturday and I'm just now posting!

I'm also linking up with Amanda's Flashback Friday.

1. I'm gearing up for some great St. Patrick's Day activities next week. This week was spent printing, laminating and cutting. Maybe one day I'll learn how to do the visual plans, but this is all I have!  :)

Literacy Centers  - Mix of March by Swimming into Second & March Literacy Centers by Sarah Paul

Writing - Catch a Leprechaun by A Cupcake for the Teacher, In Like a Lion & Out Like a Lamb by Miss Kindergarten Love

Our lesson plans for the following week are always due on Friday mornings at 8am. I love that I have to have everything prepared before I leave on Fridays, but sometimes I find the BEST ideas over the weekend from visiting other blogs and Pinterest. When are your lesson plans due?

2. My school participated in Accelerated Reader's "Read the Most From Coast to Coast"yesterday.  The goal was to beat the number of AR quizzes from last year.

This was in place of our Dr. Seuss celebration.  In previous years we've done a Green Eggs and Ham day (which completely makes the school smell like eggs - Yuck!) I have a teacher confession: Dr. Seuss' books drive me crazy. I don't like them.  I do realize that this is probably considered blasphemy as a first grade teacher.

3. Every month I send home a family project.  Students are supposed to decorate the template, write ten describing words for the month and send it back. I forgot to take a picture of the board, so here's a snapshot of one of the projects.

Here's what the family projects for February looked like:

Do you do anything similar in your class?

4. Funny story: I took a big gulp of water while the students were working.  It went down the wrong way and I had a HUGE coughing fit.  Everyone kept doing their work....no one looked up for about a minute (which felt like an enternity). Finally one of my students asked if I was okay.  I was still choking my this point, but I gave him a thumbs up.  Then a few other students noticed....and one said "Does this mean we get to go home?"  Yes, because if your teacher is choking you get to go home early!!

5. Diane from Fifth in the Middle is hosting a linky on her blog that is broken down by state.

Go HERE to see what blogs from your state! I know I love to find Georgia bloggers and others from surrounding states.

6. (Yes, I made it six this week!) We studied biographies and learned about George Washington Carver and Harriet Tubman. 

First, we created a George Washington Carver craftivity. 

As the students finished up the craft, one little girl came up and ask me if I would put out some scrapbook paper so they could add arms. How could you say no to creativity? Some of them may have looked a little better without the scrapbook paper.  Hmmm....

I found the George Washington Carver paper for FREE on TPT.

Here's our Harriet Tubman!

I especially like the bun in her hair.  :) The students cut a coffee filter in half to put on her shirt.

Here is a student created sample.

7. (I'm outta control this week!) Congrats to Crystal from Ms. Jones' Junction! She won a copy of my Guy Butterfly and Benny Butterfly: a mini unit for y as a vowel and Digraphs: Craftivities and More from my 100 followers giveaway!

Enjoy your Saturday!