SpellingCity

One of the many ways we practice our weekly word wall and phonics words is through the lessons and games on SpellingCity. The students love playing all of the games and I love that it introduces the spelling of the words to the students as well as their meaning in sentences. We use this site on our Promethean Board as a part of Daily 5: Working on Words. SpellingCity is a fun, free way for your child to practice their words at home.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

A few weeks ago we were reading various stories about school. One of the books we read was Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes - one of my favorites! As a part of the lessons, we talked about how Chrysanthemum was feeling and made connections to how we were feeling about starting school. We then extended the lesson by counting the letters in our names, just as Chrysanthemum's classmates do in the book, and compared how long our names are to hers. We then created a bar-type graph to record our findings. The students then created art with their names by coloring patterns on bubble letters. After they were completed, the students read the names as a group and clapped out the syllables. We then sorted the names according to the number of syllables in the names to create a real-object graph. Their artwork was then added to our classroom helper area as a name word wall.

First Grade Reading Sites

I recently compiled a page of some of my favorite reading sites for young children. They are filled with interactive stories, phonics and sight word practice, and more! You can visit my page here. Some of my favorite pages are ABCya!, Storyline Online, and Starfall.

Refrigerator Phonics

I found this fun refrigerator magnet game at ABCya! that your children can use to practice spelling their word wall and phonics words. You can also have your child pratice their words in a fun way by buying cheap plastic magnetic letters at your local dollar store. They can practice their words on the refrigerator or on a metal cookie sheet.

KidBlog Update!

The students have been blogging away! They have written over 250 posts so far. Their latest blog entries are about additive patterns. When they wrote about additive patterns, they first created patterns in Kidspiration which then then exported to our class' shared folder. They then had to import the photo into their blog. Although the steps to export and import seemed tricky at first, the students were up the challenge and were very successful. They have also been using our writing strategies from Write From the Beginning to write personal narratives. They have also been practicing writing sentences using word wall and phonics words as well as using adverbs from our grammar lessons. When you get a few minutes, read their great posts at their KidBlog.

First Grade Word Wall PowerPoint

I recently updated our First Grade Word Wall PowerPoint. The slideshow advances every five seconds to reveal a new word. You can help your child build automatic recognition of these words by having them use the PowerPoint at least once per week to read all of the words.If you do not have PowerPoint on your home computer, you can download PowerPoint Viewer.

Word Wall Flashcards

To help your child learn their Word Wall words, I created Word Wall Flashcards. We will be creating Word Wall Rings in class over the next few weeks. The Word Wall Rings will be sent home so your child can practice them daily. I've attached copies of the flashcards here in case you want an extra set. I suggest keeping a set in the car for those commutes to and from school, the grocery store, etc.


1st Six Weeks Word Wall Flashcards -


2nd Six Weeks Word Wall Flashcards -


Third Six Weeks Word Wall Flashcards -


Fourth Six Weeks Word Wall Flashcards -


Fifth Six Weeks Word Wall Flashcards -


Sixth Six Weeks Word Wall Flashcards -

Spelling City

To help your child practice their weeklly word wall and phonics words, please visit our grade level SpellingCity page. SpellingCity is a great interactive site that enables the students to practice their words in a variety of ways: playing games, handwriting, practice tests, etc. Spelling lists for the week can also be printed out at home. You can search for our grade level lists by choosing "Find a List" and searching for the teacher name Moseley First. The current lists will become availabe each Monday after the First Checks have been given in class.

Shaving Cream Words

At least once a week the students practice writing their weekly word wall and phonics words in shaving cream. This activity is especially good for those students who are hesitant to write. They see it as play and therefore are willing to spend much more time working on learning their words. If you are looking for another way to have your child practice their writing at home, you don't need to look any further than your bathroom cabinet! Pull out the bottle of shaving cream and your child will write away!

End-of-Year Festivities

This week we have been celebrating all of the wonderful accomplishments the students have made during the year through various activities. From our awards ceremony to the end-of-year picnic, the students have been very busy! Enjoy a quick slideshow of the highligths from this week.

Make a free photo slideshow

Word Work

This week we worked on the word wall words this, get, and all. We are also working on words with the sh sound. To help your child continue practicing these words and all other words we have learned this year, please visit SpellingCity and click on Find a List. Under Find a List, search for Moseley First and you will see our current list of words. Through this site, your child can practice their weekly words by hearing the words in isolation and in sentences. Your child can also play games and be tested using the features of this site. Is an engaging and exciting way for your children to practice their words.