First Grade Biographers

The first graders have finished the biography unit we began back on January 7th! It's amazing how snow days and a forgotten early release day can really throw a project off course!

The students began the project by exploring the biographies in PebbleGo. They had to choose a person to study by the end of the period. 

The next two visits to the library had the students reading and listening to the biographies and taking notes and creating a draft of a picture about their person. 

Now, unexpectedly pause here for two weeks.

With faith in my students and a healthy capacity for constructive chaos, this next visit involved a quick refresher of Kid Pix.

The students created a picture about their person (always MUCH better than mine). Understandably, some of the students needed a refresher on the person they had chosen as well as help decoding notes. Two weeks is a long time when you are in first grade, but these amazing first graders created their pictures, named them with the naming conventions, and saved them to the desktops.  

Here are some example of what they created:

Okay, now take another week off for vacation. 

Here we have arrived at yesterday and my optimistic idea that I can get all the students' comments recorded in one forty-five minute class. I knew that some students needed a few minutes to finish their art, so it was going to be a bit tight. The lesson began with me showing them how to record their voices in Kid Pix. This involved me modeling: recording and then listening to and rerecording my comments; saving my comment; dragging it onto the image; and saving the image. 

Off the students went.  Here's where my heart grows big with pride and excitement. What began with many little hands in the air looking for help turned into a quiet buzz of activity and students helping each other. The first few to record and save their pictures went on to then help their classmates. 

How can projects like these be managed with just one teacher and the occasional (and helpful) aide? Put the students in leadership roles. 

I think the students would have had longer comments on their slides had we not had the breaks in learning, but maybe not, if you listen they really got to the essence of their person. Here are some of their projects.

The students are excited to share what they have learned and created with each other. I am excited too! 

I Sleep Like a ...

Today the kindergarten students and I read, Sleep Like A Tiger.  

 The book is written by novelist and poet, Mary Logue, and illustrated by the amazing artist Pamela Zagarenski.  Zagarenski was recognized with a Caldecott Honor for her work in this book. You can hear her talk about her illustrations here: TeachingBooks Interview.

Zagarenski's detailed and engaging illustrations celebrate this gentle story of a young girl who is not ready to go to bed, but who ultimately takes on the sleeping habits of the animals she and her parents are discussing. I thought it was a great way to lead into poetry month because the writing is lyrical and creates beautiful imagery for the reader.  (I'll just mention that these are the best fictional parents and wish I had read this book when my own children were young and not tired!)

Prior to reading the book, I asked the students to think about what type of animal they would describe themselves as when they are sleeping.  After reading the book, the students shared their ideas. I wish I had had them share their ideas prior to reading the book, as I did with last year's students. I think they were about to think more broadly. 

I used this opportunity to see how different media might influence their answers.

In one class, each student found a book about the animal he or she slept like and then used the iPads to record each other talking about his or her sleeping habits.


In another class, I created a generic slide show in Kid Pix and had the students record themselves explaining their sleeping habits.

In the third class, the students put pen to paper.

Whale

Otter

Rabbit

Pig

In the last class, the students their ideas in a whole group conversation.

"I sleep like a sheep because I walk in my sleep."

"I sleep like a tiger because I sleep a lot and I like to sleep in the morning."

"I sleep like a shark because I keep my eyes open."

"I sleep like a rabbit because I sleep quietly."

"I sleep like a snake because I curl up."

"I sleep like a whale because I rolled out of my bed."

"I sleep like a leopard because I roam around in my bed."

There were a surprising number of students who sleep quietly like rabbits or bunnies. I wonder if their parents would agree?

This is a beautifully-written, gorgeously-illustrated story, I am glad to have shared it with my students.  Have you used this book with your students? Please share your projects!

The who, what, and where of kindergarten readers

These kindergarten students each created a story about reading. Their stories tell one of these things: where they like to read, what they like to read, or who they like to read with. 

Reading is important to these kindergarten students, and here's why:

I want to be an astronaut when I grow up....because I like to travel

Oh.My.Word.

Another incredible collaboration fell into my lap this week.  A first grade teacher wanted a way to connect a Jan Brett author/illustrator study and a Lucy Calkins Persuasive Writing unit. 

She brought this idea to me: "Why not have the students use Hedgie blasts off as a model for what they want to be and connect it with Lucy Calkins by having them explain why they want to be that idea/profession/person when they grow up?"

"Perfect!" I responded. "Let's use Kid Pix.  They can draw themselves showing what they want to be and then record themselves talking about the slide."

Demonstration of understanding the task, expressing an idea, and practicing public speaking. This is good stuff. 

I wonder how many will still want to be an astronaut, teacher, veterinarian, art teacher, doctor, scientist, or lawyer when they grow up? 

These kindergarten students knew what they needed

 This is ultimately what it looked like in my library yesterday:

As I said, these kindergarten students knew what they needed - I didn't.  We started a snowy books unit last week. You can read here about how the students learned about the fiction and nonfiction snow-related books in the library as well explored the Caldecott Medal using the book, The Snowy Day.

I was ready to pick right up where we left off.

BUT...It's the Tuesday before vacation. They've predicted a snow storm to arrive midday. They are kindergartners.

After introducing the lesson, I was reading the next book, No Two Alike by Keith Baker, to begin a conversation about wonderings about snow (more of my wonder wall lessons).

I began to feel queasy, akin to being sea sick. I felt almost as if I were at sea because bodies were moving back and forward and side to side in front of me. Seriously, these kindergarten students could not keep their bodies still.

It was #timetoshowsomeflexiblity.

Telling them that I sensed a disturbance in the force, I scrapped part of the lesson and gave the students three options:

1. You may read books on the rug
or, inspired by the book we just read, you may:
2. create a snowy scene using Kid Pix; or,
3. create a snowy scene using pen and paper.

The students happily moved into their choices.

For the next three classes I began with the same introduction referring to last week's lesson, but I moved right into having the students share their wondering about snow.  I explained that we will use our Wonder Wall books to learn more about snow and explore these wonderings after vacation. We have a lot of learning to do in January! 

Seriously, you have to read these wonderings:

"How does snow get made?"

"How does snow get its pattern?"

"How does so much tiny snow cover so much a a lot of trees?"

"Why does snow fall at different speeds?"

"How do animals come out at snow time? How do foxes and owls come out at night?"
"How does the snow keep animals warm underground?""How do snowflakes become snow"

"How does snow melt?"

"How does snow turn into ice?"

"How does snow get fluffy?"

"Where was the first snow?"

"How does nature form snowflakes?"

"How does the sun melt snow when it is freezing outside?"

"How does the sun not melt all the snow because it is so bright and hot?"

I then explained the options for creating a snowy day picture and explained that I was going to read a book that would help inspire them.  I read No Two Alike. 

The students headed off to browse and borrow and/or create their pictures and/or read. The rest of the morning was fabulously fun.

I was surprised at the breakdown of students and activities.  On the whole, about half the students chose Kid Pix, one quarter paper and markers and one quarter reading books quietly.  it was incredibly cool to watch five-year-olds owning the library, making their own choices, and navigating their options.

One thing that I worried about and that come to fruition for about five students all morning is that they had to browse and borrow first and then go on to the next activity.  These five students went straight to Kid Pix and then wanted to browse as the rest of the class was lining up.  I am thinking that a visual of the choices - almost like a felt board - might be a good idea.