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Fun in First

A Teaching Blog by Jodi Southard

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Back to School

Back to School for First Grade

July 28, 2020 by Aubree Malick Leave a Comment

It’s that time again! Summer is winding down and your students are preparing to come back to see you. While that may be in person or virtual for your school, it is still important to make that first week special and memorable for your students. Check out these ideas for your classroom as you head into the first week. 

 

First Week of School Ideas

 

Morning Work 

I like to have something for my students to do at their desk, especially on the first day of school. This allows them to have something to keep them busy while I’m chatting with parents, collecting notes and supplies, or anything else that might arise on the first day of school. Some of my favorite morning work activities for the first week of school are in this back to school resource. 

 

Photo Op! 

That first day/week is crazy but I always try to remember to take pictures of my students from the first week of school. It’s a great way to snag a photo of them for future projects, but also to compare to the end of the year! You’ll be surprised at how much they change in ten months! 

 

Get to Know You Activities

“Get to know you” name games are so fun to play and it’s helpful for the teacher and the students! One of my favorite games to play is where students sit in a circle and each student has to say “Hi, my name is ____” and then they also have to repeat the students names that came before them. There will be lots of laughs and giggles, but students love trying to see if they can remember all the names in the circle!

 

Classroom Management

 

Classroom Meetings

Classroom meetings are SO important, especially that first week. It’s a great way to build classroom community. We use this time to talk about our classroom rules, check in with their emotions and reflect on different situations. My students absolutely love this time and look forward to it. 

 

Procedures

You can never spend too much time on procedures, right? Depending on what your school is doing for health procedures, a lot of your procedures will be different this year. It’s important to give plenty of opportunities for your students to practice new routines, transitions, etc. in your classroom. I like to pick a few to practice each day and then we review our procedures that we’ve learned previously at the next classroom meeting. 

 

The Perfect Back to School Resource 

 

This first grade back to school resource is the perfect way to start your school year! If you are a new 1st grade teacher or you just need some fresh and new ideas for the first week of 1st grade, this First Week of First Grade includes everything you need to have a successful first week of first grade. It has welcome letters, complete lesson plans, activities, morning work and more! You can check it out here! 

https://funinfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1st-Week-Preview.mp4

 

 

 

Pin for later

https://funinfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1st-Week-Pin2.mp4

Filed Under: Back to School, Seasonal Tagged With: Back to School

Back to School Teacher Must-Haves

July 7, 2020 by Jodi 6 Comments

This coming school year is full of unknowns right now.  Will we start on time?  Will we have full class sizes?  Will we move to distance learning again?  Will students and teachers have to wear mask? etc.  As of right now, our students have a virtual option, or they will return as normal to the in-school setting.  We know that there will be certain guidelines in place, such as no sharing of supplies and desks 6 feet apart, but we don’t know too many details yet.

I did want to go ahead and put together a list of items that I will be purchasing for this coming school year.  Some of these things are items that I purchase normally, while some of the other items are more specific to this year.

This post contains affiliate links.  I receive a small commission when items are purchased from these links, which helps to support my little area of cyber space and keep the blog up and running.

All of the items are numbered and linked below, or you can click on the picture and use the direct links from the PDF file for easy access.

These Must-Have Back to School items will be helpful as we return to school in the fall.

1.  Wireless Doorbell – I love this wireless doorbell from SadoTech.  I use it as an attention grabber for my students and it works like a charm.  You can change the tune to keep it fresh as well.  All you have to do is plug it into an outlet.  Then, you can carry around the actual doorbell button with you.

2.  UV Light Sanitizer Bag – Genius!  How perfect will this be for the coming school year?  You can use it to sanitize your phone, pencils, markers, math manipulatives, etc.

3. Play-Doh – I use Play-Doh every year, especially at the beginning of the year.  My only change this year will be to label each tub with a child’s name.  They will have to have their own instead of using all of them.

4. Birthday Crowns – This is another item that I purchase every year to have on hand.  Whatever you decide to use for birthday celebrations (pencils, treat bags, crowns, stickers,…), have them ready to go at the beginning of the year.

5. Dry Erase Erasers – I purchase these every couple of years.  They are pretty cheaply made and only last about 2-3 years max.  However, they are fairly inexpensive and I like that they are small.  I have also heard of a lot of people having success using socks or the microfiber makeup remover pads from Dollar Tree.  I usually throw all of my erasers in a tub, however this year, I will have them in individual supply kits for each student.

6. Xacto Pencil Sharpener – I am very particular about my pencil sharpener.  I even have it labeled “Teacher Use Only.”  However, this year, I may have to let go of my control over my sharpener 😉  To keep me from touching everyone’s pencils, which you know have been in mouths, up noses, and even down pants, I may let my students sharpen their own pencils.  This sharpener is hands-down my favorite!  I love that it has a blue light that comes on when the pencil is sharpened, so it really is easy for kids.  We have one at home as well, and my 5 year old sharpens his pencils with no problems at all.

7. Inkjoy Pens – I know that teachers are serious about their pens.  Inkjoy pens are my absolute favorite.  I would pick them over flair pens any day.

8. Carpet Spot Markers – These will be so useful this coming school year in keeping students 6 feet apart.  I plan on putting them on my carpet for when we line up to go in the hall.  I will also use them to mark places for my students to sit.  These will only work if you have carpet.  If you have tile, you may want to check out these EZ Stick Spot Markers.

9. Stackable Supply Boxes – My students will have their own pencil boxes in their desks, but I am purchasing these for other individual materials that my students will need.  (Dice, dry erase markers and erasers, math manipulatives, etc.)  I love that they are stackable, so they will be easy to store.

10.  Clipboards – I frequently use clipboards in my classroom, but I know that they will be used even more next year.  The thought of having 6 year olds in desks ALL DAY LONG, is not okay with me.  Students can use a clipboard to complete their work while sitting 6 feet apart on the floor.  We can also take work outside, weather permitting.  We may have to get creative, but we will definitely not be facing forward in desks all day long.

What are some items that you could see working in your classroom next year? What will you have to adjust and change?

*Feel free to pin the image below to save for later.

These must-have items for teachers are perfect for this coming school year.

 

Filed Under: Back to School Tagged With: Back to School, school supplies

Back to School Challenge

July 21, 2018 by Jodi Leave a Comment

The beginning of the school year is always exciting.  New supplies, new students, new opportunities to try something new.  However, it’s also stressful.  The first couple of weeks always end up being a blur.  One of the most important things that I want to accomplish during those first couple weeks of school is a sense of community.  I think it is so important to teach students how to work together successfully.  We do a lot of group work during the year, so they need to learn early how to cooperate with each other.  My classroom challenges provide the perfect opportunity for students to work together to complete academic challenges and earn rewards together.

Do you need a fun, engaging, and academic activity for your class to complete anytime during the Back to School season? The Back to School Challenge is your answer. Your class will compete in small groups to complete 10 academic challenges. After each challenge, the class will open a Challenge Ticket envelope and solve the code word. The first team to solve all 10 code words is the winning team.  Letter sounds, missing numbers, counting, rhyming, and more.

What is the Back to School Challenge?

The Back to School Challenge includes 10 academic based challenges for the students to complete in small groups of 3-5 students.  After each group completes one of the challenges, that group earns a Challenge Ticket.  The Challenge Ticket includes a coded mystery word that the group must solve using the decoder page.  The first group to complete all 10 challenges (or however many you decide to use) is the winning group.  You can decide if there will be a prize for each group or not.  I usually hand out something little after each group is finished. (pencils, seasonal erasers, candy, stickers, …)

Do you need a fun, engaging, and academic activity for your class to complete anytime during the Back to School season? The Back to School Challenge is your answer. Your class will compete in small groups to complete 10 academic challenges. After each challenge, the class will open a Challenge Ticket envelope and solve the code word. The first team to solve all 10 code words is the winning team.

Each challenge has a picture on the top left of the page.  This picture matches a picture on the Challenge Ticket.  This makes organization of this project very easy.  The academic skills that are included in this challenge include:

-Lowercase Letters
-Numbers or Letters
-Missing Numbers
-Rhyming Words
-Counting
-Beginning Letter Sounds
-Number Order
-Fixing Sentences
-Graphing
-Illustrating Sentences

“I bought your 100th day challenge last year and it was a big hit with the kids! I’m excited to introduce this to my new group of kids the first week of school. I think it will be a great way to promote team-building and cooperation skills, while also reviewing things that they should know from kindergarten.” -Beth

If you love this challenge, you may also want to check out my other Classroom Challenges including The Christmas Challenge, Valentine’s Day Challenge, Spring Challenge, and more.

Do you need a fun, engaging, and academic activity for your class to complete anytime during the Back to School season? The Back to School Challenge is your answer. Your class will compete in small groups to complete 10 academic challenges. After each challenge, the class will open a Challenge Ticket envelope and solve the code word. The first team to solve all 10 code words is the winning team.  Letter sounds, missing numbers, counting, rhyming, and more.

Filed Under: Back to School Tagged With: Back to School

Back to School Must Haves

July 17, 2018 by Jodi 1 Comment

Every year, a couple of weeks before school starts, I start purchasing things that I need for the school year.  I always seem to find myself wracking my brain to try and remember everything that I need to get.  I decided to make a list of items that I buy EVERY SINGLE YEAR before the school year begins, so I can make sure that I have everything I need.  This list includes all of my must-have back to school items.  I am not including those items that you buy once every couple of years or a new expensive item for your classroom.  I am talking about the consumable items that have to be purchased every year.

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links, which helps to support the blog.

1. Crayons, crayons, and more crayons

You can never have enough crayons.  I feel like my students must be eating crayons each year.  They always bring their own at the beginning of the year, but most of those are gone by the second week of school.  I always provide crayons in baskets in my classroom, but I am constantly adding more to the tubs.  I usually stock up on the cheap crayon boxes at Walmart during back to school time (ALWAYS Crayola), but if I have to buy them later on in the year, I found that buying a large bulk box on Amazon was cheaper.

2. Glue Sticks

Glue sticks are another item that somehow disappear in no time.  You can never have too many glue sticks.

3. Folders

I always get folders before the school year starts.  I purchase red ones to use as Ketchup folders.  (Students keep these in their desk to place work in that they need to “catch up” on.)  I also love these Resource Folders from Really Good Stuff.

4. Mr. Sketch Markers

I get a new pack of Mr. Sketch Markers every single year.  They last the entire year and are perfect for anchor charts.

5. Chart Paper

I go through at least one tablet of chart paper each year for anchor charts, interactive writing, etc.

6. Astrobrights Paper

I seriously use Astrobrights paper for everything.  I love the colors, and I love the quality.

This Interactive Practice Folder is perfect for early finishers. Students can practice sight words, vocabulary, math facts, phonics skills, and more.

Find this Interactive Practice Folder in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

7. Sticky Putty

All of the walls in my classroom are cinder block.  This definitely makes hanging things harder.  I have found that Sticky Putty seems to work the best for keeping things up.  There are still times when I come into my classroom after the weekend, and I have to pick things up off the floor, but it isn’t nearly as often if they are hung up with Sticky Putty.

8. Name Badges

I love having name badges for my students.  These are great for the beginning of the year when they are still learning their lunch numbers.  They are also great for subs and/or field trips.

9. Pencils

If you’re a teacher, you know how quickly students can go through pencils.  Ticonderoga pencils are definitely the easiest to sharpen and are my go-to pencil choice.

10. Hand Sanitizer

I always purchase the gigantic hand sanitizer container from Sam’s for my classroom.  There is a lot of sneezing, nose picking, and shoe tying in 1st grade.

What are your Back to School Must-Haves?

Are you new to 1st grade or do you just need some new and fresh ideas for Back to School?  Check out my go-to for the first week of school.

Everything you need for the first week of 1st grade.  Lesson plans, activities, forms, letters, and more.

Filed Under: Back to School Tagged With: Back to School

Welcome Back Letters – With a Twist

July 24, 2016 by Jodi 38 Comments

 

Do you send Welcome Back to School letters to your students before school starts?    I LOVE taking this opportunity to welcome my students to my classroom!  As a parent, I also love it.  My two girls anxiously await their letters each year.

Last year I added something special, and gave it a technology twist.  I have had amazing feedback from teachers everywhere wanting to do this for the coming school year, so I wanted to share it with you again.

Welcome Back to School Letters by Fun in First
Have you heard of QR codes?  I’m sure you have seen them around because they are on almost everything now.  I decided to add a QR code to my Welcome Back letter.  The QR code is linked to a recording of me reading the letter to my new students.
Go ahead…try it out.  If you do not have a QR reader on your phone, you can download a free one in your app store.
So, want to make one for yourself?
Such a creative way to welcome students into your classroom for the following school year.
1. Download the app Cloud QR.  I believe that I paid $4.99 for the app, but it was worth it to me.  I will also be using this for other things in my classroom.
2.  Record your audio.  Click SAVE.
3.  It will automatically bring up your QR code.  Then, you can save the QR code directly to your phone.
4.  Send the picture to your computer and insert the QR code directly into your letter.  DONE!
If you would like to download the template from my letter, click HERE.  I have placed text boxes on the pages for you to type into, but you can delete the text boxes, move them around, or add new ones.  In this download, I have included Pre-K through 5th grade.  I also included a plain one to help my Aussie friends.
I love that this gives my students an opportunity to learn a little more about me as well as hear my voice.  It’s all about establishing those relationships with your students right from the start.
Want more teaching tips?  Make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
*THE FOLLOWING IS FROM A PREVIOUS POST WHEN AUDIOBOOM WAS A FREE OPTION.  THEY NOW CHARGE FOR THEIR SERVICES.
1.  Download the AudioBoom app, and create an account.
2. Record yourself.
3.  Go to www.audioboom.com and login to your account.  You will find your recording.  Click on the “QR Code” tab.
4.  Download the QR code and save it to your computer.
5.  Insert the QR code into your letter.  Done!
 If you would like to download the template from my letter, click HERE.  I have placed text boxes on the pages for you to type into, but you can delete the text boxes, move them around, or add new ones.  In this download, I have included Pre-K through 5th grade.  I also included a plain one to help my Aussie friends.
I love that this gives my students an opportunity to learn a little more about me as well as hear my voice.  It’s all about establishing those relationships with your students right from the start.
Want more teaching tips?  Make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

Welcome Back to School Letters by Fun in First

 

Filed Under: Back to School Tagged With: Back to School, qr codes, welcome letter

Back to School – Getting Things Done

July 22, 2016 by Jodi 8 Comments

The countdown is on.  We only have two more weeks until school starts.  I went into my classroom on Tuesday for the first time this summer, and I swear I was just there.  I’m not real sure where this summer has gone!  I have to admit that I was a little slow to get motivated, but I have gotten a couple things accomplished.  I wanted to share some of my latest projects with you.

I finished the bulletin board outside of my classroom.  I used my Cricut to cut the letters from Astrobrights cardstock.
I added some tissue paper balls from Hobby Lobby for dimension. 
I also made this name banner for my desk. 
Staples donated some desks to our school last year.  My old desk had my name in vinyl across the front, but this one didn’t.  Many of my students were constantly trying to remember how to spell my name.  I knew that I needed to find a fun way to add it to this new desk.
I absolutely love how it turned out.  I just printed directly onto Astrobrights cardstock, and then cut a triangle out of the bottom of each page.  Then, I punched holes in the top and threaded my ribbon. 
I feel like I’ve made a huge dent in my classroom to get ready for school.  I printed off all of my first week of school items from my First Week of First Grade Packet.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-First-Week-of-First-Grade-Back-to-School-2619044
It is so nice to have everything I need ready to go for the first week of school.
When do you go back?


Filed Under: Back to School Tagged With: Back to School, Bulletin Boards, Featured

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funinfirstblog

Definitely not my favorite of his costumes, but he Definitely not my favorite of his costumes, but he loves it, so that’s all that matters 🦴🎃
We will be completing our Halloween Challenge on F We will be completing our Halloween Challenge on Friday. It’s such a great way to make learning fun while working cooperatively.🎃
Check it out by following the link in my profile.
Thank you, Halloween!!🎃👻 Thank you, Halloween!!🎃👻
🌟Easy small group activity🌟 Give each studen 🌟Easy small group activity🌟
Give each student the vowels using foam or magnetic letters. Say a CVC word.  The students hold up the vowel to show the middle sound that they hear.
Super easy and effective💙
I could not be happier that Halloween falls on a S I could not be happier that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, but that definitely does not mean that the kids will be calm this coming week🤪
If you can’t beat them, join them, right? We will be working on reading fluency using my Halloween Reading on the Move.
Check it out by following the link in my profile.🎃
I’ve definitely need some coffee to get through I’ve definitely need some coffee to get through this past week that I swear was actually 15 days long 😂 But, I’m officially done with my parent-teacher conferences✔️👏👏
We normally do a student pumpkin decorating contes We normally do a student pumpkin decorating contest at school, and the pumpkins are always AMAZING. Due to Covid, we had to cancel it this year, but each classroom created a pumpkin.
We finished ours today, and I actually think it turned out pretty cute🦁
At this point in the year, I am definitely feeling At this point in the year, I am definitely feeling like my soup of the day should be coffee.
I’m *almost* done with Parent-Teacher Conferences. Only 2 more left👏👏
How are you holding up? Do you need some coffee soup along with me?
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