Game Boxes

Every year we play lots and lots of games in first grade, particularly in math.  Some of the benefits of playing games are increasing time with family and friends, learning something new and improving one's memory by keeping track of what is happening in the game, and engaging in an activity that does not rely on using a computer screen.  Recently I learned that playing games can increase academic achievement up to 20%.  I was also thinking about way to connect home and school.  I thought that creating a "game box" for each child in my class would provide an opportunity for students to play games at home that we also play in school. 

I sent home activities that my students have practiced at school that parents can play at home with them.  Some of the activities my first graders will be able to do individually, some they will need a partner.  I plan to send home activities throughout the school year. 

Here are some pictures from the game day roll out!

These are the game boxes all stacked up and ready to be distributed.

They are practicing playing the games before they bring them home.

A parent helped distribute the game boxes.

Here is one student's game box. 

Meet my 2016-2017 Class!

Here they are!

The End Of Another Year!

Thank you to the families of my students for your continuous support throughout the year!  These are their tie-died field day t-shirts!  They had a blast tie dying!

We Are "Star" Struck At The PTA's Work To Make Us All Feel Appreciated!

This is the bulletin board that the PTA decorated.  It is hanging in the front foyer of our school.

May 2 through 6 was Teacher Appreciation Week!  Our PTA went out of their way to make the week memorable for all of us.  Every day they did something special to show their appreciation for the work we all do.  I took daily photos to document the events of the week.  Although the photos show what they did, they can't begin to capture the appreciation we all feel for making us one of the "Stars" in the lives of their children.

On Monday, May 2, we walked in to school to find the floor of the professional development room filled with stars.  Each star had a name of the staff member - they recreated the red carpet treatment often reserved for Hollywood's stars.  

This is the entrance to the star walkway in the Professional Development Room

This is my star. 

These are some of the stars on the walk way. 

Some of the starry, starry decorations. 

On Tuesday, May 3, our students gave us papers that described why we are stars.  The PTA had sent them home to the students to return to us as gifts.  Here are some that my students wrote.  

You teach us math, science and writing.

She knows a lot about the moon.

Dear Mrs. Henrikson, Thank you for teaching me.  I learned a lot in math.  You are the best teacher.  Love, Olivia

Here is a beautiful plant I received to go along with all of the cards!

On Wednesday, May 4, the PTA prepared a wonderful breakfast for us.

Lots and lots of home made goodies.

We all enjoyed the delicious breakfast!

 

On Thursday, May 5, the PTA had even more in store for us!  There was a selection of coupons from local stores that we could choose from!  I love dark chocolate and was very happy to see the coupon for the Bath Sweet Shoppe!

This is the creative sign with our directions.  (I wasn't a Diva, just to be clear.)

On Friday, May 6, we enjoyed yet another wonderful assortment of food - this time it was desserts!  They even provided bags for us to take some home (which I did)!  The cheesecake chocolate brownies were my favorite.

Lower right are the chocolate cheesecake brownies - my favorite.

Thank you very much, PTA!  You really outdid yourselves and we are very grateful.

A Gift To Every First Grader in Maine!

The Maine Education Association, through a generous grant, purchased and delivered a free book for every first grader in Maine.  Today I gave every child in my class a non-fiction National Geographic Kids Lions book and book mark.

They were so excited that I took a couple of pictures for my blog.  

Everyone is doing a great job reading their book!

Here they are showing off their copies of their new book.

They are quite cute!

A Future Teacher?

Some of my students are natural born teachers.  They seem to know just what to say to make another student feel better in one-on-one situations.  They know how to almost naturally teach their friends in school, and they have lots of empathy for those who struggle.  I had a student last year who fit into that category.

Although she is now in second grade, she still swings through my class every morning just to connect and maybe pick up some more teaching tricks in case she truly does become a teacher some day.  She also likes to practice teaching to my current class.  A few days ago she dropped off a note that she wanted my students to edit.  Here is the note.

It says, "Find all my misstakes

             and have fun!   Avery.

           dear ms henrickson

              you Are th Best

              clas Ever

                       fondly

                       avery

           (Hope I didn't

             mess your plans.)"

So, of course I projected her note on the screen with the document camera.  I made a copy of her note for every student in the class and they had to correct it to:

"Dear Mrs. Henrikson's class,

  You are the best class ever.

                          Fondly,

                          Avery 

My class was just determined to get it right.  They took bright colored markers and fixed all of the "misstakes" that they could find!  My ex-student got a chance to teach, and my current class got a chance to learn from a skilled second grader.  It was a great lesson!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

As has been my tradition for a number of years, I had a guest from the community come and read to my class on Dr. Seuss's birthday.  Cynthia Lewis, a retired special education pre-kindergarten teacher from Massachusetts who taught for 30 years, visited us today.  Mrs. Lewis holds a masters degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is a highly skilled teacher.  She did a wonderful job reading Horton Hears a Who to my first graders.  The lesson from Horton Hears a Who is, "A person's a person no matter how small."

Children benefit from the connections they make with members of the community.  For example, today they heard a story read in a different voice than my own.  Throughout her reading, Mrs. Lewis dropped the end of the line rhyming word and my students predicted the word.  She modeled how important reading is throughout our entire life.

Thank you for coming to class, Mrs. Lewis!