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Wow, it is hard to believe how quickly the weather has changed. Fall has definitely arrived. We decided to do a poem about this. First we generated ideas of what types of things we would do or see in the summer and fall. Then we chose some of the things from each group and created a poem.
We used some cute fall themed papers by Mr. Hughes. Click on the image to check it out.
We also created some fall leaf similes. We used the framework and planning sheets from this great center by Kelly Everoski. Click on the image if you would like to check it out further.
We used the planning sheet to generate things of different colors and things that were crunchy, then these words were used in the poem frame provided. There were also a couple of lines for other descriptors.
All About Me
The theme for September has been self-esteem and becoming the best Me I can be. We have done many different activities in this area. We began by creating the All About Me booklets created by Jaime Pink.
We also created Name Acrostics using success words. These words focused on positive talents or attributes.
We also chose a power word that was important to us. I made these little boards to display the power words. I used Kids Alphabet graphics.
Graphics From the Pond http://frompond.blogspot.com These were put up just in time for the open house on Wednesday. I blogged about how to make them here.
Our math focus this month has been graphing and reviewing basic number facts/place value. I tried out this Build-Count-Tell activity, created by Susanna over at Whimsy Workshop, with my class. They loved it. We had so many different kinds of manipulatives to use that they were able to create many awesome things. Here is one done with the pattern blocks.
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Beginning the year with activities that focus on positive self esteem and classroom management will ensure that children have the tools for a successful year. There are many different ways of creating a caring and positive classroom. It is important that you choose what works best for you.
I always start out with teaching about optimism and a positive attitude. I also use bucket filling activities and acts of kindness as a focus. The sooner we can help children to feel good about themselves, the sooner they will be willing to strive to be the best they can be. It is important that they learn to strive to improve themselves and not try to be like someone else. Everyone is unique and special and it is our job to help them see this and celebrate it. I have created some bookmarks and certificates that are tangible things that let them celebrate. I liked the tufts clipart by Krista Wallden, so I used it as my backdrop for these products. There are six different products available. I have also bundled them for anyone who would like to have them all. I can hardly wait to start using them with my new class. 
I am excited about the new school year and I hope that this excitement will last for a very long time. I hope you are still excited about your year as well.
Have an awesome year everyone!
Today was the first day of school. We began the day with our students from last year, with a sprinkling of new students mixed in. I was lucky. I only got one new student in my group. That made it easier to pick up on ideas and routines from last year and revisit them without having to reteach them completely. I will be teaching the routines to my new students next week.
I have been reading and preparing to introduce Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom this year. Last year, I read about someone using "Class-Yes" in their room to get student attention instead of the standard "Five" that we have used. It sounded like a great idea, so I tried it at the end of the year with my students and I discovered that it was way more effective with my chatty group. I didn't know it was one of the elements of WBT until I started reading about it this summer.
I decided to try using it again today. It still worked like a charm, so I thought it might be worth trying out some other things with my group to practice before doing it "for real". So, I introduced "Teach-Okay" this morning. It worked wonderfully. I was delighted. I wish I had known about this sooner. It would have made last year easier. I have this group until Friday, so who knows what other elements I might introduce. I do now have more confidence that it is the right move for me for this year. I am very excited to see how it all comes together in the next few weeks. We did some interesting back to school activities today and the kids were very engaged in them. I will share more about it later this week. I forgot to take pictures today. I hope you all had a good start to your new school year. I look forward to following what is going on in the various classrooms.
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About Me Charlene Sequeira
I am a wife, mother of 4, grandmother of 9, and a retired primary and music teacher. I love working with kids and continue to volunteer at school and teach ukulele. 
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