All About Apples

I recently did an apple themed unit. I of course included the classic tale of Johnny Appleseed. Since language arts and math are the only common core subjects for Kindergarten, I focused on those subjects primarily. We read Johnny Appleseed and did a character web as a class. The students also made their own Johnny Appleseed hats. For science we learned the parts of an apple and the students labeled their own apple. For math we used apples to learn about measurement and data. Here are some pictures of the highlights of the unit.

I brought the apples to school in this old apple basket. I thought it was so cute!


This is the craft we made for the parts of an apple lesson.


The Children used linking cubes to measure their apples, which is part of the Common Core Curriculum.


We had a cute paper to document our investigation. You can find here


We also learned about graphs and data, which also aligns with the CCC.




This was one of my favorite lessons. I thought it was great to do the graph as a whole and let them graph and measure their own apples. They really enjoyed it. We will use the apples to make applesauce. :)

Jen

My Teacher Style

From being in a college classroom, having classes spread out randomly through the week, getting to sleep in, and really not having a consistent routine or a specific dress code, etc. There are a few things that I've found very necessary in my daily life of being a teacher. I narrowed it down to 5 go-to's for my daily teacher style from clothes, organization, and caffeine pick-me-ups.

Let's see, the first day of school I wore a cute pencil skirt, button up shirt, and some wedges. By the end of the day I could barely walk because my feet were killing me. Trying to keep up with a classroom full of Kinders while wearing heels is an accident waiting to happen. As for the cute coral pencil skirt I got from J. Crew, yeah I couldn't exactly move comfortably in that either. Don't get me wrong, I've now realized this is a great outfit for the first day, open house, or parent/teacher conferences. But I doubt I'll ever wear that in the classroom on a normal day. I am all for dressing professional and luckily my style is on the preppy side, I have no problem shopping for teacher clothes; Cardigans, button-ups, dresses, etc.

1. My go-to place for shopping that is reasonably priced is J. Crew Factory. It's a great place to get all of the J.Crew classics at a discounted price. I also love J.Crew for their bright colors that pop. I love the mismatched patterns and accessories to keep classic pieces looking trendy.



2. SHOES.. Ok just to be clear 90% of my shoes come from the wonderful Target. I'm all about a cute pair of flats or riding boots that are under $30. However their flats aren't always comfortable and they don't last very long if you plan on wearing them a lot. I never splurge on shoes, I don't know why, I feel like I'm violating some kind of girl code by not splurging on shoes. However I've had my eye on Jack Rogers sandals for the longest time. And after that awful choice of wearing wedges on the first day of school I knew I needed something more functional. So I splurged. Yikes! I couldn't believe I spent just over $100 on sandals. I convinced myself it was a good idea because they were dressy, known for being comfortable, a neutral color and since I live in Oklahoma, it doesn't really start getting cold until the end of October. These might be one of the best wardrobe investments I've ever made. They are so comfy for school and a neutral color that I almost wear them every day! I'm considering making a "Jack Rogers fund" jar just so I can get more colors! I'm not sure if my part-time baby sitting gig will cover that, but we'll see!

What I have:

What I want:


3. Diet Coke. Do I really need to explain this one?


4. Coffee. I know I don't need to explain this one


5. My teacher planner keeps me organized and holds everything I need; calendars, lesson plans, common core, etc. I got mine here at Teachers Pay Teachers However one day I plan to get one of those fancy Erin Condren ones, because they are just so fabulous. Staying organized is something I'm very good at. I always have my planner handy. The one I got at TPT was only a $3 download, I organized it into a a three-ring binder to keep for all school related things. I have a cute little monogram May Design book that I use for personal use that I always keep on me.




These are just a few essentials to my teacher life. What are your must haves?



Jen

Back-to-school wrap up!

I have been interning in a Kindergarten classroom for almost 4 weeks now! Can't believe we have already been in school that long. I feel truly blessed to have such an amazing teacher to intern under and learn from. She has been so helpful during my internship and is a great role model. I've mainly been observing her but have taken on a few responsibilities during the first few weeks of school. I've taken over calendar time, the letter of the week crafts, and just helping the teacher with whatever I can do. I'm very excited to start taking on full responsibility of the class! Here are a few activities that I have contributed to the class so far.

I made these for the kids for the first day of school. They loved them!


We read the Kissing Hand (one of my favs) on the first day. They got to draw a picture of their family and make a hand print, I also attached a poem about the Kissing Hand.


I taught them this little saying, we say it together before we begin any work.


I made this great coloring reference chart. (By the way I love when children use their imagination and their own creativity, this was just to help them make sense of it all, instead of grabbing whatever crayon and scribbling on their paper)


First letter we learned was L. We read Llama Llama Misses Mama and made these little llamas. I think they're cute!


We then learned O. We made little octopuses and octopus soup (green food coloring, ramen, and hot dogs). They absolutely loved it.


Most recently we learned the letter G. I read the old tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff . I read the big book and did the felt board story. Felt boards are kind of old school but I think they are great for retelling and comprehension. I let the Kinders take turns retelling the story with the felt board that week. They really enjoyed it.



Jen

The Big Apple Teacher: Erin Condren giveaway

The Big Apple Teacher: I got more Erin Condren!!! {and I need your advice...: So I am a bit fanatical about Erin Condren   and I am ready to prove it to you.  My giveaway is in full swing, and even after it started....

theme or no theme???

Ever since I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do is help my mom get her first grade classroom ready for back-to-school. As long as I can remember she has had a specific theme (frogs, pirates, Wizard of Oz, and currently Snoopy). I really love the Snoopy theme, it's very classic and cute. My memories of being a first grader or second grader is that first day of school when you walk into the classroom and your teacher has it decorated so nicely and fun and worked so hard to provide such an enchanting place to learn. Now, thanks to Pinterest I've noticed a lot of teachers are going a more neutral route in their classroom. Not specifically sticking to a theme but maybe just providing a certain color pallet that you can use for more than one school year.It has me wondering what I will do when I graduate in December and hopefully have my first classroom that Spirng or the following Fall. What do you prefer? Theme or no theme??

Jen

Always a good reminder....

I found this on Pinterest and completely thought it was a great reminder of choosing the right words we say to our kiddos. From a babysitter's prospective as well as an educator, it's always good to choose our words wisely. Here's the link 10 Things Not to Say to Your Kids



Jen

Slow down Summer!

Lawdy lawdy! I cannot believe how fast this summer is going. We are only a couple of weeks away from the 4th! (my favorite holiday). I decided that since it is summer, which means not a lot of school going on, I would do a few summmer highlights throughout the season. June has been a very exciting month for me. My husband and I moved into a new home and we absolutely love it. It's an older home that has been completely renovated inside. We also got a new puppy, a little Lakeland Terrier. Apparently these pooches cost a pretty penny. However, I got a little clearance puppy and he couldn't be a better fit for us. The little pup has a bent tail from his brother breaking it while playing around when they were just just born. Isn't that the sweetest thing? He has this precious little tail that gives him character. We named him Boomer and he's the cutest thing ever. He currently loves chewing on anything in sight, cuddling, and leaving me surprises(gotta love potty-training). My favorite thing I love about Summer is spending time at the lake with my family and friends.