Happy almost summer!

Hello teacher friends!! Can you believe we are almost done with this school year?! Our school has 23 days left until summer--eek! So much going on and so much to do in so little time. Anybody else feeling like this?

HA! I love the teacher memes...they are always spot on. Thank goodness for warm weather and extra recess!

Anyway, I have a couple fun classroom activities to share with you that might make the end of the year a little more exciting :) Or maybe you will find something to put on your list to try next year!

1.) iPhoneFakeText.com I have been using the same two morning message boards all year long--so I tried spicing things up with this iPhone Fake Text Message site that allows you to create your own text conversations. It has been a total hit with my kids! Each morning they come in so exciting to read the messages between me and "the class." It is also a great way to get them reading first thing in the morning.

The messages change each day but always include the lunch choice. After my students are done with the morning routine, we come to the carpet and a student and I read the conversation to the class!


2.) Let's End the Year with a BANG! This year, I am trying something new with my end-of-the-year countdown...and I think everyone is loving it so far! I found this idea from Brittney Briggs who is another fabulous educator I follow.

Each morning, we pop a balloon (each balloon has a student name inside of it). Then, the whole day is about that student! At circle time in the morning, we go around and say why we think that student is awesome. Then that student gets to have lunch with me and a friend. Throughout the day the student is in charge of the Go Noodles, what activity we want to do during free choice, they get to choose something fun to do during Read to Self (i.e. take our shoes off!), they answer the phone, they lead our line, etc. etc.

I love seeing my students support one another (especially my super shy, quiet hunnies!) and it is a great way to make sure each student gets the recognition, love and attention they deserve before I send them off to second grade.

3.) Have you used Pic Collage Kids in your classroom? It is an awesome (and free and paperless) way for students to show what they know. Recently, my students used the app to complete a word work center. They had to define words by taking a picture and then label the picture. In the activity below, students were reinforcing the phonics skill we had learned that week (inflectional endings-- -ing specifically). Their collages were HILARIOUS! We use Seesaw in our classroom, so I always crack up laughing during planning time when I'm reviewing their work. Seesaw is great for holding them accountable because I let them go wherever they need to go in the school to complete the activity...I'm not keeping tabs on them in that moment.

Shoutout to our awesome principal who participated in the fun! We certainly love dabbing in first grade :)

That is all for now! Coming soon: Rollercoaster Challenge finished projects!

Happy Teaching!!!

The Robot you NEED in your classroom!

This year, I began a coding/programming after school club! Pretty exciting stuff...it has been a blast so far. The kids (from what I can tell) love it, too! This week I had a second grader come up to me and say, "Miss Stasiak, 5 days!!!" I had no idea what he was referring to until he said, "What robot are we learning about this time?!" Those little things make all the extra time and planning worth it!  As the year progresses, I cannot wait to share all of the awesome coding/programing resources our school has received. However, there is one robot I can't wait to share with you...Blue-Bot (or Bee-bot)!! Blue-Bot and Bee-bot do the same exact thing, but Blue-bot has a Blue-tooth that allows him to connect to a tablet or PC.

The bots have command keys to move them forward and backward, left and right to help students practice sequencing, directionality, problem-solving, counting and communication skills. They simply click the buttons on the Blue-bot and press GO! The bot then processes the commands and moves around the mat. You can also use the Blue-bot iPad app to program him that way. I found that students enjoy both ways--it really just depends on what the student prefers.

On the blue-bot site, you can find various mats to purchase for students to interact with. There are shapes, letters, numbers, mazes and more!



However, if you buy the blank card mat, you can put any cards you'd like on the map. The grid has a thick, plastic layer on top so whatever you add to the mat will stay in place. When you are done, simply lift up the plastic layer, remove the cards you used, and add different cards!



SO I tried this with my class for the first time this week and it. was. a. HIT! I have honestly never seen my students that excited about word work before! We tried a simple review activity--I filled the mat with CVC words and pictures. With a partner, students had to give their partner a "mission."

i.e. "Ok Matt--you need to get Blue-bot from the word six to the word jet. Go!"



Students then have to read and find the words they are looking for, and program Blue-bot to do what he needs to do. The first couple tries, students would program the bot incorrectly--and it was so awesome to see other students saying, "Oh I know what you need to do--try this!!" Towards the end of the activity, students were seamlessly programming the bot and reading like crazy! Check out some pictures of the fun we had below:









And you have to watch this cute video of two of my kids celebrating their Blue-bot success! <3

Now, I'm sure you can imagine the possibilities in the classroom with the card mat. I could find cards to add to the mat for pretty much any content area, standard, lesson, etc. The teacher next door saw what we were doing and thought it was as cool as we did. So she tried it with her students the next day during math class! Students had to find a read and find different two-digit numbers--and they loved it.

Quick Tip:
-Tell your students Blue-bot moves on his own and is not to be used like a race car (i.e. he should not be pushed around the mat with your hands). It could hurt his wheels!!

I am urging you to try this fun activity for you students--write a Donors Choose or talk to your administration and get a Blue-bot for your classroom!!

Happy teaching!