The day started off with PE.  They had several different activities that they rotated to, they really seemed to enjoy each and every activity.  I got to take a lot of good action shots!  When we got back to the classroom, the kids were given the chance to share what they did over the holiday weekend.  Each child gave a pretty detailed account of their Thanksgiving holiday.

Next, they were to draw a picture of their favorite part of the holiday.  Most kids drew a Christmas, because their had all put up a tree for Thanksgiving.  However, my favorite part of this activity was that the children had to write their own sentence that described the picture.  Usually they dictate the sentence to us, but this time we helped them to sound out the words and they wrote it all by themselves.  I was really surprised to see how many sounds and blends they knew.  Most children spelled tree as “tre” and liked as “likd”, but that was to be expected.  I was so proud of them!  Mrs. Duncan said that was the first time they did that with the kids, I was glad to be a part of it.

After that, Kendra and I did a text talk lesson with them.  We read “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”.  They all really seemed to enjoy the book and most of them had already seen the movie.  They got all the comprehension questions right.  At the end, we asked them what food they would like to have rain down from the sky…most said spaghetti and meatballs.  Others said ice cream, candy, chocolate.  We told them that we wanted cupcakes…and then we told them that we had made them all cupcakes!  They were SO happy, you should have seen their little faces!  After that, we gave everyone a cupcake.  When they were done eating they gave us hugs and thanked us for making them cupcakes.  Such sweet children.

I am really going to miss the kids as well as Mrs. Duncan and Mrs. Johnson.  They were all so amazing.

Title:  I Love You Always and Forever

Author:  Jonathan Emmett

Illustrator:  Daniel Howarth

Year Published:  2007

ISBN#:  0-439-91654-2

Grade Level:  Kindergarten

Summary:  This is a story about a father and a daughter mouse.  Longtail, the father, is always faster than his daughter, Littletail.  He tells Littletail that that won’t be forever because when she grows up she will be fast too.  Littletail says that Longtail always finds her when they play hide and seek.  Longtail tells her that that won’t be forever because when she grows up she will be clever.  After a long day of playing, Longtail and Littletail go back to their nest to go to sleep.  Longtail tells Littletail that he loves her, and she replies, “You always say that.”  Longtail then tells her that that will be forever.

Why I liked this book:  This is a beautiful story about the love of a parent and a child.  The illustrations are beautiful, just like the story.

Class Activity:  Have the children write about a special day that they spent with a family member or friend.  The children can illustrate their stories and share them with the class.

Title:  New Tricks I Can Do!

Author/Illustrator:  Robert Lopshire

Year Published:  1996

ISBN#:  0-679-87715-0

Grade Level:  Kindergarten – Second

Summary:  This book is all about Spot and the new tricks her can do.  Spot works for the circus, but they want him to leave because they think that people have already seen all that he can do.  However, Spot has many more tricks up his sleeve.  He shows his new tricks to a little boy and girl.  You will have to read the book to find out what Spot’s new tricks are!

Why I liked this book:  This book is written in rhyme, which I think is great for younger children.  The illustrations are colorful and really represent the text well.

Class Activity:  Have the students show the class some of their hidden talents.  You can have the students in your class organize a talent show for their classroom.  This might be a good activity to do on a Friday.

They focused on the letter “D” today.  They did a worksheet of pictures that began with the letter D.  They had to find the picture that didn’t belong.  Next, they learned the correct way to write  the letter D.  They did some activities on starfall.com that related to the letter D.

Next they worked on patterns using their enVision Math program.  I have noticed that our class doesn’t really make math a priority.  The teacher focuses more on reading and writing.

We still have not had a chance to teach the children anything, we basically monitor them and answer any questions that they may have.  We also check off their worksheets to make sure that they have done them correctly.  I hope we will get the chance to teach them soon!

Next, they echo read a book called George Finds a Friend.  The children were given blank booklets so they could illustrate the book themselves.  They were supposed to illustrate page 2.  The sentence for page 2 was: George was a little boy who lived in a big house.

They did their standard math lesson, as usual.  Then they finished off the day with center flow.  Because we had a substitute teacher, we were not really able to teach the children, we were catching up on grading and putting their baggy books together.  Another great day at Forest Hill Elementary!

Title:  Mine-O-Saur

Author:  Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

Illustrator:  David Clark

Year Published:  2007

Grade Level:  Kindergarten to Second

Summary:  This book is about a Mine-o-saur, who is a dinosaur, that refuses to share anything.  He snatches everything for himself while saying “MINE MINE MINE”.  He soon realizes that no one wants to play with him because he will not share.  Once he decides to give everything back, the other dinosaurs forgive him and play with him.

Why I liked this book:  This book shows how important it is for children to share.

Class Activity:  Have the children thin back to a time when someone would not share with them.  Ask them how that made them feel.  Have the children bring in toys/books from their homes to share with their friends at school.

Title:  Llama Llama Red Pajama

Author/Illustrator:  Anna Dewdney

Year Published:  2005

ISBN #:  978-0-670-06204-1

Grade Level:  Kindergarten

Summary:  This book is about a very impatient llama who is waiting for his mother to tuck him into bed.  This book is wonderfully illustrated and teaches a lesson about patience.

Why I liked this book:  I liked this book because it teaches children patience.

Class activity:  Ask the class how baby llama could have handled the situation better.  What could he have done instead of throwing a fit?

Title:  Rufferella

Written by:  Vanessa Gill-Brown and Mandy Stanley

Year Published:  2000

ISBN #:  0-439-33321-o

Grade level:  K-2

Summary:  This book is about a girl named Diamante and her dog named Ruff.  Diamante dresses her dog up like a human and brings her to Penny’s birthday party.  Rufferella (Ruff) sings at the party and becomes famous for her unusually low voice.  Rufferella is invited to sing for the queen but jumps on the table to get sausages.  Then, everyone discovers that Rufferella is a dog.

Why I liked this book:  I liked this book because it stresses the importance of being yourself and accepting yourself for who you are.

Class activity:  Have the students write a short story about their favorite pet or about a pet that they have always wanted.  Have the children imagine that their pet was famous.  What would their pet be?  What would their pet be able to do?  If time allows, have them illustrate their stories.

Title:  Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

Written/Illustrated by:  Dr. Seuss

Year Published: 1970

ISBN #:  o-394-80622-o

Grade level:  Kindergarten

Summary:  This book is all about sounds that animals and object make.  This book helps children learn letters and sounds.  It is written in a rhyming format.  The illustrations are colorful and exciting.  This book is sure to draw children in!

Why I liked this book:  I think that kids would really love making the sounds that Mr. Brown makes.  It would be a good book to incorporate fun into learning.  This book will help the children with pronunciation of consonant and vowel sounds.

Class activity:  Have the children each do a page in the book, imitating the sounds.  Go through the book until every student has had a chance.  Then have the children come up with other sounds that aren’t in the book.