The blog documents the teaching ideas, lessons, and life of a grade one nut teaching grade one (first grade) to her squirrelly crew in Kelowna, BC, Canada.
Hello all - I know I have have been MIA for awhile - the reason being I am in a new position this year teaching Grade 3/4! It has been a nice change but as you know, lots of work. However, I jumped at the opportunity to teach Religion to older grades. As a result, I have my first unit complete for Grade 3 and Grade 4!
My favourite lessons include one on taking a peek at different religions and comparing them to the Catholic faith - so many parallels, looking at dignity for all and creating a huge class banner as we study how we can be more inclusive and accepting as human beings, as well as an examination of conscience and a reflection on how we love ourselves, as well as others.
My students LOVED the virtue bookmark - lol - I see them everywhere - I think it has to do with the excess ribbon I let them use to decorate - haha. The unit also includes a lot more!
The set up is the same as the Grade 1 unit with easy printing and copying into booklets! Also, look for a few bonus lessons!
Recently, my journey exploring the new B.C. Curriculum has led me to the Grade 1 math curriculum. The curriculum content objective, ways to make 10, lists benchmarks of 10 and 20 as a required concept to understand. A quick perusal of google produced very little for teaching about benchmarks to six and seven year olds. I did however find some good places to start!
The first was a teaching blog, What I Have Learned, by teacher Jessica Boschen. Jessica does a great job explaining strategies that develop 10 as a benchmark number. While the strategies were wonderful, I knew my students were not there yet. I needed something a little simpler. Then I found a great video by Bethany McClurkan called 10 Benchmark on a Numberline:
After watching this, I thought I knew what I wanted to teach my students. I wrote my lesson plan, delivered it to my students and they were LOST!! I mean LOST. They clearly were not ready for this level of benchmark complexity. A few maybe understood but the majority were lost and asking when it was lunch time - haha. I scrapped that lesson quickly.
I thought to myself, I need to simplify this. I know what the objective is eventually: they need to add and subtract using the benchmarks. First, what do I want my students to be able to do? 1) I want them to be able to identify the benchmarks of 10 and 20 and to be able to label them on a number line. So I told my students we were going to learn some more about benchmarks. I gave them the definition: "A benchmark is a number that is used all the time in math. It is common and easy to deal with. You can use it to solve math equations." I asked them if they could guess what numbers I was talking about. The first number they said was '0'. I thought to myself, of course 0 is a benchmark, so we labeled it on a large number line I posted on the SmartBoard. Eventually, my students named 10 and 20. Then, we labeled 5 and 15, because, why not - they are important, too. I told my students that these numbers were all important benchmarks.
Next, I handed out a blank number line without increments.
Together we labeled 0 at the beginning of the line on the left. Then, we labeled 20 on the right. Next, I demonstrated how to fold my numberline in half like a hamburger to label 10, because we know that 10 is half of 20. Then, we folded 0 to meet 10 and thus, labeled 5. Finally, we folded 20 to meet 10 and labeled 15. In my excitement, I said, "OK, let's now label the rest of the number line now that we have the benchmarks!" DISASTER! Well, not a complete disaster but somehow in all of my years of experience, I forgot 6 and 7 year olds' fine motor and spatial abilities are not fully developed yet. I stopped them halfway through and had them crumple the number line up for the recycle bin - they LOVED that - haha.
The next day, I reviewed the benchmarks with my students on a large number line, this time with increments, on the SmartBoard. Then, I had students come up and label the numbers in between the benchmarks.
As a game, I gave my students a number line with increments, the benchmarks of 0, 10 and 20, and squares to write the numbers between the benchmarks.
In partners, they were to take turns choosing a number on the numberline and having their partner try to guess that number. If the partner guessed the correct number they could write it on their number line. The partner at the end of the lesson with the most numbers written on their timeline was the winner. They LOVED this! As a less time-consuming, but still valuable version, I encouraged groups to give clues to their partner. For example, one might say, "I am thinking of a number between the benchmarks of 5 and 10," or "I am thinking of a number that is less than the 20 benchmark and more than the 15 benchmark." As a result, my students were solidifying their ability to identify the benchmarks, where they were located on the numberline and, Objective #2: to know where the other numbers were located, and how they were positioned on the numberline, in relation to the benchmarks. This game took them some time and no one completely finished, so I made a few other options that had some of the numbers filled in - in this way we could work up to filling in the entire number line.
You may even want to give the option to choose one of the three number lines when playing the game. I recently attended a Shelley Moore workshop. These could easily be turned into a Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 number line option.
If you are interested in this lesson on teaching numeracy benchmarks of 10 and 20 to 6 and 7 year olds you can get this lesson with printables along with 7 more, as well as a bonus 100th Day of School Scavenger Hunt lesson and formative and summative assessments, by clicking below. Topics include decomposing 10, the equal and not equal sign, addition to 10, subtraction to 10, and an exploration of a First Peoples' powwow song, story involving making 10 and methods of counting.
The above unit is my second unit in my Grade One math series based on the New B.C. Curriculum. If you are looking for the first unit, click below!
I don't know about you but I have never been a math person. However, I am loving my understanding of math as I learn more about it. Wish I had known all of these things when I was younger! Happy teaching!
As a teacher in the midst of my fourteenth year of teaching, I have noticed that transitioning from one lesson to another in the primary classroom can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare (haha understatement of the year). It can give students that bit of time to socialize, sure, but it can also be a moment when conflict and dysregulation can occur, stealing their precious focus and using up several minutes of learning time. Now, I am all for brain breaks (in our class, we GoNoodle with the best of them!) and stopping the lesson and talking about what went wrong and discussing ways to problem solve (Hello my good friend Love and Logic💜), don't get me wrong. However, sometimes some students are just not ready to process the ins and outs of how or why they are feeling the way they are. In due time and with the right supports, we will get there. However, the rest of the class is geared up and ready to learn!
ENTER....focused, concept centred transitions!! If you are going from table to carpet or carpet to table, use a concept centred transition! If students are walking in the hallway or going to get their snacks use these moments as opportunities to review concepts and practice skills learned in class. They can be used for all subjects and they are great for the kinesthetic learners in your group!
I'm going to focus on numeracy for this blog post, but there are many ways to incorporate concepts from all the subject areas!
Students start, standing at their table or desk (they must be standing behind their chair to start - no cheating). This can take a few weeks of observing and practicing to eliminate cheating, as well as to practice moving and speaking as a team. With a challenging class I found I had to be quite observant and sticky with the rules. This year, I am lucky to be a little bit freer and we joke around a lot - they know not to take things too far.
When students reach the carpet, they stand in their spot and continue participating until all students have reached the carpet. Then, we all sit down together as a class.
Below are a few examples!
Numeracy Vocabulary Syllables: Teacher says one numeracy vocabulary word at a time and students takes steps for each syllable in each word. Example: Teacher - "Equation" Students: "E- (one step) qua- (one step) -tion (one step)".
Counting forwards by 1's: Students start at "0" on an imaginary number line. With each step, they say a number. You can have them repeat after you, clap or tap as they say each number. You may have they start at "4" instead of "0" - there are many variations.
Counting backwards by 1's: Students start at "any number" on an imaginary number line. With each step, they say a number.
Counting by 2's: Students hop on two feet as they say each number.
Counting by 5's: Students assume crawling "baby style" position, and count "5" for each hand movement.
Counting on: Teacher says any number and students count on two numbers. Example: Teacher says "5" and students say "6, 7" while taking a step for each number.
Counting back: Teacher says any number and students count back two numbers. Example: Teacher says "8" and students say "7, 6" while taking a step for each number.
Number Partners (bonds) of 10: Teacher says a number and students say its number partner and then take that number of steps. Example: Teacher says "6" and students say "4 - 1, 2, 3, 4".
Doubles: Teachers says a double and students say its sum and then take that number of steps. Teacher says "2+2" and students say "4 - 1, 2, 3, 4".
I'm sure there are many more! If you think of any new ones I'd love to hear about them! You can message me on Instagram @agradeonenut
Good luck! and I hope you find these transitioning tools as valuable to your list classroom management techniques as I do!
Also, if you are a primary teacher in the early years, I have a new product for you that utilizes some of these transitioning techniques as part of the activities! See below for more information!
Happy teaching, friends! Hope you have a great start to 2019!
Do you work in a Catholic school and want to SPICE up your Morning Routine? Well have I got the product for you!!! This product is comprised of prayers and Bible verses for projecting during your Morning Routine. The prayers and Bible verses are some of the same ones included in my packet Religion Units for the Year (Learning the Catholic Religion).
There are few new ones included, along with an updated Student booklet that students can read in their Daily 5, take home, or read as you are praying each morning. I usually change the prayer and Bible verse we say as a class every month.
Decide which program you would like to use for your Morning Routine. The options include PowerPoint, KeyNote and PDF. The great thing about PowerPoint and Keynote is you can add your own slides to enhance your routine and personalize it any way that you want. The slides that I have created cannot be edited. However, please email me at agradeonenut@gmail.com if you have any requests!
Using the JPEG files, insert or drag and drop them into new slides in your current Morning Routine (PowerPoint or KeyNote). You may have to adjust the size of each image by clicking on it and arranging it. Directions included. Within minutes you have added to your current Morning Routine, making it that more rich and faith-filled.
There are enough prayers and Bible verses for each month of the school year, along with a few extras.
Here is a little preview of the product in PowerPoint. The product does come in PDF and Keynote, as well! All is included in the packet!
Here is one of my favourite new songs for my littles during Religion! They are obsessed!! Check out all the songs from Listener Kids on their YouTube Channel!
Check out my new unit! The kiddos and I have been having a blast testing it out and now it is ready!
One of my favourite activities helped my students understand the importance of seed travel by way of the wind! Students had a blast competing to see who could blow their seeds to the different locations!
One of the most interesting things about the new curriculum for me is tracking the sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset!
Looking for some BC New Curriculum lessons that cover First Nations objectives?
Here is an easy, First Nations art project that is cross-curricular and covers four different objectives! Students will learn about the First Nations culture, a feature artist, Clarence Mills, and they will create a pop-out bear art project!
This project is CROSS-CURRICULAR!! It covers multiple objectives.
Science: Recognize First Peoples stories (including oral and written narratives), songs, and art, as ways to share knowledge.
Language Arts: Show awareness of how story in First Peoples cultures connects people to family and community - specifically teaching life knowledge through animal observations.
Art: To study traditional and contemporary Aboriginal arts and arts-making processes.
Application, Technology and Design: Ideating, making and sharing a way to make the bear image pop out of the plate.
Below is a beautiful book to read that helps to tie the lesson together:
Student will learn about the artist who created the graphic we will use for the art project: Clarence Mills!
Clarence is a famous for his totem poles. There are some great videos of him work below!
Then, students create their own pop-out art! They have to use their imagination and design skills to create a way for the image to pop out of the paper plate. Voila! ADST!!
You will need: 6" paper plates, felt markers, glue and paper to make the image pop-out!
Well, Advent is just around the corner!! I know! Just snuck up on you, didn't it! Be sure to check out my Religion Christmas unit for all of your Advent needs! Includes 8 lessons!
Also, if you are looking for some differentiated plays to help learn the Christmas Story, look no further! You have come to the right place!
