Fire Safety and Planning for Next Week

 Last week we focused on fire safety.  Our local FD came out to share important safety information with us and we capitalized on that highly engaging topic! 

 Here’s three ways we used the topic of fire safety in writing this week! 

 First, we shared the pen with some whole group shared writing about a time we got burned.  After reading a quick fire safety decodable on the projector, 20 hands shot in the air ready to share a time they were burned.  The stories began and I realized instantly that we would not have time for all the sharing, but it certainly was a “hot” topic.  {sorrynotsorry} {punny}

I asked them to help me write an example burn story and we were SO proud of our collaborative efforts.  Mostly I was proud of myself for handing off my beloved Mr. Sketch markers… without tears. 

Students also cut and arranged a mixed-up fire story.  Then wrote sentences for each picture.  I don’t have the origin of this activity, but it looks like it came out of a sequencing skills book. I prefolded the big red paper to help organize student’s thought and writing process.  They were thrilled.  I then let them sharpie their sentences.  When the sharpies come out the room falls silent and the students get super intense.  #winning 

In the writing center, we used some of the pictures from engaging writing to write a creative story about fire safety OR to write out fire safety facts.  {student choice}

I just LOVED these gorgeous owls that were up on Friday and HAVE to share them with you!  Our art teacher is really creative!  I love her ideas and my students LOVE going to art class each week. 
Look what she did for owls!  If she hadn’t already done it with the second graders at our school, I would be stealing it straight up.  But hopefully you can run with the idea!!!  *mental note- begin newspaper hoarding* Just the word BOO in big newspaper letters outlined with black would be ridiculously cute.

And…LOOK at this mosaic!  It’s not nearly as stunning in photos as it is in real life!  I am guessing each grade level was a designated color and they made a 3X3ish picture of themselves.  hellogenius.
It’s beautiful! 
….Looking ahead for next week.  I don’t have the time anymore to make visual plans to share. I know, right?  We have a system of inputting lesson plans that takes a very long time. #accountabilitykillscreativity do.not.get.me.started… 

But I can snap a picture of how I get ready for the following week in my classroom! 

First, at the front of the room, I keep the math journal and any other guided math practice ready to go. (top left)  This is the best place for it because it is up where I teach from.  I can reach right over and take it.  My students even look at it and then tell me what we are going to be doing.  #thankyounellyknowsalot 

I keep a set of three drawers for my small group in the back of my room, but you and I both know I never actually put the materials in the drawer.  I did one week and then forgot they existed.  Now I just set it behind me on my materials table.  Naming it “materials table” makes the piles acceptable. (bottom right picture)

The bottom left picture is my small group word work.  This is different from what students do independently during word work.  For that info you can click here.

This week in reading small group we are using:
Flipping for Phonics (Digraphs)
Roll and Write Phonological Games (Digraphs)
Magnetic Letters (h digraphs)
JD’s Rockin Readers Guided Reading Toolkit  (Digraphs Activities)

For Math we are focusing on place value as well as continuing number relationships
This week in math workshop we are using:
Plenty of Pumpkins Math Centers with Journal Activities
October 10 Math Centers
Cara’s Place Value Packet of Fun
Free Dice Games not in a packet yet. (Coming Soon)

For more about guided math stations you can click HERE. 

So can I ask what your school mascot is?  Our elementary is bobcats, we feed into the middle school to become jaguars, and eventually go on to high school to become cougars.  All this to say, I have a collection of shirts and other cute things that are paw-themed.  Can’tgetenough!  

I read a funny article last week about being able to spot teachers out in public due to our paw themed t shirts.  #soguilty  I have to share this pic from Friday.  A student brought me red sparkly paw earrings (they matched her earrings and my red sparkly paw shirt that I also happened to be wearing)
So here’s my end of the week paw loving picture…